HK rewards people for the handling of unrest, pandemic

Hong Kong's newly released annual list of honors and medal recipients put a spotlight on those involved in the handling of the city's months-long social unrest and the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic - two of the city's major challenges over the past year.

According to a lengthy list unveiled by the special administrative region government on Thursday, the Chief Executive's Commendation for Government or Public Service will be presented to 253 recipients this year - six times more than last year.

Of the 253, 102 recipients, mainly from Hong Kong Disciplined Services, will be awarded for their performance when handling last year's social unrest, while 143 will be saluted for their work in the anti-pandemic effort. Awardees from Disciplined Services work for several departments, including the Hong Kong Police Force, the Fire Services Department, Correctional Services Department, the Immigration Department, and the Customs and Excise Department.

Meanwhile, 122 of 195 recipients of the Chief Executive's Commendation for Community Service will be honored for their roles in the city's fight against the pandemic. Last year, only 113 people received this award. The 122 being recognized in the anti-pandemic effort include not only medical workers, but also those from industries such as technology and healthcare.

The exceptionally large number of award recipients in the above two categories is meant to give recognition to these two groups of individuals' "meritorious performance", a government spokesperson said.

In the second half of 2019, Hong Kong underwent a prolonged civil unrest triggered by the extradition-law amendment bill, which was withdrawn by the government in September 2019. Protests from June 2019 gradually turned radical and violent, and citywide violence and vandalism rocked the international financial hub for more than seven months. Despite facing the mounting challenges of incessant street violence, Disciplined Services stuck to their posts to ensure law and order in the city.

The Grand Bauhinia Medal, Hong Kong's highest accolade in the city's award and honor system, this year was granted to four people - Legislative Council President Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen; Bernard Charnwut Chan, convener of the non-official members of the Executive Council; community leader Chan Tung; and entrepreneur Hui Wing-mau.

In addition, 15 recipients received the Gold Bauhinia Star; four the Medal for Bravery (Gold); 22 the Silver Bauhinia Star; seven the Medal for Bravery (Silver); 14 the Distinguished Service Medal for the Disciplined Services and the Independent Commission Against Corruption; 40 the Bronze Bauhinia Star; eight the Medal for Bravery (Bronze).

"The chief executive is grateful to all awardees for their contributions to Hong Kong and plans to host the presentation ceremony for the awards at Government House within this year," the government spokesperson said, adding the exact timing and arrangement will have to take into account the social distancing measures in force.