MARUHAN Japan Bank Lao Co. Ltd (MJBL) officially launched its MJ Sabai agency banking service on Tuesday.
PM Phankham Viphavanh Extends Sympathy to Vietnam over Covid-19 Outbreak

Lao Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh has sent a letter expressing sympathy to Vietnam over the Covid-19 outbreak spreading in the country.
Laos Repatriates Illegal Entrants from Cambodia
Four Cambodian nationals, including one illegal entrant, have been repatriated safely back to Cambodia.
Enviro-Hub Expands Global Healthcare with FDA 510(k) certified medical-grade nitrile gloves
Environmental company recently acquired healthcare supply company Pastel Gloves as part of enhanced healthcare emphasis. FDA 510(k) Clearance for its Nitrile Medical Grade Gloves; Looks to Expand Footprint into United States
SINGAPORE / KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach – 8 June 2021 – With the global medical supplies market anticipated to reach US$133.5 billion by 2025, according to recent reports, healthcare products are projected to become the key revenue source for Enviro-Hub (SGX: L23), which recently acquired Pastel Gloves to move into the healthcare supplies market. Enviro-Hub invested in Malaysia-based Pastel Gloves, which manufactures and trades FDA 510(k) certified medical-grade nitrile gloves, earlier this year as its initial foray into the healthcare industry.
“As we continue to streamline our businesses and bolster our presence in the healthcare sector, Enviro-Hub anticipates exponential profit growth and additional opportunities for capital optimization,” said Raymond Ng, Executive Chairman of Enviro-Hub. “Unlike many healthcare businesses that grew during the pandemic, Pastel Gloves is positioned to thrive well into the future, thanks to its solid founding, exceptional leadership and strong supply chain. And receiving the FDA 510(k) certification, shows our commitment in upholding the highest standards, and to expand our presence in the international market.”
As Enviro-Hub hones its corporate focus in 2021, the company aims to recycle capital to take advantage of a higher return on investment opportunities and to expand across the supply chain for healthcare products through additional mergers and acquisitions. Enviro-Hub recently streamlined from four segments to two, leaving properties and piling to concentrate on recycling and healthcare. Based on the Pastel Gloves deal alone, Enviro-Hub may reap strong net profit annually once production capacity is fully ramped up.
“In addition to the immense healthcare market, we also are expanding our focus on recycling of e-waste as Singapore’s leading service provider,” added Enviro-Hub Chief Investment Officer Adrian Toh. “Recycling of e-waste provides a perfect synergy with our new healthcare emphasis as it removes harmful substances from the environment and promotes better health and greater sustainability locally and nationally.”
Singapore generates about 60,000 tons of e-waste per year, which is only expected to grow along with stronger spending power and the wealth of new technology. Recognized globally for its state-of-the-art technology, Enviro-Hub also serves Asia, Europe and the Pacific with management of electronic waste and conversion of waste plastics to fuel oil.
About Enviro-Hub
With a vision of inspiring the landscape with iconic property developments and continuing to restore the environment with technology and solutions, Enviro-Hub is based in Singapore with a diverse portfolio that spans trading, recycling and refining of e-waste and metals, construction, property investments and management estate, among others. In 2021, Enviro-Hub diversified into the healthcare business with its acquisition of Malaysian glove manufacturer Pastel Gloves. For more information, please visit http://www.enviro-hub.com
#EnviroHub
An Osteoporotic Fragility Fracture Every 3 Seconds, Worldwide Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, HKUMed in collaboration with The Hong Kong Medical Association and St. John’s Ambulance, Organising Free Online Lectures to Bust Orthopaedic Myths
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 7 June 2021 – Osteoporosis is a common disease with no obvious clinical symptoms in the early stage, while it can eventually cause serious health problems. It is estimated that an osteoporotic fragility fracture occurs every three seconds around the world. To increase the public awareness of musculoskeletal problems and to bust the myths of orthopaedics issues, the Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong (HKUMed) joins forces with the Hong Kong Medical Association and St. John’s Ambulance in June to organize free online lectures – “HKU Bone and Muscle Health Series”, whereby orthopaedic surgeons are invited to share with the public on orthopaedics health topics such as osteoporosis.
According to statistics, there are 300,000 menopausal women and 100,000 men aged 50 years or above in Hong Kong who are suffering from osteoporosis. Osteoporosis reduces patients’ bone density, causing fragility of the bone structure, which can easily lead to fractures, as well as partial loss of mobility and self-care ability. This would result in reducing the quality of life and even causing various complications. The hip bone, spine, and distal radius (wrist bone) are the most commonly found fragile fractures.
