Smelly-Tofu seller gets big fine for pollution

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http://www.scmp.com/News/HongKong/Article/FullText_asp_ArticleID-20000429015900234.asp

Smelly-tofu seller gets big fine for pollution

Repeat offender: Ng Shiu-ping

ELAINE PAK LI

A shopowner was fined $12,000 yesterday for selling smelly tofu which a magistrate said violated the rights of others to fresh and clean air. North Kowloon Court magistrate Anthony Kwok convicted Ng Shiu-ping of breaching the Air Pollution Control Ordinance. It was her fourth conviction for air pollution offences.

Ng, owner of the Tasty Food Shop at Nullah Street, Mongkok, was charged with emitting an unpleasant smell from her shop during the preparation of the snack on October 16. She pleaded not guilty. Mr Kwok told her: "Smelly beancurd has been popular in Chinese culture for a long time.

"When people are enjoying such a delightful snack, however, we are paying a social price for it as our air is polluted because of its preparation.

"It's not right to trade our right to have clean and fresh air with the snack because only a group of people enjoy eating them.

"This is especially so because more and more people criticise the downgrading of our air quality. Therefore, there must be a stronger mechanism to improve our air quality."

He said Ng's neighbours' homes were filled with the smell and they needed to re-do laundry.

Ng, who was not legally represented, said she had spent more than $100,000 on air purifying system after previous convictions. She had pleaded guilty in her previous cases.

"My neighours have never liked my shop. They have wanted my shop to vanish for a long time. But it's my business, it's how I earn my living," Ng said. She said her shop earned only $10,000 a month and asked for leniency. The magistrate fined her $12,000 and allowed her one month to pay.

-- Maya (Maya@eck.is), April 30, 2000

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