Minutes of the 1st Meeting of Yau Tsim Mong District Council (2020-2023)

Date : 7 January 2020 (Tuesday) Time : 2:30 p.m. Venue : Yau Tsim Mong District Council Conference Room 4/F, Mong Kok Government Offices 30 Luen Wan Street Mong Kok, Kowloon Present: Chairman Mr LAM Kin-man (Chaired the meeting from Item 2 onwards) Vice-chairman Mr YU Tak-po (Acted as the Vice-chairman from Item 2 onwards) District Council Members Mr CHAN Ka-long, Leslie Mr CHAN Tsz-wai Mr CHU Kong-wai Mr CHU Tsz-lok, Leo Mr CHUNG Chak-fai Mr HO Cheuk-hin, Isaac

Mr HO Fu-wing, Frank Mr HUI Tak-leung Mr HUNG Chiu-wah, Derek Mr LAM Siu-pan, Ben Mr LEE Kwok-kuen Mr LEE Wai-fung

Mr LI Owan Mr SIU Tak-kin, Lucifer The Honourable TO Kun-sun, James Mr TSANG Tsz-ming Ms TSUI Wai-fong, Natalie Ms WU Sui-shan, Suzanne

Representatives of the Government Mrs ARON Laura Liang, JP District Officer (Yau Tsim Mong) Home Affairs Department Miss PONG Kin-wah,

Katherine Assistant District Officer (Yau Tsim

Mong) (1) Home Affairs Department

Mr SO Tsz-ching, Barton Assistant District Officer (Yau Tsim Mong) (2)

Home Affairs Department

In Attendance: Mr LEUNG Wah-sing, BBS,

JP Chairman Mongkok Kaifong

Association Limited Mr NG Kwok-wa Executive Director Mongkok Kaifong

Association Limited Chan Hing Social Service Centre

Mr NG Wing-keung, Henry Senior Liaison Officer (1), Yau Tsim Mong District Office

Home Affairs Department

Miss YUM Yuk-ying Liaison Officer-in-charge (East), Yau Tsim Mong District Office

Home Affairs Department

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Mr AU Ho-yin, Gary Liaison Officer-in-charge (South),Yau Tsim Mong District Office

Home Affairs Department

Mr LEE Yuen-po, Paul Liaison Officer-in-charge (Building Management 4),Yau Tsim Mong District Office

Home Affairs Department

Mr CHAN Tak-on, Thomas District Secretary, Yau Tsim Mong District Office

Home Affairs Department

Mr IP Ka-fai Chief Health Inspector (Mong Kok) 2 Food and Environmental Hygiene Department

Mr CHOW Wai-chung Chief Health Inspector (Mong Kok) 3 Food and Environmental Hygiene Department

Mr Bradley Stephen WRIGHT District Commander (Mong Kok) Hong Kong Police Force Ms CHEUNG Sin-man Police Community Relations Officer

(Mong Kok District) Hong Kong Police Force

Mr CHOI Wai-fung Station Commander (Mong Kok Fire Station)

Fire Services Department

Ms WONG Win-yee, Winnie Chief Transport Officer/Kowloon Transport Department Mr YIP Hang-hei, Tony Engineer/Mongkok and Yaumatei Transport Department Mr NG Tai-wai, David Transport Officer/Mong Kok Transport Department Mr LAM Kwan-hau District Environmental Hygiene

Superintendent (Mong Kok) Food and Environmental

Hygiene Department Mr HUNG Sai-kit District Environmental Hygiene

Superintendent (Yau Tsim) Food and Environmental

Hygiene Department Ms CHUNG Wai-sze,

Margaret Senior Liaison Officer (2), Yau Tsim

Mong District Office Home Affairs Department

Mr Reggie CHENG Station Services Manager - High Speed Rail

MTR Corporation Limited

Ms Stephanie WAI Assistant Public Relations Manager - External Affairs

MTR Corporation Limited

Secretary Miss HUI Hai-pui, Julia Senior Executive Officer (District

Council), Yau Tsim Mong District Office

Home Affairs Department

Item 1: Election of Chairman and Vice-chairman of New-term Yau Tsim Mong

District Council Mrs Laura ARON, District Officer (Yau Tsim Mong), asked the public and the media workers observing the meeting to keep quiet, and welcomed Councillors to the meeting. In accordance with Section 62 of the District Councils Ordinance, she would preside at the meeting until the Chairman and Vice-chairman of the new-term Yau Tsim Mong District Council (“YTMDC”) were elected. The election of the Chairman and Vice-chairman of the YTMDC should be conducted by ballot in accordance with the voting procedures set out in Schedule 5 of the District Councils Ordinance as well as the election procedures set out in the YTMDC Standing Orders (“Standing Orders”). The procedures and nomination forms had already been sent to Councillors on 16 December 2019. The nominations for Chairman and Vice-chairman

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of the YTMDC had been officially closed one hour before the commencement of this meeting, i.e. at 1:30 p.m. 2. Mrs Laura ARON said at the close of the nomination for the election of the Chairman, the Secretariat had only received one nomination form with Mr LAM Kin-man being the nominee. His nomination had been made by the Hon James TO and subscribed by Mr CHU Kong-wai and Mr Leo CHU. As only one candidate had been nominated for the office of Chairman, she declared that Mr LAM Kin-man was elected as the Chairman of the 6th YTMDC under Schedule 5 of the District Councils Ordinance. 3. Mrs Laura ARON continued that at the close of the nomination for the election of the Vice-chairman, the Secretariat had only received one nomination form with Mr YU Tak-po being the nominee. His nomination had been made by Mr LAM Kin-man and subscribed by Mr Leslie CHAN and Mr Frank HO. As only one candidate had been nominated for the office of Vice-chairman, she declared that Mr YU Tak-po was elected as the Vice-chairman of the 6th YTMDC under Schedule 5 of the District Councils Ordinance. She continued that the newly elected Chairman of the YTMDC would chair the meeting from then on. Item 2: Opening Remarks 4. The Chairman thanked Councillors for their support and trust. Meanwhile, he had strong feelings. Six years before when he had first joined the YTMDC, he had been one of the only two Councillors from the democratic camp. He was happy to have one more Councillor from the democratic camp in the last-term YTMDC, but after all there had only been three. In this District Council Election, a total of 17 Councillors from the democratic camp had been elected, taking more than half the seats in the YTMDC. On behalf of all Councillors from the democratic camp, he thanked voters in the district for their support. Regarding his chairmanship of the YTMDC, he considered it a very tough and challenging job. He would facilitate mutual understanding and cohesion among different segments of the democratic camp in the YTMDC and duly accomplish their missions as entrusted by the public: (1) to work well on people’s livelihood; and (2) to strive for democracy in Hong Kong and urge the Government to respond favourably to the demands made in the public movement. Moreover, he would pay attention and attach importance to the cooperation between the democratic camp and the non-democratic camp, especially in the work on people’s livelihood. Members of the public in the Yau Tsim Mong (“YTM”) were facing many community problems, including the redevelopment of old buildings in the urban area, traffic, illegal parking due to insufficient parking spaces, unauthorised hostels, street sleepers and street prostitution, as well as the deteriorating law and order, which had recently caused public concerns in the district. Those were the problems that Councillors must deal with and strive for prompt alleviation. As such, he hoped to serve as a bridge and work together with Councillors from the non-democratic camp to strive for the well-being of residents of the district. He also understood that the Chairman of the YTMDC should serve as a bridge and strive to communicate and cooperate with the Government. In this very difficult time, especially in the face of many problems of police brutality in the district, he believed that it would be very difficult to strive to communicate and cooperate with the Police. Nevertheless, he undertook to persevere and hoped to do the best he could. 5. The Chairman then read out a statement signed by 17 Councillors from the democratic camp (Annex 1), and announced that a minute’s silence would be observed. -----

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(Mr CHUNG Chak-fai, Mr HUI Tak-leung and Mr Derek HUNG left the meeting at 2:45 p.m.) (All Councillors rose and observed a minute’s silence.) 6. The Vice-chairman said there had been only three Councillors from the democratic camp in the YTMDC in the past. Last year, they had tried to observe a moment of silence, but had been obstructed by the pro-establishment hegemony. This time, they had observed a moment of silence out of conscience. Moreover, they had done so in remembrance of those who had sacrificed themselves over the past few months for the movement of opposition to the proposed legislative amendments, which would be recorded in writing by the YTMDC. He thanked Councillors for their trust and support, enabling him to serve as the Vice-chairman of the YTMDC. He hoped to work with the experienced Councillors in the YTMDC to assist newly elected Councillors and to liaise more closely with different local organisations to facilitate district development. He also hoped to set up a committee on security affairs to follow up on the problem of police brutality in the district. They would keep up their work on democracy and people’s livelihood so as not to let the public down. The way they had been through was not easy. There had been only three Councillors from the democratic camp in the last-term YTMDC, while there were 17 this day. The reason why the 17 Councillors had been elected was that every member of the public in Hong Kong had taken part in the poll and casted their votes, enabling them to scrutinise the Government on the platform of the YTMDC. Councillors should bear in mind every day that the “restoration of District Councils” this day was hard-earned with blood, sweat and tears. He hoped that Councillors would work hard and help each other in the coming four years, and that the public would spur them on to break the high wall in the district built by the pro-establishment camp over the years and to make the YTM District better and more democratic. 7. The Chairman said there were nine items the YTMDC should resolve or circulate as soon as possible, which included: (1) Appointment of Secretary of New-term YTMDC (2) Confirmation of Allocation of YTMDC Funds to Local Organisations from

January to March 2020 (3) Confirmation of Allocation of YTMDC Funds to Yau Tsim Mong District Office

(“YTMDO”) and Its Committees from January to March 2020 (4) Invitation to YTMDC to Nominate Representatives to Serve as Members of

Steering and Advisory Committees for the Yau Tsim Mong Multicultural Activity Centre under the Signature Project Scheme (YTM District)

(5) To Decide Whether to Participate in “Green Stalls” in Hong Kong Flower Show 2020

(6) To Examine Venue Booking Application for Community Halls in the District (7) Information Paper – Special Traffic Arrangement at the Sales Venue for Flowers

at Mong Kok Flower Market and Its Vicinity Before Lunar New Year (8) Information Paper – The Yau Tsim and Mong Kok Districts 2020 Year-end

Clean-up (9) Impact of Pneumonia in Wuhan on the Community 8. The Chairman said under Order 13 of the Standing Orders, subject to agreement by more than half the number of Councillors, the Chairman could allow the inclusion of any items in the

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agenda during a meeting. He asked whether Councillors agreed with including the above items in the agenda. There was no objection. Item 3: Appointment of Secretary of New-term YTMDC 9. The appointment of Senior Executive Officer (District Council) of the YTMDO as the Secretary to the YTMDC was endorsed. Item 4: Confirmation of Allocation of YTMDC Funds to Local Organisations from

January to March 2020 (YTMDC Paper No. 1/2020)

Item 5: Confirmation of Allocation of YTMDC Funds to YTMDO and Its

Committees from January to March 2020 (YTMDC Paper No. 2/2020)

10. The Chairman welcomed:

(a) Mr LEUNG Wah-sing, Chairman of Mongkok Kaifong Association Limited (“MKKFA”), and Mr NG Kwok-wa, Executive Director of the MKKFA Chan Hing Social Service Centre; and

(b) Mr Henry NG, Senior Liaison Officer (1), Miss YUM Yuk-ying, Liaison Officer-in-charge (East), Mr Gary AU, Liaison Officer-in-charge (South), and Mr Paul LEE, Liaison Officer-in-charge (Building Management 4), of the YTMDO.

11. The Chairman suggested that, given the lengthy agenda, to facilitate the conduct of the meeting, each Councillor speak for a maximum of four minutes regarding each item, i.e. two minutes in the first round and two minutes in the second round (or one minute each in the second and third rounds). He asked whether Councillors agreed with such arrangements. There was no objection. 12. The Chairman reminded Councillors to declare their interests by completing the Declaration of Interests Form and making oral declaration so that he could determine whether a Councillor could speak or vote on the matter. The Declaration of Interests Form was available on the conference table. For Items 3 and 4, the annexes to the papers just distributed set out the activities to be held from January to March 2020. At the meetings of the last-term YTMDC and Community Building Committee, the Councillors had raised “no objection in principle” to the funding applications for holding those activities. However, in accordance with the regulations, the allocation of funds was subject to confirmation by the current-term YTMDC. He invited Councillors to discuss whether to approve those funding applications in the papers, including four activities to be held by the YTMDO and its committees, one activity with district characteristics to be held by a local organisation, 12 activities to be held by specified organisations and 23 activities to be held by non-specified organisations and mutual aid committees/owners’ corporations (“OCs”)/owners’ committees. 13. Mr LEE Wai-fung asked whether the above funding applications would be discussed one by one.

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14. The Chairman said as there were 40 funding applications, discussing them one by one would be time-consuming. He suggested that Councillors focus on discussing the funding applications remaining questionable even after being reviewed. 15. Mr LEE Wai-fung suggested discussing the “16th Tai Kok Tsui Temple Fair” of the MKKFA first. There was no objection. 16. Mr LEE Wai-fung raised the following views and enquiries: (i) he asked whether the organisation had carried out any assessment with the Police, e.g. whether there were any arrangements if the temple fair had to be called off due to unforeseen public events, resulting in non-utilisation of the YTMDC Funds granted; (ii) during every past temple fair, a big bowl feast had been held in the evening. However, there was no big bowl feast included in this funding application. He asked whether a big bowl feast would be held; if so, whether it would be held on a self-financing basis, and whether the profit from the big bowl feast would be used for covering the activity expenses; (iii) budget items 19, 21 and 22 in the funding application were rentals on the existing facilities of the centre. He asked why there was a need to apply for YTMDC Funds; and (iv) regarding coaches in the funding application, according to his understanding, a number of road sections would be closed during the temple fair. He asked about the purpose of the coaches. 17. The Vice-chairman raised the following views and enquiries: (i) he asked whether the organisation had applied to the Police for a Letter of No Objection regarding the activity; and if the activity had to be called off, whether the expenses and legal liability would have to be borne by the MKKFA or the YTMDO, being the collaborator; (ii) he asked whether the organisation had liaised closely with the Police and drawn up any notification and communication mechanism. As it was expected that there would be a large number of participants in the activity, he asked how the organisation would inform the participants if the activity had to be called off due to public events; and (iii) he asked which party would follow up on the expenses if the activity was called off due to other reasons, e.g. rainy weather. 18. Mr TSANG Tsz-ming raised the following views and enquiries: (i) he asked the organisation about the contingency plan or measures to enable safe evacuation of participants and performers if a situation occurred in Mong Kok during the activity and the Police demanded public evacuation within a short period of time; (ii) he asked about the breakdown of budget item 10 “performance fee”; and (iii) he asked about the breakdowns of the budget items “photo-taking” and “video-taking”, as well as the working hours and the scope of work of the photographers and videographers. 19. Mr LEE Kwok-kuen asked whether the organisation had applied for licences for the activity, such as a Temporary Food Factory Licence and a Temporary Places of Public Entertainment Licence. 20. Mr Leslie CHAN raised the following views and enquiries: (i) the activity involved the congregation of a large number of participants and visitors. He worried that it would increase the risk of transmitting COVID-19 in the community. He also asked whether the organisation had set any deadline for deciding to call off the activity if the virus spread in the community; and (ii) he worried that police actions would affect participants’ mood. 21. Mr LI Owan raised the following views and enquiries: (i) he asked whether the

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organisation had adjusted the expected number of participants based on the major social incidents and public events in the past half year or so. He asked whether the funds granted would be wasted if the number of participants fluctuated significantly due to social incidents; (ii) he asked whether the organisation had any contingency plan if it turned out that the actual number of participants was far less than expected; and (iii) he asked whether the organisation had any contingency plan to safeguard residents of the district if there were clashes between the Police and the public during the activity. 22. Mr CHAN Tsz-wai raised the following views and enquiries: (i) he wondered if the posters costing $3 each on average were too expensive; (ii) the activity had already been held for many years. He considered that the organiser should have purchased tables and chairs for the past activities, and thus there was no need to apply for YTMDC Funds for making such purchase for this activity; and (iii) he asked about the breakdown of the “miscellaneous expenses” amounting to $85. 23. Mr NG Kwok-wa responded as follows:

(i) The duration of the activity was quite long, and the working hours of the photographers and videographers would be from 9 a.m. to around 10 p.m. The video-taking fee covered the hiring of four photographers and four cameras, as well as post-production.