Elderly is not deemed to have fragile bones, Regular check-ups can reduce the risks
The organizer believes there is a lack of awareness on osteoporosis among the general public and the myths are remained unsolved. For example, the public mistakenly believe that osteoporosis and fragile fractures are the inevitable consequences of aging. In fact, osteoporosis is curable while fractures are preventable. High-risk groups, including menopausal women and the elderly, can do regular osteoporosis risk assessments to reduce the risks of fragile fractures. When the patient’s bone density reaches the level of thinning or looseness, and such loss caused by other pathologies has been ruled out, the doctor will consider prescribing osteoporosis drugs to slow down the patient’s rate of bone loss in order to prevent fragile fractures.
Adequate intake of calcium and vitamin D helps prevent osteoporosis
In addition to medical treatment, a balanced diet and lifestyle can also help prevent osteoporosis, especially for those young people and low-risk groups. The daily recommended intake are 1,000 to 1,200 mg of calcium and 800 to 1,000 international units of vitamin D. Calcium can slow down bone loss and reduce the risk of osteoporosis. Vitamin D plays a vital role in helping the body absorb calcium and other minerals which are useful to bone-building.
To eliminate the misunderstanding, the public should pay extra attention to the health of bones and arthrosis
To further enhance the public’s awareness of musculoskeletal problems, the Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, HKUMed will collaborate with the Hong Kong Medical Association and St. John’s Ambulance, to jointly organize the “HKU Bone and Muscle Health Series”. Two free public lectures will be held on 18 and 25 June, orthopaedic surgeons are invited to share health knowledge relating to osteoporosis and orthopaedics myths with the public online. The organizer hopes that the public will pay extra attention to bone and arthrosis health and start preventing those problems at an early stage.
Aside from the free online lectures for public, medical lectures will also be organized for doctors and healthcare professionals, to provide the latest treatment information on orthopaedic diseases as well as to further improve the medical and healthcare standards in Hong Kong.
“HKU Bone and Muscle Health Series” free online public lectures information (in Cantonese):
Date/time |
Topic |
Speaker |
18 June 2021 (Friday) 2 – 3 p.m. |
Elderly is Deemed to have Fragile Bones? Osteoporosis and Fragile Fractures |
Dr. PUN, Cheuk Ting, Terence (潘卓庭醫生) |
25 June 2021 (Friday) 2 – 3 p.m. |
Common Orthopaedics Myths and Misunderstandings |
Dr. CHAN, Wai Kwan, Vincent (陳偉鈞醫生) |
You can log on to the following link or scan the QR code to register for the free online lectures of “HKU Bone and Muscle Health Series” (in Cantonese): https://bit.ly/3x71Umz
For details of the lectures, please visit https://ortho60.hku.hk/boneandmusclehealth/
Case sharing
Bone fractures are preventable if appropriate treatment is given in time – The case of Madam Wong
Madam Wong is a 70 year-old granny with pretty good body functions and habits of doing regular exercises and jogging. Unfortunately, Ms. Wong slipped and fell on the ground half a year ago and was landed on her wrist. She was diagnosed with a fractured wrist bone after taking X-rays and visiting a traditional Chinese bonesetter, and had a plaster cast for two months. She did not consult any medical doctor at that time, nor did she undergo an osteoporosis test. Two months later, she fell on the ground again and resulted in back pain. After seeking treatment, she was diagnosed with a compression fracture of the lumbar spine. Severe low back pain caused Madam Wong to only make slow movements close to her neighbourhood and lost the ability to do any exercise.
In the middle of one night, Madam Wong got up to answer the call of nature. However, she slipped and fell in the washroom accidentally, resulting in her right leg completely unmovable. She was eventually diagnosed with hip fracture when she was taken to the hospital. Although the operation was performed in time, her mobility is not as good as before. She needs to sit in a wheelchair most of the time, and her range of mobility has been confined to staying at home. Since her family members could not take care of her, and she was eventually sent to a nursing home. The doctor explained that if she had received appropriate osteoporosis treatment timely after the first fracture, the subsequent fractures could have been prevented.
Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong (HKUMed):
Established in 1961, the Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology (previously the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery), HKUMed strives to provide first-class services to the community through patient care. Apart from that, the Department develops high-quality research programs and provides teaching and training to medical students and doctors. The Department also proactively organizes various professional medical and public events to deliver orthopaedic knowledge to the general public.
