【明報專訊】THE OFFICE OF THE OMBUDSMAN has of its own accord looked into the mechanism by which the Marine Department (MD) follows up recommendations contained in marine incident investigation reports in the light of a media report. The approach in which it dealt with them until June 2013 is described as "lax" in the report. However, if one peruses the report, one will come to realise the description is actually a prettification, not just an understatement, for MD did nothing at all about any recommendation contained in any report having to do with maritime safety. In a complete mess, it created pandemonium. Seen against what had caused the Lamma marine accident, the report the Office of The Ombudsman has published shows MD officials are inescapably to blame for the tragedy. The government has dealt with the matter in such a way that one sees little likelihood of any of them being held criminally liable for it. If this proves another mystery case of "bureaucracy causing deaths", one may say the thirty-nine people killed in the accident died undeservedly!