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Following is the transcript of remarks by the Chief Executive, Mr C Y Leung, at a media session at the ground floor lobby of the Office of the Chief Executive at Tamar, this afternoon (April 30):
The collision of vessels near Lamma Island on October 1 last year led to substantial casualties. I, the entire Government and indeed the general public are deeply saddened. In view of the seriousness of the incident, I proposed on the day after the collision to set up an independent Commission of Inquiry to investigate into the incident. After six months of work, the Commission submitted its report to me on April 19.
The two coxswains involved in the incident have already been charged with manslaughter. In view of the pending criminal legal proceedings, the Government should not affect the two coxswains' rights to have a fair trial. After seeking legal advice, the Government has decided not to release for the time being those parts of the report concerning the responsibilities of the two coxswains until the final conclusion of the criminal legal proceedings.
We have completed the redaction of the report and will release it right away. The Secretary for Transport and Housing and the Director of Marine will hold a press conference at 4pm today to give an account of the Commission's views on the cause of the incident, its assessment of shipping and marine safety control system as well as proposed measures to prevent recurrence of similar incidents in future. They will also explain in detail the follow-up actions.
After in-depth and comprehensive investigations and hearings, the report sets out the Commission's views on the causes of the collision, analyses the causes of rapid sinking of the vessel and substantial casualty, and recommends measures to prevent similar incidents. The report also points out that the Marine Department has serious problems in the control on local passenger carrying vessels for a long time. As the Government of the day, we will take this matter seriously and will seek to rectify them. We must learn the lesson and spare no efforts in making fundamental improvements and reforms to ensure marine safety and restore public confidence.
Following the incident last October, the Transport and Housing Bureau, together with the Marine Department, have immediately set out and taken steps to implement improvement and remedial measures to ensure the safety of passengers and vessels. Upon receiving the Commission's report, I have instructed the Secretary for Transport and Housing and the Director of Marine to continue with the comprehensive and in-depth examination of the existing controls on marine safety, vessel structure and safety equipment to ensure the full and effective implementation of improvement measures. I have also asked the bureau and department concerned to follow up on the recommendations of the Commission promptly. Should there be any maladministration or human error found, the Government will deal with it in an impartial and serious manner, including commencing disciplinary hearings.
Here I would like to thank the Chairman and Commissioner, the Honourable Mr Justice Michael Victor Lunn, and Commissioner, Mr Benjamin Tang Kwok-bun, for their hard work, and the expert witnesses for their views and recommendations. I must also thank the passengers involved in the incident who, despite their grief, assisted in the investigations by attending the inquiry as witnesses.
I also take this opportunity to commend all those who took part in the rescue operations on the day of the incident and express my admiration of them.
Lastly, I now announce that this year's fireworks display on National Day will be suspended for one year.
Ends/Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Issued at HKT 15:26
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