22 Dec 2023光傳媒#2714
星島：23條立法擬明年7月休會前完成 時程較03年壓縮近半
After Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu reaffirmed following his recent duty visit to Beijing that the Hong Kong Government would complete legislation under Article 23 of the Basic Law next year, Sing Tao Daily reported today (December 22), citing pro-establishment sources, that the government had set a more ambitious target. It may submit the bill as early as next month, with the aim of completing the entire legislative process by mid-July next year, before the Legislative Council goes into recess. Compared with the consultation and scrutiny period of nearly 10 months in 2003, the current legislative process would be shortened by nearly half.
特首李家超日前上京述職後重申，港府將在明年內完成《基本法》第23條立法。《星島日報》今（12月22日）引述建制消息指，政府目標更為進取，最快或在下月提交草案，務求在明年7月中、立法會休會前完成整個立法程序。相較2003年諮詢和審議期長達近10個月，今次立法程序壓縮近一半。
22 Dec 2023獨媒#2716
運輸署：承辦商錯批舊指令致西隧收錯錢 警方調查指不涉刑事
On the morning of 18 December, the first working day after different tolls were introduced for different time periods at the three cross-harbour tunnels, the Western Harbour Crossing charged the wrong tolls for about an hour, using the old toll schedule. At a press conference on Tuesday, 19 December, Chief Secretary for Administration Chan Kwok-ki said that someone was suspected of interfering with the computer system and that the police had been invited to investigate. Three days later, the Transport Department said the incident resulted from negligence by an employee of the tunnel toll service provider, and that the police investigation had “found” that the incident did not involve criminal elements.
12月18日三條過海隧道實施「不同時段不同收費」首個工作日早上，西隧早上有約一小時收錯錢，以原有收費表收費。政務司司長陳國基周二（12月19日）曾在記者會上稱涉有人干預電腦系統，已邀警方調查。事隔三日，運輸署指事件隧道費服務商的職員疏忽，指警方調查「發現」事件不涉刑事成份。
22 Dec 2023獨媒#2717
紅山半島逾70間獨立屋涉僭建或霸佔官地 政府本月起巡查屯門蟠龍半島
A landslide occurred at Redhill Peninsula in September this year, exposing unauthorised building works and government land occupation at a number of luxury homes. The government said today (22nd) that, in addition to the four detached homes involved in the landslide, the Buildings Department and Lands Department completed inspections in November of 85 waterfront detached homes. Of these, 70 involved unauthorised building works or illegal occupation of government land. The departments are issuing removal orders and notices ordering the relevant owners to cease occupying the land. The Buildings Department and Lands Department have also targeted detached homes at Pan Lung Peninsula in Tuen Mun for another joint operation this month.
紅山半島今年9月發生山泥傾瀉，被揭發有多間豪宅僭建及霸佔官地。政府今日（22日）表示，除了涉及山泥傾瀉的4間獨立屋外，屋宇署及地政總署在11月已完成巡查85間臨海獨立屋，當中70間涉及僭建或非法佔用政府土地，正向有關業主發出清拆令及飭令停止佔用土地通知。另外，屋宇署及地政總署已在本月鎖定屯門蟠龍半島獨立屋展開另一聯合行動。
21 Dec 2023獨媒#2705
醫管局：第二批110名大灣區醫護明年首季來港 另成立招聘中心搶海外「單頭」人才
The Hospital Authority said that the second phase of the Greater Bay Area Healthcare Talent Exchange Programme will bring another 10 doctors and 100 nurses to Hong Kong in the first quarter of next year. The National Health Commission has agreed, at the HA’s request, to send ophthalmologists. The authority will also continue its talent drive by establishing a Global Healthcare Talent Recruitment Centre, with dedicated staff providing one-stop follow-up for overseas healthcare professionals interested in working in Hong Kong, particularly “solo-practice” doctors, nurses and allied health professionals in the private sector.
醫管局表示，第二期「大灣區醫療人才交流計劃」將再有10名醫生、100名護士在明年首季來港，國家衞健委已應醫管局要求，同意派出眼科醫生。局方亦繼續搶人才，宣布成立「環球醫療人才招聘中心」，將以專人一站式跟進海外有意來港工作的醫護個案，尤其私人市場的「單頭」醫生、護士及專職醫療人才。
21 Dec 2023光傳媒#2706
半小時內遭兩部門巡查 留下書舍店主：頻繁的不合理巡查令人灰心 是否符合香港「自由營商」核心價值？
Several independent bookstores have recently been visited for inspections by multiple government departments. Have A Nice Stay, located in Prince Edward, was visited by the Companies Registry and the Inland Revenue Department in succession within half an hour this afternoon (21st). In an interview with Light Media, owner Kris acknowledged that the number of “routine inspections” this month was higher than in the past. He said frankly that these “unreasonable and nonsensical” inspections had left him disheartened: “If the relevant departments believe that independent bookstores are unwelcome and need to be subject to vigorous enforcement and crackdowns, does that align with Hong Kong’s long-standing core value of ‘free enterprise’?”
