Hong Kong – SB sets up dedicated task force on employment fraud in Southeast Asian countries (with photos)
SB sets up dedicated task force on employment fraud in Southeast Asian countries (with photos)
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The Security Bureau (SB) today (August 18) announced that it attaches great importance to recent incidents in which Hong Kong people were suspected to have been lured to Southeast Asian countries such as Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos and detained to engage in illegal work. In this regard, the SB has set up a dedicated task force to co-ordinate follow-up action by the relevant law enforcement agencies (LEAs) in providing all possible help to assistance seekers. Members of the Task Force include representatives from the SB, the Immigration Department (ImmD) and the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF).
Since January this year, LEAs of Hong Kong (including the ImmD and the HKPF) have received requests for assistance in relation to 20 Hong Kong people in total. According to the information gathered by LEAs, among them, 12 Hong Kong people are confirmed to be safe and 10 of those people have returned to Hong Kong.
The Task Force will actively follow up on requests for assistance, and maintain close contact with family members of the people concerned, the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the local Chinese Embassy/Consulate General and INTERPOL to follow up on the cases. The Task Force will provide assistance to secure the safe return of the people concerned to Hong Kong, including the quarantine arrangements in Hong Kong.
The Organized Crime and Triad Bureau of the HKPF has taken up the investigation of relevant cases, and has been maintaining close liaison with enforcement agencies in other jurisdictions, and contacted overseas LEAs in relation to the exchange of intelligence and assistance in investigations through the INTERPOL platform.
The Government appeals to the public not to trust online recruitment advertisements or comments lightly and guard against claims of ways to earn quick money and jobs offering extraordinarily high remuneration with no specific requirements for academic qualification or working experience.
In light of the local situation, the SB has issued since 2012 an amber outbound travel alert on Myanmar to remind residents who intend to visit the country or are already there to monitor the situation, exercise caution, and attend to their personal safety. Residents should also avoid all non-essential travel to the northern and western states of Myanmar and areas along the border with Mainland China, Laos and Thailand. With regard to recent cases, the SB has included alerts on overseas job scams in the “Other Travel Information” section on the website for Outbound Travel Alerts. Starting today, the HKPF and the ImmD will distribute flyers at the boarding counters of outbound flights to the relevant Southeast Asian countries to remind outbound travellers to beware of employment scams and pay attention to travel safety.
Hong Kong residents travelling outside Hong Kong who need assistance may call the 24-hour hotline of the Assistance to Hong Kong Residents Unit of the Immigration Department at (852) 1868, call the 1868 hotline by network data call via the Immigration Department Mobile Application or submit the Online Assistance Request Form. Citizens should make a report to the Police as soon as practicable if a scam is suspected.
Task force on investigation of Hong Kong Coliseum serious incident discusses causes of incident
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Task force conducts on-site investigation at Hong Kong Coliseum to identify causes of serious incident (with photo)
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The B20 Energy, Sustainability & Climate Task Force, led by state-owned oil giant Pertamina Group, put forth three recommendations to support realization of the target of net-zero carbon emissions. “Climate change sustainability is something that we must strive for in the future. For this reason, the B20 Energy, Sustainability, and Climate Task Force has compiled policy recommendations that focus on three recommendations, with 12 policy actions that call for global cooperation,” Deputy Chair of B20 Energy, Sustainability, and Climate Task Force Agung Wicaksono said in a statement obtained here on Thursday. He delivered the statement during the hybrid dialogue forum of Energy Transition in Growth Markets on Tuesday (June 21). This forum is one of the events conducted by the Task Force Energy, Sustainability & Climate (ESC) and the Task Force Future of Work and Education in collaboration with the Accenture International Utilities and Energy Conference held on June 21-23, 2022, in Rome, Italy. Themed “Maximizing the Value of the Energy Transition in Growth Markets and Paving the Way to B20,” this forum discusses the future of the energy industry in an era that prioritizes sustainability and low emissions for a green future and a more sustainable planet. The three policy recommendations include accelerating the transition to sustainable energy use by reducing carbon intensity in different ways. The second is ensuring a just, orderly, and affordable transition to sustainable energy use. The third recommendation pertains to increasing energy security, so that consumers can access and consume clean and modern energy. “We are working hard to ensure there is an alignment between the performance targets set by the Italian B20 last year and our performance targets this year, so there will be a continuity,” Wicaksono stated. To ensure a fair, orderly, and affordable transition to sustainable energy use, Wicaksono stated that the pricing in developing countries should be taken into consideration. Thus, it is necessary to formulate ways to integrate the benefits of carbon pricing into the energy transition pricing. “With the energy transition, we must also think about the security and availability aspects of world energy. At the same time, we must also ensure that everyone has access to clean and modern energy,” he emphasized. The managing director of Jababeka