{headline} Teenager `given botched abortion' {article} A TEENAGER who found herself four months pregnant and sought help from two unregistered doctors was given an incomplete abortion and had to spend two weeks in hospital, the High Court heard yesterday. {para} Tse Shuet-fong, 40, denied a charge of aiding and abetting the use of an instrument to procure the miscarriage of Miss Li Man-wai, 18. She is being tried by a jury before Deputy Judge Burrell. {para} Senior Crown counsel Mr Francis Lo said Miss Li began to live with Mr Poon Tsan-ki in May 1990. {para} A few months later, he said, she suspected she was pregnant and, on October 12, 1990, the couple went to a clinic in Mongkok. {para} Miss Li underwent a pregnancy test and was informed by Tse that she was four months pregnant, said counsel. {para} Tse said she could arrange an abortion for $4,000, said Mr Lo. {para} On October 15, Miss Li was taken to a Yau Ma Tei clinic by Tse, where an abortion was performed by a woman - ``Dr'' Chu Sze-yuk - with the assistance of Tse, the court heard. {para} The next day, Miss Li felt dizzy and was bleeding, so Mr Poon took her to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. {para} Miss Li was examined and was diagnosed as having had an incomplete abortion. {para} Tse was arrested on October 18, 1990, and inquiries revealed that neither she nor Chu were registered doctors, counsel added. {para} The hearing continues. {/article}

{headline} Merchant cleared in Reid hearing {article} A MERCHANT accused of helping jailed government lawyer Warwick Reid to evade arrest by taking him ashore to Macau in a sampan was acquitted yesterday, halfway through the testimony of a prosecution witness. {para} Mr Adrian Huggins QC for the Crown, surprised everyone in the High Court when he asked Deputy Judge Jones to direct the jury to acquit the defendant, Kwok Chi-fai, before a witness called to identify Kwok had finished giving his evidence. {para} Lee Kam-fai, who had steered a fishing boat carrying Reid from Hongkong, failed to identify Kwok. {para} Mr Huggins leading Mr Alfred Chan told the court he had chosen to make the request now rather than at the end of the trial. Kwok's counsel Mr Andrew Raffell described it as a fair decision. {para} Kwok, 47, a merchant from Macau, was jointly charged with four other defendants of perverting the course of justice. {para} When the judge told him he had been acquitted he gave a deep bow, said ``thank you'' and walked out of the courtroom. The other defendants followed to congratulate him. {para} When he opened the case three weeks ago, Mr Huggins told the jury that after Reid arrived in Macau from Hongkong on the night of December 30, 1989, Kwok steered a small sampan out from the shore to meet the fishing boat transporting Reid there. {para} He picked up Reid and took him ashore. That was the only part Kwok played in Reid's escape, Mr Huggins said. {para} Kwok was arrested in August last year and has been on bail. He was given legal aid for his defence. {para} The witness, Lee, who is serving a jail term unrelated to this case, told the court that he had been asked by his elder brother to help steer a fishing boat to Macau. {para} ``Suddenly a gweilo boarded the boat,'' Lee said, and they set sail for Macau. The gweilo was taken ashore by a sampan, but Lee said he could not identify the person on the sampan as it was dark. {para} The next witness, Ms Flora Ng, an assistant supervisor for Cathay Pacific Airways, told the court that on January 16, 1990, just after 11 pm, two men arrived at her office to purchase tickets. {para} The request was turned down by counter staff and the matter referred to Ms Ng, who said she asked the two men to give particulars. {para} It was explained to her that two passengers on a flight from Guangzhou wanted a connecting flight to the Philippines and were in urgent need of two tickets. {para} She was told that if the tickets were not issued, it would put them in a ``very difficult'' situation and there was also mention of the problem being ``political''. The name card and telephone number of another defendant, Mathew Tsang Hing-wa, were handed to her. The tickets were paid for using a credit card, Ms Ng said. {para} Also on trial before the jury are solicitor Alick Au, 36, two clerks of his firm, Alan Leung Wood-mo, 35, and Tsang, 28, and merchant Yau Kwok-wah, 29, all charged with assisting Reid to impede or prevent his arrest and prosecution. {para} The hearing continues. {/article}

{headline} Special adviser to NCNA director Zhou to be based in Shanghai {byline} By DOREEN CHEUNG and JEREMY LAU {article} SENIOR Chinese official Mr Li Chuwen will not be based in Hongkong despite his appointment as special adviser to the director of the local branch of the New China News Agency (NCNA), Mr Zhou Nan. {para} A deputy director, Mr Zhang Junsheng, confirmed yesterday that Mr Zhou had invited Mr Li to be his senior adviser because of his local ties and knowledge of the territory. {para} ``He was working and living in Hongkong for nearly six years. He had a lot of friends in different sectors and knew the territory well,'' Mr Zhang said. {para} He said that as special foreign affairs adviser to the Shanghai municipal Government, Mr Li's main work was in Shanghai and he would visit the territory from time to time. {para} Mr Li is said to have had good relations with top Chinese leaders. He is a close friend of the Chinese Communist Party chief, Mr Jiang Zemin, and Vice-Premier Mr Zhu Rongji. {para} He was an aide to the first director of the Hongkong and Macau Affairs Office under the State Council, the late Mr Liao Chengzhi, and is said to be on good terms with Chinese premier Mr Li Peng. {para} It is understood Mr Li visited Hongkong briefly last month and met pro-China figures, including Hongkong affairs adviser Miss Liu Yiu-chu. {para} Mr Zhang declined to specify the duties to be undertaken by Mr Li, nor did he agree that appointing a senior adviser was an unusual move. {para} ``If there are appropriate candidates, we can invite many advisers when needed,'' he said. {para} The vice-director dismissed part of a Far Eastern Economic Review report on Mr Li's appointment as speculative and groundless but declined to go into detail. {para} The magazine quotes Chinese sources as saying: ``The decision to appoint Li is an indication that the leadership in Beijing are not particularly pleased with the performance of Zhou, a follower of hardline premier Li Peng.'' {para} Mr Li, 71, was a vice-director of the NCNA before he retired and returned to China to take up his present position in Shanghai. {para} His foreign affairs experience is regarded as an asset to the NCNA in dealing with British officials in Hongkong, especially the new Hongkong team under Governor Mr Chris Patten, who enjoys direct access to the British Prime Minister, Mr John Major. {para} The dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the City Polytechnic of Hongkong, Dr Joseph Cheng Yu-shek, said Mr Li's return should be welcomed because he was knowledgeable about Hongkong. {para} Dr Cheng said there had been an influx of cadres from the north and these cadres might have little knowledge about Hongkong. {para} or could not co-operate well with local cadres. {para} A Hongkong Affairs Adviser, Mr Cheng Kai-nam, said the appointment was good because Mr Li was skilled at handling local issues and people. {para} But Mr Cheng said he would prefer Mr Li to be stationed in Hongkong rather than based in Shanghai. {/article}

{headline} Nun has faith in spirit of territory {byline} By ERIC ANDERSON {article} ALTHOUGH New York-born Sister Helen Kenny has devoted more than half her 61 years to working with the sick and dying in Hongkong, she modestly insisted yesterday that there had been little extraordinary about her life. {para} But the nun and nurse acknowledged that, during her decades in the territory, she had learned some meaningful lessons, a few of which she imparts in Lifelines, a book of interviews with older Hongkong residents. {para} Sister Kenny is quoted in the book as saying that she sees the ``community spirit'' that struck her upon her arrival in Hongkong in 1958 being recreated today. {para} While Hongkong can appear like a big, cold city full of people in a hurry, she said: ``There is a great deal of life and hope underneath. Some of the people rushing are rushing to do charity work.'' {para} Lifelines, a fund-raising project for St Joseph's Home for the Aged in Choi Hung, demonstrates Sister Kenny's point. It is featured in a three-day exhibition, which ends today at The Landmark. {para} The book stresses that much can be learned from older people, whether or not they have led spectacular lives. {para} Sister Kenny's memories and observations are found in one of 36 brief interviews in Lifelines. {para} Featured are comments from a housewife and part- time soft-drink seller, a former fighter pilot, an ex-soccer player and a paper carton collector, among others. {para} The book's creators, members of the recently formed Eternal Flame Foundation, said the diversity of sources was by design. {para} Proceeds from Lifelines will help pay for a new elevator for the home. {para} The facility, which is home for more than 125 residents, is run by the Little Sisters of the Poor without government support. {para} The 44-page book of interviews and photographs sells for $100. Because it was produced entirely with donated services, all proceeds from the first edition of 2,000 copies will go to the home. {para} Copies can be bought at The Landmark until 6.30 pm or by sending a cheque, payable to the Eternal Flame Foundation Ltd, to 109 Pak Kong Village, Sai Kung, New Territories. {/article}

{headline} Property agents plan criticised {byline} By NG KANG-CHUNG {article} HALF of Hongkong's property agents may be forced to close if a licensing system proposed by the Consumer Council is adopted. {para} Some smaller property companies have accused the council of discriminating against them but established companies agree a statutory regulatory system would enable a healthy growth of the industry. {para} Under the proposals, anyone who is giving services to others in buying, selling, or renting flats will be required to obtain a property agent's licence and to follow a code of practice under a property agent ordinance. {para} A licence will only be issued to those who have taken special courses and obtained certificates. Those who violate the code of practice will have their licence suspended. {para} It is also suggested as one of three options that an independent commission be set up to oversee the implementation of the licensing system. {para} The commission should be funded by licensed agents, who may be asked to contribute part of their profits annually to cover its operation costs. {para} The other two options are that a government department or the Consumer Council should oversee the commission. {para} The recommendations are expected to be put forward to the Government for consideration after the formal approval by the council at a meeting next Thursday. {para} Consumer Council chairman Professor Edward Chen Kwan-yiu said: ``It is understandable it may take a long time before the system can be fully implemented. {para} ``But we hope the Government can first make an estate agent ordinance and spell out the code of practice. And we think we can allow a grace period of 18 months to allow all agents to upgrade themselves and get licences.'' {para} He said detailed proposals would not be made until the Government had studied and responded to the initial recommendations. {para} Complaints about property transaction malpractices have jumped from 67 in 1987 to 248 last year, according to the Consumer Council. Most are about agents providing misleading information or refusing to return deposits. {para} Professor Chen said a comprehensive statutory control was needed so consumers could be guaranteed qualified and good services. {para} ``Hongkong is a unique place where people are used to trading incomplete flats. And very often consumers depend much upon the estate agents to do all the work for them.'' {para} Group general manager of property consultant L & D Holdings Group Mr Samuel Kuk welcomed the move but suggested the Government take a step further to drive those smaller unprofessional agents out of the market. {para} Mr Kuk, also the spokesman for the Society of Hongkong Real Estate Agents, said: ``Sometimes we see grocers using some space in their shops as agent offices. They lack professional knowledge and should not be allowed to operate.'' {para} He estimated half of the 2,500 registered property companies in Hongkong might have to close if the licensing system was introduced. {para} He added the society was discussing with City Polytechnic of Hongkong to open certificate courses for property agents and it was hoped the courses could begin by the end of the year. {para} However, Mr William Yeung, of one-man-business Super Win Real Estate Agency in Causeway Bay, argued: ``I do not think we need housing experts as agents. {para} ``An agent is a salesman and his job is to introduce suitable flats to customers. What we need is experience, not a certificate. {para} ``The licensing system only helps the big companies monopolise the market.'' {para} Acting Secretary for Planning, Environment and Lands Mr Bowen Leung Po- wing said yesterday the Government supported the imposition of statutory controls on property agents in the long term. {para} ``We have reached understanding with estate agent associations that some form of regulation through licensing should be pursued. {para} ``But we need time to study some technical problems like the definition of an agent, channels through which an agent can upgrade his qualification to required standards, and sources of funding,'' Mr Leung said. {para} He declined to comment on the Consumer Council recommendations or specify when a licensing system could be carried out but said the views of property agents would be considered. {para} Estate agents depend on self regulation at present and any person can open a shop with a business registration. {/article}

{headline} Deposit rates hit AIDS group {byline} By FIONA CHAN {article} UNEXPECTEDLY low bank deposit rates have forced the fledgling Hongkong AIDS Foundation to seek further outside donations, its chairman, Mrs Peggy Lam Pei Yu-dja, said yesterday. {para} Speaking after its first annual meeting, Mrs Lam said the limited budget prevented the major AIDS voluntary association expanding its eight-member staff. {para} The foundation can only use the interest generated from its $30 million bank deposits - which amounted to $450,000 in the past year - plus donations. {para} It was given $15 million by the Government as ``seed money'' and another $15 million by the Royal Hongkong Jockey Club. {para} So far, it has $3.6 million in donations and another $1 million from a fund-raising ball last Christmas. {para} Stressing that its financial condition was sound, Mrs Lam said that with more donations it could do more especially with the high expectation from the public about innovative programmes in education and publicity on AIDS. {para} The foundation has planned two fund-raising campaigns - a concert and a ball - for the next few months. {para} No money had been set aside but a new staff member could be recruited to step up co-operation with other groups, she said. {para} The foundation is also working on details of the use of a $1 million support fund to provide immediate relief for HIV carriers and their families. {para} Mrs Lam said the preliminary idea was to provide only $200,000 in the coming year, adding that the fund was for emergencies only. {para} Up to July, the official record showed there were 304 HIV carriers in Hongkong of whom 66 had developed full-blown AIDS and 41 had died. {/article}

{headline} China demands account details {byline} By DOREEN CHEUNG {article} CHINA yesterday demanded that British diplomats provide separate profit and loss accounts for the airport railway and the Mass Transit Railway Corporation (MTRC) in order to find ``reasonable arrangements'' to finance the rail project. {para} Chinese and British negotiators gathered yesterday for another round of Joint Liaison Group Airport Committee talks following a five-week suspension. {para} However, the meeting ended up largely as a session for the British team to hear Chinese suggestions on how to resolve the financial problems. {para} No proposal was tabled by the British side, and Britain's response to the Chinese side's suggestions is expected at the next meeting of the diplomatic body. {para} Speaking after the 2 1/2-hour meeting, British team leader Mr Anthony Galsworthy said the Chinese side had produced some ideas and the British side would consider them. {para} But Mr Galsworthy declined to give details of the Chinese proposals. {para} A Chinese source said the Chinese side was not pleased that the British side did not suggest any proposals to break the deadlock. {para} The source said mainland diplomats were puzzled by British officials, who had only sought clarification of the Chinese suggestions, without putting forward their own plans. {para} In particular, they wondered why the British Government did not offer a proposed solution to the problem of callable equity, which was reported in a Chinese-language newspaper on Monday. {para} The report said the British side would propose at yesterday's meeting that the Hongkong Government provide loans to the future Airport Authority and the MTRC as guarantees for the $22.5 billion callable equity for the two bodies. {para} The semi-official Hongkong China News Agency dispatched a release after yesterday's meeting saying that the mainland officials had demanded the British side provide separate profit and loss accounts for the airport railway and the existing MTRC operation to expose the problems implicit in the existing financial package. {para} This would then help identify ways to boost the plan's cost-effectiveness, leading to reasonable arrangements to fund the scheme, the agency said. {para} Mr Galsworthy yesterday reiterated that the British side was only prepared to listen to the Chinese side during the meeting, which was called at China's request. {para} Parrying a question on progress made at the meeting, Mr Galsworthy said the Airport Committee might hold another meeting next week after the British side had assessed the feasibility of the Chinese ideas. {para} He said the current deadlock was ``not disastrous''. {para} Chinese team leader Mr Guo Fengmin said the team had not made any new proposal, because that was Britain's responsibility. {para} ``All we did was to air our opinions in response to the latest development on behalf of Hongkong people's long-term interests,'' he said. {para} Asked if the Chinese side had raised the idea of ploughing land premiums generated along the airport railway into the project, Mr Guo said: ``We have touched upon concrete proposals. But Mr Galsworthy also agreed with me that we should keep it confidential.'' {para} Legislative Councillor Mr Tam Yiu-chung yesterday criticised the British side's failure to offer proposals at the meeting. {para} Mr Tam, the vice-chairman of the pro-Beijing Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hongkong, would not comment on who should be made responsible if the two sides failed to reach an agreement. {para} Another legislator, Mr Samuel Wong Ping-wai, suggested that the entire $42.5 billion in premiums generated by property development along the airport railway be ploughed back into the rail link. {/article}

{headline} Britain's airport proposal attacked {byline} By FANNY WONG {article} BRITAIN had offered no concessions in its latest proposal to solve the protracted dispute over financing Chek Lap Kok airport and its related railway projects, a Chinese source said yesterday. {para} The Chinese source also rejected Britain's suggestion that its latest proposal was based on China's own ideas, saying there was ``nothing further from the truth''. {para} ``The present proposal is diametrically opposite to the Chinese side's suggestions,'' the source said, virtually dashing hopes of the breakthrough in the deadlock that the British side had anticipated. {para} In essence, the Chinese had wanted Britain to increase the equity injection into the airport and railway projects. {para} These funds should come from the Hongkong Government and not from the post-1997 Special Administrative Region (SAR) government, the source said. {para} The reserves are forecast to grow to $71 billion by 1997. But the Sino-British Memorandum of Understanding on the airport requires that only $25 billion be left in the kitty at the change-over, leaving $46 billion available for use by the Hongkong Government. {para} It is understood that the airport will be raised, but no detailed discussions are expected during a meeting in New York on Friday between the British Foreign Secretary, Mr Douglas Hurd, and the Chinese Foreign Minister, Mr Qian Qichen. {para} The source said that it was still uncertain whether the Beijing trip by the Governor, Mr Chris Patten, could resolve the airport dispute, although it was hoped that the two sides could reach consensus on some broad direction. {para} China is said to be anxious to resolve the dispute as soon as possible, but will not compromise on matters of principle just to reach an early settlement. {para} One way of raising the level of capital investment in the projects is for the Government to draw on its fiscal reserves to directly finance the scheme. {para} The source said the Chinese side had already demanded that the 62 hectares of land to be developed along the airport railway be included in the Government's normal annual land disposal programme. {para} Britain presented its land sale programme for the airport railway plan to the Chinese side at the Sino-British Land Commission meeting earlier this year. {para} The Chinese team was asked to approve the four-year programme for the railway, beginning in 1994-95, as a package instead of giving endorsement on a year- by-year basis as for the normal annual land sale plan. {para} This would ensure the financial viability of the scheme, as the $40 billion land premiums to be generated from the property development would be essential in bolstering the project's financial strength. {para} If approval can only be secured for approximately 15 hectares a year, it is argued that this will create uncertainty as to whether all sites will eventually be granted and whether the $40 billion windfall in land premiums can be realised. {para} The source said yesterday that the British side was undecided on whether the 62 hectares of land should be included in the annual land disposal programme when the proposal was presented to the Land Commission. {para} He said if the land was to be treated outside the normal programme, then the $40 billion in premiums so generated should all be counted as income for the future SAR government. {para} Therefore, the British proposal essentially was asking the Chinese side to invest all its share of the future premiums to help build projects before 1997. {para} ``The Hongkong Government is a government which is going out of business by June 30, 1997. Starting from July 1, 1997, the money will not be the present government's money. It [the present administration] is not the SAR government's caretaker,'' said the source. {para} ``They haven't proposed to spend one penny more. What kind of concession is it?'' the source said. {para} ``By making it [counting the 62 hectares outside the normal programme] a precondition so explicitly and openly, the British side is making a blunder,'' the source said. {para} ``The Chinese side could have handled that [request] more flexibility. Now it becomes either you agree, or you disagree.'' {para} He said the British side had, to date, failed to understand the other side's position and reasoning and there had been no dialogue between the two sides. {para} While agreeing that the latest British proposal was a step in the right direction in suggesting raising the level of capital injection to the Mass Transit Railway Corporation (MTRC) and the Airport Authority, it had failed to address all the key concerns raised by China, the source said. {para} Beijing's main concerns included the high cost of the projects, the huge debts incurred, the callable equity to be provided for the two corporations, and drawing in advance on the SAR's interests, such as deferring the MTRC's dividends payment to the Government. {para} The British side thought that callable equity was the only problem and still failed to completely solve the problem of debts, although they would dip from $73 billion to $23 billion for the two corporations under the present proposal, the source said. {para} ``The new proposal is eliminating old problems while creating new ones,'' he said referring to the draw on the SAR Land Fund. {para} While conceding that the Joint Declaration had not forbidden the use of the Land Fund, the source stressed that there had to be a good reason for doing so. He was critical of the British side's intention to draw on the SAR Land Fund while insisting that its $46 billion uncommitted reserves remain untouched. {para} Just as the Hongkong Government argued that something ``had to be kept for a rainy day'', China also needed such a contingency for the SAR, the source said. {/article}