(ii) Regarding the performance fee, one of the temple fair’s featured events was the fashion show, undertaken by a production company. It would commence at around 5 p.m. on the day of the activity. The quotation covered the production of the entire show, including the fees for models, costume and performances, as well as a master of ceremonies serving the whole day.

(iii) The budget item of posters covered not only the printing cost but also the design fee payable to the production company.

(iv) The hall and rooms of the MKKFA Chan Hing Social Service Centre were available for rental. As the venue was subsidised by the Social Welfare Department (“SWD”), even the MKKFA should pay rentals for the hall and rooms, and the arrangements were in line with those for holding other activities.

(v) The decoration fee was one of the items in the application for YTMDC Funds, covering the production and decoration of stalls by a production company.

(vi) As the activity required on-site services from the Civil Aid Service (“CAS”), the CAS had requested four coach trips to and from the venue and its headquarters provided by the organiser.

(vii) He recalled that it had rained on the evening of one or two of the past 15 temple fairs, and that one of them had been cut short due to heavy rain. Nevertheless, the rest had been held successfully.

(viii) As the organiser of the activity, they had concerns about this year’s social situation.

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(ix) Each year, before holding the activity, they had to coordinate work and meet with the government departments concerned. Regarding licence application, as the activity had been collaborated by the YTMDO since the first year, all licence applications had been handled before the activity through consultation with the government departments concerned, commencing in October last year. In addition, in December last year, they had met with the government departments concerned, including the Transport Department (“TD”), the Fire Services Department (“FSD”), the Highways Department and the Lands Department. Even though some departments had not sent representatives to that meeting, they had, in writing, asked the MKKFA to comply with their requirements. The process was deemed equivalent to an application for a Places of Public Entertainment Licence.

(x) The big bowl feast was one of the self-financing items and thus not listed in the budget of the funding application.

(xi) Regarding public order, the Police had attended the meeting held in December and advised on crowd control. Regarding the parade to be held immediately after the opening ceremony, they had to apply to the Police for a Letter of No Objection.

(xii) Regarding the recent social situation, if the social environment or public order became concerning, they would not rule out calling off the activity to ensure public safety. Meanwhile, they would pay close attention to the latest developments. While it could not be guaranteed that the activity would be held successfully, all preparation work would continue. If the public order or social environment was undesirable a week before the activity, the organising committee of the activity would discuss and determine whether the activity should be called off.

(xiii) Regarding the maintenance of public order, Fuk Tsun Street (a main street) and the junctions of about six side streets would be closed on the day of the activity. Pedestrians could make use of the two sides of the main street and any junctions of the six side streets to enter or leave the venue. There were many exits for the public to be evacuated from the venue swiftly if an unforeseen incident occurred.

(xiv) If an unfavourable situation occurred, they would inform local residents in advance of the decision to call off the activity.

24. Mr TSANG Tsz-ming raised the following views: (i) he was dissatisfied that given the present social situation, when organising the activity, the organisation had still not considered any handling measures if a social movement took place; and (ii) as the Hong Kong Tourism Board (“HKTB”) had announced cancellation of this year’s Chinese New Year Night Parade, he doubted if the organiser should insist on holding the temple fair, being a local activity. Based on factors including COVID-19 and the social movement, he took the view that the MKKFA should consider whether it should continue to hold the activity. 25. Mr LI Owan raised the following views and enquiries: (i) he again asked whether there was any contingency plan or reserve date for the activity; and (ii) he asked the organisation about the objective criteria for cutting the activity short. He asked if the activity had to be cut short,

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whether it would be re-held on another date, and whether the expensed amounts would be borne by the YTMDC or the organisation. 26. Ms Suzanne WU said the cost of the tents in the budget deviated from the market price. She asked whether the amount referred to the rental or the purchase price of the tents. If it was the rental, she found it extremely expensive; if it was the purchase price, she asked where those supplies purchased with public money were stored on normal days, and whether the organisation would use those supplies in other activities. 27. Mr LEE Kwok-kuen said regarding licence application, according to the response from the organisation, all past temple fairs had been collaborated by the YTMDO, and therefore the communication with the government departments concerned at internal meetings had been deemed equivalent to formal licence applications. However, he considered it not quite appropriate. When considering an application, Councillors must make sure that the activity would be held lawfully. While the organisation had said it had carried out consultation on holding the temple fair, the new-term YTMDC had remained uninformed. He hoped that the organisation would make formal licence applications or have clear application procedures when organising similar activities in future. 28. The Vice-chairman raised the following views and enquiries: (i) government officials and officials of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (“LOCPG”) had been invited to similar activities in the past. In view of the social atmosphere, he asked whether they would be invited to this activity as usual, and whether they would be present; and (ii) the Police had only maintained a low level of security in similar activities in the past. He asked whether they would be fully armed during this activity, and whether they would increase police presence to keep guard and patrol, which he considered might affect the public’s mood. 29. Mr LEE Wai-fung raised the following views and enquiries: (i) he again asked whether the profit from the big bowl feast would be used for covering the activity expenses; (ii) he asked whether the HKTB had booked any tables at the big bowl feast, and how much the loss would be if the HKTB cancelled its booking; (iii) he asked whether the rental for the hall of the MKKFA Chan Hing Social Service Centre was equivalent to the fee charged by the SWD; and (iv) he asked if evacuation was required during the activity, how many workers of the organisation would assist with the evacuation at the same time, and whether they could be identified by armbands, tags, etc. 30. Mr Ben LAM said only a summary of applications for YTMDC Funds from organisations was available for public inspection on YTMDC’s website, without any detailed budgets of the funding applications. As such, it was difficult to scrutinise the use of public money. He suggested uploading the detailed budgets to YTMDC’s website for public inspection. 31. Mr NG Kwok-wa responded as follows:

(i) If the activity was called off, it would not be carried over until another date because of the road closure involved. Road closure required coordination among the departments concerned two to three months beforehand, making rescheduling difficult.

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(ii) If the activity was called off, they would not apply for YTMDC Funds for the items that had not yet incurred any expenses. Regarding the items that had already incurred expenses during the preparation, they would apply for reimbursement according to YTMDC’s criteria and requirements. They would not be unreasonable even if the reimbursement could not be made.

(iii) They would rent tents. The rental covered the setting-up of the tents by the staff of the production company, as well as two tables and four chairs for each tent. A quotation exercise was required for this item in order to meet YTMDC’s requirements. The amount in the budget of the funding application form was presented based on the approximate price of the item in the past activities.

(iv) Regarding the invitation of guests, they would follow the past practice and invite representatives of the government departments concerned and the LOCPG who were helpful on district affairs. They were currently inviting guests, and the guests had not yet replied to confirm their attendance.

(v) In the past few years, the HKTB had assisted in publicising the temple fairs, and had worked together with some hotels in the district on the publicity. Three tables were reserved for tourists at the big bowl feast as a complimentary treat.

(vi) There had been just small profits from the past big bowl feasts. They had not applied for YTMDC Funds regarding this item. If there was a profit from the big bowl feast, it would be used for covering the activity expenses.

(vii) Apart from the Police, 40 CAS officers would be on duty on the day of the activity. Moreover, there would be about 100 helpers and over 100 volunteers, who would be responsible for maintaining order. As such, on the day of the activity, there would be about 300 people maintaining order in different areas of the venue. In the past, the Police had deployed officers to patrol outside the venue to prevent crimes, while the order at the venue had been maintained by volunteers and the CAS. For this year’s arrangements, further follow-up with the Police was required.

32. The Secretary said under the current arrangements, only a summary of activities applying for YTMDC Funds was available on YTMDC’s website, while the funding application forms and the breakdowns of the final grants were available for public inspection. Members of the public could visit the Secretariat to inspect those documents during office hours. If the YTMDC considered that the breakdowns of the funding applications should be uploaded to YTMDC’s website, the Secretariat could make such arrangements. 33. Mr Leslie CHAN said the outbreak of pneumonia might have an impact on public health, and again asked the organisation when the deadline for deciding to call off the activity was. The objective of the temple fair was to pray for blessing, and he considered that it would be against the original intent if the activity was held recklessly and, as a result, participants were infected with the virus. He took the view that the activity should not be a mere formality, and that considerations should be given to reducing the scale of the activity and drawing up a more comprehensive plan. 34. Mr TSANG Tsz-ming raised the following views and enquiries: (i) as the organisation

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could not respond to Councillors’ questions, he suggested that the Chairman introduce one or two more rounds of speaking; (ii) he again asked whether the organisation would use the profit from the big bowl feast, if any, for covering the activity expenses to minimise the use of public money. According to the information, for the big bowl feast in the 2016 temple fair, the price had been $2,000 per table. He asked whether the price had increased this year; and (iii) he had often seen the organisation practising and preparing for the activity in its building, located in his constituency, and no rentals should have been paid for those sessions. As such, he wondered why the activity budget included the rental for the organiser’s own facilities. 35. Mr LI Owan was dissatisfied and disappointed that despite having organised similar activities for many years, the organisation could not respond to the objective criteria for cutting the activity short and the contingency plan. 36. The Vice-chairman considered that the organisation could not respond to the questions raised by a number of Councillors, which was unacceptable. Regarding the potential risk of community outbreak of the unknown disease from Wuhan, he suggested that the organisation follow up on it with the Food and Health Bureau (“FHB”) and the Department of Health (“DH”), as well as drawing up a plan to enable the activity to be held successfully and to reassure the public. 37. Mr CHAN Tsz-wai raised the following views and enquiries: (i) he considered that 3 000 posters were too many, and suggested that the organisation carry out online or televised publicity, which would be more environmentally friendly; (ii) he again asked about the breakdown of the “miscellaneous expenses” amounting to $85; and (iii) as the temple fair had been held for many years, he asked why the organisation did not purchase the supplies that were needed every year, such as tables, chairs and tents, so that it would not have to apply for YTMDC Funds every year. 38. Mr LEE Wai-fung raised the following views and enquiries: (i) he asked the organisation whether the amount applied for regarding the rental of the venue was equivalent to that charged by the SWD; (ii) he reminded the organisation to pay attention to safety when hanging vertical banners and triangular flags. The flags should not be hung a few metres tall onto lamp posts or road signs, while the shorter vertical banners should not be hung onto traffic lights; and (iii) he recalled that the temple fair had been held after the SARS epidemic as the YTMDO had hoped to create a pleasant social atmosphere. However, given the uncertainties of the COVID-19 epidemic, if the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (“FEHD”) could not assess the risk, he took the view that consideration should be given to whether the activity should be continued. 39. Mr Isaac HO raised the following views and enquiries: (i) he asked what “other venues” in the budget referred to; and (ii) he considered that the invitation cards costing $16 each on average were too expensive, and asked why 700 invitation cards would cost more than $10,000. 40. Mr NG Kwok-wa responded as follows:

(i) In the past, rainy weather had been the only reason for cutting the activity short. So far, the criteria for cutting the activity short had not been drawn up. He would take notes of Councillors’ views and consider them carefully. Moreover, the deadline for deciding to call off the activity had not been set. They would carefully consider and follow up on it after the meeting.

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(ii) The temple fair required many supplies, such as venue supplies, venue

decorations and equipment. The two warehouses currently rented did not have the capacity to store all of them. Purchasing tables and chairs and renting a warehouse to store them would be very expensive and cost-ineffective.

(iii) The price for this year’s big bowl feast had not increased, which was $2,000 per table. As some tables were reserved for performer groups and tourists as a complimentary treat, there was just a small profit from the big bowl feast. Even if the YTMDC granted the recommended amount in full, they would still have to supplement the activity expenses by themselves. If there was a small profit from the big bowl feast, it would be used for supplementing the activity expenses.

(iv) The temple fair had been first held with a view to boosting the economy after the SARS epidemic. Praying for blessing had not been the main point. The activity had been held for 15 years, the objectives of which were to enhance community cohesion, reach out to different groups of service targets and promote social integration of different people in the district, such as business starters, young people and ethnic minorities.

(v) He undertook that he would carefully consider some complementary measures after the meeting to ensure safety and maintain order.

41. Mr LEUNG Wah-sing responded as follows:

(i) The purpose of their activity was not to pray for blessing but to enhance cohesion among local residents. It had no religious implications and was purely a large-scale carnival. “Temple” used to refer to a marketplace or bazaar. After the SARS epidemic, the social environment had been very poor, and it had been hoped that the temple fair would boost the economy.

(ii) They would certainly assess the developments of the COVID-19 epidemic and draw up handling measures. Regarding the social movement, over the past few months, members of the public had been living in an unpleasant social environment. He hoped that the temple fair would make local residents happy and create a joyful atmosphere in the community, and that the social environment would return to normal as soon as possible so that residents could live a happy life in the community. As there was still some time before the commencement of the activity, he was not sure whether the social environment would have any impact on the activity, but he would handle the case as soon as he received any information. No matter whether the YTMDC supported the activity, at this moment, he certainly hoped that it would continue, unless any social incidents occurred, which made it impossible. He believed everyone hoped that the social atmosphere would become better and that the society would not be ripped apart any longer. He looked forward to maintaining communication with Councillors and welcomed their suggestions.

