Performance for July 1 reception cancelled, CY Leung says in wake of deaths of two Hong Kong firemen
Lawmakers from across political spectrum had urged government to scale down celebration of 19th anniversary of 1997 handover
There will be no performance at the annual reception on Friday commemorating Hong Kong’s reunification with China, the city’s top official said in the wake of a deadly fire which killed two firefighters last week.
Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying was speaking before the Executive Council’s weekly meeting, a day after lawmakers from across the political spectrum urged the government to scale down the celebration of the 19th anniversary of the 1997 handover. They said the reception was “not needed”.
On July 1 last year, there was a singing performance at the annual reception. But Leung said it would not happen this year.
“We will cancel the performance at the reception, and I will not attend any celebration hosted by civic organisations on that day,” Leung added.
“We will also mourn our deceased colleagues on different occasions in different ways.”