{headline} Chamber backs airport proposal {byline} By S. Y. YUE {article} THE Hongkong General Chamber of Commerce yesterday threw its weight behind the latest British financing proposal on the airport projects and urged both sides to reach an agreement as soon as possible. {para} Chamber director Mr Ian Christie said any use of land premiums should involve financing from both the Hongkong and future Special Administrative Region (SAR) governments. {para} He said it was only fair for the SAR government to contribute its share of the land premiums since it would be the beneficiary of the airport. {para} The projects represented a good investment opportunity for the SAR Land Fund which would otherwise be put into a pending account for the future government, he said. {para} The latest financing scheme proposal by Britain suggests that $40 billion in land premiums generated by the sale of six sites granted to the Mass Transit Railway Corporation should be re-invested into building the airport railway and the new airport at Chek Lap Kok. {para} It was based on an earlier Chinese proposal that the Hongkong Government inject its share of land premiums into the airport railway. {para} A senior government source said it was a matter of principle that both the present and future governments bear the burden for Hongkong's future infrastructure. {para} The source said, out of the $40 billion land premium, $25 billion would be injected into the Airport Authority (AA) while the rest would be for the MTRC. {para} ``More money would be injected into the AA because it does not have track record in borrowing while the MTRC has double A credit rating,'' he said. {para} The source said they had gone through the railway project carefully and found that the present proposal, with two lines, an airport express and a rail line to Tung Chung, was the most cost-effective design. {para} He said the best way to contain costs was to tender as early as possible. {para} The source said suggestions on cost cutting were not feasible. {para} One suggestion was to cancel the Tung Chung station. The source said this would cut the cost by $900 million but decrease revenue by $18 billion by 2010. {para} The source said the increased injection into the MTRC would not affect the company's rate of return. {/article}

{headline} Warning over airport funding {byline} By DOREEN CHEUNG and SUSAN FURLONG {article} IN a veiled warning to the Government, legislators scrutinising airport financing yesterday said their Finance Committee might disapprove funding proposals endorsed by Britain and China if they were not informed of details as soon as possible. {para} Speaking after a three-hour meeting with officials, convenor of the ad hoc group Mr Stephen Cheong Kam-chuen said: ``Although it is highly unlikely, it is still a possibility that if the Finance Committee collectively . . . [does] not accept the financial package . . . agreed on between the two governments, constitutionally speaking there will be no disposal of funds. {para} ``Members were concerned that we had only learnt from the press about details of the Sino-British negotiations over the airport projects. We requested the administration to, at least, give us some details as to the anticipated changes on the financial package if there are going to be amendments to the proposals.'' {para} Members made the request to ensure that the financial package had been in the interest of Hongkong people, he said. {para} But government officials attending the meeting felt unable to heed their demand and would reflect their opinions to senior staff, said Mr Cheong. {para} Noting that members appreciated that details of the diplomatic negotiations should be kept confidential, Mr Cheong said they hoped they could be informed of any change in the financial package as soon as possible. {para} The possibility for revising the original financing plan emerged following repeated demands from China to make the scheme more cost effective and less of a burden on the future Special Administrative Region government. {para} At Wednesday's Joint Liaison Group Airport Committee meeting, China proposed to separate the profits and loss accounts of the airport railway and Mass Transit Railway Corporation, and use land premiums generated from property development along the airport railway to fund the project. {para} The Governor, Mr Chris Patten, yesterday welcomed the proposals. {para} ``I very much hope that those proposals will enable us to break the log-jam. We are studying them; we will respond next week and I hope there will be early agreement during the meeting of the Airport Committee which we would like to hold on Wednesday,'' he said. {para} Meanwhile, the Government refuted the International Air Transport Association's (IATA) criticisms over increasing the aeronautical charges by three-fold between 1989 and 1997. {para} The administration told legislators that raising the charges by three times would make Hongkong rank seventh instead of 10th among 14 countries. {para} Increasing the landing charges would place Hongkong before Indonesia, New York and Taipei but it would still fall behind cities such as Sydney, Copenhagen, Munich and Stockholm. {para} The Government thus concluded that the new landing charges were reasonable by world standards. {para} But the IATA earlier argued that raising aeronautical charges to subsidise future users of Chek Lap Kok was unfair. {para} Government official said most of the airlines using Kai Tak would be the beneficiaries of the improved facilities at Chek Lap Kok. {para} Adding a ``Chek Lap Kok element'' to current charges was in line with the terms of the Convention on International Civil Aviation which provided that there must be no discrimination between the level of charges as applied to locally based and overseas airlines, according to the Government. {/article}

{headline} Airport projects expected to create 40,000 jobs {byline} By FANNY WONG {article} ABOUT 40,000 jobs will be created at Chek Lap Kok airport and the neighbouring Tung Chung community by 1997, according to government estimates. {para} Officials have argued that Tung Chung residents and those taking jobs in the area would form the bulk of commuters using the airport railway, thus justifying the need for the Tung Chung extension of the rail link. {para} It has been suggested that the Government defer construction of the Tung Chung station to reduce the overall cost of the controversial railway project. {para} Transport officials have found that deferment of the Tung Chung station would give rise to temporary cost savings of $900 million at 1991 prices, but the Government would still need to fund the necessary route protection works for future construction, to cost about $117 million. {para} Notwithstanding the savings, the project would suffer revenue loss if construction of the Tung Chung section was deferred. {para} Government calculations envisage a population of 20,000 in Tung Chung in 1997 and 4,100 job opportunities. {para} There would also be 24,000 airport jobs relating to the operation and maintenance side and 11,500 airport-related jobs including hotels, commercial businesses and cargo deliveries. {para} While the Tung Chung population alone would generate 30,000 daily trips for the rail system, another 115,000 daily trips would be generated by the Tung Chung and airport jobs, according to the Transport Branch projections. {para} Transport officials have calculated that about 41 per cent of the total 145,000 trips would be using the Lantau line, taking into account full bus competition. {para} If the Tung Chung station were deferred and all journeys to and from the station were lost, officials had calculated that revenue loss would amount to $177 million in 1997 and $567 million in 2011. {para} Even assuming that 50 per cent of the journeys associated with the airport jobs were made by bus to Tsing Yi and then by the Lantau Line, the revenue loss would still be substantial. {para} Under such a scenario, in 1997 the revenue loss is estimated at $142 million, to rise to $373 million by 2011. {/article}

{headline} Sale of extra land `will not hurt market' {byline} By S. Y. YUE {article} THE supply of an additional 62 hectares of land over the next five years to help finance the new airport would have a minimal impact on land prices, the Secretary for Treasury, Mr Yeung Kai-yin, said. {para} Mr Yeung said yesterday the land, to be granted to the Mass Transit Railway Corporation, would be in addition to the annual sales programme of 50 hectares. {para} Sale of the 62 hectares would be spread over several years between 1993 and 1997 so there would be no flooding of the market. {para} Although there would be some impact on the property market, it would be small. {para} ``We also estimated that in the years to come, there would be demand for extra land for residential and commercial land,'' Mr Yeung said. {para} The business development manager of First Pacific Davies, Mr Frank Marriott said the additional supply would have some effect on the land market. {para} ``Land prices would be suppressed a bit since there are more stock,'' Mr Marriott said. {para} Mr Marriott said if future demand for land fell, the impact would be greater. {para} ``However, there will still be a strong demand in the market.'' {para} Mr Yeung said the additional supply would affect land prices in two to three years. {para} ``The amount of depressing effect would be no higher than $1.3 to $1.5 billion,'' Mr Yeung said. {para} About $40 billion in land premiums would be generated from the sale. {para} The British team at the Joint Liaison Group talks has proposed that money raised from the land sale be invested in the Airport Authority and the MTRC in the building of the Chek Lap Kok airport and related rail link. {para} The new proposal would reduce the debt of the two corporations by at least $40 billion and save $10 billion in interest and financing charges. {para} It would also cancel the $21 billion callable equity which was part of the previous financing proposal. {para} The managing director of Oakreed Financial Services, Mr Patrick Thomas welcomed the new proposal as being more realistic than the previous one. {para} ``It looks as though the Government has sufficient money to pay for the projects and does not have to bear the onerous amount of debt. The proposal would save considerably in terms of financing cost and can get round the current impasse between the two sides,'' Mr Thomas said. {para} Mr Thomas said it would be easier and cheaper for the two corporations to borrow money from the market under the new proposal. {para} He said the overseas market would see the proposal as a necessary political move for Hongkong to get round the current impasse and would be impressed by its ability to put more money into the projects and ask for less from the market. {/article}

{headline} $40b boost for airport {headline} Land sale plan aims to break finance deadlock {byline} By FANNY WONG {article} A TOTAL of $40 billion extra capital will be pumped into the Airport Authority and Mass Transit Railway Corporation (MTRC) under a new British initiative to break the deadlock with China over financing Chek Lap Kok and its rail link. {para} Under proposals unveiled by the Secretary for the Treasury, Mr Yeung Kai-yin, yesterday, the $40 billion land premiums generated by the sale of 62 hectares around the railway will be re-invested in the two corporations. {para} This will enable a substantial reduction in the amount of borrowing required and eliminate the need for $21 billion to be set aside for the corporations to draw on later if necessary. {para} Details were first presented to the Chinese side of the Joint Liaison Group Airport Committee on Wednesday, aimed at allaying China's fears that it will be left with a huge debt after 1997. {para} Mr Yeung stressed that the proposal would not affect the Government's financial reserves, which were expected to reach $71 billion in 1997 as originally estimated. {para} Mr Yeung described the package as sensible, constructive and viable which, ``if there is a will, could lead to agreement''. {para} Beijing reacted cautiously to the proposal, with a Foreign Ministry spokesman declining to comment, but saying that a solution could be found if both sides acted in accordance with the Joint Declaration and the Memorandum of Understanding on the new airport. {para} Director of the local branch of the New China News Agency, Mr Zhou Nan, also declined to comment last night, saying that he had not learnt the details of the proposals. {para} But a Chinese source maintained that Beijing would find the new package unacceptable and cast doubts on the use of the Special Administrative Region Land Fund to fund the airport. {para} Legislative Councillors were divided, with some supporting the increased investment and others expressing doubts because of fears about its impact on public spending. {para} ``If the actual land sale income turns out to be lower than expected, will it affect government programmes such as housing and social welfare?'' asked Co-operative Resources Centre spokesman Mr Steven Poon Kwok-lim. {para} Mr Yeung declined to be drawn on whether China would accept the package, which was modelled largely on earlier Chinese proposals to invest the land premiums from airport railway property development in financing the project. {para} ``No one can be 100 per cent sure that they will accept it [the idea], but it came from them,'' he said. ``We have built on it. We have demonstrated how it can work effectively in addressing their concern. {para} ``In response, they said yesterday [Wednesday] they would consider that seriously and carefully and come back to us.'' {para} Mr Yeung said he hoped the Chinese would accept the package in its entirety, with land sales starting in 1993 and continuing until 1997. {para} Of the $40 billion premiums, $25 billion would go to the Airport Authority, raising its paid-up equity from the $16.6 billion in the original proposal to $41.6 billion. {para} The remaining $15 billion will be channelled to the MTRC, boosting the equity injection from $3.7 billion to $18.7 billion. {para} ``This immediately allows callable equity to be dropped for both corporations - so answering a major concern of the Chinese side,'' said Mr Yeung. {para} The new proposals involve 62 hectares of MTRC land, which would be in addition to the annual ceiling of 50 hectares allowed to be released for development under the Joint Declaration. {para} Other key features of the proposal include: {para} A reduction in total borrowings by the two corporations by at least $40 billion so that the Airport Authority's maximum debt would stand at $5.9 billion and the MTRC's at $17 billion. {para} Savings in interest and financial charges of $5.9 billion by the Airport Authority and $4.3 billion by the MTRC. {para} All debt by the Airport Authority to be repaid by the year 1999 and debt by the MTRC relating to the airport railway by 2006. {para} Requiring the Airport Authority to pay the Government air traffic control charges and meteorological charges from the opening of the airport instead of payment being deferred until 2005, while dividends paid to the SAR government would be brought forward from the year 2005 to 2000. {para} No deferral in MTRC dividend payments to the Government, which would be paid from 1997. {para} ``The new proposals are a response to the Chinese side's ideas and they are therefore an alternative to our original plan,'' said Mr Yeung. {para} ``I cannot say that they are more cost-effective than our original plans though they will be effective if they successfully bring both sides closer.'' {para} Mr Yeung maintained that the use of the SAR Land Fund was legitimate because it was in line with the Joint Declaration, which provided for the fund to be used to finance land development and public works. {para} Conceding the Government had switched from the original debt-financing to equity-funding in the new proposals, Mr Yeung explained that at the time officials were drawing up the original funding plan, there were no indications of the possibility that the MTRC land development could be treated as extra money. {para} ``What has happened is that we have a helpful suggestion [from China] that we could in fact do this,'' he said. {para} ``In our original proposals, the 62 hectares would have been part of this annual sales programme - now we are proposing that they should be outside it. {para} ``Because the land is extra, the revenue generated would be additional to the revenue allowed for in the Government's economic and financial forecasts - so there is no downside in this for the taxpayer. {para} ``There would also not be any reduction in public expenditure programmes in other areas, because basic government funds are not being touched.'' {para} If the premium income from selling the 62 hectares of land exceeded $40 billion, Mr Yeung said, the two corporations would not get more. If the yields fell below $40 billion, the Government would have to ask both the Airport Authority and the MTRC to go to the capital market and borrow. {para} Mr Yeung underscored the importance of keeping Hongkong's financial reserves to forecast levels to protect the territory against unknown economic factors such as the loss of China's Most Favoured Nations status. {para} Spokesmen for the Provisional Airport Authority and the MTRC remained convinced that their original financial plans were viable and cost-effective. {para} But both corporations said further capital investment from the Government would help reduce debts and they would study details of the new proposals. {/article}

{headline} Jail threat over pollution {headline} Higher fines `failing to deter offenders' {byline} By KATHY GRIFFIN {article} FACTORY chimneys are continuing to emit clouds of black smoke despite tougher maximum fines, and an environment official yesterday said the only real deterrent would be if company directors were threatened with jail for repeat offences. {para} The Environmental Protection Department's (EPD) list of prosecutions for August, released last month, showed 11 companies were convicted of a total of 13 excessive dark smoke emissions, the largest of any single offence. {para} A further 21 companies were fined for offences ranging from unauthorised installation of furnaces to polluting waterways and excessive noise. {para} All of the offenders were fined $10,000 or less, including the two repeat offenders, True Success Ltd of Kwun Tong and Warmtex Fiberfills Industry of Kwai Chung. True Success was fined $2,000 and $2,500 for its two offences, and Warmtex $6,000 for each of its two offences. {para} Mr Franklin Chung Moon-kun, the head of the EPD's air policy group, said fines of only a few thousand dollars failed to deter some factories from polluting. Dark smoke can cause increased respiratory problems and possibly cancer in humans. {para} The maximum penalty was raised from $5,000 to $20,000 in September 1990 because the lower fine was considered too small to be a deterrent, but fines above $10,000 are still rare. {para} ``[The increase] doesn't appear to work, to some extent,'' Mr Chung said. ``Some bad companies may be looking at the fines as part of their running costs.'' {para} The EPD therefore had proposed the controversial Air Pollution Control (Amendment) Bill in June, which provides for a maximum $200,000 fine plus six months in jail for company directors whose firms are involved in two or more offences. The first offence penalty would be $100,000. {para} The proposal is under consideration by legislators and is fiercely opposed by industry, which says it is unfair to jail chief executives for acts that may be out of their control. {para} But Mr Chung said the current penalties had not been strong enough to deter offenders. {para} ``We don't want to imprison them [company directors], but if they are repeatedly creating excessive pollution we will bring it to the attention of the magistrate. And if it's through ignorance or lack of good management, they would be responsible,'' he said. {para} But Mr Joseph Lau Man- wai, of the Chinese Manufacturers' Association, said it was wrong to punish executives because they could not control the situation at the time of the offence. The most they could do was take action after the fact, such as disciplining the worker responsible or fixing faulty equipment. {para} ``Making the chief executive responsible and imprisoning him is wrong unless you can prove he has wilfully disobeyed the government regulations,'' Mr Lau said. ``It is not fair.'' {para} His association had not made any formal objection to the plan, but the Hongkong General Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Hongkong Industries had registered their objections with the Legislative Council ad hoc group discussing the proposal. {/article}

