(Confirmed minutes) (Translation)

Sai Kung District Council Minutes of the Fourth Meeting in 2017

Date: 4 July 2017 (Tuesday) Time: 9:30 a.m. Venue: Conference Room of the Sai Kung District Council

Present From To Mr. SING Hon-keung, BBS, MH (Vice Chairman) 9:30 a.m. 1:45 p.m. Mr. AU Ning-fat, Alfred, MH 9:30 a.m. 1:45 p.m. Mr. CHAN Kai-wai 9:30 a.m. 1:45 p.m. Mr. CHAN Pok-chi, Jonathan 9:30 a.m. 1:45 p.m. Mr. CHEUNG Chin-pang, Edwin 9:30 a.m. 1:45 p.m. Mr. CHEUNG Mei-hung 9:30 a.m. 1:45 p.m. Ms. FONG Kwok-shan, Christine 9:30 a.m. 1:45 p.m. Mr. CHONG Yuen-tung 9:30 a.m. 1:45 p.m. Mr. CHUNG Kam-lun 9:30 a.m. 1:45 p.m. Mr. FAN Kwok-wai, Gary 9:30 a.m. 1:45 p.m. Mr. HIEW Moo-siew 9:30 a.m. 1:45 p.m. Mr. HO Man-kit, Raymond 9:54 a.m. 1:45 p.m. Mr. KAN Siu-kei 9:30 a.m. 1:45 p.m. Mr. LAM Siu-chung, Frankie 9:30 a.m. 1:45 p.m. Mr. LAI Ming-chak 9:30 a.m. 1:45 p.m. Mr. LAU Wai-cheung, Peter, MH 9:30 a.m. 1:45 p.m. Mr. LEUNG Li 9:30 a.m. 1:45 p.m. Mr. LI Ka-leung, Philip 9:30 a.m. 1:45 p.m. Mr. LING Man-hoi, BBS, MH 9:30 a.m. 1:45 p.m. Mr. LUI Man-kwong 9:30 a.m. 1:45 p.m. Mr. LUK Ping-choi 9:30 a.m. 1:45 p.m. Mr. TAM Lanny, Stanley, MH 9:30 a.m. 1:45 p.m. Mr. TSE Ching-fung 9:30 a.m. 1:45 p.m. Mr. WAN Kai-ming 9:30 a.m. 1:45 p.m. Mr. WAN Yuet-cheung, BBS, MH, JP 9:30 a.m. 1:45 p.m. Mr. WONG Shui-sang 9:30 a.m. 1:45 p.m. Mr. YAU Yuk-lun 10:04 a.m. 11:36 a.m. Miss LAU Tang, Moira Senior Executive Officer (District Council), Sai Kung District Office

In Attendance Ms. SIU Mo-lin, Maureen, JP District Officer (Sai Kung), Sai Kung District Office Mr. KWOK Chung-kai, Peter Assistant District Officer (Sai Kung)1, Sai Kung District Office Mr. CHU Chi-ho, Marco Assistant District Officer (Sai Kung)2, Sai Kung District Office Mr. POON Kwok-leung, Senior Executive Officer (District Management), Sai Kung Timmy District Office Miss MAK Wai-man, Sandy Senior Liaison Officer (1), Sai Kung District Office Ms. LAM Yee-lai, Decem Senior Liaison Officer (2), Sai Kung District Office

- 1 - Mr. LIU Chung-him, Michael Executive Officer I (District Council), Sai Kung District Office Ms. LAM Shu-tsook, Kitty Senior Town Planner / Tseung Kwan O, Planning Department Ms. LAM Yuen-ting, Heidi District Social Welfare Officer (Wong Tai Sin / Sai Kung)(Acting), Social Welfare Department Mr. SIU Kit-hung District Commander (Tseung Kwan O), Hong Kong Police Force Ms. LAU Yeuk-wing Police Community Relations Officer (Tseung Kwan O), Hong Kong Police Force Mr. James Harold BETTS District Commander (Wong Tai Sin), Hong Kong Police Force Mr. HUI Chun-ho Police Community Relations Officer (Wong Tai Sin), Hong Kong Police Force Mr. YIP Chun-man Divisional Commander (Sai Kung)(Acting), Hong Kong Police Force Mr. CHIANG Nin-tat, Eric Chief Engineer / NTE1, Civil Engineering and Development Department Mr. TSE Chick-lam Chief Manager / M (Kowloon West & Sai Kung Region), Housing Department Ms. CHOI Kwok-chun, Jane District Lands Officer / Sai Kung, District Lands Office, Sai Kung Mr. LI Man-yim Administrative Assistant / Lands (Acting), District Lands Office, Sai Kung Mr. CHEUNG Chi-yeung, Chief Transport Officer / Goods Vehicle (Acting), Transport Fabian Department Ms. LEE Kar-mei, Camay District Leisure Manager (Sai Kung), Leisure and Cultural Services Department Mr. CHIANG Fat-kwai District Environmental Hygiene Superintendent (Sai Kung), Food and Environmental Hygiene Department Dr. SO Ping-man, JP Director of Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation (Acting), Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department For Mr. LAI Chuen-chi, Patrick Assistant Director (Country & Marine Parks), Agriculture, agenda Fisheries and Conservation Department item I

Absent Mr. NG Sze-fuk, George, GBS, JP Mr. CHAU Yin-ming, Francis, BBS, MH

The Vice Chairman welcomed all Members and all the attendees for joining the meeting, in particular:  Mr. SIU Kit-hung, District Commander (Tseung Kwan O), Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF);  Ms. LAU Yeuk-wing, Police Community Relations Officer (Tseung Kwan O), HKPF;  Ms. Heidi LAM, District Social Welfare Officer (Wong Tai Sin / Sai Kung)(Acting), Social Welfare Department (SWD) who attended the meeting on a temporary basis vice Ms. Lily NG on retirement;  Mr. LI Man-yim, Administrative Assistant / Lands (Acting), District Lands Office, Sai Kung (DLO/SK) who succeeded Mr. WONG Kim-man on transfer;  Mr. Fabian CHEUNG, Chief Transport Officer / Goods Vehicle (Acting), Transport Department (TD) who attended the meeting on behalf of Ms. Polly CHAN, Chief

- 2 - Transport Officer / Goods Vehicle;  Ms. Kitty LAM, Senior Town Planner / Tseung Kwan O, Planning Department (PlanD) who attended the meeting on behalf of Ms. Donna TAM, District Planning Officer / Sai Kung & Islands.

2. The Vice Chairman said the following Members had submitted a notification for their absence in accordance with the requirement before the meeting:  Mr. George NG, the Chairman, due to important family issues;  Mr. Francis CHAU due to being away from town.

3. There being no objection from Members, the Vice Chairman approved the leave applications in accordance with Order 51(1) of the Sai Kung District Council Standing Orders.

I. Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation (Acting) meeting with the Sai Kung District Council

4. The Vice Chairman welcomed:  Dr. SO Ping-man, Director of Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation (Acting), Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD)  Mr. Patrick LAI, Assistant Director (Country & Marine Parks), AFCD.

5. Dr. SO Ping-man, Director of Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation (Acting), said a large area in Sai Kung District had been designated as country park areas and there were world class scenic spots like the Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark (the Geopark) in the district. Besides, it was common to find activities related to fishermen groups and recreational fishing in the district. There was also a wholesale fish market set up by the Fish Marketing Organization. Hence, Sai Kung District and the AFCD were closely related with each other. He asked the Assistant Director to introduce the work of the AFCD.

6. Mr. Patrick LAI, Assistant Director (Country & Marine Parks), AFCD gave an introduction on the work of the AFCD with a PowerPoint presentation.

7. Mr. Philip LI said in the past 40 years, a number of local residents had been displaced by the existence of country parks. The policy of AFCD should be people-oriented. While preserving animals and plants, the daily needs of residents should also be taken care of. At present, many villages within the country park areas were not accessible by roads or provided with telecommunication service, fresh water supply, etc. Apart from causing inconvenience to the villagers, the lack of road access had hindered the law enforcement work of government departments. A lot of farmlands became deserted and could not be rehabilitated as a result of the nuisance caused by wild pigs. Although there was a need to protect wild pigs, the safety and the property of people should also be safeguarded.

8. Mr. CHONG Yuen-tung said the appearance of wild pigs had created a nuisance to Tseung Kwan O earlier. Some residents were even attacked by wild pigs and this was worrying. He asked AFCD the following questions: the causes for the emergence of wild pigs in urban areas and the countermeasures; whether there was enough manpower in the wild pig hunting teams; and how to enhance publicity and education to prevent people from feeding wild pigs. Besides, in view of the severe impact of Mikania on the growth of trees in the rural and urban areas, he asked about the coverage of Mikania in Sai Kung and the measures

- 3 - adopted by AFCD to remove and prevent the proliferation of harmful plants like Mikania. Lastly, the telecommunication service within country park areas was unsatisfactory. He requested AFCD to follow up this issue for the safety of villagers and countryside visitors.

9. Mr. KAN Siu-kei noted that the wild pig nuisance had spread from rural areas to other places. There were incidents in the district where cyclists were knocked down by wild pigs, or people being chased after by wild pigs near the Haven of Hope Hospital and LOHAS Park. He asked what countermeasures AFCD had in hand and whether patrol teams had been deployed to follow wild pigs at the black spots of nuisance. Although AFCD had indicated the need for protecting wild pigs, he considered human life more important than wild pigs. He requested AFCD to provide Members with information on whether the appearance of wild pigs in urban areas was caused by the lack of food on the hillside or due to ecological changes. In passing, quite a lot of residents would like to know how they could distinguish organic vegetables from the ordinary ones. In case AFCD found that some shops were selling counterfeit organic vegetables, how the case would be handled.

10. Mr. Jonathan CHAN noticed that the residential estates near Hang Hau MTR Station had suffered from nuisances created by birds. There were incidents of residents attacked by birds, and birds getting into gutters of air-conditioners, balconies or even residential flats in Hau Tak Estates and Residence Oasis, leaving droppings everywhere. He and Mr. LING Man-hoi had been following up this problem, and he appreciated that AFCD had also deployed staff to carry out spot tests. Although the avian influenza tests on the droppings showed negative results, more needed to be done to solve the problem. In addition to exhortation and display of banners to step up publicity efforts, he and Mr. LING had been monitoring the area in the vicinity of Hang Hau for a long time. While they had succeeded in tackling the congregation of wild birds, the problem had yet to be completely resolved. He asked AFCD for advice on the long-term solution to this problem. Besides, Mr. Philip LI had all along been concerned about the problem of stray cattle. He asked AFCD to account for the issue of cattle grids and the relevant arrangements.

11. Mr. LING Man-hoi said the congregation of pigeons in the open space off Exit A of Hang Hau Station had all along been a nuisance to residents. As the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) were unable to take down the pigeons, they could only tackle the problem by charging the people who fed the pigeons there and stepping up their publicity efforts. He hoped that AFCD could also work together to find a solution to completely solve the problem, so that pigeons would not be gathering there.

12. Mr. Raymond HO said while this year marked the 40th anniversary of country parks, the facilities inside country parks had not changed much. For instance, information was still provided in the form of display boards in the education centres of Tai Au Mun and Pak Tam Chung. As the children of this generation would no longer find this interesting, he considered that AFCD should make substantial changes on this. He took the country parks in Vancouver of Canada as an example. Worksheets were uploaded onto the internet for visitors to download, who could also follow the routes on the worksheets to visit and learn about the country parks. The effectiveness of education could also be greatly enhanced through collaboration with parents. On the other hand, the country parks in Sai Kung were very popular and the roads to Tai Au Mun were often heavily congested in autumn and winter times. He suggested AFCD to make reference to the practice of the Wetland Park whereby the availability of parking spaces in the country parks could be publicly announced through various means, so that visitors could decide whether they should go to a certain country park

- 4 - by car or not before setting off. In the long run, he hoped AFCD could provide more parking spaces in the country parks.

