Page 177 of 485
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
153
Chambers and the City Hall are crowded with overseas domestic workers engaging in illegal hawking and are scattered with rubbish, damaging the environment and sanitation. What measures would the Department take to improve the situation?
MR. WONG Kwok-hing, Vice-Chairman of the Public Health SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in Cantonese):-This question queries environmental problems caused by overseas domestic helpers in the areas of the Edinburgh Place in the vicinity of the Urban Council Chambers and the City Hall during holidays.
The Department has confirmed that various foreigners, often overseas domestic helpers, seek to engage in illegal hawking activities in the vicinity of the Statue Square and City Hall in Central District during Sundays and Public Holidays. The commodities for sale are mainly dry goods items such as trinkets, clothing, etc, although food items are also sold. All unlicensed hawkers, whether foreign or local, are all subject to the same law enforcement action whenever and wherever they are detected by the Department's Hawker Control Teams. About 514 and 213 foreign hawkers were arrested and prosecuted for hawking offences in 1994 and in the first 6 months of 1995 respectively, mainly in Central District but also in Tsim Sha Tsui.
To combat unlicensed hawker activities in the vicinity of Edinburgh Place and City Hall, the Department has made special arrangements to deploy additional Hawker Control Teams, during Sundays and Public holidays, to these areas as well as to Statue Square and Chater Garden which are also patrolled by staff of the Leisure Services Branch. Apart from this stepped-up enforcement action, the Department has also deployed additional staff for the periodic mounting of special joint operations with the Police and Immigration Department. Besides, a number of signs prohibiting hawking, in foreign languages such as Tagalog, are displayed in some of these areas and nearby leisure grounds. Broadcasting vans also disseminate the same message in various languages.
With a view to tackling the problem as effectively as possible, the Department also maintains a close liaison with the Immigration Department. The names of foreign visitors convicted of illegal hawking are regularly referred to Immigration Department for information and consideration of appropriate parallel action on its part and with particular attention being drawn to repeated offenders. The Immigration Department has confirmed that it does give warnings to foreign offenders and is prepared to consider refusal of further application for entry or extension of stay in cases of repeated offences according to the nature and seriousness of the offences.
As regards sanitation problems, due to the large number of persons congregated in such a relatively small area, the generation of a considerable volume of waste is inevitable. The refuse yield in the area on a typical Sunday is about 13 tonnes compared to the normal weekday yield of about 1.5 tonnes.
Page 177 of 485
Page 177 of 485
Page 177 of 485
Page 177 of 485
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
153
Chambers and the City Hall are crowded with overseas domestic workers engaging in illegal hawking and are scattered with rubbish, damaging the environment and sanitation. What measures would the Department take to improve the situation?
MR. WONG Kwok-hing, Vice-Chairman of the Public Health SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in Cantonese):-This question queries environmental problems caused by overseas domestic helpers in the areas of the Edinburgh Place in the vicinity of the Urban Council Chambers and the City Hall during holidays.
The Department has confirmed that various foreigners, often overseas domestic helpers, seek to engage in illegal hawking activities in the vicinity of the Statue Square and City Hall in Central District during Sundays and Public Holidays. The commodities for sale are mainly dry goods items such as trinkets, clothing, etc, although food items are also sold. All unlicensed hawkers, whether foreign or local, are all subject to the same law enforcement action whenever and wherever they are detected by the Department's Hawker Control Teams. About 514 and 213 foreign hawkers were arrested and prosecuted for hawking offences in 1994 and in the first 6 months of 1995 respectively, mainly in Central District but also in Tsim Sha Tsui.
To combat unlicensed hawker activities in the vicinity of Edinburgh Place and City Hall, the Department has made special arrangements to deploy additional Hawker Control Teams, during Sundays and Public holidays, to these areas as well as to Statue Square and Chater Garden which are also patrolled by staff of the Leisure Services Branch. Apart from this stepped-up enforcement action, the Department has also deployed additional staff for the periodic mounting of special joint operations with the Police and Immigration Department. Besides, a number of signs prohibiting hawking, in foreign languages such as Tagalog, are displayed in some of these areas and nearby leisure grounds. Broadcasting vans also disseminate the same message in various languages.
With a view to tackling the problem as effectively as possible, the Department also maintains a close liaison with the Immigration Department. The names of foreign visitors convicted of illegal hawking are regularly referred to Immigration Department for information and consideration of appropriate parallel action on its part and with particular attention being drawn to repeated offenders. The Immigration Department has confirmed that it does give warnings to foreign offenders and is prepared to consider refusal of further application for entry or extension of stay in cases of repeated offences according to the nature and seriousness of the offences.
As regards sanitation problems, due to the large number of persons congregated in such a relatively small area, the generation of a considerable volume of waste is inevitable. The refuse yield in the area on a typical Sunday is about 13 tonnes compared to the normal weekday yield of about 1.5 tonnes.
Page 177 of 485
Page 177 of 485
Page 177 of 485
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