Coconuts Hong KongToday, 11:51
Ng, 23, showing the adaptor as he describes his concerns in a video (Photo: Facebook)
Pro-Beijing political party the Federation of Trade Unions (FTU) issued an apology on Tuesday and recalled a batch of potentially dangerous travel adaptors they handed out for free during the district council elections.
The recall comes after netizens posted a series of safety concerns about the adaptors on social media.
Most recently on Dec. 22, a postgraduate student in electrical engineering, surnamed Ng, 23, posted a video on Facebook showing the hazards associated with the device. His concerns include a tendency to short circuit and exposed plug pins where electric currents of up to 200V can be touched.
The video has accumulated over 320,000 views and 2,800 shares in the past week. It is reported that the adaptor in question is the same model as an adaptor handed out by FTU, which melted when used, according to an earlier Facebook post.
The news comes after a fire, believed to have been started by a dodgy portable phone charger, tore through an apartment in Kwun Tong on Monday.
FTU has issued a statement admitting that the adaptors were procured from a local company to be distributed as gifts, adding that the products had been recalled after the safety concerns emerged. The statement also included an apology and an assertion that the party reserves the right to hold the issuing company responsible, Ming Pao reports.
The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department has issued a statement calling citizens to stop using the adaptors. An enquiry hotline on (+852) 3652-5700 has been set up.
http://hongkong.coconuts.co/2015/12/29/pro-beijing-political-party-recalls-faulty-promo-travel-adaptors-over-safety-concerns
