ASL 2015 – Lesson 4 – News
Local News
Story 1
The government has found excessive lead in the blood of 11 people living in public housing estates known to have contaminated water pipes.
Among them, nine are children, one is a pregnant woman, and the other is a breastfeeding mother.
The Hospital Authority says it will follow-up and all the affected residents will undergo a thorough health evaluation.
Excessive levels of lead were first found in the tap water at some public housing estates in July. Initial investigations have found the heavy metal in the soldering materials connecting the water pipes at the estates.
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The Ombudsman, Connie Lau, has initiated a direct investigation into the government’s decision to cut down four large banyan trees on Bonham Road last month.
She said the incident aroused extensive public debate and her office has decided "as a matter of priority" to investigate whether the government departments involved had followed the relevant policies and procedures, and whether their decisions and actions were reasonable and justified.
Lau said the direct investigation will look into a number of issues. These include whether the Highways Department's had sufficient grounds to cut down the trees; whether the Tree Management Office had acted properly; how the departments involved had communicated with residents in the area, the Central and Western District Council as well as experts before deciding to remove the trees; and whether the entire process was conducted in an open and fair manner.
Lau said members of the public are welcome to give their views as well as information on the direct investigation to her office.
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Pan-democratic lawmakers say they welcome further dialogue with mainland officials.
Civic Party leader and legislator Alan Leong said the camp would not be put off by fears that such meetings would upset radical democrats or potentially harm their chances in the district council elections in November.
The lawmakers said talks were the only way to make sure their concerns about Hong Kong were clearly and accurately reflected to the central government.
Last week, five members of the Democratic Party held talks the deputy director of the State Council's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, Feng Wei. This was criticised by some pan-democrats who said the meeting with Feng was not revealed before it took place. The party's chairwoman, legislator Emily Lau, said later that she kept quiet because the central government did not want it to be publicised.