Hong Kong Delegation Shines at APICTA Awards 2024, Winning Eight Top Honors in ICT Innovation

HKSAR delegation wins record-breaking eight Winners Awards at APICTA Awards 2024

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) delegation achieved remarkable results at the Asia Pacific Information and Communications Technology Alliance (APICTA) Awards 2024, held in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei from December 4 to 7. The HKSAR delegation once again ranked first among the 15 participating economies, bagging a total of eight Winner Awards, four First Runner-up Awards, three Second Runner-up Awards and three Merit Awards.

This annual awards programme serves as a platform for information and communications technology (ICT) talents from the 15 participating economies across the Asia-Pacific region to exchange innovative ideas and forge partnership. Led by the Commissioner for Digital Policy, Mr Tony Wong, the HKSAR delegation comprising 25 teams showcased their innovative products and applications in the event this year.

The following projects from the HKSAR shone at the competition and won awards among over 260 entries:

Winner Awards

Public transport ridership simulation - MTR to Keep Cities Moving - The Unprecedented Strategy and Intelligence in Railway Planning by MTR Corporation Limited / the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Business Data Analytics category)

Try.Eat! - Influencer Matching Platform by InnoLab Limited (Consumer category - Digital Marketing / Advertising)

CityGeni - Smart City App Specializing in Barrier-Free Navigation by Maphive Technology Limited (Consumer category - Tourism & Hospitality)

AI-Driven Sorting System by Green AI Technology Limited (Inclusions & Community Services category - Sustainability and Environment)

HKeToll by Transport Department, the Government of the HKSAR / Autotoll Limited / Ove Arup & Partners Hong Kong Limited (Public Sector and Government category - Government & Citizen Services)

A-EYE AI visual impaired shopping assistant by ELCHK Lutheran Secondary School (Senior Student category: Application)

From Romanised Nepali to Pure Nepali: AI Transliteration Using Transformer Architecure for Low-Resourced Languages by Hong Kong Baptist University (Tertiary Student category: Application)

SAFERIN by Hong Kong Institute of Information Technology at IVE (Tuen Mun) (Tertiary Student category: Solution)

First Runner-up Awards

"ChillStream®"AI chiller optimizer by Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, the Government of the HKSAR (Artificial Intelligence category)

Housing Authority Project Information Management and Analytics Platform by Hong Kong Housing Authority / Geosys Hong Kong Limited (Business Data Analytics category)

PhysioPlay gamified physical training & monitoring system by Medmind Technology Limited (Inclusions & Community Services category - Health & Wellbeing)

Housing Authority Project Information Management and Analytics Platform by Hong Kong Housing Authority / Geosys Hong Kong Limited (Public Sector and Government category – Digital Government)

Second Runner-up Awards

Public transport ridership simulation - MTR to Keep Cities Moving - The Unprecedented Strategy and Intelligence in Railway Planning by MTR Corporation Limited / the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Industrialcategory – Transport)

Medisafe by St. Paul's Co-educational College (Junior Student category)

Ball Type Rolling Robot for inspection and rescue by Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, the Government of the HKSAR (Public Sector and Government category - Government & Citizen Services)

Merit Awards

Occupational safety guard by Pui Ching Middle School (Junior Student category)

UMeta - Educational Metaverse by Diocesan Girls' School (Senior Student category: Application)

Green Recycling by Good Hope School (Senior Student category: Solution)

​Mr Wong congratulated all winning teams. He said, "The outstanding performance of the HKSAR delegation highlights Hong Kong's innovative ideas and cutting-edge technology in the ICT field, enhancing Hong Kong's leadership position as an international innovation and technology (I&T) centre. We will continue our efforts in fostering a more flourishing and vibrant I&T ecosystem, further promoting the I&T development in Hong Kong."

During the competition, the "Hong Kong Night" was also held in Bandar Seri Begawan on December 6. Mr Wong extended his sincere gratitude to Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Brunei, Mr Shi Rongke, for attending the event and cheering for the delegation from the Mainland and the HKSAR. Mr Wong also thanked the organisers – the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and the Hong Kong Computer Society, for providing this valuable opportunity that enabled the HKSAR delegation to share and exchange their innovative ideas and technology solutions with representatives from other participating economies.

The Digital Policy Office also sponsored 24 non-governmental organisations representatives and students to participate in the event this year to compete and interact with leading ICT talents from the Asia Pacific region, with a view to helping them extend their reach and move beyond local boundary.

The annual APICTA Awards is hosted in rotation by member economies, with the goal of identifying and recognising ICT innovations, promoting the development of ICT talents, products and solutions, as well as technology and knowledge sharing among the member economies. This prestigious annual event also provides valuable business matching and pitching opportunities, facilitates the in-depth collaboration between business and research and development, as well as promotes the joint development of the industry as a whole. Through the concerted support of the member economies, the APICTA Awards is highly regarded by the ICT industry in the Asia-Pacific region.

