The Correspondent, March/April 2016

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Contents

March/April2O16

COVER STORY

Hong Kong's future Sir DavidTang gave an amusing, erudite and at times inspiratìonal speech beforè à full house at the FCC on what has happened to Hong Kong, where it might go and what needs to be done.

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Cover pholo: NurPhoto.com /Alamy STock Photo

l7

Features

contrasts as South Sudan".

Regulars A message from the President

3

Editorial

4

Membership

5

Club News

26

F

34

Book Review: Frederick Forsyth

35

Obituary:

40

LastWord: CP Ho

&

B;

...

a train of events with far reaching consequences,writes Gavin Greenwood.

HUMAN RIGHTS PRËSSAWARDS 20 years of award-winning photos The Human Rights Press Awards'201h anniversary year continues with a retrospectìve photography exhìbit at lhe lYain Bar in lYarch, plus two gala events in May

78

REPORTAGE

Dont bet on the odds of gaining refugee status in Hong Kong Asylum seekers have a tough time in Hong Kong: only 35 of them have been granted refugee status in the past 74 years.

And as of 20 | 5, there was a waiting list of | 0,922 individuals

30 33

2

Dear Sir

A letter to a newspaper can set in motion

74 ONTHEWALL Fractured State Dominic Nahr has been travelling to South Sudan since 20 | 0 and recorded the despair of a fractured nation Nahn as a I/ME contract photographeç has worked across the African continent, covering the news stories ofthe month "but no place confronted me with such lark

REPORTAGE

SPEAKERS

Confucianism in the era of Xi Jinping The comeback of Confucius is potentialìy one of the most signilìcant trends in Chinese politics and culture, MEDIA Copyright law'open to interpretation' Lawyers caution Intemet service pr.oviders and users that key parts of Hong Kong's proposed new copyrrght law are questionable and open

to interpretation.

Cocktails at the bar

-

foreign correspondent c

Ray

Cranbourne 1933-20

-

high flyer

I

5

Banker turned corporate watchdog Hong Kong is a globaì înance centre, and as such employs a good number of fìnancial journalists. David Webb is not one of them. He is an activist, not a repofte[ But he seems to break a lot of lories.

From the President

The FCC hos olwoys been o

dynomic forum for discussion, ploying hosf to guests os diverse os Zhu Rangii, Mio Forrow ond Muhommod Ali over the decodes.

One of the interesting results of the membership survey wos thot there is demond for o wide ronge of speokers ocross o voriety of subiects. Economics, politics ond medío ore olwoys populor, qs evidenced by sellout tolks by Nicolo Sturgeon ond Alostoir Compbell. But members olso expressed o strong desire for people to oddress locol issues, with tolks on property ond the MTR proving o success.

But given the posf-Occupy

politicol climote, the oppetite for events focused on lhe cenlrol ond exislentiol issues thot Hong

2

The FCC is rightfully o key

forum for debote on motters thot strike ot the heort of the city.

Our professionol commiltoo hovc ensured thot we continue to be so. h is everr nrore inrpoltorrt cts feots ore heightened over freedom of speech, o cornerslone of our soc¡ely lhot is guoronteed by the Bosic Low. The detention of five Hong

Kong booksellers by moinlond - including one residenl who disoppeored from the supposed sofety of lhis semioulonomous city - hos sent o chill beyond the publishing community.

The city's internolionql-stondord rule of low, which includes on Chinese oulhorities

independent legol sysfem. is one

of the key reosons why globol componies from bonks to medio

Kong foces hos shone brightest.

Speokers such os former iudges Henry Litton ond Kemol Bokhory hove brought front poge heodlines, while Sir Dovid Tong's witty but withering ossessmenf of Hong Kong's governonce went virol on sociol medio. We hove olso hosled post ond present chief executives os well os ocodemics

detenlions hos coused more consternotion in the business community thon the Occupy protests did, provoking condemnotion from the UN, the EU, ond even the British government.

ond officiols from moinlond Chino.

The FCC would be hoppy to offer

THE CORRESPONDENT

orgonisotions choose the city os lheir Asion heodquorters.

The foilure lo provide o sofisfoctory explonotion for the

ils podium lo ony oulhorify thot con elucidote.

Plcosc lool( out for the fruits of other hord work by FCC member volunteers corning soon. Our new revomped website, which lounches ot the end of Morch, will be much more dynomic in terms of loyout, news, occessibility ond feotures, h will be fhe go-to ploce for news on oll events, ond hoppenings oround the Club, os well qs the

firsl chonce to see some of the greot iournolism from our members before it oppeors in the printed edítion of lhe Correspondenf.

Then, on April 23, the FCC hosts

ils first iournolism conference (detoils of which con be found on poge Z). The initiotive is oimed ol correspondents ond iournolists looking to leorn new skills or hone exisfing ones, network with colleogues ond odvonce lheir coreers, lt drows on the knowledge of both members ond non-members who ore influentiol in the medio ond deql firsthond wilh odopling to the needs of the modern news orgonisolion.

Wishing you o successful Yeor of the Monkey.

