MTR chief Jacob Kam takes heat for plan to use Gurkhas as railway enforcers because they do not know Cantonese curse words
- CEO Kam says Nepalese workers would be able to ignore Cantonese swear words, taunts and foul language – meaning fewer conflicts
- But rights activists recoil, one calls Kam’s comments ‘discrimination right down to the bones’
A top Hong Kong railway official has come under fire for saying he plans to hire Gurkhas to handle fare evasions and other infractions because they do not understand foul language in Cantonese.
Jacob Kam Chak-pui, the chief executive officer of the MTR Corporation, said in an interview on Friday that Nepalese workers might react less to verbal abuse because of the language barrier and he was planning to include them on a task force to enforce railway regulations.
Kam doubled down on his comments in a television interview on Sunday morning, and said the rail operator planned to hire a 200-strong security force, made up of former Gurkhas and others with security backgrounds, to act as enforcers on the city’s railway network.
“The security team assists our colleagues in providing services, including the implementation of MTR by-laws,” he said. “For example, the Gurkha colleagues’ security work experience and training will make the whole process more efficient and safer for everyone. When we feel the situation requires police assistance, we will ask for it.”
Addressing recent MTR station shutdowns because of safety concerns, Kam said: “In our experience, we hope to continue operating no matter how difficult the situation is. So to ask us to stop, to not operate, is not our natural instinct. But for security reasons, we have to do this.”
