The Correspondent, December 1991/January 1992

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INDOSUEZ ASIA INVESTMENT SERVICES ND SUIร E 2606-2608, ONE EXCHANGE SQUARE, HONG KONG TEL: (852) 521 4231 FAX: (852) 868 1447

COVIÌR STORY

15 Like most correspondents who covered the Vietnam War, Derek Maitland came away a changed man. lts brutality and absurdity having left a deep scar. Recently, after 23 years,Maitland returned to try and find some of the answers.

THE FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS'

CLUB North Block, 2 Lower Albert Road, Hong Kong.

Telephone: 521

l5l I

GUT'ST"SPEAKÐRS

6

Liberal leader and president of the Philippines senate, Jovito Salonga

9

Conservationist and wildlife artist, David Shepherd

Fax: 868 4092

President - Per€r Seidlitz

First Vice President - Steve Vines Second Vice President - Wendy Hughes

Correspondent Member Governors Jonathan Friedland, Humphrey Hawksley, Gillian Tucker, Claudia Rosett, Martin Howell, Bob Davis, Catherine Ong, Hari Bedi, Mary Ellen fullam Journalist Member Governors David Thurston, Stuart Wolfendale Associate Member Governors Roger Thomas, F. C. H. Wâdsworth, Peter Humble, Mike Smith

Professional Committee: Convenor: Steve Vines,

Menhers: Peter Seidlitz, Hari Bedi, Stuan Wolfendâle, Wendy Hughes, Humphrey Hawksley, Catherine Ong, Paul Bayfield

Membership Comrnitteel Martin Howell, David Thurston Entertainment Committee:

10 Former Philippine immigration commissioner, Miriam Defensor santiago.

l2

Results of the FCC-Press Club pool challenge

23.30 PERSONALCOMPUTERSUPPLEMENT

32

Edward Neilan reports on a chance meeting with the Soviet media

34

Mark Graham interviews two leading South African photojournalists who have switched to a softer working focus. . . running a jazz club

I¡ene O'Shea

Video Committee: Mike Smith, Gillian Tucker Publ¡câtlons Committee: Conyenor : D¿vid Thußton, Menthers: F. Wadsworth. Hari Bedi, Pefer Humble, Bob Davis, Martin Howell, Wendy Hughes, Francine Brevelti Wall Committee: Bob Davis, David Thurston

THE CORRESPONDENT

PtioPLl-l

36 Kevin Sinclair interviews veteran conespondent,

Ian Stewart, who has

returned to his old Asia beat.

40

Nury Vittachi's Reliable Sauce

4l

Robin Moyer wins golf classic

42

On the road with Imelda and Sihanouk

46

Richard Vines interviews Peru's President Albert Fujimori

49

Peddler's Journal

55

Reciprocal Clubs

56

Hacker

Editor: Karl Wilson Advertising Manager: Ingrid Gregory Senior Marketing Executive: Rosemary Little Page Make-upr Jane Recio and Aubury Ng Artist: Armando D. Recio, Jr. EDITORIAL OFFICE: AsiaPacific Di¡ectories Ltd, 9Æ, Crand View Commercial Centre, 29-31 Sugar Street, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong Telephone: 577 9331t Fax: 890 7287 @ The Corespondent Opinions expressed by writers are not necessarily îhose of the Foreign Correspondents' Club.

The Conespondent is published monthly fo¡ and on behalf of The Foreign Corespondents' Club by

tr{ÐGTJI,ARS

AsiaPacífìc Directorles Ltd. 9/F, Grand View Commþrcial Centre, 29-3 I Sugar Street, Câuseway Bay, Hong Kong.

Tel: 577 9331: Fax: 890 7287

Publisher: Vonnie Bishop Managing Dir€ctori Mike Bishara Printed by Print House Lfd, Blk A, l6lF, Aik San Fry. Btdg, l4 Westtands Rd, Quarry Bay, H.K. Tel: 5ó2 ó157 (3 lines)

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT .................

MANAGER'S REPORT ...............

LETTERS

NEW MEMBERS

...

2 4

47 51

Cover photograph by Robin Moyer THE CORRESPONDENT DEC I99I AND JAN 1992

I

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

And now for the good news ou will be pleased to learn that the magazine you are now holding is the biggest issue we have had since the special 40th annÂĄversary issue a few years ago. For the first time The Correspondent has managed to

attract enough advertising to cover its costs. ln this issue there are over 20 pages of paid-for advertising.

A letter campaign by the Board, determined efforts by the sales team of lngrid Gregory and Rosemary Little and our publisher Mike Bishara ol AsiaPacific Directories , sound advice from Freddy Wadsworth and lots of time donated by David Thurston, Chairman of the Publications Committee have achieved this end result.

The magazine has received increased support from companies 'such as Hongkong Telecom, Hutchison Telephone, Canon and Cathay Pacific. Salim Chaar, the new boss of lndosuez Asia lnvestment and a loyal FCC member, has also given us a lot of support.

I would still like to take the opportunity to appeal to associate members to consider Ihe Correspondenf when deter-

mining your 1992 advertising budget. lf support continues to increase, the maga-

zine will become self-financing and, time, a profit maker.

in

The French week in November was a sell out once again (see letters page 47).

I would like to thank FCC member Ted Thomas, who organised the British Airways ticket that brought chef Fabrice Gomet to the Club.

The FCC trip to Macau was a great uccess and resulted in an agreement with the Macau tourist authorities to help sponsor a special Macau week at the Club starting January 16. We owe a great deal of thanks to the secretary of Tourism and Culture in Macau, Dr Salavessa da Costa, for his support.

Dr da Costa was a terrific host while we were in Macau. He held a special cocktail parly for us at the Hyatt when we arrived and organised lunch the following day at

2

the Pousada di Santiago to meet the local press.

He also introduced us to the new Governor who briefed us on the new airport project and other infrastructural projects now taking place in Macau. The Governor also took the opportunity to introduce us to his Cabinet.

We also had a memorable Fado evening with Father Lancelot at Fernando's restaurant.

The new ltalian Consul General has accepted, in principle, the idea of an Italian week at the Club, which is being planned for the spring. Details have still to be worked out with the Trade Commissioner.

And while on the subject of sPecial weeks, FCC member Robert Kronenberg, the boss of the Swiss PeoPles Bank (Volksbank), is to sponsor a Swiss week at the Club. We are hoping to have

Switzerland's number one chef, lrma Duetsch, of the Waldhotel Fletschhorn in

Saas Fee, but details are still bĂŤing worked out.

We had ourfirst meeting with lan Wootlespoon of the Government Property Agency in November to discuss the future of the Club's premises with the view

to either trying to buy the lce House Street building or to extend the lease beyond 1997. We will make a formal proposal regarding the premises soon.

We also met with the Hong Kong Jourwhich is looking for nalists Assocaition new premises

-to

-

discuss joint ventu res.

From our meetings with the Government so far it has become quite clear the Government will support us if the FCC becomes more of a professional meeting place for resident correspondents and journalists as well as for visiting correspondents.

The Board has a clear cut strategy on

this matter: 1. We will make additional room for working correspondents. Computers will

THE CORRESPONDENT DEC 1991 AND JAN 1992

to an electronic library and fax services will be installed.

2. We have created a lounge area with good reading lights so the wires and daily newspapers can be read away from the activity in the main bar.

3. We have, as many have noticed over the past month, adopted a policy of inviting top speakers, primarilyfrom Asian countries, to address the Club. We are also endeavouring to make the Club a for politicians who visit Hong Kong, like President Fujimori of Peru in November, to meet local and foreign

forum

press.

4. We have established agood working relationship with the diplomatic community, which has helped us obtain speak' ers. We now hold regular monthly corre'

spondents' and journalists' luncheons witlr Consul Generals. ln the past few months

the Consul Generals of Malaysia, Thai' land, Bangladesh, France and Switzer' land have been guests at these "off the record" luncheons.

To fund allthese activities and to maintain the FCC's attractive appearance, we have upgraded our restaurant facilities upstairs and this has started to pay dividends.

Despite the renovation work, October and November were, financially speaking, two of the best months in the history of the Club with profits soaring in October

to $370,000 (compared with $95,000 in October 1990).

On a lighter note, a number of FCC correspondent members met last month first in Manila for outside Hong Kong

-

the return of lmelda Marcos, then in Phnom Penh for the return of Prince Sihanouk. We renamed the Liberty restaurant the Brassiere L|PP.

Peter Seidlitz

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MANAGER'S REPORT ver the past four

Ltd (Food and Wine Depan-

months we have

ment) who provided us with

been presenting a number of Asian food nights at the Club featuring. cuisine from different parts of the region. These nights have been very popular with Club members so we have decided to make this a regular feature -- twice a month throughout

financial assistance and some complementary Mommessin Beaujolais nouveau.

I would also like to thank British Airways who provided

the ticket for Fabrice.

Following i

p I

1992.

Stafiing January 13 we will engage the Thai 'book

on

from the

success of the French promotional week we are planning a Macanese week from

Thursday, January 1 6,

to Friday, January 24.fhe Ministry of Tourism and Culture in Macau will provide us with cooks to

through

who so brilliantly arranged our last Thai food night to work his magic again. We plan to follow this with a succession of Asian food theme nights featuring Sri Lankan, Malay, Singaporearr, lndian and Burmese cuisine. We are asking the various tourist organisations and trade commissions f rom these countries to help LIS.

The French promotion with Fabrice Gomet was a great success and a learning experience for our young cooks. chef, Alan, is already planning to feature a number of the more popular dishes from this promotion on the new a

Our

la carte menu.

I would like to give a special word of

prepare Macanese and Por-

Fabrice Gomet

tuguese dishes, wine and

thanks to those who helped make French

weel( at the Club such a huge success.

First there is Mommessin of Macon who, nrrcr thp nact fnrrr rraarc hac nrnrrided

us with superb chefs. This year they provided us with Fabrice, whose talents in the kitchen are exceptional. A sous chef and champion of the 1988 world cooking competition for young chefs in Johannesburg, Gomet was a hit with our

kitchen

staff

.

Local support came from Jebsen Co

music. lt should be an excellent week so rnake a special note in your diary.

And whilc thc diarics arc out can you please make a note of the Club's operationa.l hoLrrs for New Yea.r's Da.y, the annual staff pady and the Chinese New Year's Holidays.

On New Year's Day the Club will reopen at noon but there will be no lunch available in the upstairs dining room or the Trattoria La Veranda.

The annual staff parly will be held on Saturday, January 1 1, and the Club will

close at 3:00 pm. t,

The following schedule will operate over the Chinese New Year Period POOL BAR

February 3

:

MAIN BAR

RESTAURANTS

Closed at l6:00

Closed at 16:00

PS: our tenth anniversary in the lce House Street premises is coming up and we plan to celebrate it on April 24.

Wewould liketo makeit

Monday

Closed at 16:00

a

big affairand to achieve

this I need help. Would February 4 -- Tuesday

Closed

12:00-24:00

Closed

February 5 -- Wednesday

12:0O-24:00

12:.00-24:00

Closed

February 6

-

Thursday

'12:0O-24:00

12:00-24:O0

Closed

February 7

-

Friday

Normal Operation

anyonewho hastime, enthusiasm and ideas and who would like to help please give me a call. To make this event a success we will have to start planning soon.

A revised snack menu and a daily roast will be served daily in the Main Bar when it is open.

Heinz Grabner

4

THB CORRESPONDENT DEC

I99I AND JAN

1992

i i

GUEST SPEAKE,RS

An honest man with a vision

T

o many Jovito Salonga is looked on as the elder statesman of Philippine politics - an honest broker who cares passionately about his country and its people.

The 71-year-old Liberal leader and

Hong Kong's debt is also zero. Our foreign debt is US$29 billion and more

"Our exports last year amounted to US$8 billion as against Hong Kong's

said.

president

the country's Senate,

exports of US$82 billion and Singapore's

voted in favour

Salonga has been around politics for longer than he cares to remember.

exports of US$52 billion. But don't misunderstand me when I quote these

His outspoken criticism of the Marcos regime very nearly cost him his life back in August 1971 when assassins hurled

figures. I am not envious of Hong Kong or Singapore. I see them as an inspiration.

"Hong Kong, with meagre natural re-

ment Act because they recognised the fact that the Philippines was slipping further and further backwards while the rest of the region took giant strides forward.

They recognised too that the major prob-

of

two handgrenades platform on which

at

than 40%

of our national budget goes to

servicing that debt.

whentheverynotion of welcoming foreign investment to the Philippines provoked resistance in the Senate. "But the climate has substantially changed," he

"A good number of my colleagues of the Foreign lnvest-

lem facing our country today is poverty on a

a

the en-

tire Liberal Party leadership, except for Ninoy Aquino, were seated

massive scale.

"lt exists because

during a rally.

Known as the Plaza Miranda massacre, nine people were killed and dozens injured, among them Salonga and other prominent Liberals.

Despite the bombing, the Harvard-educated lawyer, academic and author

continued his campaign against Marcos and his cronies. ln 1980 he was

ernment, the failure to bring an end to the guer-

rilla war, our system of money-politics and general dissatisfaction with

law enforcement."

Salonga said that despite the People Power revolution back in 1986, "our democracy continues to be elitist and not

fr.l

s t*

representative

-a

Senator Jovito Salonga

out charges being

laid.

When hewas released, Sa-

longa went into self-imposed exile in the United States where he continued his campaign against the Marcos regime.

Today, Salonga is still fighting, and has put himself forward as a contenderfor 1 992's presidential elections.

ln an address to the Club on November 16, Salonga spoke of his vision for the future and about the "cruel" poverty and corruption which has turned the Philippines into the basket case of Asia.

"The poverty that exists in the Philippines today is shameful and inexcusable when one looks at the progress in neighbouring states like Hong Kong and Singapore," he said.

"Per capital income in the Philippines is US$727, in Singapore it is US$1 1 ,810 and in Hong Kong it is more than US$12,000. Singapore's debt is zero,

of

the

people as a whole. And all around us we see com-

arrested and detained with-

Ăł

of

graft and corruption in gov-

munism collapsing and de-

mocracy flowering." sources and a population of less than 5.6 million and Singapore with three million people have taught us a number of lessons. Not only in terms of the things

that make a nation great, such as a sense of direction and purpose, care-

ful

planning, and self discipline, but more specifically about how to be internationally competitive."

Salonga said that the current administration of President Corazon Aquino had taken the first step in trying to attract foreign investment with the Foreign lnvestment Act (1991).

He said the most visible manifestation of poverty in the Philippines was unemployment with 30%

of the country's labour force

without

work.

"Manyof our young men and women

are now working overseas," he said.