CönTSPONDENT THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE FOREICN CORRESPONDENTS,CLUB, HONC KONC

The Foreign Correspondents' Club z Lower Albert Road, central, Hong Kong Tel: (852) z5zr 1511 Fax: (852) 2868 4092

EditorÍal

rmail: fcc@fcchk.org Website: www.fcchk.org The Board of Governors 20l5-2016

Presídent Neil David Western First Vice President Tara Joseph

second Vice President Kevin Barry H. Egan

Correspondent Governors Keith Bradsher, Fìorence De ChangY, Nan-Hie ln, Jul¡ana Liu, Angie Lau, Natasha Khan, carsten Schael, N¡cholas centle Journalist Governors Clifford Buddle, James Gouìd Associate Governors Timothy S. Huxley, EIaine Pickering, Douglas Wong, Simon Pritchard Goodwill Ambassador clare Hollingworth Club secretary Simon Pritchard Prof essíonal committee

co-conveners: Tara Joseph, Keith Bradsher, Nan'Hie ln

Finance Committee Co-Conveners: Timothy S. Huxley (Treasurer), Florence De Changy Co-Conveners: Kevin Egan, N¡cholas Gentle, clifford Buddle

Membership committee co-conveners: Nan-Hie ln, James Could, Simon Pritchard House/ Food and Beverage commíttee Co-Conveners: -luliana Liu (F&B) Nicholas Gentle (House) Carsten Schael (House) Tim Huxley (House) Press Freedom Committee Co-Conveners: Neil Western, Florence De Changy, Natasha Khan

Communícations Committee Co-Conveners: L¡u

Wall Commíttee Co-Conveners: Carsten Schael, James Gould

General Manager C¡lbert Cheng Produced by: As¡apix stud¡os

Tel9769o2g4 Email:asiapix@netvigator'com www.terryduckham-asiaPix.com Pr¡nting Lautus Print

Tel: 2555

Copyright issues ore close to the heorl of mony members who produce copyright moteriol every doy. Unfortunolely for some iournolists this con meon their slory is sold on by their porenl compony with litfle or no recompense. Much of the rest is borrowed or otherwise ripped off in the free-wheeling lnternet world in lhe nome of "free occess lo informotion"' Good for them, not good for the originolors - oflen poorly poid iourno lists.

Constitutional Commíttee

Angie Lau, Natasha Khan, Juliana - Paul Bayfield (Editor)

Hong Kong's Copyright Low - with its omendments lhot bring it into lhe digitol oge - did not hove o smoolh run during its second reoding in Legco. The debote got so bogged down il wos eventuolly withdrown.

Some opponents ore colling the omendments the'Arlicle 23 of the lnternet", feoring thot copyrighl tronsgress¡ons will leod to criminol prosecution. While the FCC's solicitors Boose Cohen & Collins do not toke thol emotionol stonce, they do see lhot the wording of the Bill is questionoble ond open to interpretotion.

There hos been o lor of obfuscotion by lhe governments of Hong Kong ond Chino over who storted the Mongkok riots. Sir Dovid Tong, in his FCC speech, soid the rioters hod been "bronded os seporotists by the Lioison Offìce". The Hong Kong government ottempled, initioll¡ lo blome sludents, lhen lhey focused on Hong Kong lndigenous' However, lhere ore some seriously upset senior police who ore soying - off the record - lhot the moiority of prolesters were unemployed people expecting o poycheque for the night's work. The police ore ongry lhol initiolly "deliberotely" unprotected police hod to fqce the poving-stone-throwing rioters.

Dovid Tong olso didn't hold bock on whol he thought of CY Leung's leodership over lhe Mongkok riots, the Umbrello Movement, the missing booksellers ond o divided Legco. The Chief Executive is cleorly fìnding il hord fo toe Beiiing's line, while moinloining the myth of prolecting Hong Kong interests.

Lelters to the Editor, once o powerful meqns of gelting opinions ocross to power¡ hove declined with the demise of mony newspopers ond mogozines. However, in the post there hqve been celebroled lelters thot hove moved governments to toke note ond sometimes reverse policies' ln lhis issue, Govin Greenwood explores one such letfer thol in time soved lhe lives of hundreds of servicemen in Hong Kong.

1178 Email: cs@lautus.com.hk

Advertising Contact FCc Front off¡ce: Tel:

2521 1511

The CorresPondent 02015 The Foreign correspondents'Club, Hong Kong The Correspondent is publ¡shed six times a year opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of the cìub.

Poul Boyfield

THE CORRESPONDENT

3

MEMBERSHIP Who\ ioìned the Club, who's leoving and who's turned sìlver! fhìs ìs the column

lo read.

Iop news lhìs month is the cáonge in lhc CorrespondentfJovrnolist SpecÍol Promolion, Slarled ìn 2Ol O, thìs progrcmme helps relatìvely low-income medìa wo¡kers whose household íncome is ol lhe low end oÍ llre ronge earned by tÄe prolessionol s eclor ìn Hong Kong by provìding o reduced monlhly subscrìplíon, on o graduøtìng scøle, durìng members, fi¡sl llrree years. CorrespondentlJournolist opplíconfs now have lhe clroice fo apply lor lhe specìal progromme or pdy lhe regular monlhly subscrþlion. Applìcanls lor lhe progromme wìll be revÍewed each quarler al supplemenløry Ãllembershìp Commirfee meetings held in lllo¡ch, June, Seplember ond December ot which o limiled number oÍ places will be ollocoted. Applicanls who do not apply Íor lhe redvced lee progromme wìll be revìewed dÍ the comm¡ttee's normol monlhly meelings. Delaìls obout the progrømme o¡e øvailoble on ou¡ websìle, We're øll proud to åe FCC memåers, whelher Correspondents, Journolists or Assocíoles. So o Corresponde reseorcÀ slrould chonge lo Assocíole, o Journolìsl now workíng ìn globøl or regìonal media should change who has made d cdreer move ìnlo full-lìme journalìsm should chonge fo Correspondenl or Journalìst,

nt going lo work ìn publìc relalìons or lo êorrespondent, ond sn ÁssocÍofe

Whatever yout membersñip sfofus when you ioìned, ìÍ you have laken o diÍle¡ent role, do let us know lt cosls you noffiing unless you ore stìll on llre Correspondenlf Journolìsl specìal scheme onrl åove fo cáonge fo A¡¡ocíofc. Need odvice? Emaìl lllorìlyn Håod narblíng@fcihk,arg. lecving Hong Kong? lhe queslìon oÍ whether lo lake oul Absent l,tlembershìp wìll arise.llb nof cxpensive at HK$2,OOO ¡ h ¡o¡ t¡ht Absenl l{lembers visìlíng Hong Kong con use the Club ¡hree tìmes per year, up to o møxìmum ol 42 days, wìthovt payìng"i¿ the monthly sub and reaclìvaie their membershíp ìmmedìalely lhey relurn lo lìve here. Correspondenls and Journalísls lake nole, you Hong King workìng ìn iournalìsm bul relurn os o non-iourno/íst, ìn whìch cdse ¡l w¡ll tdke you many yedrs to re-'¡oìn os on Associole... ^ay'Ieãt.

