| News
Stories: |  |
Click-on
these handy "jump links" to quickly access the news item
you're
looking for. 1.
Start the week 2.
26 building plans approved in March 3.
Develop Central Police Station, Victoria Prison and
the Former Central Magistracy into a heritage tourism attraction 4.
'Careless, thoughtless' people jeopardising fight against
virus 5.
SAR with Tom HIlditch 6.
Study backs single owner for tunnels 7.
Taiwan gets ready for Apple Daily 8.
Culture veteran hopes to pass the torch to the next
generation 9.
Works starts on Oriental Hollywood theme park 10.
Cartoon 11.
Shanghai considers cruise centre 12.
Hotelier envisions building HK resort 13.
Opinions divided over Hoi Ha marine centre 14.
Scheme would be illegal now, claim critics 15.
Your Sars questions answered 16.
Official guidelines on Sars 17.
Doonesbury
1. Start the week
Albert
Cheng, SCMP 28 April 2003 The
government's $11.8 billion package to help revive the flagging economy might not
represent a cure, but it could be a short-term painkiller. The
eight measures include tax rebates, rent reduction and waivers in rates, fees
and charges. A low-interest loan scheme will also help restaurant and shop owners.
The package is
more generous than that offered in Singapore, showing that the economic impact
on the public. Although the amount is hardly adequate to stimulate the economy,
it is a positive sign that officials are responding to popular demands. The
Sars battle is one that we cannot afford to lose. The most urgent task is to ensure
Hong Kong has a high standard of health and hygiene. Everybody must play a part.
Over Easter,
six local electronic media groups joined forces with various organisations to
launch Operation Unite. Among other activities, 6,000 volunteers were mobilized
to take part in a massive clean-up campaign. They helped elderly tenants clean
their homes, setting and excellent example for others. This
could have showcased Hong Kong as a caring community. However, Chief Executive
Tung Chee-hwa and his policy secretaries stole the limelight. The officials went
to all 18 districts for the benefit of the cameras - a move that backfired. Instead
of looking at how Hong Kong was standing united against Sars, the media focused
on what officials had seen on the streets - cockroaches, garbage and filth. Workers
from the Health Department and the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department had
been sent to do the donkeywork, before the arrival of the high officials. A couple
of days later, the streets were as dirty as before. Some
ministers were appalled at the filth. Secretary for Home Affairs, Patrick Ho Chi-ping.
Said after inspecting backstreets in Tsuen Wan and Mongkok that the situation
was unacceptable. He spoke as if he was visiting Hong Kong for the first time,
but at least he was speaking from the heart. Those
in charge of public health and hygiene should be held responsible. On the mainland,
the leadership was so determined to get its act together that the health minister
and the Beijing mayor were sacked. No one in Mr Tung's administration has so far
been held accountable. After
their visits to the blackspots, the bureaucrats should at least be more appreciative
of the frontline workers who are toiling round the clock to sanitise public facilities.
At Amoy Gardens
janitors cleaning day and nigh are only paid $3,000 a month, even less than welfare
recipient under the Comprehensive Social Security Scheme. Those working in public
housing blocks are no better. They are paid $150 a day for a 12-hour shift, earning
just $4,500 a month - even if they work seven days a week. The contractors, however,
charge the Housing Department $400 an hour per worker.
Under
Mr Tung's relief package, $430 million has been earmarked for training and employing
temporary workers. Bureaucrats must make sure contractors do not exploit workers.
Apart from a decent salary, the workers should also be provided with the necessary
protection. Meanwhile,
officials have to make sure that the $1.5 billion fund set aside for infection
training and prevention will be value for money. The
government should use the money to support the Medical faculty of the Hong Kong
University, to reward its scientific achievements and bolster its leading position. Adequate
funding will be conducive to an early development of a cure for Sars.
2. 26 building plans approved in March
Hong
Kong Government, 28 April 2003 The
Buildings Department approved 26 building plans in March - six on Hong Kong Island,
six in Kowloon and 14 in the New Territories. Of
the approved plans, seven were for apartment and apartment/commercial developments,
two were for commercial development, five were for factory and industrial developments
and 12 were for community services developments. In
the same month, consent was given for work to start on 20 building projects that,
on completion, will provide 184,276 square metres of usable domestic floor area
and 18,755 square metres of usable non-domestic floor area. The
department also issued 14 occupation permits - five on Hong Kong Island, two in
Kowloon and seven in the New Territories. Of
the buildings certified for occupation, the usable floor area for domestic and
non-domestic uses was 39,826 square metres and 18,469 square metres respectively.