42. The Chairman said on behalf of other Councillors that they were certainly willing to communicate with the organisation.

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43. The Secretary responded that according to the scale of charges of MKKFA Chan Hing Social Service Centre, renting the hall for four hours costed $3,500, including the service of a technician. The organisation would like to rent the hall for 14 hours, and thus the total rental should be $12,250. 44. Mr NG Kwok-wa added that the budget item regarding “other venues” referred to some rooms other than the hall to be provided for participating organisations on the day of the activity. Such supplementary information had been given in the application form. 45. Mr LEUNG Wah-sing added that he believed applying for YTMDC Funds for purchasing tables and chairs would not meet the requirements for YTMDC Funds. He also believed that Councillors would not allow the organisation to own the tables and chairs after the activity. 46. Ms Suzanne WU wondered whether the rental for the tents was still too high even if tables and chairs were included. The market price of a tent was about $750. She asked whether the budget item regarding tents referred to the purchase price or the rental. She hoped that when renting the tents, the organisation would choose a supplier with a cheaper quotation so as not to waste public money. 47. Mr CHAN Tsz-wai again asked whether the organisation had considered carrying out publicity online or on television in order to print fewer posters. He also asked whether environmentally friendly cutlery would be used at the big bowl feast. 48. Mr LEUNG Wah-sing responded that there were many elderly people in the district, who might not be familiar with computer skills. As such, they would put up publicity posters in the district, e.g. in buildings. To protect the environment, environmentally friendly cutlery, as opposed to disposable cutlery, had been introduced to the activity since a few years before. 49. Mr NG Kwok-wa responded that they had adopted the recommendations in the guidance booklet on waste reduction for major community events prepared by the Environmental Protection Department (“EPD”) since two years before, and had borrowed cutlery from the EPD. The MKKFA was the first organisation not using any disposable cutlery when holding such major activities. Moreover, several thousand bottles of water would have to be ordered in each activity over the years, but now would no longer be provided. A series of environmentally friendly measures adopted was listed on the temple fair’s website, with additional measures being introduced every year for greater progress. 50. The Chairman said Councillors had already discussed this item for over an hour. He understood that this was because Councillors were concerned about the use of public money. He thanked the representatives of the organisation for attending this meeting. He then invited Councillors to vote on granting funds to the MKKFA to organise the “16th Tai Kok Tsui Temple Fair”. (Mr LEUNG Wah-sing and Mr NG Kwok-wa of the MKKFA left the conference room.) 51. The Vice-chairman said some Councillors’ questions had still not been responded to, and suggested that the organisation should submit a written response to the Councillors concerned after the vote.

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52. The Chairman accepted the Vice-chairman’s suggestion. This funding application had been endorsed in principle by the last-term YTMDC, but was subject to confirmation by the new-term YTMDC. He understood that new-term Councillors were being very conscientious and would like to learn about the use of public money. Councillors were not totally satisfied with the organisation’s response. However, the activity would be held in March, and time was running out. As such, he hoped that Councillors would make a timely decision on whether to confirm the allocation of funds at this meeting. He invited Councillors to vote by a show of hands. (No Councillors raised their hands in favour of the funding.) 53. The Chairman asked Councillors whether they decided not to endorse the funding application; if so, he asked them whether they had any suggestions, e.g. to invite the organisation to another meeting or to adjust the amounts of some budget items downwards. 54. Mr CHU Kong-wai considered that no decision could be made until the questions raised by a number of Councillors had been followed up, i.e. the problem of evacuation that might arise from COVID-19, and some budget items being too costly. He did not hope that the current-term YTMDC would examine the applications for YTMDC Funds based on the current funding criteria. 55. The Vice-chairman considered that the organisation could not give concrete response to some Councillors’ questions. As Councillors would like to prudently handle each application for YTMDC Funds, which involved the use of public money, he suggested that the MKKFA submit supplementary information in response to Councillors’ questions. 56. Mr LI Owan said he would have approved the funding application, but the response from the organisation was not fully satisfactory. For example, having organised the temple fair for more than 10 years, the organisation had still not drawn up any contingency plan or criteria for cutting the activity short. He was the most dissatisfied when the organisation had responded that the temple fair was not aimed at praying for good fortune and was just a carnival. He considered it absolutely not suitable to organise a carnival in such a current social situation. He opined that Councillors were under scrutiny, and they would be criticised by the public if they endorsed the funding application when the organisation responded in such a manner. 57. Mr Lucifer SIU said he would have approved in principle the funding application, but the organisation could not respond to some Councillors’ questions. As such, he suggested that the organisation submit supplementary written information for Councillors’ consideration. Moreover, as the DH had not drawn up any guidelines for arrangements for major public events in response to COVID-19, he asked whether the YTMDO, as a collaborator, could coordinate and follow up the work with the DH. 58. Mr Leslie CHAN was disappointed by the organisation’s saying that the temple fair was not related to worship, and read out Wikipedia’s definition of a “temple fair”. He wondered why the organisation had to hold the temple fair when it was not sure about its origin. He would certainly support the activity if its objective was to promote traditional Chinese culture. However, he considered that holding a carnival in the name of a temple fair was taking advantage of gods. 59. Mr Isaac HO asked if no confirmation was given by Councillors at this meeting,

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whether the endorsement of the funding application would be affected. 60. The Secretary responded that as the activity was held on or after 1 January 2020, the funding application had only been endorsed in principle by the last-term YTMDC, which was still subject to confirmation by the new-term YTMDC. If Councillors vetoed the funding application, the activity would not be funded by the YTMDC. 61. The Chairman suggested that the MKKFA or the government departments concerned provide supplementary written information to allay Councillors’ concerns. He asked the Secretariat whether there were any ways to handle the current situation. The next YTMDC meeting was scheduled to be held in late January. If the funding was only confirmed by then, the organisation might not have sufficient preparation time for the activity. 62. Mr LEE Kwok-kuen said he hoped that the organisation would not mind Councillors raising questions, because it was their duty. He also suggested that as a collaborator, the YTMDO should assist the organisation in preparing the response, as he believed that it would be somewhat difficult for the organisation to be required to solve so many problems by itself. Personally speaking, he would like to endorse the funding application, but other Councillors’ questions had their point. He suggested setting a deadline for the organisation’s submission of a written response to the YTMDC for Councillors’ consideration. 63. The Secretary responded that the Secretariat could record Councillors’ questions and write to the MKKFA to ask for its written response. There were two ways of approving the funding application: (i) Councillors could vote on it after reading the organisation’s written response at the next YTMDC meeting or inviting the organisation to attend the next meeting and respond to questions; and (ii) according to the Standing Orders, Councillors could decide whether to confirm the funding by way of circulation. Circulation required five clear working days, and the deadline was not quite far from the date of the next YTMDC meeting. Moreover, if the confirmation of funding was not discussed until the next YTMDC meeting, the Secretariat would have to ask the organisation whether it still had sufficient time to organise the activity. 64. The Chairman considered that circulating the paper took time, and that the organisation’s written response would not be as clear and detailed as its direct response at a YTMDC meeting. As such, he suggested further discussing this item at the next YTMDC meeting and inviting representatives of the organisation to the meeting to give response. He requested that the Secretariat ask the organisation whether it would have enough time to prepare for the activity if the confirmation of funding was not discussed until the next YTMDC meeting. 65. Mr CHU Kong-wai considered that the organisation should be asked whether it would revise the activity budget at the next meeting. 66. Mr LEE Wai-fung raised the following views and enquiries: (i) as the contents of the fashion show were the same every year, he would like to know about the breakdown of the budget item “show”; and (ii) as many elderly people would participate in the activity, he asked whether the Police had advised the organisation on evacuation routes if the activity was cut short. 67. The Chairman suggested that the Secretariat consolidate Councillors’ questions and then write to the organisation to request a written response. According to the Secretariat, earlier it had only received Councillors’ request that the MKKFA send representatives to this meeting

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and respond to Councillors’ questions, while they had not requested that other organisations do the same. As such, Councillors should decide whether to confirm the relevant funding from YTMDC Funds with reference to the activity information in the paper. He asked Councillors to vote on endorsing the funding applications other than that from the MKKFA. 68. Mr LEE Wai-fung would like to raise questions on the funding application for the “New Year Calligraphy and Painting Exhibition” (literal translation) of the Yau Ma Tei and Tsim Sha Tsui Culture and Arts Association Limited, because the amount applied for was quite large. 69. The Chairman suggested that Councillors inform the Secretariat on questionable funding applications within this week so that the organisations concerned would be invited to send representatives to the next YTMDC meeting to respond to the questions. He considered it unreasonable if Councillors vetoed the funding applications from the organisations just because they had not sent representatives to this meeting. 70. Mr Leslie CHAN said despite the unsatisfactory response from the representatives of the MKKFA, at least they had sent representatives to this meeting, showing respect for Councillors. However, other organisations had not accepted the invitations to this meeting. 71. The Chairman corrected that the YTMDC had not invited other organisations to this meeting. 72. Mr Leslie CHAN suggested handling the funding application from the Yau Ma Tei and Tsim Sha Tsui Culture and Arts Association Limited separately and inviting them to send representatives to the next YTMDC meeting. 73. The Chairman said the “New Year Calligraphy and Painting Exhibition” would be held during Lunar New Year. If the funding could not be confirmed at this meeting and had to be decided at the next meeting, the activity could not be held. He hoped that Councillors would decide whether to endorse the funding application at this meeting. 74. Mr LEE Wai-fung asked whether he could raise questions on the activity and then invite the organisation to give a written response. 75. The Secretary responded that the confirmation of the funding application would still be delayed even if the Secretariat circulated the organisation’s written response to seek Councillors’ views, as the paper should be circulated for certain days, as required by the Standing Orders. She suggested raising questions to the organisation by telephone immediately. 76. Mr LEE Wai-fung said the organisation’s funding application should be able to meet the funding guidelines. However, he and Mr TSANG Tsz-ming had preliminarily compared the funding guidelines of the three District Councils in Kowloon West. They found that the items were subject to different subsidy caps in different districts’ guidelines, and that the funding amounts of some items were not capped in the YTM District. The budget of the “New Year Calligraphy and Painting Exhibition” covered total meal expenses of $98,800 for 1 300 persons, i.e. $76 per head, but the recommended funding amount was just over $160,000 in total. He wondered how it could be ensured there would be 1 300 persons having meals, and whether the funds would be used as appropriate. He also asked whether the YTMDC had sent representatives to count the number of participants in the past. He suggested sending representatives to inspect the activity or require the organisation to submit a report to verify the

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number of participants. 77. The Secretary responded as follows:

(i) If Councillors would like to inspect activities, the Secretariat could draw up an inspection roster. In the last-term YTMDC, a roster had also been drawn up for Councillors to inspect YTMDC-funded activities held by first-time applicants and check whether the activities had met the requirements. If Councillors considered that the current-term YTMDC should inspect every YTMDC-funded activity, a provision could be added to the funding guidelines, and then the Secretariat could make arrangements with the organisations accordingly.

(ii) For an activity involving meals, the number of participants or tables were normally indicated in the restaurant’s receipt. After receiving a receipt and verifying the expenses, the Secretariat would arrange payment.

78. Mr LEE Wai-fung asked whether it could be required that the Yau Ma Tei and Tsim Sha Tsui Culture and Arts Association Limited indicate the number of participants in the meal receipt, because the amount involved was quite large. 79. The Secretary responded that it could. 80. The Chairman asked Councillors whether they would confirm the funding for other local organisations except the “16th Tai Kok Tsui Temple Fair”, because many of those cases were urgent. The conduct of those activities might be affected if no decision was made until the next meeting. He invited Councillors to vote on confirming the approval of applications for YTMDC Funds from local organisations from January to March 2020 (excluding the “16th Tai Kok Tsui Temple Fair”). 81. Ms Natalie TSUI found that the enrolment fee for the “New Year Local Tour 2020” (literal translation) of the Jordan Neighbourhood was $260 per person on the poster, but was only $90 per person on the funding application form. 82. The Chairman suggested that Councillors provide information for the Secretariat regarding individual cases, and that they endorse in principle the funding applications first and discuss the details with the Secretariat later. 83. Mr TSANG Tsz-ming said he and Mr LEE Wai-fung had noticed that funding application nos. 38 and 40 shared the same organisation address, as well as the same date, time, venue and form. However, the lucky draw prizes costed $40 each in one of the budgets of the funding applications, but they costed $20 each in the other one. They worried about the use of public money and thus would like to learn more. 84. The Secretary responded that in general, there was a subsidy cap for each item in the Guidelines on YTMDC Funds. If the amount applied for by an organisation did not exceed the subsidy cap, and if the receipts submitted met the requirements, the Secretariat would agree to the reimbursement. If Councillors considered that certain budget items in a funding application form should not be approved, they could make adjustments at this time. 85. The Chairman said if Councillors considered that certain budget items were too costly,

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especially those having the same contents but showing different amounts in the breakdown, they could make a note and endorse in principle the funding applications first, and then let the Secretariat follow up on the cases with the organisations accordingly. 86. The Secretary said Councillors could also consider adjusting the amounts at this time. 87. Mr LI Owan said as new-term Councillors, they were looking for reason. They were not trying to put any organisation in a difficult situation or imposing unrealistic criteria on it to hinder its funding application. They came under public scrutiny, and should therefore ensure appropriate use of public money and have a detailed understanding of every figure or item. As the funding applications had already been endorsed in principle by the last-term YTMDC, Councillors would also like to confirm them. However, if an organisation could not give a clear account, they could only wait for one. He believed that if an organisation could provide a clearer and satisfactory answer as soon as possible, many Councillors would not mind approving the funding application, because it had already been endorsed in principle. If they could not perform their gate-keeping role effectively this time, it would be difficult for them to gain trust from local residents and the public, who were keeping a watchful eye. 88. The Chairman understood Councillors’ concern for public interests and the duties they should perform. However, if the funding, endorsed in principle by the last-term YTMDC, could not been confirmed at this meeting, it would cause inconvenience to many applicant organisations and affect many residents. Councillors had reservations about the “16th Tai Kok Tsui Temple Fair” and would like to discuss it further at the next meeting. Apart from that, he hoped that Councillors would vote on other funding applications. Given that a Councillor had just pointed out the different amounts applied for in the two activities regarding lucky draw prizes, he said Councillors could adjust the amounts to whichever was the lower and confirm the funding, before the Secretariat or the Councillor concerned explained the case to the organisation. He invited Councillors to vote on confirming the approval of applications for YTMDC Funds from local organisations (excluding the “16th Tai Kok Tsui Temple Fair”) from January to March 2020. (Post-meeting note: There were only 16 Councillors in the conference room. The Chairman did

not vote.) 89. The voting result: 15 votes for it; 0 vote against it; and 0 abstention. 90. The Chairman declared that the approval of applications for YTMDC Funds from local organisations from January to March 2020 (excluding the “16th Tai Kok Tsui Temple Fair”) was confirmed. He then invited Councillors to raise questions to the representatives of the YTMDO on the funding applications from the YTMDO. 91. Ms Suzanne WU said the paper did not show the budget breakdowns of the activities. 92. The Secretary responded that the paper setting out the budget breakdowns of the activities had already been emailed to Councillors in mid-December last year. 93. Mr Henry NG and Mr Paul LEE briefly introduced the activities. 94. Mr Leo CHU said the first three activities were carnivals. He asked whether there were any arrangements for crowd management and risk management, and whether the YTMDO

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had liaised with the Police. He asked whether there was any contingency plan if any public events took place, affecting the activities. 95. Mr LEE Wai-fung raised the following views and enquiries: (i) he asked about the breakdown of the budget items of the variety show and the singing performance of the “Spring Carnival at Yung Shu Tau”, and the number of singers invited; and (ii) regarding budget items 24 to 27 regarding souvenirs for the “YTM District Fire Safety Carnival”, he asked whether the souvenirs would be distributed by way of a “lucky bag”, and whether there was a small amount of funds remaining, which was thus used for purchasing different types of souvenirs. 96. Miss YUM Yuk-ying responded as follows:

(i) Regarding the “YTM District Fire Safety Carnival”, as there would be as many as 4 000 to 5 000 participants, 5 000 souvenirs had been prepared. Different souvenirs would be distributed in different time periods, and the souvenirs were of high quality and quite useful.