Welcome

lo new members

Corrcspondenls: Huw Oriffith, Dcputy l leud of trrgli:lr Desk, Agence Fronce-Presse; Vlcky Jenklns, Freelonce writer; Lui Mei-chun, Correspondent, Thomson Reuters; Hebo Mousso. Production Monoger, CNN

Journqlisls: Fung Koi-chun, Editor. south

Chino Morning Posl;

wu Ming-yiu, Freelonce Music wrìTer

Associoles: Moiihew Bqte. Inveslment Advisor, Privote Copitcl; Cynthio Chín Shing-hou, PR Consultqnt & Food Writer; Shoron Fung Siuyuen, PR Monoger, Moyer Brown JSM; Fung Woi-mon, Director, Americon Phil Textiles; Jomes Hughes, Monoging Director, Pictet &Cie; Myo Kirwon, Execulive Officer, Kodoorie Choritoble Foundotion; Morvin Loí, Monoging Principol, Burgeon Gioup Consulting; Lee Tin-yon, Deputy Secrelor¡ Low Reform Commission of Hong Kong; Nigel Moore. Generol Monoger-Business Developmentr Wollem Group; Eleni l\ossopoulou, Monogrng Direclor, Solor Plus (HK); Robert Shum Koi-kee, Group Chief Executive Offìcer. Cypress Group; Debro Toylor, Dircctor, Toylor Abbotl Associotêsi Zhorrg Yon, Porfrreq Newgate Communicotions; Zhou Bel, Dlrector, UBS Corporoler Brett Cooper, Gencrol Monoger. Philip Morris Asio Replacemenls

-

Corporole: Andreos Meler, Vice-President.

tsASF Eost

Asio; Yvonne So, Dìrector. HKTDC

On to poslures new Au revoir io those members leoving Hong Kong who hove become Absent Members: Correspondettls¡ Suroh Chokoles, Writer, CNN; Stuort Lowrence, Freelcncer; Doniel Petrie, Economics Ldilor, Bloomberg; Michoel Slondocrt, Spccìol Correspondent, Bloombcrg

Journqlisls: Mork Honrohon, Sub-Editor, Soufh Chino Morning Posi; Lindo Kenned¡ Reporfer,

TVB

Assocíoles: Jeonnine Curron, Monoging Director, Perfecr Technologyi lwon Evons, Monoging Director, QuesTcom lnlernolionol Globol Solutions; Simon Golpin, Director Generol. lnvest Hong Kong; Elizobeth Homerton. Personol Assistqnt. Secrelqriol Office Services; Giselo Londsmonn, Public Relolions Monoger, Queens Properfy Consultont; Nícholos Pilbecm, Monoging Director, Motorolc Asio pocifìc; Morio Ronson, Vice-Presidenl. AssocioTed Press; Ron Scholefield, VP Prociuct Development, Li & Fung; Jomes Strcng, Lecturer, Hong Kong Boptisi University; Andrew Towler, Associote Director. Kirklond * Ellis; Frederick White, Deputy Principol, lnternofionol College Hong Kong; dory Wong, Senior Vice-President, Chortis lnsuronce; Poul Woodword. Principol, Business Strotegies Group; Dennis You Wãi-tot Chief iinonciol , Offìcer, Conlon Properties lnvestment

Forewell qlso lo: Correspondenl: Eduord Gismorullin. Correspondeni, Bloomberg News; Dovid Pilling, Asio EdiÍor, Finonciollímes; Meg Teckmon-Fullord, Producer Digitol Medio Asio. Thomson Reuiers

Also resigning Correspondenls: Kqte Borllett, Editor, Agence Fronce-Presse; Goreth Brown, Photogropher, Blow Up Studios; Chen Yilun. Correspondent, Bloomberg; Yvonne Lee Woi-mei, Reporler, Woll Streel Journol

Journolisls: Chon Ut-leong. lnvestment Bonking Reporter,

SCrVP

Corporcle: Richord Mollett, Moncging Director Asio Pocifìc, Tholes Tronsport & Security

Welcome bock to Correspondenls: Ho Loy-puo¡ Correspondent; Sin Chew Jit

Poh

Associoles: Gilbert Coll¡ns, Consultont. Boose Cohen & Collins; Anlony Keenon

Altoining Silver Membership Associoles: Dovid Dodwell. CEO, Strotegic Access; Bill Henderson; Monoging Portner, Egon Zehnder lnt'l

Honorcry Widow: Pqmelo Kovenogh

4

THE CORRESPONDENT

CLUB NEWS

FCC's charitable foundation update When PresÌdent Neil Western wrole to members lost December outlining lhe chonges to the Club's choritoble octivities, we could not hove imogined the response from members who wonted to lend o hond ond get involved. The Club's diverse membership hos olwoys been one of our core slrengths ond this wos reflected in the lorge number of offers of help ond ideos from members with o huge

ronge of experience ond tolents.

Since the storl of the yeor, the process of estoblishing the FCC's choritoble foundotion hos been proceeding in eornest. We ore very groteful lo low firm Howse Willioms Bowers for their ossistonce in ensuring thol we hove o structure in ploce thql meels

our requiremenls of providing o lronsporenl, occountoble ond sustoinoble plolform which con exist woy beyond lhe tenure of those involved in these eorly stoges.