The declared
cost of the new buildings completed in March totalled about $1.028 billion. In
addition, nine demolition consents involving nine building structures were issued.
The department
received 2,426 complaints against unauthorised building works in March, and issued
1,643 removal orders on unauthorised works.
3. Develop Central Police Station, Victoria Prison and the Former Central Magistracy
into a heritage tourism attraction
Hong
Kong Government, 28 April 2003 The
Government announced today (April 25) a plan to invite private sector proposals
to preserve and develop the Central Police Station, Victoria Prison and the Former
Central Magistracy (the Site) into a heritage tourism development (the Project).
A spokesman for
the Tourism Commission said that there is increasing public demand for more to
be done to preserve Hong Kong's heritage assets. One of the most suitable ways
to do this is to engage private sector resources in projects with commercial potential.
This will help inject new ideas and a new dynamism into the process to convert
our heritage assets to beneficial use, and enable public funding to be focused
on preservation projects which may not have commercial potential. "The
Site is a fine example of Victorian and Edwardian Colonial architecture preserved
in its original form and integrity," the spokesman said. "Given
proper conservation and creative use, the Site has great potential to be developed
into a heritage tourism attraction that would enable local residents and overseas
visitors to appreciate the unique cultural heritage of Hong Kong." The
Site was strategically located in the heart of Central. It will provide an effective
link between existing attractions in Central, including Government House, St John's
Cathedral, Lan Kwai Fong, SoHo and Hollywood Road, adding heritage to the existing
entertainment and dining attractions in the area. The
Government plans to award the Project through an open competitive process. The
selected proponent will be awarded a 50-year land grant. In line with the primary
objective of the Project to preserve and restore the Site as a heritage tourism
facility, proponents will need to meet certain mandatory requirements on preservation
designed to preserve the heritage value of the Site, and leaving as much flexibility
as possible to the Project proponent to take forward the development concept.
Assessment of
proposals will focus on four categories of criteria, namely heritage preservation;
technical, environmental and traffic aspects; economic and tourism benefit; and
payment to Government, in the form of land premium. In the light of the objectives
of preservation and the promotion of heritage tourism, recognising the constraints
in implementing the Project, qualitative aspects of proposals will attract a higher
weighting than the premium in the assessment. To
make way for the Project, existing users will vacate the Site in 2005. To expedite
the implementation of the Project, the Government plans to invite tender proposals
in early 2004 and hand over the Site in phases to the successful proponent in
2005 without waiting for vacant possession. This will enable the Project proponent
to complete the development as soon as possible. The
spokesman said, "The involvement of the private sector in the Project mirrors
the approach adopted for the Former Marine Police Headquarters project. On completion,
the development will diversify the range of attractions on offer in our prime
tourist area in Central." "It
is important that we press ahead with major tourism projects despite the downturn
due to SARS. The decision to go ahead with the Project reaffirms Government's
commitment to continue to invest in tourism and to ensure that Hong Kong remains
the premier destination for visitors to Asia," he added.
4. 'Careless, thoughtless' people jeopardising fight against virus
STELLA
LEE, SCMP 28 April 2003 Frontline
medical workers will be fighting a losing battle against Sars unless Hong Kong
people stop being "careless, thoughtless and heartless" by jeopardising
the environment, the leader of a political group warned yesterday. Frederick
Fung Kin-kee, chairman of the Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood,
was highlighting the fact that dead rats and litter are back on the streets only
days after a high-profile cleaning campaign was launched by top government ministers.
