Man drowns at Gold Coast

A 24-year-old man neighbors described as "a pious son" drowned at Gold Coast in Tuen Mun early Monday morning.

The man surnamed Fung had been drinking with a friend on the beach before taking a dip in the water. He swam off and was not seen again. His friend called police at around 4 am after failing to find the missing man. Divers found an unconscious Fung at about 9 am. He was certified dead at hospital.

It's believed he drowned after becoming entangled in the shark net in the dark. Police concluded the circumstances were not suspicious.

HK$10m phone parts stolen

Cellphone parts worth some HK$10 million were stolen in a burglary at an Tsuen Wan industrial building.

Staff of the company in TCL Tower, at 8 Tai Chung Road, came to work at 9 am and found the office had been broken into and some 100 cases of cellphone parts were missing. A police investigation is ongoing.

8 injured in car-minibus clash

Eight people were injured in a crash of a car and a minibus on Ting Kok Road in Tai Po at 6:30 am Monday.

The car traveling toward Tai Mei Tok suddenly veered into the opposite lane at a bend near Shuen Wan and collided with the minibus head-on. Police are investigating the cause.

Food labeling law takes effect

Traders are scrambling to sell off prepackaged foods with labels that do not meet the full implementation of the city's food labeling law, effective July 1 according to the Centre for Food Safety.

With roughly 60 percent of businesses already stocked with properly labeled prepackaged foods, the Centre for Food Safety will be introducing a year-long flexible three-strikes enforcement strategy. Outlets carrying prepackaged foods failing to meet the government's new labeling requirement will be given advice on how to bring their goods into compliance. That will be followed by a warning letter and finally prosecution. Offences carry a penalty of HK$50,000 and 6 months imprisonment.

Market tenants block Central

More than 200 public market tenants blocked a motor vehicle lane on Queen's Road Central in a protest against new contracts introduced by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) Monday, resulting in a traffic jam in Central.

The protestors then marched to the Central Government Office and handed in a petition. FEHD has agreed to a meet with the tenants this week.

Pilot survey for 2011 census

The Census and Statistics Department will conduct a pilot survey from June 22 to August 3 to test the design of the questionnaire and the operational arrangements for the 2011 Population Census to be conducted in mid-2011.

The pilot survey will cover some 30,000 residences in four selected District Council districts: Central and Western, Sham Shui Po, Yau Tsim Mong and the North. All households and people staying in the selected quarters will be enumerated.

China Daily

(HK Edition 06/22/2010 page1)