Clean-up campaign to target domestic helpers
DOMESTIC helpers will be asked to help clean up Statue Square, Central, as part of the new Keep Hong Kong Clean Campaign.
The 120,000 domestic helpers are one of the groups to be targeted in the campaign which will also focus on young people and public housing tenants.
The vice-chairman of the campaign's steering committee, Joseph Chan Yuek-sut, said: 'It is not discrimination. If you work and live in Hong Kong, you should also bear the duties of a Hong Kong resident.' He said the committee, which comprises members of the two municipal councils, would target other groups in future.
Competitions and educational programmes will be held this year.
The Philippine Consulate General will co-organise activities for domestic helpers, which will include the Statue Square clean-up and a variety shows by Filipinos in Kowloon Park.
Assistant Director of the Regional Services Department Lai Kwok-tung said that officials were still working out details of the clean-up campaign but he hoped thousands of workers would participate.
He said while there had been complaints about the cleanliness of Statue Square on Sundays, the situation had improved after publicity campaigns.
Subvention to district boards for related activities will increase from $70,000 to $80,000, and more than $400,000 will be used to provide 12 phone lines for stories for children on keeping Hong Kong clean.
Figures released yesterday saw the number of people convicted of littering dropping to 8,347 cases for the first three months this year, from 9,691 in the same period a year ago.
