CHINA-HONGKONG: CHINA URGES HONGKONG TO TAKE SWIFT STERN ACTION AGAINST OFFICIALS WHO ATTENDED A BIG BIRTHDAY PARTY DISREGARDING COVID PROTOCOLS
The South China Morning Post (January 10) disclosed that Beijing has asked Hong Kong Chief Executive
Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor to “take swift action” against officials who attended a big birthday party in the
midst of an outbreak of Covid-19 cases. It added that observers echoed the need for a prompt response to
resolve the controversy and said any delay could deal a “serious blow to the credibility of
governance”. Government advisers said should a breach of discipline be confirmed, demotion, pay cuts or
even dismissal should be considered. It quoted sources as saying that Mainland China officials were piling
pressure on the Hongkong government to punish Cathay Pacific, the city’s flagship carrier, after Beijing
health experts had earlier identified aircrew as a potential risk area in their trip to the city. Reporting on the
issue, the Beijing-owned Hongkong-based Wen Wei Po (January 10) stated that Carrie Lam had administered
a "severe reprimand" to the Cathay Pacific management. It also asked her administration to examine whether
"any other loopholes" require to be plugged.
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