多間獨立書店近期遭多個政府部門上門巡查，位於太子的留下書舍今日（21日）下午於半小內先後被公司註冊處及稅務局上門巡查，店主Kris接受《光傳媒》訪問時承認，今個月的「例行巡查」次數比過往頻繁，並直言這些「不合理、不合常識」的巡查令他感到灰心，「如果有關部門認為獨立書店不受歡迎、需要大力執法取締，那是否符合香港一路以來的『自由營商』核心價值？」
21 Dec 2023獨媒#2707
運輸署：昨召見「易通行」承辦商表示不滿、已訓示本周內交調查報告
HKeToll will be implemented at Aberdeen Tunnel from 5 a.m. on Friday, December 24, making it the last government-owned tunnel to use HKeToll. Asked again about Monday’s incident in which incorrect charges were collected at the Western Harbour Crossing, Transport Department Director Lee Chung-yan said she had summoned the contractor yesterday and expressed dissatisfaction with its performance. She had also instructed the contractor to investigate and submit a report within this week.
香港仔隧道將於12月24日（周五）凌晨五時起實施「易通行」，是政府擁有的隧道中最後一條使用「易通行」。運輸署署長李頌恩再被問到西隧周一收錯錢事件，她指昨日已「召見」承辦商，稱對其表現不滿，並已「訓示」承辦商進行調查，本周內提交報告。
20 Dec 2023獨媒#2697
的士抗爭未完場 業界推打擊白牌車時間表 稱政府承諾半年內杜絕
The taxi industry considered staging a strike last month after the government introduced a series of new laws targeting “black taxis”, but the action was abandoned because of various obstacles. The Legislative Council swiftly passed the Taxi Driver Offence Points System Bill at its third reading, with virtually no opposition, as the authorities had already promised the industry that they would crack down on unlicensed hire cars. Representatives of the industry, having “returned to the negotiating table”, met today with the Transport and Logistics Bureau, the Transport Department and police. After the meeting, the representatives said the government had promised to amend the law within six months to eliminate illegal unlicensed hire cars and crack down on all their drivers and vehicles. They said the government’s various parties had shown a “positive attitude” and expressed satisfaction with the progress of the meeting.
因為政府推出一系列打擊「黑的」新法律，的士業界上月一度醞釀罷工，但因種種阻礙告吹。立法會火速三讀通過《的士司機違例記分制草案》，幾乎未遇任何阻力，皆因當局早已承諾業界會打擊白牌車。「重返談判桌」的業界代表今與運輸及物流局、運輸署及警方開會，會後業界代表主動開腔，稱政府承諾半年內將修例杜絕違法白牌車，掃蕩所有白牌車司機同車輛，代表稱政府各方「態度正面」，滿意會議進程。
20 Dec 2023獨媒#2699
短訊發送人登記制下周四起實施 獲認證電信商將以「＃」號發訊
As the number of fraud cases in Hong Kong continues to rise, the Government has introduced a number of measures to combat such crimes. The Office of the Communications Authority announced today that the Short Message Sender Registration Scheme will be implemented in the telecommunications sector from next Thursday (the 28th), helping members of the public identify the identities of short message senders. Under the new scheme, 23 telecommunications service providers will send messages using “registered short message sender names” beginning with “#”.
本港詐騙案數字持續上升，政府推出多項措施打擊相關罪案。通訊事務管理局辦公室今日公布，下周四（28日）起在電訊業實施「短訊發送人登記制」，以協助市民識別短訊發送人的身分。在新制下，23間電信服務商將會使用以「＃」號開頭的「已登記的短訊發送人名稱」發出短訊。
20 Dec 2023Channel C#2701
鄧炳強重申明年內完成23條立法
In an interview with the RTHK programme “Taking Stock of Policies”, Secretary for Security Chris Tang discussed relations between the police and the public. He said the relationship between the police and the public had always been very good, but that some people had deliberately driven them apart in 2019. He said Hong Kong had now moved from chaos to order and from order to prosperity, which the public could see clearly, and that relations between law enforcement departments, including the police, and society were now very good.
保安局局長鄧炳強接受港台節目《盤點政策》專訪時談到警民關係問題，鄧炳強指警隊和市民關係一向非常好，不過在2019年被一些人刻意離間，但現在已由亂到治，由治及興，香港市民都看得很清楚，所以現在執法部門，包括警隊在內和社會的關係非常好。
19 Dec 2023獨媒#2695
政府重推投資移民計劃 許正宇稱可帶來1,200億元新資金
The Policy Address earlier announced the relaunch of the investment immigration scheme suspended in 2015, substantially raising the asset threshold for applicants to net assets of at least HK$30 million. Of this, HK$3 million must be invested in innovation and technology development, while the remaining HK$27 million can be invested in stocks, bonds, certificates of deposit and non-residential property. Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Christopher Hui said that, based on the previous figure of 4,000 applications a year, the new scheme could bring up to HK$120 billion in new funds to Hong Kong. He also said the new scheme has no “hard targets” and believed its positioning would not overlap with the Top Talent Pass Scheme. Asked whether the target applicants would come from the Middle East and Southeast Asia, Hui said an earlier “soft consultation” with potential investors had found that “Southeast Asian groups” were interested in the new scheme.
《施政報告》早前宣布重啟2015年暫停的投資移民計劃，大幅提升申請資產門檻至不少於3,000萬元淨資產，當中300萬元必須在創科發展，其餘2,700萬元可以投資在股票、債券、存款證及非住宅房地產。財經事務及庫務局局長許正宇聲言，參考過往每年4,000宗申請，推算新計劃可為香港帶來高達1,200億新資金。他亦表示新計劃沒有「硬指標」，相信不會與「高才通」定位重疊。被問目標客源是否來自中東和東南亞，許正宇指早前向潛在投資者進行「軟諮詢」，發現「東南亞群體」對新計劃有興趣。
Translations are supplied by the source workbook. Consult the original reporting for context.