{headline} Reid says Au went to Philippines to assist escape {article} SOLICITOR Alick Au had gone to the Philippines to help corrupt lawyer Warwick Reid escape Hongkong authorities, the High Court was told yesterday. {para} Reid said it was incorrect to suggest that Au had gone there on legitimate business and to attend a friend's birthday party. {para} Reid also denied suggestions by Au's defence counsel, Mr John Hemmings, that he had no discussions with Au about arrangements for his escape, his identity or any criminal activity. {para} He said suggestions that he happened to meet Au at the Guangzhou airport restaurant while he was fleeing to the Philippines and that Au acted as an interpreter when he saw him having problems with the authorities over his false passport were also incorrect. {para} Deputy Judge Jones and a jury are trying Au, 36, and four others charged with assisting Reid to impede or prevent his arrest and prosecution. {para} The other four men are two clerks of Au's firm, Alan Leung Wood-mo, 35, and Mathew Tsang Hing-wa, 28, and two merchants, Kwok Chi-fai, 47, and Yau Kwok-wah, 29, who are alleged to have conspired with others including Reid, George Yeung, Michael Chan and others to commit the offence. {para} Reid denied he bore any animosity towards Au because Au had instituted unsuccessful judicial review proceedings to have him transferred out of ICAC custody to an ordinary prison to serve his sentence. {para} Reid conceded he was concerned when Au first instituted proceedings in the High Court. {para} ``I was nervous and apprehensive about my situation, but I bear no animosity of any sort against your client,'' Reid told Mr Hemmings. {para} ``In fact I feel sorry for him.'' {para} He agreed that once he started giving statements to the ICAC about the alleged criminal behaviour of a number of people, there was no going back. {para} ``I talked about the corrupt activities first [involving jailed lawyers Eddie Soh and Oscar Lai],'' he said. {para} ``Then it was like stepping into a huge vacuum cleaner where it went on and on.'' {para} He accepted that if he had ceased co-operating with the ICAC he would have lost immunity against prosecution for other crimes. But he denied there was any threat against him to reveal anything. {para} Reid also accepted that he changed his mind many times about whether he should give evidence against others. {para} ``I had fluctuating emotions and thoughts about that,'' he said. {para} Asked about the photographs of him that appeared in newspapers when he absconded, Reid said the pictures were different from his present appearance as he used to wear a hairpiece and had a moustache. {para} He was unsure whether someone who knew him well would have been able to recognise him from those photographs. {para} Reid had asked to serve his prison term in New Zealand or the United Kingdom because he felt that as a foreigner he was discriminated against in Hongkong. {para} He believed that locals served only half their sentence as they were eligible for parole. {para} The hearing continues. {/article}

{headline} Cash bag stolen {article} THE proprietor of an electronics factory in Chai Wan was robbed of a handbag containing $300,000 by three men, one armed with a handgun, last night. {para} The victim, surnamed Ng, told police they came down from their Fung Yip Street factory shortly before midnight to collect their car to go home. A man armed with a pistol stood by the driver's window and threatened him with a handgun. {/article}

{headline} Tighter wildlife laws welcomed {byline} By BELINDA WALLIS and agencies {article} ANIMAL welfare organisations in Hongkong have welcomed with ``cautious optimism'' new laws in Guangdong province aimed at stopping exotic animals being served up in local restaurants. {para} The animal protection agencies believe it will help stop the flow of endangered species being smuggled into Hongkong for wealthy customers, who they believe are mainly responsible for keeping the illicit trade alive. {para} It was announced this week in Guangzhou, home of the infamous Qing Ping market, that the ordinance for the protection of wildlife had been tightened to clamp down on the illegal selling of animals such as pangolins, owls, and wild cats. {para} World Wide Fund for Nature spokeswoman Ms Amy Lau Chuk-man said the new regulations showed an increased commitment on the part of Chinese officials to stamp out the lucrative trade. {para} But she said enforcement was a crucial factor. {para} ``A wildlife animal protection ordinance was enacted in China three years ago, but the enforcement in general has been very lax and corruption has played a big role,'' Ms Lau said. {para} ``They need to allocate more resources and make a long term commitment in areas such as education and public awareness.'' {para} The International Fund for Animal Welfare, which has made several clandestine visits to Guangzhou's Qing Ping market, says the new laws have given the organisation new impetus to push for better conditions in China's markets. {para} Spokeswoman Ms Jill Robinson said the organisation had noted a marked improvement in the markets over the past 18 months with exotic species less readily available. {para} But she said the ``cruelty aspect should now be addressed for all animals''. {para} ``There is nothing humane about the way animals of every kind are treated there,'' Ms Robinson said. {para} But she believes it is now ``time for the criticism to stop and time to work with the authorities there''. {para} ``I just hope the people of Hongkong who are eating exotic animals from these markets realise why the Guangzhou government is doing this and that it is time for them to think about what they're doing,'' she said. {para} But the illicit trade in animals for restaurants continues. Macau authorities yesterday said they had seized an illegal shipment of more than 100 frozen headless cat carcasses from China headed for restaurant cooking pots in the enclave. {para} A man suspected of organising the shipment was arrested in what authorities said was the breakup of a smuggling ring specialising in supplying rare animals and endangered species. {para} The dead cats were seized en route to the enclave on the south China coast from the adjoining Zhuhai Special Economic Zone, police sources said. The shipment was destroyed. {para} Police sources said the suspect drowned the cats, then cut off their heads because cat ears were thought to contain a great deal of wax which tainted the food. {para} The eating of cat meat in Macau is legal but all frozen meat must be declared and a licence obtained before being imported. {para} The man is expected to be charged with importing frozen meat into Macau without a licence. {/article}

{headline} SAR deal `allows costing proposal' {byline} By CONNIE LAW {article} A SENIOR British representative of the Sino-British Joint Liaison Group (JLG), Mr Anthony Galsworthy, has said it was an ``absurd suggestion'' to say that the latest British costing proposals on the airport projects breached the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Memorandum of Understanding. {para} ``If you read the Joint Declaration, you'll find that it specifically provides for the use of the land fund with Chinese agreement before 1997 for just this sort of projects,'' he said. {para} Mr Galsworthy said the $10 billion saving achieved by the package was no ``mean sum'' and should not be ``sniffed at''. {para} Under the proposals unveiled by the Government last Thursday, $40 billion in land premiums generated by the sale of 62 hectares of land around the railway would be re-invested in the Airport Authority and the Mass Transit Railway Corporation (MTRC). {para} As a result, the authority would save $5.9 billion in interest and financial charges and the MTRC would save $4.3 billion. {para} Responding to claims that the British proposals had failed to cut the overall cost of the giant infrastructural project, he said the estimates the Hongkong Government had produced were genuine. {para} He said he was ``taken aback'' by some press reports which criticised Britain for putting forward these ``new and marvellous'' proposals. {para} ``These are not our ideas. These are Chinese ideas,'' he said. {para} Leaving Hongkong to attend the latest JLG meeting which starts today in London, Mr Galsworthy said he expected some progress to be made on technical subjects and that the agreement on mutual legal assistance would be finalised. {para} His comments came as the Secretary for Economic Services, Mrs Anson Chan Fang On-sang, said the new proposals would enhance the project's cost effectiveness. {para} Speaking before leaving for Canada yesterday, Mrs Chan said: ``We believe that this is a constructive and flexible approach to Chinese concerns.'' {para} Asked to comment on claims that the proposals did not address the problem of maintaining low cost-effectiveness, Mrs Chan said they had considered the cost effectiveness of construction, and interest and finance charges, in putting together the package. {para} Meanwhile, liberal political group Meeting Point said it was wrong to pump all $40 billion made from the sale of railway land into the two corporations. {para} Vice-chairman Mr Luk Shun-tim said, as Hongkong approached 1997, it should have sufficient reserves to meet uncertainties ahead. {/article}

{headline} Official rules out Akihito apology {byline} By S. Y. YUE and SUSAN FURLONG {article} A SENIOR Japanese official said yesterday Emperor Akihito would not apologise for the country's war atrocities during his October visit to China, despite mounting pressure from mainland and Hongkong Chinese for an official apology. {para} Japan's Deputy Foreign Minister, Mr Koichiro Matsuura, on a visit to Hongkong, said the emperor would be visiting on a goodwill mission. {para} ``It is not a political mission,'' he said. {para} But the diplomat, who was consul-general in Hongkong from 1985 to 1988, said Tokyo regretted Japanese actions during World War II. {para} ``We have made formal apologies on several occasions,'' Mr Matsuura said. {para} ``My understanding is that it's not an issue between the Chinese and Japanese governments.'' {para} Mr Matsuura also ruled out any compensation to Hongkong residents who were forced to exchange their money for military currency during the Japanese occupation. {para} ``Legally, the issue is settled since the British Government representing them (Hongkong residents) has given up the right for compensation in the San Francisco Treaty,'' he said. {para} The British Government promised in the treaty, which was signed in 1951, that it would not request compensation from the Japanese Government. {para} Wartime victims in Hongkong still hold an estimated 500 million military yen. {para} To mark the 61st anniversary of Japan's invasion of northeast China, about 50 Hongkong students and community leaders staged separate demonstrations outside the Japanese consulate yesterday to protest against war crimes. {para} Protester Mr Lee Liu-keung said it was important to future peace in the region that Japan recognise its past mistakes and make retribution for them. {para} ``History is a lesson for us - if we don't learn from it, it could be repeated,'' he said. {para} Colleague Mr Eli Chan Ka-wai said that although the atrocities were committed many years ago, the suffering continued for people who lost relatives during the invasion. {para} After leaving the consulate, about 20 members of the Chinese Alliance for Commemoration of Sino-Japanese War Victims marched to the New China News Agency (NCNA) in Wan Chai to lobby Chinese officials. {para} Legislator Mr Cheung Man-kwong, who attended the protest, said: ``We urged the Chinese Government to ask for an apology.'' {para} Representatives of the Students' Union of the University of Hongkong later petitioned the NCNA, asking Beijing to heed the feelings of the people. {/article}

{headline} Children wait for a life with `parents' {byline} By PAUL TYRRELL {article} MORE than 30 Hongkong children are waiting for adoptive parents to give them a new start in life, a senior Social Welfare Department officer said yesterday as she appealed for more couples to come forward and offer new homes. {para} Assistant Director of Family Welfare, Ms Patricia Chu Yeung Pak-yu, said 31 youngsters were outstanding on the department's list for adoption. {para} But despite an increase in the number of couples coming forward, there was still a shortfall in prospective parents. {para} Ms Chu added that finding homes for children with special needs was a particular problem for the authorities, who often had to turn to other countries to find parents. {para} At the end of last month, 69 children were on the department's books, with 23 being special needs children. {para} In the period between January and August this year, 53 youngsters were placed with new parents in Hongkong and five went to new homes overseas. Of this, 23 were special needs category. {para} Speaking at the Tai Ping Shan Lions Club meeting yesterday, she said: ``The last year has seen an improvement in the number of couples contacting us, but the numbers of those suitable are still not enough to meet the children who are waiting.'' {para} Ms Chu maintained that the adoption procedure would remain at the present level and said relaxing some of the conditions for prospective parents was ``not a solution''. {para} ``Each couple has to go through a series of checks including a home study which helps us decide if they have the right qualities. We feel the present checks are correct. {para} ``The checking process helps us decide the most important factor - the future well- being of the child. Any easing of the process would not help us achieve that basic aim.'' {/article}

{headline} Scheme to give workers bonuses {byline} By KAREN CHENG {article} LONG-SERVING junior civil servants may be awarded bonuses for getting to work on time or keeping a clean record of service without complaints. {para} Detailed assessment will be based on an appraisal system being developed for low-ranking staff such as street sweepers, workmen and clerks. {para} But the Government has warned against being overly optimistic about the scheme, which is likely to encounter financial as well as practical problems. {para} Under the present civil service structure, there is no comprehensive system to assess the performance of lower-ranking staff. {para} This has been a stumbling block to an award scheme recommended in 1989 by the Standing Commission on Civil Service Pay and Conditions of Service. {para} The commission proposed that staff who had served for a length of time at the maximum level of the pay scale and who have shown good performance should be granted an extra salary point as an incentive. {para} The Civil Service Branch (CSB) has drafted an appraisal form for consideration by the Model Scale One Consultative Council. {para} Members of the council have welcomed the move, which could give compensation to staff who faced no prospect of promotion. {para} The appraisal would measure the performance of staff regarding punctuality, taking into consideration such factors as complaints from the public and whether they had fulfilled the expectations of superiors, said Mr Li Ping-yu, staff side vice-chairman of the council. {para} Members of the council are generally blue-collar civil servants whose salaries range from $6,000 to $6,880. {para} Staff side chairman of the council, Mr Fung Siu-ming, said some departments had appraisal systems but wanted a common assessment scheme for certain ranks. {/article}

{headline} Man faces gun charge {article} NARCOTICS Bureau detectives arrested a 40-year-old merchant at his Savanna Garden home in Tai Po yesterday following the seizure of a loaded revolver. {para} Police said the revolver was loaded with five bullets. Another 10 rounds of ammunition were also seized at the premises. {para} The man will appear in Eastern Court today on a charge of possession of a firearm and ammunition without a licence. {/article}

{headline} `Influx' alert as dissidents taste freedom {byline} From SHIRLEY YAM in Vancouver, KENT CHEN and SUSAN FURLONG {article} CANADA'S decision to grant political asylum to two Chinese dissidents stranded in Hongkong could open the floodgates for illegal immigrants arriving in the territory from the mainland, a Hongkong-based Chinese official warned yesterday. {para} The official claimed the two dissidents - journalist Ms Liu Yijun, 29, and computer programmer Ms Lin Lin, 24 - were considered ``nobodies'' by the Chinese authorities and faced no serious threat of persecution. {para} But the official, who would not be named, expressed concern that the Hongkong Government might not be able to handle the influx of illegal immigrants as a result of the publicity given to the case. {para} ``If these two women could be accepted as political refugees, you can imagine there are a lot of other people who have similar qualifications,'' he said. {para} However, a senior Hongkong police source dismissed the suggestion. {para} He noted there had not been an invasion of asylum seekers after June 4, 1989, when the situation would have been more open to abuse with Hongkong more likely to be sympathetic to their pleas. {para} ``After June 4 we never had a massive influx of IIs all putting up their hands and claiming political persecution. It didn't happen then and I don't believe it will happen now,'' he said. {para} In Vancouver yesterday, Ms Liu and Ms Lin criticised the Hongkong authorities for being ``cool'' and ``narrow-minded'' towards people involved in China's pro-democracy movement. {para} The women said they would have been repatriated to China in secret, as many other political asylum seekers had been, if prison officials had not helped in leaking their case. {para} Appealing for international concern on dissidents jailed in China, they expressed gratitude to the Canadian Government for giving them freedom after Hongkong and Britain refused them asylum. {para} ``Canada has given me a second life,'' said Ms Lin. {para} ``The Hongkong immigration authority has a very narrow and simple understanding of the democratic movement in China,'' said Ms Liu. {para} ``Democratic movement is not just one or two events. It took a long period of evolution and preparation to come to the demonstration at Tiananmen Square, which was just a climax,'' she added. {para} ``A lot of people have been sacrificed during the evolution. But the Hongkong Government does not have a clear understanding of this. Its concept is a rather narrow one. {para} ``It has failed to give timely help to people in difficulties, like us.'' {para} But the Government rejected allegations it had not done enough to help the women. {para} A spokesman said the pair were held in the territory for nine months rather than being deported so that every avenue to help them could be explored. {para} The women were held in Victoria prison and were also involved in a court case against the snakehead who smuggled them into Hongkong. {para} The spokesman said the women remained in the territory for several months after the court case while a resettlement country was found. {para} Hongkong is not a participant to the 1951 United Nations Convention on Refugees, but the spokesman said the territory applied the same criteria as outlined in the UN document. {para} ``The Hongkong Government operates an equitable and humane policy in dealing with applications for asylum. We apply internationally accepted standards and did so in the case of Ms Liu and Ms Lin,'' he said. {/article}

{headline} Guanyin highlights Christie's `buffet' {byline} By ERIC ANDERSON {article} A WOODEN sculpture of the Buddhist deity of mercy Guanyin, expected to fetch between $7 million and $10 million, is the highlight of Christie's Swire Autumn Auctions, which start next week. {para} The Sung dynasty sculpture and more than 1,800 less pricey objects - anticipated to attract bids ranging from under $1,000 for a postage stamp to as much as $3.2 million for a pair of jadeite cufflinks - were displayed to the press in the Hongkong Hilton's Grand Ballroom. {para} The collection also features Chinese paintings, jade carvings and ceramics. {para} The auction will take place from September 28 to 30 in the Grand Ballroom, attracting collectors and dealers from around the world. {para} The 117 centimetre-high sculpture of Guanyin is considered notable for its well- preserved state. It portrays Guanyin as a male. {para} Even if a well-heeled collector does drop $10 million for the sculpture, it will not be the highest bid ever made for Chinese art at a Christie's Swire auction. In 1991, two pieces - a Sung dynasty vase and a Ming jar - sold for $11 million each in Hongkong bidding. {para} The latest art collection is considered small by the auction house's standards but the individual pieces tend to be unusually valuable, said Christie's Swire director, Mrs Alice Yuan Hsu-hwa Piccus. {para} She described the collection as a ``buffet table'' offering items fitting a range of budgets. {para} Other highlights include historic scenes of Hongkong, China and Macau painted in Western style for export - called China Trade Pictures - and 180 lots of Chinese ceramics. {para} Also on display is a emerald and diamond bracelet once owned by actress Marlene Dietrich. {/article}

{headline} Sterling crisis delays Ashdown visit {byline} By LUISA TAM {article} THE leader of Britain's Liberal Democrats, Mr Paddy Ashdown, has postponed his week-long visit to Hongkong by one day so he can attend an emergency recall of parliament in London next week. {para} According to his London office, Mr Ashdown and his wife, Jane, were to arrive next Friday and stay until October 1. But because he has to attend one of the two days of meetings to tackle the sterling crisis, he will now touch down at Kai Tak airport next Saturday while his departure date remains unchanged. {para} The urgent parliamentary meetings are scheduled for Thursday and Friday. {para} Mr Ashdown's trip is said to be private, although he will meet the Governor, Mr Chris Patten, and a number of senior government officials. {para} He will hold talks with Mr Patten on October 1 after seeing members of the Executive and Legislative councils earlier in the morning. {para} On September 28, he will see officials from the new airport office, the Trade and Industry Branch, and the Constitutional Affairs and Economic Services branches, as well as Political Adviser Mr William Ehrman. {para} For the remaining time here, he is expected to meet business leaders and visit old friends, one of whom is believed to be Legislative Councillor Mr Jimmy McGregor. {para} He will also address a luncheon meeting on September 30 which is jointly organised by the British Chamber of Commerce and the General Chamber of Commerce. {para} Mr Ashdown is no stranger to Hongkong, having studied Mandarin and stayed with a Chinese family here from 1967 to 1970. {para} According to his London office, this will be his first visit to Hongkong since then. {para} Mr Ashdown will not be staying at Government House. It is believed he arranged the visit on his own initiative a few months ago. {/article}

