Safety first: Secretary for Home Affairs Dr Patrick Ho inspects Cheung Chau's bun towers.

The Cheung Chau Bun Festival Organising Committee has cancelled this year's traditional bun scrambling event due to safety factors and time constraints.

The Government has pledged to render every assistance to facilitate the event next year to make it a success and boost Hong Kong's tourism industry.

Secretary for Home Affairs Dr Patrick Ho reaffirmed the Government's support for staging traditional activities but emphasised there is a need to take into consideration modern and scientific factors so the activities can achieve an even better effect.

He was speaking after a site visit with representatives from Government departments and experts to inspect the bun towers on Cheung Chau this morning.

A meeting was also convened on site with the committee to listen to expert advice on the structural safety of the towers. The meeting concluded that more data was required.

The Government and the committee agreed to liaise closely to prepare for next year's Bun Festival.

Experts invited by the Government included the Institution of Engineers' Dr James Lau, Buildings Department Senior Structural Engineer Yeung Hin-wing, and the Mountaineering Union's Chung Kin-man.