Speaking on the
RTHK radio programme Letter to Hong Kong, he said that only a new culture which
emphasised hygiene would keep Hong Kong safe and healthy. "Unfortunately
the dead rats, piles of garbage and discarded furniture were all back on the streets
in no time. It is to our shame that all the Sars lessons have not been learned,"
he said. "How
can we hope to fight the spread of Sars or other epidemics if we still have such
poor hygiene awareness?" His
appeal came after the South China Morning Post reported on Friday how a dead rat
and piles of rubbish were found in an alleyway near Tai Po Market, which had been
scrubbed and swept clean the night before Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa visited
the area as part of the cleaning campaign last Sunday. Mr Fung said he had noted
that many people had criticised the campaign as a facade. He
said that while Secretary for Home Affairs Patrick Ho Chi-ping had been "lucky"
enough to be exposed to some grime and cockroaches, his message about cleanliness
had not made an impact on the public. Mr
Fung said that while people were paying tribute to health-care workers and making
donations, he fully agreed with the view of one medical practitioner, who pointed
out that the best way to help medics cope with the outbreak was to stay healthy
by looking after each other and the environment.
5. SAR with Tom HIlditch
SCMP,
28 April 2003 Viral
Chernobyl
Communications meltdown
The China Syndrome
(Karmel Schreyer) Please
send your haikus to sar@scmp.com. The writer of the best will win a night in the
Island Shangri-La's harbour view suite plus breakfast for two worth an inspirational
$8,888. Haikus
should be three lines with five syllables in the first line, seven in the second
and five in the last.
6. Study backs single owner for tunnels
JOSEPH
LO, SCMP 28 April 2003 Putting
the three cross-harbour tunnels under one private owner is the best way to ensure
their viability, according to an official study. However,
officials from the Environment, Transport and Works Bureau - which handled the
study - have warned such a proposal is probably unworkable, as the private operators
of the Eastern and Western harbour tunnels are unlikely to accept the government's
commercial terms for their consolidation. The
Permanent Secretary for the Works Bureau, Rita Lau Ng Wai-lan, told a meeting
of Legco's transport panel last week that the operators of these two tunnels had
not shown any interest in a consolidation plan. The
Western Harbour Tunnel is owned and run by a joint-venture involving Citic Pacific,
Kerry Properties and China Merchants Holdings (International). The
same consortium has the management contract to operate and maintain the government-owned
Cross-Harbour Tunnel. Citic
Pacific is also part owner of the Eastern Harbour Tunnel, along with Kumagai International,
Paul Y. Limited, Marubeni Hong Kong and South China Limited, and the government.
Legislators and
industry sources said the lukewarm response from the two private tunnel operators
was probably due to the fact that the government had not presented them with any
"concrete plan for moving the proposal forward or a realistic pricing plan".
At the urging
of Legco, Mrs Lau has pledged to reopen talks with the tunnel operators on the
issue over the next two months. In
the budget announced last month, the government said it planned to sell several
prime government assets over the next five years in a bid to raise $112 billion.
Financial Secretary
Antony Leung Kam-chung has said he expects to raise $21 billion this financial
year. The amount is likely to include $15 billion in government loans and the
privatisation of several tunnels for $6 billion. There
have been hopes that the official study - launched in February by the bureau -
on the future provision and operation of tunnels and toll roads in Hong Kong would
finally come up with some workable suggestions on optimising the use of the three
harbour crossings, especially to help ease congestion at the Cross-Harbour Tunnel
and redirect traffic to the two newer tunnels, which have relatively lower traffic
volumes. Not
surprisingly, given the financial secretary's mantra of "small government",
a preliminary brief of the much-vaunted study released last week calls for the
privatisation of the old tunnel and consolidating its ownership with those of
the two other tunnels under one "common operator". The
brief said the establishment of a Tunnels and Bridges Authority which will own
and operate all three tunnels, as some legislators have suggested, would not be
viable as the government would have to buy back ownership from the two private
operators, which would only further widen the already hefty budget deficit. But
it said it would be nearly impossible to get the operators to agree to a government-set
price. "As
a government which believes firmly in leaving commercial decisions to the private
sector, and which will under no circumstances coerce any party into entering any
agreement which it does not subscribe to, we conclude that the 'common owner'
approach [for the three cross-harbour tunnels] cannot be pursued at this point,"
the brief concluded.
7. Taiwan gets ready for Apple Daily
JOE
TANG in Taipei, SCMP 28 April 2003 
Hong
Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying is starting his second media war in Taiwan
which is expected to shake up the island's political and media culture.