It's vilol thot we get this right

ond we hove received involuoble input from o number of members with brood experience in setting up philonthropic ventures. We should hove everything in ploce within the nexl few weeks, ot which point we con begin to gel down lo the serious business of formolly oppoinling the trusfees, identifying lhe couses which we wish lo support ond plonning events.

The success of lhis venture

will very much depend on the continued Ìnpuf of the membership ond we hope lhot you will continue to provide us with ideos ond support.

It wos good to see thot the orÌginol teom behind the FCC Chority Boll hove onnounced the conlinuotion of the evenl under the ouspicies of the HKRFU. No doubt mony FCC members will be reserving the November dole in their diories ond we wish the teom

well in their new'home'.

I O O

Martha Gellhorn and Ernest Hemingway, wearing his correspondent hat, with KIYT General Yu in Chungking

in

194

|

Hemingway in Hong Kong

No time travel in China

When Ernest Hemingwoy ond Mortho Gellhorn went to Chungking in 1941 - in doys before the Press Hoslel morphed into the FCC - they were photogrophed with

On Jonuory 20, Chinese lnternet users discovered thot one of lhe counlry's mosl populor homegrown

two Kuomintong officers. This photogroph oppeored in the

online television shows hod disoppeored. All 37 episodes of Go Princess Gol - on offbeot series oboul o ployboy who lrovels 1,000 yeors bock in fime, chonges

Timeline in the ZOth Anniversory issue of lhe Correspondenf (Morch

-

sex, ond becomes o concubine

were removed from the web.

At the time we hod no ideo thot they hod visited Hong Kong before

Five other populor progrommes disoppeored soon ofter. Eoch of fhe shows seemed in some woy

Chungking. The Posf Mogozine's

to violote Sfote Adminislrotion of

story (Februory l4) obout their time in Hong Kong wos foscinoling.

Press, Publicolion, Film, Rodio, ond Television (SAPPFRT) regulolions,

Hemingwoy spenl most of lhe

time drinking wilh q whole bunch

including bons on portroyols of time trovel, "superstilion", ond

of instont cronies. Gellhorn,

police brutolity.

meonwhile, worked the story for Col/ieri. A pholo of Hemingwoy silting on the bolcony of the Repulse Boy Hofel become the symbol of his successful yeors.

Feng Jun, on onolyst ot lhe consultoncy ENT Group, told the Finonciol fimes thot regulotors hod singled out the most populor series os o shorlcut for increosing conÌenl conlrol ocross the industr¡ since they do nol hove lhe resources to review oll of the mony omoteur progrommes being posled.

20 r 3).

Visit Club News online at www.f cchk.orgff cclatest/

TTIE CORRESPONDENT

5

CLUB NEWS

Fractured State Woll commiltee ond stoff members who moke it hoppen ot the opening of Dominic Nohr's Froclured Stote exhibition in the Moin Bor. From Left: Bob Dovis, Dominic Nohr, Jomie Cheng, Joonne Chung, Joce He, Robin Moyer ond Corsten Schoel.

Sir David speaks out Sir Dcrvicl Tcrng crnd Club President Neil Weslern (Centre), with Boord members (left to right) Eloine Pickering, Toro Joseph, Florence De Chongยก Simon Pritchord, ond post President Douglos Wong. Sir

Dovid entertoined o full house over lunch with his fronk insights on lhe fulure of Hong Kong, with the FCC's video post of the lunch going virol on sociol medic, wilh qlmost 'l 0,000 views on YouTube lhe following doy.

Remembering Cuddles Roy Cronbourne possed owoy in

December lost yeor ond it took o while for fomily ond friends lo orgonise their schedules ond

lrovel orrongements, but thol they did. Roy's doughters Cheryle ond Lorretto flew in from the US ond

wife Nido ond doughter Roeonno from the Philippines. Others like Ken Sodler ond his wife flew in

from the UK ond from ocross Asio lo gother in Bert's on Jonuory 29 lo remember Roยก his life ond work, ond most of oll his worm f riendship.

It wos o wonderful evening with old friends ond colleogues cotching up, shoring onecdoles ond roising severol glosses lo Roy over lhe course of the evening. Roยก of course, wos on FCC stolwort ond one of the Club's iconic Vietnom photoiournolists who mode Hong Kong his home ofter the wor ond become one of the region's prominenl photoiourno lists.

More on Roยก his work ond odventures on poges 35-37.

6

THE CORRESPONDENT

ร

O O

CLUB NEWS

Main Bar proposal Potrick McGee is picfured on his knees in the time-honoured foshion proposing to Eleni Himoros in Jonuory. Here's how it hoppened: Pqtrick: Ever since one of Eleni's fríends looked ql me ond told her lhot someone dressed thot well couldn'l possibly be slroighl, lhe FCC hos been o speciol ploce for us. ll's where we firsl hod o reol conversotion, ond where she first ignored my inepl odvonces - both on the night when her leoving drinks from Bloomberg coincided with our Ff Asion Correspondenls' Dinner. For two yeors if wos

where we took out-of-town guests, wofched the World Cup, or did work on o quiet Sundoy. So when we orgonised o going-owoy Porty - before moving to Fronkfurt, Germony - it wos lhe obvious choice.

Only o week before the porty ond my impending deporturg the

ideq of proposing suddenly hit me. And when it did, I hod mon¡ mony hours to think it through. Both of us were running the HK'l 00, o two-ond-o-holf morothon roce up ond down the Moclehose Troil. used the time to think obout whot it would be like to propose in the Moin Bor of the FCC, in lhe midst of oll our friends.

Eleni hotes surprises, so thot seoled it: it wos o superb ideo.

