Makiisa sa pagdiriwang ng ika-25 taong anibersaryo ng HKSAR - at makinabang

 

Kitang kita ang Kowloon at HK Island sa kuhang ito na mula sa Sky100

Kung wala ka pang planong puntahan sa July 1, na isang statutory holiday dahil ito ang ika-25 anibersaryo ng pagkakatatag ng Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, bakit hindi magpunta sa mga pasinayang inihahanda ng pamahalaan.

May pagakataon ka pang mag-uwi ng libreng souvenir.

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Ang mga souvenir item ay para sa mga dadalo -- kabilang ang mga OFW -- sa iba’t ibang programang gaganapin simula sa June 19 hanggang Dec. 18 sa kampanyang "iAM Smart" Reward Scheme na naglalayong ipakita ang pakinabang ng "iAM Smart" app sa pagkuha ng iba’t ibang serbisyo mula sa gobyerno at pribadong sektor.

Ang mga souvenir item.

Ang kailangan lang ay gumamit ng "iAM Smart" app sa pagpasok, upang automatic na mabigyan ng electronic stamp. Kapag nakatatlong stamp na ay pwede nang makakuha ng HK 25^th Anniversary souvenir na gaya ng foldable backpack, foldable water jug, tuwalya at pen holder charger.

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May mga staff na tutulong kung papaano ito gawin.

Ang unang event, na nakatakda sa June 19,  ay ang "Happy@ Parks - Toy Formula．Lai Chi Kok Park" na idadaos Leisure and Cultural Services Department. 

Ang iba pang mga programa -- at lugar na pagdarausan ay nakalista sa webpage na ito: www.iamsmart.gov.hk/25a/en/.

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Ang impormasyon kung paano mag-download ng "iAM Smart" app para sa iyong mobile phone at kung saan ito magagamit, ay makikita sa website na ito: https://www.iamsmart.gov.hk/en/.

Samantala, ang Hong Kong Science Museum at Hong Kong Space Museum sa Tsimshatsui ay hindi maniningil ng bayad sa July 1 sa lahat ng mga papasok bilang selebrasyon ng HKSAR anniversary.

Naghahanda rin ang iba pang museum na pinatatakbo ng Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) ng kanya-kanyang mga programa upang ipakita ang yaman ng kultura ng Hong Kong, 

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Ang mga kasali sa programang ito ay Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong Heritage Museum, Hong Kong Museum of History, Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum, Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware, Hong Kong Railway Museum, Fireboat Alexander Grantham Exhibition Gallery, Law Uk Folk Museum, Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb Museum, Hong Kong Film Archive, Sam Tung Uk Museum, Oi! at Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre.

Para sa detalye ng kanilang paghahanda at kung saan sila matatagpuan, puntahan ang website na ito: https://www.25a-lcsdevents.gov.hk/en/index.php.

Ang kailangan lang bago pumasok sa mga lugar na ito ay mag-scan ng "LeaveHomeSafe" app upang masiguro na ang lahat ng pumapasok ay kumpleto sa bakuna, bilang pag-iingat laban sa Covid-19.

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Pinagmulta ng $500 dahil sa nakaw na Octopus card

By The SUN

Ang iba-ibang klase ng Octopus card na nakapangalan sa may-ari

Laking tuwa ng isang Pilipinong domestic helper nitong Biyernes nang malaman sa Eastern Magistracy na pagmumultahin lang siya ng $500 at hindi ikukulong pagkatapos umamin sa kasong pagnanakaw ng Octopus card.

Ayon sa abugado ni S.R.P., 39 taong gulang, kasalukuyan itong walang trabaho dahil hinihintay ang paglabas ng kanyang employment visa sa bagong amo.

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Nahuli siya ng mga pulis bandang ala una ng umaga noong May 20 sa Hennesy Road sa Wanchai dahil diumano palinga-linga ito na parang may tinatago.

Matapos hingin ang kanyang HK ID card at tingnan ang laman ng kanyang body bag ay nakita nila ang isang Octopus card na nasa pangalan ng isang Intsik, kaya agad siyang hinuli.

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Pagdating sa presinto ay agad inamin ng akusado na ninakaw niya ang Octopus card sa Market Place grocery sa Kowloon Tong noon pang Nobyembre ng nakaraang taon.