"Roughly 51% oĂ? our doctors and nurses are now working in the United States while people in the rural areas

of the Philippines die.

"Our engineers and

technicians,

skilled and unskilled labourers continue to flock to the Middle East -- war or no war. A good number of our nurses and

volumes and gain access to foreign markets.

public school teachers and college graduates have abandoned teaching because of low pay. Many are now employed as domestics in places like Hong Kong while many other young

Salonga said that there was a time

(CottĂ?inuecl on Page 8)

This act, he said, is aimed at encouraging foreign enterprises which will promote employment, increase export

THE CORRESPONDENT DEC I99I AND JAN

1992

Yil.

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Club members enjoying a little taste of Frønce at the Beaujolais nouveüu breakfast -ú 1i:

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CORRESPONDBNT DEC

I99I AND JAN

1992

5

Diners CIub

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let the rest (onform

Filipinos seek out jobs as hostesses and dancers in places like JaPan.

We had nothing to do with that decision which resulted in thousands of Filipinos

"This is no foundation from which to

losing their jobs.

"Our major concern in the Senate was the the f uture of Subic Bay naval base The 7th Fleet. for the US repair facility issue was whether we should ratify what is now considered, both in the US and the Philippines, as a one-sided and

build a nation.

"The ravages of poverty are

well known. The poor lose their sense of self respect and dignity. I know that because I come from the ranks of the very poor in our country, they feel they have become strangers in their own land.

"The Philippines is now described as the sick man of Asia. Our chronic trade and budget deficits indicate that basic problems are structural - imports racing ahead of exports. Hence, our reliance on loans and development assistance.

"A World Bank repoft on the

PhiliP-

pines in 1988 told us the brutal truth

there are more poor peoPle todaY

-in

the Phยกlippines than at any other time in our recent history. Which means around 60"/" of our 61 million people live below the level of poverly.

"You ask me why we rejected the US base treaty. A good question. Will this not aggravate povedy in the Philippines?

"The US unilaterally closed Clark Air

field due to the eruption of Mt Pinatubo.

8

THE CORRESPoNDENT DEC

somewhat anachronistic treatY. "lt was one-sided in that it imposed

obligations only on the Philippines and

not the US. The only semblance of obligation was a letter from US President George Bush to Mrs Aquino promising to do his best to obtain from the US Congress a yearly appropriation of US$230 million for nine years and even this was subject to a number of very stiff conditions.

"lt was anachronistic, in mY view, in that it did not take into account the fact that the Cold War had come to an end.

The Soviet Union today recognisable outside

is

hardlY

its own borders."

Salonga said that despite the withdrawal oftheUS bases, American companies continue to invest in the Philip-

t99I AND JAN

1992

pines along with the Japanese, the coun-

try's biggest investors.

He

said that Subic BaY had a bright a container port and ship repair

future as

facility with its deep water por1, skilled workers and infrastructure.

"All this underscores what we should have learnt earlier. And that is liberation from our own fears is just as important as our liberation from 47Q years of foreign military presence - first the Spanish, then the Americans, interrupted briefly by the Japanese between 1942 and 1945 and then the Americans again."

Salonga said that next year's presidential elections will be crucial to the future of the Philippines.

"Just like the peoPle of Hong Kong and Singapore, we must start believing in ourselves. Whoever wins the election must inspire in the average Filipino the passion for excellence, determination, hard work, integrity and self-discipline.

No leader, no matter how intelligent or able can succeed without these traits."

Karl Wilson

An extrovert who enjoys talking f I I

t was back in,1960 in the Serengeti

of one of the world's most precious re-

Park in Tanzania that

sources - its wildlife.

Shepherd admits he became an artist

National

Duu,o Snepnero came across a sight that would change his life forever.

Scattered around a waterhole he found 255 dead zebra. As Shepherd recounts the story "they had all died from drink-

ing water that had been poisoned by poachers

Africa's perennial blights".

Since then he has personally raised

more than

a

million porj.nds sterling for

wildlife conservation and since 1987 a further 1.5 million through the David

Shepherd Conservation Foundation.

Addressing a

because he couldn't think of anything else to do.

"My life was something of a disaster until I was 20 years old. My one burning ambition was to become a gamewarden in East Africa. I had this romantic notion of wandering around in the bush with a wide-brimmed hat, shorts and a permanent sun-tan.

"When I finished my education, to Kenya with this arroI

headed off

back to England.

The choice of career was hard -- bus driver or artist. He took a punt on the art and was promptly knocked back by the Slade School of Fine Art in London.

Then came

to change his life. He met Robin Goodwin, a profes-

sional painter who specialised in portraits and marine subjects.

Goodwin told the young Shepherd that he "didn't and wouldn't" take students. But if he wanted an appraisal of his work to "come around and see

me".

But it became more than an ap-

luncheon at the FCC on November27, Shepherd said thatfrom the

praisal, Shepherd said. "For reasons that I have never

very first moment he saw the dead zebras he be-

been able

to

fathom out

even to this day, Good-

came a conservationist.

"The

a chance meeting at a

cocktail party which was

win took me on.

I

more

have been his only

material success I enjoyed through my an, the more I got involved in

full-time student and everything have today I owe to him."

conservation projects," he said. "l soon discovered that it

Shepherd studied for three years with Goodwin who,

was amazingly

"demanding task-

I

he says, was

easy to

raise money by donating pictures I had painted. lf I seem

David Shepherd

to boast it's only because it is so exciting.

My painting, Tiger Fire, raised 127,500 pounds in six weeks to help save the Bengal Tiger magnificent beast

-a

which has been reduced from 40,000 in 1947 lo less than 5,000 today."

The picture that launched his career as a wildlife artist in 1962 was called Wise Old Elephant and has sold well over 200,000 prints.

Prolific in output as a painter author and brimful

of

and

stories and anec-

gant idea that

I was God's gift to

the National Parks. I knocked on the door of the head gamewarden in Nairobi and said 'here I am'. He took one look at me and said: 'who the

hell

are

"He

quickly put me in my place.

After all, I knew nothing about wildlife and there were no vacancies at the time. The head gamewarden also told me that even if he did have a va-

cancy I would not have been given the job.

extrovert who enjoys talking. He says he

"So there I was. My world in tatters."

He took a job in a hotel on the Kenyan coast and sold paintings of birds on the side just to get enough money to get

something towards thepreservation

master". ln the years following his training Shepherd began painting aviation pictures - a subject close to his heart.

"As a boy growing up in London during dog fights over London," he said. ln the late

the Blitz I remember seeing the

50s

you'.

dotes, Shepherd admits to being an likes to be known and wants to be remembered as having contributed

a

he wandered around Heathrow painting pictures of aircraft and in 1960, out of the blue, came a commission from the RAF to paint two pictures in Kenya.

"When I arrived in Kenya, the RAF said to me, 'we don't want paintings of aircraft, we fly them all day. Do you do local things like elephants?' And that's how it all started," he said.

Shepherd charged the RAF 25 pounds, including the frame, for his first elephant painting, and the rest is history.

THE CORRBSPONDENT DEC I99I AND JAN

1992

9

A nation mired in poverty S

By Manny Benitez

he carne, she spoke and she did

wit,

The main problem, according to the former judge, is the pervading corruption.

What she says is needed to lift the country by its own "boot-straps" is strong and courageous leadership

her

audience with her forthrightness and

impress

candour.

But, somehow, despite her colourful style, one came away feeling that Miriam Defensor-San-

tiago, one of

a dozen or

her own words, the -nal infortitude" - to conquer corruption.

"intesti-

so

candidates for the presidency of

lndeed, her grasp of the Phil-

all-

ippine situation is impressive, backed by equally impressive

the Philippines, had not said it

or enough.

The former judge and one-time jewel in the crown of the government of President Corazon Aqfirst as crusading immigrauino

and

impeccable credentials, as gleaned from her "resume", coPies of which were distributed by her

aides before she delivered her

-

speech at the Club on December 3.

Born into a family of lawyers (her father was the late Judge Benjamin

tion commissioner and then as agrarian reform secretary - was decidedly, however, the most con-

A Defensor and her mother a

vincing and thought-provoking speaker among the four Filipino politicians who have addressed the Club since October.

city

home with Hongkong's cosmopolitan

Some of her more telling facts and figu

res:

More than two{hirds of the 62 million Filipinos live below the povedy line and millions more barely above the subsistence leveì.

Of the 27 million-strong workforce, more

per than four million - or 15 cent, the highest unemployment rate in the region

crowd of correspondents and journalists, having been a journalist herself in her student days.

It was apparent in her speech that

-

her

years ago, the Philippines

journalistic background and legal training now serye her in good stead in her

quest for political power. For she

demonstrated a deep understanding of her country's problems and needs, rattling off facts and figures to supporl her contention that comprehensive reforms must be instituted to break the grip of what she called the "culture of corruption" on her government and people.

Accusing her rivals of being part of that

culture, Santiago painted a grim and dismal picture of a nation mired in poverty, economic stagnation and dissension.

IO

of

lloilo

on

June 15,

1945,

Miriam was a consistent honoLtrs student fromthe grades up, gradu-

This was not surprising, though, given her propensity for calling a spade a spade, even to the point of rudeness - she once called a congressional critic "furrgus-face" and dareti another congressman to "stick your finger into an electric socket" - and her being, at age 46, the youngest presidential candidate ìn next year's election.

And, of course, she must have felt at

re-

tired collcgc dean, Dimpna PalmaDefensor) in the central Philippine

are not gainfully employed.

From being the richest and most

advanced country in southeast Asia 25

has

be-

come, economically and politically, "the sick man of Asia".

Millions of Filipinos currently work

overseas, hundreds of thousands of them as domestic servants, seamen, construction workers and, worst of all, as

victims of white slavery.

She said she saw no reason for the nation

to

be impoverished as it is rich in natural and human resources, with one of the highest literacy rates in Asia at BB per cent.

"Filipinos are honest and hard working and very talented," she said.

THECORRESPONDENT DEC I99I ANDJAN

1992

at¡ng as valedictorian from both the elementary and high schools, as nlägnä curl laude frotrr tlre UP College of Arts and Sciences and as cum laude from the UP College of Law. The precocious child bloomed into a petite and pretty, but very brainy, teenager in university, where she shone in the academic and extra-curricular fields like campus journalism and politics. She was not only a scholar, she was the corps sponsor of the university's Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC).

Besides editing the prestigious Philippine Collegian, The Law Register and the Philippine Law Journal, Miriam was elected vice-chairman of he UP Student Council and president of the Corps Sponsors of Greater Manila.

As a writer, she has been both prolific and versatile, even finding time to dabble

in fiction, producing 24 shortstories which were published in law journals an popular periodicals, and four books for the legal profession.

Not content with the collegiate degrees

she earned from the state university,

Miriam went abroad

to take

post-

graduate studies at the University of Michigan where she received her Master of Law in 1975 and her doctorate in jurisprudence the following year on a scholarship grant. ln both instances, her average grade was "4".

To gain experience, after a stint as

tiago recalled that she was appointed at a time when the government's muchvaunted land-reform programme was floundering in a sea of scandal, including the overpricing of a sprawling idle estate

the secretary (later

needed foreign loans to bail out its sinking economy.

Soon after Santiago's appointment to

special assistant to

of justice, Santiago worked abroad, first as legal officer of the minister)

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva, Switzerland, and

bought by the government, and when the Philippines was negotiating for badly-

later as legal consultant to the Philippine

the cabinet, pledges in the hundreds of millions of dollars came to Manila and the crusading bureaucrat set out to make

Embassy in Washington, D.C.

the Aquino Administration's agrarian

On her return to the Philippines in 1983, she was appointed to the judiciary, rising to become presiding judge of the

reform programme more attractive or at

Regional Trial Court

in

Quezon City, a Manila suburb, from where she was plucked by President Aquino to head

sion of

was once a member of the Reform the Armed Forces Movement (RAM) founded by the coup plotters. "l was dismissed without hearing," Santiago recalled as she professed her innocence.

Embittered by the turn of events, the country's most celebrated crusader and reformer launched her presidential bid as the candidate of the People's Reform Party which she herself founded.

Ominously, two weeks after she announced her candidacy, Santiago, who had received death threats as i,mmigration chief , had a close brush with death in a car collision last April.

Barely two months later, while she was still recuperating from the nearfatal injuries she sustained in the crash, the govern-

ment filed corruption

the

Commislmmigration and

charges agaยกnst her in the anti-graft court

Deportation.

It

was there that San-

tiago proved her wofih and

carried out to clean up the immigration commission.

soon was projected

into the national and international limelight as the Aquino Government's top reformer and crusader by transforming what had been notoriously known as a graftridden government agency into one of the most efficient and honest offices in the public service.

Because of that, Santiago received

the Ramon

Magsaysay

charges

-

which, ironically, arose f rom the very reforms she had

Award

for

government service in 1988, Asia's equivalent of the Nobel Prize. One interestingsidebar to this story is that the man who gave away the awards at Manila's Philamlife Auditorium that year was the then Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Marcelo Fernan, now one of Santiago's main rivals for the presi-

dency.

ln recognition of her impressive track record as immigration chief, President Aquino named Santiago to the cabinet in July 1989 as secretary of agrarian reform. ln her speech, San-

Nevertheless,

in

all

opinion polls taken recently, including a nationwide popularity survey conducted by the power-

least palatable.

But to her grief , Santiago found out that

she had created a growing number of adversaries with long memories, politicians who never forgave her for her abrasive style in crossing wits with them. lnevitably, her nomination to the cabinet was rejected by the bicameral Commission on Appointments and, after going through the motions of defending her

ful Roman CatholicChurch, Santiago has emerged as the top choice of the people to succeed President Aquino.

Despite her present lead, Santiago entertains no illusions about her chances of winning because of her lack of a political machinery and funds - a presidential candidate must spend as much as US$10 million to have a decent national campaign and she sadly admitted

-

during the open forum

that she

has

nominee, President Aquinounceremo-

considered withdrawing from the race,

niously dumped Santiago from the cabi-

even as she summed politics thus: "Vicious."

net.

According to her, the president had suspected herof being involved in some way in the bloody coup attempt launched by renegade military officers in Decem-

ber 1989, simply because her brother

up

Philippine

Manny Benitez is a suh-editor on the Business Post and a

Jormer editor-in-chief of the

Manila

Times.

THECORRESPONDBNT DEC I99I ANDJAN

1992

11

When in doubt, blame the wall Y t was the stucco's fault, probably.

I Hard to qet a notice on it, let alone IrĂł ,"" ,, rasr on Ine wa'

"*p"a,beside the pool tables at the downstairs FCC.

