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their own way. Artists can unwittingly reveal things which other people do not notice or understand. They can serve society and open up new realms for our spiritual and perceptual knowledge.
In order to retain and safeguard the characteristics of Hong Kong's culture and art and in order to defend artistic freedom, the Council's cultural and arts policy must make the protection of artistic freedom the most important principle. The Council should implement this policy effectively and this can serve as a blueprint of and lay the foundation for the cultural policy of the future SAR Government. The development of history is full of twists and turns. Even if artistic freedom is restricted by politics in future, we, as an elected assembly, have at least tried to make artistic freedom an important principle. This experience is just like burying a seed deep in the heart of every resident in the middle of winter, and the seed will germinate and grow when spring comes.
Mr. Chairman, I have a dream. I hope to see Mr. WEI Jingsheng hold a painting exhibition in Hong Kong in 2010 and all the films taking part in the Hong Kong International Film Festival are not subject to political censorship. At the same time I hope to see Hong Kong, as a cultural metropolis, recognized internationally for our respect for cultural freedom. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. With these remarks, I support the motion.
MR. NG WING-FAI (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman and Colleagues, today, I will speak on liquor licensing and hawker issues. First of all, I would like to express my sympathy to the residents who have been disturbed by vice establishments, in particular those residents whose homes have been disturbed by gangsters due to their objections to reckless issue of licences to vice establishments. In this connection, an Incorporated Owners Chairman was assaulted from the back and had been hospitalized. The Police, however, told me that it was difficult to crack the case. Of course, I will not express sympathy to any civil servant who has been arrested by the ICAC and convicted, because they indeed deserve the penalty. I have all along asserted that licences should not be rashly issued to trades which may cause nuisance, for example, establishments selling liquor, bathhouses, massage parlours, hotels (rental charged on hourly basis) in residential areas and mixed commercial/residential buildings with a residential majority. Even if licences have to be issued, it should be categorized into licences for selling drinks with low alcoholic content, for example, beer, and licences for selling drinks with high alcoholic content. Besides, clear licensing guidelines and policies should also be formulated. Relevant recommendations have already been submitted to the departments concerned for consideration. For example, the Liquor Licensing Board and the Planning Department have reviewed these recommendations successively. In December, the Town Planning Board have issued guidelines on the examination and approval of applications for setting up massage parlours and bathhouses, indicating that it is inappropriate to approve the operation of these establishments in residential buildings as well as to issue licences to establishments sharing a common passageway with other units of the building. Besides, it also
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Page 350 of 485
σου οι 485
Page 350 of 485
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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
their own way. Artists can unwittingly reveal things which other people do not notice or understand. They can serve society and open up new realms for our spiritual and perceptual knowledge.
In order to retain and safeguard the characteristics of Hong Kong's culture and art and in order to defend artistic freedom, the Council's cultural and arts policy must make the protection of artistic freedom the most important principle. The Council should implement this policy effectively and this can serve as a blueprint of and lay the foundation for the cultural policy of the future SAR Government. The development of history is full of twists and turns. Even if artistic freedom is restricted by politics in future, we, as an elected assembly, have at least tried to make artistic freedom an important principle. This experience is just like burying a seed deep in the heart of every resident in the middle of winter, and the seed will germinate and grow when spring comes.
Mr. Chairman, I have a dream. I hope to see Mr. WEI Jingsheng hold a painting exhibition in Hong Kong in 2010 and all the films taking part in the Hong Kong International Film Festival are not subject to political censorship. At the same time I hope to see Hong Kong, as a cultural metropolis, recognized internationally for our respect for cultural freedom. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. With these remarks, 1 support the motion.
MR. NG WING-FAI (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman and Colleagues, today, I will speak on liquor licensing and hawker issues. First of all, I would like to express my sympathy to the residents who have been disturbed by vice establishments, in particular those residents whose homes have been disturbed by gangsters due to their objections to reckless issue of licences to vice establishments. In this connection, an Incorporated Owners Chairman was assaulted from the back and had been hospitalized. The Police, however, told me that it was difficult to crack the case. Of course, I will not express sympathy to any civil servant who has been arrested by the ICAC and convicted, because they indeed deserve the penalty. I have all along asserted that licences should not be rashly issued to trades which may cause nuisance, for example, establishments selling liquor, bathhouses, massage parlours, hotels (rental charged on hourly basis) in residential areas and mixed commercial/residential buildings with a residential majority. Even if licences have to be issued, it should be categorized into licences for selling drinks with low alcoholic content, for example, beer, and licences for selling drinks with high alcoholic content. Besides, clear licensing guidelines and policies should also be formulated. Relevant recommendations have already been submitted to the departments concerned for consideration. For example, the Liquor Licensing Board and the Planning Department have reviewed these recommendations successively. In December, the Town Planning Board have issued guidelines on the examination and approval of applications for setting up massage parlours and bathhouses, indicating that it is inappropriate to approve the operation of these establishments in residential buildings as well as to issue licences to establishments sharing a common passageway with other units of the building. Besides, it also
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