'Officials Reject Funding To Print Sensitive Scroll'

The government has reportedly refused to approve funding for the printing of a Chinese New Year scroll that reads "Wishing You a Life of Peace”, saying the message has political connotations and could cause "public anxiety".

Under current rules, district councillors can apply for funding from the government to print scrolls bearing various Chinese New Year greetings.

But Wong Tai Sin district councillor Mok Yee-ha told RTHK that her application had been rejected by the council secretariat.

She said she was told that the message was politically sensitive - and that it could cause public misunderstanding - because it had been used extensively by anti-government protesters.

But Mok called the decision biased, saying it was extremely common to wish people a peaceful life.

“It is not reasonable. There is a (social media) post by the Social Welfare Department encouraging all Hong Kong citizens, and the last sentence was “life in peace”. So you see, even government departments use it because it is highly accepted among elderly people. So how can they say this sentence is used in an anti-government manner? I don’t know what they’re thinking”, she said.

The Wong Tai Sin District Council secretariat has been approached for comment.