Infrastructure stated that the potential of decarbonization towards net-zero emission also comes from industrial areas. Furthermore, he invited companies in the B20 to conduct global collaborations that will result in business actions, as the provision of renewable energy for industrial companies with a large demand can contribute to achieving the energy transition target, he affirmed. Wicaksono also accentuated the importance of energy transition and the important role of the B20 Energy, Sustainability, and Climate Task Force in achieving energy transition priorities, especially to achieve net-zero emissions. On the same occasion, Chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Arsjad Rasjid stated that currently, the main players in the energy and utility areas are facing challenges. Collaboration becomes increasing important for achieving significant reductions in carbon emissions and a progressive transition from carbon-generating energy to environmentally friendly, greener, and sustainable energy, Rasjid stated. “The transition to greener energy does not mean stopping profits for the company. The company’s move towards clean energy will create added value for brands and consumers to become more confident and have a positive outlook,” he remarked. Head of Indonesia’s B20 Organizer, Shinta Kamdani, stated that energy transition should provide benefits and not create burden. Kamdani pressed for making meticulous preparations for the energy transition, including conducting mitigation of the costs and impacts. “This energy transition certainly requires substantial financial support. The G20 countries, which contribute 80 percent of the world’s economy, are expected to provide this support for the transition process. Several main priorities must be put forward in this energy transition, such as accessibility, technology, and funding,” Kamdani stated. The event was moderated by Gianfranco Casati and Valentin de Miguel from Accenture that are the Co-Chair and Deputy Co-Chair of the B20 Energy, Sustainability, and Climate Task Force. The forum also presented other keynote speakers: the Chair B20 Future of Work & Education Task Force/President Director of Astra Otoparts/Director of PT Astra International Tbk, Hamdhani D. Salim; Co-Chair B20 Future of Work & Education Task Force/IOE Vice President to The ILO, Renate Hornung Draus; WEF Head of Energy, Materials and Infrastructure, Kristen Panerali; and ENI Evolution CEO, Giuseppe Ricci. Contact: Fajriyah Usman, VP Corporate Communications, PT Pertamina (Persero)
The B20 Energy, Sustainability, and Climate (ESC) Task Force has continued to strengthen steps to produce policy recommendations under the Indonesian G20 Presidency. As part of the effort, the ‘Fourth Task Force Call Meeting’ was held online for members on Tuesday (May 24, 2022). The meeting, which was accessed from Jakarta, was led directly by Pertamina president director and chair of the task force, Nicke Widyawati. It was attended by around 140 participants comprising deputy chair of the ESC Task Force, Agung Wicaksono; policy manager of the task force, Oki Muraza; eight co-chairs of the task force; and B20 members from 19 industries and 25 countries. Among the topics the 4th meeting focused on was the addition of aspects of SDGs and key performance indicators (KPI) to policy recommendations. “Based on the results of discussions between the Task Force and the Implementing Council, it has been agreed that all Task Force B20 should link the SDG goals that are relevant to the draft policy recommendations and develop KPIs as monitoring indicators in policy designs,” Widyawati said. She reiterated that the main objective of the forum is to ensure inclusivity in the formulation of recommendations and policies, wherein all members of the task force get the opportunity to express their views. “I hope that we can work together in formulating policy proposals that are effective and can be implemented as well as able to represent the interests of the business community from B20 member countries,” she said. The policy manager of the task force, Oki Muraza, outlined several KPI proposals in policy recommendations, which are expected to serve as indicators while monitoring the course of policy recommendations, including increasing the percentage of renewable energy from the total global energy supply and creating jobs related to clean energy and low-emission technologies. “We have compiled this KPI considering the policies that have been made in the Italian B20 presidency by adding several aspects that are in line with the B20 policy recommendations this year,” Muraza said. In addition, the policy recommendations made should be in line with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets, such as those related to affordable clean energy (SDG No. 7 Affordable and Clean Energy) and climate action (SDG No. 13 Climate Action). On the same occasion, deputy chair of the task force, Agung Wicaksono, informed that the task force still has one Task Force Call in June 2022 for submitting final policy recommendations. Wicaksono said he expects the task force members to continue to provide inputs and views on the preparation of policy recommendations that have an impact and can be followed up by the G20 leadership. In addition, he also listed several other important activities that will be held by the task force after the last Task Force Call, including the B20/G20 Ministerial Dialogue in July 2022; an investment forum titled “2nd Partners in Energy Transition,” which will be organized in collaboration with the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the “SOE Trade & Investment Forum,” which will be held in collaboration with the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises in September; and the B20 Summit in November. Contact: Fajriyah Usman, VP Corporate Communications, PT Pertamina (Persero)
Hong Kong – Task force on investigation of Hong Kong Coliseum serious incident discusses causes of incident
A task force led by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) held its third meeting today (August 12) to discuss the causes of a serious incident occurring at the Hong Kong Coliseum (HKC).