13. Mr. TSE Ching-fung said different disturbing problems related to animals occurred in the local community, including stray cattle in Sai Kung, stray dogs at Wan Poon Path of Tseung Kwan O, wild pigs at LOHAS Park, etc. He hoped AFCD could identify solution(s) to the problems while at the same time protect animals in accordance with the Wild Animals Protection Ordinance. He asked whether Government would enact legislation on animal protection and set up animal police teams to protect animals from any harm.

14. Mr. Frankie LAM said in the past, wild pigs mainly appeared in the country parks. However, wild pigs now frequently showed up at Po Lam Road North near Hong Sing Garden. He hoped AFCD could enhance publicity and educational efforts to exhort the public against feeding wild pigs so as to prevent further incidents of wild pigs attacking people.

15. Mr. Gary FAN raised the following four questions:  The Neo Democrats moved a motion at the present meeting regarding the death of egrets at Tai Po, urging AFCD to step up publicity targeting other government departments. In reply, AFCD said they had been in contact with the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) and follow up investigation was underway. He asked AFCD what follow up action(s) would be further taken;  Quite a number of construction sites would abandon dogs upon completion of the project. AFCD merely urged the persons-in-charge to send the dogs to the Animal Management Centre. He would like to know whether these abandoned dogs would be subject to euthanasia, and whether there would be better ways to change their tragic fate of being abandoned after completing their mission;  He asked AFCD to provide Members with quantifiable data to realise as to whether the Geopark had brought about any economic benefits to the district and the Government at large. He also asked whether Government would consider using dedicated funds to further promote the Geopark; and  There had been accidents earlier involving stray cattle in Sai Kung. The Government had since tried to launch the cattle grid scheme but some local groups were concerned about how to strike a balance between humanity, animal rights and the safety of drivers. Due to limited resources for survival, the cattle at Chong Hing had to go out to look for food. He asked whether it would be more effective to install Global Positioning System (GPS) on the cattle instead of using cattle grids.

16. Mr. LEUNG Li said some members of the public were from time to time found feeding crows by the hillside of Tsui Ling Road, Kin Ming Estate, thus attracting the gathering of crows there. In addition to law enforcement by FEHD, he asked whether AFCD would devise appropriate measures to prevent people from feeding wild birds or exhort people not to do so, in order to reduce the nuisance caused to the residents nearby as well as the risk of spreading avian flu. Knowing that AFCD had issued a code of practice on keeping dogs at construction sites, he asked whether the department would prosecute people found abandon dogs kept in the construction sites. He also urged AFCD to step up their patrolling efforts. Lastly, in view that AFCD had set up the Brothers Marine Park for conservation of Chinese White Dolphins, he asked whether the department would strengthen their manpower to step up patrolling the Marine Park area.

- 5 - 17. Mr. LUI Man-kwong said animal cruelty cases had repeatedly occurred in the past ten years or so. Among these cases, the recent egret incident in Tai Po had aroused the concerns of more people regarding the protection of wildlife. While a number of ordinances had been in effect to protect animals, including Wild Animals Protection Ordinance, Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance or other public health ordinances, such legislation had been too isolated and failed to protect animals in a comprehensive manner. This also rendered law enforcement difficult. The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the University of Hong Kong had conducted a study in this regard. They criticized the existing legislation as being outdated. It was hoped that AFCD could enact legislation to protect animals and set up animal police teams. Regarding dogs kept by construction sites, as the Animal Management Centre was not open to the public, people would not know how to adopt these dogs. He asked how many days the dogs would be kept in the Animal Management Centre before they were humanly euthanized.

18. Mr. LAI Ming-chak raised the following suggestions and questions:  In view of the presence of the Vegetable Marketing Organization in Sai Kung, he suggested setting up an outlet in the urban area of Tseung Kwan O for the convenience of the public in supporting locally grown premium vegetables. This would also provide local farmers with one more sales outlets;  He suggested AFCD to step up the monitoring and control of foodstuff, e.g. launching a statutory labelling system so that people could tell whether the foodstuff they were buying were organic or accredited by the authority;  Knowing that AFCD was contemplating new agriculture policy study to identify suitable locations for designation as agriculture areas, he would like to know whether the Sai Kung District would be included in the plan;  The Chinese White Dolphin was regarded a symbol of Hong Kong. However, according to the study carried out by the World Wild Fund last year, only 47 Chinese White Dolphins were found in Hong Kong waters. This number was the lowest in record since 1995 and there was no dolphin in the waters off North-east Lantau. He was aware that AFCD was planning to designate more areas as marine parks to connect with the Sha Chau and Lung Kwu Chau Marine Park, the South-west Lantau Marine Park and the Soko Islands Marine Park. He asked when the project would complete and whether the Chinese White Dolphins would be listed as a species that called for urgent protection;  He suggested that AFCD should enhance its education and law enforcement efforts under the Wild Animals Protection Ordinance, in order to ensure that private organisations and government departments would understand their responsibilities when carrying works projects or cutting trees so as to minimize any harm that may be done to animals and plants.

19. Mr. WONG Shui-sang said residents in rural areas were used to seeing wild pigs. He considered that the country parks had changed a lot over the past 40 years. In the past, local residents could practise farming and cut trees for making fire in the area now designated as country parks. This had ensured that rare tree species would not be blocked from sunlight for healthy growth. However, residents were no longer allowed to cut trees inside the country parks and the extensive coverage of Mikania had caused the death of other trees. He considered that people, animals, plants and the ecosystem should co-exist in harmony with each other. AFCD was merely imposing stringent control on villagers residing within country park areas and caused great inconvenience in their daily life. He urged AFCD to loosen their restrictions on villagers.

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20. Mr. Peter LAU said, as the country parks were protected under the Country Parks Ordinance, the respective District Lands Office would consult AFCD when indigenous villagers applied for the construction of small houses within the country park area. No works could be carried out without AFCD’s consent. Besides, AFCD’s approval would be needed for tree felling. When indigenous villagers submitted small house applications, AFCD often said the proposed works would affect the incense trees nearby. But in fact Mikania had already brought about damages to a lot of trees in the rural areas. While Government had been actively considering the development of residential units on the periphery of country parks, he opined that the aspirations of villagers to construct small houses within the country parks or on its periphery should also be duly taken into account. He urged AFCD to improve its policy to achieve a win-win situation.

21. Mr. Edwin CHEUNG was concerned about the presence of wild pigs in Tiu Keng Leng. While wild pigs could be aggressive, it would be inhumane to shoot them down. He suggested AFCD to use tranquillizer guns to capture wild pigs alive and get them sterilized so as to control their numbers. Places with frequent cases of wild pig attacks should be listed as black spots with fences installed. As quite a lot of wired fences at Wilson Trail had been damaged by wild pigs, he suggested using stronger materials to build the fences. As quite a lot of people would feed wild pigeons, stray cats and dogs, the leftovers would attract wild pigs to the urban areas. Some wild pigs would change their habit and go to urban areas to look for food from rubbish bins. He suggested that the AFCD should by way of education discourage the public from feeding wild animals and urge the public to take away rubbish generated when visiting the countryside. Although AFCD had put a lot of rubbish bins along the Family Walks, the piling up of rubbish without timely treatment would attract wild pigs to the area.

22. Mr. CHAN Kai-wai said Ocean Shores had been intruded by wild pigs, snakes, and monkeys, etc. and had to seek help from AFCD from time to time. The presence of wild taros on the hillside of Ocean Shores provided huge amount of food supply to wild animals. In addition, some members of the public would feed wild animals, which also facilitate their reproduction. Although AFCD had put up banners there to warn passers-by of wild pigs, he hoped the department could allocate more resources to tackle the problem. Besides, Sai Kung is a popular place among hikers. Yet, the signage along the hiking trails was not as good as other districts. Take Tai Po as an example, directional signs in different colours were put up to indicate separate routes, the levels of difficulty and the time required to the destinations for the hikers. The High Junk Peak could be accessed via different routes. However, the lack of directional signs had caused inexperienced hikers to fall off the hill. With sufficient signage, it would have been easier for rescuers to get to the scene. Apart from this, AFCD had added a scenic spot at the East Dam of High Island Reservoir to introduce the history of Kwun Mun. However, due to the insufficient signage, visitors were unaware that they could not get to the East Dam from that point. If AFCD could put up directional signs at the appropriate locations on the hill, this would avoid visitors wasting efforts in making the detour. He urged AFCD to make improvement on this.

23. Ms. Christine FONG made the following comments:  Legislations related to AFCD had not been updated for 20 years and were outdated, failing to protect animals and plants that should be preserved. On the contrary, indigenous villagers living inside country park areas had encountered quite a lot of difficulties in their daily life. She considered that both could co-exist in harmony and hoped AFCD could actively address the problems;

- 7 -  She queried the practice of AFCD for not handling cases of wild animals if they had left the country park areas;  She suggested setting up a registration system for “security dogs” kept at construction sites as most these dogs were not implanted with chips;  She asked AFCD to actively address problems related to birds, stray dogs, wild pigs and the Chinese White Dolphins;  She asked about the patrolling practice of the fire crew at country parks. Besides, hill fire often occurred at the boundary of Ma On Shan and the Sai Kung East Country Park. As the AFCD had reportedly deployed patrol staff there, she would like to know the manpower arrangement;  She suggested AFCD to impose access control measures at the entrance of country parks so as to alleviate the problem of illegal felling of incense trees; and  She hoped that AFCD could improve the arrangements for Farmer’s Market and asked the Vegetable Marketing Organisation to hold FarmFest (similar to that in Mong Kok) in Sai Kung and Tseung Kwan O.

24. Mr. CHEUNG Mei-hung raised the following questions and comments:  Wild pigs were found at LOHAS Park and Lohas Park Road earlier. He asked AFCD whether the wild pigs captured would be sterilized before they were released to country parks. He considered that AFCD should endeavour to reduce the breeding speed of wild pigs;  As for the animal adoption programme currently implemented by AFCD, he asked whether more resources would be allocated to set up an adoption centre and place the captured animals there for the public or animal welfare groups to adopt;  Tseung Kwan O South had been developing at a high speed and quite a lot of “security dogs” were abandoned after completion of the construction works. The dogs lived a tragic life after being abandoned. He asked AFCD to step up prosecution; and  He asked AFCD to make reference to the Farmer’s Market of Tai Po and work with FEHD to set up a Farmer’s Market in Tseung Kwan O during public holidays.

25. Mr. HIEW Moo-siew said the villagers originally residing in the reservoir area had a hard life after relocation. Some other indigenous villagers pointed out that when they tried to apply for the construction of small houses, even with the approval of the Town Planning Board, AFCD, the respective District Lands Office and the Water Supplies Department would still have to be consulted. In case minor issues arose, the application would not be approved. He appealed to AFCD for attention on this matter. He was aware that pigs were usually injected on their necks, and thus would like to know if the pork jowl sold in the market would be alright.

26. Mr. WAN Kai-ming noticed that many people seeking adopters of pets on the internet discussion forums were actually wholesaling or selling animals illegally bred at home. As AFCD seemed to have done almost nothing to take enforcement action or any controlling measures under the law, the situation was getting worse. He asked what countermeasures AFCD may have in hand. Besides, he asked whether AFCD would formulate any policy to foster animal protection. At present, residential estates had been using different methods in handling stray dogs and cats, which included driving them away, feeding them or working with non-governmental organisations to sterilize them, etc. He supported the practice of neuter and return. He suggested that AFCD should in collaboration with local organisations work out a standardised practice for the community. As wild pigs captured would be released

- 8 - to the rural areas after being tranquilised, he asked AFCD to choose better locations for the release so as to prevent the animals from getting back to the farmlands easily and thus affecting the farmers.

