Probe into psychiatric hospital emblems on tote bags and T-shirts

Charlie Chun

Law enforcement agencies are investigating tote bags and T-shirts carrying emblems of Castle Peak Hospital and Siu Lam Psychiatric Centre, which went viral online but authorities denied they have created such products.

Bags with logos of both facilities were available for sale for as much as HK$180 on Carousell and Taobao, online shopping platforms. The Chinese characters below the logo stated the bag is a "souvenir for discharged patients." T-shirts with similar logos were also available.

Some vendors stated that the bag is a product of parody, while some wrote "it is necessary to buy the bag to protect yourself in Hong Kong, where white cards are the norm."

Web users shared their "user experience" and claimed their colleagues started treating them nicely, and felt Hong Kong is becoming more safe to live in.

"People gave me their seats on public transport and police would escort me on the streets," a web user wrote.

Some people said they want to buy the bag so that no one will bump into them during rush hours and that the bag may be able to help them avoid knife crimes that were happening in the city.

Both the Correctional Services Department and Castle Peak Hospital said in a statement on Wednesday that they have not produce such products and have never authorized any persons to use their logo to produce related products.

No one is allowed to use the name or logo of the hospital without permission.

The case has been referred to relevant law enforcement agencies.

"The public should take into account the feelings of others when they post comments online and to understand mental health issues in a positive manner," a hospital spokesman said.

The Customs and Excise Department confirmed that they have received such reports and will take appropriate enforcement actions if they have been violated.

They added that according to the Trade Descriptions Ordinance and Copyright Ordinance, any person who uses trademarks and copyrighted works without authorization may constitute civil or criminal torts and may be held liable.

The Equal Opportunities Commission said offensive and insulting speech towards psychiatric patients may violate illegal harassment and vilification under the Disability Discrimination Ordinance.

The comments online are not helpful for the public to learn about mental illnesses, and are not conducive to the integration of patients and recovered persons into society, they said.

The EOC reiterated that there is no necessary relationship between mental illness and violence. The public should not be needlessly fearful of, nor should they stigmatize or discriminate against those with mental health needs.