PUBLIC ORDER
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promote higher ethical standards in social and business matters. It works through the mass media and personal approaches by its eight regional offices to different target audiences.
The department launched a business ethics campaign in 1994 to encourage all companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and large private companies (those with more than 100 staff) to formulate corporate codes of conduct. By the end of 1995, 2084 such companies had been approached, with 61 per cent having either formulated new codes of conduct or updated their existing ones. To further the campaign, the Hong Kong Ethics Development Centre was set up in May 1995 under the auspices of the ICAC, providing a full range of free services to business organisations.
To uphold a clean civil service, the department launched a 'Support Clean Government' programme in mid-1995. In two phases, the programme aimed to reach all of the civil service through a comprehensive prevention guide for senior civil servants and a series of seminars.
To promote fairness in the elections to the municipal councils and the Legislative Council in 1995, the department's staff visited individual candidates and their agents to explain the Corrupt and Illegal Practices Ordinance. A specially-produced diary was also given to each candidate for easy reference. In addition, the department provided an election enquiry service and sent information pamphlets to the voting public.
In view of the large number of corruption reports involving building management, the department produced a practical guide on building management for owners corporations/committees, organised a television programme and training seminars, and distributed information pamphlets.
In June 1995 the department co-produced, with the Guangdong Provincial People's Procuratorate in China, a practical guide which contained comprehensive informa- tion on PRC and Hong Kong anti-corruption laws and guidelines for Hong Kong investors when conducting business in Guangdong. Procuratorate officials also came to Hong Kong to speak at preventive education seminars on cross-border trade.
A series of advertisements was produced to motivate the public to support the ICAC's work and to report corruption. These won four 1995 Creative Awards from the Hong Kong Association of Accredited Advertising Agents.
International Co-operation
As business transactions and transfer of funds become more international, so does corruption. Liaison and co-operation with foreign corruption investigation and law enforcement agencies are essential.
In May, the Operations Department hosted its third regional seminar on corruption-related crime. Delegates represented law enforcement agencies from Australia, Brunei, Canada, China, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, the United States of America and Hong Kong.
The ICAC sent a full delegation to attend the seventh biennial International Anti- Corruption Conference held in Beijing in October 1995, which was organised by the Supreme People's Procuratorate and the Ministry of Supervision.
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