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Hong Kong’s court grants parental rights for samesex partners The Court of First Instance ruled in favour of same-sex partners last month, granting them equal parental rights over their children. The ruling states that a non-biological mother should be granted joint custody of her children with her ex-partner, who is the biological mother. This ruling comes at a time when the government’s support for the LGBT+ community has been questioned after Junius Ho’s comments last month. While same-sex unions and civil partnerships are not recognised in Hong Kong at the moment, it is a step in a more inclusive direction for the city.
Sai Kung paper boats hit by censorship The iconic origami boat installation at Sai Kung Waterfront Park has had the words Hong Kong and Independent removed from its newspaper text. Residents have expressed concerns about the changes to the sculpture but the Sai Kung Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) stated the change was due to necessary renovation work. The sculptures first appeared in 2003, though concerns about
their content were only raised in September of last year. The offending lines were taken from various newspaper clippings dating back to the Anti-Japanese War. The LCSD insists the refurbishment was necessary due to the boats’ fading colour. They have also stated that the installation will be refitted with a newspaper from the same year as the original, but can’t guarantee the text content will be the same as before.
Teenager runs Hong Kong Trail to raise funds for SKSFF
6 | SAI KUNG
Over the past few months the Sai Kung Scouts decided to help Narelle and volunteers at Sai Kung Stray Friends Foundation (SKSFF), by walking, feeding and helping the dogs in any way they could. Upon the finding the charity was having financial difficulties, local resident Luke decided to run the Hong Kong Trail and raise money for SKSFF. Along with his scout leaders, Jon Westerby and Amanda Pang, Luke trained for a solid month in preparation for the run. The start date was pushed back whilst Jon was recuperating from injury and after missing the last cool day, it was decided the run should be done in the evening. Luke and Amanada start the run from The Peak at 5.30pm on May 14. They finished at Big Wave Bay exactly eight hours after at 1.30am. A great feat for a 16-yearold. Luke managed to raise an amazing grand total of $43,706 after an initial target of $30,000.