Ang sabi sa korte ay ginamit niya ang ninakaw na card para sa sarili, pero hindi binanggit kung magkano ang nawalang pera sa may-ari na si Poon Kai-sing.

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Sa kanyang pagharap sa korte ay muling inamin ni S.R.P. ang ginawang pagnanakaw.

Agad namang humingi ng mababang sentensiya ang kanyang abugado na ang sabi ay nabawi naman ng may-ari ang card, at agad inamin ng akusado ang pagnanakaw.

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Malinis din daw ang record nito na may asawa at tatlong anak sa Pilipinas.

Tinanggap ni Principal Magistrate Ada Yim ang paliwanag ng abugado, at inutos na magmulta na lang ang akusado ng $500, at ibabawas na ito sa kanyang nakalagak na piyansa.

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CE says 4-digit daily infection tally within expectation

By The SUN 

CE Lam with her ministers for Lam Woon-kwong for labour and Sophia Chan for health (RTHK) 

Outgoing Chief Executive Carrie Lam has again called on the public to remain vigilant, with the daily Covid-19 cases rising above 1,000 in the past few days, but said the infection figure is not surprising.

Speaking to reporters earlier today, CE Lam said, "For the time being, I have to stress that this sort of upward cases, according to the experts, is not unexpected. Because we have almost returned to normalcy as far as social activities are concerned, so in a way this is not an alarm bell yet.”

However, she said the government will continue to monitor the situation.

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She made her remarks just before health officials reported that 1,145 new coronavirus infections were found yesterday, the third day in a row that the daily infection tally had breached the four-digit mark.

Of the new cases, 1,014 were locally acquired while 131 were imported.

The CE said although the daily tally has risen significantly, most of the patients do not require hospitalization and the number of people in serious or critical condition remains stable.

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However, she said more testing will be done, and children who are in schools must continue to undergo daily rapid tests until the end of the school year this August.

In addition, staff at care homes will be required to undergo a PCR test every two weeks, on top of their daily rapid tests, starting on June 22. They will also be required to get a booster jab.

She again ruled out any tightening of social distancing measures but urged people to limit cross-family gatherings especially on Father’s Day this Sunday. She said that as a precaution, she has cancelled all her farewell meals.

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Meanwhile, health authorities confirmed at today’s press briefing that 20 officers in the the police’s counter terrorism unit have contracted Covid.

But Albert Au of the Centre for Health Protection did not elaborate, and only said the infected officers did not have frequent contact with the public.

Twenty elite police officers have come down with Covid-19

Au reported that of the new local cases, 379 were confirmed via PCR tests while the remaining 635 cases were self-reported rapid tests verified by authorities.

Of the 131 imported cases, 67 were detected at the airport, 54 at quarantine hotels and 10 post-quarantine.

The total tally from the fifth wave now stands at 1,211,501.

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Au also noted that there were 145 new cases reported among 126 schools. They involve 102 students and 43 teachers in schools located in such districts as North Point, Tai Po and Mong Kok.

Also included among the new cases are four detected in different care homes, located in Fanling, Sheung Shui, Diamond Hill and Ngau Tau Kok.

Three workers at a construction site in Ho Man Tin also fell ill with Covid.

Dr Larry Lee of the Hospital Authority reported one related death involving a 58-year-old woman with nasopharyngeal cancer. She tested positive on admission to Queen Mary Hospital on Jun 10, but died after being transferred to Grantham Hospital.

Lee said that 412 Covid patients are being treated in public hospitals, and among them, 15 are in critical condition and 10 are in serious condition.

While most of the patients are in stable condition, he said the HA is not being complacent.

He said officials will be able to mobilise hospital beds and community treatment facilities within a short period of time if Hong Kong sees a surge in Covid infections.

The plans would allow the AsiaWorld-Expo community treatment centre to become operational within 72 hours, and the ward capacity of the HK Infection Control Centre to be increased in just 24 to 48 hours. 

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Labor law amended to include pandemic measures

 

Absence from work due to pandemic requirements will now be covered by sickness allowance

Failure to get a vaccine can now get a person fired from their job in Hong Kong. But being absent from work because of anti-epidemic requirements such as getting tested for Covid or being quarantined will not be a reasonable ground for their dismissal.

