XN000022-1990-01-24 — Page 11

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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 24, 1990

MR CHAN SAID AN INTER-DEPARTMENTAL

WORKING GROUP COMPRISING REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE DISTRICT OFFICE (TUEN MUN), THE TUEN MUN DIVISION OF THE ROYAL HONG KONG POLICE FORCE AND THE AFD WAS SET UP IN OCTOBER LAST YEAR TO MAKE PLANS FOR IMPLEMENTING THE NEW CONTROLS IN THE MARKET.

FISHERMEN AND THEIR AGENTS AS WELL AS BUYERS ASSOCIATIONS IN CASTLE PEAK WERE CONSULTED ON THE ISSUE IN DECEMBER AND THE NEW MEASURES WERE SUPPORTED.

SINCE JULY 1988, THE PMO, ON RECOMMENDATION OF THE FIGHT CRIME COMMITTEE'S WORKING GROUP ON GANGS, HAS BEEN TAKING POSITIVE STEPS TO STAMP OUT MALPRACTICES BY TRIAD ELEMENTS ON THE SORTING FLOOR OF THE FISH MARKETS. SUCH MALPRACTICES OFTEN RESULT IN GOOD-QUALITY FISH BEING PRE-SELECTED, MARKED AND MANIPULATED THROUGH THE SALE PROCESS.

"STRINGENT CONTROLS ARE ALREADY IN FORCE IN THE CHEUNG SHA WAN, ABERDEEN, SHAU KET WAN AND TAI PO WHOLESALE FISH MARKETS AND THE RESULTS HAVE BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL," MR CHAN SAID,

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'IN THE SHAU KEI WAN FISH MARKET, THE AVERAGE PRICE OF FISH FETCHED AT AUCTIONS HAD GONE UP BY NEARLY 50 PER CENT AND THE VOLUME OF FISH TRADED HAD INCREASED BY 23 PER CENT SINCE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NEW MEASURES IN AUGUST LAST YEAR. THIS SHOWS THAT THE MEASURES ARE EFFECTIVE IN ENSURING A FAIR PRICE FOR THE FISH, MR CHAN NOTED.

THE CASTLE PEAK FISH MARKET, THE THIRD BIGGEST WHOLESALE MARKET UNDER THE FMO, USUALLY ATTRACTS SOME 300 FISHERMEN, AGENTS AND BUYERS, AND ABOUT 40 TONNES OF FISH ARE TRADED DAILY.

MORE HOMES FOR ELDERLY IN WAN CHAI

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A HOSTEL FOR THE ELDERLY 19 LIKELY TO BE INCLUDED IN A COMPOSITE BLOCK TO BE BUILT AS PART OF THE LE CHIT STREET RE-DEVELOPMENT PLAN, THE WAN CHAI DISTRICT OFFICER, MR PETER MANN, SAID TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

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SPEARING AFTER DISTRIBUTING "LAI SEE' PACKETS TO SENIOR CITIZENS AT A CHARITY DRIVE ORGANISED BY A LOCAL MEDIA GROUP, MR MANN SAID EFFORTS WERE BEING MADE TO COPE WITH THE ANTICIPATED INCREASE IN THE NUMBERS OF ELDERLY PEOPLE IN WAN CHAI IN THE YEARS AHEAD.

AND

"AS A FIRST STEP, A SURVEY ON THE NEEDS OF THE ELDERLY EXISTING FACILITIES BAS BEEN COMMISSIONED, THE RESULT OF WHICH WILL BE KNOWN IN TWO TO THREE MONTHS' TIME, HE SAID.

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/"BASED ON