{headline} Jail term for assault on girl {article} A MAN who claimed pornographic magazines caused him to follow a 15-year-old girl home and indecently assault her was yesterday sentenced to four years' jail by the High Court. {para} Deputy Judge Sharwood said Wong Bing-nam, who had tied up the girl and threatened to kill her, had subjected her to an appalling ordeal. {para} But he was entitled to a sentence reduction for his guilty plea, which saved the girl from having to give evidence in open court, the judge said. {para} Wong, 34, admitted one count of indecent assault, and sentencing was deferred until yesterday for a psychiatric report which said he had no mental disorders. {para} The court heard that Wong followed the schoolgirl to her Shamshuipo home at 12.30 pm on November 7 last year. {para} Wong, who overpowered her, tied her up and covered her head with a blanket before indecently assaulting her. {para} He was arrested on December 23 when the girl saw him in the street and told her father, who notified the police. {para} Wong's counsel, Mr Frank Wong, said his client had read pornographic magazines shortly before the incident and had had a strong sexual urge. {/article}

{headline} Reid claims government `is using assets as a blackmail threat' {byline} By RITA GOMEZ {article} CORRUPT government lawyer Warwick Reid says it would be ``blackmail'' if the Governor used his discretion not to grant him an expected three-year reduction in his jail term. {para} He told defence counsel Mr John Hemmings yesterday that the Government was using the assets issue as a threat. {para} When Reid was sentenced two years ago by the Chief Justice to eight years' jail, he was ordered to make restitution of $12.4 million. So far he has paid nothing. {para} The Chief Justice also said a recommendation would be made to reduce that sentence by three years if Reid assisted the authorities. If that recommendation is made to the Governor, Reid will be released next July. {para} Reid said he was expecting a significant reduction in his sentence - an impression conveyed to him from chats on judges' cocktail circuits. {para} Reid told Deputy Judge Jones and the jury there was a civil dispute between his family, the Hongkong Government and other creditors concerning the $12.4 million. {para} ``The present state of the English law is that the Hongkong Government is not legally entitled to claim this money. To seek my wife to waiver her civil rights by threatening to imprison me for three more years is blackmail,'' he said. {para} Reid accused the Crown of treating him like a thief. {para} ``It is as if I had stolen their money. This is the thinking and attitude of the Crown. That is not the law.'' {para} Reid said he was concerned about the welfare of his wife and three children and did not want to see them homeless and destitute. {para} He said although the Chief Justice ordered the payment of $12.4 million, there was in fact only $8 million remaining. The balance had been spent on his escape. {para} The court was told that the $8 million was made up of the illegal money, his savings, profits from his kiwi fruit farm, interest and other assets he had accumulated throughout his life. Part of that money also belonged to jailed barrister Eddie Soh. {para} The $8 million was under the control of his wife's New Zealand lawyers, but the money itself was in Taiwan. He was unsure if his wife had access to this money. {para} Asked if he had returned any money to the Government, he said that when he was brought back from the Philippines he had US$200 in his pocket which he offered the ICAC but it was not accepted. {para} He reiterated that he had no control of any money. Asked how he was paying his legal bills, Reid said there were outstanding bills and he was not sure when or how they would be settled. {para} Questioned, Reid said his wife, Judith, visited him every six months. {para} Reid will continue his evidence tomorrow in the trial of a solicitor and four others charged with assisting him to impede or prevent his arrest and prosecution. {para} They are Alick Au, 36, two clerks of his firm, Alan Leung Wood-mo, 35 and Mathew Tsang Hing-wa, 28, and two merchants Kwok Chi-fai, 47 and Yau Kwok-wah, 29, who are alleged to have conspired with others including Reid, George Yeung, Michael Chan and others to commit the offence. {para} The hearing continues. {/article}

{headline} NCNA adviser named {article} BEIJING is sending a close friend of Party Secretary Mr Jiang Zemin and old Hongkong hand to the local branch of the New China News Agency (NCNA) as a top adviser. {para} According to the Far Eastern Economic Review, former NCNA vice-director Mr Li Chuwen will soon be appointed a special assistant to director Mr Zhou Nan. {para} The magazine quotes Chinese sources as saying: ``The decision to appoint Li is an indication that the leadership in Beijing are not particularly pleased with the performance of Zhou, a follower of hardline premier Li Peng.'' {para} The report that Mr Li would be appointed as ``special assistant'' to Mr Zhou was yesterday denied by the head of NCNA's propaganda department, Mr Sun Nanseng. {para} But asked if Mr Li would act as a ``special adviser'' to Mr Zhou, the propaganda head said he was not sure. {/article}

{headline} Seven hurt in raid by gang {article} SEVEN young men suffered knife wounds in an attack by an armed gang in Kwun Tong early this morning. {para} The gang attacked a rival group inside a car park in Hing Tin Estate at about 1.15. {para} Police located the injured men, all aged in their early 20s, in three separate locations in the public housing estate. {para} They were taken to the United Christian Hospital but their conditions were not immediately known. {para} The attackers fled before police arrived. {/article}

{headline} Australians `deemed cheap' {byline} By BERYL COOK {article} THE average Hongkong person thinks Australians are cheap, unfashionable, not interested in doing business and unwilling to take risks, according to the new Australian Consul, Dr Jocelyn Chey. {para} Speaking to the Australian Chamber of Commerce yesterday, Dr Chey said the average Tsim Sha Tsui shopkeeper recognised an Australian tourist ``first by their cheap and unfashionable dress; second by the down-market range of products that they are interested in''. {para} Hotel doormen said Australians tended not to tip; some local importers said Australians were ``not interested in doing business''; and some local entrepreneurs said Australians were ``unwilling to take risks''. {para} If that was not enough of a character assassination, the consul said a professional local survey would be conducted later this year to gain a more comprehensive picture of Hongkong perceptions of Australia and its people. {para} Similar surveys have been conducted in Japan and South Korea, but this will be the first of its kind in Hongkong. {para} It will help determine Australian Government policies and help Australia achieve its commercial objectives in the region; subsequent surveys will show whether perceptions of Australia have changed. {para} The economist at the Hongkong General Chamber of Commerce, Mr Ian Perkin, agreed with Dr Chey's comments ``except for the 14,000 Australians in Hongkong and many others working throughout Asia, who have the ability to stand tall in terms of fashion, business and good sense in where they work''. {para} Mr Perkin said Dr Chey was probably trying to strike a nerve and get Australians to try harder. {para} ``We tend to be complacent and think people will accept us as we are, while the rest of the world is trying to do better,'' Mr Perkin said. {para} Dr Chey said Australia needed to influence public opinion to increase its trade and standing in the region and convince Hongkong and Asia to take it seriously. {para} She said Australia had to overcome the Hongkong perception of it as over-taxed and over-regulated. {para} She acknowledged that some Asian investors might perceive Australia's recession as providing ``bargain- basement'' opportunities. {para} Its inflation rate was only 1.7 per cent earlier this year, and had been adjusted to 1.2 per cent in the last quarter. {para} Land prices and raw materials were cheap, and industrial action by unions was the lowest it had been for 30 years. {para} Dr Chey said Australia was encouraging three-way ventures between Hongkong and Australian companies to develop business in China, but China also was showing interest in Australia's raw materials for its textile and garment industry, and in industrial technology such as automotive engineering and packaging. {para} Hongkong could be beaten by China and ``miss out'' on investing in Australia, she said. {para} She said Australians also needed to stop putting themselves and their country down. {/article}

{headline} Taxi driver sent to prison {article} A TAXI driver who robbed and indecently assaulted a passenger was jailed for five years by the District Court yesterday. {para} Au Yun-chin, 38, was found guilty of the offence committed on November 27 last year in Kowloon Tong. {para} Passing sentence, Deputy Judge Carlson said a psychiatric report showed Au had suffered no remorse. {para} ``The young woman was subjected to degrading and terrifying violence by you. She was slapped, her hands were tied up, most of her clothes were removed and then she was dumped by you on the roadside.'' {para} The judge said he could not give Au any credit for his previous good character and he could only be dealt with by way of a substantial term. {para} The court heard that at about 3 am on November 27, the victim got into Au's taxi near the Romantic Motel in Kowloon Tong. {para} Au stopped his taxi near York Road, and joined the victim in the back seat, {para} When Au assaulted the woman, she pretended to faint. Au then took three gold rings, a necklace and a watch, and tied her hands with electric wire. He later removed all her clothes and indecently assaulted her. {para} He also searched her handbag and took $1,400. {para} Later, he laid the victim on the pavement, placing her clothes beside her. {/article}

{headline} Women's handbags give MTR a ticket headache {byline} By GREG TORODE and PATRICIA TANG {article} WOMEN'S handbags are causing the Mass Transit Railway to fall behind in its customer service targets. {para} The customer service report for the first eight months of this year notes that ``magnetic sources, mainly ladies' handbags'', are damaging tickets and affecting reliability. {para} The report shows that between January and August, one in every 691 tickets did not work and had to be exchanged. {para} However, the MTR posted a 1992 target of one faulty ticket in 750 after last year's performance of one in 696. {para} Despite the result, the latest report shows train reliability and escalator reliability both well over target. {para} It says so far this year, a passenger makes 416 journeys for each one that is delayed by five or more minutes, compared to 362 last year. Likewise, a passenger makes 83 trips on an escalator for every one that is not working. {para} MTR chairman Mr Hamish Mathers said the ticket problem would be improved late next year when tickets with a higher magnetic strength would be introduced. {para} He said the corporation believed in keeping pace with passengers' ever changing needs. {para} ``A lot of time and energy is devoted to listening to and acting upon customers opinions,'' he said. {para} ``[The report] is designed to give our passengers a clear idea of the progress we have been making over the past few months.'' {para} Meanwhile, the Government is to write to the Kowloon-Canton Railway following two suspensions of services within 15 hours. {para} University station services were suspended from 6.23 am for 40 minutes yesterday due to a fault on a section of the overhead line. {para} Connected bus services were provided by the KCR while there were limited train services between Kowloon and Fo Tan, and Tai Po and Lo Wu stations, as the line was being repaired. {para} The problem came after another incident on Thursday when services between Sha Tin and Tai Po were suspended for two hours, also because of cable failure. {/article}

{headline} Children at risk from illegal sparking balls {byline} By BELINDA WALLIS {article} PARENTS and children were yesterday warned by the Consumer Council not to buy sparking balls from street hawkers - they are both illegal and dangerous, the watchdog group warned. {para} The Consumer Council said its biggest concern was that children could be blinded by playing with the firecracker balls. {para} People caught with the balls face a $25,000 fine or six months' jail, according to the Consumer Council's publicity and community relations committee chairman, Mr Anthony Yuen Tak-tim. {para} Small fragments of the ball's outer casing fly off when they are banged together to let out a loud cracking sound and the council fears particles may strike youngsters in the eye. {para} The council also feared fires could be started by sparks flying off the balls which it says are smuggled in from China. {para} The mainland-made firecracker balls were spotted being sold on the street by the council and bought for investigation. They were tested by the Civil Engineering Department's mining division, which classified them as firecrackers. {para} ``They do not look like firecrackers, which is perhaps why they are easily smuggled into Hongkong,'' Mr Yuen said said. {para} The Hongkong Toys Council's vice-chairman, Mr Edmond Young Kak-sun, said his organisation was ``very concerned'' over potentially dangerous toys being sold in Hongkong. {para} ``We have stringent regulations we follow to satisfy world standards, but on the other hand we are leaving our own market open to unsafe toys,'' Mr Young said. {para} ``Anybody can bring in something and sell it as a toy right now . . . that is why we hope the toy safety bill can be brought in as soon as possible.'' {para} The Toys and Children's Products Safety Bill, which initially came under fire for the international safety testing standard it adopted and for putting the onus of responsibility on the consumer, is expected to be in place by July. {/article}

{headline} BCC scheme for payment approved {article} THE High Court has sanctioned a scheme of an arrangement between the Bank of Credit and Commerce Hongkong (BCCHK), which is in liquidation, and its creditors for all claims of $100,000 or less to be paid in full. {para} Large creditors who are owed more than $100,000 will be eligible for dividends, unless they elect to accept $100,000 and waive the balance of their claims. {para} The choice could be made at any time within the next six months, said Mr Robin Potts QC, for the liquidator. {para} Mr Justice Barnett approved the scheme of arrangement under the Companies Ordinance in the short hearing yesterday. {para} Earlier Mr Potts told the court that although the precise value of unsecured creditors' claims was not known, it was estimated to be in the region of $10 billion. {para} Of this, the present estimate of the total of the small creditor claims is less than $300 million. Assuming a total dividend of 70 per cent is ultimately paid, the payment of small creditor claims in the liquidation would be less than $210 million, Mr Potts said. {para} Present cash balances of BCCHK are approximately $5 billion. The amount to be distributed in small creditor claims and elected claims in accordance with the scheme is expected to be less than $500 million, part of which has already been paid by way of interim relief, the court heard. {para} The scheme was approved by a majority of the creditors at a meeting a fortnight ago. {/article}

{headline} Clean-up campaign for `embarrassing' Stanley {byline} By KATHY GRIFFIN {article} STANLEY will be part of an international beach clean-up campaign tomorrow which aims to trace, and hopefully reduce, the sources of rubbish polluting coastal areas. {para} The Centre for Marine Conservation, based in the United States, has enlisted 26 countries to take part in the one-day clean-up which also aims to raise awareness. {para} Ms Janice Cates, the local contact for the centre and a member of Friends of the Earth-Hongkong's water action group, said data on the rubbish collected in Hongkong would be passed to the centre for analysis and advice on what action might be taken. {para} Elsewhere, such information has been used to help improve rubbish problems. {para} Ms Cates said the Hongkong clean-up would concentrate on the beach in front of Stanley Main Street, which is not gazetted for swimming but is highly visible due to its proximity to the village's market and restaurants. {para} The beach is littered with debris including a large, heavy fishing net entangled with plastic items and cans, discarded clothing and a fuel can. {para} ``Understandably people don't swim there but it's still no reason why that beach shouldn't be maintained. There are lots of tourists there all the time and it's a real embarrassment,'' she said. {para} Meanwhile, the water quality at beaches remained mostly stable over the past two weeks, according to the Environmental Protection Department. {para} Only four of the 45 graded beaches experienced changes including Tung Wan on Ma Wan which saw its rating improve from ``fair'' to ``good'' meaning there is no detectable risk to swimmers of minor skin or gastro-intestinal illness. Twenty-one beaches achieve that rating. {para} Another 18 beaches have a ``fair'' reading in which there is a risk of illness to 10 or fewer of every 1,000 swimmers, including Ting Kau and Kadoorie beaches which two weeks ago had a ``poor'' rating. {para} Beach water considered ``poor'' poses an illness risk for up to 15 swimmers and the water at Gemini beach in Tsuen Wan fell to this level from a ``fair'' reading two weeks ago. {para} Water graded ``very poor'' carries a risk to more than 15 swimmers and persistent readings lead to beach closures. Old Cafeteria, Rocky Bay and Castle Peak beaches are closed. {/article}

{headline} Philippine immigration officials `betrayed Reid' {byline} By RITA GOMEZ {article} JAILED former government lawyer Warwick Reid yesterday said he had been betrayed when he met Philippine immigration officers hoping to buy his safe passage, only to be marched off to prison with a gun at his head. {para} Reid called the chief immigration officer ``a bastard'', and claimed he had betrayed him. {para} He at first denied saying to him: ``I will get you in future. You are only worth a little money, I will make sure you are killed.'' {para} But later he admitted he may have said that in the heat of the moment. {para} He could not remember offering three million pesos (HK$921,000) to immigration officers at Manila airport to let him through instead of putting him on a flight to Hongkong to face charges here. {para} He was giving evidence in the High Court against a solicitor and four other men charged with assisting him to impede or prevent his arrest and prosecution. {para} They are Alick Au, 36, two clerks of his firm, Alan Leung Wood-mo, 35, and Mathew Tsang Hing-wa, 28, and two merchants, Kwok Chi-fai, 47, and Yau Kwok- wah, 29, who are alleged to have conspired with others, including Reid, George Yeung and Michael Chan, to commit the offence. {para} Reid went into hiding in a flat in Sha Tin for 10 days before he was taken to Macau and then to the Philippines via China. {para} The day before he left for Macau, Reid went shopping in Tsim Sha Tsui. He wore a Panama hat and dark glasses. He shopped for two hours, then went to a bar. {para} When he returned, Michael Chan gave him a ticking off. He had gone to the flat, and when he saw Reid was not there, he had scoured the bushes nearby thinking Reid may have cut his throat. {para} He then rang another friend, George Yeung, and told him that ``the diamond was lost''. As they were afraid that their phones might have been bugged, they used code words, ``diamond'' referring to Reid. {para} Earlier under cross-examination by Mr Alexander King, who is appearing for Kwok and Yau, Reid said he would have preferred to have been granted legal aid, than spend more than $1 million for lawyers to represent him in his sentence and assets removal. {para} But because arrangements had already been made, Reid said he had had to retain the services of Mr Anthony Corrigan QC and Mr Warwick Haldane who made their own arrangement for fees which came out of his corrupt funds in Taiwan. {para} Asked if he was allowed to use the Taiwan account to pay his legal fees, Reid said the lawyers were ``allowed to get access to satisfy their own accounts''. {para} He also believed that his Taiwan lawyers were paid out of the confidential account in Taiwan. {para} Reid's corrupt funds were paid into an account in Singapore and these was transferred into a confidential trust in Taiwan controlled by New Zealand trustees whom he claimed he did not know. {para} The scheme was to then negotiate a settlement with the Hongkong Government. He accepted the money had been moved into a confidential trust in Taiwan so that the ICAC could not restrain it. {para} He agreed that without an enforceable order, the Hongkong Government could not get its hands on the money in Taiwan. {para} Asked if on his release in 10 months' time, the money would still be intact for him, Reid brushed aside the question, as speculative. {para} He reiterated that he was in no position to pay the $12.4 million ordered by the Chief Justice. Asked by Mr King if the Chief Justice could have imposed further imprisonment if he could not pay up, Reid said he could not. {para} He agreed that for a long period of time, he was able to cover his tracks. ``I was concerned there was no apparent evidence in relation to these monies,'' he said. Reid believed that his corruption would not have been uncovered if money had not been channelled periodically to New Zealand from the Singapore account. {para} ``The Chief Justice of Hongkong can make whatever order he likes for repayment but if it means I have to disadvantage my family then I will not comply with that order - is that what you mean?'' Mr King asked. {para} ``I cannot answer that question without debate. That question is charged with innuendo,'' Reid said. {para} Questioned about his sentence, he agreed he was concerned to have it reduced as much as possible. He agreed that he was prepared to achieve that end even if it meant that his friends' lives and careers would be adversely affected by what he told the ICAC. {para} The hearing continues. {/article}

