-
51
-
Activities of religious groups in HK
Following is a question by the Hon Zachary Wong Wai-yin and a written reply by the acting Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Joseph Wong, in the Legislative Council today (Wednesday):
Question:
Regarding the activities of religious groups in the territory, will the Government inform this Council:
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
of the number of various religious groups in the territory of which the Government is aware, together with a breakdown of their names and countries of origin;
of the criteria adopted by the authorities concerned in deciding whether to allow a particular religious group to operate in the territory;
whether it is aware of individual religious groups (one of which is from Japan) which do not allow elderly followers who are sick to consult the doctor, and instead ask them to offer all their money before curing their illnesses by "performing supernatural acts"; and
how the authorities concerned will handle the problem mentioned in (c) above?
Reply:
(a)
As provided for under the Societies Ordinance (Cap. 151), any society organised and established in Hong Kong or having its headquarters or chief place of business in Hong Kong is required to send a written notification to the Societies Officer setting out the name and object of the society and other related information on establishment. According to the Societies Officer, 310 societies engaged in religious activities have notified him of their establishment. They can be categorised by religion into ten groups. The names of these societies and their respective religious categories are given at the annex. There is no requirement under the Societies Ordinance for information on the country of origin of the society concerned.