Doubtless that explains why the annual

FCC-Press

Club

Pool Challenge be-

came a walkover for the Press Club owing to a near-total lack of FCC interest in 1991.

Fred Fredricks put his name up, only to cross it off because "no-one else is up there".

There was a suggestion that people who are members of both clubs such as David Kerr, Paul Baran, Gary Oden and Bob Howlett should fill any empty places, but Baran was mostly out of town and the other three were already committed to play for the Press Club.

But by and large the answer seemed to in memories of the thrashing handed out by the Press Club last year.

No matter, it made every Press Club entrant a winner since Carlsberg generously agreed to let the prizes stand (thank you Derek), and an in-house tournament was organised to celebrate the second successive FCC loss.

Many of the games were of remarkably high standard, considering they started at 6pm and most of the players lie

are barely getting warmed up by 2am on an average weeknight. As it was, Oden and Howlett played a reasonable game and Kerr's match against Press Club

committee member Sita Yeung amongst the year's highlights.

will

be

Dave Wood ended up winning the grand final on November 22. Peter Wong says he'll be there next year. Let's hope

Carlsberg is.

Dave Wood with a display of his winning style.

Wood accepts his prize of $500 from the Carlsberg girl.

Humble in defeat Gary Oden congratulates Wood.

12

THF; CORRBSPONDBNT DEC I99I AND JAN 1992

Photogrøphs by Simon Go

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COVE,R STORY

Yietnam revisited ood morning, Vietnam!" The voice of Robin Williams bellowed from the hi-fi speakers over the crowded bar. And looking back, I guess it was more than ironic - it was inevitable that on my first visit to Saigon in 23 years, I should end up in a bar called Apocalypse Now, listening to the soundtrack from Williams raucous movie Good Morning Vietnam. But it was Ă?ar more bizzare than that. I was watching a hunched young American in a wheelchair among the tangle of drinko ers, studying his bald head, wondering if he could possibly be old enough to -a have experienced the Vietnam War, and o again, it seemed almost inevitable-as though Saigon was deliberately stagemanaging my return - to flashback to Marlon Brando's stark, shaven features whispering, "The horror. Oh, the horror ..." amid the savage lunacy of that time.

Alongside me stood my eldest son.

Nick, just 16-years old and already in-

fatuated with Saigon, the city that seduced me when I was a young man, the city that was gradually claiming me again. And all the while, as young, post-Vietnam War backpackers compared designer rucksacks against the

bar's theatrical, bare black decor, a small, dreadfully thin Vietnamese woman whispered to me through the clamour. "l knew Sean Flynn. He was killed in Cambodia, you know, with Dana Stone.

And John Steinbeck - I knew him too.

And Van Es. You knowVan Es? Wewere all good friends. I stayed with Flynn for a while when he was with Steinbeck and Tim Page at 104 Tu-Do." The woman was wearing jeans, a 1960s-style, tie-dyed T-shirt and dark glasses. For a moment I wondered again whether Saigon's stage managers were at work. "You stayed at 104 Tu-Do?" asked her. "That was my apartment. I shared it with NickWheeler. lheardthat Flynn and Page moved in after I left."

Her face, which up to then had been a darkened, lined mask behind the sunI

glasses, suddenly opened into an ecstatic, girlish smile. And I saw how pretty she must have been way back in the Saigon of 1968.

a

flight or screech to a halt in front of us, dropping harmlessly to the ground. lt worked for John Steinbeck Jr, son of the renowned American novelist, and for Nick a television actress both of them currently living in middle-aged comforl in Los Angeles. Van Es and I run into each other at least twice a week in the Foreign Correspondents Club, watching the stockbrokers, fund managers, public relations hacks and sales executives bawl and lunge at one another around the main bar. Sean Flynn, son of the movie star Errol Flynn, and endowed with a stunning physical

Wheeler, now married to

..l t;

beauty that should have sanctified

Somethings aren' t easily explained: like falling in love with a city mad with war; like returning, nearly a quarter of a century later, this time with your own son. Andfalling in love witlt Saigon all over again as Derek Maitland found recently.

"You're a baochi !" she exclaimed, with such delight that it was as if her soul had emerged from some deep pit of solitary confinement, resurrected by a kind of desperate intimacy - each of us reaching for the warmth and familiarity of the other's past; and with the unintended conceit that such precious and privately shared bonds can appear to be, it shut us off completely from the rest of the crowd at Apocalypse Now. Her name,

she told me, was Yana Sisi, and with regard to the times in which she now lives I will divulge only that it is not her Vietnamese birth name. Yana Sisi belongs to the language of 1968, much like baochi- a printed or embroided insignia we wore on our military fatigues. lt meant correspondent, civilian, neutral, noncombatant - for Christ's sake don't shoot. For me, and for most of the names whose memories Yana has clung to since the war ended, baochi meant that bullets , shells and shrapnel were supposed to change direction in mid-

him

for life, went missing in Cambodia in April '1970, along with Dana Stone. A stocky, red-haired, bespectacled Woody Allenish photographer, Stone ranked with the late Neil Davis for the incredible disregard he showed for danger and death.

Their bodies have never been found. As for Tim Page, still alive despite serious injuries suffered in a rocket attack, even his closest friends will admit, with loving compassion, that for him the clock has not really ticked beyond the year 1968.

That was the year that Vietnam really fell the year in which the communist Tet -Offensive smashed through the boozyfog of arrogance, self-deceit and mad-

ness, to show the Americans what it would truly cost to win the war. Everything after that was a complex tactical withdrawal. lt was at the end of that month, with the last mopping up still continuing

-the

tanks, gunships and C-

147 Gooly Birds savaging the last Vietcong holdouts inCholon and aroundthe airpod at Tan Son Nhat that I myself

- I was consaid goodbye to Saigon. vinced that after nearly two years of my

own madness, the next bullet would be for me. That, and an even bleaker fear in the inexorable deterioration of -mythat youth and spirit, furiously burning up

in a napalm-blast of drink, adrenalin, danger, terror and the depravity to which the war had sunk, I might lose touch altogether with the real world. To describe the significance of my return to Saigon, 23 years later, and what my meeting with Yana Sisi meant to me, I

THB CORRESPONDENT DEC I99I AND JAN 1992

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THE CORRESPONDENT DEC 1991 AND JAN 1992

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Derek Maitland

Nick Maitland

have to draw a series of images of what Saigon was and meant in those days.

Saigon was 104 Tu-Do Street pounding

media rat pack, which was so torluously portrayed in his book Dispatches a

nightly with rock musrc,

core of writers and photographers so-lost in the fog of Pentagon insanity, the savage cynicism of the Gls in the front line and the heady opiate of combat

its

French shutters thrown wide open to the black marketeers, dope traffickers, and cyclo

drivers outside Brodard's restaurant

coverage, that they themselves became part of the war. Wheeler, for instance, British-born and indomitably antiwar, was mistaken for a front-line grunt and turned up in his helmet and

across the road. lt was a place of brief, mindless sanctuary and triumph over the jungle fire fights, rocket and modar attacks, terrifying chopper landings, air strikes, ambushes and debilitating fear

fatigues eating

that we all encountered out in operations

with the US and ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) troops. Saigon was

the constant anticipation of a satchel charge curling into a packed bar or sidewalk cafe amid elegant, weatherworn, French colonial architecture and tree-lined boulevards teeming with tiny Renaulttaxis, motorbikes and huge jungle-

Yana Sisi (above) still remembers the good old days in Tu Do Street and as she was 23 years ago (below).

green Mack and Fargo trucks and tank transports.

Saigon was the Beach Boys, Jimi Hendrix, the Mamas and Papas singlng "California Dreaming" and the grizzled drawl of actor John Wayne on the US Armed Forces Radio warning American Gls not to bunch up and give Charlie a turkey shoot at military bus stops. Saigon was crisp baguettes and Vietnamese coffee at Brodard's, lunch on the roof of the Rex BOQ (US Bachelor Officers, Quarlers) followed by the daily military

briefing, or "Five O'Clock Follies," at MACV (US Military Assistance Command, Vietnam) on the Rex's sandbagged ground floor.

lt was

evening

drinks on the stately open veranda of the Hotel Continental; steaks and more drinks on the roof of the Rex

-

while the

a can of C-rations on a

prowar "Support Our Boys in Nam" poster back in the States. The point l'm trying to

big guns boomed at night out on the city's perimeter, laying down defensive H&l (harassment and interdiction), reminding us all that out there waited the same indefatigable people who,d engulfed and crushed the French at Dien Bien Phu.

Finally, as the n¡ghtly cudew set in, Saigon was 104 Tu-Do Street again.

Theparty that neverstopped - each of us either back from the boondocks and desperately celebrating a new lease on life, or ready to leave on an operation the next morning and trying to pack a whole lifetime into one last night. lt was sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, and more so, I'm told, after I left Saigon and the others moved in to 104 Tu-Do. lt became the celebrated salon of the Michael Herr

make is this: how could a city and an experience such as this not burn itself indelibly into the mind for a whole lifetime to come? And how could I possibly go back to Saigon without the risk of it becoming an orgy of wadime nostalgia, a typical vet's return every

-

location

significant for itstime-embellished brush with absurdity or death; every street and building echoing with sounds and voices of another time; and even the badge of the baochi worn with some trepidation

-

a two-side insignia of cour-

age and shame? ln many respects, we shared the tragic phenomenon of Vietnam with the Gls who ran amok at My Lai. ln the context of what I am trying to

say, it must be remembered that while 50,000 Americans lost their lives in Vietnam, more than double that number have committed suicide since. lt was with some misgiving that I went back, taking my son Nicholas with me. As it turned out, that was perhaps the best way to have done it to look at the

-

(Cotrtinued on pa,qe 20)

THE CORRESPONDENT DEC I99I AND JAN 1992

17

bombing strikes, would take

Saigon that waited me in August 1991, not in terms of what it meant to mY own Past

one look at the kid and have him shot. I lost sight of him in the melee and began seeth-

but in the effect it would have on my own son's future. But to put that into PersPective, we must take a look at Nick first.

Sixteen years old, justfinishing his O-levels at school in

ing in the heat, in the over' crowded and exhausting process of PaPerwork and

rubber stamps. I struggled through the last checkPoint

\

England, budding master of s the cello and both classical 'electric guitar, heading <J and to art school, his hair Pulled L back into aJaPanese, samu- ô rai-style Ponyta¡|, three earrings in his left ear, wearing a florid batik shirt, baggY lndian cotton pants and sandals: that's Nick arriving at Tan Son Nhat Airport in Ho Chi Minh City. Nick knew nothing about Saigon or Vietnam except what he'd seen in blow-ups of some of the 300 or so photographs I shot while covering the war. Being a particularly sensitive kid, I think he may also have traced back to Saigon the roots of some of the inner torture and itching, manic restlessness that I've known over the years since, and that eventuallY Parted me from his mother. lt was not justvets who went off the rails after the war: Saigon gave

correspondents like me the ultimate

experience, but it also took something vital away. lt made much of life thereafter seem meaningless and mundane, requiring a tremendous effotl to restore an everyday faith and excitement. And that against the backdrop of abiding melancholy and occasional hallucinations in the dead of night, my hand over my wife's mouth, mY hoarse, terrif ied whisPers: "StaY down, and they won't see us. You'll

and into the main Passenger hall, and there was Nick, no longer the time traveller who got off at the wrong stoP, his

Saigon Floating Hotel

tight-lipped, bottle-green Marxist off icialdom, comPlete with high-brimmed military caP

the saigon Floating Hotel. "what hap-

invite allforeign visitors to remember that all foreign currency in their possession must be declared in full upon customs in-

you

spection." I remembered myfirst anival in Saigon, in JulY 1966. With Tan Son

Nhat, aheavily armed air basescreaming and roaring with US jets, helicopters

and C-130 transports, the customs men found a. tiny, gold-plated automatic pistol in my luggage inscribed with the words "Good Luck 007." lt caused a panic, especially when ldemonstrated it for them, pulling the trigger so that the magazine flipped up to rev eal that it was actually a cigarette lighter. On this return, I got ready to dive in and rescue Nick, convinced that any one of these green-clad defenders of revolutionary socialism, having probably spent years starving in tunnels under constant B-52

pons

pened there, Nick?" I asked. "They give a rough time?" "Oh no,'theY were

really nice,"

he

said, introducing me to

the young, costumed bellhops sent

to just to had "l accompany us to the hotel. put their boys explain that in England the earrings in the left ear." The first real

moment back

in Saigon - that step into the city itself'

beyondtheairportand

rolling inlo town in an air-conditioned bus

with Nick discussing ttic latest Western pop groups with our joli French matelots the paramour who

was like revisiting -seduced you as a boY; and as she turns to greet you the coquetry is still in her eyes. I mean, what other mistress of the

world could win such a victory, fall upon such hard times, yet still pull a surprise from the jewel box like the Saigon Float-

ing Hotel? Built inSingapore, itwasfirst stationed on Australia's Bar-

rier Reef, where

it

Proved a

costly failure. But about two years ago, asVietnam began opening its doors to foreign investment and economic reform, the floating hotel gave

its operators, Southern PaCorporation (SPHC), a competitive opportunity that most management companies can onlY dream of . SPHC was able to tell the Saigon cif ic Hotel

authorities: "We can literallY

put a fully develoPed,

'è i

a

a recorded voice that croons repeatedlY over the and

IS

plete with berets and Pomthe advance honour guard from

cramped, dilapidated customs hall in English, Vietnamese and Russian: "We

be okay." Watching Nick, dressed and turned outas he was, dealing so gentlY and smoothly with the incredible crush and bureaucracY of the airport terminal, gave me the first of many surPrises. Here was the cultural clash of the century: 1990s-era, new wave hippy, with an echo of 1980s punk, meets standard-issue

stubby ponytail bobbing as he chatted ea.rnestlY with three young men in chic, Powder' blue French sailor suits' com-

THE CORRESPONDBNT DEC 1991 AND JAN

Hotel Continental

1992

firstclass business hotel into Your city overnight." That Saigon snapped uP the offer is hardlY

surprising.

But

what is far

,,TRUST DHL

TO GIVE ME

A

BREAK

I"

All thot time you spent chosing lote deliveries ond unhelpful couriers

-

forget il.

The time you spent worrying

whether your goods would get lhere

ot oll

-

forgel it.

When you trust DHL with

oll

those

urgenl ond importont porcels you get

o wdrry free pockoge in

relurn.

There's 24 hour door to door

pick up every single doy of the

yeor,

speedy cusloms cleoronce, onlime performonce, computerised trocking ond, ofler 19 yeors first closs service in Hong Kong, the reossuronce thot you're

deoling with the most experienced oir express compony to be found.