{headline}> {byline} By GREG TORODE and JIMMY LEUNG {article} ARMED Chinese security officers boarded a Marine Police vessel near Waglan Island yesterday, threatening local officers with an AK-47 assault rifle in the most serious confrontation yet within Hongkong waters. {para} Foreign Office staff in London and Beijing were given full briefings on the incident, during which British military forces were called in, to mount as strong a protest as possible to China, sources said. {para} Legislative Councillors yesterday demanded that contacts between Britain and Hongkong with the Chinese authorities over the increasing number of incursions into Hongkong waters be raised to a diplomatic level. {para} Yesterday's was the fifth incursion in a month. {para} Two Marine Police launches approached a fishing boat at about 2.15 pm, about 45 minutes after the captain radioed to say it had been intercepted by Chinese officers in Hongkong waters 1.5 miles east of Waglan Island. {para} Reports said the fishing vessel was travelling with two other vessels which had already entered Chinese waters. {para} As Police Launch number 66 came alongside the fishing vessel, the crew saw three uniformed Chinese officers questioning the crew. {para} The speedboat from Zhuhai that put them aboard the fishing vessel had left the scene. {para} A constable on PL66 yelled at the officers that they were within Hongkong waters and climbed to various positions on the launch taking more than 10 photos. {para} Two of the Chinese officers suddenly jumped on the stern of PL66, with an AK- 47 rifle and a pistol drawn. {para} They demanded to be given the camera. Not knowing what to do, the constable asked his officer- in-charge, Sergeant Choi Chi-kong. {para} Sergeant Choi said he had no choice but to hand it over. {para} The Chinese officer pulled the film from the camera and tossed the exposed roll into the sea. {para} Local police did not draw their revolvers but radioed for assistance from the East and South Marine Police divisions, backed by the Royal Navy patrol craft, the HMS Plover, and a nearby customs boat. {para} A Royal Air Force Wessex helicopter, an Army Air Corps Scout helicopter and a Royal Hongkong Auxiliary Air Force helicopter flew overhead, taking photographs. {para} After returning the camera, one Zhuhai officer named Au tried to calm his counterparts in a bid to diffuse the tense situation, sources said. {para} After negotiations between the Chinese officers and various officers from the Hongkong fleet which had gathered in the area the three men left PL66 at 3.42 pm and were taken to their speedboat, Gung Bin 1207, where they joined three other officers. {para} The speedboat returned to Chinese waters. {para} No one was hurt. {para} Shortly after the incident, the Office of the Political Adviser called in New China News Agency representatives. {para} The Acting Secretary for Security, Mr Ian Strachan, said last night that the Government had expressed ``grave concern'' at the ``dangerous behaviour of the Chinese officers involved''. {para} Mr Strachan said the Chinese Border Liaison Office stated that any improper action taken by its officers would result in an apology. {para} But a spokesman for the Shenzhen government, Mr Huang Xinhua, said: ``We can't confirm this as we have not received such a report.'' {para} ``We have to liaise with our Public Security Bureau [PSB] but are unable to get a reply from them,'' he said. {para} A woman officer of the Zhuhai border patrol said she was not aware of such a report. {para} She said: ``No, it's impossible. It's impossible even to just think of it. {para} ``There are strict rules governing the behaviour of our security officers. They are not police if they had done that.'' {para} The incident follows escalating diplomatic protests over four recent incursions by Chinese in the area, believed to be part of a crackdown on Vietnamese ships leaving Hongkong over the past eight weeks. {para} The Government and Foreign Office are still waiting for explanations as to why ships bound for Vietnam are being seized and apologies for incursions. {para} After more than a month, only one acknowledgement of one incursion has been received. {para} One source said: ``The demands will be for an immediate and full response.'' {para} ``Certainly the previous demands were expressed strongly as it was, so this will all be taken into account.'' {para} ``China will have to move this time. This is a clear escalation for what is already becoming an international incident,'' he said. {para} The incident angered Legislative Councillors and shocked Marine Police, who have long been wary of photographing their counterparts during incursions. {para} Sources said officers usually took photos from a safe distance so as not to provoke Chinese officers, who are usually heavily armed and sometimes protecting smugglers. {para} Sources also said the patrol policies of Marine Police and the Royal Navy would be reviewed. {para} Late last month, the Royal Navy scaled up patrols of the sea border around Waglan to protect ships bound for Vietnam. {para} Police sources said the area, used by Vietnamese ships and close to restricted Chinese waters off Lema, has seen a surge in smuggling activity in recent days. {para} On several nights last week, about 70 craft gathered in the area, including fishing boats from Hongkong and Chinese Tai Fei smuggling boats. {para} Sources said intelligence indicated that the boats were exchanging smuggled goods. {para} Legislator Mr James To Kun-sun said the issue had to be resolved at a diplomatic level. {para} Mr To, the United Democrats security spokesman, said the issue should be raised through embassies in Beijing and in London to get the problem resolved as soon as possible. {para} Working through the New China News Agency in Hongkong might not be effective as the officials there could only refer the cases to the Shenzhen or Guangdong governments. {para} A vice-director of the NCNA, Mr Zheng Guoxiong, said he had yet to obtain details of the incident from the British before making any comments. {para} ``If the British Hongkong Government reports to us details of the incident, we will relay the situation to the authority concerned in the mainland. {para} ``It should be reflected to Guangdong authorities,'' he said after attending a ceremony to celebrate China's National Day. {para} Mr Zheng said he had no idea if the incident had taken place in Hongkong or mainland waters. {para} ``And China and Britain should work together to deal with anti-smuggling activities with the spirit of co-operation,'' he added. {/article}

{headline} Psychiatrist claims all but one from boat 101 suffered {article} A PSYCHIATRIST said yesterday that all but one of the boat people from boat 101 he had interviewed had suffered from psychiatric disorders as a result of their detention. {para} Mr Justice Chan, presiding over yesterday's hearing, was accepting the medical evidence in order to assess the amount of damages the Government should pay for falsely imprisoning 111 Vietnamese boat people for 18 months. {para} Psychiatrist Dr William Green said the problems varied. He described an eight-year-old boy who wanted to be ignored as a ``piece of furniture'', a young woman who showed signs of severe mental breakdown, a doctor who had contracted a psychosomatic stomach ulcer as a reaction to his imprisonment, a man with severe anxieties after becoming blind in one eye - angry because he felt his complaints had been ignored by the medical profession - and a 19-month-old baby whose normal development had been stalled. {para} Only the captain had been spared. His anxieties were normal considering what he had been through, Dr Green said. {para} Questioned by Mr Gerard McCoy for the boat people, Dr Green said that when he saw Tran Quang Minh, now nine, during a two-hour interview in January he was an abnormal child, emotionally blunted and stunted, who was distressed when separated from his mother. {para} Dr Green said Minh's parents said he was normal until he came to Hongkong, but after he was detained he became withdrawn and deteriorated into a ``zombie-like'' state after one particular incident involving explosions and violence. {para} He said Minh who gave evidence yesterday was a different boy. The difference, Dr Green believed, must have been due to the fact that Minh and his parents had been living in a more pleasant environment in Japan for five months. {para} However, Minh still has a phobic anxiety about policemen, which might persist, he said. {para} Told by Mr McCoy that the Government had never apologised for the wrongful imprisonment, Dr Green said it would be important for them to receive an apology because their distress would be acknowledged. {para} Dr Green will continue his evidence today. {/article}

{headline} Refugee boat did not need costly repairs: expert {article} A MARINE expert told the High Court yesterday that many of the $500,000 repairs the Government had proposed to make boat 101 seaworthy were unnecessary for one final voyage to Japan. {para} Mr Justice Chan has heard that the Marine Department estimated repairs of $300,000 were needed for the hulk and $200,000 for the engine. {para} The court has heard that the Vietnamese people on board boat 101 were invited into Hongkong for boat repairs in May 1989 so they could sail on to Japan where they expected to be given refugee status. However, after getting the estimate for repairs, the Government decided not to repair it. {para} Mr Andrew Moore has been called by 111 boat people who are claiming damages for false imprisonment after they were not allowed to sail on to Japan. {para} Mr Moore said the estimate seemed excessive as it did not consider temporary repairs which were much cheaper than permanent ones. {para} Questioned by Mr Keith Oderberg for the boat people, Mr Moore said he had never examined boat 101 but drew his conclusions from photographs and reports. {para} He said the steel-hulled vessel appeared to be a river coastal craft which had travelled about 500 nautical miles to Hongkong from Vietnam. The vessel must have been reasonably seaworthy to have gone from Vietnam to Hongkong, he said. {para} He estimated it would be about 800 or 900 nautical miles from Hongkong to Japan, depending on which route the boat people had taken, a journey of one to two months. {para} He said three parts totalling about 435 nautical miles of the trip to Japan would have been in open sea, although never more than four to five days from land, and about 665 nautical miles would be a coastal voyage. {para} He said maintenance of such a vessel was quite simple and he had seen vessels in similar condition continue to ply their trade. {para} When asked about the Government's proposed repairs to the boat, Mr Moore said many of them he regarded as unnecessary and other repairs were to restore the boat to good condition. He asked why bother to spend $20,000 as estimated for cleaning and painting the hulk. {para} Mr Moore said what was needed were small repairs to make the ship good for one final voyage to Japan. {para} For example, he said plywood could have been put down on the floor of the cargo hold for passenger comfort, rather than spending $20,000 on new flooring. He said this was not related to seaworthiness. {para} Mr Moore will continue his evidence today. {/article}

{headline} Queries on boat repair evidence {article} A MARINE expert admitted yesterday that if temporary repairs had been made to boat 101 so it could make one final journey to take 111 Vietnamese refugees to Japan, it would not have met Hongkong's marine safety regulations. {para} Mr Andrew Moore was being cross-examined by Mr Denis Mitchell QC, representing the Government. {para} He had earlier testified that many of the proposed repairs were unnecessary and temporary repairs could have been done more cheaply. {para} The refugees are seeking damages from the Government for false imprisonment after they were kept in closed camps for 18 months after the Government refused to repair their boat so they could sail on. {para} Mr Moore accepted a suggestion from Mr Mitchell that his argument about temporary repairs was based on an assumption that the Marine Department was wrong when it said there was insufficient strong steel left to put replacements on to. {para} The case continues. {/article}

{headline} Witnesses of riot `fearful' {article} WITNESSES asked to identify suspected Sek Kong detention centre rioters feared for their safety and wore hoods during the process, a senior police officer told the District Court yesterday. {para} Chief Inspector Li Wai- chi, who investigated the Lunar New Year's Eve tragedy which left 24 inmates dead and another 126 injured, was testifying at the trial of 21 Vietnamese boat people accused of rioting. {para} An alleged dispute over the sale of alcohol between northern and southern Vietnamese ignited the riot in Section C of the camp on February 3. During the riot, hut C6 was set alight, killing several inmates. {para} Mr Li told the court many boat people living in huts C1 and C2 were injured and taken to Tuen Mun Hospital for treatment. {para} ``A team of officers was then sent to Tuen Mun Hospital to record witness statements and to inquire whether any one of them was willing to participate in identification parades,'' he said. {para} Eleven inmates were taken back to the camp to take part in an initial identification parade. {para} Mr Li said he told the witnesses he needed their help to identify suspects. {para} ``The inmates then told me that they were afraid and I asked them whether they wanted to be hooded and they said `yes','' he said. {para} After they were hooded, the witnesses were escorted by police and told to look at inmates from Section B of the camp. {para} ``They were told to concentrate on the males,'' he said. {para} The initial identification parade on February 4 involved 1,500 inmates but yielded no results. {para} He said tension was high in the camp at that time. {para} ``Weapons were found in Section A and other sections of the camp. I had to find the quickest possible way to identify the suspects,'' Mr Li said. {para} Because of the urgency, he conducted a recognition parade instead of a formal identification parade. {para} ``The suspects were put in groups of 10 and paraded for identification by the 11 witnesses,'' he said. {para} Asked by prosecutor Mr John Cagney whether steps were taken to ensure fairness Mr Li said, ``yes''. {para} ``I told the witnesses that they should only make identification on those who took part in the riot,'' he said. {para} A total of 173 suspects were eventually identified by the 11 witnesses. {para} The hearing before Judge Wilson continues. {/article}

{headline} Witnesses would not name rioters {article} VIETNAMESE boat people told police they were afraid of revenge when they were asked to identify suspected rioters who took part in the Sek Kong detention centre tragedy, the District Court heard yesterday. {para} Chief Inspector Li Wai-chi, who investigated the Lunar New Year's Eve rioting at Sek Kong which left 24 inmates dead and another 126 injured, was testifying at the trial of 21 Vietnamese boat people accused of rioting. {para} A dispute over the sale of alcohol between northern and southern Vietnamese was believed to have ignited the riot in Section C of the camp on February 3. {para} During the riot, hut C6 was set alight, killing several inmates. {para} Mr Li said that witnesses would not name the rioters because of fears of revenge. {para} During a recognition parade on February 4, 300 inmates were lined up in groups of 10 to be identified by 11 witnesses. {para} Cross-examined by defence counsel Mr Tom Cheng, Mr Li agreed that during the recognition parade, the witnesses had about 10 minutes to identify each group of 10 men paraded before them. {para} Asked by Mr Cheng whether 10 minutes was sufficient time for a witness to identify a suspect, he said: ``Yes.'' {para} He said: ``During a normal identification parade, a witness takes about two to three minutes to identify a suspect. Anything which takes more than the normal time frame would not be reliable.'' {para} Mr Li disagreed with Mr Cheng that during the recognition parade the witnesses frequently declared that they had wrongly identified a person. {para} ``I can remember that this only happened on one or two occasions,'' he said. {para} The hearing before Judge Wilson continues. {/article}

{headline} Viet riot took camp chief by surprise {article} THE commandant at Sek Kong Detention Centre was taken by surprise by the riot on Lunar New Year Eve as there had been no apparent tension between the northern and southern Vietnamese boat people, the District Court heard yesterday. {para} Camp commandant Mr David Graham Thomas was testifying at the trial of 21 Vietnamese boat people accused of rioting on February 3 this year. {para} An alleged dispute over the sale of alcohol between northern and southern Vietnamese led to the riot in Section C of the camp during which hut C6 was set alight. The riot left 24 people dead and 126 injured. {para} Mr Thomas told the court he took up his posting at Sek Kong in August last year. {para} Cross-examined by defence counsel Mr Tom Cheng, he said there was no apparent tension until the riot broke out. {para} ``I say that because during that period, there was no indication of incidents between the north and south Vietnamese,'' he said. {para} Mr Thomas said he did hear of tensions at Sek Kong when the camp was first opened in 1989. {para} ``I believe that the main cause of the tension then was that the camp had just been opened at short notice and a large number of people were put in unsatisfactory conditions, rather than ethnic conflict,'' he said. {para} Tension had decreased probably because of improved accommodation. {para} When asked whether segregating the northerners and southerners had helped ease the tension, he said there was no evidence to suggest that. {para} Mr Thomas said he was not aware of any fights between northerners and southerners in Section A of the camp a month before the riot broke out. {para} Section C, which was created a month before the riot broke out, housed inmates, both northerners and southerners, who had volunteered to return home. {para} Mr Thomas said the set- up at the camp was decided by the security branch, but he had been consulted in the process. {para} He said they had not foreseen any problems putting the northerners and southerners together based on past experience. {para} ``At the Lowu departure centre, northerners and southerners have been mixed together and there was no trouble,'' he said. {para} ``Within Sek Kong, my staff and I were not aware of any north-south conflict. {para} ``Also, people at Section C had volunteered to go home and would only be at the section for a few weeks.'' {para} Mr Thomas said he had not received any report of southerners having their clothes and personal items stolen by the northerners on the first day at Section C. {para} Mr Cheng pointed out that a police constable had received a report of such a theft. He asked him whether the constable's failure to record the report in the report book would be regarded as a dereliction of police duty. Mr Thomas said yes. {para} The hearing before Judge Wilson continues. {/article}

{headline} Patient, 69, dies after needle slips {byline} By ANGELA LI {article} A 69-YEAR-OLD man died after a needle used for taking a bone marrow sample slipped and punctured his heart, an inquest heard yesterday. {para} The jury returned a verdict of death by misadventure on Mr Cheung Ting-kan, who died of a ruptured heart on February 15 in Queen Elizabeth Hospital. {para} Coroner Mr Warner Banks said evidence showed that the needle somehow slipped and punctured the heart. He said this might have been caused by a sudden movement by Mr Cheung, a slip of the needle or hardening of the bone. {para} The doctor, house officer Kwok Hau-yan, graduated from the Chinese University of Hongkong last year and was on a six-month internship at the hospital at the time of the incident. {para} He told the inquest that Mr Cheung had been diagnosed as suffering from congestive heart failure and anaemia in July last year. {para} To determine the cause of Mr Cheung's anaemia before arranging a blood transfusion, Dr Kwok said he was instructed by his superior, Dr Hui Ka-ning, to obtain bone marrow tissue for examination. {para} Questioned by coroner's officer, Mr Paul Madigan, Dr Kwok said he had been working for 25 hours when he conducted the operation on the morning of February 15. {para} ``I was on duty from 9 am on February 14. Normally, our regular working hours are from 9 am to 5 pm but I had to continue my work from 5 pm because I was on call,'' he said. {para} He had then worked through until 1 pm the following day when he resumed another shift and continued working until 9 pm. {para} Asked if he had had any sleep during this period, he said: ``Usually I can take some sleep [while on call] and I am sure I slept that night, but I can't recall for how long.'' {para} Dr Kwok said working long hours with little time for breaks was normal working practice for medical staff of his rank. {para} ``Because we are interns we have to be responsible for patients admitted throughout the night,'' he said. {para} ``Although I had worked for 25 hours, I was alert and not tired. I was competent because that [working long hours] was usually the case on a call day.'' {para} During the operation, Mr Cheung suddenly became quiet and Dr Kwok said he immediately withdrew the needle. Mr Cheung, who had given written permission for the operation, subsequently died despite an attempt at resuscitation. {para} Dr Kwok said he had performed similar operations more than 30 times, of which 10 had been performed under full supervision. {para} His competence was confirmed by Dr Hui, who said he had seen him conducting similar operations several times. {para} Dr Hui said he supervised Dr Kwok to identify the place for the injection, and left to see another patient in the ward before the operation was performed. {para} Both Dr Hui and Dr Kwok said they were surprised when they found that a post-mortem examination had revealed the needle exit mark was on the soft tissue near the sternum rather than the sternum itself. {para} Dr C. H. Chan, the unit's consultant physician, said the doctors involved had observed all necessary and proper steps before the operation. {para} He said the operation was common and he had come across three people who had died in similar circumstances during his 18 years of medical practice. {para} Clinical pathologist Dr Tang Siu-kin said Mr Cheung's sternum had become hardened, which made it difficult for the needle to penetrate. He expected Mr Cheung would have survived for less than a month even without the heart rupture. {para} Earlier, Mr Banks said that if the jury accepted that proper procedures were followed and relevant safeguards had been taken by the doctors, they should not add the word ``aggravated by a lack of care'' to the verdict. {para} The dead man's only son, 35-year-old Mr Cheung Po-shu, said after the hearing: ``I understand that the purpose of this inquiry is to find out the facts. So far I am satisfied with that, but I would like to know more about certain points which are outside the boundaries of this court.'' {para} Mr Cheung Po-shu said he wanted to establish if excessive force had been exerted when the attending doctor had attempted to penetrate the needle into his father's sternum. {para} ``I will consult with my lawyers to see whether I will take any civil proceedings,'' he added. {/article}

