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Under section 124 of the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap. 132), within the Urban Council area, the Council is the disposal authority root. It is evident that publicity and advice alone would not achieve the goal. So some by-laws to prosecute those people so that the problem can be tackled as legal.
Could we possibly have the by-laws to do something?
DR. RONALD D. B. LEUNG (in English): I think Mr. TONG's question asks whether legislation will be required and if so, what legislations. And I don't know the answer to the second question. Even if we decide to legislate certain places for such activities, it would be difficult for us to find the places. In the case of our refuse collection points or toilets, these are the nuisances places, and they will be strongly objected to by the neighbours of these designated places.
MR. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN (in English): I am at a loss, Mr. Chairman, to better understand the magnitude of the situation, could Dr. LEUNG give us a total guesstimate of the total number of ghosts spread around to which families in Hong Kong. We have six million people in Hong Kong to worship so we can understand the feasibility of Mr. Joseph CHAN's Suggestion.
DR. RONALD D. B. LEUNG (in English): I am not in heaven nor in hell, I don't keep a register of all the ghosts. It will be an impossible question to answer in the Council. Maybe in a hundred years' time when I join them, I can tell you the number. It will be difficult. But from the number of private householders, the activities will be carried out by the living human beings, not by the ghosts. The ghosts can come anywhere, and even the ghosts in Mainland China will come over the sea with their local relatives. But the private householders, I think whatever legislation you have, will stick to the habits of burning the offerings by the kerbside in front of their houses. And just the guesstimate would be along the roadsides, especially in Wan Chai area or Mong Kok, or some of the older urban areas would be more densely populated and there would be much more nuisances generated from these sorts of activities.
3. MR. JOSEPH Y. S. CHAN asked the following question (in Cantonese): There was a report in the press a few months ago that a boy attempted to burn the human remains which were stocked in an open area of a cemetery. In this connection, I wish to ask the Council what arrangements have been made for the safe custody of unclaimed human remains pending final disposal in public cemeteries?
DR. RONALD D. B. LEUNG, CHAIRMAN OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in English): This question concerns the arrangements made by the Council for the safe custody of unclaimed human remains pending final disposal. The case quoted by Mr. CHAN was a very exceptional one and this happened in a private cemetery, a Catholic cemetery in Castle Peak Road, and that it was a very isolated issue as I said.
Unclaimed human remains are disposed of either by cremation in Council Crematoria or by burial in Sandy Ridge Cemetery, Lo Wu, New Territories, in accordance with the documents issued for the disposal. Staff of the Cemeteries and Crematoria (C & C) Section of the Department undertake the collection, encoffining, conveying, and safe-keeping of these human remains before their final disposal.
Under current arrangements, which have been in force for many years, all unclaimed human remains, immediately upon taking over from hospital mortuaries or public mortuaries, are encoffined on the spot by departmental staff before being conveyed by coffin vans of the Department to the concerned C & C office for safe-keeping in its repository pending final disposal, which normally takes place the following morning. The Department operates two repositories, one at Oil Street Funeral Depot on Hong Kong Island and the other in the Hung Hom Public Funeral Parlour in Kowloon, for the purpose of temporary storage of encoffined human remains pending final disposal. These repositories are always kept under lock and key and periodically patrolled by watchmen or security guards to ensure no unauthorised entry. All encoffined human remains going into and out of these repositories are recorded. Conveyance of these human remains to their designated places of final disposal is also done by coffin vans escorted by C & C staff. Trenches are made available in the Sandy Ridge Cemetery to ensure immediate interment of these human remains upon their arrival.
Bearing this in mind, it can be said categorically that all unclaimed human remains are always kept in the Department's safe custody to the point of final disposal.
MR. JOSEPH Y. S. CHAN (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, I have the following question. For non-permanent graves, i.e., when the lease expires, the remains must be exhumed. If the family of the deceased does not do so when the lease is due, how will the Department handle the case? After the Department has exhumed the remains, are there any appropriate arrangements for the storage of such remains so that the family of the deceased can reclaim them eventually?
DR. RONALD D. B. LEUNG (in English): The question is very enlightening, and it actually happened in the case mentioned by Mr. CHAN. That particular private Catholic cemetery has a leased period of six years, and the incident happened when exhumation occurred after the expiry of the lease, and then the human remains were taken out of the grave. During the day, a European boy took a few of these bones and played around with them. In the normal course of events, after exhumation, the bones are kept by the cemetery authority for final disposal, and the relatives will be informed to collect them within a certain period of time, and if, after repeated notification, there is no response from the relatives...
