Tagged: Tong Fuk
Convicted democracy activist Nathan Law arrives at Tong Fuk prison
Nathan Law, former legislator and one of three high-profile democracy activists jailed last week, will serve his sentence at the Tong Fuk Correctional Institution.
Law was transferred to the medium-security male prison this morning from Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre at 9:30am, HK01 reported. He appeared calm and nodded to reporters as he boarded the prison van, the paper said.
Law, 24, last year became the youngest person to be elected to Legco, but was one of four legislators expelled in July under retrospectively-revised rules over oath-taking.
He is to serve eight months in jail for his role in the 2014 Umbrella Movement. He and fellow activist Joshua Wong were originally sentenced to community service for unlawful assembly, but prosecutors appealed and prison sentences were imposed.
Wong, the high-profile leader of the young pro-democracy campaigners, will serve his six-month sentence at Pik Uk Correctional Institution at Clearwater Bay until his 21st birthday in October, when he will be transferred to an adult prison.
The third activist, 26-year-old Alex Chow, former general secretary of Hong Kong Federation of Students, will serve seven months at Pik Uk Prison, a maximum security prison next to the juvenile facility housing Wong.
Since 2014, the government has brought 39 court cases against 26 democracy activists.
Photo (top): Nathan Law boarding prison van (Source: HK01 video)
Demand for answers on oil spill as cleanup continues
Five days after the collision of cargo ships in the Pearl River that released 9000 tonnes of palm oil, Lantau beaches appear to be nearly free of oil chunks and residue.
However, 13 beaches across Hong Kong remain closed and the government has been called on to answer key questions about the spill.
On Lantau, the oily residue has mostly been removed from Lower Cheung Sha and Tong Fuk beaches. On Pui O, the worst-hit local beach, FEHD cleaning staff filled dozens of bags of oil chunks as they cleaned up this morning. Pui O, Upper Cheung Sha and Lower Cheung Sha beaches remain closed for bathing. Tong Fuk Beach is open.
Pui O Beach, Tuesday morning
On Lamma Island, which has been most heavily contaminated by the spill, the clean-up continued today at Nga Kau Wan Beach. Local resident and coastal cleanup activist Robert Lockyer said he estimated only about 10% of the material had been collected yesterday.
Congealed palm oil washed up on Yung Shue Wan, Lamma Island (Source: Robert Lockyer)
Two more Hong Kong beaches were closed this morning as a result of the spill, with Ken Ching, director of the Eco-Education and Resources Centre, warning that while the larger chunks had mostly been removed, he expects the situation to get worse next week.
Ching said that the water current will weaken by then, so a lot of the oil pieces will be trapped in coastal areas of the city.
He urged the government to increase the pace of its clean-up operation, adding that it would be helpful to know how much oil was spilled .
Dog owners also have been urged to keep their pets away from the affected beaches.
Lamma resident Sheila McClelland, a founder of the Lifelong Animal Protection Charity, says dogs could either choke or fall ill from ingesting the chunks of oil, SCMP.com reports . “Dogs love to eat fatty things. This can cause pancreatitis, a seriously life-threatening disease,” she said.
A dog roots among the oil residue on Yung Shue Wan Beach, Lamma (Source: Robert Lockyer)
Meanwhile, District Councillor Paul Zimmerman has asked Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung why it took “several days” and a series of media inquiries for the government to inform the Hong Kong public.
In an open letter he asks when the government learned of the spill, what action it took and who will foot the bill for the cleanup. He also seeks details of the accident, the names of the vessels involved and the nature of their cargo.
Lantau fox in SPCA care after catchwater rescue
A marble fox found in the catchwater at Tong Fuk is being kept under observation by the SPCA.
The 50cm long fox, discovered in the catchwater late Friday night, was rescued by the Fire Department and put into the care of the SPCA. It had been in the area for at least two days.
The SPCA says the animal is at the Kowloon Centre where it is being monitored for signs of rabies or other disease. It says it hasn’t decided what to do with the animal, but may hand it to the Kadoorie Farm or Ocean Park, a spokesperson told told Apple Daily.
After an initial inspection the animal was found to be uninjured and basically healthy, but very thin, the association said. It was difficult to examine it closely because of its fear of humans. Its age and sex are still unclear.
Hungry (Photo: Ivan Li)
The marble fox is a domesticated breed, a combination of genetic manipulation of the red and Arctic foxes. It almost certainly has either been abandoned by its owners or has escaped from its home or from smugglers.
