Post-Lunar New Year fair clean-up ends

 

All 15 venues used for the New Year flower fairs were restored to normal as of 6:30pm Sunday

Fifteen venues for this year’s Lunar New Year fairs were thoroughly cleaned and restored to their original state by 6:30pm Sunday, according to a statement from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department.

The FEHD said that the fairs which were held for seven days from January 16 ended at about 2am yesterday, after being visited by more than 1.14 million people.

The crowd peaked on the eve of the festivities, with more than 100,000 people visiting the fair and buying flowers at Victoria Park on a single day.

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The FEHD said it was pleased to resume organizing the Lunar New Year fairs this year, after a three-year halt due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

To enhance safety at the fairs, the FEHD said it increased the size of the stalls, widened the passageways, and applied technology for crowd management.

Stall vendors were also helped in terms of security, illumination and refuse collection to ensure the smooth running of the fairs.

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The department adopted various waste reduction and recycling measures such as collecting general recyclables like waste paper, plastics and metals, while contractors were hired to collect bamboo sticks, wooden pallets, polyfoam and wilted or unsold flowers with reusable value.

Throughout the week-long flower fairs, 85.6 tonnes of materials with reusable value were reportedly collected in the 15 fair sites for recycling.

150 unsold pots of flowers were donated to 30 care homes and 2 hospitals

Staff of the department also gathered some 150 unsold pots of flowers and plants donated by the vendors, and delivered them to 30 residential care homes and two public hospitals to liven up the places.

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The biggest team of 170 staff members, 24 refuse collection and street cleaning vehicles were deployed to Victoria Park to tidy it up, while cleaning contractors did the work at the 14 other sites.

But not all fairs ended Sunday as the 2023 Che Kung Festival fair and the Fong Ma Po New Year Fair at Lam Tsuen in Tai Po will continue to operate until Feb. 5.

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Anyone planning to visit the two fairs may check out information beforehand, including the opening times and queuing situation at the sites at www.fehd.gov.hk.

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Paalala ng Konsulado: Balik sa dati ang mga patakaran sa kontrata simula May 1

 

Ang abiso ng Konsulado tungkol sa pagbabalik sa normal ng mga patakaran para sa mga FDH

Nagpalabas ng paalala ang Konsulado na ang dating anim na buwang palugit o extension na binibigay sa mga kontratang magtatapos na, ayon sa dating pinahigpit na patakaran dahil sa pandemya, ay hindi na igagawad simula sa Mayo 1.

Ibig sabihin nito, kailangang pumirma na ng bagong kontrata ang employer at ang foreign domestic helper o putulin na ang kanilang ugnayan pagkatapos ng petsang ito.

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Katulad ng dati, maari silang humiling na i-extend ang kanilang kontrata pero hindi na maaring lumampas pa ito ng isang buwan.

Pero kung ang kontrata ay magtatapos sa Abril 30 o mas maaga ay maaari pa ring hilingin ang dating binibigay na anim na buwang extension.

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Ito ay alinsunod sa pagluluwag ng halos lahat ng mga patakaran kontra pandemya sa Hong Kong, na nangahulugan na hindi na mahirap pang makauwi ang isang FDH pagkatapos ng kanyang kontrata, at hindi na rin mahihirapang pumunta dito ang mga nasa kani-kanilang bansa pa pero nabigyan na ng visa.

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Sa mga nabigyan naman ng permiso na hindi muna uuwi sa loob ng isang taon matapos ang kanilang kontrata, maari silang humingi muli ng extension kung ang huling araw ng kanilang visa ay tatapat sa April 30 o mas maaga pa.

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Pero kung ang extension na binigay sa kanila noon ay matatapos sa May 1 o lampas sa petsang ito, kailangan na nilang umuwi o mag-exit sa loob ng itinakdang panahon dahil hindi na sila muling bibigyan ng palugit para makapanatili sa Hong Kong.

Dagdag pa ng Konsulado sa kanilang pahayag, alinsunod sa patakaran ng Hong Kong, ang mga FDH na magtatapos ng kanilang kontrata ay kailangang umuwi muna sa kanilang bansa bago mag-umpisang magtrabaho sa ilalim ng bagong kontrata.

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Ang mga na-terminate naman ay kailangang umuwi sa loob ng 14 araw pagkatapos putulin (nila o ng kanilang employer) ang kanilang kontrata.

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Rare dinosaur exhibition at Science Museum set to end Feb 22

One of the 8 dinosaur skeletons that can be viewed at the Science Museum exhibit

Skeletons of eight of the world's most iconic creatures that once flourished in the age of dinosaurs, rare fossil bones and some of the most complete fossil dinosaur skeletons now on display at the Hong Kong Science Museum can be seen only until Feb. 22.

This was announced by the government as it encouraged the public to view the rare exhibition for free, but with prior online registration.

The precious and impressive fossil collection has been sourced from museums and academic organisations in Germany, Switzerland, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania and Morocco.

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Except for the Tyrannosaurus (which was brought here for an exhibition years back), the other seven fossil skeletons, including the Triceratops, Allosaurus, Hesperosaurus, Diplodocus, Spinosaurus, Hatzegopteryx and a baby Sauropod are on display in Hong Kong for the first time.

