Hong Kong leader condemns ‘shameless’ culprits behind fake organ donor withdrawals, likens alleged acts to ‘discord, havoc’ sowed in 2019 protests

John Lee’s strongly worded remarks come after arrests of suspects alleged to have accessed government system to cancel registrations of others
He cites increased number of registrations from 2009 to present as reflection of residents’ support in ‘noble system’

Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Natalie Wong

Published: 12:39pm, 6 Jun 2023

Why you can trust SCMP

Hong Kong’s leader on Tuesday condemned the “shameless” acts by those arrested over fake withdrawals from the city’s organ donor registry, likening the alleged perpetrators to those who “sowed discord and created havoc” in the 2019 anti-government protests.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu made the strongly-worded remarks a day after police detained four men on suspicion they had cancelled the registrations of some people, including officials, lawmakers and artists, without their consent.

Speaking before the weekly meeting with his advisers, Lee called the culprits “rotten apples” in society. The wave of withdrawals occurred after authorities revealed they were looking into a sharing mechanism for organ transplants with mainland China.

Chief Executive John Lee admonishes those behind the fake withdrawals of organ donor registrations. Photo: Elson Li

“We should speak out sternly with justice and directly rebuke them for their mistakes. All their tactics are very similar to that of the ‘black riots’ and ‘colour revolution’ in 2019,” Lee on Tuesday said. “They used various excuses to sow discord, create a phenomenon not anchored in reality, and advocated these online to spark havoc.

“We must condemn these shameless acts and authorities will pursue legal responsibilities.”

Police to target organ donation rumour mongers, Hong Kong health chief warns

In recent months, authorities reported an unusual surge in cancelled registrations via the Centralised Organ Donation Register website, amid negotiations about a cross-boundary, mutual-assistance mechanism for transplants.

Among the 5,785 withdrawal applications received since last December, more than 2,900 were found to be invalid as they were filed by individuals not on the register. The percentage of invalid withdrawals was as high as 74 per cent in February alone.

Hong Kong to benefit from proposed organ donation scheme with mainland: experts

On Monday, the four men, aged 19 to 47, were arrested over accessing a computer with dishonest or criminal intent. Police said some of the suspects were believed to have stolen personal information of others to apply for cancellations.

Lee on Tuesday said the seven-fold increase in the number of registered persons in the register – from 45,000 in 2009 to more than 357,000 at present – reflected residents’ support in a “noble system” to save lives.

He reiterated that under the mechanism being discussed, organs donated in Hong Kong will be given to locals as a priority and mainland patients would only be considered if no suitable recipients were found in the city.