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HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL 25 May 1988
1465
RETARY FOR DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION: Sir, three of the four deaths referred to happened on Lion Rock, and the other one on Ping Chau. All were classified as 'falls by accidents'. Government will draw public attention to this in future publicity on safety measures about rock-climbing.
MR. MARTIN LEE: Sir, will the Secretary for District Administration give an undertaking to this Council that he will not repeat, will not supply a list of these black spots to His Excellency?
SECRETARY FOR DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION: I shall not do so, Sir.
MR. CHAN KAM-CHUEN: Sir, mountaineering amateurs may get some thrill in the publicity for their foolhardy misadventure but it is not only their lives and limbs that are at risk, but also our uniformed personnel, and public expenditure is involved. Are there any professional mountaineers or associations which can train, guide and regulate these amateurs with an aim to cut down accidents to the minimum?
SECRETARY FOR District Administration: Sir, as I have said in my reply, the Council for Recreation and Sport has published a very well-written pamphlet called 'Stepping Out' and in this document there are a number of organisations which provide such training.
MR. SOHMEN: Sir, as the Secretary is personally well aware there are varying degrees of difficulty in the hill-walks in Hong Kong. Does the Government encourage the relevant councils to erect warning signs at the beginning of such trails that might have a degree of difficulty to warn off the inexperienced hill-walkers?
SECRETARY FOR DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION: Sir, there are really no peaks in Hong Kong which can be classified as dangerous for mountaineering purposes, other than probably the few rock-faces at Lion Rock. Most of the walks are fairly safe from the mountaineering point of view and so there is really no need to warn people of the danger, unless they try things which they should not be doing.
Feasibility of Hong Kong hosting an Exposition in 1997
4. MR. CHEONG asked: Sir, may I first thank you for giving me permission to ask this question. In view of the fact that the Bureau International d'Expositions will have a meeting on 31 May 1988, will Government inform this Council what progress has been made by the ad hoc committee chaired by the Chief Secretary to study whether or not the Hong Kong Government is to request the British Government to register an interest at the bureau that Hong Kong is studying seriously the feasibility and viability of being the venue for an exposition to be organised in 1997?