Because of their enormous size, a total area of around 2,000 square meters has been set aside for the exhibit, which offers an immersive experience through the use of multimedia projection techniques, lighting effects and the fusion of scientific research, paleontology artwork and unique scenography.

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As the priceless collection known as the “Big Eight” exhibition is not likely to be under one roof again, everyone in Hong Kong is being urged not to miss this last chance to view the rare artifacts in one big swoop.

Since its launch in July last year, the exhibition has been viewed by more than 750,000 visitors.

More than750k people have viewed the rare exhibit since July last year

Guided tours in Cantonese are held at the museum during Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, at three sessions per day.

During the one-hour guided tour, visitors are taken through the prehistoric world with the introduction of precious original fossils and scientific breakthroughs in each era, to reveal the unique anatomical structures and living habits of the prehistoric creatures.

Visitors can sign up for the tours on-site on a first-come, first-served basis.

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Famous cartoon characters Chibi Maruko Chan and Hanawa Kun will guide special free “Weekend Safari Tours” in Cantonese in four sessions on Jan 28 (Saturday), January 29 (Sunday), February 12 (Sunday) and February 19 (Sunday) for children and adults.

On-site registration starts 15 minutes before each guided tour on a first-come, first-served basis. Interested parties may visit the FIF website www.fif.org.hk/meet-chibimarukochan for details.

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Jointly presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) and the First Initiative Foundation (FIF), and jointly organised by the Hong Kong Science Museum and the FIF, the exhibition is exclusively sponsored by the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC); and supported by the MTR Corporation.

This is one of the many projects funded by HKJC’s donation of $630 million to the Government to mark the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the HKSAR.

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All visitors are required to make an advance booking on the Internet. For details of e-bookings, exhibition content, guided tours and related programmes, please visit the website at big8dinosaurs.hk or call 2732 3232 for enquiries. Masks are required inside the museum.

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62-year-old torture claimant fails bid to stop repatriation

By The SUN

High Court says applicant failed to show a real risk of her being seriously harmed or killed

A 62-year-old Filipina who came to Hong Kong as a tourist 16 years ago and overstayed, failed in her bid to get the High Court to give her more time to appeal the decision of the Torture Claims Appeal Board denying her right to remain in Hong Kong.

In his order issued on Thursday, Jan 19, Deputy High Court Judge Bruno Chan noted that applicant Emelita Arista was already five months late in filing the application for leave to appeal the decision.

The delay, said the Judge, must be considered “very substantial and inordinate,” apart from the fact that Arista did not provide an explanation as to why she failed to appeal against the TCAB’s decision on time.

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In any case, Judge Chan said he did not find merit in Arista’s intended application for a Judicial review as she had failed to cite any proper ground for it.

“…as such, and in the absence of any error of law or irrationality or procedural unfairness in her process before the Board or in its decision being clearly and properly identified by the Applicant, I do not find any merits in her intended application either,” said the Judge.

He also stressed what the Court of Appeal has repeatedly said, that a judicial review does not serve as a rehearing of a refoulement claim, during which the applicant was given sufficient chance to present his or her case.

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In such cases, the evaluation or the risk or harm to the claimant is primarily a matter for the Immigration Director and the Board, said the judge.

Arista, who was born in Manila and raised in Ilocos Sur, worked in Hong Kong as a foreign domestic helper from 1999 to 2003.

During this time, she heard of a land dispute between her father and a cousin, Ruel. She decided to confront Ruel about this during a vacation in the Philippines in the 2003, as a result of which he made threats against her.

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After her father passed away in 2006, Ruel threatened to kill her if she did not surrender her part in the disputed land to him.

Fearing for her life, Arista fled to Manila and then to Hong Kong where she overstayed. She was arrested by the police in 2017, or more than 10 years later.

She subsequently filed a non-refoulement claim for protection on July 13, 2017 and attended a screening interview before the Immigration Department with legal representation from the Duty Lawyer Service.

 

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On Aug 9, 2017 the Director of Immigration rejected he applicant’s claim, saying the level of risk of harm from Ruel was low, and that there was no reliable evidence of any real intention on his part to seriously harm or kill Arista.

In any event, said the Director, the dispute was a private matter among family members and there was no indication that the applicant would not be given state or police protection if she returned to the Philippines.

On the contrary, the Country of Origin Information (“COI”) on the Philippines shows that with its large population of more than 100 million spread across a vast territory of more than 300,000 square kilometers, it would not be difficult for the applicant to move to other parts of the country where it would be impossible for Ruel to locate her.

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On Aug 25, 2017 she appealed the Director’s decision to the TCAB. Just over a  year later, or on Jul 31, 2018, the Board dismissed the appeal and affirmed the Director’s decision.

Arista did not take any further action until Apr 1, 2019 when she filed her Form 86 for leave to apply for judicial review of the Board’s decision. However, she cited no ground but merely attached a copy of the decision.

By then, she was already “seriously out of time with her application,” said the judge.

According to Order 53 rule 4(1) of the Rules of the High Court, an application for leave to apply for judicial review must be made within three months from the day when grounds for the application first arose, unless the court finds reasonable ground to extend the period.

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