A columbarium concern group staged a rally yesterday calling for a better licensing system and clarification of whether ashes are the same as human remains, ahead of the issue's discussion in Legco tomorrow.
More than 40 villagers held a forum at Statue Square in the afternoon before marching to the Central Government Offices. The group said the government had not adequately managed the recent growth of private columbariums in the city.
Eddie Tse Sai-kit, a spokesman for the group, criticised the lack of supervision over the location and fire safety provisions of private columbariums. The group called for a better licensing system and a ban on columbariums that do not meet requirements.
Civic Party lawmaker Tanya Chan said it would become increasingly difficult for the government to move private columbariums as more people in the city bought urn niches from them. She called for swift legislation on the issue.
Tse criticised the government's solution of allowing illegal columbariums to change their land use status so that they met requirements.
'They should not have been allowed to build them at all,' he said. 'This is like encouraging businessmen to take advantage wherever they possibly can.'