27. Mr. WAN Yuet-cheung said many villages were located inside the gate of Pak Tam Chung. Those delivery or visiting vehicles would have to obtain a permit from AFCD or the Sai Kung District Office (SKDO) in advance before they could get through the gate. This had created inconvenience to those who required access to places beyond the gate. Besides, a lot of countryside visitors would like to drive through the gate but they could not obtain a permit. He considered that AFCD should catch up with the changing needs of the public and consider moving the gate further backward to a location nearer to the reservoir, or review the need for having a gate there at all.

28. Mr. Stanley TAM said the Government had amended the legislation on animal trading earlier, which required that any person in-charge of home breeding of pet animals would have to apply for a licence. Yet, on the social media, there were still a lot of posts regarding the selling of home-bred pets. He asked AFCD how to distinguish cases of large or small scale breeding. Regarding wild pig nuisance, AFCD had already forbidden the feeding of monkeys within country park areas. He suggested AFCD to consider including wild pigs under the relevant regulations and enhance public education in this regard. As the community generally cared about animals and the practice of wild pig hunting teams was outdated, he suggested that AFCD should work towards the direction of sterilisation in addressing the issue of wild pigs. He hoped that AFCD could conduct a territory-wide study on the reports of wild pigs, their distribution, population and control measures, etc.

29. Mr. YAU Yuk-lun said AFCD had paid no attention to the reproduction of wild pigs. Besides, a lot of people advocated the caring of animals but had not actually assessed the impact of wild pigs on the ecosystem. The wild pig hunting teams were often taken as being inhumane. Yet people were not aware of the threats posed by wild pigs on residents in the rural areas. He questioned whether AFCD would take action only when there were casualties. Besides, some of the villages were not connected with carriageways. This had made it difficult for AFCD to develop country parks. He hoped AFCD could make improvement on this.

30. Dr. SO Ping-man, Director of Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation (Acting), said the questions regarding country parks would be answered by the Assistant Director. He would provide a consolidated response to other questions as follows:

Wild pig issues  Wild pig was among the native species in Hong Kong. They usually emerged in rural areas and could be found in the woodlands and the countryside of the New Territories, the Hong Kong Island and outlying islands. In general, wild pigs were scared of humans and hence they had been living in harmony with villagers in the past. However, with the development of new towns and the rise in rural population, feeding of wild pigs had become more common. This had changed the behaviour of wild pigs. They were attracted to locations where they could easily find food, and became not as scared of humans as in the past;  AFCD would carry investigation after receiving reports of wild pigs. If wild pigs had caused nuisance to the public, the department would deploy staff to deal with the situation on the spot. According to records, the number of wild pig cases

- 9 - handled by the department from 2014 to 2016 ranged from about 30 to 80. Most of the wild pigs were found in Po Lam Road, Ma Yau Tong and Tseng Lan Shue trying to look for food;  When following up the cases, AFCD would urge the public not to feed wild pigs, and in conjunction with FEHD would prosecute the offenders. In the latter half of this year, AFCD would also step up publicity and education efforts in exhorting people not to feed wild animals, and would launch relevant measures to tackle the problems of wild pigs and wild pigeons feeding;  Food waste at the refuse depots would provide a source of food for wild pigs. Hence, AFCD would maintain close contact with FEHD to keep the refuse depot clean. They also planned to improve the design of the rubbish bins and the refuse depots to make it more difficult for wild pigs to obtain food there. AFCD would also consider other solutions having regard to the actual situation;  Regarding the suggestion to sterilise wild pigs, at present wild pigs captured by the department would be released to the country parks. Internationally, there was no precedent of sterilising wild pigs. Yet, a contraceptive medicine for mammals was available to effectively control the reproduction of cattle within a short time. They were observing the long term effect of this medicine and would consider using the “Trap-Neuter-Return” method to control the number of wild pigs; and  The public had different views regarding hunting wild pigs for the safety of people and their property, wildlife protection, and animal rights, etc. AFCD would monitor the situation in accordance with the prevailing policy. In case methods like keeping the relevant spots clean, education or moving wild pigs to other places were ineffective, and wild pigs persistently imposed hazards to the safety of villagers and their properties, AFCD would consider hunting as the last resort.

Animal rights and welfare  Apart from wildlife protection, animal welfare as well as inspection and quarantine were also the major duties of AFCD. As people had different views regarding animal welfare, if Government launched some measures that differed drastically from the public views, it would be difficult to implement the measures concerned. Hence, AFCD would let the public understand step by step what animal rights and welfare meant as well as what measures would be good or bad for animals;  AFCD had adopted different concurrent measures including law enforcement against the offenders. If some behaviour was legal but the general public considered that it should be outlawed, AFCD would handle the issue by legislative amendments. If no consensus could be achieved, AFCD would handle the issue by education, publicity and promotion; and  AFCD had held over 100 talks in schools and housing estates in the previous year. Quarantine detector dogs of AFCD were also brought to the community by taking part in publicity and education programmes or roving exhibitions. The Education Bureau (EDB) had also incorporated the message of “caring for animals” in the school curriculum.

Animal protection legislation and on-line animal trading  There were in fact quite a few ordinances in Hong Kong that focused on animal protection. Among these, the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance was the most well-known. A longer lead time would be required for legislation amendments;  Apart from focusing on the inappropriate treatment of animals, the public and the

- 10 - relevant concern groups should adopt a more positive approach to promote how to treat animals with care. Legislative amendments should be subject to further discussion among the relevant stakeholders, professional bodies and experts. The working group on animal welfare under AFCD would offer advice to the department on relevant issues. AFCD would also enforce, review and amend the relevant legislation accordingly;  In the past, the trading of home-bred pets was not regulated. However, AFCD had recently amended the Public Health (Animals and Birds) (Animal Traders) Regulations to regulate such activities. Any person keeping up to 4 female dogs for the purposes of breeding and selling puppies would need to obtain a licence from the AFCD. After the amendment, the penalty for contravention of the regulations had also been increased, with a maximum fine of $200,000 and imprisonment of three years; and  Any person who transferred the ownership of a dog in exchange for some benefits without obtaining a licence or permit would be considered as an offence. AFCD would review the relevant websites regularly to see if there were any illegal activities.

31. Mr. Patrick LAI of AFCD responded to the questions related to country parks, marine parks and the Geopark as follows:

Country Parks  Owing to limitation of landscape in the rural areas, it was agreed that the infrastructure in country parks had rooms for improvement. It would provide more convenience to visitors and local residents if the relevant facilities could be improved. However, being a non-works department, AFCD would have to work hand in hand with the relevant departments (e.g. District Offices or the CEDD, etc.) to improve the infrastructure of country parks, village roads, piers, etc.;  When country parks were designated 40 years ago, there were not many private cars in Hong Kong. AFCD had all along encouraged the public to use public transport for visiting the countryside. However, with the improvement in living standards and the increase in the number of people with private cars, the parking spaces in country parks were insufficient to meet the increasing demands. To further increase the provision of parking facilities in country parks would affect the peripheral environment. AFCD would have to carry out detailed study in collaboration with the Highways Department (HyD) and TD with a view to exploring feasible options. AFCD appealed to the public to use public transport for travelling to country parks as far as possible, and would discuss with transport operators on how to enhance the supporting transport facilities;  AFCD would study the feasibility regarding Members’ suggestion of setting up a notification mechanism to inform the public about the availability of parking spaces in country parks;  If the control gate at Pak Tam Chung were to be abolished, vehicular traffic at Wong Shek Pier and Hoi Ha area would be further congested which would create more inconvenience to the residents there. He believed that the existing control measure could strike a balance between the interests of both parties;  Regarding the High Junk Peak Country Trail, AFCD would review the provision of signage there and make necessary improvements as appropriate;  AFCD was carrying out study together with EDB with a view to improving the educational facilities of the Lions Nature Education Centre. It was hoped that new

- 11 - proposals would be rolled out for implementation in the coming year; and  AFCD would continue to work in close collaboration with the relevant District Lands Offices and departments concerned on small house applications, and provide comments on the applications in accordance with the established procedures.

The Geopark  According to the requirements of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), AFCD would maximise local participation in the management of the Geopark with a view to fostering the development of the local economy. As the Geopark involved a wide array of factors and the economic return came from a variety of sources, AFCD was unable to quantify the economic benefits brought about by the Geopark in terms of traffic, transportation, restaurants, tourism, etc.. Nevertheless, about 1.4 million visitors came to the Geopark each year. It was believed that the visitor flow would benefit the local economy.

Marine Parks  With the designation of the Brothers Marine Park in December 2016, AFCD had added a new patrolling boat to their fleet and had stepped up their patrolling efforts in the waters nearby; and  AFCD was working on designating new marine parks, namely the Southwest Lantau Marine Park which was expected to be set up in 2018; the Soko Islands Marine Park in 2019; and a new marine park in 2024 as a compensatory measure for the construction of the third airport runway.

Cattle grids  AFCD would discuss with the relevant departments (e.g. TD and the Water Supplies Department) on setting up cattle grids at appropriate locations to manage stray cattle properly without affecting countryside visitors and drivers.

32. The Vice Chairman thanked the Acting Director and the Assistant Director for attending the meeting, and asked AFCD to consider the comments raised by Members.

II. Confirmation of minutes of the 1st Special Meeting held on 19 April 2017 and the 3rd SKDC Meeting held on 2 May 2017

33. There being no amendments from Members before and during the meeting, the Vice Chairman declared that the captioned minutes and the corresponding voting result records were confirmed.

III. Matters arising from the 3rd SKDC Meeting held on 2 May 2017

(i) Follow-up on motions of the last meeting

34. The Vice Chairman said that a total of 21 motions had been endorsed at the last meeting, which were subsequently referred in writing to the relevant organisations or government departments. Details were set out in paragraphs 78 to 156 in the minutes of the last meeting. The Secretariat had already forwarded the relevant replies to Members by emails and uploaded the contents to the SKDC website. SKDC would continue to monitor the relevant issues and delete the corresponding items at the next meeting.

- 12 -

IV. Financial Position of District Council Funds as at 15 June 2017 (SKDC(M) Paper No. 172/17)

35. Members noted the above document.

V. Progress Report of District Council Committees

(i) District Facilities Management Committee (ii) Finance & Administration Committee (iii) Housing & Environmental Hygiene Committee (iv) Social Services & Healthy and Safe City Committee (v) Traffic & Transport Committee (vi) Signature Project Scheme Committee (SKDC(M) Paper Nos. 173/17 to 178/17)

36. Members endorsed the above reports.

VI. Progress Report of the Working Groups established under the SKDC

(i) Working Group on Hiram’s Highway Improvement Project (ii) Working Group on Tourism and Economic Development (iii) Working Group on Organizing Festival Celebrations (SKDC(M) Paper Nos. 179/17 to 181/17)

37. The Vice Chairman referred to paragraph 2 of the progress report of the Working Group on Tourism and Economic Development and said that the Working Group was in support of the pier improvement plan proposed by the CEDD, as well as the proposals to improve the piers at Leung Shuen Wan and Kau Sai Chau.

38. Members endorsed the above reports.

VII. Progress Report of Committees under the Sai Kung District Office

(i) District Management Committee - District-led Actions Scheme (ii) Sai Kung District Building Management Promotion Committee (iii) Active Retirement Programme Committee (iv) Sai Kung District Youth Programme Committee (v) Sai Kung District Civic Education Promotion Committee (vi) Sai Kung District Fire Safety Committee (vii) Sai Kung District Fight Crime Committee (viii)Area Committees (SKDC(M) Paper Nos. 182/17 to 189/17)

39. Ms. Maureen SIU, District Officer (Sai Kung), said there were a total of ten committees under SKDO, which included three Area Committees (the Sai Kung, Tseung Kwan O (South) and Tseung Kwan O (North) Area Committees), the Sai Kung District Fight Crime Committee, the Sai Kung District Fire Safety Committee, the Sai Kung District Civic Education Promotion Committee, the Sai Kung District Youth Programme Committee, the Sai Kung District Building Management Promotion Committee, and the District Management

- 13 - Committee. In the past year, these committees had organised a number of activities. She would like to take this opportunity to report to Members on the progress of these committees’ work.