And with more thon 1,000 offices

in over 188 counlries, you con eosy. Wherever

to get

itt

rest

going, it's going

there.

Give yourself o breok. Coll

DHL

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it right the first time,

=mlt-

more interesting is the municipal deal that came next. As f ront office and sales manager Craig McEvoy tells it: "Out of respect for the revolution, we were going to call ourselves the Floating Hotel of Ho Chi Minh City. But the authorities said no, call it Saigon - otherwise noone will know where it is." As Nick and I stood outside our

Tu-Do reaches NguYen Du Street.

From the dop deck of the Floating Hotel, Saigon was spread before us under a skyline which, at first glance, could have been painted by Manet, with its old churches, waterfront warehouses,

circus, the riverside confluence of TuDo, Hai Ba Trung and other major downtown streets. What the hotel had done, in fact, was to turn a once-seedy the nightly dowaterfront bar district main of black Gls and German, French, Australian and South African mercenaries during the war into a sort of Franco-ltalian

-piazza, complete with Pi-

rooms on the vessel's toP deck, the sixth floor, late on that first

geons wheeling

afternoon, the wide Saigon River sweeping behind us, the city spread to our fore, I watchecl tne magic oi Saigon

and spires and

And there; tor"e!'ing out

the blue and white decks

outside world, was a huge statueof Tran Hung Dao,who

repulsed three attacks

to

century. So I didn't just

return to Saigon, I rediscovered it, beginning that evening as

Nickand I strolledout across

the square throuþh shadowY

swathes

of cYclos and

motorcycles

subconscious, mental radar sweep of passing cyclos and Honda bikes. So much of the city and its people I remem-

and

neon-lit

pools left by the rains, each of us trailing a familiar kitetail oÍ cyclo drivers, money changers, maP and Postcard vendors, chcwing gum hawkers and war criPPles' I say familiar, because I re-

bered only as a blur, a cacophonous backdroP to MACV's daily parade of and

ordinance

kill ratios, bodY

expenditure, counts, hamletrelocation, pacification, the language of the first human conflict p conducted on computer Print- a ¡-l outs. lt was with a Painful jolt Saigon's central market (øbove), the war museum (centre) that I realised how much of and sweeping views of the Saigon river from the Floating the city was now new to me, Hotel. how much it had simply been

r'-

- rest and recbetween operations in those reation days; and how my daily path had rarely ventured beyond a downtown circuit beginning at 104 Tu-Do, taking in the Rex, MACV and Hotel Continental, and ranging only as far as the red-brick, twin spired Notre Dame Cathedral and adjacent post office, with its elegant clock and dramatic blend of French provincial and Victorian industrial architectu re where a brief respite

20

bY

Àlnnnolian hordes in the 14th

war, on a constant, almost

statistics

of

the Saigon Floating Hotel as though braced for the next apocalyptic struggle with the

oPen uP an entireiy new persPective on the city. I cast my mind backto the daysof 1968. For obvious reasons, life then had been neurotically focused at ground level, on the feet of

Pentagon

of

the centre of the square, facing

thing the Floating Hotel had

euphemisms

the banked

clouds of a monsoonal skY.

work on my son as it had done with me so long ago. "l can't belleve thls," Nick saitl. "l tlitlt I't know there could be anything like this in Asia." ln some respects, I didn't either. Somedone for me was

distantlY

against weathered domes

public buildings, tiled roofs and remhants

of the facades of once-fashionable

hoplate the modern was there But then tels.

glass of Shakes' Bar - a post-revolutionary tourism enterprise - flashing in the late afternoon sunshine across Me Linh Square. And, right below us, the hotel's tennis court and swimming pool, set in a garden on the dockside, added a touch of the Riviera to the broad traffic

THE CORRESPONDENT DEC 1991 AND JAN 1992

member that the same clamorous street-culture was there throughout the war. The only difference then, of cou rse,

was that with 500,000 American troops in the country and the war costing an esti-

mated US$5 billion a daY, there was a lot more sPare cash floating around. I don't think Saigon has ever been without its beggars and street hawkers; they're as much a fact of life as the black

market, which flourishes as a kind of people's economy whether times are good or bad. To me, they personify the tenacity and singularity of the Saighow theY managed to survive onese

in that background blur of the war years,

while we alltore ourselves to pieces over the political and moral issues of war and

ideology.

And they're doing it again

the only war we've got. Think about it."

today, as Nick and I found as we wandered up Tu-Do Street, me sniffing and straining at the leash like a dog that has scented its old spoor. Beggars and hawkers they may have been, but they turned out to welcome us at every step along the way. "Where you go?" "You buy cigarettes." "l take you cyclo ride."

"You buy Saigon map." "You change money." "l take you nice girl." "Where you from?" "Which hotel you sleep?" By the time we'd passed the soaring stucco porlico of the Majestic Hotel, passed what's left of the old Hotel Catinat and were at last stqnding in the exact place I'd come all this way to see - outside the narrow, arched doorway and iron gate of '1 04 Tu-Do, right across from Brodards - most of the street people of downtown Saigon knew almost everything there was to know about us and what, over a four-day period, we were likely to be worth. With a crowd of them jostling around me, I studied the wroughtiron gate and the dank, ill-lit alley that ran beyond it to a spiral staÂĄrcase leading up to the apartment itself. Through my thoughts ran a fleeting montage of midnight curfews, lights and incense and thumping music, of hanging out through the open shutters calling to the cyclo drivers outside the cafe, of giggling girls in stiletto heels and long raven-black hair ... And then it was gone; and all that was left was the gate and the gloom beyond.

And in a bitter-sweet kind of way, I felt a relief at its passing. I said to Nick, as if he

didn't already

know: "This is where

I

used to live, back in'68." "Do you want to go up? See what it's like now?" "No." We went across to Brodard's instead, and drank citron presse in exactly the same comfortably dingy Art Deco set-

that I'd known before. And I was even conscious again of my school book French in the presence of the

ting

aged, impeccably proper, waiters. ĂŻhen it was up Nguyen Hue Street to Rue Le Loi and the Rex, where we went up to the rooftop bar, once a nightly pandemonium of barbecue and cigar smoke, hard

liquor at

60

cents a shot, weekly go-go

dancers, a huge salad bar and giant, close-cropped Americans in green fatigues and jungle boots. The Gls had a stock argument for anyone inebriated or nihilistic enough to try discussing the war: "Well now, look at it this way. lt's

- a entourage of

The Americans were back in the Rex

gaggle of staff from the Senator John Kerry, Democrat from

Massachusetts, visiting Vietnam over the MIA (missing in action) issue, one of the last remaining hurdles, it's said, to the lifting of the US embargo. ln the midst of ludicrously tacky decorations that the rooftop now sports - fibreglass elephants, pagodas, a huge crown winking with fairy lights-theywere huddled over a small radio, engrossed in the BBC World Service's account of Boris Yeltsin's defiant stand against the Kremlin coup in Moscow. I stood at the edge of the roof, gazing across the Saigon skyline, back towards the river and the Floating Hotel, and it was a moment remarkable for what lfound myself instinctively listening forthe distant boom of the guns. Then, like the flash of nostalgia at 104 Tu-Do, they were silenced forever.

The next day, and the day after, watched something far more remarkmy own son in Saigon. We exable I

- the city through each other's plored

me, marvelling at the joyful ease with which he embraced it all, the way it welcomed him; and he, coming of age as lwatched him; no longer just my son any more. Through him I was able to look back at myself, feeling for perhaps the first time in my life a sense of love and understanding for the young man l'd been, one of a whole legion of young men lost to the exoticism of Saigon and Asia. Nick's face shone with awe as we rolled along in rented cyclos the next day, trundling through heat, dust, occasional fat splattering downpours of rain, through streetssotumultuous with people, traffic and sidewalk markets it seemed a thousand things were going on around us at once. We had morning coffee at the Continental, under the banyan tree in the elegant rear courtyard, away from the glassed-in, air-conditioned renovation which, I'm sad to say, has ruined the appeal of the hotel's famous open veranda. We stopped off at the Central Market, Ben Thanh, jostling into itsvast, hangar-like main hall to flow with the crowds through row upon row of silks, vegetables, meat and poultry, household goods, everything you can name except the helmets, jungle boots, combat knives, canteens and other war surplus goods it was filled with the last time I was eyes

there.

We headed out to Cholon, Saigon's sprawling Chinatown, searching for the famous An Quang Pagoda, but found ourselves instead in a tranquil, richly decorated Chinese Thien-Hau (Tin Hau) temple in Nguyen Trai Street. From there we toured the sprawling Cholon markets, the tumultuous hotbed of new capitalism in Saigon, treading through alleys and stalls piled high with electric fanssmuggled in from Thailand and China,

TVs

and hi{i

sets that the Japanese

country- much of it on razor-thin profit margins to estabhave poured into the

-

lish an early grip on what will someday again be a booming consumer market.

We stopped awhile on a narrow Cholon canal bridge so packed and heaving with people and traffic that, for a brief instant, I could hear the guns and chopper fire in the distance again, sense the country's long tradition of conflict and flight. But these people were laughing

as they crowded past us

-

gleefully

entranced by the grey-bearded Westerner and his tall, strangely exotic son.

"These people need us back," ltold Nick.

"They

need foreigners." And it wasn't

supposed to sound as conceited as that.

For it dawned upon me during those days of rediscovery that the entire culture of Saigon was on hold, unable to flourish again with something so vital missing. lt was simply marking time, waiting to overpower us all again with its charm, its anarchy and its corruption. Saigon had not changed - only the names were a little different. The once notorious bars were now "cafes" and "cafeterias." But they were still serving the same "333" Vietnamese beer in glasses stacked with chunks of ice, still pounding with Western pop and stocked again with another generation of lithe, soft-voiced, up-country girls who pinched and petted and swooned at Nick's hair, earrings and gentle, youthful ways. But 15 years of socialist austerity had broken the

vulgar, hard-core culture of the war,

changing the intercourse of the bars from the harsh, "You number ten goddamn cheap Charlie Gl" of 1968 lo a more halting, innocent holding of hands and "How long you stay Saigon?" amid delighted gasps, covered polilely with the hands, when it got through to them that the relationship between me and Nick was actually, "You papa him!" I

THE CORRESPONDENT DEC 1991 AND JAN 1992 2I

saw that the clock had stopped in Saigon in 1975, the year the Americans scrambled for the evacuation choppers and planes - time now frozen in the rusted, stripped fuselage of a US helicopter gunship set urrder a banyan tree in the garden of the War Museum. lf I'd feared it would aróuse pain to wander through this graphic litany of wartime atrocities, all it really did was to prove how far we'd all moved on from the

giant; controversial figures

of

that

Dean Rusk, Robert McNamara, -Nguyen Cao Ki, Nguyen Van conflict

Thieu, Lyndon B. Johnson

-

and how

ignominior-rs they seemed now, cons!gned

to the scrapheap of history. Even at the former US embassy compound, time stood still -the huge multistorey main building, still clad in its specially designed, anti-

its communications aerials still festooning the roof - dripped and decayed behind its high walls. lt's terrorist facade,

have chosen their new ambassador and

staff, and that the MIA office in Hanoi is going to be the new embassy," he says.

"All the Bush administration is waiting for

is the right time to tell the American people." The rumours thal abourrd irr a city that has always thrived

on

cafe gossip: "They say the Americans have been paying the Vietnamese since 1975 to protect the vast cache of military equipment dumped here when they left -400 warehouses of it, stocked with everything from F4 Phantom jets to guns and parachutes, all of it brand new and still in its crates. They.didn't want the Russians lo oel their hands on it " Fiction? Prohably so. But still something to speculate on when you look at persistent reports that the US is secretly negotiating a deal to transfer its key Asian naval base from Subic Bay in the Philippines to Cam Ranh Bay. That the Americans should

be so welcome to return after such a

been left empty, I was told, left to fall into ruin, though I've read since that a petroleum corporation occupies some of its adjacent buildings. Saigon

was on hold. Waiting for what? For the Americans

to return? "Let

them

come. Let them come,"

I was told by Lac Long,

whom

I

shall respectfully describe asa jovial, moon-faced, long-standing Saigon entrepreneur.

Nick and I sat with him in the back of his well-known

store in Le Thanh ïon Street, while his assis-

\ È

s

v

a

she showed absolutely no sign of nrental just a gnawing loss for Flynn, distress whom she'd loved dearly, and that sense of youth, gaiety and faith that we'd all lost in Saigon. She'd since been put twice in re-education camps and had finally run away, back to Saigon, to wait with everyone else for the clock to start ticking again. lt was inevitable, as almost eve-

rything else had been, that Nick

and

I

shoulcl oo with hcr to 'lO4 Tr-F)o We found that one of the women selling cigarettes at the arched gateway was looking after the building. She apologised for the empty, sad ruin it had become, explaining that no-one lived there anymore because of the ghost of a girl knifed to death by one of the tenants two years ago. She took us up the spiral staircase, its railings now twisted, decrepit, the walls flaking and peeling away. She unlocked the doors to my old apartment, and I would love to be able to say that the ghosts still in there stirred - Flynn stoking his pipe amid a smoking, writhing melee of dusty jungle fatigues, bush jackets, bouffant hairdos, filmy silk ao dais; and the garish pop posters still all over the walls; and Dana Stone's round, pebbled spectacles flashing in the crimson lamp light; and a Hendrix

Brodard's Cafe from Maitland's old flat at 104 Tu Do Street.

lantsprodrrcecl books the size of Webster's dictionaries, with false compartments filled with Russian vodka, choice beluga caviar, Soviet army watches, US greenbacks, any forbidden delight or contraband you can name.

"Let them come - the Americans, Japanese, Taiwanese, Koreans," Lac Long laughed. "We'll deal with them exactly the way we've always done. And they'll go home broke."

Sitting over coffee with Craig McEvoy in the Saigon Floating Hotel, I listened to

the young Australian hotelier, only

'14

terrible conflict is hard to understand for anyone who hasn't intimately known Saigon, or sensed the cultural imperative of the Saigonese- that they must have foreigners in their midsts to feel cosmopolitan and complete. Or met a woman like Yana Sisi, abandoned and left behind by the baochis when 104 Tu-Do came to an end. ltwas Yanawho pulled

the past and the present together for me - something that had to happen if I was to lay the war, like a jigsaw piece,

months out of Adelaide and already so

into its rightful place; to layitto rest. Yana carried her past, and ours, with her wher-

deeply immersed in Saigon that even he

ever she went

admits his life will never be the same again: "We've been told the Americans

22

packed into every pocket of her black canvas bag. Among them, a stunningly youthful profile of Sean Flynn smoking a pipe at 104 Tu-Do. Yana was no "bag lady." ln our all-too-brief time with her,

"THE CORRBSPONDBNT DEC

- a walking Vietnam memorial of pictures, cassette tapes,

clippings and other relics of Saigon '68

I99I AND JAN

1992

guitar solo screaming out through the open French shutters into crowded Tu-Do Street.

