Smart ID card replacement centres to remain open until Mar 3

By The SUN

All Smart ID Card Replacement Centres will not close on Mar 3

The Immigration Department announced today, Jan 26, that the last day for applying to get HKID cards replaced at  Smart Identity Card Replacement Centres (SIDCCs) has been extended from Feb 11 to Mar 3 this year.

This was due to the big number of residents who returned to Hong Kong recently to get their old HKID cards replaced, said Immigration in a statement.

From tomorrow, Jan 27, residents may make appointments for identity card replacement at Smart Identity Card Replacement Centres (SIDCCs) for Feb 11, 2023 onwards.

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All SIDCCs will stop operating from Mar 4, 2023. Any eligible person who failed to apply for or collect a new smart ID before this date should do so at a Registration of Persons Office. Details and appointment arrangements will be announced in due course.

Hong Kong residents who are unable to have their ID cards replaced on or before Mar 3 due to their absence from the city may also apply for replacement at a Registration of Persons Office within 30 days of their return here.

Immigration said they need not rush back to Hong Kong to have their IDs replaced. 

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If they return here and stay for less than 30 days, they will not be held liable for violating the law that prescribes when they should have their identity cards replaced.

After the SIDCCs close, applications for replacement may be made at these offices

But all residents who are in Hong Kong when they reach the age of 11 or 18 should register for an identity card within 30 days of their attaining either age at a Registration of Persons Office. 

If they are absent from Hong Kong, they can apply to have their IDs replaced within 30 days of their return to the city.   

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Further, Immigration officers will continue to visit eligible residential care homes to provide on-site identity card replacement and delivery service of the new IDs to eligible residents despite the closure of the SIDCCs.

All applicants for ID card replacement may make appointments via the ImmD Mobile Application, the Internet (www.gov.hk/newicbooking), or the 24-hour telephone booking hotline 2121 1234.

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Immigration requests applicants to pre-fill the application form when making appointments through the mobile application or the Internet for faster identity card replacement service.

For details, please visit the website www.smartid.gov.hk or call the ImmD's enquiry hotline at 2824 6111.

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One Filipino shot, another arrested by police in Peng Chau

By The SUN

 

Officers check on the wounded man (RTHK photo)

A police officer has fired three shots at a Filipino man while reportedly investigating a noise complaint on Peng Chau island at about 10:00pm Tuesday night.

The man, a 43-year-old man holding a Hong Kong identity card, was conscious when he was airlifted to Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital in Chai Wan, but was later reported to be in critical condition.

A second Filipino man, said to be 33 years old and also holds a Hong Kong ID card, was arrested on suspicion of assaulting and obstructing a police officer, and is still being detained.

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Two police officers were slightly injured and were brought to Ruttonjee Hospital where they were treated and discharged.

According to a police spokeswoman, a complaint was made at 10:40pm last night about a rowdy drinking party being held in a unit on Wing On Street.

Two officers went up to a flat where a group of Filipinos were reportedly drinking and making excessive noise. The injured Filipino, which various reports said is named Oliver, allegedly argued with the officers, and then grabbed one of them by the neck.

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“The 43-year-old man turned emotional and assaulted the police officer. After a verbal warning, the man did not stop so the police officer shot him,” a police spokeswoman told The SUN, quoting an incident report.

Another report said the officer fell during a scuffle and fired three shots, which all hit the other man in the waist and arm.

The officer reportedly fainted after firing the shots.

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But there have also been reports from people supposedly at the scene who discounted the police version of the incident.

A female boarder at the 100-square-foot subdivided flat where the incident happened was quoted as saying that no loud party was held at their place last night.

Maricel, the tenant, said she had fallen asleep after getting drunk earlier and vaguely heard a few knocks on the door. She immediately woke up when she heard the gunshots, and saw Oliver lying on the street.

She claimed Oliver, who runs a beauty parlor in Central, rarely got drunk, so she was shocked at the story that he had assaulted an officer which led to him being shot.

But a neighbor gave a different story, saying he saw Oliver being out of control even after the police had tried to subdue him.

The witness said Oliver also hit the officers several times during the incident.

A second Filipino man is led away for questioning

At a press briefing this afternoon, Au Yeung Ki, an acting marine police superintendent, defended the officer’s decision to open fire, saying he felt his life was under threat.

Au said the officers were called to the flat on Wing On Street by neighbors who complained about the noise being made by people who were having a barbecue gathering. The force said it was the second complaint made about the same location that night.

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The man identified as Oliver, who appeared to be drunk, reportedly tried to strangle one of the officers and tried to push him down the stairs. The man did not stop despite warnings, and even tried to take a swing at the officer.

“The officer then fired three shots, and the man was wounded in his hand and waist,” said Au, who noted that the suspect was 1.8 metres tall, and the officer feared for his safety.

“In this situation, our officer followed our use of force guidelines,

“After an initial probe, we feel that the colleague may indeed feel his life was under threat, and he may be seriously wounded. It was suitable for him to use his gun,” Au added.

Reporters were also told that the officer who opened fire had been with the force for more than 35 years, and it was the first time that he had used his service weapon to fire a shot while on duty.