The
launch of the Taiwan edition of Mr Lai's weekly Next magazine in May 2001 created
havoc in the local media industry and its popularity forced other magazines to
copy its focus on racy reports and scandal. And
now the island's Chinese-language newspapers, which are already struggling to
survive in difficult economic times, are in for a shake-up when a Taiwan version
of Mr Lai's Apple Daily newspaper is launched on Friday. "Every
Wednesday, we watch the local media follow up the paparazzi news about celebrities
reported by Next magazine. That will become an everyday [situation] after the
launch of Apple Daily,'' said Wang Tai-li, an associate professor of journalism
at National Chengchi University. Media
experts say local newspapers will be forced to change their conservative designs
and editorial content if they are to take on the newcomer. With
large colour pictures, and more concise and easy-to-understand language, the free
issues of the Taiwanese Apple Daily being given away at local convenience stores
and MRT stations since March have attractected the attention of Taiwanese readers.
An extra on the
US-led war against Iraq released on March 20 and a special issue on the suicide
of Hong Kong singer-actor Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing released on April 4 were a hit,
with more than 500,000 copies of each being picked up in less than six hours.
Some Taiwanese
newspapers have already started to update their layouts with more colourful designs.
Taipei's mass-circulation
China Times ran huge pictures and banner headlines during its month-long coverage
of the Iraq war. Its
sister paper, the China Times Express, has appeared in that format since March.
All three main
newspapers - the United Daily News, the China Times and the Liberty Times - are
preparing for a tough battle with Mr Lai. Lin
Yung-san, publisher of the Liberty Times, questioned whether Mr Lai was willing
to spend enough money to break into the market. "Want
to run a newspaper in Taiwan? Well, see if you have NT$50 billion [HK$11 billion],''
he told his staff at a party recently. Wang
Pi-li, president of the 50-year-old United Daily News, is confident his paper
will win the battle with the Apple Daily. Since
February the United Daily News has reportedly barred employees from taking leave
as part of its preparations for the fight with Apple Daily, while the China Times'
management has held regular discussions on how to combat the threat. But
Apple Daily says the other papers are over-reacting. "What we are after is
a retail market catering for ordinary readers, people on the streets, who are
not interested in traditional newspapers which are for a select group," said
Eric Chen Yu-hsin, editor-in-chief of the Taiwan edition. He
said the paper would be a tabloid of 120 to 160 pages, more than twice the size
of the existing papers.
8. Culture veteran hopes to pass the torch to the next generation
KLAUDIA
LEE, SCMP 28 April 2003 Having
spent 29 years as one of the major shapers of the local arts and cultural scene,
Tony Ma Kai-loong believes it is time for both the community and the commercial
sector to contribute more to Hong Kong's future cultural development. With
the government's hobbled by a huge budget deficit, the local arts scene is in
dire need of deeper public participation and more commercial sponsorship, says
Mr Ma, an assistant director of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department who
will retire on Thursday. "Hong
Kong people have been over-reliant on the government. They always expect the government
to spend much on cultural services. For example, our ticket prices are really
low. But we have to ask, do they [people] also need to share part of the burden?"
To encourage people to contribute to cultural development, Mr Ma believes it is
crucial to nurture youngsters' interest through cultureal education. "When
they have finished schooling, they will then be willing to subsidise arts and
culture. Otherwise, the high subsidies from the government will continue,"
he said. He said
that in the 1970s and 1980s, the city's fledgling cultural scene received a boost
from the heavy subsidies from municipal councils in the form of cheap tickets
and discounted charges for government-owned venues. From
such humble origins, the local arts scene had become more mature - and more expensive
to maintain as well, he said. Mr
Ma, 52, should know. Starting as an assistant manager of City Hall, he is now
in charge of overseeing more than 10 museums, on top of cultural and heritage
preservation bodies. A
sociology graduate of the University of Hong Kong, Mr Ma has witnessed the flowering
of the local cultural scene since he entered the field in 1974. Back
then, he said, there were only a few libraries and only one cultural venue, the
City Hall. But with the government's growing support of arts and culture, numerous
venues were built during the "golden period" of the 1980s and 1990s,
among them the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, the Space Museum and the Hong Kong Coliseum.