40. Ms. Maureen SIU said the Sai Kung District Building Management Promotion Committee had organised a number of talks for experience sharing on building management. Experts were invited to share their knowledge on how to prevent bid-rigging, and site visits were arranged to housing estates where maintenance work had been properly completed. Newsletters and other publications were issued and a dedicated website was set up by the Committee.

41. Ms. Maureen SIU also introduced to Members an activity platform newly set up by SKDO for the retirees in the district – the Active Retirement Programme (or the “60+”). According to the latest statistics, the number of retirees aged 65 or above had reached 1.16 million (16% of the total population) and the number of retirees aged 60 or above had reached 1.66 million. It was expected that the number of retirees would continue to grow in the next few years. The number of retiring teachers, principals, nurses, civil servants, etc. in the district would reach their peak one after the other. Hence, SKDO would like to set up a new platform for these retirees to participate in a variety of activities and play an active role in the community. It was hoped that they could contribute their experience, professional knowledge and insight to serve the community and become a strong and competent “partner” in the society. This new platform also provided retirees with a network of communication and support, as well as information.

42. Ms. Maureen SIU said SKDO had the honour to invite Mr. LING Man-hoi as the Chairman of the Active Retirement Programme Committee. The Committee was composed of a group of young olds, including newly retired principals, senior executives, former SKDC Members, etc. A variety of activities would be organised, including talks on Hong Kong history, initiatives and policies for the elderly, etc. Oral history training courses would be held so that the young olds could learn the skill and make use of their life experience to assist with information collection for the Tseung Kwan O Heritage Information Centre. This could enhance the engagement local residents in the Signature Project Scheme of Sai Kung District. In view of the overwhelming response to the Seminar on Healthy Living, the Committee planned to hold the seminar again in Sai Kung later. Besides, as the elderly were also interested in topics like Life Annuity Scheme and reverse mortgage, the Committee would invite scholars to share the related financial management knowledge. The Committee would also consider holding various workshops and interest classes so that the elderly could develop their interests in different aspects which they were too busy to develop when they were young. Ms. SIU hoped that Members could support this new platform.

43. Mr. Gary FAN agreed that the Active Retirement Programme could provide the young olds in the district with knowledge-based activities. He asked whether more young olds would be involved in the planning of activities. As one of the objectives of the Programme was to raise the sense of worthiness of the young olds, he would like to know the difference between these activities and those offered by elderly service organisations in terms of direction and format. Besides, he asked whether this programme was available in all districts or only in Sai Kung.

44. Ms. Maureen SIU of SKDO replied that the Active Retirement Programme was a new

- 14 - platform set up in Sai Kung District. The Committee would continue to launch other suitable activities in different forms, e.g. seminars. One of the objectives of SKDO in setting up this new platform was to tie in with the idea promoted by the Elderly Commission to let young olds continue contributing to the development of the community and provide assistance to the older elderly of the district. The targets and forms of the activities differed slightly from those of the activities currently held by elderly service centres.

45. Mr. LUK Ping-choi asked whether young people could join the seminars of the Active Retirement Programme. As a history teacher, he rarely had the opportunity to talk about local history in the last ten years. He would like to promote the relevant seminars to his students.

46. Ms. Maureen SIU of SKDO said the elderly would be given priority in the above-mentioned seminars but young people would also be welcome. As the seminar would be held in the Hang Hau Community Hall, there would be enough capacity for more audience. Those who were interested could contact SKDO for e-tickets.

47. Mr. LING Man-hoi said tickets for the above seminar were already placed on the desk of Members. He hoped Members could help to promote the seminar. Members who would like to have extra tickets could contact SKDO.

48. Mr. Jonathan CHAN added that the posters of the activity had been posted on the notice boards of many housing estates. Members of the public could refer to the posters on how to obtain tickets and sign up for the seminar.

49. Ms. Maureen SIU of SKDO said that Man Yee Wan Village and Sha Tsui Village was submerged under the High Island Reservoir 40 years ago in 1977 when the Reservoir was constructed. SKDO had made use of the funding under the 20th Anniversary of the Establishment of the HKSAR to organise an exhibition on the “The Story of the Sunken Villages” at the former Man Yee Wan Rural School in collaboration with the young representatives of the two villages and the Department of History of Lingnan University. Members would be welcome to visit.

50. Mr. Timmy POON, Senior Executive Officer (District Management) of SKDO reported that the District-led Actions Scheme (DAS) would continue to take forward the projects launched last year. Regarding the introduction of electric vehicles at Pak Tam Chung, members of the Working Group on Tourism and Economic Development had tried one of the models on 1 June. However, they were not satisfied with the performance and suggested considering other models. Members also suggested sourcing other vehicles of low carbon dioxide emission at the Working Group meeting held on 6 June. As for illegal recycling activities on the street, FEHD, HKPF and SKDO had met with the recyclers operating at King Yin Lane and Chiu Shun Road in the past few months. After repeated discussion, exhortation and law enforcement actions, the two operators had adopted effective measures to alleviate the impact of their recycling activities to the environment and the residents nearby. SKDO would continue to coordinate with the relevant law enforcement departments to follow up other recycling black spots. As for other street management issues like shop front extension and obstruction, the irregularities regarding the shops in Sai Kung had greatly reduced after a series of publicity, education and law enforcement actions towards the end of 2016. Yet, similar problems had recurred recently in the waterfront of Sai Kung. In view of this, the law enforcement departments had stepped up their publicity and education work since mid-June

- 15 - targeting restaurants, shops and stalls in the waterfront area, and carried out law enforcement actions on 19 June. For the illegal extension of canopies, as individual shop owners had written to the law enforcement department requesting for a grace period, the relevant department was processing the application.

51. Mr. Raymond HO said with the help of DAS, illegal recycling activities at Choi Ming Street had disappeared for a while two years ago. However, the same operator reappeared in about half a year and the recycling point was about 100 metres away from the original one. He had contacted the relevant departments on this but the problem remained unsolved. He hoped that DAS could crack down the recycling black spots again, in particular those with relapsed recycling activities, with a view to solving the problem completely.

52. Mr. Leung Li pointed out that there were also illegal recycling activities at Kan Hok Lane off Heung To Secondary School. He understood that SKDO had coordinated the relevant departments to contact the recycler and carried out law enforcement action. However, the recycler was found recently placing the recycling cages on the pavement or the carriageways recklessly and keeping his belongings on the railings fixed with iron chains. He hoped that SKDO could look into the problem.

53. Ms. Maureen SIU of SKDO said Members would be most welcomed to contact SKDO if they considered any specific locations should be listed as black spots of illegal recycling activities. Although the relevant departments had prosecuted the illegal recyclers, as the business operation did not require any permit and the deterrent effect of the relevant legislation was relatively low, the problem would soon recurred after law enforcement. Similarly under the prevailing system, although a licence was required for a restaurant to provide outside seating accommodation, the operator needed not renew the licence on an annual basis. Hence a licence holder would have no fear to prosecution and this had made law enforcement more difficult. To completely solve this recurring problem would rely on legislation and licensing control.

54. Members endorsed the above reports.

VIII. Motions Presented by Members:

(i) The 22 motions presented by Members:

55. As the content of motion (1) and questions (1) and (2) were related, and there being no objection from Members, the Vice Chairman declared that the motion and the questions would be discussed together.

(1) Request to set up a police station in Tseung Kwan O South to meet the needs of the growing population (SKDC(M) Paper No. 190/17)

56. The Vice Chairman said that the motion was moved by Mr. CHONG Yuen-tung and seconded by Mr. KAN Siu-kei, Mr. CHAN Kai-wai and Mr. Edwin CHEUNG.

- 16 -

Question (1) The schedule for the construction of the Tiu Keng Leng Police Station (SKDC(M) Paper No. 212/17)

57. The Vice Chairman said that the question was raised by Mr. Raymond HO.

Question (2) Request to promptly construct the Tseung Kwan O South Police Station to provide adequate supporting hardware for the upgrading of Tseung Kwan O as an independent police district and to provide information about the establishment of different ranks of police officers after the upgrade (SKDC(M) Paper No. 213/17)

58. The Vice Chairman said that the question was raised by Mr. Edwin CHEUNG, Ms. Christine FONG, Mr. CHAN Kai-wai and Mr. CHEUNG Mei-hung.

59. Members noted the written replies from HKPF (SKDC(M) Paper Nos. 231/17, 244/17 and 245/17).

60. Mr. TSE Ching-fung asked whether HKPF would deploy more traffic wardens to tackle the illegal parking problem after upgrading Tseung Kwan O as an independent police district.

61. Mr. SIU Kit-hung, District Commander (Tseung Kwan O), said after upgrading, there would be a dedicated traffic team in the police district. Apart from uniformed officers, the new police district would have one Senior Traffic Warden and five Traffic Wardens. He believed that the illegal parking problem in the district could be effectively tackled.

62. Mr. Raymond HO said Tseung Kwan O could become an independent police district because HKPF and Government attached importance to the population increase and the development needs of the new town in Tseung Kwan O. It was not uncommon to have a few police stations within a police district. For instance, there were three police stations in the Shatin District, while the population of Shatin was not three times higher than that of Tseung Kwan O. As a piece of land was reserved for building a new police station in Tiu Keng Leng and the Southern Bridge as part of the Tseung Kwan O – Lam Tin Tunnel project was under planning to provide connection to the public facilities there, he hoped HKPF could started planning to build the Tseung Kwan O South Police Station as early as possible and provide a schedule of the project. Apart from serving Tseung Kwan O, the new Tseung Kwan O South Police Station could also provide back office support to the Kowloon East Region.

63. Ms. Christine FONG welcomed the setting up of the Tseung Kwan O Police District in July. In view that the population of Tseung Kwan O had reached 400,000 and many new housing estates were under development in Tseung Kwan O South, she asked HKPF whether more police officers would be deployed to station or carry out patrol duties at the MTR stations along the Tseung Kwan O Line. Although HKPF was unable to build a new police station at this stage, she hoped that a temporary police post could be set up and more police manpower be deployed to Tseung Kwan O South. As there were a number of criminal cases related to clandestine photo-taking, burglary, theft, etc. in Tseung Kwan O South, strengthening police patrol would certainly help reduce the crime rate.

- 17 - 64. Mr. KAN Siu-kei was delighted to see the setting up of the Tseung Kwan O Police District. He reckooned that the Tseung Kwan O Police Station would not be able to cope with the development needs of the population growth in future. According to information provided by some non-government organisations, Sheung Tak Estate and Kin Ming Estate were amongst the black spots of drug abuse and trafficking in the district. Hence, he appealed to the Police for strengthening the patrolling manpower so as to track down the mastermind of drug trafficking.

65. Mr. CHONG Yuen-tung pointed out that the population of Tseung Kwan O in particular Tseung Kwan O South had increased prominently. In the Kwun Tong Police District, apart from a police station in Kwun Tong, there was another police station in Sau Mau Ping. A police report room was also available at the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal. Hence he hoped HKPF could set up a police station in Tseung Kwan O South. As most of the lands in Tseung Kwan O South had been put out for auction already, apart from a government site reserved for the new office buildings of the Immigration Department (ImmD), he hoped HKPF could ride on this opportunity to strive for building the Tseung Kwan O South Police Station, so as to enhance the effectiveness of law enforcement in Tseung Kwan O.

66. Mr. CHEUNG Mei-hung strongly urged HKPF to set up a police station in Tseung Kwan O South. He was pleased to see that the police manpower in the district had increased to 456. He had received complaints from the public about the severe noise nuisance generated by parties of speeding vehicles. He had tried to call the report room of Tseung Kwan O Police Station but the hotline remained unanswered for a long time. He hoped HKPF could effectively combat the speeding and noise nuisance problems upon strengthening its manpower.

67. Mr. Edwin CHEUNG requested HKPF to provide the actual number of police officers by different ranks, as the written reply of HKPF had only broadly indicated the manpower increase from 275 at the beginning to 396 officers in 2017, and eventually to 456.

