Hong Kong security chief accuses ex-district councillors living overseas of involvement in wave of withdrawals from city’s organ donor scheme
- Chris Tang says actions could affect people waiting for a transplant and ‘endangers our safety’
- Tang condemns those prepared to risk lives ‘for the sake of their own political interests’
Hong Kong’s security chief has accused former district councillors who live overseas of involvement in a wave of withdrawals from the city’s organ donation scheme and pledged possible arrests as criminal investigations are launched into suspected abuse of the register.
Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung on Monday highlighted the case of four-month-old Cleo Lai Tsz-hei, who last December became the first Hongkonger to get a heart donated from mainland China, which sparked the examination of a transplant mutual aid scheme.
“There were people intending to endanger our safety and deliberately distort this act of kindness who claimed that if someone did not apply for a withdrawal of organ donation, they would automatically be included in the list of registrations,” he said.
“These people include some former anti-government district councillors who fled to foreign countries.
“We believe that some people maliciously used others’ names to make these withdrawals to create an illusion that a lot of people are dissatisfied with the proposal.”
Tang emphasised that organ donation was “a very noble act” that prolonged the lives of others.