{headline} Legislators under attack {byline} By KAREN CHENG {article} LEGISLATIVE Councillors were criticised by a human rights group yesterday for hastily passing legislation that contravened the Bill of Rights. {para} The attack was contained in a progress report by the Hongkong Human Rights Commission, which monitored the implementation of the law over the past year. {para} Commission chairman Mr Ho Hei-wah said a great majority of the legislators, especially appointed and indirectly elected members, did not fully understand the implications of the Bill of Rights and were therefore unable to ensure that bills put forward for their scrutiny complied with the ordinance. {para} One example was Section 47 (1C) of the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, which was passed by the Legislative Council but later declared incompatible with the Bill of Rights by the courts and was therefore repealed, Mr Ho said. {para} ``This not only wastes much time and effort but also creates a vacuum period during which law enforcers are not able to find any guidelines to follow,'' he said. {para} ``The results are efficiency hampered and public interests at risk.'' {para} Mr Ho blamed this on legislators not taking a real interest in the ordinance, together with insufficient legal support in the council. {para} He urged members to make it mandatory that when bills were placed before them, the administration should provide information such as whether or how the Bill of Rights had been considered in the drafting process, to give them a clearer view of how the law would be implemented. {para} The yearly report also criticised the Government for not being sincere enough in implementing the Bill of Rights. {para} It said that because of high legal fees and insufficient legal aid, many people were denied access to courts and were therefore unable to exercise their rights. {para} The Government was also slow in making necessary changes to existing legislation that had been identified as infringing the stipulations of the law. {para} The commission proposed that the Government submit a report on its progress in implementing the Bill of Rights to the Legislative Council every year. This should also be open for public consultation. {para} A human rights committee should also be set up to see if the Bill of Rights was being properly implemented and to provide advice to the Government. {/article}

{headline} Talks to clarify boundary {byline} By S. Y YUE {article} A NEW round of talks to clarify the border between Hongkong and Guangdong start in Hongkong today. {para} Deputy political adviser, Mr Stephen Bradley will lead the Hongkong team which has six members including representatives from the police, Security Branch, Constitutional Affairs and Legal Department. {para} The Chinese team will be led by the deputy director of Guangdong Foreign Affairs Office, Mr Zhang Qingping. {para} The talks hope to draw an agreed border line with China which has not existed for almost 100 years. {para} There are doubts about the ownership of at least three islands near Lantau, and grey areas in relation to the waters and foreshores of Deep Bay and Mirs Bay. {/article}

{headline} Boy missing after sea mishap {article} A YOUNG boy is missing, presumed drowned, after falling into the sea off the rocks along the Tsing Yi waterfront at 11.45am yesterday. {para} Lam Chun-cheung, seven, who was playing with his cousin, is believed to have been washed away by strong under-currents. {para} The boy's nine-year-old cousin, Cheung Wai-hung, also fell into the water while trying to grab hold of Chun- cheung. {para} But Wai-hung, who can not swim, managed to climb back onto the rocks and alert Chun-cheung's father, Mr Lam Shing-chai, 36, who was fishing nearby. {para} Mr Lam contacted police and two divers from the Fire Services searched the waterfront for about two hours, but failed to find the boy. {para} Mr Lam told police he left his son and nephew to play in an open area near Cheung Fat Tsuen, well away from the water, while he went fishing off the rocks at the Tsing Yi waterfront. {para} But he said he was not aware the boys had ventured to play on the waterfront. {para} The divers called off the search for Chun-cheung at 1.45 pm. {/article}

{headline} Student tells of `triad assaults' {article} A 17-YEAR-OLD student was assaulted when he refused to pay alleged triad members, the District Court heard yesterday. {para} Prosecuting counsel, Mr Albert Tsang, said Wong Chun-pong, was a Form Five student. {para} Chun-pong was approached by ex-classmate Wong Kwok-wai, 16, to join the Wan Tau Hum King Yee triad society in May 1991. {para} A week later Chun-pong and a friend Woo Yuen-kin met Wong Kwok-wai in Sha Tin Plaza and the other two defendants, Wong Shui-hing, 21, and big brother Ching Tin-po, 19. {para} Wong Shui-hing said they had to give him a red packet if they wished to join, the court heard. {para} At the beginning of July 1991, Wong Kwok-wai told Chun-pong that he had to give big brother a red packet of $360 and two to three hundred dollars a month. {para} Wong Kwok-wai told Chun-pong that if he did not follow big brother he had to pay $10,800, the court heard. {para} A similar incident occurred on August 15 and Chun-pong was allegedly assaulted. {para} The defendants were jointly and separately charged with introducing a person to become a member of an unlawful society, claiming to be a member of a triad society, common assault, blackmail and theft. They have denied the charges. {/article}

{headline} Fight to save boy who fell nine floors {byline} By JIMMY LEUNG {article} DOCTORS at Prince of Wales Hospital are battling to save the life of a four-year- old boy who fell nine floors from his Sheung Shui home yesterday. {para} Auyeung Heung-wing was found on a flower bed on the ground floor of Tsun Wo House, Yuk Po Court, just before 1 pm. {para} Heung-wing's grandmother, 65-year-old Ms Tang Ho, said he had just taken a bath and was refusing to get dressed for kindergarten. {para} ``I used the old trick of teasing him into obeying by going outside and telling the neighbours to come and look at a naked boy,'' she said. {para} ``But this time I heard no reply from Heung-wing who is an energetic boy who usually makes a lot of noise. {para} ``I was back in the flat in about 30 seconds but he was gone.'' {para} Ms Tang went to the ground floor where she was told that a boy had fallen on to the flower bed. {para} ``A policeman told me that he was still conscious and asked for `grandmum' as he was taken into the ambulance,'' she said. {para} Heung-wing was transferred from Fanling Hospital to the Prince of Wales Hospital, Sha Tin, in critical condition. {para} Police believe the boy fell through the 15-centimetre wide gap between the bars of a window grille in the sitting room. {para} Neighbours said the family had put additional wires across two vertical grilles in the room but a third window was next to a wall preventing the extra fencing being attached. {para} Both parents were at work when the accident happened. Heung-wing's father is a civil servant in Mongkok and his mother works in an electronics company. {/article}

{headline} Schoolboys guilty of manslaughter in student's death {byline} By LINDY COURSE {article} SIX schoolboys who kicked and beat a 14-year-old fellow student to death were yesterday acquitted of murder by a High Court jury who instead found them guilty of manslaughter. {para} The six were ringleader Lai Chi-ho, aged 14 at the time of the death; Lau Yiu-wing and Wong Chun-kwok, also aged 14 at the time of the killing; Wong Kin-man, 15, and Li Po-choi and Yeung Chin-keung, both 16. {para} Lau Yiu-kei and Siu Kwok- hang, aged 12 and 13 at the time of the offence, were found not guilty of any charge. {para} The jury was told by Mr Justice Leong that under the law, any youth under 14 was presumed not capable of criminal behaviour, unless and until the Crown could rebut this. {para} Thus he said Lau Yiu-kei and Siu could not be guilty of an offence unless the evidence showed they knew at the time that what they were doing was wrong. {para} During the three-week trial, the jury heard that a group of boys jumped on Ip Kin-kei from a height, kicked and punched him and smashed his head against a wardrobe. {para} He was then moved to a staircase in the hope he would be found and resuscitated, the jury was told. {para} All the boys denied murdering Kin-kei on November 10, 1991, at the ringleader's flat in Oi Chi House, Yau Oi estate, Tuen Mun. {para} Lai, Li, the two Wongs and the two Laus also denied causing grievous bodily harm with intent two days earlier to Chan Siu-hung, also aged 14. {para} They were found not guilty of this offence, but, with the exception of Lau Yiu-kei, were found guilty by the jury of an alternative charge of inflicting grievous bodily harm. {para} After the verdict was announced, the schoolboys wept in the dock while their parents looked on from the public gallery. {para} With heads stooped and looking shaken they were led to the cells to return today for sentencing while Lau Yiu-kei and Siu were discharged. {para} Senior Crown Counsel Mr Peter Callaghan said in his opening address that the ``arrogant'' youngsters had decided to take the law into their own hands. {para} Two days before Kin-kei was killed, he and Siu-hung were ordered to go to the ringleader's flat. {para} Both were kicked and punched after Siu-hung was accused of teasing the girlfriend of one defendant by making eyes at her. {para} They were told not to tell anyone of the attack. {para} Siu-hung at first lied about his injuries, but finally told the police the truth. {para} Two days later, Kin-kei was escorted back to the flat by the group where he was systematically punched and kicked until he died. {para} Lai's girlfriend, Law Mei-yi, 17, told the court under immunity from prosecution that the attack on him lasted more than one hour. {para} She said she had made breakfast and some of the boys took turns to eat while others continued to beat up Kin-kei. {para} The Crown said this was not a normal beating, or just to teach Kin-kei a lesson, and they must have realised that he would not be able to get up and walk away. {para} None of the defendants testified. {para} Mr James Kynoch, representing Lai, said his client admitted taking part in the two beatings, but said there was no intent to kill Kin-kei. {para} Mr Finny Chan, for the two Laus, said it was an assault that went too far. {para} Mrs Mahinder Panesar, for Siu and Yeung, said they had only hit Kin-kei because they themselves had been threatened if they did not. {para} Miss Munira Moosdeen for Li and Wong Chun-kwon, submitted that they had been phoned up by Lai. On either his or his girlfriend's instructions they had thrown a few punches at Kin-kei, she said. {/article}

{headline} `Beaten boy jury' still out {article} A HIGH Court jury failed to reach a verdict last night in the trial of eight schoolboys who have denied murdering a 14-year-old boy. {para} Mr Justice Leong sent the jury out for the night after it had deliberated for seven hours. {para} Jurors will resume their deliberations this morning. {para} The court heard during a three-week trial that the defendants, aged between 12 and 16, jumped on the victim from a height, kicked and punched him and smashed his head against a wardrobe. {para} His body was then moved to a staircase in the hope he would be found and resuscitated, the hearing was told. {para} On trial are Lai Chi-ho, Lau Yiu-wing and Wong Chun-kwok, all aged 14 at the time of the death; Lau Yiu-kei, 12, Siu Kwok-hang, 13, Wong Kin-man, 15, and Li Po-choi and Yeung Chin- keung, both 16. {para} They have denied murdering Ip Kin-kei on November 10, 1991, at the flat of the alleged ring-leader in Oi Chi House, Yau Oi Estate, Tuen Mun. {para} Lai, Li, the two Wongs and the two Laus have also denied causing grievous bodily harm with intent two days earlier to Chan Siu-hung, also aged 14. {/article}

{headline} Students' sentencing delayed {article} SIX schoolboys who kicked and beat a 14-year-old fellow pupil to death will be sentenced for manslaughter on October 7 after individual background reports have been prepared. {para} Mr Justice Leong yesterday asked for training centre, detention centre and probation reports on the boys. {para} A High Court jury on Tuesday acquitted the six of murder, but found them guilty of the manslaughter of Ip Kin-kei at Kwun Tong on November 10, 1991. {para} The court heard they all had clear records. {para} Defence counsel will mitigate on their behalf on October 7. {para} The six boys are the ring leader Lai Chi-ho, Lau Yiu- wing and Wong Chun-kwok, all aged 14 at the time of the killing, Wong Kin-man, 15, Li Po-choi and Yeung Chin- keung, both 16. {para} Lai, Li, Lau and the two Wongs will also be sentenced for inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent two days earlier to Chan Siu-hung, aged 14. {/article}

{headline} Six-year term in assault case {article} A TRANSPORT worker who dragged a woman under a footbridge and indecently assaulted her after robbing her was jailed for six years by the High Court yesterday. {para} The penalty was handed down by Deputy Judge Evans on Luang Po-chuen, 26, after a jury found him guilty of robbery and indecent assault. {para} However, the jury found Luang not guilty of raping the 24-year-old woman. {para} Passing sentence, the judge said he accepted no weapon was used and the woman was not seriously injured in any physical sense although the humiliation and degradation she suffered was another matter. {para} Senior Crown Counsel Miss Diane Crebbin had called evidence that the victim, an investment consultant, took a minibus in Tsim Sha Tsui at about 4 am on August 10, last year. She got off in Diamond Hill and was followed by Luang. {para} He grabbed her by the neck and hit her when she cried out for help. {para} She was asked to hand over three rings and $90 before she was forced to go under a footbridge where she was ordered to remove her bra and was indecently assaulted. {para} It was the Crown's case that the woman was later taken to the staircase of a building where she was raped. {para} When Luang robbed the woman, he took her name card and he telephoned her two days later, suggesting they meet at a theatre. Police laid an ambush and arrested him. {para} In his defence, Luang claimed he had known the woman previously. He said it was the woman who encouraged him and led him on and consented to sex. {/article}

{headline} Chamber assured on right of abode {article} A HIGH-LEVEL delegation from the Hongkong British Chamber of Commerce has been reassured by senior leaders in Beijing that the status of foreigners in post- 1997 Hongkong will be secure. {para} The members, led by Mr James Chiu, was given the assurance at meetings with Hongkong and Macau Affairs Office Director Mr Lu Ping and Vice-Premier Mr Zhu Rongji during their Beijing visit. {para} Speaking after a reception hosted by Mr Lu, Mr Chiu said: ``The Basic Law is quite specific _ foreigners who have resided in Hongkong for more than seven years and who have taken it as their place of permanent residence are guaranteed right of abode. {para} ``What has concerned our members in the past has been the expression `taken as place of permanent residence'. {para} ``Both Mr Lu and Vice- Premier Zhu have told us that this need not be a matter of concern, that a simple declaration of intent is all that is required, and a statement to this effect will be made in the future.'' {para} They also confirmed that this right could be enjoyed by those who were currently stateless in Hongkong. {para} Mr Zhu had emphasised the value of the commitment of the British business community to Hongkong and expressed his hope that it would continue to play an active and energetic role. {para} At the meetings, Mr Chiu presented the case of the overseas chambers of commerce in Hongkong in their bid for a seat in the Legislative Council. {para} Mr Lu reportedly said that the chambers were an important part of Hongkong life and should have representation politically. {para} The mission was due to meet officials from the British Embassy, the People's Bank and the ministries of Finance, Construction and Machinery, before returning to Hongkong today. {/article}

{headline} Officer leaves bullets in toilet {article} A SENIOR police officer left behind his spare ammunition when he went to a toilet in a Kornhill department store yesterday afternoon. {para} Police from Eastern District Headquarters were called to the store after the six bullets were found on top of a toilet cistern. {para} Shortly after, the officer returned to the shop to look for his bullets and was told they had been taken away. {para} Police said Eastern District detectives were last night investigating the incident. {/article}

{headline} Hospital costs dispute settled {article} THE British United Provident Association Limited (BUPA) which claimed it was not liable to foot the hospital bills of a woman whom it contended was suffering from alcohol-induced hepatitis received $150,000 from her employer yesterday as final settlement in a dispute. {para} BUPA, represented by Mr Andrew Li, had filed a counter-claim after Osceola Limited asked the High Court for a declaration that it was not liable to reimburse the insurance company a sum of $100,918. {para} This claim, however, was dismissed by consent following an agreement reached before Deputy Judge Chan that Osceola would pay BUPA $150,000 inclusive of costs and interest as full and final settlement. {para} Osceola, which was not legally represented, in its statement of claim stated that it entered a Group Health Contract with BUPA on December 1, 1989. {para} On January 24, 1990, one of its employees, who could not be named because of a court order, was admitted to the Hongkong Adventist Hospital. {para} According to Osceola, until she was discharged a month later, she was not informed of the diagnosis made by doctors treating her there and while she was a patient at Canossa Hospital for a week in mid-April 1990, she was diagnosed as suffering from hepatitis. {para} It was the plaintiff's case that the employee had contracted hepatitis by consuming contaminated water or food in Hongkong before she went to Bombay in December 1989, and her illness was aggravated while she was there. {para} She settled her hospital bills with her BUPA card and the insurance company later paid the charges on her behalf but asked Osceola for a reimbursement of $100,918. {para} BUPA, in its counter-claim, however, claimed that under the contract, it was not liable to pay medical benefits for treatment directly or indirectly arising from the abuse of drugs or alcohol, self-inflicted injuries or sexually transmitted diseases. {para} It was also not liable for treatment arising from psychiatric conditions including depression of any kind, schizophrenia and behavioural disorders, it stated. {para} According to BUPA, a statement signed by the doctor who treated the employee when she was in the Adventist said she was diagnosed as suffering from depression with migraine and alcohol dependence syndrome. {para} Another doctor, whom BUPA said was the employee's family doctor, also regarded her admission to the Adventist as chronic depressive neurosis, migraine and alcohol dependence syndrome and alcohol-induced hepatitis, the insurance company pleaded. {para} Since the illness the employee suffered was alcohol- induced, it was entitled to seek reimbursement from Osceola, BUPA contended, also asking for shortfalls and subscription adjustments in the amount of $9,012. {/article}

{headline} Trio admit theft from CMB buses {article} THREE former China Motor Bus Company drivers admitted conspiring to steal money from CMB's buses at the District Court. {para} Lam Kwok-ching and Ko Yuk-ming, both 39, and Chan Chung-hoi, 47, pleaded guilty to the offence, which took place between January 1 and April 30 last year. {para} Senior Crown Counsel Mr Ian McWalters told the court Lam had incurred heavy gambling debts in January last year. He began stealing money from the coin box on the CMB bus he was driving to repay the debts. {para} Lam knew Chan also had gambling debts and asked him to join him. {para} Chan's role was to drive the buses to a spot near Chai Wan CMB bus depot. {para} In early April, Lam learnt that Ko also had financial problems and invited him to join the conspiracy. {para} The amount stolen by Lam was about $120,000. Ko's share was $16,000 and Chan's was $1,300. {para} Judge Lugar-Mawson adjourned sentencing to October 8. {/article}

