Ombudsman to probe government’s control of illicit fuelling activities

The Office of the Ombudsman announced today the launch of a direct investigation to examine the government’s control of illicit fuelling activities, in view of media reports over the prevalence of illicit fuelling activities in Hong Kong.

The Ombudsman Winnie Chiu Wai-yin said there have been public views that the Fire Services Department’s control over the illicit activities is not effective, as the problem of illegal fuel filling stations has remained.

“In view of this, we have decided to initiate a direct investigation to probe into the Government’s control of illicit fuelling activities and make recommendations for improvement to the Government accordingly,” said the office.

Chiu said the illegal fuel filling stations have been a long-standing problem, with these illegal stations usually not having any fire protection and firefighting equipment, and some may be located close to residential neighborhoods.

“If a fire were to break out, the operators and customers may face imminent danger and the safety of passers-by and residents would also be threatened,” she added.