68. Mr. LUI Man-kwong hoped that HKPF would stick to the original plan to set up the Tiu Keng Leng Police Station, as Tseung Kwan O South was quite far away from the existing Tseung Kwan O Police Station. He had received feedback from the public that there was insufficient police manpower patrolling on the street. The setting up of a new police station in Tseung Kwan O South would help to maintain law and order in the district. As there were bars operating within his constituency, quite a lot of people would be lingering around at late night. He urged HKPF to deploy more patrol teams there. Besides, he hoped HKPF would increase the manpower of traffic wardens to combat problems of illegal parking and traffic noise, as well as to strengthen interception at late night.

69. Mr. Frankie LAM said after upgrading, there would be six traffic wardens serving the Tseung Kwan O Police District. In view of the large number of cycle tracks in Tseung Kwan O and many cyclers had been using bicycles improperly during public holidays, he asked whether HKPF would set up a bike patrol team.

70. Mr. LAI Ming-chak said there were quite a lot of illegal parking black spots in the district and he had sought help from the Police in this regard. HKPF undertook in writing that law enforcement would be stepped up during the periods when students attending or getting off from schools, so as to keep the bus stops clear for the use by buses and passengers. He hoped HKPF could increase the number of traffic wardens and step up enforcement efforts

- 18 - against illegal parking at bus stops and roundabouts in the afternoon period.

71. Mr. CHAN Kai-wai pointed out that organised crimes had emerged in Tseung Kwan O since 2009. Some media even labelled Tseung Kwan O as the “capital of crime”. With insufficient manpower and the lack of a police station in Tseung Kwan O South, the upgrading of Tseung Kwan O as an independent police district was merely in name only. He hoped HKPF could provide a detailed reply on the number of police officers by different ranks after the meeting. Besides, as the Tseung Kwan O Waterfront Promenade was very popular among the public, he hoped HKPF could consider resuming the bike patrol programme which had been suspended for a decade. Lastly, as it would normally take eight to ten years to plan, design and construct the Tseung Kwan O South Police Station, he hoped HKPF could confirm the project plan as soon as possible.

72. Mr. Peter LAU was pleased to see the upgrading of Tseung Kwan O as an independent police district. As the rural areas covered a massive area, he hoped that upon upgrading the police patrolling teams or its Special Duties Squad would pay attention to the burglary problem in the rural areas. It was hoped that the crime rate could be reduced to zero for the well-being of the residents in Tseung Kwan O.

73. Mr. CHUNG Kam-lun hoped that HKPF could provide further information about the manpower provision before, and the increase of manpower by different ranks upon upgrading and also the trend over the next few years. He hoped that HKPF could provide supplementary information regarding SKDC(M) Paper No. 213/17 as soon as possible.

74. The Vice Chairman said in the past the police were using motorcycles when patrolling the rural areas but it was more common for the patrolling teams to use cars nowadays. In case of traffic accident, the village roads would be prone to heavy congestion. It would be faster for the police officers to get to the scene if they used motorcycles. Hence, he hoped that HKPF could consider using motorcycles again when patrolling the rural areas.

75. Mr. SIU Kit-hung of HKPF thanked Members for their support throughout all these years to the work of HKPF, in particular the Tseung Kwan O Division. He responded to Members’ questions as follows:  After years of hard work, Tseng Kwan O was eventually upgraded as an independent police district in July. It was hoped that after upgrading, Members would continue to work closely with the Police to uphold law and order in Tseung Kwan O;  He understood that Members were concerned about the construction schedule of the Tseung Kwan O South police station. At this stage, the focus would be on the completion of upgrading the Tseung Kwan O Division. He would timely convey Members’ comments to the Police Headquarters. He would look into setting up a reporting centre or a stand-by position at an appropriate location where police officers could stop by to facilitate liaison with the public;  HKPF would monitor the overall situation in Tseng Kwan O in terms of crime cases and the supporting facilities and conduct a comprehensive review on the relevant issues in due course. In the past, the Tseung Kwan O Police Station was able to provide the public with the needed service according to the performance pledge most of the time;  A dedicated team of police officers was deployed for patrolling the MTR stations in Tseung Kwan O. Since last year, the Railway District had been working with

- 19 - other police districts in law enforcement. HKPF would also on a regular basis deploy uniformed officers, Emergency Unit or Auxiliary Police officers to MTR stations to reinforce patrolling, with a view to identifying any suspicious persons or responding to requests for police assistance from any members of the public;  The juvenile crime rate in Tseung Kwan O District had been relatively steady. According to the figures from January to May 2016, about 59 persons under the age of 20 were arrested, while for the same period in 2017, 42 persons of the same age group were arrested. The decline in crime rate was due to the concerted efforts of Members in publicity against juvenile crime. HKPF would continue to monitor the situation and timely adopt preventive measures, so as to keep the crime rate in a steadily downward trend;  He would convey Members’ feedback regarding speeding vehicles at night time in Tseung Kwan O to the relevant colleagues, and would follow up the case of unanswered call at the report room of the Tseung Kwan O Police Station;  He understood that Members were concerned about the police manpower figures of the respective ranks. HKPF would report to Members the actual figures after upgrading the Tseng Kwan O Police District. Some preliminary figures for each rank before and after upgrading were as follow: Police Constables would increase from 213 to 340 (60%); Sergeants would increase from 34 to 55 (61%); Station Sergeants would increase from 15 to 21 (40%); Inspectors would increase from 10 to 20 (100%); Chief Inspectors would increase from 2 to 5 (150%); Superintendents of Police would increase from 1 to 3 (200%). At the same time, one Senior Superintendent of Police, one Chief Superintendent of Police and certain civilian staff for back office support would be added to the establishment;  HKPF would review the suggestion of bike patrol, and make corresponding arrangements if the situation permitted;  “Operation HILLCASTLE” launched in Tseung Kwan O District last year had been successful in reducing the burglary cases involving village houses. Hence, HKPF would continue to implement this operation; and  He understood that it would be more convenient to patrol the rural areas with motorcycles. However, as the police officers with motorcycle driving licence had to be transferred to other districts recently, it would take some time for HKPF to arrange other police officers with motorcycle driving licence to carry out motorcycle patrol duties.

76. Ms. Christine FONG asked whether the Tseung Kwan O Police District upon upgrading would only cover Tseung Kwan O, and Sai Kung would still be under the purview of the Wong Tai Sin District. She hoped that HKPF would explain clearly the boundary of the police districts, e.g. which district the rural area of Hang Hau and the country parks (e.g. the hiking trail at High Junk Peak) should belong to. In the past, traffic issues of the district were taken care of by the Kowloon East Region. She asked which department would be responsible for the traffic management of the highways (e.g. Wan Po Road) in the district after the upgrade.

77. Mr. SIU Kit-hung of HKPF replied that at present only the existing Tseung Kwan O Division was upgraded into an independent police district. The previous boundary of the Tseung Kwan O Division and the Sai Kung Division had remained unchanged. Hence, Sai Kung Division was still under the purview of the Wong Tai Sin Police District. Besides, there were two traffic patrol teams, namely Kowloon East Region traffic patrol team which would be responsible for the overall traffic and roads in the whole region including patrolling duties in Tseung Kwan O, and the divisional traffic patrol team which would focus on local traffic

- 20 - issues, like obstruction or illegal parking problems. HKPF would deploy officers with motorcycle driving licence under the patrol sub-units to carry out patrol duties on motorcycle in rural areas.

78. Mr. Jonathan CHAN hoped that after upgrading HKPF could continue to step up their cooperation with the community, in particular the collection of intelligence in housing estates. Apart from the blessing scams earlier, other criminal cases were reported in Tseung Kwan O, e.g. deception to obtain pedestrians’ mobile phones or money at the subway between Fu Ning Garden and Hau Tak Shopping Centre, harassing young women late at night, etc. As he and Mr. LING Man-hoi had timely sought help from the police, the situation had improved. He took this opportunity to thank the Police for their swift action in cracking down the cases.

79. There being no objection from Members, the Vice Chairman declared that the motion was endorsed. SKDC would convey the requests in writing to HKPF.

80. As the representative from the Wong Tai Sin Police Station would have to attend another meeting in the afternoon, the Vice Chairman proposed and Members agreed to advance the discussion of motion (10) under section VIII(i).

(10) Request to look into the misuse of parking spaces in the district and to review the relevant policies in order to alleviate the problems related to parking spaces in the district (SKDC(M) Paper No. 199/17)

81. The Vice Chairman said the motion was moved by Mr. HIEW Moo-siew and seconded by Mr. Philip LI, Mr. YAU Yuk-lun, Mr. Peter LAU and himself.

82. Members noted the written replies from TD and HKPF (SKDC(M) Paper Nos. 222/17, 238/17 and 247/17).

83. Ms. Christine FONG was agreeable to the motion that the parking spaces at Clear Water Bay Second Beach and Pak Sha Wan had been misused. She agreed that the Police should deploy more manpower to tackle the problem. Take Clear Water Bay Second Beach as an example, some residents had told her that some of the parking spaces were occupied for a prolonged period during the peak season in summer. She suggested that consideration should be given to turning half of the parking spaces into metered parking spaces while leaving the other half intact. As it would be quite difficult for hikers to complete the hiking trail within two hours, they could use the parking spaces without meters. Swimmers at Clear Water Bay Second Beach could use the metered parking spaces. She said that the relevant departments should review comprehensively the misuse of parking spaces in the district.

84. The Vice Chairman said that a lot of residents had reported the misuse of the parking spaces at Pak Sha Wan. Half of the parking spaces there were metered parking spaces, while the other half were without meters. Those parking spaces without meters were often occupied by car dealers for a prolonged period. He hoped that the Police could pay attention to this problem.

85. Mr. HIEW Moo-siew said some people suggested turning all the parking spaces into metered parking spaces. If only some of the parking spaces were metered parking spaces, it would give rise to an unfair situation. Besides, some people would occupy a parking space

- 21 - with one car in the morning and swapped with another car in the evening. This would make law enforcement difficult for the Police. He suggested writing to TD with the recommendation of using new meters which would enable drivers to park their vehicles up to four or five hours at any one time.

86. Mr. Stanley TAM said the Police should review the existing policy on parking spaces as some of the parking spaces were occupied to display cars for sale for a prolonged period. He suggested amending the legislation so that the relevant persons could be subject to prosecution.

87. Mr. Fabian CHEUNG, Chief Transport Officer / Goods Vehicle (Acting) of TD said TD would follow up the comments raised by Members. TD would further look into the suggestion of turning half of the parking spaces at Clear Water Bay into metered parking spaces. As for Pak Sha Wan, TD had conducted local consultation about adding meters to the parking spaces there but received local objection. Hence the implementation would have some difficulties. As for extending the parking time of metered parking spaces, the new parking meters were still on trial. Upon completion of the testing, TD would consolidate the comments collected from Members and the public for further analysis and evaluation.

88. Mr. Philip LI said half of the parking spaces off the water sports centre at Pak Sha Wan were installed with meters while the other half were free, thus giving rise to misuse of the existing parking spaces. The essence of the motion was to request TD to turn all the free parking spaces into metered parking spaces. Apart from Pak Sha Wan, similar misuse of parking spaces was also found at Tso Wo Hang and Tai Mong Tsai. Free parking spaces were used for displaying cars for sale or temporary storage of goods. Some garages even parked vehicles pending repair there. These gave rise to a lot of problems. He requested TD to also take into account the feedback of some countryside visitors that the metered parking time of two hours was insufficient, and to put in place a series of measures to solve the problems. Lastly, he was surprised to learn that TD had received dissenting views from the local consultation. He was not aware of when the consultation was conducted and TD had not consulted the SKDC.

89. There being no objection from Members, the Vice Chairman declared that the motion was endorsed. SKDC would convey the request to TD and HKPF in writing.

