District councillors slam Hong Kong minister over refusal to halt work on controversial HK$50 million musical fountain
- Putting stop to HK$50 million musical fountain was among priorities for winning Kwun Tong candidates in district council elections
- Secretary for Home Affairs Lau Kong-wah snubbed meeting and never sent department representatives despite council request
Kwun Tong district councillors on Tuesday condemned Hong Kong’s home affairs minister for refusing to heed their call to halt a controversial HK$50 million (US$6.4 million) musical fountain project, and for failing to send a representative to their meeting.
The non-binding motion to condemn Secretary for Home Affairs Lau Kong-wah, which passed on Tuesday, was backed by 28 pro-democracy councillors, while nine pro-government members abstained.
Lau snubbed the meeting even though Kwun Tong District Council had already passed a first motion last week to call for a halt to the fountain construction and asked him to send representatives on Tuesday to report on the project’s progress.
The snub followed one by police to Yuen Long District Council last week, after members had invited the force to discuss a mob attack on July 21, when men wearing white T-shirts attacked protesters and commuters inside the town’s MTR station.