Eleni: I wos only holf poying ottenlion when Potrick stood uP to do his fqrewell toost since I wos running oround ploying host ond bormoid to oll of our non-member I

riends. I didn't even notice when his first ottempl ot getting everyone's otlenlion ended in him smoshing o wine gloss to bits with o spoon. Hod I noticed, it would not hove roised the liniest red flog.

As he spoke, I could not figure oul why he kept tolking obout me. I tried to give him subtle looks to encouroge him lo tolk more obout Hong Kong, his time here, ond his friends ond colleogues f

thot hod come to see him off.

Then somehow, he wos on one

knee ond everylhing wos blurry ond I'm prelly sure I mumbled, "of course", before resuming my

deer-in-heodlighls stonce. I'd known for o while fhot he wos my forever person but I hqd no clue onything would hoppen thot night. I'm not sure if I formed o coherent sentence for the rest of the evening.

Given the blur of smiling, hugs ond chompogne lhot is my only inlernol record of the resl of lhe night - I'm so very glod he hod o spy reody ond woiting to film fhe

Journalism and how to survive it The FCC is hosting o iournolism doy on Soturdoy April 23. We hove

oround 30 speokers confirmed who will speok on lopics ronging from the fulure of iournolism lo workshops on protecling your devices, documenl diving ond long-

form wriling.

While the speokers ore confirmed, there moy be some chonges which will be notified before the evenl. h's going to be o very full doy.

The opening discussion ponel is on "Kickslorting your coreer": who they're looking lo hire, how to moke yourself o good condidote?

Whot do they look for in o reporter/editor? How ïo gel through the door? Also, where ore lheir news orgonisotions heoding?

Speokers include Dovid Merritt, Bloomberg News Asio Editor;

fitting finol moment of our Hong

Anne-Morie Roontree, Reuters Hong Kong Bureou Chief ond Poul Beckelt, Wol/ Sfreet Journol Asio

Kong chopter in the Club thot olwoys mode this city feel like

Editor.

There will be o workshop on

home.

"Sourcing through sociol medio THE CORRESPONDENT

7

CLUB NEWS

the potentiol ond perils of reporting in the oge of Weibo ond Twiller". Speokers will include loin Mortin, Storyful Asio Editor ond Dovid Bondurski, Chino

-

Medio Proiect Editor (EyeWitness Medio Hub).

There wíll be onother workshop,

Town Hall: where do we go with subs and fees?

Our Club offers exceptionol volue, from its populor events, to F&8, gym workroom ond other focilities. ln foct, our monthly subscription fees ore the some os they were ot the end of lhe lost cenlur¡ lhe Boord soid in o slotemenl.

Thol's on incredible uchievemenf ond feslõment to lhe prudence of our successive treosurers ond monogers, especiolly os mony other clubs hove increosed dues by olmost holf over ihot tlme.

But in recent yeors, the FCC hos stoyed in the block operotionolly fhrough our own version of quontilive eosing: exponding thc mcmbership to boost odmission fees ond revenue from monthly subs, Such policies connot continue forever, since we wonl to ensure the comfort of members ond the

ovoilobility of their clubhouse.

This yeor, we hove budgeted for qn qnnuol loss ond operotionol revenue is down.

While we con obsorb losses in lhe short-term, lhe lhorny issue of recurrenl revenue needs to be oddressed. Costs hove risen - our rent increosed l0% this yeor, while woges in lhe hospitolity industry hove increosed well obove inflotion

I

THE CORRESPONDENT

"The document dive", which will look ot the importonce of building

poper lroils, following the money ond digging through Hong Kong ond Chino compony, lond ond corporote registries. Speokers will include Ben Richordson, former Bloomberg News senior editor;

ond Tom Wright, Bloomberg Asio Morkets Editor.

Another ponel will be on "News thot clicks in the mobile ero", which will look ot how news is moving to the digitol oge ond why iournolisls should embroce this os o reporter in ony medium.

in recent yeors omid greoter competition.

Steps loken in recent yeors include roising ossociote ioining fees f rom HK$ I 0,000

number of new correspondent ond iournolist members who con ioin under lhe progromme fhqt offers o rising scole of subs

to HK$25,000, ond corporote

syslem.

mcmbership from HK$50,000 to HK$250,000. We've ler more people in - qfter reseorch found hundreds of fee-poying members never use the Club ond members took the poinful decision lost yeor to qher the terms of silver membership wilhnut which we woulcl be focing o ropidly mounting shortfoll in revenue. Our overheod counl hosn't r¡sen ol onywhere neor lhe poce of our membership numbers.

While our reserves ore heolth¡ we need to spend millions in the next yeor or so on muchneeded repoirs ond renovotions,

Despile oll tlrot, tlre trecrsurer hos indicoted thot we will slill foce o widening onnuol deficit thot connot be ignored.

Kicking lhe cqn down the rood is lhe eosy option for governors elected qnnuolly. but thot con only go on so long.

ond upholding our responsibility os cuslodions of o Grode-l listed heritoge buílding. ln recent hislory our pricing decisions hove been mode odlroc - foregoing lhe semi-onnuol service-levy in the good times ond roising F&B prÍces in the bod. ln future, lhe Club would be best served by on onnuol review of subs ond F&B prices togefher when budgets ore drown up, ond odiusted up or down occordingly.

For now, we ore reviewing oll expenditure to see how we con trim cosls without offecting the high level of service ond stondord of focilities members expecl. And iust lost month,

the Boqrd decided to limit rhe

Sq whot to do obout it?

Do we simply look ot roising monlhly subs ocross the boord, which we know will hurt everyone, ond some more fhon olhers? Or should we be more creolive qnd exomine other options, constilutionolly difficult os some moy be?

For exomple, mosl clubs set o minimum monthly spend lo

reword people lhot use fhe club.