(2) Request to look into the feasibility of providing parking facilities beneath the district open space of Tseung Kwan O Areas 66 and 68 to make good use of the underground space (SKDC(M) Paper No. 191/17)

90. The Vice Chairman said that the motion was moved by Mr. LING Man-hoi and seconded by Mr. CHONG Yuen-tung, Mr. Philip LI, Mr. KAN Siu-kei and Mr. WAN Kai-ming.

91. Members noted the written replies from TD and LCSD (SKDC(M) Paper Nos. 232/17 and 233/17).

92. There being no objection from Members, the Vice Chairman declared that the motion was endorsed. SKDC would convey the request to TD and LCSD in writing.

- 22 - (3) Request to speed up the construction of the indoor heated standard swimming pool in Tseung Kwan O South and to provide a schedule (SKDC(M) Paper No. 192/17)

93. The Vice Chairman said that the motion was moved by Mr. KAN Siu-kei and seconded by Mr. CHONG Yuen-tung, Mr. WAN Yuet-cheung, Mr. CHAN Kai-wai, Mr. WAN Kai-ming and Mr. Edwin CHEUNG.

94. Members noted the written reply from LCSD (SKDC(M) Paper No. 234/17).

95. Mr. KAN Siu-kei referred to feedback from residents that the outdoor design of the heated swimming pool in Tseung Kwan O South would increase the risk of swimmers catching a cold when they got in and out of the water. He asked the relevant department(s) to provide a schedule regarding the construction of the heated swimming pool in Tseung Kwan O South.

96. Mr. LUK Ping-choi said while LCSD had planned to construct a heated swimming pool at Yee Ming Estate, SKDC had not received any schedule or detailed design of the swimming pool ever since residents started to move in the estate. He urged LCSD to provide details of the project as soon as possible and to attach importance to the requests of residents.

97. Mr. TSE Ching-fung said the proposed heated swimming pool would fall within his constituency. A lot of residents from Yee Ming Estate and Bauhinia Garden had asked when the construction works would commence and the completion schedule. LCSD had yet to provide a schedule in its reply but only said the feasibility of turning the swimming pool into a standard swimming pool was under study. At present, residents in Tseung Kwan O South who would like to go swimming would have to go to other swimming pools at either Po Lam or the Hong Kong Design Institute. As the latter would no longer be available this summer, there would be a lot of swimmers using the swimming pool at Po Lam. He urged LCSD to provide the construction schedule of the Tseung Kwan O South Swimming Pool as soon as possible.

98. There being no objection from Members, the Vice Chairman declared that the motion was endorsed. SKDC would convey the request to LCSD in writing.

(4) Request the relevant departments to enhance their management regarding the construction waste and other items being dumped by the side of the refuse collection points in rural areas (SKDC(M) Paper No. 193/17)

99. The Vice Chairman said that the motion was moved by Mr. YAU Yuk-lun and seconded by Mr. HIEW Moo-siew, Mr. Philip LI, Mr. Peter LAU and Mr. SING Hon-keung.

100. Members noted the written reply from FEHD (SKDC(M) Paper No. 217/17).

101. Ms. Christine FONG said quite a lot of people were concerned about the construction wastes and other items being dumped by the side of the refuse collection point at Pik Sha Road. The problem had been long lasting and the measures suggested by FEHD could only solve the problem temporarily. She suggested FEHD to install closed-circuit television (CCTV) at the black spots of illegal dumping and to impose a fine to alleviate the problem.

- 23 - 102. Mr. CHIANG Fat-kwai, District Environmental Hygiene Superintendent (Sai Kung) of FEHD said that no dedicated staff was deployed to man the refuse collection points in rural areas, and villagers would have to put their garbage into the garbage bins by themselves. Yet, some people dumped their garbage by the side of the refuse collection points for convenience and thus giving rise to the illegal dumping problem. In view of this, FEHD had deployed staff to conduct spot checks and step up efforts of prosecution and education. He appealed to Members and village representatives in the rural areas for assistance in urging villagers to properly place their garbage. As for the installation of CCTV, pilot schemes were being conducted in Yuen Long and Sham Shui Po and the results were satisfactory. The scheme would be gradually extended to other districts. However, the locations of the CCTV would be subject to further discussion with SKDC and the FHED Headquarters.

103. The Vice Chairman said as there was a construction site near the junction of Pik Sha Road, and it might be possible that the workers had been dumping construction wastes there. He suggested FEHD to keep an eye on this.

104. Mr. CHIANG Fat-kwai of FEHD said, having regard to the purview of different departments, FEHD was only responsible for collecting domestic and organic wastes. Construction wastes found on roads or highways would be handled by HyD. Wastes found on government land would be handled by the Lands Department (LandsD). If construction wastes were found in public places, FEHD would refer the cases to the relevant departments to follow up.

105. There being no objection from Members, the Vice Chairman declared that the motion was endorsed. SKDC would convey the request to the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) and FEHD in writing.

106. As the content of motions (5) and (6) and question (3) were related, there being no objection from Members, the Vice Chairman declared that these issues would be discussed together.

(5) Request to adopt effective measures to prevent Japanese encephalitis from spreading in the district (SKDC(M) Paper No. 194/17)

107. The Vice Chairman said that the motion was moved by Mr. WAN Kai-ming and seconded by Mr. Alfred AU, Mr. WAN Yuet-cheung, Mr. KAN Siu-kei and Mr. CHONG Yuen-tung.

(6) Request the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department to deploy more manpower to carry out anti-mosquito work (SKDC(M) Paper No. 195/17)

108. The Vice Chairman said that the motion was moved by Mr. CHUNG Kam-lun and seconded by Mr. Gary FAN, Mr. LEUNG Li, Mr. LAI Ming-chak, Mr. LUI Man-kwong and Mr. Frankie LAM.

Question (3) Request the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department to provide information on the locations and the index readings of the ovitraps in Tseung Kwan O and to step up their anti-mosquito efforts to safeguard the health of residents (SKDC(M) Paper No. 214/17)

- 24 -

109. The Vice Chairman said that the question was raised by Mr. Edwin CHEUNG and seconded by Ms. Christian FONG, Mr. CHAN Kai-wai and Mr. CHEUNG Mei-hung.

110. Members noted the written replies from FEHD (SKDC(M) Paper Nos. 218/17, 219/17 and 246/17).

111. Mr. Edwin CHEUNG referred to FEHD’s website which promulgated the ovitrap indexes of all different districts. On 10 June when the ovitrap indexes of other districts had been uploaded, the indexes of Tseung Kwan O South and Tseung Kwan O North remained outstanding for quite some time. He pointed out that the ovitrap index of Tseung Kwan O South was the highest in the territory (over 18%, as compared to about 1% in other districts). He asked FEHD about the distribution and locations of the ovitraps.

112. Mr. CHEUNG Mei-hung asked how the 63 ovitraps in Tseung Kwan O South were distributed. Recently, the mosquito and midge problems had been rather serious. Take LOHAS Park as an example, quite a number of construction sites nearby had commenced operation at about the same time. Apart from this, the recycling industry also added to the mosquito and stagnant water problems. He urged FEHD to step up efforts to tackle the problem and prosecute the construction sites for any malpractice.

113. Mr. CHUNG Kam-lun asked if FEHD had found out the reasons for a drastic rise of the ovitrap index in May. The ovitrap index of Tseung Kwan O South and Tseung Kwan O North had always been higher than other districts. According to the papers submitted by FEHD to the Housing and Environmental Hygiene Committee (HEHC), FEHD would conduct anti-mosquito operations once in about 20 days to 3 weeks’ time. Yet, FEHD had been educating the public that the metamorphosis of mosquitoes would complete in a few days. With the case of Japanese encephalitis confirmed, together with the ovitrap index of the district remaining high, he urged FEHD to step up anti-mosquito efforts. Besides, he suggested that unless there were other interfering factors, the ovitraps should not be relocated so as to enhance accuracy in monitoring the effectiveness of the anti-mosquito work.

114. Mr. CHIANG Fat-kwai of FEHD said in accordance with the advice of the World Health Organization (WHO), FEHD put the ovitraps in densely populated areas (e.g. housing estates, parks, schools, hospitals, etc.) and areas with local cases of dengue fever, so as to investigate and monitor the distribution of the vectors (Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti). Ovitraps were set up in 52 areas all over Hong Kong, among which three areas were in Sai Kung District, namely Tseung Kwan O South, Tseung Kwan O North and Sai Kung. The number of ovitraps ranged from 50 to 60 in each area. As Tseung Kwan O South covered a larger area, a total of 63 ovitraps were placed there – about ten ovitraps for each of Tiu Keng Leng, Hang Hau, Po Lam, LOHAS Park, etc. FEHD would review the distribution and the number of ovitraps having regard to the development of the respective areas and make timely adjustments. Hence, FEHD did not have information readily available about the exact locations of these ovitraps. Besides, the ovitrap index rose drastically in May largely because the rainfall in May was higher than average by 50% in the district. In addition, as there were more green belts and village houses within the district, stagnant water was prone to occur. As the weather had been unstable (intermittent periods of sun and rain), the pesticide applied by FEHD would soon be washed away by rain, which had made the anti-mosquito efforts less effective. At present, FEHD was carrying out anti-mosquito work on a weekly basis.

- 25 - Mr. CHIANG took the opportunity to urge all concerned departments to step up their anti-mosquito efforts within their premises. As for the construction sites at LOHAS Park, apart from patrolling the sites by the FEHD Sai Kung office, its headquarters had also assigned a dedicated team to assist in stepping up patrol at construction sites in the district. If they came across mosquito problems, they would prosecute the offenders immediately.

115. Mr. Edwin CHEUNG asked what criteria were adopted by FEHD for setting ovitraps and the selection of locations. While the ovitrap index of Tseung Kwan O South was particularly high, its coverage of green belt area compared less extensively with the rural areas. He believed that the problem was caused by the large number of construction sites. At present, individual contractors would carry out mosquito control measures on their own and set up ovitraps for monitoring purposes. He asked whether FEHD’s ovitraps had overlapped with those set by private organisations and construction sites, and hence questioned the accuracy of the ovitrap index.

(Post meeting note from FEHD: At present, there was no information indicating contractors / private organisations / construction sites setting ovitraps of their own for monitoring purpose. Hence, there would not be any overlapping of ovitrap locations between the FEHD, private organisations or construction sites.)

116. Ms. Christine FONG considered preventive measures for mosquito control more effective. Tseung Kwan O had been developing at a high speed but the number of ovitraps was largely insufficient. She suggested that FEHD should substantially increase the number of ovitraps and require all construction sites to set up ovitraps. The mosquito problem was particularly serious in Tseung Kwan O South. While she recognized the efforts of FEHD’s frontline staff, the sources of the problem actually came from construction sites. The densely grown plants and vegetation in the rural areas also gave rise to mosquito and midge problems. Besides, EPD’s contractors had not managed the landfill site properly where stagnant water was found. Take the restored landfill area off Oscar by the Sea as an example, there was extensive area of stagnant water and the problem was not addressed until members of the public made a report to the EPD. She urged FEHD and relevant departments to conduct joint operations on a regular basis as a preventive measure for mosquito control.

117. Mr. CHAN Kai-wai said according to FEHD’s reply, there were 63 ovitraps in Tseung Kwan O South. However, he only managed to find ten after searching the whole area. He questioned why the ovitraps were often relocated and asked FEHD how the locations of the ovitraps were determined. The many construction sites in Tseung Kwan O South had generated a large amount of stagnant water thus giving rise to mosquito problem. He urged FEHD to step up patrolling efforts. Besides, there was serious mosquito problem at the entrance of the waterfront promenade (near Tong Chun Street). He suggested FEHD to set an ovitrap there. Lastly, there were some government construction sites at Area 72 also with serious problem of stagnant water. In addition, the mosquito problem in Tiu Keng Leng had worsened after commencement of the Tseung Kwan O – Lam Tin Tunnel project by CEDD. He hoped that Government could set a good example and take the lead in anti-mosquito work. He urged FEHD to step up enforcement and issue fixed penalty tickets to those non-compliant construction sites.

