AMS Celebrates 75th Anniversary with Open Day on National Security Education Day

National Security Education Day cum AMS 75th Anniversary Open Day held

​To tie in with the National Security Education Day and to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the Auxiliary Medical Service (AMS), the AMS held an open day at its headquarters in Ho Man Tin today (April 27). The event aimed to offer an opportunity for the community to learn about the work of the AMS in safeguarding national security, to enhance public awareness of national security, and to further deepen the public's understanding of the daily operations and services provided by the AMS.

The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, said that, "Safeguarding national security is the common responsibility of all people. Among the 20 major fields of national security, biosecurity is closely related to the work of the AMS, with safeguarding people's lives and health being an important component of national security. The AMS provides a wide range of services to the public, such as participation in various anti-epidemic operations during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as deployment to hospitals to assist healthcare professionals and alleviate their workload during the influenza seasons. The regular duties of the AMS also include provision of first aid coverage during large-scale public events, as well as in country parks and cycling tracks during weekends and public holidays. In addition, the AMS offers point-to-point non-emergency ambulance transfer service between residences and medical institutions, clinics, hospitals or district health centres for citizens in need.

Meanwhile, training of the AMS has well-equipped its members to respond to challenges involving national security risks and emergencies such as 'biosecurity' and 'nuclear security' at any time. I would like to express my gratitude to members of the AMS for their unwavering dedication and commitment to protecting the safety and health of the public."

The open day featured a variety of engaging activities, including national security-themed game booths, medical seminars, health screenings, healthcare professional symposiums and display of emergency vehicles. Through these activities, members of the public are provided with a deeper understanding of the operations and services provided by the AMS, as well as access to health information and insights into developments in various healthcare professions.

National Security Education Day cum AMS 75th Anniversary Open Day held Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

National Security Education Day cum AMS 75th Anniversary Open Day held Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

National Security Education Day cum AMS 75th Anniversary Open Day held Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

National Security Education Day cum AMS 75th Anniversary Open Day held Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

National Security Education Day cum AMS 75th Anniversary Open Day held Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

National Security Education Day cum AMS 75th Anniversary Open Day held Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

HKSAR Government responds to media enquiries on reporting, photo and video-taking at prohibited places specified in subsidiary legislation made under Safeguarding National Security Ordinance

​In response to media enquiries on reporting, photo and video-taking at prohibited places specified in the subsidiary legislation made under the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, a spokesman for the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region today (May 16) said the following:

The Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung, at the meeting of the Legislative Council Subcommittee on Two Items of Subsidiary Legislation Made under the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance and the subsequent media session yesterday (May 15), clearly said that according to section 45 of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, a "specified officer" (including a police officer or a guard of the prohibited place), who has reasonable grounds to believe that exercising such power is necessary for safeguarding national security, may order any person not to do or cease to do such acts as that of approaching or inspecting (including doing so by electronic or remote means) a prohibited place, and such officer may also order persons in the neighbourhood of a prohibited place to leave. Any person who contravenes an order commits an offence.

There is no problem for members of the public to purely "check in" and take photos near a prohibited place while passing by, without any intention of endangering national security. However, if they deliberately take photos or videos of the entrances or the interior of a prohibited place so as to inspect such place, or engage in other conduct during photo or video-taking giving people reasonable grounds to believe that they may endanger national security, police officers or guards of the prohibited place have the power to ask the members of the public to leave in accordance with the above legal requirements and the judgment made at the scene at the time.