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Following is a question by the Hon Fred Li Wah-ming and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr York Chow, in the Legislative Council today (November 15):
Question:
As Hong Kong has a relatively small amount of land to accommodate a large population, the niches provided by the Government have all along been in short supply. However, a recent attempt by a local organisation to hold sea burials in Hong Kong waters has come to no avail, as the procedures involved are too cumbersome. In order to effectively address the demand of the public in this regard, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) whether any organisations have applied for holding sea burials in Hong Kong waters in the past; if so, of the number of such applications and the number of those approved in each of the past three years;
(b) of the application procedures for the holding of sea burials; and
(c) whether it will adopt measures to promote sea burial, including streamlining the application mechanism and identifying suitable locations for holding sea burials, so as to alleviate the shortage of niches?
Reply:
Madam President,
(a) The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) accepts applications for sea burials in Hong Kong waters but this only confines to sea burial of cremated ashes. In the past three years, FEHD received two such applications. They were however not approved after consultation with the relevant government departments, including Marine Department, Environmental Protection Department, Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, Home Affairs Department, Leisure and Cultural Services Department and Water Supplies Department. The reasons for objection include: the proposed places were too close to beaches, situated at inner harbour waterways or marine fish culture zones, or there might be objections from local residents. Nevertheless, applicants could still choose to arrange sea burials on the high seas.
(b) Applications for sea burials in Hong Kong waters should be submitted to FEHD with details such as the date, time and place of the sea burial, and particulars of the deceased, etc. Upon receipt of the application, FEHD will consult the relevant government departments to decide whether it can be approved.
(c) We understand that some members of the public would like to respect the wish of the deceased to dispose the cremated ashes by other proper means. The arrangement would help relieve the niche shortage problem. We are exploring with the relevant government departments to designate suitable areas in Hong Kong waters for sea burials and put in place a well devised application mechanism with clear approval criteria and conditions.
Ends/Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Issued at HKT 13:21
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