(ii) Regarding the “Spring Carnival at Yung Shu Tau”, the contractor would arrange a variety show, including martial arts, dancing and magic performances, and the show would last two to two and a half hours. The budget was $24,300. The tentative list of singers to be invited included Q Bobo (喬寶寶) and Vivian Koo (谷婭溦). The budget was $34,000.

97. Mr Gary AU responded that the “South Area Committee Care and Inclusive FUN Show 2020” was an indoor activity, which was relatively safe. The YTMDO would closely liaise with the Police Community Relations Office about one or two weeks before the activity, and would end the activity early or cut it short, depending on the social situation. 98. Mr Henry NG responded as follows:

(i) Regarding the risk management of the activities, he understood that the public were concerned about the crowds and the management of the venues. The representatives of the Police Community Relations Offices had from time to time raised views to the Area Committees and the Yau Tsim Mong District Fire Safety Committee. The YTMDO would study the layout plans and entrance/exit arrangements with the Police and the FSD to ensure the venues were safe. In the past, the Fire Safety Carnival held at MacPherson Playground had attracted quite a lot of members of the public. As such, the YTMDO would exercise caution and work closely with the departments concerned. It would also pay close attention to the situation on the activity days and make deployment as appropriate if any circumstances took place.

(ii) The YTMDO would liaise with the departments concerned (e.g. the DH) and obtain relevant guidelines to ensure participants’ health. For the time being until the activity days, the YTMDO would pay close attention to changes in public health. If the situation was unfavourable, it would have discussions with the members of the committees concerned, make further decisions and inform the YTMDC of the decisions.

99. The Chairman invited Councillors to vote on confirming the approval of applications

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for YTMDC Funds from the YTMDO and its committees from January to March 2020. (Post-meeting note: There were only 17 Councillors in the conference room. The Chairman did

not vote.) 100. The voting result: 16 votes for it; 0 vote against it; and 0 abstention. 101. The Chairman declared that the approval of applications for YTMDC Funds from the YTMDO and its committees from January to March 2020 was confirmed. (Post-meeting note: On 14 and 16 January 2020, in the name of the YTMDC, the Chairman

wrote to the MKKFA and the Jordan Neighbourhood (Annex 2), relaying Councillors’ questions, respectively.)

Item 6: Invitation to YTMDC to Nominate Representatives to Serve as Members of

Steering and Advisory Committees for the Yau Tsim Mong Multicultural Activity Centre under the Signature Project Scheme (Yau Tsim Mong District) (YTMDC Paper No. 3/2020)

102. The Chairman said the YTMDO had earlier written to invite the YTMDC to nominate representatives to the regulatory and advisory bodies of the YTM Multicultural Activity Centre under the Signature Project Scheme, i.e. the Steering Committee and the Advisory Committee. 103. The Chairman said the Steering Committee, presided by the YTMDO, was mainly responsible for monitoring the operation and management of the project, including but not limited to the approval of year plans, budgets, work reports and audit reports submitted by the service provider. The YTMDC was invited to nominate two representatives to the committee. 104. The Chairman continued that the Advisory Committee, presided by the New Home Association (the partner organisation), would offer views and suggestions on the services and activities under the project. The YTMDC was invited to nominate a representative to the committee. He invited nominations or self-nominations from Councillors, and suggested that Councillors serving Jordan be the representatives. 105. The Vice-chairman nominated Mr CHAN Tsz-wai, serving Jordan, to the Advisory Committee as a YTMDC representative. 106. Mr CHAN Tsz-wai agreed to be a representative at the Advisory Committee. 107. Mr TSANG Tsz-ming nominated Mr Frank HO and Ms Natalie TSUI, both serving Jordan, to the Steering Committee as YTMDC representatives. 108. Mr Frank HO and Ms Natalie TSUI agreed to be representatives at the Steering Committee. 109. The Chairman concluded that Mr Frank HO and Ms Natalie TSUI would be representatives at the Steering Committee, while Mr CHAN Tsz-wai would be a representative at the Advisory Committee. There was no objection.

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Item 7: To Decide Whether to Participate in “Green Stalls” in Hong Kong Flower

Show 2020 (YTMDC Paper No. 4/2020)

110. The Chairman said the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (“LCSD”) would hold the Hong Kong Flower Show (“HKFS”) from 6 to 15 March 2020 at Victoria Park. The Show Committee of the HKFS had written to invite the YTMDC to participate in the “Green Stalls” in the show in order to promote greening awareness and introduce YTMDC’s greening efforts in the district to the public. The YTMDC had also participated in this activity in 2019, and the last-term YTMDC had already earmarked $9,400 for the “Green Stalls”. If the YTMDC agreed to participate in this activity, it would have to nominate one or more Councillors to be responsible for the liaison and preparation work of the “Green Stalls”, such as forming a team for the stall, preparing a budget, purchasing supplies, as well as submitting receipts to the Secretariat and submitting an activity report after the conclusion of the activity. He asked Councillors whether they agreed to YTMDC’s participation in the “Green Stalls” in the HKFS 2020. 111. Mr LI Owan asked under what circumstances Councillors would agree to YTMDC’s participation in the activity, and whether the YTMDC enjoyed autonomy in the activity. 112. Ms Suzanne WU said the theme flower of this year’s HKFS was Hydrangea. She would agree to YTMDC’s participation in the activity if it adopted “Five Hydrangeas” as its theme. 113. The Chairman said the letter from the LCSD briefly introduced the theme and the contents of the activity. He then read out the information in the letter, such as the form, the opening hours, the subsidy and the location of the “Green Stalls”, for Councillors’ reference. 114. Mr CHAN Tsz-wai said the theme of this year’s HKFS was “Bliss in Bloom”, which he considered absolutely out of keeping with the present social situation. He had reservations regarding YTMDC’s participation in the activity under this theme. 115. Mr TSANG Tsz-ming asked whether the YTMDC could decide its own theme. To residents of the district and the general public of Hong Kong, “Bliss in Bloom” meant “No tear gas”, which he considered could be one of the decoration themes and consideration directions if the YTMDC could decide its own theme. 116. Mr CHU Kong-wai said the theme set by the organiser and how the YTMDC interpreted it were two different things. It was undeniable that Councillors should strive to relay public views through any channels and by any means. As such, he suggested that the YTMDC participate in the activity. 117. Mr LI Owan said he disagreed in principle with YTMDC’s participation in the activity, given that the theme of this year’s HKFS was “Bliss in Bloom”. In view of the present situation in the district, it was not suitable for the YTMDC to participate in any festive events during this time, not to mention that the HKFS would be held at Victoria Park, which was the starting point of the marches. He had never appreciated such “bliss”. However, he would give further consideration if the YTMDC would like to make a special gesture in response to voters or had a comprehensive plan for participating in the activity.

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118. Mr Ben LAM said he did not entirely agree with the theme, but he considered that the YTMDC could take this opportunity to promote Councillors’ visions at the HKFS, given that the stall was funded by the YTMDC, and that Councillors had the right to design the stall. As such, he supported YTMDC’s participation in the activity. 119. Mr Leslie CHAN agreed with Mr Ben LAM and preferred YTMDC’s participation in the activity. He considered that the YTMDC could emphasise that the true bliss was to appreciate flowers instead of breathing in tear gas at the park. 120. Ms Natalie TSUI hoped that the decorations used in the HKFS would be brought back to the community afterwards. 121. Mr TSANG Tsz-ming again asked whether the YTMDC could decide its own theme. 122. The Chairman responded that the theme of the HKFS was “Bliss in Bloom”, but the YTMDC could design its own stall. He then invited Councillors to vote on YTMDC’s participation in the “Green Stalls” in the HKFS 2020. (Post-meeting note: There were only 17 Councillors in the conference room. The Chairman did

not vote.) 123. The voting result: 14 votes for it; 2 votes against it; and 0 abstention. 124. The Chairman declared that YTMDC’s participation in the “Green Stalls” in the HKFS 2020 was agreed. He asked Councillors to nominate a Councillor to be responsible for the liaison and preparation work of the “Green Stalls”. 125. Mr CHU Kong-wai nominated Mr Ben LAM, Councillor of the constituency where the Mong Kok Flower Market was located. 126. Mr Ben LAM said he accepted the nomination. 127. Mr LI Owan nominated Mr CHAN Tsz-wai. 128. The Chairman said the YTMDC could nominate one or more Councillors to be responsible for the liaison and preparation work of the “Green Stalls”. If more than one Councillor was interested, he would suggest nominating two Councillors. 129. Mr Ben LAM said manpower was needed for the design and decoration work of the stall, and thus agreed with the nomination of more than one Councillor. 130. The Chairman said the YTMDC could nominate more than one Councillor. 131. Ms Natalie TSUI nominated herself as a representative of the YTMDC. 132. Mr CHAN Tsz-wai refused to be nominated. 133. The Chairman concluded that Mr Ben LAM and Ms Natalie TSUI would be responsible for the liaison and preparation work of the “Green Stalls”. There was no objection.

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Item 8: To Examine Venue Booking Application for Community Halls in the District

(YTMDC Paper No. 5/2020) 134. The Chairman welcomed Mr Thomas CHAN, District Secretary of the YTMDO. He said the Far East Overseas Nepalese Association had written to the District Officer on 21 November 2019 to apply for booking the hall of Henry G. Leong Yaumatei Community Centre (“HGLYCC”) from 12 noon to 10 p.m. on 4 April 2020 to hold the “FEONA Night”. As set out in point 2.16 of the Guidelines on Booking of Facilities in HGLYCC, an application from an organisation for booking the hall for one or more days to hold a one-off activity would be considered and approved directly by the Yau Tsim Mong District Facilities Management Committee on a case-by-case basis. As the YTMDC had not yet set up any committees, the above venue booking application should be discussed at this meeting. He asked Councillors whether they agreed to this application. 135. The Hon James TO hoped that the YTMDO would assist in learning about the activity details from the organisation, and believed that the YTMDC would be able to examine the venue booking application in time before the commencement of the activity if it could obtain the information before the end of this month. 136. The Chairman responded that the District Facilities Management Committee (“DFMC”) was expected to be set up in March at the soonest. 137. The Hon James TO said Councillors could examine the above venue booking application at the next YTMDC meeting. 138. The Chairman responded that the next YTMDC meeting would be held on 21 January, and expected that the agenda would be lengthy. 139. The Hon James TO said it would be better if Councillors could learn more about the activity details in the meantime. 140. Mr Thomas CHAN said it was not the first time the organisation had submitted a venue booking application. In fact, it had previously applied for booking the hall of the HGLYCC to hold the “FEONA Night”, the same theme as the activity in this application, mainly covering Nepalese singing and dancing performances. In its previous application, the organisation had submitted a programme list, covering an introduction of the Nepalese culture, as well as singing and dancing performances, aimed at encouraging the Nepali residents in the district to participate and promoting the Nepalese culture. The YTMDO considered that the activity met the objective of community building. However, as the DFMC had not yet been set up, he invited Councillors to consider the above venue booking application at this YTMDC meeting. 141. Ms Natalie TSUI asked the YTMDO why the Government would still let ethnic minority organisations book the hall of the HGLYCC, given that there was already the YTM Multicultural Activity Centre in the district. 142. The Hon James TO said the hall of the HGLYCC was larger. He asked whether organisations had all along been required to submit only a one-page-long application letter to the DFMC when submitting their applications for booking the community hall.

