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The Director of Electrical and Mechanical Services, Mr Leung Cham-tim, said today (June 24) that the level of lift and escalator safety awareness among young people was encouraging, but there was a need for the Government and the private sector to further enhance public education on this front.

Speaking at a prize presentation ceremony of the Lift and Escalator Safety Cartoon Drawing Competition in Plaza Hollywood, Mr Leung said:

"We were impressed by both the quantity and quality of entries, and the level of understanding of the safety issues as expressed in the cartoons."

He said the cartoon competition had helped raise the public awareness of the safe use of lifts and escalators, particularly among students.

"However, there is no room for complacency and it is important that both the Government and the community should continue to educate everyone in Hong Kong on the safe use of lifts and escalators," Mr Leung noted.

The cartoon competition, launched in May to promote lift and escalator safety, was jointly organised by the Hong Kong Airport Authority, Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, Hong Kong Housing Authority, Lift and Escalator Contractors Association, the Kowloon-Canton Railyway Corporation, the MTR Corporation, RTHK, and the Hong Kong Association of Property Management Companies.

A total of 39 winners were chosen by a panel of judges representing the organisations, led by famous cartoonist Ms Mak Ka-pik and Mr Alex Fung of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

The cartoon competition is part of a territory-wide campaign to promote the safe use of lifts and escalators in Hong Kong. Each organiser will launch its own safety campaigns in the next few months.

After the prize presentation ceremony, there was a fun-filled safety carnival with games booths and live performance by pop singers including Cindy Au, Candy Lo, Stephanie Chea and Hacken Lee.

The show was broadcast live on RTHK Radio 2. Winners' cartoon drawings were also displayed at the venue.

End/Saturday, June 24, 2000

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