Latest news with #publicAccess
South China Morning Post
4 days ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Ombudsman sets a new year zero by removing reports from website
The need to better protect official archives and ensure public access to them has long been recognised in Hong Kong. Unlike other parts of the world, the city lacks a law providing clear rules for the safeguarding of records. But despite a public consultation in 2018, progress has not been made. The calls for an archives law have, in the past, been supported by the Office of the Ombudsman, the watchdog tasked with supervising the government and guarding against maladministration. Last year, the body celebrated its 35th anniversary with an international conference. Ombudsman Jack Chan Jick-chi spoke of the body's mission to 'propel administrative fairness, accountability and transparency'. One of the watchdog's values is 'making ourselves accessible and accountable to the public'. It is, therefore, a concern that it has removed content dating back years, including investigation reports, from its website. New arrangements introduced last month make public access to these valuable resources much more difficult. Only records published since April 2023 remain on the website. A new year zero has been set. The watchdog said the removed records were no longer up to date and might even be misleading, adding that they 'no longer reflect the current situation'. This is not a convincing explanation. Historical records, naturally, reflect the position at the time.
South China Morning Post
26-05-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong ombudsman imposes further restrictions on archived report access
Further restrictions have been imposed on accessing past investigation reports from the Office of the Ombudsman, which have been taken offline under a new policy, with authorities now only permitting the public to view a maximum of six documents during each pre-booked 1½-hour session. When the Post tested the new arrangement by pre-booking a session to view reports at the office on Monday, no catalogue of past reports was provided for reference. This makes it difficult for the public to identify which past reports are available for inspection. The office's recent removal of all investigation reports published before April 2023 from its website has drawn criticism from lawmakers and scholars, who lamented that the move represented a backward step in transparency and contradicted the office's role in improving public access to government information. From last Tuesday, members of the public have been required to complete a form to apply to view specific old investigation reports in person at the office in Sheung Wan. Monday was the first day the office provided viewing sessions to successful applicants. The Post reporter who attended a pre-booked session on Monday afternoon was escorted to a designated room equipped with a surveillance system. Notices on the wall stipulated rules for users. 'Users should view information within the area designated by the office for a session of 1.5 hours and may only request to view a maximum of six documents each time,' the notice read.