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(The District Officer said, “Yes.”) 143. The Hon James TO said he had originally thought that the organisation would have been required to provide more information on the activity. As the information was only one page long, Councillors might be unable to learn about the details. He believed that Councillors would be more confident when considering the application if the organisation could provide supplementary information. Nevertheless, as the organisation had previously held a similar activity, inspected by the staff of the YTMDO, the YTMDC might still consider approving this application. 144. Mr Ben LAM asked whether the activity was fee-charging, and whether the organisation was profit-making. 145. Mr Thomas CHAN responded that according to his understanding, the organisation was a registered organisation in the district, meeting the conditions of booking the hall of the HGLYCC. However, as the organisation had not declared itself non-profit-making, it had to pay a rental regarding this application. 146. The Chairman invited Councillors to vote on approving the venue booking application from the Far East Overseas Nepalese Association. (Post-meeting note: There were only 16 Councillors in the conference room. The Chairman did

not vote.) 147. The voting result: 15 votes for it; 0 vote against it; and 0 abstention. 148. The Chairman declared that this application was approved. Item 9: Information Paper – Special Traffic Arrangement at the Sales Venue for

Flowers at Mong Kok Flower Market and Its Vicinity Before Lunar New Year (YTMDC Paper No. 6/2020)

149. The Chairman welcomed:

(a) Mr IP Ka-fai, Chief Health Inspector (Mong Kok) 2, and Mr CHOW Wai-chung, Chief Health Inspector (Mong Kok) 3, of the FEHD;

(b) Mr Bradley WRIGHT, District Commander (Mong Kok), and Ms CHEUNG Sin-man, Police Community Relations Officer (Mong Kok District), of the Hong Kong Police Force;

(c) Mr CHOI Wai-fung, Station Commander (Mong Kok Fire Station) of the FSD;

(d) Ms Winnie WONG, Chief Transport Officer/Kowloon, Mr Tony YIP,

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Engineer/Mongkok and Yaumatei, and Mr David NG, Transport Officer/Mong Kok, of the TD;

(e) Mr LAM Kwan-hau, District Environmental Hygiene Superintendent (Mong Kok), and Mr HUNG Sai-kit, District Environmental Hygiene Superintendent (Yau Tsim), of the FEHD; and

(f) Ms Margaret CHUNG, Senior Liaison Officer (2) of the YTMDO. 150. The Chairman said the YTMDO had earlier issued an information paper to briefly introduce the special traffic arrangements at the venue for the sale of flowers at the Mong Kok Flower Market and its vicinity before Lunar New Year. The Chairman drew Councillors attention to the arrangements and invited the departments concerned to briefly introduce the paper. 151. Ms Margaret CHUNG briefly introduced the paper, saying that in order to ease the overcrowding of shoppers and ensure the safety of pedestrians in the Flower Market before Lunar New Year, since 2002, the Police had made special traffic arrangements in the Flower Market and its vicinity during the five days before every Lunar New Year. This year’s arrangements were similar to those in the past. The Police would implement special traffic arrangements in the Mong Kok Flower Market and its vicinity from 8 a.m. on 20 January (the 26th day of the last month in the lunar calendar) until 8 a.m. on 25 January (Lunar New Year’s Day). The Police would also illustrate to Councillors the details of the road closure involved in the arrangements. Regarding the above special traffic arrangements, on 10 December 2019, the YTMDO had met with the government departments concerned, including the Police, the TD, the FEHD, the FSD, the LSCD, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, as well as representatives of the Hong Kong Wholesale Florist Association and the Hong Kong and Kowloon Flowers and Plants Workers General Union, to discuss the special traffic arrangements in the Mong Kok Flower Market and its vicinity before Lunar New Year. During the meeting, the YTMDO had reminded florists to place their flowers and other articles only within the agreed area during the road closure and ensure that the carriageways and the building entrances/exits were free from obstruction, while the florists had undertaken to cooperate and exercise self-discipline as before by marking yellow grids outside the main gates of the buildings as “No Hawking Area” to ensure that the building entrances/exits were free from obstruction. Moreover, in mid-December 2019, the YTMDO had informed the building associations and residents concerned in writing of the above special traffic arrangements so that the residents could make corresponding arrangements early. 152. Mr Bradley WRIGHT, in English, briefly introduced the paper as follows.

(i) The traffic control and road closure arrangements in the Flower Market and its vicinity would be similar to those in the past. As explained by the representative of the YTMDO, from 8 a.m. on 20 January until 8 a.m. on 25 January, Flower

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Market Road, Yuen Ngai Street, Yuen Po Street and Prince Edward Road West Service Lane would be designated as a special traffic control zone during certain time periods. Except for exempted vehicles, all vehicles would not be allowed to enter the above road sections, and the operation of the parking meters at the above road sections and in their vicinity would also be suspended. The Police hoped to strike a balance so as to create a harmonious environment for the public shopping for flowers at the Flower Market, as well as florists and nearby residents, and to ensure the smooth-running of this traditional activity before Lunar New Year. When implementing the above traffic arrangements, the Police would ensure smooth traffic flows in the major road sections in Mong Kok, including Mong Kok Road, Prince Edward Road West, Argyle Street, Portland Street and Sai Yeung Choi Street.

(ii) The Police would also like to take this opportunity to explain the hawker management arrangements. The Police would continue to assist the FEHD in controlling hawking activities at Sai Yeung Choi Street South, Nelson Street and Soy Street as well as their vicinity. Cooked food hawkers could only carry out hawking activities in the section of Portland Street between Argyle Street and Soy Street. Based on public safety and crowd control considerations, hawking would be prohibited on carriageways, near pedestrian crossings, near MTR station exits, etc. The Police would also stop any acts obstructing traffic flows, endangering public safety and affecting crowd management. In addition, the sale of alcoholic beverages would also be prohibited.

(iii) The Police Community Relations Officer (Mong Kok District) would assist the YTMDO in informing the stakeholders of the above arrangements as soon as possible. He also invited Councillors to assist the Police in introducing the above arrangements to the public.

153. Mr LAM Kwan-hau said the department had been taking stringent enforcement actions against shop front extensions for the sale of goods in the Flower Market, and had from time to time carried out joint operations with the Police. He said as Lunar New Year’s Eve was around the corner, quite a lot of shops in the Flower Market had introduced more goods for sale and, as a result, the problem of shop front extensions was more severe than on a normal day. The department would step up enforcement actions with the Police against shop front extensions and unlicensed hawking in the Flower Market in the coming few weeks and before Lunar New Year. If the problem of shop front extensions or unlicensed hawking was found severe during the road closure, the department would step up enforcement actions. 154. Mr CHOI Wai-fung said regarding the above arrangements, the department would, as in the past, ensure that fire engines could pass through the road sections concerned during the road closure so that rescue operations would not be obstructed in case of a fire or an accident. The department would deploy fire engines to carry out tests in the road sections concerned during

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different time periods to ensure that there was sufficient space for fire engines and ambulances to pass through and carry out rescue operations. 155. Ms Winnie WONG said the TD would issue a notice in mid-January, detailing the above traffic arrangements, special traffic measures, suspended operation of parking meters, temporary bus stop arrangements, etc. 156. The Hon James TO said he had no specific views on the above arrangements, while he would like to give the following reminder. The Government had still not responded to the political demands in the society. This day, the Chief Executive had even said she disagreed with holding an independent inquiry. Having observed the political situation for years, he anticipated that this Lunar New Year might not be peaceful. He believed that about 60% to 80% of the public were dissatisfied with the present situation, and he did not rule out the possibility of some members of the public chanting slogans or singing aloud to express their political demands when shopping for flowers at the Flower Market. If the Police regarded it as an unlawful assembly and took enforcement actions, the situation would be very horrible. He hoped that the Police would give careful consideration and would not make rash decisions to take unreasonable enforcement actions. 157. The Vice-chairman raised the following views and enquiries: (i) shopping for flowers at the Flower Market should be a joyous tradition. However, he worried that the Police would fire tear gas; (ii) he thanked the two representatives of the Police for joining this YTMDC meeting, and said that the public had not seen police officers not covering their faces for a long time. He thanked the representatives of the Police for not covering their faces; (iii) he recalled that last year, some Councillors had submitted a paper inviting representatives of the Police to the YTMDC meeting. He condemned the Police for failing to send representatives at that time, and asked the Police whether they would apologise to the YTMDC for that; (iv) he condemned the Police for the violent acts in the streets over the past few months, and asked the Police whether they would apologise to the innocent members of the public being hurt; (v) he would like to understand how the Police see their relations with Councillors. He would also like to understand how the Police would treat Councillors if a conflict or a public event took place at the Flower Market and they arrived at the scene as mediators; and (vi) in the past, he had visited the Flower Market before Lunar New Year, where the police presence had not been heavy, with uniformed police officers maintaining order only. He asked the Police whether “water cannon vehicles”, “sound cannon vehicles” or fully armed anti-riot police officers would be deployed to stand by in the vicinity this year. He believed that there would be 30 000 to 40 000 people visiting the Flower Market. He asked if a public event took place and evacuation was necessary, whether the Police would only allow 30 minutes for the evacuation of the public, and whether the time was reasonable. 158. Mr Ben LAM raised the following views and enquiries: (i) as the Councillor of the constituency where the Flower Market was located, he had immediately consulted local residents after noting the information paper. They had told him that they had got accustomed, and could

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only acquiesce, to the arrangements; (ii) he had been following up on the shop front extension problem at the Flower Market for two to three years, but it had still not been alleviated. The information paper only covered the road closure arrangements from 20 to 25 January. However, some local residents had told him that the shop front extension problem took place on normal days, and was particularly severe before Lunar New Year. He presented to Councillors some photographs taken at the Flower Market in the past few days, showing that even though there had still been some time before Lunar New Year, many goods had already been piled up on the pavements, causing nuisance to the nearby residents. Some local residents had even told him that every Lunar New Year was a nightmare, as the problem of goods being piled up was so severe that the local residents could barely pass through; and (iii) in view of the above situation, some local residents would like him to raise the following three questions to the Government: (I) It was asked whether the Government had any concrete measures to ensure that the pavements in the Flower Market were wide enough. The goods at the Flower Market had often been piled up on the pavements so that wheelchairs could barely pass through. Moreover, some local residents had told him that it was quite difficult for ambulances to enter the roads there. (II) Some residents of Happy Garden and High Park Grand at Sai Yee Street had told him that given the above road closure arrangements, their private cars could not enter the carparks of their respective residential estates. He asked whether the departments concerned would issue temporary permits to the nearby residents so that their private cars could enter and leave the carparks of their respective residential estates as usual during the road closure. (III) Goods vehicles were allowed to enter the closed roads for unloading goods during the road closure. However, some drivers would park their goods vehicles there and sell flowers on the pretext of unloading goods. He asked whether the departments would limit the time for goods vehicles to unload goods, and whether there were any concrete enforcement arrangements. 159. Mr CHU Kong-wai raised the following views and enquiries: (i) apart from the arrangements for the period before Lunar New Year, he believed that the public were also concerned about the Police’s deployment plans and arrangements for Mong Kok during the first three days of Lunar New Year. He had relayed his views to the government departments concerned that as there would be no dry goods stalls at the Lunar New Year Fairs this year, quite a lot of shops might have to sell a large amount of goods within a short period of time, resulting in crowd gatherings, especially in Mong Kok. If Mong Kok was full of anti-riot police officers, just as it had been over the past few months, the festive atmosphere would be greatly spoiled. He asked the Police to explain their deployment plan for the district during Lunar New Year at this or the next YTMDC meeting; (ii) similar to the Hon James TO’s question, he would also like to know how the Police would respond if some members of the public expressed their political demands. He considered that public views were clear, so was the Police’s response over the past few months. He said Councillors trying to act as mediators or trying to learn about the Police’s deployment plans at the scene had been treated quite violently every time. He would like to know what role Councillors could play, and how the Police would treat Councillors; and (iii) quite a lot of members of the public would gather in the YTM District before and during Lunar New Year, especially at Sai Yee Street and Nathan Road as well as their vicinity. He hoped that the Police would undertake not to deploy “water cannon vehicles” or

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fire tear gas against the public celebrating Lunar New Year in the YTM District. 160. Mr Isaac HO said regarding the traffic control, he would like to know about the plans of the MTR Corporation Limited (“MTRCL”) in Prince Edward and Mong Kok East Stations during Lunar New Year, including traffic measures, crowd control measures and manpower arrangements. 161. The Chairman responded that the MTRCL had not sent any representatives to join the discussion on this item. He invited the representatives of the TD to respond in its stead. 162. Mr LEE Wai-fung raised the following views and enquiries: (i) the attitude of the frontline police officers during Christmas and New Year’s Day had been concerning. He worried that anyone coming into verbal conflict with police officers when shopping for flowers before Lunar New Year would be treated as rioters, which would be undesirable. He suggested that the Police deploy traffic wardens if they needed manpower to implement temporary traffic control. After all, it was less likely that traffic wardens would come into conflict with the public. That way, frontline police officers could take a rest and would be deployed to perform their duties only when necessary; (ii) if the Police fired tear gas in the Flower Market and its vicinity, all goods (e.g. fresh flowers) would have to be scrapped, devastating the economy. As such, he hoped that the police officers commanding the operation there would give careful consideration; and (iii) every year, quite a lot of traders’ vehicles were parked in the closed roads, and the departments concerned often had to deploy a large amount of resources to clear away the flowers and the vehicles. Apart from giving verbal warning or issuing penalty tickets immediately, he asked whether the departments concerned could prohibit the drivers who had been verbally warned to return to the area during the implementation of the road closure or the traffic control. 163. Mr LI Owan said he had repeatedly requested meeting with the Commanders of the Police, and he finally had the chance to meet one of them. He was one of the YTMDC Members being called a “rioter” by police officers. He raised the following enquiries: (i) over the past seven months, conflicts between the Police and the public had taken place from time to time. He asked the Police to inform the YTMDC of their operational arrangements and response plans if a conflict between the Police and the public took place again on Lunar New Year’s Eve, i.e. in what circumstances they would disperse the crowd by deploying crowd control vehicles (commonly known as “water cannon vehicles” and “Unimog armoured personnel carriers”), the squad commonly known as the “Raptor Squad” and anti-riot police officers, as well as firing tear gas. He believed that if the Police could not give a clear account, neither the Police nor the public could enjoy Lunar New Year; (ii) he asked the Police how much manpower would be deployed to maintain order during the implementation of the traffic control and the road closure in the Flower Market and its vicinity; (iii) he asked the Police whether they would consider not firing tear gas during the implementation of the special traffic arrangements. Otherwise, as mentioned by Mr LEE Wai-fung, if the Police fired tear gas in the Flower Market and its vicinity, all goods (e.g. fresh flowers) would have to be scrapped; and (iv) apart from the