Mony chorge oddilionql fees for spouses ond fomilies. Should odmission fees be increosed further? Do we comblne multiple meosures?

While the Boord of Governors

lo monoge the budget ond decide lhese issues, we wont to heor from you os we move forword with discussions.

We plon to hosf o Town Holl meeting on April ó for members fo ottend ond hove o soy. You con olso emoil me constructive thoughts ond suggestions. We is elected

will consider them.

Neil Western

CLUB NEWS

Also how to win ot wriling for the web/mobile, present multimedio pockoges, etc.

Speokers will include Austin Romz¡ NYTimes.com correspondenl; Anioli Kopoor, heod of digilol for Bloomberg' com; ond Heother Timmons, ,Asio correspondenf for Quortz.

All the obove is iusf in the morning. Lunch will be lhe opporlunity for networking.

Following the lunch, Dovid Schlesinger, former choirmon of Thomson Reuters Chino, will hove

o conversotion wilh Juliono Liu, Hong Kong BBC Correspondent,

obout "chollenging outhority".

Then there will be four workshops. The first is on "Prolecting your doto". The

speokers include Fobion Lischko, on expert on informolion securily ond privocy; Leonhord A. Weese, the presidenl of the Bitcoin Associotìon of Hong Kong; ond Lorry Solibro, founder ond CEO of Poy4Bugs, o web bosed service thot tests phone opps ond websites for bugs.

The second workshop will be on "The orl of long form - feqlure wriling". The speokers include SK Witcher, lnlernolionol NYf Deputy Asio Editor ond Phred Dvorok, Tokyo Deputy Bureou Chief, WSJ. The third is on "Poge One photos with your smortphone".

Speokers include Pedro Ugorte, phoïo director for AFP Hong Kong; ond Poloni Mohon, freelonce

photogropher.

The lost workshop, "Covering

conflict ond disosler", will include lips on whot lo toke, how lo protect yourself, ethics of conflìct reporting, do you ossist people in donger ond covering riots/ demos closer lo home like Occupy Centrol, when o lol of reporters were nof properly protected. The speokers will be Richord Slokes, CNN Producer; Kevin Sites, HKU Associote Professor

Speokers will include Jomil FT Asio Editor; Ying Chon, HKU iornolism progromme; Philippe Mossonnet; AFP AsioPocific Director ond Krislie Lu Stout, CNN onchor.

Anderlini,

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of Proclice;

ond Morc Lovine, AFP Asio Editor.

The closing ponel will look ol "The future of iournolism".

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Tang tìred both barrels at rhc perlormance

L) ol thc Chìel'Execurivc CY Leung in hi, lnr"rr poìic;' acldress as well as his overall leadership qualities. Afier regaling us with a visiting Martian's view oI thc ar]dress. Tang called it "a silent contortit'rr.l ol the truth".

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"Does anyonc herc realll'believc thar thc

government, our government, [osters harmony' rtr shales prosperitl'?" he asked. "Does the government itself believc that rt fosters harmonl' and shares prosperin,? I believe thesc worcls arc patrnnising ancl condescenc.ling at best, and ai worst, meaningless." ln an1'event, in thc policl,acldress hc said therc was "noi a hall-scintilla" on rhe Umbrella Movemenr.

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COVER STORY

"perhaps the single most significant political event in Hong Kong since ihe riots in 1966". Nor was there a mention on the defeat within LegCo of the introduction of universal suffrage for the election of the chief executive.

In the entire two hours spent deiivering his address, Tang said, the Chief Executive "did not give the slightest hint of an amoeba of political or social dissatisfaction , yet a gteat deal of dissatisfaction is prevalent. It was no surprise, therefore, that even before he began his address, lour members ol LegCo were removed lor protesting against his favounte past-time ol sweeping what he regards as rotten polÌtical dust under the carpet.

"The supreme paradox for me is the opening line of his address: 'Since taking office, the current term government has focused its efforts on promoting democracy,'so CY Leung smugly said.

"Whoever wrote that for the first sentence for the ChÌef Executive, íf he himseif did not write it, must be a comedian; or perhaps a monkey who accidentally typed up those words on a typewriter.

What it al1 means to me is the disingenuousness of our Chief Executive and government, and the contempt with which they hold us, the citìzens of Hong Kong."

However, Tang asked, should we have expected anything else? "After a1l, throughout the Umbrella Movement, our Chief Executive steadfastly refused to meet the protesters. We shouid remember that even Li Peng, the hardcore, hardline Chinese Premier at the time lTiananmen in 19891 received lprotest leaderl Wu'er Kaishi, and what's more, in full view on natlonal television.

"By comparison, our Chief Executive hid behind Lhe azaleas at Governmeni House and pushed out that diminutive figure of Chief Secretary Carrie Lam, who fluffed around with absurd preconditions and insisted on meeting the students behind closed doors.

"You understand how parochial we seem, aheady. "it ali further means that our Chief Executive does not have the bottle to confront difficult issues, yet that is precisely the one quality that we should

demand in our leader.

"We certainly don't want one who totally ignored the heat of our political and social conditj.ons and instead spent hall of his speech pontilicating on the woolly symbols of 'One Belt, One Road', which was mentioned 48 times. Quite apart from the embarrassing unctuousness towards the Chinese president, what on earth would an ordinary citizen of Hong Kong care or understand about One Belt, One Road?

"l even doubt that a single tycoon in Hong Kong could name more than two countries on the original Silk Road that was the inspiration for One Belt, One Road. Is our Chiel Executive really trying to push Hong Kong trade, and our financÌal services, across Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Iraq.. '

and inexorably into the heart of the terrllying Islamic State?

"Borat might have been able to gei away with it, wlth humour - but hardly our sombre Chief Executive with any degree of seriousness."