#HKUMed
The Hong Kong Medical Association:
The Hong Kong Medical Association, founded in 1920, a hundred years ago, brings together all medical practitioners in, and serving the people of, Hong Kong. Its objective is to promote the welfare of the medical profession and the health of the public. With the current membership of over 12,000 from all sectors of medical practice, it speaks collectively for its members and aims to keep its members abreast of medical ethics and issues around the world. The Association takes pride in displaying in its emblem its motto in Chinese which translates into “to safeguard the health of the people” to pronounce the sacred duty of a medical practitioner to look after his/her patients.
Hong Kong St. John Ambulance Brigade:
Hong Kong St. John Ambulance is a charitable organization with a long history stretching back over a century and has been serving the community since 1884, under the name of St. John Association to provide first aid training to the general public. Followed by the formation of St. John Brigade in 1916, a group of trained students to form the service arm of the organization, providing first aid and emergency ambulance services to the general public. The Council was set up in 1949. Adhered to its motto, “For the Service of Mankind”, the organization is dedicated to provide First Aid and ambulance services in emergency, dental care for those patients in needs, and courses of instructions on First Aid and Home Nursing for the general public.
China Concrete’s permanent cure of plant relocation proposal ignored by the government Resorts to temporary solution of Yau Tong plant improvement for licence renewal
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 7 June 2021 – China Concrete Company Limited (the “Company”) filed an appeal with the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) mid last month regarding the Department’s decision to reject license renewal application for its Yau Tong cement storage facility. The Company mentions that the EPD’s recent rejection not only lacked sound justification, but the procedure also deviated from its usual practice. The Company will keep on improving the operation conditions of its plant and strive to get its license renewed. The Company also expresses its readiness to build a high-tech non-polluting concrete plant and abandon the existing plant after identifying a suitable site.
The Company mentions that upon receiving the EPD’s notice of April 29 regarding the rejection of license renewal for the cement storage facility of its Yau Tong plant, it filed an appeal on May 18 and will shortly submit further documents to the appeal committee. The EPD’s rejection procedure did not follow previous similar renewal rejections received by the industry. In its rejection notice, the EPD only stated that “the plant has records of poor environmental performance in the past. It failed to submit sufficient information on the application to prove that it has the ability to provide, install and operate feasible measures required for effective operation.” Yet such justification was far-fetched and was different from the usual practice of providing solid evidence. The EPD used to issue a warning before subsequently turning down renewal applications, yet the Company received a straight rejection without any prior warning. The Company believes the EPD made such decision under pressure from opposition from a minority of the public.
Being a local company deeply rooted in Hong Kong for over three decades, the Company operates its production plant by the side of a luxury housing site being developed by three Chinese-funded property developers (Minmetals Land, Yuexiu Property and Qingjian Realty). The Company believes the EPD’s decision was made under pressure from opposition voice driven by developers, and the decision was neither impartial nor justified. The Company has been manufacturing concrete materials essential for Hong Kong’s infrastructure and building construction over the years. The Company expresses its disappointment for the lack of more support from the government.
Mr. Bono Tsang of China Concrete Company Limited adds that the plant is still in operation and will continue to improve its production procedures, with particular attention on the prevention of dust leakage and cleanliness of the nearby roads. The plant has also planned future measures on the following: further reduction of air pollution; more effective sewage and waste treatment; keeping cement trucks dry and clean when departing from the plant; and hiring an independent third-party environmental manager to oversee the company’s operations.
Mr. Bono Tsang admits that improving the operation of the existing plant is only a temporary fix. A permanent solution is to relocate the plant to another site. “As early as May last year, we expressed to the government our willingness of relocating the plant despite a huge investment cost, and we proactively proposed tentative locations. Our idea is to build a high-tech, advanced pollution-free and environmentally friendly indoor concrete plant. It will become a model for similar plants around the world.”
Incidentally, the Company will publish an open letter on newspaper tomorrow (June 8) (please refer to the attachment for details) in response to concerns from residents, politicians and media about the operation of the Company’s concrete production plant in Yau Tong. The “Open Letter to Hong Kong Citizens” entitled “Our Love for Hong Kong Planted on Concrete” stated that the Company’s concrete plant in Yau Tong was constructed in the mid-1980s. The Company reminisced: Yau Tong was deserted and there were no residential homes by then. There were only a few ship repair factories about to wind down. Concrete was an indispensable material for construction projects, and it must be used within two hours of production. Therefore, Yau Tong, by then, was ideal for concrete production, a place far away from residential areas and near the sea.