But of course, they didn't.

We simply stood at the same shutters in

a bare, deathly silent, rubbish-strewn

room-Yana, Nickand

me, ourlives now and gazed

inextricably linked by Saigon

-

across the street to Brodard's restaurant, watching the cyclo drivers, black marketeers and beggars lounge and chat in the afternoon sun, waiting for us all to return.

Derek Maitland is the puhlisher oJ The Pacific Traveller and author of a dozen fiction and nonfiction books. This ¡tiece .first appeared in the November issue of D i scovery, the i nfl i g ht ma gazi ne

of C at hay

Pacific and is reprintetl L'ourÍesy oÍ' Em¡thasis (H K ) Lintited.

A basic guide to choosing a personal computer

I

@

There is no doubt that

By Arman Danesh

earlier generation of portable computers.

computers have made their

As the name implies, these machines can usually be used on a person's lap,

way into almost every aspect of life. The signs are everywhere.

Journalism is one of those professions which has been changed by the advent of the computer era. After all, in the past a journalist's routine was different from today. A reporter would get a story, write it by hand and read it over the phone to

his publication.

Or,

after covering

Choosing the wrong machine can mean

lugging around a large box that weighs

an

event, go into the office and use an old manual typewriter to type his copy which would then be set with lead type.

Today, however, the whole industry has changed. Most English-language newspapers today are now computerised. JournalÂĄsts type stories into cĂłm-

15 pounds or it can mean having a small,

fit-in{he-briefcase machine which is light

Compaq, one of the companies to make

weight - in power and size, not to mention

an early entry in portable computing,

a

keyboard that is almost useless for large workloads.

For a journalist, however, there is more to choosing a computer than the issue of portability. Journalists also have to consider exactly how they will use the machine.

Will they need to work for long periods of time in areas where there is no power source to recharge the batteries? Will

and set the type on electronic photo type-

they be using it to write stories or just organise their information and finances and schedule while on the road? When

setting machines. ln remote locations,

they file stories, does the publication want

writers can file their stories by modem, or in the worst instances, fax.

This fundamental change in the technology of journalism means that today's reporters need to be far more computerliterate and that many journalists, particularly freelance writers, need to own computers.

Choosing a computer is never easy, particularly for a journalist who needs to be mobile with a computer. The choice of an appropriate machine is very impor-

a print out, do they want it on disk or do they want stories filed from remote locations over the telephone lines? lf stories

puter networks which are used to format

tant.

but they generally cannot fit in a briefcase and they can weigh as much as 1 5 pounds.

This is not necessarily always the case.

are filed on disk, what type of computer system do they have?

These are just some of the questions which journalists face in the ever more computerised media world today. Given the wide range of laptop and notebook computers available, over 125 different

models of portable computers can be bought in the US, it is possible to find an excellent machine for most uses, but it is even easier to buy a machine which, in the long run, will be inadequate.

ln order

to

produces the SLT 386s/20 and its SLT/ 286, both of which weigh about 14 pounds with batteries. Dell, orie of the newer and

more successful direct-marketing companies offers its 320LT laptop which weighs 15 pounds, and TOPPC's LT5600 weighs

an extremely heavy 19.4 pounds.

At the same time, IBM's PS/2 Model 40 SX laptop only weighs 7.7 pounds with its battery. This is less than one pound more

than some of the heavier notebook units on the market.

Notebooks are exactly what the name implies. They are designed to have dimensions similar to a letter-sized notepad and are expected to fit into a regular briefcase. These computers can weigh as little as four pounds.

Palmtop computers are a whole new breed of computers providing a complete computer in a unit which can fit in a jacket pocket. These machines usually have a small keyboard with a standard layout and a small screen. They are targeted as high-end electronic organisers with builtin scheduling, address book and textediting capabilities.

The issue of compatibility is the first that needs to be considered.

There are essentially two types of personal computers available on the market

today: IBM-compatible computers and

choose a portable computer, it is first

Macintosh computers.

necessary to be clear about what kind is needed.

thei r own advantages and disadvantages.

Portablecomput-

ers generally fall into three categories: laptops, note-

books, and, more

Each of these types of machines have

IBM-compatible machines from manufacturers such as Toshiba, Sharp, Texas lnstruments and AST conform to the most common personal computer standard in use today.

On the other side, the Macintosh has been a revolutionary force in the per-

recently, palmtops.

sonal computer market, bringing the ideas

Laptop compuĂž ers represent an

of "user-friendly" and "ease-of-use" to levels that had previously not been

THE CORRBSPONDENT DEC I99I AND JAN 1992 23

Notebook User!

In today's competitive business environment,

computer downtime is becoming less and less affordable. If time is money, then computer time can be pure gold. A computer malfunction in a time-critical situation can mean the loss of one's competitive edge, the loss of business, and the loss of money.

AST's new World ExeCare warranty Program provides members with extra security for their computers. By simply presenting their personal World ExeCare cards at any of AST's Authorised Exec Service Centres worldwide, you will receive priority, expedited maintenance Upgradeable and dependable, the AST Premium Exec notebook PC range stands in a dass of its own. It features the very latest developments in notebook computing technoiogy and, in the true AST tradition, has received overwhelming acclaim from the world's discerning notebook users.

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reached.

Many publications use custom computer systems such as Kodak's ATEX system. While these are not standard personal computer systems, it is possible to manage file transfers between these systems and personal computers. For instance, the common print publishing systems will support modem communi-

cation, allowing text files

to be

trans-

ferred overthe phone lines using a modem.

However, as many newspapers are moving to PC computer systems, this is changing. Most newspapers and magazines that have taken this route use IBM-based PC networks.

This means that it is far easier to transfer a file from a compat-

in price from below $7,000 for a low-end computer to over $40,000 for high-end units that rival the power and capabilities

of top-of-the-line desktop computers.

Within this range of prices, brand can easily influence the price of a machine with a $12,000 machine having similar features as a $16,000 or $20,000 unit by a different company.

Because of this, other important factors come into play in choosing a portable computer including battery life and power management, keyboard, display, processing power and speed, disk storage,

However, because the 386SL is a new

item, there are not many notebooks or laptops with the chip and it is still necessary to pay a premium for them. For example, one of the first computers to use the chip is the new Zenith MastersPort 386SL. Using the new chip, the computerdoesn't

even have an on/off switch, but only has a resVresume button. Currently listing for US$4,999 in the US, the machine is more

expensive than its 386SX counterparts which can list for as much as US$2,000 less.

ln general, several power management features should be looked for in purchasing a laptop or notebook computer.

One feature which is now considered standard is a sleep mode. This allows the screen

ible notebook. This doesn't prevent Macintosh computers, which can read and write to PC

disks frorn being used, but

manufacturer.

it

requires an extra step and can

and disk drives to be shut down

be more tedious and less reli-

without clearing the memory

able.

and powering-off the computer.

This means that at the touch of

The issue of poftability is the first issue which needs to be

considered in purchasing

a button the computer can be

a

portable computer.

Many journalists are going to

be out of the office and will need to use a notebook computer. Notebook computers are

made by a variety of vendors including the big names in pofiable computing such

as Toshiba, Sharp, Texas lnstruments, and AST. Notebooks are practical for journalists who are always on the go but would be

limited by the small keyboard, screen and processing power of palmtops.

Palmtops fill an entirely different need to notebooks or laptops. They provide the ability to organise small amounts of information in a compact unit, but they are not suited to large amounts of text entry and would not be suitable for journalists who need to write stories while on

the road.

Once the size of machine has been determined, there are several issues which come into play in choosing a portable computer. While price may seem like the over-riding factor, this can be misleading.

Because there is such a variety of brands and features, price doesn't really tell the whole story about a machine. ln Hong Kong, pofiablecomputers range

how easy it is to connect to networks and, of course, brand.

Because journalists are often travelling, it is important to consider the issue of the battery. Most laptops and notebooks boast

a battery life of

between

two and four hours.

However, by using unique power management techniques, batteries have

been known to last over eight hours, or even more, as was the case with Apple's Macintosh Portable which, while not a well-received machine, implemented

several steps to ensure a long-battery life.

The most recent development in the power management sector is the introduction of lntel's new 386SL microprocessor chip which has the power of the industry-standard 386SX, which is found in the majority of notebooks. The 386SL is unique, however, because it includes a variety of modifications to automate and standardize power management, which previously was done differently by each

brought right back to the same place in a user's work as it was before being put to sleep.

Most machines now include automatic sleep features and the best ones allow the user to select any interval, in minutes, which the machine has to be inactive before going to sleep. The betterdesigned sleep modes

can allow as much as two weeks in a sleep state without the need to replace or recharge the battery.

Other useful sleep features include the ability to shut down the hard disk drive

without turning off the computer or putting it to sleep and the ability to dim or shut down the screen temporarily to save

battery life.

Even though the 386SL standardises and automates many of these features, it is still not necessary to achieve a good level of power management. For instance, Toshiba, one of the recognised industry leaders in compact, portable computing, includes what it calls advanced power

management features

in many of

its

notebooks.

The battery is another issue which needs to be considered. Most machines now allow batteries to be charged while in the computer by connection of an AC

THB CORRBSPONDENT DEC I99I AND JAN 1992 25

adaptor. The best take as little as two hours to provide a fully recharged battery.

Another issue to consider if the notebook is going to be used on long trips is the cost and size of spare batteries. Some batteries are very compact while others can be awkward to pack or may weigh too much to carry several spares.

The quality of the display is also important. While an average desktop colour or monochrome (black and white) monitor will provide decent, clear output, laptops use a different display technology.

While standard monitors use cathode ray tubes, like television sets, laptops usually use liquid crystal displays (LCD).

This is the same basic technology used in digital watch displays and calculators.

There are different types of LCD displays, and some of the industry leaders, such as Toshiba, have ventured into other types of display technology, padicularly gas-plasma displays. ln choosing the type of display that is suitable, it is necessary to consider what environment the display will be used in.

With LCD displays, there are several options available including backlit, edgelit and non-lit displays. Backlit displays are ideal for indoor use and use in lowlight conditions, while non-lit displays, which are rare, provide better contrast for

outdoor use.

Other types of I CD clisplays inchlde supertwist, which is a quite common type, and active-matrix which is a more expen-

sive, higher-quality technology. While supertwist displays are affordable, they provide poorer contrast and are only adequate when viewed straight on; the greater the angle of viewing, the lower the quality.

Active matrix displays provide superior resolution and can be viewed at almost any angle, but they are more expensive and are found in few machines. One company which has made a point of using active-matrix technology is Apple which has included this type of screen in their high-end Macintosh Powerbook 1 70.

Another issue with a display is the type of graphics it supports. Low-end machines often only support CGA graphics which provide a low resolution while highend notebooks and laptops now all support VGA graphics which is a minimum requirement for effectively using graphi-

cal software such as Windows.

For pure word processing use, such as

with WordPerfect or WordStar, a CGA display will be adequate. Low end machines such as the Toshiba T1000LE or T1000XE or the Panasonic CF-170 Business Partner provide this type of display.

At the high-end, VGA displays usually supporĂ&#x152; a resolution of 640 by 480 pixels and usually provide grayscale capability.

This provides the ability to display grayscale images such as photographs or to use colour graphics where different shades of gray represent different colors. This differs from low-end displays which only provide black and white with no intermediate shades of gray.

Most VGA displays provide at least 16 shades of gray, although an increasing number of machines, such as the AST Premium Exec 386SX/20 and the new

AT&T Safari NSX/20 now support 32 shades of gray.

The size of the display is also very important. Laptop and notebook displays can measure anywhere from under 9" on

the diagonal to as much as 10" in a notebook and over 10.5" in the larger laptop units.

This is an important factor to consider

a screen is, the more likely it is to cause eyestrain during long periods of continuous use. because the smaller

Generally, it is impoftant to test a lap-

top or notebook display in the actual

26 THE CORRESPONDENTDEC I99I AND JAN

1992

conditions it will be used to see not only how easy it is too read, but to see if it strains the eyes at all during usage.

One thing to look out for is ghosting --

an effect caused when text.scrolls on an LCD display. Ghosting is the result of a "slow" screen and causes it too look like a moving object on screen has a ghost following it. This results from the fact that as an object is redrawn in a new position, the old image hasn't fully disappeared from the screen.

It is also impoftant to check that text is

readable at the angle the computer is likely to be used. After all, the angle of viewing can be very different depending on whether the computer is to be used on an airplane seat table, in a person's lap or on a desk in an office.

For journalists, who are likely to be typing a lot, the computer's keyboard is also very important. Many people overlook the feel and layout of a keyboard in choosing a portable computer.

Many people find that the keyboards on notebooks are too small, making it hard to type. Also, users often complain that keys are not where they expect them because many manufacturers are forced to change the keyboard layout because of design constraints.

Another issue to consider is that many people complain that using a notebook or laptop computer when it is not on a desk can cause wrist strain. This is because

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you're on the road a lot, or if you often need to take work home, the IBM PS/2 Laptop is for you. It packs the same 3B6SX processor and 6O Megabyte hard disk of a desktop system, but fits easily into a briefcase.

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the wrists have nowhere to rest and must be held in an unnatural position

range in price f rom $1 5,500

for a feature loaded generic, Taiwan-produced machine to over $25,000 for a name brand machine designed to run Windows.

This highlights the need to be aware of the brand of machine being purchased.

Unlike desktop computers, notebooks and laptops can be subjected to many of stressful environments.

Whiie generic ciesktop com-

above the keyboard. The only notebook to have addressed this issue is the

Macintosh Powerbook series of notebooks which

provide wrist rests by moving the keyboard towardsthe backof the case near the display.

Another issue relating io keyboarcis is the Íeei.

Many portable computers suffer from unresponsive or stiff keyboards. Many keyboards do not provide full-travel keys which can make typing feel odd or unresponsive.

puters have become fairly safe to buy, this is still not entirely the case with portable computers.

Because a notebook or laptop is likely to be used while travelling, it is importanttotake service into con-

Besides these basic aesthetic features such as display and keyboard, the issue of processing power maycome into play.

For most journalists, the primary function of the computer will be to write and, maybe, keep accounts. This does not require graphics capability, large amounts of memory or a very fast processor.

One feature which is necessary to run most of today's popular software packages is a hard disk drive. Fortunately, even today's low-end modes provide at least a 20 MB hard drive, which while small, is adequate for word processing use.