The widely used
Urban Ticketing System, or Urbtix, was established in 1983. According to Mr Ma,
the department plans to upgrade the system and develop automated ticket-selling
services. Over the years, he said, one major challenge that various cultural bodies
had to face was how to serve different needs and interests from a wide spectrum
of visitors. The
task has been doubly hard because of the constant changes in the makeup of the
local population, such as the migration of a large group of intellectuals before
the handover and the flood of immigrants in recent years. "These days, we
have focused on broadening the scope of the audience and carrying out various
arts promotional activities, such as organising various arts workshops,"
Mr Ma said. Better
packaging was also needed nowadays to make the arts exhibitions more appealing
to the public, he added. Preserving
the city's historic buildings and relics also proved to be another hard task for
Mr Ma. Amid the rapid urbanisation, valuable buildings were doomed to demolition,
which left him feeling helpless. But he feels a glimmer of hope has arrived since
Secretary for Home Affairs Patrick Ho Chi-ping took office in July last year.
Dr Ho's emphasis
on preserving Hong Kong's culture and relics is reflected in the increase in the
number of Antiquities and Monuments Office staff from the original 30-plus to
70 over the past few months despite a tight budget. With
retirement looming, Mr Ma cannot help looking back. "In
future, when I visit a museum, a library or a monument, that sense of belonging
will not be diminished, and the co-operation with my colleagues will always be
the unforgettable moments in my life," he said.
9. Works starts on Oriental Hollywood theme park
Around
the Nation, SCMP 28 April 2003 JILIN
- Construction work has started on the ambitious Oriental Hollywood project in
Changchun, China News Service reports. The Movie City theme park will cost 1.5
billion yuan and cover one million square metres. Changchun is a keymovie production
centre.
10. Cartoon
SCMP,
28 April 2003 
11. Shanghai considers cruise centre
MARK
O'NEIL in Shanghai, SCMP 28 April 2003 The
Shanghai government is considering a proposal to invest up to 10 billion yuan
(about HK$9.37 billion) over the next five years building a "cruise city"
on the Shanghai waterfront to receive luxury liners and tap a new market among
mainland tourists. The
plan, proposed by Malaysia's Star Cruises, calls for the development of an area
of two million square metres north of the Bund, the waterfront along the Huangpu
river. It would
include a 1,200-metre long pier and water eight metres deep, where four to six
liners could dock at the same time, the Sanlian Shenghuo magazine said in its
latest issue. If
the city government approves the plan and construction begins this year, the facility
could be ready by 2008. Currently,
Shanghai trails far behind Hong Kong and Singapore in the cruise business, with
47,000 visitors entering the city from such vessels in 2001, compared with 2.4
million in Hong Kong. Sars has had a dramatic impact on the regional cruise business,
but Hong Kong has looked into expanding its capacity in the past. In
the past, critics have said Hong Kong lacked sufficient cruise berth capacity.
About three years ago, Cheung Kong's plan to build a second cruise ship terminal
in the residential district of North Point was knocked back following strong criticism
from local residents, environmentalists and rival cruise terminal operator Wharf.
Mainland citizens
who want to join cruises now have to go first to Hong Kong, Singapore or other
destinations, adding significantly to the cost. Star
Cruises wants to offer tours originating in the mainland. It has applied for rights
to operate cruises from Tianjin to South Korea via Qingdao and Tianjin to Dalian
and South Korea. Prices have been set at levels similar to the price of tour group
holidays to South Korea. In
its application, Star Cruises argued that Shanghai has an ideal geographic location,
with liners able to reach South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong within 48 hours,
and also able to run domestic routes to Dalian in the north and Hainan in the
south. The "cruise city" would both bring in foreign tourists and open
a new market to transport Chinese travellers, it said. The
"city" could attract more than one million tourists a year and, with
foreigners spending an average US$230 a day in Shanghai, it could bring in more
than US$200 million a year to Shanghai. To investigate the feasibility of the
proposal, think-tanks under the State Council have sent teams to Malaysia and
Miami, the global centre of the cruise industry. Globally,
240 such cruise ships carried 10 million people in 2001, double the five million
in 1992, and are expected to carry 13.6 million by 2005.
