Briefs | Witness: Alan Ho supervised ‘Young Single Ladies’

The former executive director of the Hotel Lisboa, Alan Ho, was allegedly one of three people with the power to change reservations at the “special” check-in counter that oversaw the activity of the women who were known at the hotel by the acronym YSL (“Young Single Ladies”). The revelation was made yesterday during the latest court hearing in the case of a group of suspects, among them Stanley Ho’s nephew, who are accused of having been involved in a prostitution ring operating inside Hotel Lisboa.

Rotary holds microfilm contest

The Rotary International District 3450 has collaborated with the Golden Flower Awards to commence the “Rotary Golden Flower Youth Microfilm Awards.” The contest is calling for members of the youth population in Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China to share stories containing positive messages by producing microfilms between 3 and 10 minutes long. The content or main theme should portray one of more of the core values of Rotary, which include Service, Fellowship, Diversity, Integrity and Leadership, according to the issued press release. Participants should be below the age of 30 and should be currently residing in Hong Kong, mainland China or Macau. The deadline for submissions is 6:30 p.m. on January 29, 2016.

SSM: Transfer of patients unnecessary most times

The Health Bureau (SSM) director Lei Chin Ion has revealed that more than 90 percent of oncological cases from last year were treated in local hospitals, before adding that not every critical patient needs to be sent elsewhere for medical treatment. According to Lei, “It is not possible to hand over all patients who ask to be transferred to the U.S. medical services.” He added that if a specialized committee decides that local hospitals are capable of providing treatment to patients, then they will not be transferred abroad. Lei informed the public that the Health Bureau would promptly deal with all payments based on the needs of each medical case. He also mentioned that 2,954 patients were sent out of Macau to undergo treatment.