WqnTed: o slrong leqder Tang said that if he was to hold out any hope lor a

better Hong Kong, "I would first wish for a much stronger, and much more eflective Chiel Executive. I know this sounds llike] self-evident truth, but that is

Tang talk goes viral Not surprisingl¡ given the fronkness of some of the views expressed, Dovid Tong's FCC tolk ignited q minor firestorm on sociol medio. A recording of fhe presentotion posted on the FCC's YouTube chonnel rocked up neorly 10,000 views in the first doy ofter posting, on exceptionolly high number, with over 300 'likes' (versus o mere three fhumbs-down).

On Twifter, os well, Hong Kong wotchers ond correspondents were quick to pick up ond swop highlights of the event, wilh Tong's commenls on CY Leung's leodership seeming to goin the most troction.

Tong's tolk even mode ¡l on to the normolly relofively stoid Linkedln professionol network, wilh on executive from lnvest Hong Kong colling ottention to the "full house" ot the Club ond Tong's chompioning of Hong Kong's "holy lrinily" -- on independent iudicior¡ lock of corruption ond genuine freedoms.

The online medio reoction wos mixed. A Coconuts Hong Kong orticle on the presenlotion thot contoined o link to the full text of Tong's

speech wos shqred qcross hundreds of Focebook poges, while o debote roged in the commenl section of the Soufh Chino Morning Posf's story on lhe evenl.

Tong wos olternofely hoiled os o "wise mon" ond "one of the few public figures in Hong Kong with ony gufs", while others derided him os o

"wonnqbe polilicion" ond o "tobloid celebrily".

Regordless how they view Tong's ol times scolhing opinions, few would disogree thot the event once ogoin highlighted the FCC os o key venue for diologue on lhe cit¡ ond o regulor host to some of its leoding personolities.

Link lo Coconuts slory: httpr//hongkong' coconuls.co/2 Ol 6 / 02 / 1 9/shonghoi-tongfounder-sloms-cy-leung-govt-beiiing-speechhong-kongs-future SCMP: httpr//www.scmp.com/news/hong kong/politics f orticle f 1 9 1 397 6 f ev en-li- pen gmet-tiononmen-protesters-soys-shonghoi-ton g

THE CORRESPONDENT

11

COVER STORY

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need of compromise.

"And therein lies the secret of civilisation: divergent views being brought closer together openly, through peaceful, intellectual and 9

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irrtelligent negotiaiÍons. Thar, in nutshell, is what Hong Kong is crying out for. A mediator, or a group of mediators who could a

bring those pan-democrats and what we need to focus on. "tsy which I mean someone who would at least appear to represent the people of Hong Kong, and not fearful of relayrng to the Chinese authority those views which are considered to be discordant music to the ears in the north.

"But the most preponderant misreading on the part of the Chief Executive of Hong Kong is to second guess what the Chinese government does not want to hear. These furtive considerations do great damage to the status of the Chief Executive, because even before asking, he has turned himself into a pupper on a string, dancing obsequiously to the tunes and echoes of Zhongnanhai.

"I would even wish for a Chief Executive who was cunning enough to persuade the Chinese government to hear openly the grievances of Hong Kong, while knowing full well that they would fal1 on deaf ears.

But at least under these open circumstances, we will obtain an airing of what those grievances are, then sooner or later people will become conscious for the 12

THE CORRESPONDENT

the stlff establishment around the same table and begin the process of some kÌnd of

reconciliation.

"As a citizen of Hong Kong, born and bred below Lion Rock, I was really sad to see the anger - or should I say Tourette's - displayed by those well-meaning legislators who were ejected from the chamber in front of an ossified face of our Chief Execurive.

"These tribal confrontations exempli$r deep bittemess and resentment, and precisely represent the fundamental and symptomatic illnesses of our territory "They are similar to the rifts berween the Shiite and the Sunni, the Arahs ancl theJews, and the North and South Koreans. But there is so much more hope of a lasting ceasefire in our case because we have, thankfull¡ at least not shed any realblood. Not yet.

"Indeed, the Chinese aurhoriry could simply

transform our entire livelihood tomorrow by becoming a mediator of the two opposing sides. The two sides must meet, they must sit down opposite each other; they must start talking. They must carry a

COVER STORY

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modicum of goodwill on each of their parts.

"Ir is only when the stinging palpitations of our political polarisations are diffused, that we can ònce again relurn to a marvellous and civihsed legislature that has served Hong Kong well, before its frãgmentations and the damaging of the fabric of our society before our own eyes.

"If we're not careful and simply let the sour enemies sit inert, in stalemate across from each other on the chamber floor at LegCo, then we will be throwing away what we have managed to build, totally against the odds, a solid and burni.shed rock that was once considered merely as barren.

"Churchlll was supposed to have said "democracy is the worst kind of government, except for those others which have been tried." I should like to think that Hong Kong is the worst kind of place in which to live, except for those others which have been trled' "My point here is that, given all the problems we have, with a deteriorating administration which half confesses itseif to have a legislature that is becoming ungovernable and losing confidence among the majority of the population by the da¡ with a Chief Executive whose popularity is at a hi.storic low, we must cling on to Hong Kong as our home, but we cannol afford to stand by our status quo.

"Our government has been growing apart from the people of Hong Kong and they must anticipate trouble. Alread¡ there are over one miliion people ì,n Hong Kong who are trapped by poverty, and they canno[ be too pleased about the government. It is

simply invidious that in a prosperous communlty such as Hong Kong, over 15% of our population should be living below the breadline. "lt is a shameful state, scandalous if you ask me.

Then there was the Umbrella Movement, which clearly demonstrated the resolution of many ordinary people taking real democratic power seriously, and their dissatisfaction can only be increased by the defeat of the universal suffrage motion in LegCo. "Then the disturbing case of Lee Po and his colleagues and those hawkers openly branded as separatists by the Liaison Office. To compound our

problems, the dwindling numbers of visitors from the mainland, financial oscillations in the markets, not to mention the growing number of the aged against a falling number of our workforce, the umpteen cases of abduction in the mainland about which we hear very little, the dark appearances of triads at demonstra[ions, the thorough incompetence of the government in creating a proper cultural anchor in the clty...

