MTR staff issued social media warning after CY Leung ‘D689’ Facebook post
MTR staff told to share company-related information online in a “responsible” manner after a photograph of a train carriage bearing the number ”D689” was shared on Facebook.
MTR staff have been warned to share company-related information online in a “responsible” manner after a photograph of a train carriage bearing the number ”D689” – seen as a vulgar reference to Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying – was shared on social media.
The photo was uploaded to the MTR Service Update Facebook group on Monday. It quickly followed another photo of a runners’ T-shirt with the Hong Kong Marathon entrant number “D7689” posted on sportswear company Puma’s official Facebook page.
The MTR Service Update group, which has more than 26,000 “likes”, is reportedly managed by railway personnel and passengers, who share news of delays and disruptions to train services on the Facebook page and a Twitter account.
The latest photo showed the number “D689” printed on the interiors of a train compartment. In a message attached to the photo, the group said the “D” in “D689” meant the train was an unpowered carriage which needed to be pulled by other carriages.
“D” and “D7” sound similar to a vulgar Cantonese expression and are often used by local internet users.
The post had been liked more than 7,800 times as of Thursday afternoon.
Leung’s critics call him “689” – in reference to the number of votes he got from the 1,200-strong election committee at the 2012 chief executive election – to highlight his lack of a popular mandate to lead the city.
On Thursday, a copy of what was purportedly a letter sent to MTR staff by management was uploaded to the MTR Service Update group’s Facebook page.
In the letter, dated Tuesday, the sender reminded staff to share company-related information responsibly.
“The company understands the need for staff to use online platforms and instant messaging tools in their private life,” the letter said.
”But the company reminds all staff that they must be responsible … and pay due respect and consideration to the interests of the company, staff and shareholders,” it said.
The sender also asked staff to mark their comments as “personal views” if the content “concerns operations of the company, its contractors or agents”.
It said this was to avoid giving an impression that such messages were delivered on the company’s behalf.
An MTR spokesman said on Thursday that staff media protocols applying to areas such as interviews had been in place for a long time but did not cover social media and instant messaging tools.
“It has nothing to do with any individual cases. We aim to remind staff that they should also follow the procedures when using these new media because these media have become more popular recently,” the spokesman said.
“The aim is to ensure information dissimilated by staff members is accurate."