Further action ruled out on hotpot three

Three senior officials who were fined for breaching social distancing rules at a dinner lacked sensitivity and were negligent, says Chief Executive Carrie Lam.

Customs commissioner Hermes Tang Yi-hoi, immigration director Au Ka-wang and the security undersecretary Sonny Au Chi-kwong were each fined HK$5,000 for breaching the four-person gathering ban while attending a hotpot dinner back in March.

"I have always told officials and the public that being the officials of the SAR government, regardless of their ranks and positions, they should be 'whiter than white' and leave no room for others to question them," Lam said yesterday.

Nevertheless, she said the three officials are nothing like some people have described them, adding they are dedicated public servants.

"They were only invited together once to a dinner. They thought it was a private gathering, like eating with 10 people at home, which was allowed at that time," she said.

"Some said the food they ate was very luxurious, but how could they know the menu when they were only invited to attend? They could not stand up and walk out when they saw a piece of abalone. The public should view the dinner gathering in a more humanized way," she said.

Lam added this incident showed everyone is equal before the law, as the fixed penalty tickets were issued months later.

Asked if the government will take any follow-up action, Lam said the case is settled as the three have paid the fine, issued public apologies and now all other public servants know that they should avoid going to such gatherings.

The three officials were caught having a nine-person dinner in a restaurant in Wan Chai in March, when the dining capacity was limited to four people a table. Other attendees included senior mainland officials and business executives.

Au Ka-wang and Tang apologized to the public in two statements issued on Thursday, admitting that they were fined.

"I confirm that I have attended a dinner hosted at a catering premises earlier and was issued a fixed penalty notice for failing to meet the maximum persons allowed rule as required in the Prevention and Control of Disease Ordinance. This fine has been paid," the two said.

Au Ka-wing admitted hours later that he had been fined for going to the same event.

The Security Bureau said there were only three government officials at the dinner. The food served was normal hotpot ingredients.

"As the three's work requires frequent communication with different sectors in the community, the dinner on that day was an ordinary social gathering," the spokesman said.

carine.chow@singtaonewscorp.com