These are among the new rules that took effect today with the inclusion of the ​Employment (Amendment) Ordinance 2022 in the Official Gazette.

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The ordinance was approved by Legislatve Council last Wednesday (June 15).

Among its major provisions is that failure to comply with an employer’s legitimate vaccination request will be a “valid reason” for dismissal or revision of contract.

Under this amendment, the employee has 56 days to show proof of compliance with the vaccine requirement.

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Exempted from the amendment are pregnant and breastfeeding women, people who are medically exempted and those who had that specific illness in the last six months.

The new law also specifies that absence from work due to compliance with a requirement under the Prevention and Control of Disease Regulation (Cap 599A) or Prevention and Control of Disease (Compulsory Testing for Certain Persons) Regulation (Cap 599J) – such as an isolation order, a quarantine order or a testing requirement which restricts movement -- will not be a “valid reason” for dismissal or changes to the work contract.

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With this provision, employers cannot use such absences as an excuse for not giving the 30-day notice, or payment in lieu of notice, when they terminate employees.

The new law also expands the definition of “sickness day” in the Employment Ordinance, which entitles workers to sickness allowance for each day of absence, to include each day on which an employee is absent from work because of such Cap 599 requirements.

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In a statement, the Labour Department said, "The legislative amendments seek to reflect the policy intent so as to clarify the rights and obligations between employers and employees under the epidemic, and to strike an appropriate balance between protecting public health and preserving employees' rights and benefits. 

The new law can be found here: https://www.gld.gov.hk/egazette/pdf/20222673e/es3202226734.pdf.

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Retired doctor back in court on sexual assault charges

By Daisy CL Mandap

 

Apthorp (in brown jacket) with his solicitors, is out on $201,000 bail

Retired British doctor Brian Drew Apthorp was back in Eastern Court earlier today for the retrial of two cases of sexual assault he allegedly committed on his Filipina domestic worker between September 2018 and April 2019.

Apthorp, 84, had managed to have his earlier conviction and sentence on the same charges overturned by the High Court on Apr 29 this year.

In the first count, Apthorp is accused of indecently assaulting X on Sept 11, 2018 in his home at 35B Shouson Hill Road.

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He is charged with a second count of indecent assault on X in his home, between November 2018 and April 4, 2019.

The charges pertained to the elderly doctor allegedly using deception and threats to make X submit to a purported body check and pap smear and later, of forcing her to give him daily massages while fondling himself or committing other sexual acts.

On July 15 last year, Eastern Magistrate Daniel Tang found Apthorp guilty on both counts and sentenced him to 30 months in prison.

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But on appeal, High Court Judge Esther Toh ruled that magistrate Tang was wrong in refusing to let a lawyer hired belatedly by Apthorp to cross-examine X.

Apthorp did the questioning and cross-examination of X by himself in the first two days of his trial, but later on hired solicitor Jonathan Midgley to defend him.

In her judgment, Judge Toh said, “Because of that refusal, justice had not been seen to be done, and therefore, the conviction is clearly unsafe and unsatisfactory.

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In court today before Principal Magistrate Ada Yim, counsel for Apthorp asked for the case to be adjourned to July 29 to enable the defense to ask the prosecution for more particulars before a plea is taken.

Magistrate Yim agreed, and extended Apthorp’s bail for $201,000 until the next hearing date.

Apthorp faces another legal battle at the High Court. He is appealing against a decision by Judge Russel Coleman last April 23, ordering the police to reinvestigate X’s complaint that she and two other former domestic helpers of Apthorp were also victims of sex trafficking and forced labor.

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Lawyers acting for X had sought leave for a judicial review of the police decision not to charge Apthorp for the two offences, citing video and photographic evidence.

Judge Coleman granted the leave and said the lack of a “bespoke” law on human trafficking makes it difficult for prosecutions of this nature to proceed.

But he said such legislations should not only cover FDWs as urged by the applicant’s counsel, but all other people who might be victims of forced labor and exploitation under section 4 of the Bill of Rights.