Most low-end notebooks will provide the basic features necessary for these low-level word processing and accounting demands. ln fact, it isn't even necessary to buy a machine with an 80286 or 803865X processor like those found in desktop machinestoday. An 8088 notebookwill provide enough processing power and speed for the job of writing.

While there are relatively few machines left which make use of the 8088 and other

low-end microprocessors, the few that are still around are made by some of the long-time players in the portable computer market and are time-tested solutions for basic podable computing needs.

The Toshiba T1000LE and Toshiba T1000XE both provide hard disk drives and an acceptable amount of memory as does the Panasonic CF-170 Business

sideration. Only a rrame brand unit by manufacturers such as Sharp, Toshiba,

Texas lnstruments, AST, Partner and the Tandy

11

10HD. All these

machines list for under US$'l ,800 in the U.S. Actual street prices for these machines are far less, with the Toshiba T1200H8, another machine in this class, selling for under $7,000 locally.

However, the popularity of Microsoft's Wrndows package meansthat many users are now demanding a higher level of performance than required for basic word processing and accounting uses.

For journalistb who require basic graphics or page-layout ability, the Windows platform provides the necessary graphical interface.

However, Winclows clemancls somewhat more processing power, memory and speed than the low-end machines provide. While an 80286 can run these packages, most users will want to have one of the popular 80386SX notebook or laptop machines for this purpose.

As is the case with desktop computers, 80386SX computer provide a range of features at a range of prices. Most provide the VGA display, minimum one megabyte memory and the hard drive needed for windows. ln addition, many models are souped up to provide a better platform to run windows. ln Hong Kong, these machines can

30 THBCORRESPONDENTDEC I99I AND JAN 1992

Sanyo, IBM or Apple is a safe choice to ensure international access to service.

However, these machines cost consid-

erably more than their locally or Taiwanproduced counterparts, A low-end Sharp with no floppy drive for example, will cost $1 ,000 more than a Taiwan-produced unit with a faster processor, more memory, and an internal floppy drive.

For a well-equipped IBM PS/2 laptop, it is necessaryto spend as much as $24,500.

Still, even with these price differences, it is impoñant to seriously consider where the computer ls llkely to be used ând how it is to be treated. lf the unit is to be carried a lot, or taken on frequent trips outside the city where it was purchased and can be serviced, it is probably wise to buy a more reliable name-brand unit. ln the end, before making any decision to purchase a notebook or laptop computer, it is important to have considered how the machine will be used and then to

carefully test possible choices in the environment in which it will be used.

Arman Danesh ís a journalist with the SCMP's

Technology P

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BusinesSes in o o o o o o o o

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PEOPLE

Back on the road again bursting with news. Peace had broken out in Korea, Japan was stirring towards

eadli ne was near and the weather

was hot. lan Stewart remem-

the industrialisation that would lead it'to

bers how he looked outthe windowof theold Dutch-run PIA newsagency in Jakarta in 1955, across the busy canal where thousands of squatters

economic majesty, Hong Kong was the cockpit to stare into the baffling crystal ball of newly-Maoist China and to the south, the Malay peninsula was wracked by the war of the running dogs. ln lndo-

the toilet and washed their clothes, and sought inspiration among

went to

the towering statues Bung Karno had

nesia, which soon became the focal point

thrown up to mark independence.

"The sweat poured off," he recalls with a grin as he sips a Tiger draught in a Singapore jazz club. "The copy paper was wet as a towel. I'd finish a story for Reuters, go outside, walk across a

for his fascination, nobody was certain

bridge over the canal to the old Post Office and

recalls as the luckiest stroke of his life. ln

Jakarta, he met a stunning lndonesianChinese, Truus The Tiang-nio, who later became his wife.

It was a storybook romance.

It was while working in lndonesia that

V1

try to file.

"The clerks would be asleep or out for lunch. You'd finally find one and he would graciously consent to count every word. lf it was more than a couple of hundred, someone would come in for a chat and he'd lose count and have to start

again.

"But this was lndonesia and

if

newly-independent

you complained, it

would have meant more delays. Finally, he'd have the number of words. Then he'd pass it to the military censor who would have to find someone who read English to approve it. When this was done and the copy stamped, it would be passed to a Cable and Wireless Morse code operator who would laboriously tap every letter onto a tape.

"Eventually, it would go on the machine to Singapore and then be telexed to London. The whole process was a daily nightmare."

Draining his beer Stewart leans back and says, with great sincerity, "thank God for the fax".

Back in Asia for the past six months as a born-again correspondent, the twotime president of the FCC (1963, 1972) is finding filing easier this time around.

With an apartment an easy stroll up the hill from the entertainment, business and tourist hotel heartland of Orchard Road, he's close to the action.

Faxes and modems make him as close

to the news desks of the London DarĂž Telegraph, lhe South China Morning Posfand the

36

what was happening.

It was there, in turbulent Java, that the young correspondent had what he

A

ustralian Broadcasting Cor-

\<

Four decades and 10,000 bylines after his debut, old Asia hand Ian Stewart (above) is once again tramping the back alleys and presidential palaces of the continent he knows so well.

KevĂ­n Sincluir splke to lLirn in Singapore. poration as a reporter in Mayfair, Shek or Bondi. "lt's wonderful to be back," Stewart says as he rushes off to catch a cab. The Prime Minister of Vietnam is in town talking to Singapore's Goh Chok Tong.

"Got to file," the veteran explains. After 43 years as a newspaperman, the New

O

Zealand-born reporter still gets excited at

the prospect of a good story.

lan Gordon Stewart, born in Whangarei in 1928, studied journalism at Auckland University while'working as

a cadet

on The New Zealand Herald.

"l always seemed to work for great, grey newspapers," he says. They included ihe Sydney Morning Herald and the Melbourne Herald before Reuters tapped him on the shoulder and sent him to Asia in 1953.

That was an era when young Antipodean newspapermen dreamed of the Glory of Fleet street. Stewart headed

north

and found a fertile

THE CORRESPONDENT DEC 199I AND JAN

1992

continent

The New York Times recruited him.

Based in Hong Kong, he was responsible not only for news writing but also compiling the exhaustive country reports and analyses forthepaper's annual surveys of the region.

Always an active FCC member, he remembers premises in the old MidLevels mansion, on the waterfront and the top floor of the Hilton. He was one of the Board members who steered the Club into its lengthy occupation of Sutherland House.

Not only did Stewart write about Hong Kong, he sang about it, also. His wry, whimsical ballads poking fun at the Hong Kong establishment of the 70s were set to music on a 33rpm record which is now a collectors' item. ln 1977, wanting to put their children into Australian schools, the Stewarts wenttoAustralia. He roamed the South Pacific lor The New York Times, reporting on that enormous and largely overlooked region. ln 1980, he helped launch a public relations company concentrating on aviation clients and six years later was involved in developing a range of business publications.

Then, in 1987, his world almost came to an end. Truus, coming home from her antique shop, was run down and killed at the front gate of their suburban Sydney (Continued on page 38)

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ASEAN nation, lndiaand the United States.

"l was crushed," Stewart

recalls.

Plunged into depression, the drive to work which had consumed his life was viftually extinguished. The thousands of stories and the five novels he had written had made his name but without the woman who had enriched his life, he wondered if anything was worthwhile. The many messages of condolence he received from frrends all over Asia helped, but nothing could take her place.

It took him, he admits, two years to recover and whên he felt he could face life once more he decided to move back to the Asia he loved and knew so well.

He put out feelers and soon found that he was notforgotten. Nigel Wade, the Daily Telegraph's award-winning foreign corresponcient anci now the paper's foreign editor, snapped him up. The South China Morning Posf added him to its list of correspondents.

At 63, lan Stewart is now running around the back lanes of Asia with as much energy as a young reporter on his first assignment.

From his small flat-cum-office, he is in constant fax and phone touch with governments, business bodies and contacts throughout Southeast Asia.

But there's nothing he likes more than taking time off for a Tiger with old friends or new acquaintances.

The

talk today, as we sit under

a

canvas awning outside a row of Chinese shops, is of old comrades. Dick Hughes

Slumbering for some years, the FCA is now actively promoting more interaction between newsmen and the Singapore government with luncheon meetings held three times a month.

Stewarl, who retains the wry sense of humour that made him such a popular FCC President, chuckles as he looks back on Singapore when it was still a colony linked loosely to the Federated Malay States.

The mid-S0s were savage times. Blood ran in the Singapore streets with communal race riots and up in the jungle just across the Causeway, terrorists of Chin Peng's guerilla army were locked in battle with tens of thousands of British and Commonwealth troops. "i remember one ciay a British oificer f rom Special Branch taking me aside and whispering in my ear that I should not try to interview a young politician by the

calls. "He was a communist, the Brit policeman said."

Working out of

the fearsome

Graeme Jenkins,

involved with dents Association of Singapore (FCA).

They've got no regular club house, but on the first Monday of every month they meet in the Pig and Whistle Pub in Duxton Hill (the venue is soon to be changed to

young reporters would work, drink and chase women work again. I

re-

married, going to work bleary eyed and getting a lecture from Jenkins.

be out on the town

all night and then

38

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companionship.

There is a big core, once more, in

space permitting, the lunches. lf you are going to the Lion City, contact FCA president Alexander Thomson of the BBC on 250-3100 or vice-president Peter Mackier of AFP on 222-8581 and they'il teil you what's on the FCA agenda.)

how I expected to

the newly-rebuilt Raffles) for beer and Singapore, a couple of dozen correspondents headed by all the agencies and repoñers from Japanese papers, Xinhua, German magazines, every

(FCC members are welcome to attend

the FCA monthly drinks sessions and,

Stewart recalls a

member one day, long before I was

get the Foreign Correspon-

Asean beat. lan Stewart knows he has to run hard to keep up with them. But anyone who knows him will lay odds that he is out in front of the pack.

wild youth ... "We

Kong?

to

These days, there is a whole new generation of young reporters out on the

Reuters office un-

der

and hit the town.

Then we'd go to

long

born.

name of Lee Kuan Yew," Stewart re-

crops up, naturally, and EddieTseng. ls David Roads still around? And who's The New York Times man, now, in Hong

It didn't take Stewart

wart's companions was a bright young Singaporean named Wee Kim Wee, later to become president of the republic that was still a decade away from being

capable of working

the next day."

One of the street repofters who numbered among Ste-

THECORRESPONDENT DEC I99I ANDJAN

1992

EXPAT SERVICES LTD. 8933344

Wendy McTavish

PEOPLE

Reliable Sauce, the Secret Diaries of Lai WHICH stock market in Southeast Asia registered an unprecedented turnover

ol zero dollars, zero cents on

a

trading

day in 1990?

What happened to Hong Kong firm Turns,Out All Right Co Ltd? Which major Hong Kong depanment

store sold globulai pieces of

brown confection called Chocolate Negro Balls?

Why was the "Omni The Hong Kong Hotel" renamed "Omen The Honking

Hotel"?

The answers

to these and manY more

foibles that make Hong Kong slightly tolerable can be found within the covers "of

China Morning Post columnist Nury South

Vittachi's

book Reliable Sauce: The Secret Diaries of Lai See.

See

The Lal See column in the Post has established a wide following since Nury took it on a few years back. ln that time it has developed into a sort of insider's guide to the workings of Hong Kong and the movers and shakers who make it all happen.

Launched at a cocktail PartY at the Club on November 14, Nury is to donate all proceeds to two local charities .. Home of the Loving Faithfulness and the Hongkong Kidney Patient's Fund.

The book is available in all popular

book stores and costs $98.

Robin Bradbeer,

City

Polytechnic;

Bretigne Shaffer

of Executive

magazine; Cecile Marquez, assistant

manager Essar

International Insurance

Lisa Hickson of TMI (left) ; Cecile Marquez, and Janet Pride of Rolls Royce (Far East) Ltd..

Brokers, and Nury Vittachi.

Mike Smith (kĂ?A of IBM and Karl Wilson

Nury and Ken Mckenzie, managing director of Media and Marketing.

Atison Wenck, sales manager of Steve Leece Media; Chris Day, Discount Corporation of New York; and David Stradling (ri7ht) editor of Hong Kong Insurer.

THE CORRESPONDBNT DEC 1991 AND JAN

1992

39

PEOPLE

Briefly.

aa

Hong Kong Mother &Baby, a newspa-

per for Hong Kong's English-speaking parents was launched recently by publishers and Club members Bill and

Debbie Wadsworth.

The idea for the paper developed just

over a year ago following the birth of their daughter Virginia.

D,,hl;^h^J tt rt ^ ^^.,^-,!.,^rwviltuilU I uuilùr rçuçvEty -^-¡L^ tù, nut^ -Ig- A(JI -Ig

Mother & Baby offers news, advice and information which is relevant to English-

PATRICK Sabatier, Asia correspondent

for the Paris-based newspaper Liberation, has been appointed the paper's foreign editor. His place will be taken by

Romain Franklin

.

CLUB member and former Hong Kong Standqrd Arts editor, Vernon Ram, has taken on a new role as editor of Corporøte magazine. The regional magazine which looks at the people behind the corporate names was re-launched at a cocktail party in the Albert Room of the FCC on November 7. Among the guests was legislative councillor, Elsie Tu, seen here with Vernon

(left)

and Corporate publisher Venu Menon.

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PEOPLE

Moyer wins Richard Hughes troPhY

Robin Moyer, winner of the Richard Hughes Memorial Trophy, and FCC Golf Society secretary John Price.

Keith Statham

Eddy Khoe (left) and FCC Golf Society captain, Charlie Smith.

.,tlp,

.,.'|

T=j--"ì-.

{

.,rÇa

rßË .-*t FCC golfers relax on the patio of the Fanling Club House.

'*John Kerr

attacks the 18th green.

Photographs by Ray Cranbourne

THE CORRESPONDENT DEC 1991 AND JAN

i992

4T

PEOPLE

Covering the Imelda and Sihanouk shows NOVEMBER proved a busy month for local correspondents. First there was lmelda Marcos' return to Manila followed by Prince Noradom Sihanouk's return to Cambodia.

Despite the build-up, lmelda's return was an anti-climax. She swept through Manila claiming to be poor and maintaining hç¡ innoCence Of an;,'l.,rongdcing when she was the country's first lady.

Despite her claims of poverty she had all the airs of a queen retrrrning to collect

But despite its horrific past the peace seems to be holding in Cambodia and

her throne.

there are signs that capitalism

The tears, kisses and greetlngs were allto cue and worlhy of an Oscar nomina-

re-emerging in the country.

Even Sihanouk, at his first press con-

tion.

ference with the international media, said he would like to see the return of dancing,

The media circus, which had assembled in Manila for lmelda's retr_lrn, then headed south to Bangkok before venturing into Cambodia for Sihanouk's return - a story of much greater historic significance.

