Q Should the Sai Kung waterfront be turned into a pedestrian area?
With regard to Julie Beekman's sceptical and somewhat sarcastic question as to whether Sai Kung is 'a den of iniquity' (published on Saturday), the answer is yes. For reasons that are not clear to me, Ms Beekman seems determined to brand the triad activity as merely alleged when it is a matter of blatant fact.
Sai Kung is also a den of inequality. It is a matter of fact that the restaurants on the seafront which actively encourage the triad activity, are, as stated by a previous correspondent, operating illegal and unlicensed upstairs seating that does not meet safety regulations. Sai Kung is a den of inequality because other food and beverage establishments with similar upstairs seating are not allowed to utilise these areas for business. I can also vouch from personal experience that minor breaches in regulations are indeed pursued with vigour.
If any seafront restaurant owners and minibus operators are related to members of the Sai Kung District Council then it is surely in the public interest for this matter to be investigated by the ICAC, as suggested.
I can assure Ms Beekman that no smokescreen is being created 'to camouflage a simmering feud between rival interests'. My wife is the owner of a licensed establishment in Sai Kung and neither she nor I are feuding with the seafront restaurants.
However, my wife's business would certainly benefit from a pedestrianised town centre. And as a Sai Kung resident, I would like to enjoy a more pleasant environment.
