The rainy and typhoon season has begun in Hong Kong. A few days ago, the Hong Kong Observatory issued landslip warning amid heavy downpours under Typhoon Signal No. 3. Colleagues of various departments are always on standby and ready to respond to any emergency incidents. As Father’s Day is approaching, I would like to share with you in two consecutive weeks the work of two frontline workers and their little stories as a father, so as to show our support for all good dads……

The Government is committed to enhance building safety in Hong Kong through a multi-pronged approach. With the effort of our colleagues at the Buildings Department (BD) over the years and co-operation among the industry, there has been growing public awareness of building safety. In celebration of BD’s 25th anniversary, the department has taken the opportunity to organise an array of activities to enhance public understanding of and sense of responsibility over building safety. Recently, I have visited BD’s Building Information Centre (BIC) in the company of Mr YU Tak-cheung, Dick, the Deputy Director of Buildings and colleagues of BD to learn more about the services provided by the department as well as its efforts made on building safety publicity and education……

The Construction Safety Week, jointly organised by the Development Bureau (DEVB) and the Construction Industry Council, has entered its seventh year with the main theme “Partnering for Safety Enhancement” this year. A wide range of activities have been held over the past week to promote the message of “zero accidents” on construction sites to industry stakeholders and the public and call for the unity of the construction industry to ensure site safety......

The devastating earthquake in Wenchuan a decade ago left extensive damage in substantial parts of Sichuan Province. Ten years have passed by in the blink of an eye. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region took an active role in the reconstruction which took eight years to complete, and the works were successfully concluded in 2016, giving the earthquake stricken area a brand new look. Recently, colleagues in the Development Bureau (DEVB) and I joined the Chief Executive to visit Sichuan to attend the Hong Kong-Sichuan Co-operation Conference and an event in memory of the victims of the earthquake that took place 10 years ago. The delegation included quite a number of professionals who had participated in the reconstruction. Together we witnessed the achievements of the reconstruction project……

The Central and Sheung Wan areas have been buzzing with activities recently. After the scheduled opening of the Central Police Station Compound (Tai Kwun) at the end of May, another revitalised historic building, the Hong Kong News-Expo (HKNE), is also due to open by the end of this year. This time, I had invited veteran journalist and HKNE’s Vice-chairperson, Ms CHAN Suk-mei, May, to walk us through the highlights of the HKNE. We even had a glimpse of a rare edition, published in 1878, of the Universal Circulating Herald (《循環日報》), which was the first Chinese-language newspaper ever run and funded by Chinese in Hong Kong……