{headline} Firemen awarded for rescue operation {byline} By CRAIG HENDERSON {article} WHEN a team of firemen retrieved the body of a construction worker who had been buried in mud 23 metres underground they must have wondered whether their effort was worth the grim result. {para} The tragic scenario unfolded during a 47-hour search and rescue operation which began on July 13 when the worker was trapped in a caisson following a mudslide at Yau Ma Tei. {para} But, yesterday, 11 officers and firemen were awarded commendations for their exemplary performance during the marathon operation. {para} Despite being unable to save the life of 43-year-old construction worker Mr Chung Yuk-chung, the men risked their own safety to extract his body from the muddy tomb. {para} The rescue stretched over July 13-15 after mud and water poured into the caisson from below at the construction site in Canton Road. {para} During a sombre ceremony at Tsim Sha Tsui fire station yesterday, the three fire officers and eight firemen were commended by chief fire officer (Kowloon) Mr Wong Man-chiu. {para} He paid tribute to the men's bravery and professionalism during the operation, which included about 50 firemen and other rescue units. {para} Four men - assistant divisional officer Mr Cheung Ping-hung, station officer Mr Ng Yau-chuen and firemen Mr Lee Yiu-ming and Mr Siu Ping-shing - were awarded the Chief Fire Officers Commendation. {para} Six firemen and acting divisional officer Mr Lun Ping-chuen received the Favourable Entry Commendation. {para} A reflective Mr Cheung said he and his co-recipients were extremely proud despite the tragic nature of the search and rescue operation. {para} ``It was a very hard, very tiring and dangerous operation,'' Mr Cheung said yesterday. ``Unfortunately, the casualty died and we were unable to do anything to stop that. {para} ``But we are firemen and it's our job to help people the best we can. {para} ``The result isn't always a happy one but we just have to put that behind us and think about the next operation.'' {para} Several of those awarded yesterday are members of the Fire Services Department diving team. {para} They ventured more than 20 metres underground in dark muddy water to locate and release Mr Chung's body. {para} The firemen awarded the Favourable Entry were Mr Poon Wai-chi, Mr Wong Sing-ka, Mr Li Kwok-wai, Mr Pang Kee, Mr Ho Chun- yin and Mr Ng Kwok-wai. {/article}

{headline} Tu, Wong chair new committee {article} VETERAN legislator Mrs Elsie Tu and Mr Andrew Wong Wang-fat have been elected to chair of the newly- formed Legislative Council House Committee. {para} Mrs Tu and Mr Wong, the convenor and deputy convenor of in-house meetings last legislative session, were supported by all legislators attending yesterday's meeting. {para} ``I am very happy to be the chairman,'' Mrs Tu said after the meeting. {para} ``It's quite difficult to be the chairman sometimes. I hope I can be fair to everybody.'' {para} Mr Wong said he was also pleased to be the deputy chairman of the house committee. {para} Meanwhile, Legco members postponed a discussion on the drafted house rules presented by the Legco working group on the implementation of the new committee structure. {para} Mrs Tu said the councillors would like more time to study the report. {para} She added that the members also wanted the discussion to be held in public. {para} The meeting has now been scheduled in the morning of October 7. {/article}

{headline} Canada to study asylum requests {byline} By KENT CHEN and DOREEN CHEUNG {article} CANADIAN authorities will consider requests for political asylum from two Chinese women, currently held in a Hongkong prison, who claim they were involved in the 1989 mainland pro-democracy movement. {para} Liu Yijun and Lin Lin, arrested last December for illegally entering Hongkong, are facing deportation for failing to prove their role in pro-democracy activities. {para} A spokesman for the Canadian Commission in Hongkong yesterday said a refugee officer would consider the case once the applications were received. The women would be granted an interview to see if they met the criteria for asylum, he said. {para} Mr Ho Chun-yan, a member of the Hongkong Alliance in Support of the Patriotic Democratic Movement in China, said the applications were delivered to the Commission on Tuesday. {para} He said two other Western countries had been contacted, but no formal applications had been filed. {para} A request for a judicial review of the women's removal orders will be heard in chambers by Mr Justice Mayo at the High Court today. {para} A government spokesman said the women might not be immediately deported even if their requests were rejected. Under normal circumstances, deportation would be carried out soon after all legal avenues were exhausted, he said. {para} But if a third country indicated it was considering granting asylum, the Government would allow the case to be thoroughly examined before carrying out the removal orders. {para} The spokesman said a decision might not be reached at today's hearing. {para} A Chinese official last night said Beijing believed the Hongkong Government would make the right decision. {/article}

{headline} Raids alarm shipping nations {headline} Diplomats alarmed by ship raids {byline} By GREG TORODE {article} CHINESE officials last night stopped and boarded another cargo ship leaving Hongkong, a move certain to further alarm major shipping nations about their freedom to use the port. {para} The Marine Department's Vessel Traffic Centre received a report at about 9.30 pm from a Panamanian-registered general cargo vessel bound for China that it was boarded by mainland officers just outside Hongkong's territorial waters, about 5.5 kilometres southeast of Waglan Island. {para} The report from the Eastwood said that there had been no casualties, but did not say whether any shots had been fired by the Chinese patrol boat to force it to stop. {para} A second message about 10 minutes later said the vessel was continuing to its next port of call at Lian Yun Gang, a seaport near Shanghai. {para} It is the latest in a series of shipping raids. Last week alone, Panamanian-flagged ships bound for Taiwan and Singapore were fired on and intercepted just inside Chinese waters off Waglan Island. {para} Consulate representative from Panama, as well as from Norway, Germany, Australia and Japan, have contacted local officials in recent days to find out what the Government was doing about the spate of raids on coastal freighters leaving the territory. {para} They are seeking reassurance from the Hongkong Government, an official source said. {para} ``They are very concerned and keeping a close watch on developments,'' the source said. {para} ``It shows that this situation really does have a knock-on effect to Hongkong's position as an international free trade port. {para} ``They want to know if it's likely that their ships will be involved and also what we are doing about the situation and what information we are seeking from the Chinese.'' {para} The representatives had fielded ``informal'' questions, with some contacting the Political Adviser's Office. {para} They had been told that China had not yet responded to demands from the Foreign Office and the Government to outline why ships were being fired on, intercepted and detained on leaving Hongkong. {para} As a result, the Government could still not say why ships were getting into trouble. {para} Local officials could only outline theories, including the prospect of a political dispute between Vietnam and China, or a campaign to protect a sensitive naval base on the Lema Islands in restricted Chinese waters just south of Hongkong. {para} The countries were also told that most would not have anything to fear as the Shenzhen Public Security Bureau (PSB) officials had so far targeted small cargo ships headed for Hon Gai in northern Vietnam. {para} Norwegian Vice-Counsel Mr Lars Almklov confirmed his country had sought advice, saying it could be expected most major shipping nations would take an interest. {para} ``We are watching with interest and so far have simply moved to double check and clarify the situation,'' Mr Almklov said. {para} Norway's fleet includes many tankers and container ships, and several large Norwegian shipping firms are based in Hongkong. {para} Shipping agents say at least 15 Vietnam-bound ships have been detained in Shekou and Zhuhai in recent weeks. {para} Marine Police are still investigating reports that two fishing boats were stopped by a Chinese gunboat at the weekend. {para} Hon Gai port officials yesterday reported the arrival of five ships from last week's convoy, one ship having sailed around the south of Hainan Island to avoid authorities. {para} Meanwhile, a Greatime Shipping spokesman, Captain Ricky Tsui Chi-huen, said agents would meet Executive Councillor Lady Dunn on Thursday to seek protection for trade to Vietnam and ask the Government to do more to get answers from China. {para} Many of the 21 ships stranded in Hongkong have been here for two weeks and most of the seven ships which left at the weekend were unloaded. {para} ``This just can't go on. We want to ask her to ensure the Government does everything it can,'' he said. {/article}

{headline} New plans to stop lorry overloading {byline} By GREG TORODE and KAREN CHENG {article} LORRY drivers could soon be forced to fit electronic meters to weigh their cargoes in an attempt to improve safety and reduce damage to roads. {para} Mobile roadside machines that can estimate the weight of a lorry as it passes by at up to 80 km/h are also included in the latest Transport Department plans. {para} The Commissioner for Transport, Mr Gordon Siu Kwing-chue, yesterday said that if engineers could improve the cab device's 15 per cent failure rate, legislation would be passed as soon as possible to make them compulsory. {para} ``We have constantly heard complaints that drivers didn't know their trucks were overloaded,'' he said. {para} ``We hope in the future they will not have that excuse.'' {para} The machines, based on overseas technology, are expected to cost operators more than $10,000. {para} Readings from sensors triggered by the movement of the axle springs show up on a dashboard display, warning the driver of overloading before he sets out. {para} Both devices were demonstrated at a Sha Tin weigh station yesterday for members of the Transport Advisory Committee, which has urged the Government to curb lorry overloading. {para} The problem is believed to be responsible for about 90 per cent of the millions of dollars of damage inflicted on the territory's roads each year. {para} Police have found that one in every four lorries stopped at one of the territory's permanent weigh stations are overloaded. {para} The chairman of the Hongkong and Kowloon Taxi and Lorry Owners Association, Mr Ng Kwok-hung, welcomed the move, but said technical problems with the equipment's reliability and cost had to be sorted out. {para} While supporting the proposal, Mr Ng said the association believed that providing more weigh stations would be a simpler and cheaper way to curb overloading. {para} The cab devices are expected to be introduced next year along with legislation to increase the overloading penalty from $450 to $1,000, affecting about 30,000 medium and heavy goods vehicles. {para} Department sources said the current penalties were so weak that it was good business sense for companies and owners to force drivers to overload. {para} New laws will make the owner, as well as the driver, liable. {para} Drivers have previously urged the Government to fit more weigh stations so they know where they stand. {para} Mr Siu said more stations were planned, including one on the Tuen Mun Highway, which currently attracted drivers trying to avoid prosecution. {para} The mobile stations will each cost $350,000 and the department is expected to seek special funds for at least six to be placed in overloading hotspots. {/article}

{headline} Cancer patients wait longer for radiotherapy {byline} By KAREN CHENG {article} A SHORTAGE of radiotherapists has lengthened the time for cancer patients awaiting the treatment and the situation is unlikely to improve in the next three years, a leading medical consultant to the Government said. {para} There are 99 radiotherapists serving all government hospitals at present, representing a shortfall of 14 per cent. {para} Dr Poon Yeuk-foo, consultant in charge of radiotherapy and oncology services, said yesterday the shortage was due to an outflow of radiotherapists to Canada, which was experiencing a similar problem. {para} In Hongkong, the shortage eased slightly after four expatriates joined the service recently, but Dr Poon expects constraints to remain until the first batch of professionals graduate from the new Hongkong Polytechnic degree course in three years. {para} Local radiotherapists previously received in-service training. {para} Dr Poon said that breast cancer patients, for example, had to wait two to three more weeks on top of the normal one-month waiting period before they could get treatment. {para} But she said there was no cause for alarm because patients were usually treated under an integrated programme comprising surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. {para} Dr Poon added that two new machines for radiotherapy had been acquired recently and would soon be used at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in a bid to improve the service. {para} Meanwhile, new statistics from the Cancer Registry indicate that the number of women diagnosed with breast cancer has increased by more than 155 per cent in the past 25 years. {para} The number of women diagnosed as having the disease rose from 389 in 1965 to 992 in 1988. {para} Taking population growth into account, the proportion of women developing the cancer has risen by 64 per cent, from 21.9 cases per 100,000 people in 1965 to 35.4 cases in 1988. {para} At the same time, breast cancer-related deaths have doubled and it is now the second most fatal form of cancer for women after lung cancer. Every year, about 260 women die of the disease. {para} Dr Gordon Au, of the Hongkong Society of Radiation Therapy and Oncology, said the jump was causing concern, but the upward trend had slowed to about 900 newly-contracted cases a year over the past few years. {para} ``But the figures still represent a significant increase in the risk factor and women should be made more aware of the condition and of the options available to them with regard to treatment,'' he said. {para} Although the actual cause of breast cancer was not known, research indicated that diet and lifestyle played a big role in developing the cancer, he said. {para} Dr Au urged women to conduct more frequent breast checks so the disease could be detected at an early stage. {/article}

{headline} Fatal accident {article} TWO men were killed when their motorcycle rammed into railings on a flyover in Kowloon City early yesterday morning. {para} Mr Cheung Chi-lung, 22, and pillion passenger Mr Chan Siu-fai, 23, were both tossed over the flyover and sustained head injuries. {para} They were certified dead on arrival at Queen Elizabeth Hospital. {/article}

{headline} Four years for forged credit cards {article} A MAN who bought forged credit cards hoping to use them to pay his debts was jailed for four years by the District Court yesterday. {para} Wong Fu-wa, 31, pleaded guilty to possessing three counterfeit credit cards and two forged Hongkong British passports in April. {para} The court was told that Wong arrived at Zurich airport on April 14 and three forged credit cards and two forged Hongkong British passports in his possession were seized by the Swiss authorities. {para} Wong was arrested by ICAC officers on his return to Hongkong on April 15. {para} Under caution, he admitted having bought the cards and passports in Shenzhen for $8,000 in mid-April and had intended to use the cards in Switzerland to obtain goods or services. {para} Defence counsel Mr Anthony Yuen said Wong's trading company had collapsed at the end of last year and he owed his partner more than $100,000. {para} His partner later transferred the debt to a Mr Chan, who had threatened to harm Wong's family. {para} In March, Mr Chan suggested Wong buy forged credit cards and use them to obtain goods to sell. {/article}

{headline} Former manager loses graft appeal {article} THE former general manager of Swire Air Caterers Ltd, Peter Bernd Beckers, yesterday lost his appeal against a 3 1/2-year jail term on four corruption charges. {para} Beckers, 46, was found guilty by a jury after a retrial in May 1990 on four counts of conspiracy to accept advantages in relation to the purchase of airline catering supplies. {para} He was also fined $185,000 and ordered to make restitution in the sum of $485,000. {para} Beckers appealed on the grounds that the trial judge's summing up to the jury as to the burden and standard of proof was confusing, vague and ambiguous. {para} Vice-President Mr Justice Silke, Mr Justice Macdougall and Mr Justice Bewley found no merit in the argument. {para} In fact the Court of Appeal found that the trial judge's directions to the jury were unduly favourable to the appellant. {para} During the retrial, evidence was heard that the fraud scheme involved all the senior management of the company and was initiated by the then general manager, Uwe Kaiser, assistant manager Keefe Ho and assistant purchasing manager Wong Lian-fon. {para} Ho was the initial mastermind, but later confessed to the crime after the Independent Commission Against Corruption began investigating the company. He testified against Beckers. {para} The court heard that after receiving an unsolicited gift coupon at Christmas 1978, Ho, who admitted making $6 million in the seven-year fraud, and Kaiser, thought they might be able to obtain money regularly from suppliers. {para} Ho approached Wong, who had daily contact with suppliers, and the fraud started, with regular payments of $20,000 to $30,000 made every two to three months. {para} When Beckers joined as assistant manager, Ho decided to bring him in. {/article}

{headline} Investigation into private school claims {article} THE Consumer Council is to investigate claims of irregularities in private schools, including the offer of courses purportedly recognised by overseas governments. {para} In a meeting with the council yesterday, the Secretary for the Association for Continuing Education, Mr Mervyn Cheung Man-ping, urged it to investigate the validity and credibility of post-secondary diplomas and certificates awarded by private schools. {para} Many private schools in Hongkong were cheating students in offering them courses linked to overseas tertiary institutions, Mr Cheung said. {para} ``They claim that the certificates are recognised by the local government and the corresponding overseas government,'' he said. {para} This was dangerous because local people could think the certificates could help them in applying for emigration. {para} ``And this leads to more people signing up for such courses to get the certificates so as to apply for foreign residence,'' Mr Cheung said. {para} He was sceptical that foreign embassies scrutinised the certificates thoroughly. He was worried that this would encourage the illegal business to flourish. {para} But a spokeswoman for the Canadian Commission said the commission was careful when screening local applicants seeking residence in Canada. {para} ``When we have doubts about the convocation or experience, we follow up with deeper questions, like years of working experience,'' she said. {para} Mr Cheung said another issue of concern was that these private schools and tutorial centres registered under the Education Ordinance were prohibited from offering post-secondary courses. {para} He had heard of two cases of formal complaints from students of one of the private schools. {para} Mr Cheung said the school had 28 branches, of which only 14 were registered with the Education Department. {para} ``The few registered branches were able to register under an extension provision scheme quickly because there was already a main school,'' he said. {para} But he opposed the scheme because branches underwent less stringent examination of their teachers and courses. {para} ``The Government's thinking is that there is already the main school, and hence tends to be more relaxed in its examination of the branches,'' he said. ``And the school takes advantage of this.'' {para} Mr Cheung also urged the Consumer Council to issue its price list for textbooks before the end of the school year so consumers could check prices before the start of summer textbook buying. {para} He said the council's explanation for only releasing the price list in October was that schools and publishers had been late to submit the textbook lists. {para} ``The council said it will also look into the complaints of increases in modified textbook prices after discussions with the Education Department,'' he said. {para} A Consumer Council spokesman said the council had accepted Mr Cheung's proposals and promised to act as soon as possible, after discussions with relevant bodies including the Education Department. {/article}

{headline} Hospitals set to benefit from canteen plans {byline} By PAUL TYRRELL {article} PLANS to increase revenue for individual hospitals moved a step closer yesterday as a senior Hospital Authority (HA) official revealed more options including the operation of canteens and car parks inside their premises. {para} Mr John Chambers, Secretary of the HA, told Hongkong East Rotary Club that plans to bring in extra cash were needed because more than 96 per cent of the HA budget was swallowed up by operating costs, with less than four per cent left to cover new capital projects. {para} He said chief executives of the 36 public hospitals could come up with more ideas but he pledged money raised by the individual hospitals would remain in their own funds and not be switched back to central funds. {para} ``It would be part of the chief executive's job to look into the possibility of earning extra money from projects such as coffee shops, flower stalls and car parks,'' Mr Chambers said. ``They are only fairly small ideas, but could be a useful revenue boost.'' {para} Mr Chambers said he picked up the idea from Singapore, where many hospitals have franchised commercial enterprises in their buildings. {para} The HA has appointed four chief executives under its plan to decentralise hospital control and has recently advertised 14 more posts. {para} Other fund-raising activities explored by the HA include donations from local organisations. {para} Mr Chambers welcomed the recent Royal Hongkong Jockey Club donation of $500,000 to improve conditions at Castle Peak Hospital. {para} He said it was too early to estimate what the authority's budget would be in the next financial year, but he was looking for an increase on the $10.6 million allocated for 1991-92. {para} He also rejected recent criticism that the authority was not accountable and said the public had a major say in the running of the organisation that last year was responsible for the 36 public hospitals and more than 50 institutions, clinics and services which have a total of 37,000 staff. {/article}

{headline} Court date for liberal activist {byline} By JEREMY LAU {article} A CORE member of the United Democrats of Hongkong has been charged with unlawful assembly outside the local branch of the New China News Agency (NCNA) in the early morning of June 5. {para} Andrew To Kwan-hang, the internal vice-chairman of the liberal party's Kowloon Central Branch, was served a summons yesterday for a hearing at Eastern Court on October 28. {para} To is also a Wong Tai Sin District Board member, a standing committee member of the Hongkong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movement in China and a former secretary-general of the Hongkong Federation of Students. {para} He is one of four people expected to be charged for unlawful assembly outside the agency. {para} The others are former secretary-generals of the federation, Mr Tsoi Yiu-cheong, Ms Wong Ching-man and Mr Chan Sau-sum. {para} About 30 police officers and seven students were injured in a scuffle outside the NCNA on June 5 after a candlelight vigil at Victoria Park to commemorate the Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing three years ago. {/article}

