Hong Kong leader John Lee tells government department to refund nearly HK$150,000 to district councillor who was charged for putting up 1,214 national flags on October 1
- Chief executive reveals move in Facebook post, says he told relevant government departments to come up with a policy to ensure incident does not happen again
- District Council member Ronnie Tang was required to pay HK$147,670 to display flags on lamp posts
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has revealed that he instructed the Highways Department to refund nearly HK$150,000 (US$19,108) to a district councillor who was charged for displaying national flags on lamp posts for National Day celebrations last year.
Lee announced his move in a Facebook post late on Thursday night and said he had told relevant government departments to come up with a policy to ensure the incident did not happen again.
The department’s U-turn came after a pro-establishment columnist wrote about the huge bill handed to Yuen Long District Council member Ronnie Tang Yung-yiu for applying for permission to put up 1,214 Chinese flags along Fan Kam and Kam Tin roads from September 20 to October 9 last year to celebrate the anniversary of the nation’s founding.
The department originally said the fee was needed to cover the cost of checking that the flags were securely fastened and did not pose a safety risk.
But Lee said in his Facebook post that he had been told NGOs had been charged for displaying national flags and the issue concerned him.
“I asked the relevant department about it … and instructed it to waive the fees,” he said. “It must also educate the public about the correct flying of the national flag and the Hong Kong flag, so that residents will use the national flag correctly.