12. Hotelier envisions building HK resort
SANDY
LI, SCMP 28 April 2003 Far
East Hotels & Entertainment, owner of the Warwick Hotel on Cheung Chau island,
has golden dreams of sailors and surfers and sandy white beaches. The
only trouble is the Warwick stands along a narrow strip of sand on Hong Kong's
most densely populated outer island. But
with the tourism industry suffering from the Sars outbreak, Far East Hotels hopes
to rejuvenate the island into a Phuket-style resort destination geared towards
the domestic tourism market. In
contrast to most city hotels catering to tourists, where occupancy rates have
plunged by up to 90 per cent since the Sars outbreak, hotels on the outlying islands
have been swamped by Hong Kong residents. The
Warwick Hotel on Cheung Chau and Silvermine Beach Hotel at Mui Wo on Lantau Island,
which is owned by Hong Kong Ferry (Holdings), were fully occupied as families
cancelled trips overseas during the Easter break due to the Sars outbreak. "Our
Warwick Hotel achieved 90 per cent occupancy during the Easter break," said
Far East Hotels' managing director Derek Chiu. "The scene has shed some light
on the opportunity to develop domestic tourism. "Being
the largest investor in Cheung Chau, we certainly will consider all possibilities
to upgrade the island in a bid to appeal to locals and foreigners." Mr
Chiu said the island possesses one of Hong Kong's best beaches, Tung Wan Beach,
and provides great potential to develop an upmarket resort destination similar
to Phuket. "But
the plan needs collective effort from the private sector and the government to
improve the island's infrastructure and atmosphere," he said. Mr
Chiu's proposal includes asking the government to enlarge the Tung Wan Beach and
designate an area for a night market along the beach front. The
company plans to offer facilities for water sports, such as paragliding, and for
war-gaming and barbecues. "We also have to consult Cheung Chau's residents
to see if they accept the idea," he said. The
proposal is in line with the government's aim to develop the domestic economy.
Mr Chiu rejected
the possibility of building a second hotel on Cheung Chau, saying the company
was instead considering acquiring some bungalows. Mr
Chiu does not expect significant investment in the bungalows as it is not the
right time to make big capital expenditures. Meanwhile,
Silvermine Beach Hotel manager Dino Wong expects occupancy rates will remain high
as many families are unlikely to travel abroad this summer. "Our
average occupancy rate has stood at 85 per cent since the Sars outbreak, and all
rooms were occupied at Easter," he said. Before
the outbreak, the hotel's average occupancy rate was 60 per cent. At Easter about
80 per cent of the customers came with families, compared with 60 per cent last
year. Last month,
the hotel achieved good business even during weekdays as schools were closed and
many parents took leave because of the health crisis.
13. Opinions divided over Hoi Ha marine centre
KEVIN
SINCLAIR, SCMP 28 April 2003 As
environmentalists yesterday set off on a charity walk to raise funds for a marine
centre being built in Sai Kung, another group of nature lovers was protesting
against the project. The
$52 million educational centre in Hoi Ha Wan is the work of the World Wide Fund
for Nature (WWF). But critics have said the project is too costly and will attract
hoards of visitors to an environmentally sensitive spot. On
a visit to the national park to open the WWF charity march in Wan Tsai yesterday,
Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works Sarah Liao Sau-tung was presented
with a policy statement by objectors outlining their grievances. They
claim the WWF has ignored the interests of local villagers and that the large
marine-life centre has caused ecological damage to the delicate coral and fish
populations in the bay. Nicola
Newbery, a Hoi Ha resident who has helped co-ordinate protests against the way
the WWF centre has been designed and constructed, said Dr Liao had received the
objectors' policy statement "sympathetically". As
the charity walk passed through Hoi Ha, residents put up banners and handed out
posters claiming the WWF "classroom in the water" had been built without
planning and without a proper environmental impact assessment. "It
has already left rubbish strewn throughout the area and under the platform itself,"
said the pamphlet. "The natural beauty of Hoi Ha will soon be a memory."