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Mga paalala sa muling paglamig ng panahon

 

Pinapaalalahanan ang mga may edad na iwasan ang lumabas ng bahay (File)

Nagpalabas ng paalala ang Centre for Health Protection sa lahat, lalo na ang mga may edad at sakit, na pag-ibayuhin ang pag-iingat ngayong lumamig na naman ang panahon.

Ayon sa Hong Kong Observatory, mananatili sa pagitan ng 10 at 15 degrees ang temperatura ngayong araw ng Miyerkules, at makulimlim ang paligid.

Aaraw nang bahagya sa Biyernes, pero muling babagsak ang temperatura sa 11-17 degrees sa Sabado at Linggo, bago unt-unting tataas sa mga darating na araw.

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Sabi ng CHP, mas kakaunti ang taba sa ilalim ng balat ng mga may edad kaya madali silang ginawin at hirap maprotektahan ang sarili sa lamig. 

Bukod dito, marami sa mga may edad ang hirap nang gumalaw kaya hindi na nila mapainit ang katawan sa pamamagitan ng paglalakad at pagkikilos.

Sa mga may sakit naman katulad ng hypertension, diabetes o endocrine disorder, ang pagbagsak ng temperatura ay maaring magdulot ng seryosong kumplikasyon kaya kailangan nilang manatiling nakabalot at umiwas na mabilad sa lamig.

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Para sa karagdagang pag-iingat, lalo na ng mga may edad at maysakit, ito ang mga payo ng CHP:

    * Alamin lagi ang sitwasyon ng panahon, at magbalot nang husto. Gumamit ng sombrero, scarf at guwantes kung kinakailangan;

    * Kumain nang sapat para hindi madaling ginawin;

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    *  Mag ehersisyo o gumalaw-galaw para dumaloy nang normal ang dugo at uminit ang katawan

    *  Manatili sa loob ng bahay hanggat maari at kung kailangang lumabas ay huwag mamalagi sa mga bukas at mahangin na lugar

    * Ingatan ang paggamit ng heater, at siguraduhing may bukas na lagusan ng hangin sa loob ng bahay

    * Magpatingin kaagad sakaling sumama ang pakiramdam

    *  Iwasan ang pag-inom ng alcohol dahil mas nakakalamig, imbes makapag painit ito ng katawan

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Dagdag pa ng CHP, kailangan ding siguraduhin na ligtas ang mga sanggol sa pamamagitan ng tamang pagpapainit sa kuwartong kanilang tinutulugan, at sapat at angkop ang mga pinapasuot na panglamig sa kanila.

Nagpaalala din ang CHP na magpabakuna laban sa trangkaso ang mga edad  6 na buwan pataas para maiwasan ang mga mas malalang sakit o kumplikasyon dulot ng taglamig.

Para sa karagdagang impormasyon, maaring tumawag sa hotline ng Department of Health, 2833 0111 o bisitahin ang mga ito: CHP's website at Facebook Fanpage.

Para naman sa pinakahuling balita tungkol sa panahon, tumawag sa 1878 200 o bisitahin ang website of the Hong Kong Observatory o ang page on Weather Information for Senior Citizens.

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FDH numbers slightly down in 2022

By Daisy CL Mandap

 

FDH figures increased only slightly after pandemic rules were eased (File)

Despite the easing of pandemic restrictions, the number of foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong was down slightly at the end of last year compared with 2021.

Figures supplied by the Immigration Department show that there were a total of 338,189 FDHs in Hong Kong at the end of December 2022.

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The figure was about 1,300 less than in December 2021, when a total number of 339,451 was recorded.

The drop was reflected in the breakdown of figures according to ethnicity. The total number of Filipino DHs was down to 190,059 from 191,783 the previous year, while that for Indonesians fell to 139,961 from 140,057.

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Likely as a result in the decline in the FDH population, the number of visas rejected due to suspected “job-hopping” - or changing employers on a whim – also fell.

The visa rejections fell to 1,760 at the end of 2022 from the previous year’s 2,833.

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The drastic drop could also be due to the realization that Immigration is back to enforcing strictly the so-called 14-day rule, which mandates that all terminated FDHs must return to their home countries within 14 days after termination, unless it was due to an exceptional reason like relocation.

The relaxation of pandemic rules, especially the removal of quarantine for all inbound travelers starting on September 26 last year and the dropping of the pre-boarding PCR test on December 30, did result in an increase in monthly FDH figures, but only slightly.

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From a total number of 335,072 in September 2022, the end-of-year figure was up by just over 3,000.

The decline in numbers also reflect a drop in Hong Kong’s overall population. According to government figures supplied in mid-2022, a total of 121,500 residents had left the city compared with the previous year, or a drop of 1.6% from 7,413,100.

Here are the latest figures from the Hong Kong Immigration Department

Foreign Domestic Helper(FDH) population in 2021 and 2022
As at			Philippines	Indonesia	India	Thailand	Others	Total
2021	12	31	191 783	140 057	3 836	1 775	2 000	339 451
2022	12	31	190 059	139 961	4 335	1 758	2 076	338 189

                                                                                                                                   

Number of FDH visa applications refused due to suspected job hopping

	2021	2022
Number of FDH visa applications refused due to suspected job hopping	2 833	1 760

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