HKSAR delegation wins record-breaking eight Winners Awards at APICTA Awards 2024 Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

HKSAR delegation wins record-breaking eight Winners Awards at APICTA Awards 2024 Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

HKSAR delegation wins record-breaking eight Winners Awards at APICTA Awards 2024 Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

HKSAR delegation wins record-breaking eight Winners Awards at APICTA Awards 2024 Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

HKSAR delegation wins record-breaking eight Winners Awards at APICTA Awards 2024 Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

LC: Speech by CS for proposed resolutions moved under Legal Aid Ordinance and Criminal Procedure Ordinance

Following is the speech (translated from Chinese) by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, for the proposed resolutions under the Legal Aid Ordinance (LAO) and the Criminal Procedure Ordinance in the Legislative Council (LegCo) today (December 11):

Mr President,

I move that my first motion, as printed on the Agenda, be passed to adjust the financial eligibility limits (FELs) for legal aid applicants. Later, I will sequentially move that the other two legal aid-related motions as printed on the Agenda be passed, seeking to adjust the Director of Legal Aid (DLA)'s First Charge and make the Legal Aid in Criminal Cases (Amendment) Rules 2024 to adjust the criminal legal aid fees respectively.

First, I introduce the first Resolution.

Legal aid services form an integral part of the legal system in Hong Kong. The policy objective of legal aid is to ensure that all those who comply with the regulations of the LAO and have reasonable grounds for pursuing or defending a legal action in the courts of Hong Kong will not be denied access to justice due to a lack of means. All legal aid applicants must satisfy both the means test and merits test as provided for in the LAO.

Currently, there are two legal aid schemes under the Legal Aid Department (LAD), namely the Ordinary Legal Aid Scheme (OLAS) and the Supplementary Legal Aid Scheme (SLAS). Different FELs are set for the two schemes in accordance with sections 5 and 5A of the LAO respectively. Pursuant to section 7(a) of the LAO, the LegCo may by resolution amend the relevant FELs.

Pursuant to the mechanism established in 1999, FELs are subject to review annually by making reference to the Consumer Price Index (C) (CPI(C)). According to the latest round of review, for the reference period from July 2023 to July 2024, the CPI(C) has increased by two per cent. Hence, we propose to adjust the FELs upwards by two per cent, namely:

(a) from $440,800 to $449,620 for OLAS; and

(b) from $2,204,030 to $2,248,110 for SLAS.

Mr President, I now introduce the second Resolution.

If a legally aided person is successful in recovering or preserving any money or property in the proceedings concerned, DLA has the right to retain thereunder such sums required for recovering the costs and other expenses incurred by LAD for the legally aided person under section 18A(1) of the LAO. Such right is called the DLA's first charge. However, according to section 18A(5) of the LAO, the DLA's first charge does not apply to the first $9,540 of each monthly payment of maintenance payment. Separately, when DLA is satisfied that the exercise of the DLA's first charge would cause serious hardship to the legally aided person, DLA may in accordance with the principles of fairness and justice exercise discretion to reduce the amount to be retained, provided that the sum to be reduced does not exceed the cap as specified in section 19B(1)(a) of the LAO.

Pursuant to section 22A of the LAO, LegCo may, by resolution, amend the rate of maintenance payments that is exempted from the DLA's first charge, as well as the cap on the amount by which may be reduced in cases of serious hardship.

In response to the increase in CPI(C) by two per cent for the reference period from July 2023 to July 2024 as mentioned above, we propose to accordingly adjust the two above-mentioned specific amounts upwards by two per cent, namely:

(a) the amount specified in section 18A(5) upwards from $9,540 to $9,730, and

(b) the cap on the amount specified in section 19B(1)(a) upwards from $114,140 to $116,420.

Mr President, my third Resolution seeks to make the Legal Aid in Criminal Cases (Amendment) Rules 2024 (Amendment Rules) to adjust the criminal legal aid fees.

At present, LAD pays fees to counsel and solicitors in private practice engaged to undertake litigation work for criminal cases on its behalf (i.e. criminal legal aid fees). The fees are stipulated in the Legal Aid in Criminal Cases Rules (the Rules). Pursuant to section 9A(1) of the Criminal Procedure Ordinance, any amendment to the Rules for adjusting the criminal legal aid fees are subject to the approval of the LegCo.

On the other hand, to ensure that neither LAD nor the Department of Justice (DoJ) would have unfair advantage in competing for the same pool of lawyers, DoJ draws reference to the same scale of fees to engage counsel and solicitors in private practice to appear for the prosecution in criminal cases (i.e. prosecution fees). Duty lawyer fees will be paid to lawyers who provide legal representation to defendants in Magistrates' Courts and Juvenile Courts through the Duty Lawyer Service.

Pursuant to the mechanism established in 1992, the fees mentioned above (i.e. criminal legal aid fees, prosecution fees and duty lawyer fees) are subject to review on a biennial basis to take into account changes in CPI(C) during the reference period.

According to the latest biennial review, the CPI(C) for the reference period (i.e. July 2022 to July 2024) increased by 3.9 per cent. As such, we propose to adjust the Fees upwards by 3.9 per cent accordingly.

We have informed the LegCo Panel on Administration of Justice and Legal Services of the outcome of the reviews regarding the proposed adjustments in the three resolutions mentioned above via an information paper in October 2024. Members raised no objection to the proposed increase. Subject to LegCo's approval of the Resolution, we will implement the proposal upon gazettal of the Resolution.

Separately, when LAD implements the increased criminal legal aid fees, the Government will accordingly adjust the scale of prosecution fees and duty lawyer fees administratively.

I appeal for Members' support for the above three Resolutions. Thank you, Mr President.