Mr Hong Kong winner takes all amid protests
William Chak Wai-lim, 25, a translator who ran second in the Mr Asia Contest in 2005, was named Mr Hong Kong last night and scooped another four prizes, all those on offer, amid protests from concern groups.
The TVB-organised Mr Hong Kong Contest came under fire from groups concerned about gender equality. They said the programme breached the sexual discrimination ordinance by not allowing male spectators and judges.
Last year, protesters were especially outraged by contestants parading in swimwear, during which contestants showed off their wet torsos while excited women were allowed to paw them.
About 10 people from three concern groups, all male, staged a protest outside TVB's TVB City base in Tseung Kwan O before the pageant began last night.
Lai Ho-wah, president of the Parents for the Family Association, one of the three concern groups, said the group had lodged a complaint with the Equal Opportunities Commission. 'We are not complaining about the programme itself. We just want it to be better organised,' he said.
He had asked the broadcaster for tickets for the past three years, but had received none.
The audience for the contest yesterday was women only. But this year, women were no longer allowed to have body contact with the contestants during the swimwear session. Lai said he felt better with such an arrangement. 'This shows that the programme is making progress because we are giving TVB pressure,' he said.
A TVB spokesman said it had offered 10 tickets to the groups to enable them to watch a live broadcast in Olympic City shopping centre, but the offer had been rejected.
Lai said what activists wanted was that any male in the city be allowed to attend the event, not just watch it on television.
The TVB spokesman said the company had kept in close contact with the protest groups and had not ruled out opening the contest to male spectators next year.