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Flower Market, he asked the Police whether they would have sufficient manpower to handle law and order problems elsewhere in the district during the implementation of the special traffic arrangements, such as walking the beat on a routine basis, coping with illegal parking and fighting other crimes. He also asked the Police whether they would deploy traffic wardens to maintain order at the Flower Market to avoid any unnecessary conflicts with the public. 164. Mr TSANG Tsz-ming raised the following views and enquiries: (i) on 31 December last year, he and some other Councillors-elect had requested meeting with the Commander outside the Mong Kok Police Station, as the Police had been intensely provoking the people at the scene in an attempt to carry out crowd dispersal. He finally had the chance to meet with the Commander at this meeting; (ii) he asked the Police whether they could undertake not to do as they had on 31 December last year and try to provoke the public in Mong Kok on Lunar New Year’s Eve, especially those shopping for flowers in the Mong Kok Flower Market and enjoying the festive atmosphere; and (iii) in the small hours and during the march on New Year’s Day, as Councillors, he and other Councillors had acted as mediators on the frontline between the crowd and the police officers. However, the Police had fired tear gas at their back, with some police officers shouting at them. He considered the Police disrespectful to the Councillors performing their duties. He asked how the Police would treat them if they appeared as Councillors again on Lunar New Year’s Eve. 165. Mr LEE Kwok-kuen raised the following views: (i) he thanked the government departments for their arrangements and coordination efforts in the Flower Market every year; (ii) Prince Edward Road West and its vicinity would be congested during every Lunar New Year, especially the road sections near Royal Plaza Hotel and the Flower Market. With reference to the information paper, there would be special traffic arrangements at Prince Edward Road West near the Flower Market. He pointed out that there were quite a lot of problems of illegal parking and unloading of goods along the road, and hoped that the government departments would look into the problems when implementing the special traffic arrangements; (iii) the current relations between the Police and the public were not quite satisfactory. While he understood that the Police had their duties, he hoped that they would ensure some distance between their officers and the crowd when considering their deployment plans so as to avoid any clashes caused by their officers being too close to the crowd; and (iv) he hoped that the Police would carefully consider how to handle conflicts during crowd gatherings. There were more and more uninformed and unforeseen conflicts between the Police and the public in Mong Kok and Prince Edward, while the Police failed to take into account the safety of the public around when taking enforcement actions. He asked the Police to give thorough consideration when making deployment plans in future by taking into account the safety of the public around as well as safeguarding their property. 166. Mr Leslie CHAN raised the following views: (i) there was a bus stop at Tung Choi Street near the Mong Kok Police Station. Consequences would be very serious if those waiting for buses were regarded as a crowd gathering by the Police. He urged the TD to make arrangements for road closure and relocating the bus stop as soon as possible so that those

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waiting for buses could stay away from the police station to ensure safety; and (ii) every time before Lunar New Year, a lot of members of the public drove to the Flower Market to shop for flowers. However, there were insufficient parking spaces. He suggested that from next year onwards the Government make reference to traffic management measures overseas. For instance, the public could park their vehicles at a location far away from the Flower Market but with sufficient parking spaces and then take a free shuttle bus to the Flower Market, which could not only ease overcrowding and traffic flows but also alleviate the problem of illegal parking of private cars at the Flower Market. 167. Mr Bradley WRIGHT, in English, responded as follows:

(i) He emphasised that the police presence in the Flower Market and its vicinity during this Lunar New Year would be similar to that in the past. The Police would deploy sufficient officers to control the crowd there and ensure public safety. The Police understood that Lunar New Year was a festive occasion. Overall speaking, the Police’s deployment had been effective all along.

(ii) Regarding the problem in the Flower Market and its vicinity caused by goods vehicles mentioned by Mr Ben LAM, as usual, the Police would issue permits to all goods vehicles concerned, each of which could only stay in the control zone for 30 minutes maximum. Overstayed drivers would be warned or might be issued with fixed penalty tickets. Their permits might also be forfeited.

(iii) Councillors were welcome to contact him or the police officers of the Police Community Relations Office to facilitate their monitoring on the scene during Lunar New Year.

(iv) Over the past few months, through established channels, the Mong Kok Police District had contacted members of the district, including restaurants, shops, pet shops and residents, to remind them to take precautionary measures when the Police deployed “water cannon vehicles” or fired tear gas.

(v) He again emphasised that the Police would make deployment plans that were proportionate to threats or civil disorder and have sufficient manpower to cope with possible civil disorder.

(vi) He hoped that everyone visiting or living in the district would enjoy Lunar New Year.

168. Mr LAM Kwan-hau responded as follows:

(i) While the Flower Market was one of the major shop front extension black spots in Mong Kok, it was also a major venue for the sale of flowers in Hong Kong,

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exhibiting local characteristics. As such, in the past, the YTMDC had agreed to allow a three-foot tolerable area for each shop in the Flower Market. The department would follow up regularly on the matter with the District Management Committee and report to its members on the Police’s and FEHD’s prosecution and enforcement efforts.

(ii) The department hoped to maintain close communication with the Councillor of the constituency concerned regarding the problem of shop front extensions at the Flower Market. On the day before the meeting, the department, together with the Police, had carried out a major enforcement operation coordinated by the YTMDO and instituted prosecutions against shop front extensions and unlicensed hawking, of which Mr Ben LAM had been informed afterwards. As Lunar New Year’s Eve was around the corner, the department would step up enforcement actions to curb shop front extensions.

169. Mr Tony YIP responded that the department would decide whether to implement road closure in Sai Yee Street and its vicinity depending on the actual traffic condition and the Police’s arrangements. Moreover, on 24 January, the department would implement road closure in Sai Yee Street and its vicinity to cope with the crowd on Lunar New Year’s Eve. The public would be informed of the arrangements in advance. He hoped that residents of the district would understand and avoid accessing the road sections concerned that day so as not to affect public safety. 170. Ms Winnie WONG responded that the special traffic arrangements at the Flower Market mainly involved road closure. The department would inform the MTRCL to make arrangements accordingly. Regarding MTRCL’s special train service and station arrangements before and during Lunar New Year, as usual, the MTRCL would announce the arrangements to the public before the festival. 171. Mr LI Owan again asked the Police whether they would have sufficient manpower to handle other law and order problems in the district during Lunar New Year to ensure the safety of the district. Over the past two months, there had been a number of sex crimes and burglaries in the district. In addition, a number of media organisations had reported that the Police failed to deploy uniformed officers to walk the beat on a routine basis. 172. Mr TSANG Tsz-ming, in English, asked Mr Bradley WRIGHT to explain the meaning of the word “civil disorder” used in his response, and whether the Police would regard it as “civil disorder” if some members of the public expressed their views, in just a few sentences, in front of the Police, as it would be quite a serious accusation. 173. Mr Ben LAM said the request to “reorganise the Police Force and stop undue violence” was included in his electoral platform, which he believed was agreed by quite a number of Councillors from the democratic camp who were joining this meeting. Over the past half year,

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the public had seen an unprofessional and emotional Police Force. He solemnly asked the police officers to bear in mind that they should be professional and abide by the oath taken at the police college when performing their duties during Lunar New Year. In addition, he asked the Police whether they could undertake that their officers would not cover their faces and would wear warrant cards when performing their duties during Lunar New Year. 174. Mr LEE Wai-fung raised the following views: (i) he hoped that the Police would not objectify the public by calling them cockroaches or insects, as it would only create a vicious circle; and (ii) he hoped that police officers would not cover their identification numbers or operational call signs on their uniforms with adhesive tape, reflective light or cardboard when performing their duties, and that the Police would keep reminding their officers of the above and include it in their day-to-day action agenda so as to minimise conflicts between the Police and the public. 175. The Vice-chairman appreciated the two representatives of the Police, who had the courage to join this meeting. He said it was the first time since half a year before that representatives of the Police had joined a YTMDC meeting, and asked the Police whether they could undertake that other police officers would face the public without covering their faces. In the past, some police officers had been hit by other police officers as they had been mistaken as rioters, which he considered would have been avoidable if they had not covered their faces when performing their duties. 176. Mr LEE Kwok-kuen raised the following views and enquiries: (i) he again asked about the traffic congestion problem in some sections of Prince Edward Road West. He reiterated that before Lunar New Year, quite a lot of goods vehicles would unload goods at Prince Edward Road West and Embankment Road, both of which were thoroughfares from Kowloon East to Mong Kok. He asked the government departments to look into the problem of road obstruction caused by the goods vehicles unloading goods. While some sections of Prince Edward Road West would be designated as a special traffic control zone, the traffic lane of Prince Edward Road West near Royal Plaza Hotel and Grand Century Place was often occupied and congested. He hoped that the Government would handle it, and that the Police would order the drivers illegally parking their vehicles or carrying out loading/unloading activities to leave, as a complementary measure; and (ii) he considered Mr Leslie CHAN’s proposal for free shuttle bus services was feasible, and hoped that the Government would draw up concrete measures to make the public know that they should not park their vehicles at the Flower Market, thereby resolving the traffic congestion problem. 177. Mr Leslie CHAN again asked the TD whether there were any proposals to resolve the above traffic problem at source. He considered that since there would be no dry goods stalls at this year’s Lunar New Year Fairs, it should be possible to make available some space for loading/unloading activities, which could not only minimise road obstruction but also alleviate the slump in the van and taxi trades. He hoped that the departments would study how to improve traffic and help the trades with innovative thinking.

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178. Ms Natalie TSUI said that in the past, there had been hawkers in Mong Kok during Lunar New Year, attracting quite a large crowd. She asked the Police and the departments concerned about their coping measures, and whether the Police would regard the members of the public concerned as holding an unlawful assembly if a similar situation took place this year. 179. Mr Lucifer SIU understood that this item was a focused discussion on communication and liaison with the government departments. However, he would like to ask whether any other ancillary organisations (e.g. the CAS) were involved in the deployment during Lunar New Year. He considered that arranging for organisations other than the Police to maintain order could provide a buffer and minimise chances of conflicts between police officers and the public. 180. Mr Bradley WRIGHT, in English, responded as follows:

(i) Regarding Mr LI Owan’s question, he said there would be sufficient manpower to maintain order during public festive events in Lunar New Year. In addition to that, a large amount of manpower had been reserved in Kowloon for coping with unforeseen circumstances.

(ii) He reiterated that over the past few months, the Police had not given up taking routine enforcement actions and fighting crimes, such as robbery, burglary and car theft. Over the past few weeks, the Police had acted against several robberies, including one at a clock, watch and jewellery store.

(iii) Regarding the Councillor’s question on the term “civil disorder”, he said the Police would take enforcement actions under the Public Order Ordinance, depending on the situation.

(iv) He and the police officers of the Police Community Relations Office would carry out site inspection during Lunar New Year. He said Councillors were welcome to ask him directly any questions, including those relating to police officers wearing warrant cards.

(v) Regarding the hawker problem, as usual, the Police would prohibit hawkers from hawking at the locations that were prone to obstruction, such as junctions as well as exits/entrances of buildings and MTR stations. The Police would implement crowd control measures to ensure public safety and avoid overcrowding.

(vi) This Lunar New Year, the Police were unable to arrange for non-governmental organisations to take part in the operation, as those organisations would have to assist in maintaining order during festive events in other districts. Nevertheless, the Police would continue to invite them in the future.

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181. Mr Tony YIP responded that regarding the setting-up of designated loading/unloading areas mentioned by the Councillor, the department had earlier studied a proposal with the Police and traders at a coordination meeting. The Police had already designated loading/unloading areas for public use, and the department had also reminded traders to avoid piling up goods in the designated loading/unloading areas as far as possible. 182. Mr LAM Kwan-hau responded as follows:

(i) Regarding the hawker problem during Lunar New Year, as mentioned by the Police, controlling unlicensed hawkers was one of the department’s major duties. If any unlicensed hawker was found causing severe obstruction or environmental hygiene problems, the department would take enforcement actions, depending on the situation.

(ii) Regarding the setting-up of bazaars mentioned by Councillors, he had earlier discussed it with some Councillors. He reiterated that the FEHD was open-minded about setting up bazaars. If any organisation identified a suitable venue and obtained support from the community and the YTMDC, the FEHD and other government departments would bend every effort to support it.

183. Mr LI Owan was dissatisfied with the Police’s ambiguous response, from which Councillors could not tell whether they would need to negotiate with the Police at the scene if any situation took place during Lunar New Year. According to his experience over the past seven months, every Councillor trying to act as a mediator had been treated impolitely by the Police. Some police officers had even pointed their flashlight at his eyes, as well as punching and kicking him, with scars still being visible. He warned the Police that they would have a hard time when joining YTMDC meetings if they did not stop their unlawful acts. 184. Mr Bradley WRIGHT, in English, responded that if necessary, Councillors could lodge complaints against the Police anytime they wished to express their dissatisfaction. 185. The Chairman thanked the representatives of the government departments concerned for joining the discussion on this item. Item 10: Information Paper – The Yau Tsim and Mong Kok Districts 2020 Year-end

Clean-up (YTMDC Paper No. 7/2020)

186. The Chairman welcomed Mr LAM Kwan-hau, District Environmental Hygiene Superintendent (Mong Kok), and Mr HUNG Sai-kit, District Environmental Hygiene Superintendent (Yau Tsim), of the FEHD.

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187. The Chairman said the FEHD had earlier issued an information paper to inform Councillors of the details of the Yau Tsim and Mong Kok Districts 2020 Year-end Clean-up. The Chairman drew Councillors’ attention to the paper. 188. Mr TSANG Tsz-ming raised the following views and enquiries: (i) in recent days, some local residents had told him that they had found quite a lot of dead rats in the district. He asked whether it was because the FEHD had been cleansing the streets, making rats run in the streets; (ii) he suggested making the Year-end Clean-up a regular campaign round the year, which might be able to handle the rodent problem in the district; (iii) he asked the department whether there were any other measures to handle the rodent problem in the district; and (iv) in his constituency, some local residents had often complained to him about rats being found in Tai Kok Tsui Market. The fast food shop opposite to the supermarket at the Ivy Street junction, as well as the vegetable shops on the two sides of Tai Kok Tsui Road near the Tai Tsun Street junction, had contributed to the poor environmental hygiene there and had drawn complaints from quite a lot of local residents. He hoped that the shops would not obstruct the streets and dispose of food waste on the ground anymore. 189. Mr CHU Kong-wai raised the following views and enquiries: (i) in his constituency, many bars and residents around a long-abandoned mahjong club in Tak Po Building had complained about a suspected rat nest in the club. He asked the department whether the Year-end Clean-up would cover targeted cleansing there; (ii) recently, a lot of cardboard and miscellaneous articles had often been piled up along Argyle Street and the rear lanes, which he had reported to the Superintendent. He would like to know whether the Year-end Clean-up would cover targeted cleansing there; and (iii) in his constituency, recently, there had been complaints about the severe rodent problem in Fa Yuen Street Market and its vicinity, particularly in the rear lanes near the junction of Yau Woo Apartment and Tai Yue Mansion. He asked whether the vicinity of Fa Yuen Street Market was covered in the targeted cleansing of the Year-end Clean-up. 190. Mr LEE Kwok-kuen raised the following views and enquiries: (i) the Year-end Clean-up mostly covered the locations and rear lanes where local residents lived. He asked whether it would also cover the facilities used by local residents, and hoped that other government departments concerned would enhance the cleansing of the relevant public facilities; and (ii) as Lunar New Year’s Eve was around the corner, quite a lot of residents would carry out clean-up. In the past, there had been a severe waste disposal problem in the district, especially in “three-nil” buildings, where the cleansing workers had been unable to collect the waste disposed of in the streets in a timely manner. He suggested that the FEHD place large bin carts at hygiene black spots to facilitate residents’ waste disposal. He hoped that the department would take advantage of Lunar New Year to trial the above method with a view to enhancing environmental hygiene in the community. 191. Mr Isaac HO said in the streets where many restaurants were located (e.g. Kimberley Road in his constituency, where many bars were located), a lot of bagged waste was disposed of