Ivan Li, who found the animal while on a nocturnal snake safari, said it was very thin and hungry and tried to feed it some bred. He believes it was left there by its owners. He criticised those who “abandon alien species” in Hong Kong.
Top photo: In the catchwater (Ivan Li)
Body washed ashore near Tong Fuk
Police are investigating a body found washed ashore between Tong Fuk and Shui Hau.
The body was discovered by a dragon boat team member near the Tong Fuk Temple at about 10am yesterday. The man is aged 50 to 60 years, about 160cm tall, and was clothed and wearing black socks, Sing Tao reported.
Police believe the body had been brought ashore after being in the water for possibly a week. It was already starting to decompose and some skin had begun to peel.
The body carried no identification. Police have arranged for a post-mortem to determine the cause of death and will check missing persons records.
Lantau internet: More fibre on its way
South Lantau’s internet is finally starting to catch up to the rest of Hong Kong, with more fibre connectivity promised.
Telco HGC and partner Top Express have just launched a high-speed fibre service in the Mui Wo villages of Luk Tei Tong, Tai Tei Tung and Pak Ngan Heung and are now targeting Cheung Sha, Tong Fuk and Pui O.
They have letterboxed households in those areas offering 1000 Mbps for HK$358 per month, with the first six months free. However, their estimate of November 30 2017 service start is likely ambitious. Top Express’s initial offer in Mui Wo, in January last year, promised start of service by May 2016 – a year ahead of actual delivery.
While optical fibre is accessible to 84% of Hong Kong households, according to PCCW, much of rural Hong Kong is still serviced by early generation copper networks, delivering effective downlink speeds of about 5Mbps.
Top Express, a specialist in building utility infrastructure, says it plans to extend optical fibre to 600 of the SAR’s 774 villages and lease out the capacity to a telecom service provider.
For most of South Lantau, PCCW is the sole fixed network operator. It upgraded its network in Ham Tin, Pui O and Tong Fuk last year to provide 100 Mbps down/30Mbps up.
It is also promised to bring fibre to Mui Wo as part of its rural Hong Kong upgrade programme, but has offered no specifics.
In a statement emailed to Lantau News, HGC said it “has been exploring different ways to extend high-speed and reliable residential broadband network service to outlying islands and village houses.”
Photo (above): Nokia Networks
Police warning after spate of Tong Fuk burglaries
Lantau police have called on local residents to take extra security measures following a spate of burglaries in Tong Fuk.
Police have stepped up uniformed patrols after three burglaries in the past week, the last on Saturday morning on the eastern edge of the village.
Chief Inspector David Bennett of Lantau South police said householders should exercise “heightened vigilance.”
“Checking doors, windows, telling your neighbours to keep an eye out for your premises if you are away for days. Getting security enhancements – locks, door chains, window bars, motion sensor spotlights, etc will all help.”
South Lantau is a favoured target for mainland thieves because of the large number of accessible and poorly-secured premises. Burglaries often happen in clusters before offenders either get caught or return to the mainland.
WSD probing cause of burst water main
Water supply in South Lantau has returned to normal after a burst water main left three villages without water for more than a day.
The pipe burst at around 6am Sunday morning, disrupting service to several hundred households in Cheung Sha, Tong Fuk and Shui Hau.
Water Supplies Department dispatched a team to the area and switched off all local water supply at 8am. The team worked through the night to restore the service by 10am today, a spokesperson said.
The initial reports of loss of supply came from Cheung Sha, but the fault was eventually identified near Shui Hau. The cause of the failure is now being investigated, although it may have been an ageing pipe, the spokesperson added.
The department also sent four water wagons and 15 mobile water tanks to provide temporary supply to the villagers.
Prominent lawyers pay tribute to John Rhind
Prominent senior counsel Martin Lee and Ronny Tong have paid tribute to former High Court judge and South Lantau resident John Rhind.
Rhind, 80, went missing while on a regular walk from his home in Pui O last Monday. His body was found at Tong Fuk beach on Thursday.
Martin Lee, a senior barrister and founder of the Democratic Party, described Rhind as “gentleman,” Apple Daily reported. “A very fine person, a very fine temperament, I am stunned at his disappearance.”
Ronny Tong, former Legco and Civic Party member, described Rhind as “very approachable … a relatively commonsense and generous judge.” Continue reading
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