Enforcing life jacket laws on Lamma disaster ferry ‘not my responsibility’, marine official tells Hong Kong court
Marine Department assistant director So Ping-chi, charged with misconduct in public office, denies direct role in enforcing new safety legislation
A senior official linked to the 2012 Lamma ferry collision that cost 39 lives denied on Wednesday he was directly involved in enforcing a ship safety law concerning life jackets.
Marine Department assistant director So Ping-chi, who is charged with one count of misconduct in public office, told the District Court he was a principal surveyor of ships between April 2007 and March 2013.
So was accused of telling subordinates they were not required to enforce a new law to ensure there were enough life jackets on passenger vessels during the period.
“I didn’t think I was a subject of investigation at that time,” said So, in response to queries about the information he provided when the government carried out an internal probe into the disaster in 2013.
Nor did he feel he was a finger-pointing target when one of his subordinates mentioned in an official inquiry that the senior official instructed them to ignore the law.
At that time, the department thought the shipping industry should be given a grace period, allowing the sector to adapt to regulatory change, So explained.