- 37 -

by the shops and the residents early every morning, which was delivered to refuse collection points by cleansing workers with trolleys only, which was strenuous and inefficient. He suggested placing bin carts in certain streets for the public to dispose of waste in a centralised manner, which would not only facilitate refuse collection by cleansing workers but also minimise waste being left outside residential buildings or shops. 192. Mr LEE Wai-fung said that in the past, some cleansing contractors of single-block buildings had disposed of waste in the nearby bins or in the streets. Some had left their waste unhandled while some had arranged for a grab-mounted lorry to collect it on the early morning of the next day. Leaving waste overnight attracted rats. In addition, the workers had not cleansed the streets after collecting waste in the early morning. He asked the department whether it was not suitable to collect waste for those buildings, or it had never considered assisting those buildings in doing so. 193. Ms Natalie TSUI raised the following views and enquiries: (i) in Yau Ma Tei, a large amount of waste was often piled up at Battery Street and Pak Hoi Street near Yau Ma Tei Market in the small hours, which was only collected by a grab-mounted lorry in the early morning, which might attract rats during the night. She supported placing large bins there to enhance environmental hygiene. She found it strange that the department had been tolerating the situation, which had already persisted for about a year; (ii) many bins in the streets had been replaced by bin bags. However, given the insufficient bin bags in her constituency, some members of the public had disposed of waste indiscriminately and, as a result, quite a lot of waste had been piled up in the streets. She asked how it would be handled; and (iii) as many refuse collectors would not collect refuse on Lunar New Year’s Eve, waste would be piled up until the first or second day of Lunar New Year. She asked how it would be handled. 194. Mr Leslie CHAN raised the following views: (i) he understood the department’s consideration of not placing bins in the streets for certain reasons. However, it was easier for pests to get into bin bags than bins. As such, he hoped that the department would put back sufficient bins in the streets as soon as possible; (ii) in his constituency, the refuse collection point next to Minden Avenue would be closed at about 10 p.m., when many nearby shops had not yet closed. The shops were thus forced to leave their waste at their shop fronts. He believed that if the department placed a large bin outside the refuse collection point, many of them would be willing to dispose of waste in it. Owing to the above reason, there was a very severe rodent problem at Minden Avenue; and (iii) residents of Chungking Mansions hoped that the department would put back the bin outside the building as soon as possible. 195. Mr LI Owan said that many bins had vanished over the past few months, resulting in quite a lot of street hygiene problems. As such, he hoped that the department’s Year-end Clean-up would be more thorough so as to handle the stain, mosquito breeding and odour problems in the streets. 196. Mr CHAN Tsz-wai said the recent outbreak of COVID-19 was severe. Some local

- 38 -

residents had told him that when disposing of waste in a bin bag, they needed to open it and fold the edge with their hands. He suggested that the department consider putting back the bins. 197. Mr LEE Wai-fung said if bin bags were bitten off by pests/rats, the wastewater leakage would affect the community. He hoped that the bins would be put back to their original locations. 198. Mr Ben LAM raised the following views and enquiries: (i) he asked the department whether there were any quantitative indicators for assessing the effectiveness of the Year-end Clean-up. Despite the department’s efforts, quite a lot of local residents had told him that the streets in the district were still unclean and had a rodent problem. He asked the department to provide a list of inspected buildings and rat bait locations for Councillors so that they could check whether any locations had been overlooked; and (ii) he asked whether the department had an exact schedule for putting back the bins. Quite a lot of local residents had told him that the bin bags were inconvenient to use and would overfill easily. 199. Mr LAM Kwan-hau responded as follows:

(i) The department had gradually put back the bins in Mong Kok this week. Although bin bags were still being used in some relatively sensitive streets, the bins had been gradually put back in other streets, such as those in Tai Kok Tsui and Olympian City. The schedule for putting back the bins was subject to the social atmosphere. If it continued to be calm, the department would put back the bins in busy streets, which would not only facilitate waste disposal by the public but also enhance the efficiency of the department’s refuse collection. The department would put back the bins as far as possible, depending on the situation.

(ii) Apart from the Year-end Clean-up, the department had launched the Anti-rodent Campaign (Phase I) since 6 January. The increase in the number of dead rats was not only because of the Year-end Clean-up but also because of the stepped-up rodent disinfestation. Anyone who had found a dead rat could notify the FEHD or dial 1823 anytime for handling. The department would immediately handle dead rats if found in the streets.

(iii) The department had taken note of the environmental hygiene and obstruction problems at Ivy Street in Tai Kok Tsui mentioned by Mr TSANG Tsz-ming, and had earlier inspected the site with him. It would continue to pay attention to the situation there. Regarding the recent infectious disease, the department would step up cleansing and sanitisation of the public facilities under its management.

(iv) The main purpose of the bins in the streets were to bring convenience to pedestrians when disposing of small pieces of waste (e.g. debris, tissues and cigarette butts), and they were not intended for disposing of household waste.

- 39 -

Large pieces of household waste from “three-nil” buildings should not be disposed of in the bins in the streets. As such, the problem of building residents’ disposal of waste outside their buildings was irrelevant to FEHD’s taking away of the bins in the streets. “Three-nil” buildings had no management offices or OCs to arrange refuse collection services, and their residents often disposed of waste in the streets illegally. The department had educated residents of the “three-nil” buildings concerned, especially those in Tai Kok Tsui. The department had also put up notices outside the buildings to call on their residents to dispose of household waste at their nearby refuse collection points. Moreover, the YTMDO had all along liaised with “three-nil” buildings to encourage them to establish OCs to facilitate the arrangement of private refuse collection services.

(v) The department had reservations about the suggestion for providing large bins in the streets, as it would not only obstruct the streets but also cause environmental nuisance to the nearby shops. In addition, at fly-tipping black spots in Mong Kok, overnight refuse collection services were available. In the long run, the FEHD would have to discuss with the Councillors of the constituencies concerned how to alleviate the waste disposal problem in old areas, especially the areas where many “three-nil” buildings were located.

(vi) Regarding the effectiveness indicators of the Year-end Clean-up, apart from the inspection figures in the target area, the amount of waste collected and the number of rat holes filled up, the department would prepare a report after each phase of the Year-end Clean-up to inform Councillors of the effectiveness of the campaign. Regarding the list requested by Mr Ben LAM, he could provide it after the meeting if necessary.

(vii) The FEHD would certainly step up cleansing, rodent prevention and mosquito disinfestation, especially given the raging infectious disease recently.

(viii) The department would follow up on the suspected rodent problem in the abandoned mahjong club mentioned by Mr CHU Kong-wai.

(ix) The Cheung Wong Road rear lane was privately owned. Nevertheless, in response to Mr CHU Kong-wai’s referral and complaint, the contractor of FEHD’s Cleansing Section had already cleaned up the location and would monitor the situation every day. There was an elderly person collecting a large amount of waste, causing environmental nuisance. The FEHD had contacted her daughter and referred the case to the SWD with a view to handling the problem with a multipronged approach.

200. Mr HUNG Sai-kit responded as follows:

- 40 -

(i) They would work with the Mong Kok District Environmental Hygiene Office.

(ii) Regarding the waste disposal problems at Kimberley Street and Battery Street, the department would step up monitoring and take appropriate follow-up actions as necessary.

(iii) The department would consider Councillors’ views on putting back the bins, and would continue to monitor the changes in the road situation. For public safety reasons, for the time being, the FEHD would continue to place bin bags in the streets or thoroughfares where public events had often taken place, and would step up efforts to empty the bin bags and cleanse the nearby streets. It would also deploy more staff to carry out education and enforcement in the vicinity with a view to maintaining environmental hygiene with a multipronged approach.

201. Ms Suzanne WU referred to the annex to the paper, mentioning that the FEHD would “step up enforcement actions and adopt a policy of zero tolerance against illegal display of bills and posters in the district”. She asked whether the department would take advantage of the Year-end Clean-up to vigorously clear away “Lennon Walls” or the items displayed to express political views in the district; if so, she asked about the guidelines for frontline enforcement officers, whether it would carry out clearance with the Police, and how it could be ensured that no conflicts or quarrels with residents would arise. 202. Mr Lucifer SIU asked whether any street sleepers had been driven away during the past Year-end Clean-up campaigns. 203. Mr LAM Kwan-hau responded as follows:

(i) The “stepped-up enforcement actions” and the “zero tolerance policy” mentioned in the annex to the paper targeted not only the posters displayed to express views but also littering, pigeon-feeding, spitting, etc. Such words purely referred to the stepped-up enforcement efforts. If any posters caused severe environmental hygiene problems, the department would clear them away. When carrying out clearance, frontline officers would certainly not come into conflict with the public or the persons involved, and would work in a safe condition as far as possible.

(ii) The FEHD would carry out routine street sweeping at street sleeper black spots every day but would not drive them away. The department, together with the SWD and the departments concerned, had taken an active part in the major clean-up campaigns coordinated by the YTMDO, where it had mainly provided refuse collection services. The departments concerned would make arrangements for street sleepers as appropriate.

204. The Chairman thanked the representatives of the FEHD for joining the discussion on

- 41 -

this item. Item 11: Impact of Pneumonia in Wuhan on the

Community (YTMDC Paper No. 8/2020)

205. The Chairman said the written response from the FHB (Annex 3) had been annexed to the paper for Councillors’ perusal. He then welcomed Mr Reggie CHENG, Station Services Manager - High Speed Rail, and Ms Stephanie WAI, Assistant Public Relations Manager - External Affairs, of the MTRCL. 206. Mr LEE Wai-fung raised the following views and enquiries: (i) he asked whether the medical room in the Express Rail Link (“XRL”) station was located in the Hong Kong or the Mainland area, and whether there were negative pressure facilities in the medical room for isolation purposes; (ii) he asked if there was a suspected case, whether the person concerned would be placed under surveillance in the surveillance room or conveyed to hospital by ambulance; and (iii) at Hung Hom Station, there were also through trains arriving from the Mainland. He asked about the handling measures at Hung Hom Station. 207. Mr LI Owan asked the MTRCL whether there were any response plans if a large-scale community outbreak of the virus occurred, and whether it would step up cleansing and sanitisation, especially given the high daily ridership and the trains travelling from both the XRL station and Hung Hom Station to the Mainland directly. 208. Mr Isaac HO said as Lunar New Year was around the corner, there would be crowds in stations and trains in the coming two months. He asked the MTRCL whether there were any special measures to cope with the unknown pneumonia during the aforesaid period, and whether there was any schedule for stepped-up cleansing of escalators, train compartments, etc. 209. Mr TSANG Tsz-ming raised the following views and enquiries: (i) diseases might spread as quite a lot of people took MTR trains running through stations in the district. He asked the MTRCL whether it had stepped up cleansing and sanitisation; and (ii) as the Spring Festival travel season in the Mainland was around the corner, there would be more people travelling from the Mainland to Hong Kong by XRL or train. He asked the MTRCL whether it would study with the Mainland authorities imposing compulsory quarantine on arrivals from the Mainland, as well as segregating local and non-local arrivals, particularly at Hung Hom Station. 210. Mr Leslie CHAN raised the following views: (i) he had inspected the XRL station the day before, where he had found that only a few passengers had been wearing masks, and that not all staff of the XRL station, the shops and the contractors had been wearing masks. He considered that the MTRCL should remind them and provide masks for them, as well as stepping up cleansing; (ii) there were no proper masks for sale at the shops, which was inconvenient for

-----

- 42 -

the passengers who would like to buy surgical masks. He considered that the MTRCL should ensure a stable supply of masks for sale at the shops; and (iii) he considered that all arrivals via the XRL station should be quarantined. 211. Mr Ben LAM said his constituency was a high-risk area, with Mong Kok East Station and cross-boundary coach termini, as well as many arrivals from the Mainland every day. He asked the MTRCL whether it would announce new measures to step up the cleansing of train compartments, platforms, escalators and lifts. 212. Ms Natalie TSUI raised the following views: (i) in some places overseas, all arrivals were required to fill in health declaration forms, and the railway companies’ staff would take arrivals’ temperatures on the trains to determine their admittance. As some arrivals might not be willing to disclose whether they were running temperatures, she suggested that MTRCL’s staff take arrivals’ temperatures on the trains to prevent anyone having a temperature from being admitted; and (ii) her constituency was adjacent to the XRL station. If epidemic prevention was unsatisfactory, the virus might enter the community easily, which would be impactful. 213. Mr CHU Kong-wai asked the MTRCL whether there was a mechanism in response to different epidemic levels, and how the mechanism could be discussed and revised by other parties. 214. Mr LEE Wai-fung asked the MTRCL for how many days its stock of protection equipment was sufficient for consumption by all frontline staff. 215. Ms Stephanie WAI responded as follows:

(i) The MTRCL was responsible for operating and managing Hong Kong West Kowloon Station. For this incident, it had stepped up cleansing of stations and made efforts to facilitate the Government’s prevention and quarantine work at boundary control points. Regarding the questions involving the exact purviews of other government departments, she hoped Councillors would understand that she might not be able to answer all of them, given that there might not be sufficient information at the moment, or that it would be more suitable for the government departments concerned to respond to the Councillors’ questions.

(ii) The MTRCL was highly concerned about the developments of this incident, as well as the safety of passengers and the cleanliness of stations. It had put in place a risk assessment mechanism to determine and take measures according to the situation of Hong Kong West Kowloon Station in compliance with the cleansing procedures and measures under the Centre for Health Protection’s guidelines, such as cleansing and sanitising station facilities and train compartments as necessary.

- 43 -

(iii) The DH had installed temperature-taking equipment at all stations connected to boundary control points, namely Hong Kong West Kowloon, Lo Wu, Lok Ma Chau and Airport Stations, to screen arrivals’ temperatures.

(iv) In view of the novel pneumonia in Wuhan, sanitisation was underway at Hong Kong West Kowloon Station, in the XRL train compartments managed by the MTRCL, as well as in stations and on trains across MTRCL’s network, including more frequent cleansing of train compartments and station facilities with 1:99 diluted bleach, particularly the objects often touched by passengers, such as escalators, lifts and ticket machines. Regarding the XRL trains arriving at Hong Kong West Kowloon Station from the Mainland via Wuhan, the MTRCL would step up cleansing of the objects often touched by arrivals with 1:49 diluted bleach, such as escalators and lifts. The MTRCL had provided hand sanitisers and masks on the platforms concerned for consumption by any passengers in need. Moreover, the MTRCL would from time to time make announcements and put up posters in stations and across its network to remind passengers to pay attention to personal hygiene and seek medical attention if they developed any symptoms. The MTRCL had reminded its station staff to pay attention to personal hygiene and health at all times, and would provide masks for its frontline staff.