{headline} Charter concern {article} GOVERNMENT officials yesterday expressed concern over the implications of having a patients' charter on resources allocation during a session with Meeting Point representatives. {para} Speaking after the discussion with Health and Welfare Branch officials, Meeting Point legislator Mr Tik Chi-yuen said the officials were concerned over staffing implications if the standards of health services were to be improved under the charter. {para} Meeting Point suggested the setting up of a working group within the Health and Welfare Branch to study the matter and draw up a draft for public consultation. {para} Stressing the importance of the Government's initiative in introducing the charter, Mr Tik said it would involve greater public participation since the charter would be more widely implemented. {/article}

{headline} Off-duty maids spark bid to open Chater Road {byline} By BELINDA WALLIS {article} CENTRAL'S leading landlord, Hongkong Land, has asked the Government to open Chater Road to traffic on Sundays and public holidays because Filipino maids who meet there on their day off are becoming a nuisance. {para} Chater Road has been a pedestrian-only area for more than 10 years - and it was Hongkong Land which originally asked that the street be closed. {para} Now the company is lobbying the District Board, Urban Council and the Transport Department to reverse the decision. {para} The matter is due to be discussed at a Central and Western District Board meeting on September 17. {para} In a letter to the Transport Department, Hongkong Land says litter created by an influx of domestic workers is causing environmental problems. {para} It also cites undesirable activities, such as card playing, gambling and hawkers. {para} So far the police, Environmental Protection Department and Urban Services have given their views on re-admitting traffic and the vote is apparently split ``50-50''. {para} A Transport Department spokesman advised: ``We are still at the consultancy stage, so if anyone has a strong opinion, they should speak out now.'' {para} Hongkong Land said it made the ``suggestion'' because the company ``continually received complaints from tenants'' over the restricted access caused by the closure. {para} There are about 360 tenants in buildings such as Prince's Building, Alexandra House and Swire House. {para} Hongkong Land's sister company, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, said it was in ``active discussion'' with the District Board following an increase in complaints from guests. {para} ``Crowds, noise and access are the issues for us,'' said a spokesman. {para} The news of attempts to open Chater Road came as the District Board announced it was closing the southern area of Statue Square for the second phase of a renovation project. {para} Work between the Legco building and Prince's Building starts today and will continue until early next year. {para} Mrs Cynthia Tellez, director of the Mission for Filipino Migrant Workers, was shocked when she heard about the attempt to open Chater Road. {para} ``It was already shocking to know Statue Square would be closed for renovations, but this . . . I'm sure it would mean chaos,'' she said. {para} Mrs Tellez said that at any one time, between 10,000 and 12,000 of the 80,000 domestic helpers in Hongkong gather on and around Chater Road. {para} The Philippine Consul-General, Mr Antonio Villamor, said he was sure the Government would consider the interest of the majority of Hongkong residents. {para} ``The Government will know what to do best. If they would rather listen to private business than the hundreds of thousands of people who make use of the park and surrounding area, then so be it.'' {/article}

{headline} Plea to aid elderly patients {byline} By CATHERINE CHAN {article} THE Co-operative Resources Centre (CRC) yesterday urged the Government to refer elderly patients to private practitioners who were willing to treat them at reduced rates. {para} CRC spokesman Dr Lam Kui-chun said his proposals called for the organising of private doctors into groups to provide medical care to patients with identified diseases. {para} He said the charges would be negotiated among the parties concerned, but patients would generally be charged at prices 30 per cent lower than normal for general diagnosis and 50 per cent less for specialist advice. {para} ``To a small extent, this is already available locally by special arrangement between firms and doctors in group practice [as in the case of medical insurance schemes]. There is a reasonable degree of satisfaction on all sides,'' he said. {para} Dr Lam also said the scheme would involve the introduction of a central referral arrangement, and a health screening programme for the elderly. {para} People who have undergone a health screening programme to identify their diseases, would be referred to private practitioners who were willing to take part in the scheme and treated at reduced charges. {para} He added if the scheme was adopted, patients would get a faster service at reduced cost from private practitioners. {para} The integrating of medical resources in the public and private sectors would be a solution to relieve the pressure on public hospitals and clinics, he said. {/article}

{headline} Plunge girl `in turmoil' {article} A 13-YEAR-OLD schoolgirl who plunged to her death had no one to turn to at a time of turmoil in her life, an educational psychologist told an inquest yesterday. {para} Mrs Ruth Lau Wing-mun, principal inspector of the Educational Department's Psychological Services Unit, said Mak Wai-lam came from a very disturbed family and had emotional difficulties with the onset of adolescence. {para} Although Wai-lam was taken care of by her grandparents, Mrs Lau said she was deserted by her mother and lacked sufficient paternal attention. {para} She said Wai-lam's father, Mr Mak Ming-sum, 36, a lorry driver, divorced his wife 11 years ago. {para} Mrs Lau said Wai-lam felt deserted when her father repeatedly left her for long trips to China. {para} She said at one point Wai-lam might have felt she could rectify the turmoil either by alienating herself from the world or by escaping from reality. {para} She said Wai-lam's dependency on peer support was shattered when she ended her relationship with her boyfriend and chose to end her life in an attempt to resolve unbearable conflicts. {para} She concluded that peer relationships seemed to be the precipitating factor. {para} ``She had no one to turn to when she was troubled because she had wronged her friends. She might have considered that adults around were also unable to help,'' she said. {para} In response to the recent spate of student suicides, she said her department was liaising with an American expert on suicide to run a three-day workshop on ``Recognising and preventing the Self-destructive Behaviour of Adolescents'' for guidance personnel and a half-day seminar for secondary school principals. {para} A coroner's jury returned a verdict of suicide on Wai- lam, who lived with her grandparents at a fifth-floor flat at Siu Hong Court in Tuen Mun. {para} The jury recommended estranged couples should try to minimise the effect of their broken relationship on their children and continue to love and care for them. {para} The jury also suggested parents spend more time with children and pay more attention to their mental development. {para} Other measures suggested included encouraging communications between students and teachers, a reduction in class sizes, training teachers on counselling and guidance as well as organising programmes to encourage students to seek help from adults especially on human relationship skills and sexual relationships. {para} Wai-lam was found lying on the rooftop of a kindergarten at Siu Hong Court in Tuen Mun at 1.45 pm on February 26. The medical cause of death was multiple injuries. {/article}

{headline} Legislators urged to act on brothels {byline} By PAUL TYRRELL {article} WAN Chai's police chief has called on the Legislative Council to close a legal loophole which is preventing officers from combatting the growing problem of one-woman brothels. {para} District Commander, Chief Superintendent Dick Lee Ming-kwai, wants police to have the power to prosecute individual prostitutes running their own business from their homes. {para} Currently, officers are unable to arrest the women, even though they often have evidence of signs advertising sex for sale at their flats. {para} So far this year, police have discovered 31 one-woman brothels in the district - a 34 per cent increase on the 23 found in the same period in 1991. {para} The number of instances where police have discovered boards offering sexual services has risen at a similar rate. So far this year, 37 raids have been carried out, compared with 27 a year ago. {para} Mr Lee was speaking yesterday after a street sign advertising sex services at apartments in Lockhart Road was pulled down in a joint operation by police and district board officers. {para} Police officers from Wan Chai's special anti-vice unit also destroyed 10 signs outside the building displaying telephone and flat numbers in the block and 37 others inside advertising a variety of sex services. {para} ``Under existing legislation, we cannot prosecute the individual prostitute because it does not constitute a brothel if she is working alone in an apartment,'' said Mr Lee. {para} An apartment was only classed as a brothel in law if more than one prostitute worked from there. {para} ``All we can do in these cases is to check that the women are not underage or illegal immigrants,'' Mr Lee said. ``Speaking as a law enforcement officer, I would say that we need new legislation. Currently it is frustrating and we often seem to be wasting our time. {para} ``It is up to the Hongkong people to decide if they are happy to accept the current situation. If they are not, they must ask the Legislative Council to tighten the law.'' {para} In the past week, officers had found two mainland women operating vice services in their apartments in Wan Chai and Happy Valley, but they were arrested for being illegal immigrants rather than prostitutes. {para} Mr Lee said illegal immigrants needed pimps to help them set up their businesses and police were concentrating their efforts on catching these men. {para} He added that police were limited in their use of powers under Section 147A of the Crimes Ordinance to arrest those responsible for putting up signs in buildings advertising prostitutes or sex services. {para} ``We can act under that section if we actually spot them putting these signs up, which can be very difficult,'' he said. The maximum sentence for offenders is a $10,000 fine or six months imprisonment. {para} Legislative Councillor and Wan Chai District Board chairman Mrs Peggy Lam Pei Yu-dja said she would investigate whether a change in the law was needed and called for tougher sentences for people convicted of prostitution or working as a pimp. {para} Mrs Lam said: ``This is not the first time that we have had this problem and I want to see all obscene notices removed.'' {/article}

{headline} Writ filed over police shooting {article} THE family of a 21-year-old road-racer who was shot and later died from his injuries is suing the police constable who opened fire and the Commissioner of Police, according to a writ filed in the Supreme Court. {para} The family of Mr Andy Wong Ming-chi is seeking damages, interest, costs and other relief from Constable Lee Chi-wai, 26, who fired a shot at about 2 am on September 10, 1989, at a roundabout in Sai Kung. {para} The damages claim is for negligence by Constable Lee and/or the Commissioner, and/or a breach of statutory duty by Constable Lee, the writ stated, adding that he negligently and wrongfully fired the shot. {para} A coroner's jury returned a unanimous verdict of unlawful killing in February 1990 after a week-long inquest. {para} Constable Lee then went on trial in the High Court for the manslaughter of Mr Wong, but was acquitted in May last year by a jury. {para} The constable, who joined the force in October 1982, said he shot in self-defence when the car driven by Mr Wong tried to run him down. Mr Wong was shot after he refused to stop. {para} During the trial it was heard that Constable Lee and another policeman were on motorcycle patrol duty in Sai Kung at 2 am on September 10, 1989, when they heard the sound of skidding tyres near the Kei Ling Ha roundabout. {para} They saw two cars apparently racing with each other around the roundabout. {para} Constable Lee, who thought the number plate on one of the cars looked suspicious, rode to the roundabout and stepped on to the road, near the centre island, shouting to the cars to stop. {para} The drivers took no notice and continued to race, watched by about 100 people. {para} The constable tried to stop the cars and the third time they went around the roundabout, stepped out into the road and drew his revolver and shot when one car travelled towards him. {para} Mr Wong was found slumped in the driver's seat with a bullet wound in his neck. He died seven days later in hospital without having regained consciousness. {/article}

{headline} Declaring director's seat `of no real use' {article} THE declaration of corporate directorships is meaningless to the public, say the only two legislators to declare such directorships. {para} Mr Peter Wong Hong-yuen, a partner of an accounting firm, said two of his staff spent almost two weeks compiling his list, which revealed a total of 244 corporate directorships. {para} He is also a director of another 151 companies in his private capacity. {para} It is common for trustee companies, accounting or legal firms to sit on the board of companies on behalf of their clients. {para} ``The corporate directorship list is superfluous. It doesn't serve much purpose. I do that because I'm asked to,'' Mr Wong said. {para} ``If I really wanted to hide anything, I could join a company's board in October and leave in July, then I would not need to declare anything.'' {para} The Legislative Council Standing Committee on Members' Interest earlier decided corporate directorships were registrable, but particulars of such interests had to be updated only once a year. {para} The subject has been under intense discussion by the committee, and one member has expressed concern that information on corporate directorships could be commercially sensitive. {para} Mr Eric Li Ka-cheung, who held 13 corporate directorships, said it was ``perfectly possible'' his accounting firm would lose some clients after the disclosure. {para} He also believed the list revealed little to the public. ``It is meaningless to them.'' {para} Unless the names of all the directors and the fiscal condition of the companies was also disclosed, the public had little way of knowing if the legislators had any conflict of interest. {para} ``It [the declaration] is a formality only. It does not have any real use,'' he said. {para} Mr Li said the only purpose of the declaration was to demonstrate legislators' honesty to the public. But he believed the new guidelines were acceptable because the list only had to be updated once a year, and only corporate directorships in Hongkong had to be declared. {/article}

{headline} Patten offers hope for end to airport row {byline} By FANNY WONG and DOREEN CHEUNG {article} THE Governor, Mr Chris Patten, yesterday raised hopes for a breakthrough in negotiations over the financing of airport projects. {para} Speaking after the Joint Liaison Group (JLG) Airport Committee meeting yesterday, Mr Patten said: ``I think that there is the chance of breaking the log-jam. I think that's what people want to see. I think people are pretty frustrated by the fact that we don't seem to have done that so far.'' {para} The British Airport Committee team, led by Mr Tony Galsworthy, presented a counter-proposal to the Chinese side at yesterday's meeting aimed at addressing the airport financing problems. {para} Chinese team leader Mr Guo Fengmin said after the meeting that the Chinese side would study the British proposal carefully. {para} Mr Guo said that because the Chinese JLG team was leaving for London tomorrow to attend the diplomatic body's plenary meeting, it would not be responding to the proposal in the near future. {para} The JLG plenary session, beginning on Monday, would not focus on the airport issue, he said. {para} It is understood the British proposal, featuring many elements of the Chinese suggestion that Hongkong increases its investment in the $23 billion airport railway project, still retains the provision of callable equity to the Mass Transit Railway Corporation (MTRC). {para} The Chinese proposal suggests that the Government use its share of land premiums generated by property development along the airport rail link, amounting to $21 billion, to finance the railway project. {para} While agreeing to increase its capital injection into the MTRC, resulting in a reduction in the planned $12.5 billion callable equity to the corporation, the British proposal is understood to call on China to help fund the project with the Special Administrative Region (SAR) Government's share of land premiums. {para} The British side says that the ball is now in China's court and it is up to the Chinese side to call the next meeting. {para} However, it is understood the two sides will not resume talks before a September 25 meeting between the British Foreign Secretary, Mr Douglas Hurd, and Chinese Foreign Minister Mr Qian Qichen, in New York. {para} After escorting Mr Guo to his car following yesterday's meeting, Mr Galsworthy said the Government would announce the British proposal today. {para} ``The Hongkong Government is planning to give details of the proposal to the Legislative Council and the Airport Consultative Committee tomorrow,'' Mr Galsworthy said. {para} It is understood that the British side has not sought the agreement of the Chinese side in announcing its proposal today. {para} The Secretary for the Treasury, Mr Yeung Kai-yin, will hold a press conference to announce the details. {para} The announcement is said to be an attempt to bolster the transparency and openness of the airport projects, as China has repeatedly urged Britain to do. {/article}

{headline} 20 years' prison for drug offence {article} AN engineer who swallowed 52 pellets containing 670 grams of heroin mixture and concealed another 268 grams inside his underpants in a bid to smuggle the drugs from Bangkok into Hongkong was sentenced to 20 years' jail by the High Court yesterday. {para} Oliver Jerry, 30, had denied trafficking the drugs, but was found guilty after a two-day trial by a jury. {para} The jury heard he was arrested at Kai Tak airport on November 26 after a routine check by customs officers. {para} Testifying in his defence, Jerry said he had borrowed from loan sharks and was unable to repay the 25 per cent interest and it was suggested he became a drugs courier. {para} He said he was threatened that if he did not agree his only son, aged three, would be kidnapped. {para} Jerry said he had been forced at knifepoint to swallow the pellets. {para} In mitigation, Mr Anthony Hatton asked the judge to pass a lenient sentence as Jerry would be separated from his wife and three children. {para} Passing sentence, Mr Justice Gall said couriers played a vital role in the drugs trade. {para} > {headline} 67 illegal immigrants sentenced A TOTAL of 67 men who were arrested in Tin Shui Wai in the New Territories on Wednesday were jailed for six to 15 months in Tuen Mun Court yesterday for illegally remaining in the territory. {para} Magistrate Mr Ian Candy passed the sentence on the defendants, who each pleaded guilty to a count of unlawfully remaining in Hongkong. {para} All except six teenagers and two repeated offenders were jailed for 12 months. {para} Mr Candy sent two 18 year olds to jail for nine months and two repeated offenders to prison for 15 months. Four boys who were under 18 were jailed for six months. {para} Two other defendants had pleaded not guilty to the charge and were remanded in jail custody until October 2 to allow time for further inquiries. {para} The accused were aged between 17 and 42. {para} > {headline} Forged bank draft counts A BUSINESSMAN allegedly involved in a fraud case involving more than US$115 million (HK$889 million) appeared in Eastern Court yesterday. {para} Raya Loebis Brony, 41, who lived in the Peninsula Hotel, was charged with two counts of using a false instrument. No plea was taken. {para} Senior Inspector Mathew Hemmings said the alleged offence happened on Monday at the ground floor of 12 Harcourt Road. {para} He said Brony had allegedly used two forged bank drafts of the Bank of America's Jakarta branch, with an intent to induce others to accept them as genuine to the prejudice of the bank. {para} He said the bank drafts in question were in the sum of US$60 million and US$55,760,502. {para} He applied to adjourn the case for two weeks to allow time for police to secure banking evidence by conducting inquiries in Indonesia and Singapore. {para} Duty lawyer Mr Wilson Chan applied for bail on behalf of Brony, but was refused by magistrate Mr John Meredith. Brony was remanded in jail custody until his next appearance on October 7. {para} > {headline} Trial date set for publisher TIN Tin Daily News publisher and former legislative councillor Ho Sai-chu will stand trial on charges of conspiring to defraud the company next year. {para} Ho, 54, is jointly charged with his wife, Ko Tze-ha, 47, financial controller Ng Lit- fai, 37, and solicitor Hui Bon-hoa, 40, with conspiring to defraud Tin Tin Daily News (International) Limited, its shareholders and creditors by appropriating company assets. {para} All three have denied the charge and are due to stand trial on May 31. {/article}

{headline} CPPCC seats on offer {byline} By KENT CHEN {article} BEIJING plans to appoint more Hongkong residents to the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in an apparent bid to boost its influence in the run-up to 1997. {para} The plan was revealed at a meeting between local members and CPPCC secretary-general Mr Song Demin, and his deputy Mr Zhu Zuolin in Hongkong yesterday. {para} The officials are on a 10- day visit to the territory to solicit opinions on the appointment of new members. They stopped short of hinting how many new members would be appointed. {para} At present there are 64 Hongkong and Macau members sitting on the top advisory body. {para} Speaking after the meeting, Mr Xu Simin, publisher of the China-watching Mirror magazine, said the expansion would help rejuvenate the ageing local CPPCC membership. {para} ``Although many members are very old, they are not required to step down as the CPPCC is not a power organ,'' said Mr Xu. {para} He also said the expansion in the number of local CPPCC members would strengthen their influence in the formation of the Hongkong Special Administrative Region (SAR) government. {para} Under the Basic Law, local CPPCC members and deputies to the National People's Congress will be members of an Election Committee for selection on the first SAR chief executive, and 10 out of the 60 members in the first post-1997 legislature. {/article}