Lawmaker Dr Priscilla Leung Mei-fun and former immigration chief Eric Chan Kwok-ki quit their senior consultancy roles, bringing number of resignations to five within 48 hours
CHRISTY LEUNG AND OWEN FUNG
UPDATED : Wednesday, 25 May, 2016, 8:20pm
Damien Shea Ying-fai (front left) and Raymond Yung Kai-man (right) during the tour to Beijing. Photo: SCMP Pictures
Two more members of a pro-government foundation have resigned in the latest twist in a karaoke scandal in which their colleagues were seen frolicking with unidentified women on a recent trip to Beijing.
Meanwhile, a police source has confirmed to the Postthat a married senior officer also joined the party in the capital, but had most likely not breached any rules.
Lawmaker Dr Priscilla Leung Mei-fun from the Business and Professionals Alliance and former immigration chief Eric Chan Kwok-ki quit their senior consultancy roles in the China-Australia Legal Exchange Foundation on Wednesday and Tuesday, respectively, bringing the number of resignations to five within 48 hours.
The departures came after pictures of foundation consultant Damien Shea Ying-fai and associate member Raymond Yung Kai-man were revealed by the media on Monday, in which they are seen singing while holding women in their arms during an official tour related to the central government’s One Belt, One Road trade initiative.
Leung admitted her resignation had been prompted by the saga and said she had “no time” to undertake further work with the organisation.
“As a woman legislator, I’m not too happy about the situation,” Leung said.
The chairman of the foundation, Lawrence Ma Yan-kwok, broke his silence on Wednesday, saying he had not heard anything from the central government’s Hong Kong liaison office following reports that mainland officials were not happy with the situation and were looking into the matter.
Ma said the foundation was considering its next move and whether it could continue to operate.
“Some people have said this foundation’s political life has come to an end. I’m most concerned about the future of the foundation,” Ma said. On Shea and Yung, who both resigned after the pictures came to light, Ma said: “I don’t care what happens to those two people.”
Members of the tour to Beijing, including Damien Shea Ying-fai (holding right side of banner). Photo: SCMP Pictures
Political heavyweight Maria Tam Wai-chu, a Hong Kong delegate to the National People’s Congress and a Basic Law Committee member, joined the exodus by dropping her title of honorary consultant for the foundation on Monday.
A police source told the Post that a 35-year-old married chief inspector from the narcotics bureau was also at the party with the pair last week in Beijing, where he had been sent for a study programme on behalf of the force.
It is understood the chief inspector is surnamed Hung. The source stressed the officer would not have breached any disciplinary rules if he was only drinking and singing with women in his leisure time.
“We are free men after work. Unless Hung skipped classes for the party or he made out with a woman in a public place, his conduct would be fine as a police officer,” the source said. “Whether a married man should behave in this way is a moral issue and is his personal matter.”
It is understood 38 police officers went to Beijing last week as part of study courses organised by the Beijing People’s Police College and the Chinese Academy of Governance.
Under disciplinary rules of the police force, conduct to the prejudice of good order or that bringing the public service into disrepute is banned. Officers are subject to punishment if they are found guilty of any such behaviour.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1954420/ktv-scandal-two-more-hongkongers-resign-beleaguered-china
