I was very upset to read of the death of Kwok Chun-keung at the new Tsing Yi Swimming Pool.
As a father of small children it is sobering to read how easily such accidents occur.
However, as a designer of public spaces I was appalled by the Coroner David Thomas's suggestion at the inquest (South China Morning Post, May 16) that the barriers may have been inadequate to prevent such an occurrence.
The sad fact is that anything deeper than 15 millimetres of water is dangerous to someone, a tree planted to shade a playground is an accident waiting to happen and anything with wheels on it is a public liability.
So what are we to do? Destroy the quality of our lives entirely? A coroner holds an enormously important position in our society and I would have hoped Mr Thomas might have understood that even with the best will in the world, accidents can happen where there is no blame to be attached and without it being necessary to find a scapegoat.
It is not essential for there to be guilt in order to grieve.