 

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3 Pilipina, kinasuhan ng ilegal na pag-recruit sa mga kapwa DH

Dininig ang kaso laban sa tatlo sa Shatin Magistracy 

Tatlong Pilipina ang inakusahan sa Shatin courts ng “breach of condition of stay” matapos silang mahuli diumano na nagre recruit ng mga kapwa domestic helper para magtrabaho sa ibang bansa.

Sina M. Retales, 38 taong gulang; J. Tacbad, 31, at R. Maravilla, 45; ay iniharap kay David Cheung Chi-wai, Acting Principal Magistrate, kahapon, Huwebes.

Binasahan sila ng kaso, nguni't pumayag si Cheung na ipagpaliban ang pagdinig sa July 7 para magkaroon sila ng pagkakataon na humanap ng abugado.

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Ayon sa sakdal ng Immigration Department, ang tatlo ay nahuli noong Jan 23, 2022 sa aktong pagpapatakbo sa ilegal na negosyo. 

Si Retales ay inakusahang nagsimula sa gawaing ito noong September 2021, samantalang sina Tacbad at Maravilla ay noong December 2021.

Ayon sa kondisyon na nagpapahitulot sa kanila na magtrabaho sa Hong Kong bilang domestic helper, bawal silang magtrabaho sa labas ng bahay ng kani-kanilang mga amo nang walang pahintulot ang Immigration.

Hiningi ng kanilang abugado mula sa Duty Lawyer's Scheme na ipagpaliban ang pagdinig para sa kanilang karagdagang salaysay at para  makakuha sila ng kani-kanilang abugado. 

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Pumayag ang mahistrado sa pakiusap ng abugado, at inutos na ituloy ang kanilang piyansa ng tig-$1,000.

Ayon sa Immigration Ordinance, ang paglabag sa itinakdang kundisyon para sa mga iginawad na visa ay may parusang multa na pwedeng umabot ng $50,000 at pagkakakulong ng hanggang dalawang taon.

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Domestic Worker’s Day marked with protest for Covid relief, higher pay

By The SUN 

Migrant workers want higher pay and better working conditions plus pandemic relief aid

It’s International Domestic Workers’ Day today, and a group of migrants marked the occasion by picketing the Central Government Offices in Tamar to demand higher pay and their inclusion in the pandemic relief handout.

The protesters came from various ethnic groups under the umbrella of the Asian Migrants Coordinating Body (AMCB).

The group’s spokesperson, Dolores Balladares-Pelaez, said, “Sa loob ng halos tatlong taon ay hindi tayo laging kasama sa financial assistance na binibigay ng Hong Kong samantalang tayo naman ang nagbibigyay ng tulong o kontribusyon sa ekonomiya at local na pamilya.”

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(In the past three years of the pandemic we were never included in the financial assistance from the Hong Kong government when we contribute a lot to the economy and help local families).

The call by the migrants for pandemic relief was stepped up after the government announced earlier this week that it was expanding the list of recipients for its $10,000 cash voucher scheme, to include everyone qualified to become a permanent resident.

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Implicit in the announcement is that the only ones who will be left out of the windfall are the migrant workers, torture claimants and others who do not have legal status in Hong Kong.

Migrant workers are among a few who will not be entitled to the cash vouchers (File)

Pelaez also reiterated AMCB’s long-standing demand for a minimum living wage, which based on calculations made by Oxfam Hong Kong, should be no less than $6,014 a month, apart from $2,600 in food allowance.

“Matagal na natin itong hinihingi pero hindi binibigay,” said Pelaez. (We have long asked for this but it was never given to us).

She said that with Hong Kong being cited as the most expensive city in the world, there is a more compelling reason for migrant workers to get higher pay to cope with rising food prices and the costs of other basic needs.

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In a letter submitted to outgoing Chief Executive Carrie Lam, the AMCB also called for amending the standard employment contract for FDWs to allow them 11 hours of uninterrupted rest per day, guarantee their long service pay, and provide them with proper accommodation.

The workers lamented that the hardships caused by the Covid-19 contagion has led to financial hardship for all people, yet they are the only ones who are not being given financial aid.

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“We believe that raising the wage of MDWs to a living wage level and reform the policies toward MDW is an act to show the respect for what this population has contributed to Hong Kong society, and to correct the current existing slave wage of MDW,” said their letter.

“We demand that living wage be given to migrant domestic workers.”

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