Tension has been
running high in Hoi Ha in recent weeks. The first public forum held between the
WWF and villagers was on April 12, and ended with ill feeling and claims that
environmentalists had refused to answer questions. Yesterday,
there was a complaint to Sai Kung police after a villager clashed with a WWF member
trying to park in a restricted village car park. After a near riot over Easter
when 10,000 people visited the tiny hamlet at the end of a narrow road on the
tip of the Sai Kung peninsula, police were out in force yesterday to prevent illegally
parked vehicles blocking the road. But
despite criticism from residents, WWF chairman Markus Shaw remains adamant that
the marine centre will educate young people and actively help to protect the threatened
environment within Ho Ha Wan Marine Park. "The
centre is a window on the bay," Mr Shaw said yesterday. He
said he understood the concerns of Hoi Ha villagers and promised to see that in
future, the line of communication with them was open. "The good news is that
we're encouraging people to go out into the country parks and look at our natural
heritage," he said. "But there are spin-off problems; too many people
in one place is not good, either." He
said the WWF was working with police and the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation
Department on questions of access to the centre. Mr Shaw, who took over as WWF
chairman when the project was already at an advanced stage, said instructions
had been given to contractors that the area must be kept clean and tidy - although
residents complain of rubbish and building waste littering the course of the kilometre-long
sewage pipe that serves the centre. "This
is a way to show people what life is like beneath the waves," Mr Shaw said.
"At Mai Po, people go to see the birds. Here, they can look from the platform
and through the glass-bottomed boat to see what is down there."
14. Scheme would be illegal now, claim critics
KEVIN
SINCLAIR, SCMP 28 April 2003 Controversy
has dogged the $52-million marine centre right from the start. Hoi
Ha Wan Marine Park was designated in 1996, but because the WWF project had been
planned before the relevant legislation was passed, it did not need a full environmental
impact assessment. Critics
contend that the centre would not be allowed under present laws. Steve Joy, an
engineer and Hoi Ha resident, argues that there are many aspects of the project
that are environmentally unfriendly. "There is an incredibly ugly black steel
sewage pipe which runs above ground alongside the path," he said. One
basic complaint by village protesters is that one of the world's most renowned
green organisations is involved in a project which many see as causing irreversible
harm to a delicate natural treasure. David
Newbery says it has built what he describes as "an ugly steel oil platform"
over the coral. WWF
representatives at a meeting with villagers on April 12 blamed shortcomings with
the design of the viewing platform, the "oil rig" and the unsightly
sewage system on building regulations which forced them to adapt their plans.
What most angers
residents of Hoi Ha is their claim that they were ignored and deliberately excluded
from any planning role or even consultation. "We were told nothing,"
complained teacher David Emerton. Access
to the country park is controlled by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation
Department. Permits are needed to drive past the gate barrier at Pak Tam Chung.
The department is now looking at building a parking area for coaches and public
vehicles to serve the marine park. The Transport Department and police are also
trying to control congestion along the single route to Hoi Ha. Pollution
concerns include outflow from a busy village restaurant that now serves up to
2,000 customers and which causes detergents and food waste to run directly into
the protected bay.
15.
Your Sars questions answered
DOCTOR
MARGARET CHENG, SCMP 28 April 2003 Doctor
Margaret Cheng is on hand to answer your queries on the atypical pneumonia outbreak.
If you have any questions for her, e-mail them to mharris@netvigator.com.
More questions will be answered in tomorrow's City section Q
Does an oral fever thermometer that has been wiped with an anti-bacterial wipe
or disinfectant need to be rinsed with water before being inserted into the mouth? A
The reason alcohol is favoured as this kind of cleaning agent is that it effectively
kills the viruses and bacteria and at the same time evaporates quickly, so very
little is taken in if the item is put in the mouth. Obviously no one should be
drinking cleaning solution or disinfectant, but the amount remaining on a thermometer
or probe after being wiped clean is not going to be harmful. The most important
issue here is that the probe is thoroughly and carefully wiped, several times
over, so no microbes of any kind are passed from person to person. Q
Would it be incorrect to say that we may be asking for a potential disaster in
a block of flats that has opened its pool? There
have been no infections traced to swimming pools even though some private clubs
have kept their pools open throughout the outbreak. As long as the pool management
is maintaining adequate levels of chlorination or other chemical water-cleaning
agents and is checking these several times a day, the water should be safe. As
for the surrounds, I agree changing rooms and other shared areas may be less than
ideal, but this varies according to the quality of management.