It also created a good excuse for many correspondents who had covered the war in Cambodia to meet up again.

By Stefan Reisner Sihanouk seemed to be on first name terms with most of the correspondents who had assembled in Phnom Penh.

Things had changed quite a bit in the Cambodian capital f rom those heady days back in the early 70s. And the people har¡¡ na+ l^r^^++^h ¡^'t..,^^-^ ^¡ n^l ¡vrvvt(çtr rk^ Ûre uqt^ ygatù ut f ut

Pot.

is

mâqcâñê narlnr ¡rc anrl lawi-nirlcru. ÂnÄ ao \,rr ^r rv, so if to underline his intention, loudspeakers

were set up in the streets fiom which blared the Prince's own songs - usually love songs. ln the few bars that have cropped up in recent months international brands of

beer such as Tiger, Carlsberg and

Heineken were in ample supply.

Rents are said to be around US$2,000 a month for a three room flat and lobster at the Bangkok Terrace sells for US$2 a piece.

The good news is, however, that one can find a telephone and even a fax in this

paft of Cambodia, though not cheaply.

Bui iiren again somebociy has io pay for the country's reconstruction.

The Monorom Hotel has managecl to get its l¡fts operatirrg. Flights rrow uperate daily between Bangkokand Phnom Penh, providing eagerly sought after copies of foreign newspapers.

What was interesting was the mixture of correspondents. On the one hand you h^l L-:."--r ^ti --^,ildu ¡L^ Ute utu, gtëy-ilatf eu velef ans ot Irìe various lndochina conflicts such as Jimmy Pringle and on the other the fresh{aced, youngsters - the parachute battalion.

One of the topics of conversation around the bar at night was who was the more aggressive of the younger breed of pho-

(Continued on page 44)

r:

Waiting for Sihanouk's return: (left to right) Greg Davies, Time magazine; Stefan Reisner, Stern; philip Jones Griffith and kneeling AFP's Dominique Faget

42

THE CORRESPONDBNT DEC I99I AND JAN

1992

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tographers Japanese.

-

the French or the

Grifith entertained those who

For his parl Peter Seidlitz

would listen with his Welsh

presided every evening at the Lipp, which had become a sort of unofficial FCC. He even suggested some renovations but the managerqent reserved its final decision on the matter.

The old haunts, sruch as the lnternational, Monorom and the Bangkok, were full and at night one could hear the anecdotes

accented tales while Tim Page

The one place where there was not a stalemate in terms of experience was at the airport. There Derek Williams, now out on his own, could be

from older correspondents

seen head and shoulders

about the perils and wonders of Cambodia's past followed by laughter of disbelief or jealousy from others.

above the rest only because he bought his own ladder and at his feet was his now famous cooler of softdrinks. This sorts out the amateurs from the professionals.

Welsh f reelancer Philip Jones

wandered around seeking suppod for his memorial to all ihe correspondents killed during the Vietnam war.

Hcad and shoulders above the rest Derek Williams

Stefan Reisner is Asian C orrespondent for Stern.

f.¿

.t

\,,

)

BBC's Brian ßarron (lejt) and Jean Claude Pomonti of Monde

le

\ ù' Karen Elliott House, Dow Jones International Vicepresident and Club president and HøndelsblattFar East and China correspondent, Peter Seidlitz

á

il

\

5ú i',¡ ii !i

.)

t,

?|:!,j

1:

Staffan Heimerson and his wife from Swedish Radio

,

.:,r S

.'1 1

i,::'*fua

kÞdl AFP team @fi to right) Dominique Faget, Jean Claude Chapon and Stephen Ellis.

44

THE CORRESPONDBNT DEC I99I ANDJAN

1992

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PEOPLE

Fujimori keeps on smiling

F

our days before Peruvian Presi-

Japanese origin. His parerìts nroved to

dent Albefto Fujimori left Lima to visit Southeast Asia, guerillas fired rocket-propelled grenades at the presidential palace. lt was reported that 50 people died in a fresh wave of the political violence that has cost 15,000 lives over the past decade.

With a genuine smile and readir ',^,,it, the relaxed Peruvian President charmed everyone who came into contact with

Peru from Kumamoto Prefecture in 1934, four years before his bir1h. Fu-

him, and won

remarkably warm and

jimori's father worked as a tailor, in a flower shop and as a cotton picker. Fujimori

himself went to university, graduated in agronomy engineering and went on to a highly successful academic career.

U^ !^^il^¡ ^^i¡ h^ ^^1,, r 19 Ðaru r rç vr ¡ry uvvruvu

..,

persistent applause for a speech to the !

Asia Society when he visited Hong Kong S back in November.

When Fujimori took office on July 28, 1990, he inherited the fifth-largest foreign debt in Latin America, hyper-inflation and a vicious guerilla war fought by When Peru's President Alberto two different groups: the Maoist Sendero Fujimori took ffice back in Luminoso (Shining Path) and the lesserJuly 1990 he inherited a country known pro-Cuban Movimento Revoluwirh the fifth-largest foreign cionario Tupac Amaru (MRTA).

He has also had to contend with a debt in Latin Amet"ica but he still manages to smile as South cholera epidemic that has cost hundreds

of

lives

and drained precious

re-

sources. Thecholera epidemic alone is estimated to have cost Peru US$1 billion, while Lima says the flnancial cost

of thc insurgcncy has bccn US$18 bil-

C hina

Morning Post J'orei gn editor, Ríchard Vines, found when he interviewed him in November.

lion.

He formed a movement called Cam90 (Change 90) and toured the country to collect the 150,000 signabio

tures a prospective candidate requires to join the race. He ran a shoestring campaign, and came from nowhere to l-rao+ +ha

nnr¡¡lio+

Ârl-'i^

\/^'^^I l^ôõ qr Yqo L¡vrq

i^ ¡ q ^ ¡r

run-off for the presidency.

Since then, Fujimori has focused on reviving the country's economy, which was in a tailspin.

Apart from forcing down the country's 3,000 percent annual inflation rate, he quickly resumed payments on the country's US$19 billion foreign debt and eliminated price subsidies.

This led to a 3,100 percent rise in the

price of petrol, while the food staples went up 20 to 30 tirrres irr price, sparrrirrg riots in which troops shotdeadfourpeople.

Everywhere he goes, Fujimori, who is 53, is asked about the guerillas. Doesn't he get frustrated that everyone focuses on this aspect of Peruvian life?

"No, tlris is a concerrr of my Government, a very important concern, and when the opportunity comes, I explain what we're doing, and what the terrorists are doing. "l think the position must be given, and this is the way we overcome the publicity of the terrorists," he says.

Human rights organisations have been highly critical of Lima's methods, accusing the military of murder and torture. ln

one

+^ Ã^+^Lv vt ttçt ^^¡i Pvr-

tics a few months before the 1990 presidential election.

incident

in November,

suspected of belonging

to

gunmen

the military

murders allegedly committed by the

But Fujimori has remained popular at home, and has won the respect of the international financial community, which

Peruvian authorities since his election.

Previously, Fujimori accused human rights organisations of being the legal

nal debt.

arm of the subversives. How did he respond to the Amnesty claim?

Why did Fujimori decide to go into politics when other people might have

"Many of the deaths are due to the terrorist groups, but we don't deny there may be some human rights violations.

Those 'disappearances' or killings will be thoroughly i nvestigated.

"Anyway, this number is much less than before. The momentum of the killings cannot be quickly stopped.

"But I will answer also to any interna-

been looking forward to retirement?

"Because I wanted to change com-

is

working with him to tackle Lima's exter-

pletely my country. I expect my first two years to change the situation for investment, with new legislation and by fighting

terrorists in a much more effective way.

Then, in the last half of my government, there's a much more healthy economy," he said.

attacked a barbecue pafiy in Lima being held by suspected leftist sympa-

tional human rights groups that they must denounce also the hundreds and thousands of killings made by terrorist

world seeking investment. His two-day

thisers. Sixteen people died.

groups," he said.

the end of a whirlwind Southeast Asian

At home, Fujimori is known as "Chinito", or "Little Chinese", but he is of

tour that included Singapore, Malaysia

Amnesty nternational published an open to Fujimori, detaillng nearly 300 I

letter

46

THECORRESPONDBNT DEC I99I ANDJAN

1992

To this end, he has been touring the visit to Hong Kong in November came at

and Thailand.

LETTER BENJAMIN Stein's article about the travails facing freelance writers (The Correspondent, November issue) is unsettlingly accurate, but one thing it fails to mention is that the mechanics of the publishing industry itself all too often work against the f reelancer.

I have been waging a war of attrition for some years now against magazine editors and publishers to try and make them understand that a freelance writer is like any other kind

lf I didn't pay my rent for three months, I would probably be evicted. lf I didn't pay my phone and fax bills, my lines would be disconnected. lf I didn't pay my credit cards, they would be cancelled. lf I didn't pay my accountant, he would start to prepare his Small Claims Court papers. lf I didn't pay my FCC bill, I would be posted.

Then again, the three-month factor is only one of the problems. There is the magazine which airily postpones

for several months to this treatment). Try

of supplier, i.e. goods ordered and delivered are liable for payment immediately, or at the very least within 30 days of

publication, and therefore payment,

presentation of an invoice. ln other words, an article commissioned, written to a specific length, for an agreed fee, and accepted by the editor, should be paid for upon acceptance and not after publication.

telling the company which has just delivered your stationary, or the supermarket your groceries, that you don't plan on using them for the next six months and that you won't be paying until after that time.

Part of this attitude is historical: traditionally, a magazine publishĂŹng a writer's work was doing him a favour. This may well still apply in the literary world, but not in the commercial scramble which constitutes the major share of the publishing industry today. But a good part of it is a lack of professionalism, and the failure to treat contributors with any real respect: the printer, the film-maker and just about everyone else has greater clout, and the freelancer is at the end of the food chain.

There is an irony here, as contributors' payments are probably the lowest item of expenditure a publisher has to make. But that's another story ...

Several publishers are now coming round

to

this

distressingly business-like way of thinking, and they are the ones who are getting loyalty, quality and prompt delivery from contributors.

However, the disdainful comment, "Oh, we don't pay until

after publication", is one which is still far too often heard. And for a monthly publication, this usually means at least three months between handing in the material and the cheque appearing in the mailbox: often a lot longer.

I can, off-hand, think of no other type of supplier

who

is

content to wait until after his goods have been used before he gets paid for them.

(adverlorials are particularly prone

Ken Barrett, freelancer, Hong Kong

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THE CORRESPONDENT DEC I991 AND JAN

1992

47

TIIE INNER CIRCLE The places to eat within staggering or shouting distance of the FCC

q@;

The Ashoka '''l hc

li'st.ìt¡r¡nl ,\ lìov¿l g¡r¡rnrr'l l:{l{l I rÌr - lotfl(l lì nì.)

{¡rvirt

rlì(l¡l:oilourbranrlneupl¡!Ì¡t(;.F(ìtìlì¿uglìt(()rìnrercttllìuilclinq, Ill5 W.¡¡rr ir¡i llo¡ci, I l.K . I (ìl l.Ìcl

¡1981

.

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We've got noth¡ng more to say than ..GOOD FRENCH FOOD''

,,*,r{J*ïodr" \

dt'lik..rw¿rts v(\r, s,itlì V¡l('t lì¡rkrnq

I ¡k.' '\ulrvs' "\ el¡licior¡s ln.iian ltr.lrrlgenct'. Wo Lirlivcr thc lndrrlqcù.{. kx), lr¡lh'rur ] 0lì p rìì - l():(Xl P nì W{ .ìr. \till therr ,ìt i7 sq Wvndlì.rDì sl . (ì,tìtrdj. I Lk., I ('l i24 q6f1. ili iTlq

PLEASE PATRONISE THESE FCC SUPPORTERS

\

*_Ç*

Close Encounters of the Exotic lndian Kind

La Toison d'Or

ùt,,

Er.arrah I I ttl Ilrl

-

ctr,, victoria

(Behind'Citicorp.'Centre)WatsonRoad Car6eway Bay East, llong Kong, t Frcc Valct Prrking nightly r Îel.: 566'5560 Fax.r 510.0016

.JOItl Àdle

FOR

EDaala¡ ¡vanl CII ll,

¡ I r¡;Ctl,Gllll

centre,

147 149 Gloucester Road, G/F, Wanchai. Tel: 838 3962 Free evening parking service. Sunday closed

A VOYAGE AF DTSCOVER

Spices at Paciflc Place is creating a series of special buffet dinners each month to explore the mysteries of Asian cuisine. Here the rare :rnd

àFfucÀ

êvt^i^

a^^-^-li^-;-Lr¡tr

/\-i^--^a a¡-^ rrt tr¡L vtrçltt

_

Lttllll

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cocor-nlt, lemon grass, blue gir-rger, cardamom and tamarind are blended to create the classic clishes of Asia. ÀrtrqdlrÁ

The Oceans of Asia, The Treasures of Siam, Romance of the Rai, A Taste of Vietnam, Asian IJeat, to name but afeØ ...

PAC1

Spices at Pacific Place, The Mall-LGl, One pacific place, 88 eucensway, Hong Kong For reservation or fufther information, pl€ase telephon e us zt g4j 479g.

,TftXD ¡qt O (ÅL re{E LANCU ß

,Ø*tt-ü WINE BAR €' RESTAURANT

Hørbour Vietn open from B:00 AM to Midnight Exchønge Squøre, Tozuer ll, 2/F., Hong Kong Tel: 5237003

d

tu[øfiørajø I

rNE

I

l-3À. Granvillc Circuit, G/F'.

Tsimshatsui, Kowloon. Hong Kong.

Tel: 366661 l ,72-1,ì-ì.++ S¡tetialists in Outdoor Catering.

Think about it!

F.C.C. members represent one of the highest earning, per-capita, consumer spending groups in Hong Kong.

INNER CIRCLE: HK$600 (Minimum 6 insertions) Colour ads: ll4 page HK$1,584; ll2 page HK$3,168; Full page HK$5,280.

Black & White : I /4 page HK$ l, 3 20; 1 12 page HK$2,640;Full page HK$4,400.

Telephone: Ingrid Gregory 577 9331.

â

PENIÑu

@

A PEDDLER'S JOURNAL

The demise of Jakarta's lowly becak 7Tt n" lndonesian becak is a triI cvcle-like contraption where the t orversrts percneo Denrnd a rarge

before them. Not only did they

basket-like seat and for the modest sum of 300 rupiahs per kilometre (slightly less than eighteen cents) carts his passengers around town. They can be seen everywhere, clogging the narrow lanes or gathered in clusters in front of shops or stalls waiting for their next fare. ln the tropical heat only the very poor

did not fully appreciate the persistence of

(Englishmen and tourists excepted) venture out on foot. The readily-available becak provides an inexpensive and convenient means of getting about to accomplish even the most simple errands. For as long as anyone can remember the lowly becak has been the mainstay of transportation in lndonesian towns and villages.

