Hong Kong will not organize fireworks to celebrate the lunar new year in Victoria Harbor due to fears of protests broke out.

The head of Hong Kong's interior ministry, Lau Kong-wah, today confirmed the special zone's government decided to cancel the lunar new year fireworks display on January 26 due to "the current situation".

"After careful evaluation, we decided to cancel the fireworks due to general security concerns," Lau said. However, light shows in Victoria Harbor and performances in the West Kowloon cultural district will not be affected.

The 20-minute fireworks display held on the second day of the lunar calendar every year is the largest-scale event in Hong Kong and the focal point of the series of activities to celebrate Tet. The last time Hong Kong canceled fireworks during the Chinese New Year was in 2018, after a bus accident that killed 19 people and killed at least 60 people.

Yiu Si-win, a tourism lawmaker, said earlier that the government was concerned about safety when protests against the extradition bill lasted 7 months in the special zone had no end.

"This is not good for Hong Kong's reputation," Mr. Yiu said, referring to many important events being canceled. "When it comes to safety, this decision is easy to understand," Yiu said.

Chan Suk-chong, a representative of the pro-democracy coalition Tanya, said that the destruction of fireworks due to fear of demonstrations was illogical and this decision once again affected Hong Kong's image to the world. .

"I don't understand why the police are not confident about ensuring general security," Chan said, saying that the government lacked the will to properly manage the special zone and asked that special chief Carrie Lam respond to five key requests. of the protesters.

In addition to canceling fireworks, other lunar new year activities in Hong Kong are also moderated, in which a three-day carnival will replace the parade in Kowloon. The traditional fireworks display on New Year's Eve organized by Hong Kong Tourism Department was canceled due to safety concerns.

Protests erupted in Hong Kong in June last year to protest the extradition bill that will allow suspects to be brought to jurisdictions where the Special Zone has not signed an extradition treaty, including mainland China.

After the Hong Kong government withdrew the bill, protesters continued down the road making other requests such as investigating the use of force by police, organizing democratic elections and chief of the special zone Carrie Lam. function. However, the special zone government firmly rejected these requests and the police arrested more than 6,400 people.

Hong Kong also had to cancel fireworks display on New Year's calendar due to concerns over protests. On January 1, many protesters marched on Hong Kong's main streets, then clashed with police, forcing authorities to use tear gas and water cannons to disperse.