Home Affairs Bureau concerns about free-rice gifting
incident
***************************************************** The Secretary for Home Affairs, Dr Patrick Ho, expressed his deep condolences to the family of an old lady who fell and died at a free-rice distribution site in Tsim Sha Tsui this morning (September 2).
He said that the District Office had contacted the victimˇ¦s family to offer assistance.
Dr Ho added that free-rice gifting during the Hungry Ghost Festival is a traditional social custom with historical religious background and cultural meaning and the distribution activities usually held in special ritual. He emphasised that organisers should ensure public safety when they give away free rice to the beneficiaries in the traditional way.
He will meet with some 60 organising parties, and he welcomes public views, on the long-term arrangement of free rice distribution. He said that the Police, the Social Welfare Department and the Home Affairs Department will further discuss the existing arrangements and the Government will step up the co-ordination of the free rice distribution activities today and tomorrow.
In view of the recent incidents, Dr Ho said he would discuss with the organisers the way forward in three main directions: (1) keep the existing way of free rice distribution with enhanced safety measures; (2) ban the free rice distribution activities; and(3) modernise the way of distribution while maintaining this social custom.
END
incident
***************************************************** The Secretary for Home Affairs, Dr Patrick Ho, expressed his deep condolences to the family of an old lady who fell and died at a free-rice distribution site in Tsim Sha Tsui this morning (September 2).
He said that the District Office had contacted the victimˇ¦s family to offer assistance.
Dr Ho added that free-rice gifting during the Hungry Ghost Festival is a traditional social custom with historical religious background and cultural meaning and the distribution activities usually held in special ritual. He emphasised that organisers should ensure public safety when they give away free rice to the beneficiaries in the traditional way.
He will meet with some 60 organising parties, and he welcomes public views, on the long-term arrangement of free rice distribution. He said that the Police, the Social Welfare Department and the Home Affairs Department will further discuss the existing arrangements and the Government will step up the co-ordination of the free rice distribution activities today and tomorrow.
In view of the recent incidents, Dr Ho said he would discuss with the organisers the way forward in three main directions: (1) keep the existing way of free rice distribution with enhanced safety measures; (2) ban the free rice distribution activities; and(3) modernise the way of distribution while maintaining this social custom.
END
Ends/Friday, September 2, 2005
Issued at HKT 18:15
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