Helpers' outdoor "cooked food center" slammed by lawmaker

A lawmaker slammed the government for indulging foreign domestic helpers to set up an outdoor "cooked food center" at Victoria Park.

Lawmaker Doreen Kong Yuk-foon noticed that some helpers operated food stalls on the pavement near Victoria Park, cooking on the roadside with ingredients placed without a cover and garbage piled up nearby.
   
She criticized the operation for creating environmental health problems, and could also lead to a fire. "It's ridiculous to tighten quarantines on the one hand, but being so dirty on the other hand."

According to Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance, no person shall hawk on the street without a Fixed-Pitch Hawker Licence, while Hawker Regulation indicated that no person shall, for hawking, cook or heat any food without a license authorizing him to deal in cooked food Hawker Regulation.

Violation of these regulations is liable to a fine of up to HK$10,000 and imprisonment for up to six months. If the hawking activity obstructs the street, he/she may also be prosecuted under the Summary Offences Ordinance and may be fined up to HK$5,000 and imprisoned for up to 3 months.