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Following is a transcript (English portion) of remarks made by the Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr York Chow, at a media session after officiating at the Topping-out Ceremony for the Social Welfare Department's Tuen Mun Children and Juvenile Home today (February 20):
Reporter: Dr Chow, now that some villagers are planning to seek a judicial review against the ban on backyard poultry and they may be planning more protests, why are you not considering any compensation?
Dr Chow: I think we have explained very clearly that the objective of the emergency legislation is to protect the health and also the safety of Hong Kong people. We have already given five days for the public to handle their own poultry. In fact, lots of poultry owners have handled it very well. In the past few days, we did not actually find that many people who still held poultry at home.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
Ends/Monday, February 20, 2006
Issued at HKT 17:55
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