American Citizens Services
September 2009 American Citizens Services Newsletter
U.S. Consulate General Hong Kong and Macau
Welcome to the September newsletter! Here are this month's topics:
New Topics:
Continuing Topics of Interest:
HUGH WILLIAMS: NEW CONSULAR CHIEF
The U.S Consulate General is pleased to announce the arrival of Consul Hugh Williams, the new Consular Section Chief for Hong Kong & Macau. His 30 years of service have been spent primarily in Asia and the Western Hemisphere including assignments in Canada, Malaysia, India, Indonesia, Belgium and Jamaica. Mr. Williams was most recently the Senior Management Advisor in the Department of Consular Affairs. Please join us in welcoming Hugh and his wife Marie to Hong Kong.
IRS: REPORT FOREIGN ACCOUNTS BY OCTOBER 15
The Internal Revenue Service encourages all American taxpayers with unreported offshore accounts to follow procedures for Voluntary Disclosure of these accounts. The IRS has prepared a list of Frequently Asked Questions and answers regarding the topic. To make a voluntary disclosure, or learn more about it by phone, please see the state-by-state contact information provided on the IRS website, using the contact number for your state of residence.
H1N1: SCHOOL CLOSURE PROCEDURES
Some schools have already faced closure this fall due to H1N1 outbreaks. Current Hong Kong government protocols call for school closures when the sick leave rate reaches 10 percent, or one percent of students are hospitalized with H1N1, or two or more students are in intensive care, or the death of an otherwise healthy student. With the increasingly rapid spread of H1N1 cases, additional school closures may be expected if current pandemic mitigation protocols remain in effect.
Please see our website for the most current information.
TRAVEL SAFETY UPDATES
In the past month, the Department of State has issued new Travel Alerts for the following countries: Argentina, Gabon, Honduras, Mexico, Tanzania, and for travel during hurricane season. You can also find new Travel Warnings for the Central African Republic, Eritrea, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, and Mali.
An earlier Travel Alert for China, and an earlier Travel Warning for certain parts of the Philippines remain in effect.
As you make your travel plans, don't forget to check travel.state.gov for the most current safety and security information.
HOLIDAY CLOSURE
The Consulate General will be closed in observance of Labor Day on Monday September 7, 2009.
SUBSCRIBING/UNSUBSCRIBING
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This newsletter is published by the American Citizens Services Unit, U.S. Consulate General Hong Kong and Macau. Tel: 2841-2211, 2841-2323, 2841-2225; fax: 2845-4845; e-mail: acshk@state.gov; website: http://hongkong.usconsulate.gov. All services are by online appointment only.
Last modified: September 23, 2009
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