The task force arranged earlier a cherry picker for experts to inspect closely at a higher position the installations suspended at the top of the stage. Besides, as the stage was dismantled, the task force had arranged the inspection and examination of all the hoisted installations which had been lowered down.
In the meeting, the task force, after deliberate study of the information gathered at this moment, found that the snapping of wire rope was caused by metal fatigue according to laboratory examination result. However, further investigations are needed to find out the causes of metal fatigue. In addition, the hanging system of panels and its workmanship may also be the causes for the falling down of the LED panels leading to the serious incident at the HKC. The task force will conduct further investigations in this direction.
Meanwhile, the LCSD will hand over the arena tomorrow as scheduled to the next hirer for holding concerts. The hirer has also agreed to comply and make necessary arrangements to fulfil the three short-term measures announced earlier to ensure the safety of performers, staff members and audiences. The measures are (1) Revisit and enhance safety of their stage design and their brought-in mechanical devices and to ensure the safety of all working staff, performers and persons attending the venue; (2) Cease the use of suspended mechanical devices involving swinging, rotation or carrying of persons; and (3) Conduct daily inspection of the mechanical devices mentioned in item (1) by a competent person whom LCSD agrees to assure safe working.
Hong Kong – Task force conducts on-site investigation at Hong Kong Coliseum to identify causes of serious incident (with photo)
A task force led by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) to identify the causes of a serious incident occurring at Hong Kong the Coliseum (HKC), suggest and follow up on recommendations, held its first meeting today (August 1) at the HKC. An on-site investigation was also conducted by the task force at the arena to look for the causes of the incident.
The task force is led by Assistant Director of the LCSD Mr Lee Tsz-chun, with members comprising representatives from the Labour Department (LD), the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) and the LCSD as well as a representative from the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers invited by the task force, Mr Louis Szeto. Besides, representatives of the Police Force also attended to give advice on evidence collection. Expert Dr Eric Lim was engaged by the task force to help with the study of the causes of the incident.
Before the meeting, the task force conducted an on-site inspection at the HKC to study carefully the causes of the incident.
Before the completion of the investigation report, the LCSD will review the safety of all performances under its performing venues and will implement short-term measures starting tomorrow (August 2) until further notices, ensuring performers and staff members to perform in a safe condition:
1. Hirers are required to revisit and enhance safety of their stage design and their brought-in mechanical devices and to ensure the safety of all working staff, performers and persons attending the venue;
2. Use of suspended mechanical devices involving swinging, rotation or carrying of persons will be temporarily ceased; and
3. Hirers must conduct daily inspection of the mechanical devices mentioned in item 1 by a competent person whom LCSD agrees to assure safe working.
The LCSD will send letters to hirers who have booked its venues before the end of September to explain the above short-term measures and remind them to observe relevant regulations and safety guidelines on stage safety.
After the first meeting of the task force held today, the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung, met with representatives of the LCSD, LD, the Police Force and the EMSD to learn about the investigation progress in different aspects, listen to the report by the task force and to co-ordinate the division of labour and co-operation among the relevant departments.
B20 task force highlights recommendations to support net zero-carbon
The B20 Energy, Sustainability & Climate (ESC) Task Force held entitled the third Task Force Call Meeting on Thursday, April 19 (ANTARA/HO-Pertamina)
M: +62 858 8330 8686, Email: fajriyah.usman@pertamina.com, URL: https://www.pertamina.com
Written by: Azis Kurmala, Editor: Sri Haryati (c) ANTARA 2022
Topic: Press release summary
B20 ESC Task Force to link performance, SDG targets with policies
Chair of the B20 Energy, Sustainability, and Climate Task Force, Nicke Widyawati, during the 4th Call Meeting of the task force in Jakarta on Tuesday, May 24, 2022. (Antara / HO-Pertamina)
M: +62 858 8330 8686, Email: fajriyah.usman@pertamina.com, URL: https://www.pertamina.com
Written by: Azis Kurmala, Editor: Suharto (c) ANTARA 2022
Topic: Press release summary
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