3rd February 2023 – (Hong Kong) A netizen shared on social media today showing a man who removed his mask to smoke while peeing into a garbage bin. The location is believed to be opposite Cheung Lung Industrial Building on Cheung Yee Street in Cheung Sha Wan. The exact time of the incident is unknown. Others immediately jumped to conclusion that the man must be from Mainland and they said that more similar incidents will occur after the border between Hong Kong and Mainland has reopened fully. Some even jokingly said, “Hong Kong welcomes you!” and “Hong Kong has finally returned to normal!”
Under the Public Cleansing & Prevention of Nuisances Regulation, any person obeying the call of nature in a public place is liable to a maximum fine of HK$5,000 on first conviction and HK$10,000 for repeated convictions.
Peeing openly on the streets has been an unofficial tradition in Paris and other cities since the pre-Napoleon era and not merely in Mainland. Relieving oneself on city property is a fineable offence, but that hasn’t stopped both tourists and locals from continuing to do it, subjecting bystanders to both the unwelcome sight and the lingering smell.
In 2021, netizens shared a picture online showing a woman in a white shirt, ponytail and slippers urinating on Sai Wan Ho Street. She squatted on the roadside and took off her pants to urinate oblivious to others. She even fiddled with her mobile phone during the process. Many pedestrians were shocked by her antics as there are many shops and supermarkets near the scene.
In 2019, a woman with a black handbag was spotted relieving herself near Temple Street in Mong Kok. She openly removed her skirt and underwear before squatting down in front of a restaurant to urinate and defecate oblivious to pedestrians walking on the pavement. On 1st of June in the same year, a masked man was caught urinating into the gap between the train and the platform at Quarry Bay MTR station.
