Hong Kong police chief defends attendance at Omicron-hit birthday bash, cites importance of community engagement
- Police chief Raymond Siu says presence at Witman Hung’s birthday bash was for sake of meeting important stakeholders and community leaders
- Commissioner refuses to go into details of party activities but apologises once again for event’s additional burden on society
Hong Kong’s police chief on Thursday said his attendance at an Omicron-hit birthday bash that landed several senior officials in quarantine earlier this month was part of efforts to engage with the community and meet important stakeholders.
Commissioner of Police Raymond Siu Chak-yee made the remarks at his first public appearance since he completed his two weeks of home isolation and returned to work on Monday.
Siu refused to go into any detail of his activities at the party or during his quarantine, amid an ongoing internal investigation. But the police chief apologised once again for creating an additional burden on society.
“I and my colleagues will try our best to avoid unnecessary social gatherings as long as the pandemic is not yet under control,” he said.
Siu mentioned that party host and birthday boy Witman Hung Wai-man, a delegate to the national legislature, had a long working relationship with the force as a member of the Hong Kong Road Safety Patrol for more than 25 years, including five as the head of the group.
The commissioner said the force had adopted the strategy of community engagement for more than 20 years, meeting with local leaders and members of the public to strengthen communication and spread crime prevention messages.
