A two-day cleanup campaign to prevent the spread of Sars ended yesterday with thousands more people rolling up their sleeves - and a government minister finding himself at the sharp end of public opinion.
Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa visited a school in Kwun Tong, one of 50 across Hong Kong where teachers, parents and pupils cleaned classrooms.
Secretary for Home Affairs Patrick Ho Chi-ping cleaned railings in a street in Tung Chung and visited the backstairs of a Mongkok building.
Stephen Lam Sui-lung, Secretary for Constitutional Affairs, cleaned seats at a cinema in Whampoa but found himself berated by onlookers and accused of 'doing it for show'.
Responding to the criticism, Mr Lam said: 'They have the right to express their opinions ... They have their own point of view.'
The cleanup was a combination of a government campaign and Operation Unite, a drive led by the private sector.