The Company believed that the recent controversy arising from the operation of the Yau Tong plant was a legacy from the past, as the plant had been erected in Yau Tong much earlier than homes were built. The government was obliged to devise a long-term solution to address the issue. The Company shared Yau Tong residents’ concerns over health and living environment, and was willing to comply with and meet public expectations. Having said that, the plant has been in operation for 20 years. Despite our best effort, there are still limitations on how well we can upgrade facilities. That means as long as the plant is still in operation here, it is incapable of fulfilling public expectations in full.
The Company also made two clarifications regarding descriptions about the plant on media reports:
- That the operation of the plant has caused pollution of nearby sea water, and therefore disappearance of fishes. In reality, a fish wholesale market operated by the Fish Marketing Office next to the plant pumps seawater there every day to feed fresh fish. This proves normal water quality there.
- Criticism about cement trucks turning roads slippery, posing dangers and causing traffic congestion. Such problems and further pollution issues can also be created by buses, container trucks, fish-carrying vehicles and transportation of recycled wastes that are using the same roads. It is therefore unfair to lay all blames on cement trucks.
The Company states that it will keep on attending to the feedback of all parties on the operation of the concrete plant and it firmly believes in working together with the government and the public to achieve a win-win solution.
#ChinaConcreteCompanyLimited
Axion Global joins vibrant community at HKSTP’s FinTech Centre to accelerate Fintech Innovations
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 7 June 2021 – Axion Global Digits (” Company”) is pleased to announce that its subsidiary, Axion Global Innovation Centre (“AGIC”), is joining the vibrant and growing fintech community with the establishment of an office at the FINTECH CENTRE @INNOCENTRE of Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (“HKSTP”) in Kowloon Tong.
Launched in January 2021, HKSTP FinTech Centre is an ideal platform for the fintech community to accelerate open innovation and foster cross-industry co-creation and commercialization. The Company believes our presence at the HKSTP FinTech Centre will provide AGIC with a focal point for partnering, business matching, research & development and nurturing of talent for fintech innovations.
Hong Kong’s fintech market has developed rapidly in recent years. By becoming part of HKSTP’s ever-growing fintech community, it will provide AGIC with a strong support network to accelerate R&D efforts in bringing the next generation of financial technology solutions to the market. The Company has initiated many product development projects to date, including DocuRoom, a next-generation secured virtual document portal designed for the virtual asset market, due to be launched in the second half of 2021. Another focused area of research and development is Identity as a Service (“IDaaS”) to enable seamless and secure credential authentication. Its cloud-based and artificial intelligence technology can be applied to many scenarios and improve the efficiency and security of identity management.
Mr. Gavin Ho, Director, Strategy & Innovation of Axion Global Digits commented, “We are excited to become part of the HKSTP FinTech Centre community. This move marks an important milestone in fintech innovation for the Company this year. It also demonstrates our commitment to executing our fintech business strategy. We look forward to collaborating with HKSTP and their network companies to foster the development of fintech ecosystem in Hong Kong.”
About Axion Global Digits
Axion Global Digits is the investment and incubation arm of Edvance International Holdings Limited (Stock Code: 1410.HK), a leading cybersecurity company in Hong Kong. Riding on the operating knowhow and network accumulated by its parent company in cybersecurity throughout the years, Axion Global Digits aims to grow the financial technology (Fintech) start-ups with full spectrum of involvement from technology research and development, corporate venture and incubation to digital asset management with the purpose of constructing a diversified ecosystem. Axion Global Innovation Centre (AGIC) is a subsidiary of Axion Global Digits for R&D of fintech innovation.
#AxionGlobalDigits
About Edvance International Holdings Limited
Founded in 2002, Edvance International primarily engages in four major business lines including the provision of cybersecurity product distribution, cybersecurity services, fintech ventures and digital asset management.
The Group operates businesses in cybersecurity solutions via its subsidiary companies Edvance Technology, ESH and Green Radar, covering Hong Kong, Macau, Mainland China, and Singapore. Additionally, the company is investing in fintech start-ups, developing technology solutions in the digital asset ecosystem through Axion Global Digits. We also engage in digital asset management via Axion Global Asset Management.
Headquartered in Hong Kong, the Group was listed on GEM of Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2017 and transferred to Main Board in 2019 (Stock code: 1410.HK).
#EdvanceInternational
New Minister Reassures MRC of Lao Cooperation for Responsible Development of Mekong Basin
The new Lao minister of Natural Resources and Environment has assured the head of the Mekong River Commission (MRC) Secretariat of her country cooperation and support to this intergovernmental organization.