118. Mr. CHUNG Kam-lun noted from FEHD’s reply just now that its anti-mosquito work was carried out once a week. However, according to the anti-mosquito work schedule submitted by FEHD to the HEHC, anti-mosquito work was carried out once in every 20 days.

- 26 - He asked whether some of the anti-mosquito work mentioned here was not included in the document. He hoped that FEHD could provide more detailed information for Members’ reference.

(Post meeting note from FEHD: To ensure public health and to sustain the effectiveness of anti-mosquito work, this office would organize three anti-mosquito campaigns in the district every year in addition to the regular pest control services in public places. The schedule submitted to HEHC was the work schedule of the anti-mosquito campaigns. Apart from the regular pest control, its Pest Control Team would conduct extra anti-mosquito work at the specified locations on their work schedule, and take the opportunity to provide the public with knowledge and technical advice on mosquito control.)

119. Mr. CHEUNG Mei-hung thanked FEHD for their efforts in solving the mosquito problem. Apart from green belt areas, the mosquito problem in Tseung Kwan O South was also caused by the presence of stagnant water in the many construction sites nearby. He suggested that FEHD should conduct more spot checks and patrol the construction sites to prosecute the offenders. Besides, the stagnant water problem in the area of LOHAS Park after the rain a few days ago remained unsolved. He hoped that FEHD could assist in solving the issue.

120. Mr. CHIANG Fat-kwai of FEHD said ovitraps were mainly placed in densely populated places like housing estates and parks. The locations were decided by the experts at the FEHD headquarters in accordance with the standards of the WHO. In view of the high ovitrap index reading in Tseung Kwan O South, apart from his office stepping up anti-mosquito efforts, one of the four Pest Control Inspection Teams from the headquarters had been deployed to assist in patrolling the construction sites in the district. If they came across mosquito problems, the offenders would be prosecuted on-site. Since the commencement of this arrangement in May 2017, 15 prosecutions were instituted so far. Besides, an interdepartmental anti-mosquito meeting would be held each month. FEHD would report to all members (including the HAD, District Lands Offices, LCSD, and the Housing Department (HD), etc.) their follow up work and reminded the relevant departments, schools and housing estates to step up their mosquito control measures within their premises. As for manpower support, FEHD had three in-house anti-mosquito teams and 19 outsourced anti-mosquito teams. They would further strengthen the manpower if needed with the target of carrying out anti-mosquito work once a week.

121. Mr. WAN Kai-ming said he often saw FEHD staff carrying out anti-mosquito work when he walked around the district. He appreciated the efforts of the department. However, as the weather had been unstable with intermittent periods of sun and rain in summer, a shower in the evening would wash away the larvicide or larvicidal oil sprayed in the morning and rendered all the anti-mosquito efforts ineffective. Hence, he hoped that FEHD could deploy more staff to promptly spray larvicide or larvicidal oil again after raining.

122. There being no objection from Members, the Vice Chairman declared that the motions were endorsed. SKDC would convey the requests to FEHD in writing.

(7) Request the Link REIT to provide a temporary market during the refurbishment of the Hau Tak Market or to refurbish the market by phases so as to minimize the inconvenience to the public (The motion was amended as: “Request the Link REIT to provide a temporary market and adequate free shuttle bus services for transporting residents to other

- 27 - markets in Sheung Tak, King Lam, etc. during the refurbishment of the Hau Tak Market, and to speed up the progress of refurbishment to minimize the inconvenience to the public”) (SKDC(M) Paper No. 196/17)

123. The Vice Chairman said that the motion was moved by Mr. TSE Ching-fung and seconded by Mr. LUK Ping-choi.

124. Members noted the written reply from the Link Asset Management Limited (Link REIT) (SKDC(M) Paper No. 220/17).

125. Mr. LING Man-hoi moved to amend the motion as “Request the Link REIT to provide a temporary market and adequate free shuttle bus services for transporting residents to other markets in Sheung Tak, King Lam, etc. during the refurbishment of the Hau Tak Market, and to speed up the progress of refurbishment to minimize the inconvenience to the public”.

126. Mr. Stanley TAM seconded the amendment. He considered the request of the original motion infeasible as it was not quite possible to refurbish the market by phases. By doing so would extend the works period and the large amount of dust generated from the works would affect the shops and the public.

127. Mr. LUK Ping-choi said the objective of the original motion was to request the Link REIT to speed up the refurbishment progress so that residents in the area of Hau Tak Estate would not have to go to the Sheung Tak Market to buy foodstuff as it might not have the capacity to cater for such a huge demand. He agreed to the amendment moved by Mr. LING Man-hoi. It would even be better if residents could be diverted to the markets in King Lam or other places within the district.

128. Ms. Christine FONG said there was no wet market at LOHAS Park. Residents would have to take minibuses to Hang Hau to buy foodstuff. If the whole Hau Tak Market suspended operation starting from October, she asked how TD would arrange transit for residents of LOHAS Park to other markets in Sheung Tak, Po Lam or Choi Ming. It would be very time consuming if the residents had to get to Hang Hau first and take free shuttle buses to other markets. She requested the Link REIT to provide free shuttle bus service from LOHAS Park to other markets. Besides, as no minibus or bus services were currently available from LOHAS Park to other markets, residents could only take buses or residents’ coach to Hang Hau or Tseung Kwan O MTR Stations. She suggested TD to extend the service of some minibuses or buses to cover LOHAS Park so as to meet the needs of residents.

129. Mr. Fabian CHEUNG of TD undertook to look further into the problems and ask his relevant colleagues to follow up.

130. Mr. LUK Ping-choi supported the amendment moved by Mr. LING Man-hoi and agreed that residents of Hang Hau could be diverted to other markets of the district for buying foodstuff. However, if the Link REIT objected to the suggestion, most of the residents of Hang Hau would go to the Sheung Tak Market. He reminded FEHD that if most of the residents of Hang Hau would go to the markets in Tseung Kwan O South, the environmental hygiene of the streets outside the Beverly Garden would be worsen.

- 28 - 131. There being no objection from Members, the Vice Chairman declared that amendment moved by Mr. LING Man-hoi was endorsed. SKDC would convey the requests to the Link REIT in writing.

(8) Request the Authority to minimize the occurrence of flooding on roads in the district during rainstorms (SKDC(M) Paper No. 197/17)

132. The Vice Chairman said that the motion was moved by Mr. Frankie LAM and seconded by Mr. Gary FAN, Mr. LEUNG Li, Mr. LAI Ming-chak, Mr. LUI Man-kwong and Mr. CHUNG Kam-lun.

133. Members noted the written replies from the Drainage Services Department (DSD) and HyD (SKDC(M) Paper Nos. 221/17 and 235/17).

134. There being no objection from Members, the Vice Chairman declared that the motion was endorsed. SKDC would convey the request to DSD, HyD and DLO/SK in writing.

(9) Request to tackle the illegal parking problem and the nuisance caused by the sounding of horns at the roundabout of Tong Tak Street off Beverly Garden (SKDC(M) Paper No. 198/17)

135. The Vice Chairman said that the motion was moved by Mr. LUK Ping-choi and seconded by Mr. TSE Ching-fung.

136. Members noted the written replies from TD and HKPF (SKDC(M) Paper Nos. 236/17 and 237/17).

137. Mr. LUK Ping-choi said if the motion was endorsed, he hoped that the issue could be referred to the Traffic and Transport Committee (TTC) for follow up. As this problem had existed for a long time and required inter-departmental efforts to resolve, he hoped that the relevant departments could conduct a joint site inspection in due course.

138. There being no objection from Members, the Vice Chairman declared that the motion was endorsed. SKDC would convey the request to TD and HKPF in writing. The above motion would be referred to TTC for follow up.

(Motion (10) was discussed earlier.)

(11) Request to look into improving the traffic flow and the traffic congestion problem of major roads in Tseung Kwan O (SKDC(M) Paper No. 200/17)

139. The Vice Chairman said that the motion was moved by Mr. Stanley TAM and seconded by Mr. WAN Yuet-cheung and Mr. Alfred AU.

140. Members noted the written reply from TD (SKDC(M) Paper No. 223/17 ).

141. Mr. Stanley TAM urged TD to continue following up the traffic congestion in the area of Po Lam Road (from the junction at Sau Mau Ping Estate to the junction at On Sau Road) which happened consistently in the morning, as this had affected the bus services. Besides, as

- 29 - the population in Anderson area had been increasing, he asked TD if there were any corresponding measures to meet the transportation needs arising from the increase in population. The traffic congestion at the roundabout of Clear Water Bay Road had been serious. It was expected that the situation would be worsen with the completion of the residential projects at Tai Po Tsai. He urged TD to promptly adopt improvement measures to alleviate the traffic congestion at all major roads in Tseung Kwan O.

142. There being no objection from Members, the Vice Chairman declared that the motion was endorsed. SKDC would convey the request to TD in writing.

(12) Urge the Authority to look into providing transportation service between Tseung Kwan O South and the bus interchange station of Tseung Kwan O Tunnel (SKDC(M) Paper No. 201/17)

143. The Vice Chairman said that the motion was moved by Mr. Edwin CHEUNG and seconded by Ms. Christine FONG, Mr. CHAN Kai-wai and Mr. CHEUNG Mei-hung.

144. Members noted the written reply from TD (SKDC(M) Paper No. 224/17).

145. Ms. Christine FONG said that the traffic congestions at all main streets in Tseung Kwan O were attributable to the congestion at the junctions of major trunk roads. If the bus interchange station at Tseung Kwan O Tunnel could be implemented sooner, the traffic condition in the area of Clear Water Bay Road, Wan Po Road and Tseung Kwan O Tunnel could be improved and the bus services in the district could operate more efficiently .

146. There being no objection from Members, the Vice Chairman declared that the motion was endorsed. SKDC would convey the request to the Transport and Housing Bureau (THB) and TD in writing.

(13) Propose to construct a cross-harbour tunnel between Tseung Kwan O and Hong Kong Island (SKDC(M) Paper No. 202/17)

147. The Vice Chairman said that the motion was moved by Ms. Christine FONG and seconded by Mr. CHAN Kai-wai, Mr. CHEUNG Mei-hung and Mr. Edwin CHEUNG.

148. Members noted the written reply from PlanD (SKDC(M) Paper No. 225/17).

149. Ms. Christine FONG said the objective of the motion was to divert the traffic of Tseung Kwan O. Upon completion of the Tseung Kwan O – Lam Tin Tunnel and the Cross Bay Link by 2021, it was expected that drivers would use the new tunnel to get to the Eastern Harbour Crossing. However, as the traffic of the Eastern Harbour Crossing had already exceeded its capacity, she hoped that THB and TD would actively consider constructing a new harbor crossing between Area 137 or LOHAS Park and the Eastern District of the Hong Kong Island.

150. There being no objection from Members, the Vice Chairman declared that the motion was endorsed. SKDC would convey the proposal to PlanD in writing.

151. As the content of motions (14) to (16) were related, there being no objection from Members, the Vice Chairman declared that the motions would be discussed together.

- 30 -

(14) Request to attach importance to the safety of cycle tracks in the district and to improve the safety measures (SKDC(M) Paper No. 203/17)

152. The Vice Chairman said that the motion was moved by Mr. Stanley TAM and seconded by Mr. WAN Yuet-cheung and Mr. Alfred AU.

(15) Request to look into details the operation of the specific measures under the “bicycle friendly” policy and to improve the handling of illegal parking problem of bicycles in view of the controversies arising from the policy (SKDC(M) Paper No. 204/17)

153. The Vice Chairman said that the motion was moved by Mr. CHONG Yuen-tung and seconded by Mr. WAN Kai-ming, Mr. Philip LI and Mr. Peter LAU.