(v) MTRCL’s stock of masks was currently sufficient for consumption by its staff and shops, but no exact figure was available. Subject to the developments of the incident, they would continue to draw up feasible measures to enhance the cleanliness of stations with the government departments as well as the high speed rail-related authorities in the Mainland.

216. Mr Reggie CHENG responded as follows:

(i) There was an isolation room in the office managed by the DH in the Hong Kong Port Area, which would be used by the MTRCL according to the department’s instruction. It was equipped with negative pressure facilities for isolating suspected patients to prevent the spread of the disease. It would be more suitable for the DH to respond to matters including whether suspected patients should be isolated or hospitalised for further surveillance. The MTRCL would provide as much assistance as possible according to the department’s instruction.

(ii) In view of increasing passenger flows in stations during Lunar New Year, in addition to Hong Kong West Kowloon Station, the MTRCL would also enhance the cleanliness of its entire network, particularly the objects often touched by passengers, such as handrails and lifts. The MTRCL would specially step up the cleansing of Hong Kong West Kowloon Station, depending on the situation. Apart from cleansing the objects easily and often touched by passengers, such as handrails, lifts, toilets and ticket gates, with 1:99 diluted bleach, the two trains

- 44 -

arriving in Hong Kong via Wuhan every day would be cleansed with 1:49 diluted bleach.

(iii) The MTRCL had made coordination arrangements and put in place a mechanism with the DH for drawing up measures in response to different epidemic levels of the Government, such as enhancing coordination with the cleansing company as well as deciding cleansing locations and intervals. In addition, the MTRCL had asked its staff to take their temperatures before work.

217. Mr CHU Kong-wai asked the Government how severe the current epidemic was considered, and asked the MTRCL whether there were any measures in response. 218. Mr Ben LAM asked the MTRCL about the details of the stepped-up cleansing, such as the cleansing frequency. 219. Ms Stephanie WAI responded that according to her understanding, the Government’s epidemic level had been adjusted this day. The MTRCL needed more time to learn about the coping measures in detail, and would take follow-up actions and provide supplementary information after the meeting where necessary. (The Vice-chairman left the meeting at 7:10 p.m.) 220. Mr Reggie CHENG responded as follows:

(i) Co-location was implemented in Hong Kong West Kowloon Station. Passengers’ temperatures were taken as they passed through both the Mainland and the Hong Kong Port Areas. The MTRCL had held discussions with the DH. The department’s staff would take all arrivals’ temperatures on the trains arriving in Hong Kong via Wuhan with handheld thermometers.

(ii) MTRCL’s cleansing frequency of the facilities concerned would be enhanced from once every four hours to once every two hours.

221. Mr LEE Wai-fung recalled that in the past, passengers at Hung Hom Station had queued for temperature-taking only when arriving at the through train platforms. He asked about the current handling measures at Hung Hom Station, and whether there were any negative pressure rooms and isolation rooms. He hoped that the MTRCL would provide a written response after the meeting if it could not respond at the moment. 222. Mr CHU Kong-wai again asked the MTRCL whether it could provide a written response to the handling mechanism in response to the current epidemic level and the details, as well as the coping measures in response to different epidemic levels.

- 45 -

223. Ms Stephanie WAI responded as follows:

(i) As the Government had just announced the adjusted epidemic level this day, she would provide supplementary information, if available, in writing for Councillors after the meeting and inform the public and the persons concerned through established channels.

(ii) Regarding the quarantine procedures at Hung Hom Station, quarantine for the purpose of disease prevention was primarily led by the government departments concerned. MTRCL’s role was to facilitate the Government’s epidemic prevention measures as far as possible. As such, it would be more suitable for the government departments concerned to provide information on the quarantine procedures regarding passengers arriving at/departing from Hung Hom Station.

224. The Chairman thanked the representatives of the MTRCL for joining the discussion on this item. (Post-meeting note: On 14 January and 12 February 2020, the FHB and the MTRCL provided,

via email, supplementary information on the above paper (Annexes 4 and 5), which were forwarded to Councillors by the Secretariat on the same day, respectively.)

Date of Next Meeting 225. The Chairman proposed holding the in-house meeting of the YTMDC on 14 January 2020 (Tuesday) at 10 a.m. to discuss YTMDC’s operational arrangements. The Secretariat was preparing relevant papers, which would be emailed to Councillors later for their perusal. In addition, he proposed holding the 2nd YTMDC meeting on 21 January 2020 (Tuesday) at 2:30 p.m. to discuss the formation of committees, working groups and organising committees under the YTMDC, as well as other papers that were urgent. 226. The Chairman said the agenda of the in-house meeting was lengthy, and proposed early commencement of the meeting at 9:30 a.m. There was no objection. 227. Mr Lucifer SIU asked whether he had to take leave if he could not join the meeting. 228. The Chairman responded that he did not have to do so, as the in-house meeting was not a formal meeting, and attendance would not be taken. 229. Mr LI Owan said he had to join the meeting of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University Council on 21 January 2020 at 2:30 p.m., and asked other Councillors if they minded early commencement of the 2nd YTMDC meeting in the morning.

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- 46 -

230. The Chairman proposed holding the 2nd YTMDC meeting at 10 a.m. There was noobjection.

231. Mr Leslie CHAN said as 21 January was close to Lunar New Year’s Eve, Councillorsmight have to set up street booths in the morning and attend district activities in the evening.As such, he agreed with early commencement of the meeting at 10 a.m.

232. The Chairman said the time of future YTMDC meetings should be further discussed.

233. Mr LEE Wai-fung said he would have got to participate in a routine activity on themorning of 21 January. However, he could reschedule it if Councillors agreed that all futuremeetings of the YTMDC and its committees would commence in the morning.

234. The Chairman said the time of future YTMDC meetings could be further discussed.He preferred having meetings on Tuesday afternoons.

235. The Chairman said that under the Standing Orders, any Councillor who would like tobring forward a matter for discussion at a meeting should submit a notice and the relevant paperto the Secretariat 10 clear working days beforehand, while the Chairman could allow a shorternotice period if he thought it fit. He proposed extending the paper submission deadline of the2nd meeting to 12 noon on 9 January. He asked Councillors whether they agreed with the abovearrangements.

236. Mr Leslie CHAN said some Councillors would soon be leaving for Taiwan to watch theelection, and thus proposed extending the paper submission deadline to 13 January.

237. The Secretary responded that the agenda of the meeting should be uploaded toYTMDC’s website five clear working days beforehand, i.e. 13 January.

238. Mr Leslie CHAN repeated that some Councillors would soon be leaving for Taiwan towatch the election, and worried that the paper submission deadline would be too tight.

239. The Chairman proposed extending the paper submission deadline to 12 noon on 10January. There was no objection.

240. The Chairman concluded that the in-house meeting would be held on 14 January(Tuesday) at 9:30 a.m., and the 2nd YTMDC meeting on 21 January (Tuesday) at 10 a.m., withthe paper submission deadline being 12 noon on 10 January. There being no other business, heclosed the meeting at 7:27 p.m.

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Yau Tsim Mong District Council Secretariat January 2020

Annex 1Only Chinese version is available

haduser

文字方塊

Annex 2Only Chinese version is available

Annex 3Only Chinese version is available

Annex 4Only Chinese version is available

嚴重新型傳染性病原體呼吸系統病的最新情況

自2019年12月31日起，衞生署衞生防護中心共接獲54宗懷疑個案，而患者最近曾到訪湖北省武

漢巿(截至2020年1月10日中午12時)。

個案詳情如下：

個案

編號

接 獲 報 告

日期

性別 年齡 報告來源 入住醫院名稱 陽性化驗結果 患者

狀況

1 31/12/2019 女 37 醫院管理局 屯門醫院 -- 出院

2 02/01/2020 男 14 醫院管理局 雅麗氏何妙齡

那打素醫院

甲型(H3)流感

病毒

出院

3 02/01/2020 男 44 醫院管理局 瑪嘉烈醫院 -- 出院

4 02/01/2020 女 12 醫院管理局 瑪嘉烈醫院 甲型(H3)流感

病毒

出院

5 03/01/2020 女 41 醫院管理局 瑪嘉烈醫院 甲型(H3)流感

病毒

出院

6 03/01/2020 男 50 醫院管理局 將軍澳醫院 甲型(H1)流感

病毒

出院

7 03/01/2020 女 4 醫院管理局 屯門醫院 人類鼻病毒/

腸病毒

出院

8 04/01/2020 女 46 醫院管理局 威爾斯親王醫

院

甲型(H3)流感

病毒

出院

9 04/01/2020 男 32 醫院管理局 瑪嘉烈醫院 甲型(H1)流感

病毒

出院

10 04/01/2020 男 45 醫院管理局 將軍澳醫院 -- 出院

11 04/01/2020 女 42 醫院管理局 伊利沙伯醫院 甲型(H3)流感

病毒

出院

12 04/01/2020 男 22 醫院管理局 伊利沙伯醫院 -- 出院

13 04/01/2020 男 55 醫院管理局 伊利沙伯醫院 副流感病毒1

型

出院

個案

編號

接 獲 報 告

日期

性別 年齡 報告來源 入住醫院名稱 陽性化驗結果 患者

狀況

14 05/01/2020 女 45 醫院管理局 律敦治醫院 -- 出院

15 05/01/2020 女 2 醫院管理局 瑪嘉烈醫院 冠狀病毒229E

和呼吸道合胞

病毒

出院

16 05/01/2020 男 9 私家醫生* 基督教聯合醫

院

呼吸道合胞病

毒

出院

17 05/01/2020 男 2 醫院管理局 伊利沙伯醫院 人類偏肺病毒 出院

18 05/01/2020 男 65 醫院管理局 伊利沙伯醫院 甲型(H3)流感

病毒

出院

19 05/01/2020 女 5 醫院管理局 雅麗氏何妙齡

那打素醫院

呼吸道合胞病

毒

出院

20 05/01/2020 女 20 醫院管理局 威爾斯親王醫

院

腺病毒和冠狀

病毒OC43

出院

21 06/01/2020 女 41 醫院管理局 屯門醫院 人類鼻病毒/

腸病毒

住院

22 06/01/2020 男 8 私家醫院* 東區尤德夫人

那打素醫院

冠狀病毒229E

和乙型流感病

毒

出院

23 06/01/2020 男 32 醫院管理局 仁濟醫院 人類鼻病毒/

腸病毒

出院

24 06/01/2020 女 6 私家醫院* 伊利沙伯醫院 -- 出院

25 06/01/2020 女 16 醫院管理局 威爾斯親王醫

院

甲型(H3)流感

病毒

出院

26 06/01/2020 男 8 私家醫院* 威爾斯親王醫

院

-- 出院

27 07/01/2020 男 14 醫院管理局 雅麗氏何妙齡

那打素醫院

-- 住院

28 07/01/2020 女 33 醫院管理局 伊利沙伯醫院 -- 住院

個案

編號

接 獲 報 告

日期

性別 年齡 報告來源 入住醫院名稱 陽性化驗結果 患者

狀況

29 07/01/2020 男 49 私家醫院* 伊利沙伯醫院 腺病毒和人類

鼻病毒/腸病

毒

出院

30 07/01/2020 女 10 醫院管理局 雅麗氏何妙齡

那打素醫院

-- 住院

31 07/01/2020 女 3 醫院管理局 屯門醫院 -- 出院

32 07/01/2020 女 15 醫院管理局 屯門醫院 -- 住院

33 07/01/2020 女 10 醫院管理局 明愛醫院 -- 住院

34 07/01/2020 女 27 醫院管理局 律敦治醫院 甲型(H1)流感

病毒

住院

35 07/01/2020 女 10 醫院管理局 威爾斯親王醫

院

甲型(H3)流感

病毒

住院

36 07/01/2020 女 28 私家醫生* 伊利沙伯醫院 -- 出院

37 08/01/2020 女 6 私家醫院* 瑪嘉烈醫院 人類偏肺病毒 住院

38 08/01/2020 男 61 醫院管理局 威爾斯親王醫

院

甲型(H1)流感

病毒

住院

39 08/01/2020 男 2 醫院管理局 瑪嘉烈醫院 腺病毒和冠狀

病毒 HKU1

住院

40 08/01/2020 男 20 私家醫生* 伊利沙伯醫院 甲型(H3)流感

病毒

住院

41 08/01/2020 女 11 個

月

醫院管理局 明愛醫院 -- 住院

42 08/01/2020 女 7 醫院管理局 威爾斯親王醫

院

腺病毒和甲型

(H1)流感病毒

住院

43 08/01/2020 女 28 私家醫生* 瑪麗醫院 人類鼻病毒/

腸病毒

住院

44 08/01/2020 女 13 醫院管理局 屯門醫院 人類鼻病毒/

腸病毒

住院

45 09/01/2020 女 26 醫院管理局 廣華醫院 甲型(H1)流感

病毒

住院

46 09/01/2020 男 1 醫院管理局 將軍澳醫院 腺病毒 出院

47 09/01/2020 男 66 醫院管理局 伊利沙伯醫院 腺病毒和人類 住院

個案

編號

接 獲 報 告

日期

性別 年齡 報告來源 入住醫院名稱 陽性化驗結果 患者

狀況

鼻病毒/腸病

毒

48 09/01/2020 男 6 醫院管理局 將軍澳醫院 人類鼻病毒/

腸病毒，甲型

(H3)流感病毒

和副流感病毒

4型

住院

49 09/01/2020 女 39 醫院管理局 瑪麗醫院 -- 住院

50 10/01/2020 女 3 醫院管理局 將軍澳醫院 人類鼻病毒/

腸病毒

住院

51 10/01/2020 男 4 醫院管理局 基督教聯合醫

院

腺病毒 住院

52 10/01/2020 女 34 醫院管理局 將軍澳醫院 人類鼻病毒/

腸病毒和甲型

(H3)流感病毒

住院

53 10/01/2020 女 28 醫院管理局 瑪嘉烈醫院 人類鼻病毒/

腸病毒

住院

54 10/01/2020 女 3 私家醫生* 將軍澳醫院 -- 住院

備註：

1. 過去24小時內呈報的新個案在白色格中。

2. 2019年12月31日至2020年1月7日的懷疑個案是在加強監測系統下呈報。

3. 「嚴重新型傳染性病原體呼吸系統病」納入為法定須呈報的傳染病，於 2020 年 1 月 8 日生

效。此日及之後呈報的個案，列為「嚴重新型傳染性病原體呼吸系統病」的懷疑個案。

4. *醫院管理局亦有呈報同一個案。

(最後更新於 2020年 1月 10日)

Annex 5Only Chinese version is available