Hong Kong security chief concedes subordinates’ hotpot meal was expensive, but says ‘sacrificing family time’ part of job

Secretary for Security Chris Tang also says he believes trio would have made different choices had they known the meal would be costly

A senior legislator and former anti-corruption investigator have accused the officials of breaking ministerial codes by accepting ‘lavish entertainment’

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Security secretary Chris Tang has defended three subordinates in hot water over an expensive meal they attended. Photo: Edmond So

Published: 4:38pm, 14 Jul 2021Updated: 11:30pm, 14 Jul 2021

A hotpot dinner attended by three Hong Kong officials fined for violating social-distancing rules was indeed expensive, but also an example of how civil servants were frequently required to sacrifice time with their families, the city’s security secretary said in defending the trio on Wednesday.

Chris Tang Ping-keung also said he believed customs chief Hermes Tang Yi-hoi, immigration director Au Ka-wang and security undersecretary Sonny Au Chi-kwong would have made a different decision had they known how expensive the meal was beforehand.

Addressing the scandal for the first time on Wednesday, Tang said it was necessary for senior officials to stay in touch with different sectors of the community in order to form good policies.

“As officials, after working hard every day, we want to spend time with our families. But we have to sacrifice our family time and engage in these kinds of gatherings because it is an important part of our job,” he told reporters outside the Legislative Council.

Tang’s comments came a day after Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said no further action would be taken against the three security officials, who a senior legislator and a former anti-corruption investigator have said broke ministerial and civil service codes by accepting the “lavish entertainment”.