(16) Request the Government to improve the terms of using public bicycle parking spaces and to further promote the bicycle friendly scheme (SKDC(M) Paper No. 205/17)

154. The Vice Chairman said that the motion was moved by Mr. CHEUNG Mei-hung and seconded by Ms. Christine FONG, Mr. CHAN Kai-wai, and Mr. Edwin CHEUNG.

155. Members noted the written replies from DLO/SK and TD (SKDC(M) Paper Nos. 226/17, 239/17 to 241/17).

156. There being no objection from Members, the Vice Chairman declared that these motions were endorsed. SKDC would convey in writing the requests under motion (14) to TD; and requests under motions (15) and (16) to TD and DLO/SK.

(17) Request to enhance the publicity and education efforts to raise the awareness of young people about summer job traps (SKDC(M) Paper No. 206/17)

157. The Vice Chairman said that the motion was moved by Mr. Jonathan CHAN and seconded by Mr. CHONG Yuen-tung, Mr. WAN Yuet-cheung, Mr. KAN Siu-kei, Mr. WAN Kai-ming and Mr. Peter LAU.

158. Members noted the written reply from HKPF (SKDC(M) Paper No. 242/17).

159. There being no objection from Members, the Vice Chairman declared that the motion was endorsed. SKDC would convey the request to HKPF and the Labour Department (LD) in writing.

(18) Request the Education Bureau to extend the “Sister School Scheme” (SKDC(M) Paper No. 207/17)

160. The Vice Chairman said that the motion was moved by Mr. LUK Ping-choi and seconded by Mr. TSE Ching-fung, Mr. Francis CHAU, Mr. CHAN Kai-wai, Mr. Stanley TAM, Mr. WAN Yuet-cheung, Mr. WONG Shui-sang, Mr. Peter LAU and Mr. YAU Yuk-lun.

- 31 - 161. Members noted the written reply from EDB (SKDC(M) Paper No. 227/17).

162. Mr. LUK Ping-choi noted that EDB would review the effectiveness of the Scheme in the following year, and asked whether this referred to the first half or the second half of the coming year. If the review by the EDB was conducted too late, the development plan of schools would be affected. He suggested that EDB should promptly review the effectiveness of the Scheme and inform schools of the result as soon as possible. Besides, he hoped that the issue could be referred to the Social Services & Healthy and Safe City Committee (SSHSCC) for follow up.

163. Mr. LAI Ming-chak said the Scheme was confined to connection with schools in the Mainland of China. He suggested extending the Scheme to other countries or places in South-east Asia to make the Scheme more meaningful and tie in with the role of Hong Kong as a “window to the World”. He suggested including the idea of expanding the coverage of the Scheme in the letter to EDB.

164. Mr. LUI Man-kwong said it was shown on the EDB website that since 2004, a considerable number of local schools had formed sister school pairs with schools in seven Mainland municipalities and provinces. Yet, the Scheme was only confined to schools in the Mainland of China. As Hong Kong being an international city, in order to tie in with its roles as a “window to the World” and a “super-connector”, the coverage of the Scheme should extend to other countries, so as to widen the horizon of the students. If other Members did not accept this suggestion, he would abstain from voting.

165. Mr. WAN Yuet-cheung said the wording of the motion was to request EDB to extend the duration of the Scheme. The suggestion raised by the Neo Democrats was to expand the Scheme to other places, which should be taken as a separate issue. He suggested endorsing this motion first and the suggestion of the Neo Democrats could be recorded. The Neo Democrats might also move a separate motion in the future.

166. Mr. LUK Ping-choi said the Scheme was announced by the former Chief Executive in his Policy Address two years ago, with a view to linking up schools in the Mainland of China. The Scheme was on a trial basis only. EDB had no objection to forming sister school pairs with schools in other countries. Yet, the annual funding of $120,000 was not enough to expand the Scheme. He welcomed the new ideas raised by the two Members but suggested that they could move a motion on expanding the Scheme when new funding became available.

167. Mr. LAI Ming-chak held that while EDB currently did not have enough funding, they could still look into how the Scheme could be improved and apply for new provision. The idea to expand and extend the Scheme did not contradict with each other. He did not intend to move an amendment. He asked Members whether they agreed to include his suggestion in the letter to EDB.

168. Mr. LUI Man-kwong clarified what he had referred to was that Hong Kong had so far established connections with schools in seven Mainland municipalities and provinces for exchange since 2004, and while the Scheme was confined to schools in the Mainland of China, he did not mention that the Scheme applied to these few provinces only.

- 32 - 169. There being no objection from Members, the Vice Chairman declared that the motion was endorsed. SKDC would convey the request together with Members’ suggestion regarding the expansion of the Scheme to EDB in writing. The issue would be referred to the SSHSCC for follow up.

170. As Mr. TSE Chick-lam, Chief Manager / M (Kowloon West & Sai Kung Region) of HD would have to attend another meeting, with the consent from Members, the Vice Chairman suggested advancing the discussion of the following question.

Question (4) Enquire about the reception of RTHK TV and Fantastic TV signals in the public housing estates of Tseung Kwan O and request the Housing Department to promptly upgrade their digital television system (SKDC(M) Paper No. 215/17)

171. The Vice Chairman said that the question was raised by Mr. Edwin CHEUNG, Ms. Christine FONG, Mr. CHAN Kai-wai and Mr. CHEUNG Mei-hung.

172. Members noted the written reply from HD (SKDC(M) Paper No. 230/17).

173. Mr. TSE Chick-lam of HD supplemented that of the public housing estates in Tseung Kwan O, only four blocks of Kin Ming Estate had not completed the additional installation works of the RTHK TV digital signal receivers. The installation works were expected to be completed in July 2017. For Fantastic TV, as the signals were transmitted through fixed network, HD had requested Cable TV earlier to speed up the network connection. It was expected that the corresponding works would be completed in July 2017.

(19) Request the Government to promptly enact legislation to regulate person-to-person marketing calls (SKDC(M) Paper No. 208/17)

174. The Vice Chairman said that the motion was moved by Mr. Gary FAN and seconded by Mr. CHUNG Kam-lun, Mr. LEUNG Li, Mr. LAI Ming-chak, Mr. LUI Man-kwong and Mr. Frankie LAM.

175. There being no objection from Members, the Vice Chairman declared that the motion was endorsed. SKDC would convey the request to the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau (CEDB) in writing.

(20) Request the Authority to raise the amount of grant under the Building Maintenance Grant Scheme for Elderly Owners (SKDC(M) Paper No. 209/17)

176. The Vice Chairman said that the motion was moved by Mr. CHUNG Kam-lun and seconded by Mr. Gary FAN, Mr. LEUNG Li, Mr. LAI Ming-chak, Mr. LUI Man-kwong and Mr. Frankie LAM.

177. Mr. Stanley TAM agreed that the amount of grant under the Building Maintenance Grant Scheme for Elderly Owners should be raised, as many elderly people would have to improve their home facilities (in particular safety equipment) based on the assessment and advice from occupational therapists. However, the assessment fee was not funded. He hoped that the Hong Kong Housing Society (HKHS) could improve the Scheme and subsidize the assessment fee.

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178. There being no objection from Members, the Vice Chairman declared that the motion was endorsed. SKDC would convey the request to HKHS and the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) in writing.

179. As the content of motions (21) and (22) were related, there being no objection from Members, the Vice Chairman declared that the motions would be discussed together.

(21) Request the Government to attach importance to animal rights through the enactment of animal protection laws and the establishment of animal police teams (SKDC(M) Paper No. 210/17)

180. The Vice Chairman said that the motion was moved by Mr. LUI Man-kwong and seconded by Mr. Gary FAN, Mr. LEUNG Li, Mr. CHUNG Kam-lun, Mr. LAI Ming-chak, and Mr. Frankie LAM.

(22) Request the Government to step up its publicity and education efforts regarding the Wild Animals Protection Ordinance and to enhance the law enforcement efforts (SKDC(M) Paper No. 211/17)

181. The Vice Chairman said that the motion was moved by Mr. LAI Ming-chak and seconded by Mr. Gary FAN, Mr. LEUNG Li, Mr. CHUNG Kam-lun, Mr. LUI Man-kwong and Mr. Frankie LAM.

182. Members noted the written replies from AFCD and HKPF (SKDC(M) Paper Nos. 228/17, 229/17 and 243/17).

183. There being no objection from Members, the Vice Chairman declared that the motions were endorsed. SKDC would convey in writing the request under motion (21) to the Food and Health Bureau (FHB), AFCD and HKPF; and the request under motion (22) to AFCD.

(ii) The four questions raised by Member:

184. The Vice Chairman said questions (1) to (3) were already discussed together with other motions earlier. The discussion on question (4) was also advanced as the representative of the relevant department had to leave early.

IX. Any Other Business

(1) Crossover Lab Initiative of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (SKDC(M) Paper No. 216/17)

185. Members noted the relevant document.

186. The Vice Chairman asked Members whether they agreed to hold the Crossover Lab Initiative together with the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA) in 2017-18 or beyond. The function had to be held at the Nursery Park or the Art Park (to be completed) of the West Kowloon Cultural District with art and culture as the theme of the activities. District Councils could appoint non-governmental organisations or art groups to assist in the

- 34 - planning, coordination and implementation of the project and devise a budget for the approval by WKCDA, which would provide a maximum funding of $500,000 for the project. The WKCDA and the interested parties would discuss the details and the terms of the project which would be confirmed by signing the relevant documents.

187. There being no objection from Members, the Vice Chairman declared the SKDC would hold the captioned project together with the WKCDA. He asked the Secretariat to follow up the issue.

(2) Co-organizing “All for Integrity” Programme for Sai Kung District 2017/18 (SKDC(M) Paper No. 248/17)

188. Members noted the meeting document. There being no other comments from Members, the Vice Chairman announced that SKDC would hold the captioned activity together with the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC). ICAC could display the logo and the name of the SKDC on the publicity materials of the activity.

(3) The district open space in Tseung Kwan O Areas 66 and 68

189. The Vice Chairman said the Secretariat had consulted Members through email on 28 June about the arrangement of a special meeting in July to let Members exchange their views with the relevant departments regarding the district open space in Tseung Kwan O Areas 66 and 68. A total of 14 Members had replied to the email regarding the proposed dates of the meeting:

 14 July 2017 (Friday) 3:00 p.m. – supported by 7 Members;  17 July 2017 (Monday) 9:30 a.m. – supported by 10 Members;  17 July 2017 (Monday) 2:30 p.m. – supported by 12 Members.

190. Mr. Stanley TAM asked why this issue could not be discussed at the full council meeting.

191. The Secretary said a special meeting was proposed because LCSD could not have the relevant information compiled in time for discussion with Members at the current meeting. The attendance of Members at special meetings would be counted as in full council meetings.

192. Mr. Stanley TAM was worried that other issues would also be discussed at special meetings in the future. While the attendance at special meetings would also be counted, Members might not be able to attend the meeting on the proposed dates. A special meeting was arranged last time because the issues related to the amendments to the Tseung Kwan O Outline Zoning Plan were very important and more discussion time would be needed. He could not understand the urgency of discussing the captioned issue in July and considered that the issue could be discussed at the next meeting.

193. Mr. Raymond HO asked whether the issue could be discussed at the HEHC and all Members could be invited to attend that meeting.

194. Mr. Frankie LAM said of the three proposed dates, all were supported by less than half of the Members. The number of Members would not be enough to form the quorum of a full council meeting.

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195. Mr. YAU Yuk-lun said as all Members would attend the District Facilities Management Committee (DFMC) meeting, he suggested discussing the issue at the DFMC meeting.

196. The Vice Chairman said he would let the Chairman decide whether a special meeting would need to be held for this issue.

X. Date of Next Meeting

197. The Vice Chairman said that the next meeting would be held at 9:30 am on 5 September 2017 (Tuesday).

198. There being no other business, the meeting adjourned at 1:45 p.m.

Sai Kung District Council Secretariat August 2017

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