Q Are there
any environmental conditions that are known to be harmful to the Sars virus such
as hot, cold, too much oxygen or too much carbon dioxide?
A Coronaviruses
like Sars are most comfortable in cold, dry environmental conditions. So everyone
is hoping the warmer, more humid weather will help reduce the amount of virus
in the environment. However, once in the body it behaves differently because it
takes on the life of the host. So it can still spread itself effectively if given
the chance when people are herded together or share common, poorly designed and
dirty living environments. The cleaner and more thoughtful we are about the areas
we share with others, the greater the chance we have of containing this thing.
In the past, Hong Kong as a whole has been an excessively dirty city. The good
thing is there is plenty of room for improvement.
16. Official guidelines on Sars 
Guidelines
from a government taskforce on avoiding infection and what to look for if you
think you are infected. Principles
for controlling the spread of infection
To isolate/segregate infectious and potentially infectious individuals.
To minimise close and unnecessary human contact (including the reduction of unnecessary
human traffic).
Self-protection and the protection of family members.
Four simple but very important steps: the wearing of protective masks; frequent
hand-washing; self-imposed segregation; living and working with environmental
hygiene & ventilation.
How
to protect yourself and your family
Avoid going to high-risk places (all hospitals) and areas with too many people.
Wear an N95 or surgical mask if going to cinemas, theatres and concerts. (Surgical
masks are more comfortable but must be disposed of when wet. N95 must be worn
properly without any leak. Single-layered paper masks are not effective).
Avoid restaurants that are too crowded. Avoid sharing tables with strangers.
Avoid unnecessary travelling to Sha Tin, Kwun Tong, Kowloon Bay, Tseung Kwan O
or areas with many infected cases and their neighbouring areas.
Keep a mask with you and wear it in crowded places such as on public transport,
and in shopping malls and markets.
Avoid kissing and minimise shaking hands in social encounters.
Wash hands with soap regularly after touching any objects suspected to be contaminated.
Wash hands before and after each meal and avoid touching your eyes, nose and lips
with unwashed hands or fingers.
Children and students should wear masks to school and when they go out, but must
ensure they do not touch the external surface of the masks and wash hands after
touching them.
Since all government and private schools are temporarily closed, parents can consider
minimising their children's outings by observing the above guidelines.
Symptoms
to look out for
High fever, muscle aches and chills or shivering are symptoms of significance;
doctors should be consulted if they last more than 24 hours. Runny noses and sore
throats are not symptoms of significance.
This is also the season when people easily catch a cold or flu. Patients with
symptoms of a common cold should not jump to the conclusion that they have Sars,
but should consult a nearby doctor as soon as possible.
If you have prominent symptoms of Sars, consult the closest doctor of your choice
and wear a mask at all times. If Sars is diagnosed, you will be transferred to
a designated Health Authority hospital. Also make sure people who accompany or
transport you are wearing masks.
Take chest X-rays and blood tests as recommended by the doctor, and also take
repeated X-rays as instructed. Rapid tests are not indicated for everyone, and
are only prescribed by specialists in particular hospitals.
If you are suspected of having contracted Sars, your family members and accompanying
people must also wear masks when they are close to you.
Cancel all social engagements and rest at home if Sars cannot be totally ruled
out by your doctor.
Make a note of your activities in the past 10 days, and the people with whom you
have had personal contact who may have been exposed to infection. Inform your
doctor accordingly.
Keep a list of your close contacts before and after the onset of symptoms, and
inform your doctor if an Sars diagnosis is made.
Please
also follow the guidelines by the Department of Health regarding confirmed contact
with Sars patients.
Hotlines
- who to call for help Department
of Health (pre-recorded health education hotline) 2833 0111 Department
of Health hotline for general advice (during office hours) 2961 8968
For
regular updates and health advice, visit the Department of Health's Web site at:
www.info.gov.hk/dh
For international updates and advisories, visit the World Health Organisation
Web site at: www.who.int/csr/sars/en/
or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US at: www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/
17. Doonesbury
SCMP,
28 April 2003 
| 
