Omicron: not such a happy birthday in end for ‘party animal’ Witman Hung and 170 guests sent to Hong Kong quarantine camp
- Friends say flamboyant personality likes nothing better than a big party with wine and karaoke
- No need for Hung to resign from NPC, says Tam Yiu-chung, sole Hong Kong delegate to China’s top legislative body
If there is one thing Witman Hung Wai-man enjoys, according to those who know him well, it is having a big birthday bash with many guests, where drinks flow, karaoke fills the air and everyone has a good time.
People close to the flamboyant personality, who is well connected in political and business circles and once harboured ambitions of becoming a lawmaker, were not at all surprised that he chose to celebrate his 53rd birthday in style on Monday.
“He is a party animal and throws a birthday party practically every year,” said a source familiar with him. “He loves singing karaoke and invites friends to join him often.”
But everything unravelled for the birthday boy and his crowd of guests who gathered at a Spanish restaurant in Wan Chai amid a rise in coronavirus infections and just days before it was announced the city’s social-distancing measures would be tightened.
As the scandal exploded this week, Hung – who is principal liaison officer for Hong Kong at the Shenzhen Qianhai Authority and a city delegate to the National People’s Congress (NPC) – found himself facing a career crisis.