Page 52 of 95
Page 52 of 95
Page 52 of 95
96
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
So
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
97
Under section 124 of the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance
perhaps the Public Health Select Committee or the Department should legislate (Cap. 132), within the Urban Council area, the Council is the disposal authority
root. It is evident that publicity and advice alone would not achieve the goal. So some by-laws to prosecute those people so that the problem can be tackled as le
could we possibly have the by-laws to do something?
DR. RONALD D. B. LEUNG (in English):-I think Mr. TONG's question asks whether legislation will be required and if so, what legislations. And I don't know the answer to the second question. Even if we decide to legislate certain places for such activities, it would be difficult for us to find the places. In the case of our refuse collection points or toilets, these are the nuisances places, and they will be strongly objected by the neighbours of these designated places."
MR. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN (in English):—1 am at a loss. Mr. Chairman, to better understand the magnitude of the situation, could Dr. LEUNG give us a total guesstimate of the total number of ghosts spread around to which families in Hong Kong. We have six million people in Hong Kong to worship so we can understand the feasibility of Mr. Joseph CHAN'S Suggestion.
DR. RONALD D. B. LEUNG (in English):—I am not in heaven nor in hell, I don't keep register of all the ghosts. It will be an impossible question to answer in the Council. May be in a hundred years' time when I join them, I can tell you the number. It will be difficult. But from the number of private householders, the activities will be carried out by the living human beings not by the ghosts. The ghosts can come anywhere and even the ghosts in Mainland China will come over the sea with their local relatives. But the private householders, I think whatever legislation you have, will stick to the habits to burn the offerings by the kerbside in front of their houses. And just the guesstimate would be along the roadsides, especially in Wan Chai area or Mong Kok, or some of the older urban areas would be more densely populated and there would be much more nuisances generated from these sorts of activities.
3. MR. JOSEPH Y. S. CHAN asked the following question (in Cantonese): There was a report in the press a few months ago that a boy attempted to burn the human remains which were stocked in an open area of a cemetery. In this connection, I wish to ask the Council what arrangements have been made for the safe custody of unclaimed human remains pending final disposal in public cemeteries?
DR. RONALD D. B. LEUNG, CHAIRMAN OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in English):-This question concerns the arrangements made by the Council for safe custody of unclaimed human remains pending final disposal. The case quoted by Mr. CHAN was a very exceptional one and this happened in a private cemetery, a catholic cemetery in Castle Peak Road and that it was a very isolated issue as I said.
for unclaimed human remains.
Unclaimed human remains are disposed of either by cremation in Council by burial in Sandy Ridge Cemetery, Lo Wu, New Territories in accordance with the documents issued for the disposal. Staff of the Cemeteries and Crematoria (C & C) Section of the Department undertake the collection, encoffining, conveying and safe-keeping of these human remains before their
Crematoria or
final disposal.
Under current arrangements which have been in force for many years, all unclaimed human remains, immediately upon taking over from hospital mortuaries or public mortuaries, are encoffined on the spot by departmental staff before being conveyed by coffin vans of the Department to the concerned C & C office for safe-keeping in its repository pending final disposal which normally takes place the following morning. The Department operates two one at Oil Street Funeral Depot on Hong Kong Island and the repositories, other in the Hung Hom Public Funeral Parlour in Kowloon, for the purpose of temporary storage of encoffined human remains pending final disposal. These repositories are always kept under lock and key and periodically patrolled by watchmen or security guards to ensure no unauthorised entry. All encoffined human remains going into and out of these repositories are recorded. Conveyance of these human remains to their designated places of final disposal also done by coffin vans escorted by C & C staff. Trenches are made available in the Sandy Ridge Cemetery to ensure immediate interment of these human remains upon their arrival.
is
Bearing this in mind, it can be said categorically that all unclaimed human remains are always kept in the Department's safe custody to the point of final disposal.
MR. JOSEPH Y. S. CHAN (in Cantonese):----Mr. Chairman, I have the following question. For non-permanent graves i.e. when the lease expires, the remains must be exhumed. If the family of the deceased does not do so when the lease is due, how will the Department handle the case? After the Department has exhumed the remains, are there any appropriate arrangements for the storage for such remains so that the family of the deceased can reclaim that eventually?
DR. RONALD D. B. LEUNG (in English): The question is very enlightening and it actually happened in the case mentioned by Mr. CHAN. That particular private Catholic cemetery has the leased period of six years and the incident happened when exhumation occurred after the expiry of the lease then the human remains was taken out of the grave. During the day, an European boy took a few of these bones and played around with it. In the normal course of events after exhumation, the bones are kept by the cemetery authority for final disposal and the relatives will be informed to collect them within a certain period of time and if after repeated notification and there is no response from
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