For almost ten years the Jakarla -municipal authorities had been of the opinion that becaks had become a nuisance, and in the interest of presenting a more modern face to the outside world, should be eliminated from the city. The fact that it was only a couple of years ago that they were finally successful in banning

the becak from the streets of Jakarta serves as testimony to the hold that simple conveyance had on the citizens of that fair city. lt was simple task.

One of their earlier anti-becak campaigns which took place in the early eighties, and ended in failure, illustrates the magnitude of the task they had set

not take

into account dependence of the local population

on the becak,

but they also

those professional drivers who would not stand idly by and see their means of livelihood taken away. When the ban was announced the people raised a huge outcry and the drivers' association fought back with vigour.

The first step taken by the police was to ban the becak from certain designated sections of the city. When this edict was ignored, squads of police were dispatched to confiscate unguarded becaks and they were dragged off to government depots. The owners soon discovered what had happened, however, and armed with wire cutters, under the cover of darkness infiltrated the depots and by the next morning they were back out on the streets.

Not to be outdone, the authorities devised a new and more devious plan.

They commandeered a barge, filled it with hundreds of becaks and floated it out to seas. But once again, in the nick of

time, the resourceful drivers' association sprang to the rescue. They hired a

lishment of the Hanoi Liaison Centre, the first international business centre in the capital.

ln a prime location near the State Bank, ltalian embassy and opposite the Hotel Metropole, the centre offers telephone, fax, data transfer by modem, multi-lingual translation and guide service, mailing address, can arrange

least of which could be a rash of thievery.

They declared a truce and the becaks of Jakartacouldstill beseen in great numbers happily plying their trade and adding to the general clutter of that great Southeast

Asian City. The only question which remained was will happen when the inevitable occurs and the price of oil begins to slowly wind its way Ăşpwards again.

The price of oil did go up, and with

it

renewed economic growth. But it still took five more years before the becak drivers were forced to throw in the towel.

Leighton Willgerodt

barge of their own and somewhere out in

the harbour there was a skirmish or negotiation, nobody knows which. But the upshot was that an exchange was made, and at that last hour, the becaks were saved from a watery grave and returned to their rightful owners.

Hanoi gets first business centre AS more and more journalists and businessmen beat a path to Vietnam it might be interesting to note the estab-

It was, however, the economic recession caused by the slump in oil prices which finally saved the day for the harried transport workers of Jakarta.

Faced with mounting unemployment the government came to the realisation that if thousands of gainfully employed becak drivers were put out of work their problems would be compounded, not the

transport, meetings with officials and give advice.

Six office units are available for an annual membership of US$1,000 plus adepositof US$1,500fromwhich service charges (e.g desk space at US$50 per day) are deducted as used.

For details contact: Loan De Leo, lnternational Business Centre and Consulting Service Ltd, 51 Ly Thai To, Hanoi. Telephone and fax: (848) 254768.

Reptiles and Reporters THE London Obseruer's Asian correspondent, Steve Vines, came across the following news item in the Times of lndia recenlly while on assignment there.

The outgoing Than commissioner of

police, Mr Ram Dev Tyagi recently compared members of the fourth estate to snakes. To establish his point, the police officer said that the snakes are normally not as dangerous as made out.

They bite only when someone acci-

dentally steps on them. Reporters' behaviour is akin to that of the reptiles

and they spew poison only when

insti-

gated.

THE CORRBSPONDENT DEC I99I AND JAN

1992

49

THERE'S ALWAYS

A STORYAT

THE

HONG KONG TRADE DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL

tlii!ll;

I

The Hong Kong Trode Development Council con help you moke business heodlines every doy of the yeor, As

o mojor force in world trode you'll find we've olwoys got o good story io tellr no podding, no puff ond bocked by occurote, uplo{he-moment figures ond siotistics, Next time you receive one of our press releoses, give it o good once-over, You'll soon see whot we meon Or contoct us if you need detoils on ony ospect of Hong Kong trode,

. Voncouver Jeff Domonsky ร el: รณ85 378รณ r Vlonno Johonnes Neumonn

Telr

533

981

I . Zurich

JA, Furrer Tel: 383 2950

Hong Kong Trade Development Council We Creole Opportunilies

NEW MEMBERS

The FCC welcomes the following new members CORRESPONDENT

Shigeki Fukuda, producer, Japanese Broadcasting Corp (NHK). Mike Gonzales, correspondenl, Agence France Presse. Christopher Hunter, edilor, Travel and Trade Publishing (Asia) Ltd. Laura Jeffrey, Hong

Kong

correspondenl, Asia Travel

Trade. Richard Jones, television cameraman/editor, f

reelance.

Tak Won Jun, correspondent, The Joong-ang Daily News.

Sean Kennedy, Asia,/Pacific correspondenl, Thomson - !FR. Nozomu Kitadai, Hong Kong correspondent, Ihe Japanese EconomicJournal.

Conrad Lu, Hong Kong bureau chieÍ, Central News Agency. Colleen McCudden, creative director, Manager lnternational. Tsuneomi Sasaki, Hong Kong bureau chief,

,,THE PUBLISHERS' PATCH''

Chunich Shimbun. Diana Thomas, managing editor, Lloyd's of London Press.

JOURNALIST

Karin Malmstrom, freelance. Frank Wingate, freelance.

Karina Zabihi, freelance.

ASSOCIATE Chan Teck Chiong, dírector, Wing On Trading Co., Ltd. Christopher Kingston, consultant, Sovereign Transport lnternational.

Kam Sham Leung, group legal adviser, New World Development Co., Ltd. Baron de Barrin Pierre Oliver, managing directorpresident, Rodopi Ltd. Marcus Pakenham, fund manager, Global Asset Management (HK) Ltd. George Robinson, research director, W. I Carr (Far East) Limited. Carl Schwenger, first secretary, Commission for Canada. John Yeap, solicitor, McKenna & Co.

Who's WIto in IJong Kong Colnntunic¿rtions 199I 3l2-page book with four major categories: "Who's Who in Hong Kong Cornmunications" carries extended paid listings of ll5 cornpanies, providing ó5 categories of products & services.

"Conmunications in the Hong Kong Context" includes l 1 articles reviewing themes in advertising, public relations, publishing, desktop publishing equipment, and printing. "Professionâl Support in Hong Kong" includes a miscellany of l0 different Iists/key documents. "Quick Contact File" is a telephone fìnders'guide to about 4,400 companies in Flong Kong, divided into 36 categories. .List price: HK$215/US$33 (incl. postage).

To Order: Miss Selina Nam

Americân Chamber of Commerce GPO tsox 355, Hong Kong

PUBLISHERS SUPPORTING THE FCC

An lnvitation to Space

RÍIRPßCIfIC

SPRCE REPøRT

Tel: 526-0165 l¡ax: 8101289

f.r/t,

The only publication devoted

The \¡f to the HK$2,000,000,000 market that everyone has ignored. For details call

to covering Space Programmes

telephone no. 577 -9793.

and space-related businesses in Asia Pacifíc. Contact Brian Jeffries at 577-9331 for details and sample copy.

TIA{IG FILIPilVO

CAN YOU AFFORD HK$20 A DAY

Colour prints on the feature wall of the Club are made courtesy of

to enhance your company image among your publishing peers?

PETER CHO'S COLOR WORKSHOP

YOU CAN then call Ingrid Gregory on 577-933 for furtherinformation.

Flat G, 2ndlF., Luard Road 1, Southorn Mansion, Wanchai, H.K. Tel: 527 4813,527 4781 Fax: 865 4370

THECORRESPONDENT DEC I99I ANDJAN

I992

5I

/u'

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':

:-.1

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r:.ii1,rii¡

THE T992 FCC DIARIES The FCC 1992 range of executive diaries is now available at 'club' prices. Each has been specially produced with a wealth of important information, in either black imported bonded leather or calf-skin. All feature the Club name and logo.

Ask to see the samples at the Club office.

FAX TO: 868 4092

Avoid disappointment and order early as stocks are limited. Allow two weeks for personalizing with your name or initials.

A. The FCC Desk Diary. 58 weeks in popular week-to-view format; International public holidays; world atlas and lift-out directory

HK$160.00

HKs

Yes, I wish to o::der:FCC Desk Diary, FCC Pocket Diary.

FCC Calf Skin Wallet.

FCC Calf Skin Organiser. plus my name/initials

X HKs160.00 X HKs 38.00

X HK$110.00 X HKs400.00 X HKs 19.00 (per unit)

(max 15 letters, including sPaces)

HK$110.00

D. The FCC Calf Skin Organiser' Popular 6

HKS_HK$HK$HKS-HK$--

Total

HK$_-

Please bill to my account: Name:

ring binder, includes diary and address sections plus detaiied general information on public holidays, etc

tr E

The Foreign Correspondents' Club Ice House Street Hong Kong

38.00

C. The FCC Calf Skin Wallet. Ideal for the Pocket Diary

ffigål Ï,F.Ì¡n n n

B. The FCC Pocket Diary.

58 weeks in the popular week-to-view format; International public holidays and general information

*o*

'Ëå{4

HKs400.00

Account No Please telephone to be collected at the Club Office

Signature: when units are available

lf you don't know whot presentg to give for Chri¡lmcs, look qt whrlt is avsilcble at

the

Carlsberg

FCC

T-shirt $50

Watch

Polo T-shirts $80

$ 180

Sweater $ 180

^ô V

ø%),,/-..tâ."-,

Umbrella $ 130

&

Post Card Book of

TITF'FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS' CLUB HONG KONG Rd., Hong Kong Tel: 52

North Block, No.2 Lower Albert

HK $215

I l5ll

Fax:868 4092

Christmas

Card $30 for l0

Desk Diary $ló0 Pocket Diary $38

FURNITURE CO,, LTD, DYNASTY tÊ -, t-ltu

ì,

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lr: ;û-

l(tl_ 2.- i;J

MANUFACTURERS, EXPORTERS & DESIGNERS

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SHOWROOM ADD:

FACTORY ADD:

New World Centre, 2nd Floor, No. L2-52 20

Flat B, 7/F, Block A, Marvel lndustrial Bldg., 25-31 Kwai Fung Crescent, Kwai Chung,

Salisbury Road, T.S.T., Kowloon, Hong Kong.

TEL:369 6940,366 7692& 3ô9 1568 CABLE: "YAT MEl" FAX: (852) 739 3093

Kowloon., Hong Kong.

P.O. Box 98541, T.S.T. Kowloon, Hong Kong P.O. Box9854l T.S.T. Kowloon Hong Kong

MAIL ORDER ACCEPTED

FÐC (852)7393093

RECIPROCAL CLUBS ASIA

Thailand FCC Thailand, 23lF, Dusit Thani Hotel, 946 Rama lV Road, Bangkok 1 0500, Thailand

ìIrr -

-t

lli

't

lt-:

¡ -ju ':'

f"il"

Palau Community Club, PO Box 598, Koror, Palau.

Korea Sadan Pubin Seoul Club, 208 Jangchoong-Dong, 2-Ka, Chung-Ku, Seoul, Korea.

Seoul Foreign Corr's Cluh 18/F, Korea Centre Bldg. 25, 1 -Ka, Taepyong-Ro, Chung-Ku, Seoul, Korea.

It".r.'. t-¡"'-,, r\',,..., ¿ ^...".72-..".;

Japan

J

"t,

'v.t

FCC Tokyo,

Winnipeg, Manitoba R3b 2G9, Canada.

7-1 Yurakocho, 1-Chome, Chiyoda-Ku, Tokyo.

Reno Press & Virginia Club, 221 So. Virginia St., Reno, NV 90501, USA.

New Zealand National Press Club of Wellington, PO Box 2327, Wellington.

lndianapolis Press Club, 150 W. Market, lndianapolis, lN 46204, USA Tel: (317) 237-6222

4 Carmelite St.,

AUSTRALIA

The Foreign Press Asso., 11 Carlton House Terrace,

Canberra National Press Club, 16 National Circuit, Barton, ACT 2600.

Tel: 01-930-0445

^lel:211 3161

BRITAIN London Press Club & Scribes, London EC4, UK.

Singapore Singapore Foreign Corr's Assn,

41 Duxton Rd. Singapore 0208.

AMERICA Honolulu Press Club, PO Box 817, Honolulu, Hawaii 96808.

National Press Club, 14th Street N.W., Washington, DC 20045, USA Tel: (202) 662-7500

Omaha Press Club,

London SWlY 5AJ.

Wig and Pen Club, Darwin Press Club, Cavenagh St., Danvin

2291230 Strand, London WC2R 1BA. Tel: 01-353-6864

Sydney Journalist Club, 36/40 Chalmers St., Sydney, NSW 2000.

EUROPE

Rugby Club

Denmark lnt'l Press Centre, 14 Snaregard, DK-1205, Copenhagen K

2200 One First National Centre, Nebraska 68102, Omaha.

Rugby Union House, Crane Place, Off 314 Pitt St., Sydney, NSW 2000.

Overseas Press Club, 310 Madison Ave., Suite 2116, New York, NY 10017, USA.

The Victoria Club, Level 41 , Rialto South Tower, 525 Collins St., Melbourne,

Germany

Victoria 3000.

The Greater Los Angeles Press Club, Equestrian Centre Griffith Park, 480 Riverside Drive, Burbank, cA 91506, USA. Pittsburgh Press Club, 300 Sixth Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15222, USA. Tel: (4121471-4644

Journalisten Club, Berllins E.V., Kurfurstendamm 224, 1000 Berlin 15:

CANADA

Presse Club Munchen, 8000 Munchen 2, Marienplalz22,

Ottawa National Press Club, 150 Wellington, Ottawa KIP 544.

Germany.

Holland Winnipeg Press Club, Marlborough Hotel, 331 Smith St.,

Nieuwspoort nternational, Press Centre, Hofsingel 12, The Hague, The Netherlands I

THBCORRESPONDENT DEC I99I AND JAN 1992 55

AAcLUSH'S t\EW YEAR'S R.ESCLUTIOt\ FITNI E39

S-iY LiSH I\ E 3 3 trls

YOIJ/VE PUT ON TWO

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SLIPPED UNDER I-T

FI9HBALL ETALL

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If 3ORRY NO ^^ONKS oó IJ

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56

THE CORRESPONDENT DEC I99I AND JAN 1992

S ( t{,

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