Every year at this time, town councils and the National
Environment Agency (NEA) see a spike in one type of complaint:
against the practice of burning incense paper.
Figures from the NEA show that in 2009, there was a monthly
average of 55 feedback cases on the indiscriminate burning of joss
paper. But in August and September of the same year, during the
Hungry Ghost Festival period, the number of complaints almost
doubled to about 102 on average.
The agency declined to reveal the amount of feedback it received
on this issue last year.
Earlier this month, a 52-year-old man suffered a heart attack
after a scuffle with neighbours who were unhappy that he was
burning joss paper and incense.
-- ST
