XN000022-1986-05-06 — Page 6

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TUESDAY, MAY 6, 1986

A PERSON WHO LITTERS WITHIN A COUNTRY PARK IS LIABLE TO A MAXIMUM FINE OF $2 000 AND THREE MONTHS' IMPRISONMENT ON CONVICTION.

LAST YEAR, 1 153 PEOPLE WERE PROSECUTED FOR LITTERING OR POLLUTING WATER COURSES INSIDE COUNTRY PARKS, AND PAID FINES TOTALLING $178 600.

MR IU THEN REVEALED THAT THE DEPARTMENT WAS TAKING POSITIVE ACTIONS TO TACKLE THE PROBLEM.

TION.

+WHILE LAW ENFORCEMENT WOULD BE STEPPED UP TO PENALISE OFFENDERS, STEPS ARE BEING TAKEN TO INCREASE THE FREQUENCY OF THE CLEANSING SERVICES IN THE MORE POPULAR COUNTRY PARKS.

+AS A MEANS OF ABATING THE PROBLEM OF LITTER OVERFLOWING FROM BINS ALREADY INSTALLED, MORE STOCKADES CAPABLE OF HOLDING A LARGER AMOUNT OF LITTER WOULD ́ BE ́USED TO REPLACE SMALLER BINS,+ HE SAID.

VISITORS ARE ADVISED THAT IN THE EVENT OF A LITTER BIN BEING FULL, THEY SHOULD USE OTHER CONTAINERS NEARBY INSTEAD OF DEPOSITING LITTER ON THE GROUND.

MR IU SAID THE CLEAN-UP DRIVE WOULD START WITH A SERIES OF LITTER PICKING EXPEDITIONS IN VARIOUS COUNTRY PARKS BY MEMBERS OF THE CIVIL AID SERVICES AND THE HONG KONG FEDERATION OF HIKERS.

IT WOULD BE FOLLOWED BY DAILY MOBILE BROADCASTS OF TAPED MESSAGES IN COUNTRY PARKS THROUGHOUT THE TERRITORY PARTICULARLY IN AREAS WHERE LITTERING IS A PERSISTENT PROBLEM.

THE DRIVE WOULD BE RE-VITAL ISED IN NOVEMBER THIS YEAR WHEN THE HIKING SEASON REACHED ITS PEAK.

EA CALL ON DRESSING GOWNS *****

THE TRADE DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCED TODAY (TUESDAY) THAT THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT HAS MADE AN EXPORT AUTHORISATION (EA) CALL ON CATEGORY 650 (MAN-MADE FIBRE DRESSING GOWNS, INCLUDING BATHROBES AND BEACH ROBES). THIS IS THE SECOND EA CALL MADE BY THE UNITED STATES THIS YEAR.

IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE HONG KONG/UNITED STATES BILATERAL TEXTILE AGREEMENT, THE DEPARTMENT HAS SUSPENDED ISSUE OF FURTHER EA'S IN THE CATEGORY WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT PENDING CONSULTATIONS WITH THE U.S. GOVERNMENT.

THE DEPARTMENT WILL CONTINUE TO APPROVE AND ISSUE EXPORT LICENCES FOR THIS CATEGORY AGAINST VALID EXPORT AUTHORISATIONS APPROVED PRIOR TO THE SUSPENSION.

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