"There aremany more things whj.ch need fixing, and most of them couid not be achieved given the standoff between the pan-democrats representing the majority of ordinary people, and the establishment, so-called, hugging most of our somnambulant tycoons, and that elephantine Communist Party in China.

"Thank God, thank God we still have a decent judicial system and a fairly uncorrupted communily and genui.ne freedom in Hong Kong. This holy trinity continued to page 38 THECORRESPONDENT

13

MEDIA

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AFP Webb in

his shareholder activrst days runs the gauntlet

ofthe press outside the High Court

Hong Kong is a global finance centre, and as such employs a good number of

financial journalists, David Webb is not one of them, He is an activist, not

a

reporter, But he seems to break a lot of stories. Cathy Holcombe reports,

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business desk at the South C'hinaMorningpost, "",n" and on some days he was quoted ln almost every other story I have to confess to arguing agalnst this profligacy of Webb quotes - it's embarrassing, I said, as if we have no investigative skills o[ our own.

Yes, well: In a town where business journalists are often stuck on a merry-go-round of press conferences and corporate announcements, they scarcely have [ime to produce anything other than spot-news reactions.

In contrast, Webb's close readings of financial statements have uncovered everything from dubìous crcdcntials of the management, to unsavouty reiated-party asser trades, to outright falsehoods in

14

THECORRESPONDENT

the filings. Webb-sire.com keeps rrack of "bubbles" companies, usually small caps, that rrade well above their underþng value.

Some investigations can take months, if not years.

In the early 2000s, Webb noted that a number of "small, naive companies" were issuing convertible bonds with a "nasty rwist" - a floating convertibleprice feature. Webb discerned that this fearure gave the issuing bank, Credit Suisse First Boston, room to make a killing at the company's expense, but he waited to see how events played out in the market.

Meanwhile, Merrill Lynch got in on the game, issuing similar "toxic convertibles".

Eventually Webb publlshed an expose, based on a study of 15 companies who had issued the products

MEDIA

to raise funds. The bankers made a stunning average profit of 3l% on each convertlble bond issuance, and the shares of the issuing companies that had subsequently crashed by 30o/o on average.

These are stories that otherwise simply might not have been picked up by this town's phalanx of financial journallsts. Whlch raises the question, why?

The swinging door Financial journalism has long had a tendency towards corporate boosterism, in this town and globatly Part of it is the nalure of the readers: perhaps subscribers to magazines such as Forbes enjoy stories that reinforce their pro-business sentiments. Then there is the existential conflict of inierest, i.e., the dependency on corporate advertisers, or sales of financial data to corporate clients. In Hong Kong there is the additional issue that many media outlets are now or traditionally, have been owned by establishment business figures.

As the digital era disrupts media, another threat to lhe Fourth Estate is economics: declining profits means less available money to underwrite quality, investigative journalism. But what if this digital disruption also makes financial journalists themselves

more cautious?

The business writer Michael Lewis, in a recent interview with the British magazíne The Spectator, identified the swinging door between the media and the financial sector as a threat to critical financial journalism, just as the swinging door between business and government is a threat to vigilant

regulation.

heid top research and executive positions at several stockbrokers.

Today the banking industry is more mature - stock market turnover is 70,000o/o greater than it was in the early 1980s - but many journalists regularly cross over into the banking sector for jobs.

Meanwhile, the role of corporate muckraking is almost single-handedly performed by an ex-banker who moved in the opposite direction.

The ex-bonker Some years ago I interviewed activist David Webb at his residence on Hong Kong lsland. lt was certainly a nice home, with high ceiilngs and ample sunlight pouring in through tall windows. But it was not a mansion, and one imagines Webb could live ìn a

mansion.

He had arrived in Hong Kong to work in investment banking in the early 1990s, a tj.me when even knuckle-draggers could make silly money in the business. Smart foreigners, on the other hand, could ascend to heights ofinsane riches.

Instead, Webb stepped off the corporate ladder about 20 years ago. He puts in a few hours a day as a private investor, and donates the rest ofhis productivity to his role as a watchdog on corporate and economic governance.

His output Ìs prolific and ranges from careful examinations of the financials of penny stock companies, to purist - some would say priggish interpretations of the Basic Law on the Hong Kong government's taxation policies.

"Banking paid me well, but l've had far more

fun as a private lnvestor and activist," Webb says, "JournalÌsts are often financially insecure, just addÌng that he has been very successful investing in as politicians and regulators are often financially relatively well-governed undervalued small-caps for financially personally I'm talking about and insecure the last 2l years. insecure," Lewis said. ln his vieq this insecurity "That process is like being an expert mechanic might explain why major financial media failed to ín a second-hand car lot with no shopping properly investigate the myriad subprime-related and even worse, wrth drivers (controlling financial warranties, global 2008 1ed to the shenanigans that crisis. ': te ln Hong Kong, the door has Reports been swinging for decades, ñl fis.

I to the 9B0s dating back when the investment banking industry began to expand Bon bonus bê!!áB bêil.r rapidly, and regularþ recruited j;,,;î:iï î"" :xirïliii jl:äï:Íî^:",,..i",**,,r."åï"";:f r.ïi:., j" :-*ä; :i :1ï q4Æ,. ñ. *i;;;;,¿:;i:Í:::'::, ¡."*.¡ ".¿ ".,,.^r*", q, "¡v journalists into their ranks. "" @ElE å:ffi:r;i::1i,:r'J:îS;:'ücc "The challenge for aohe shåft Bå Chhô åiå ,'ïil.3î,ï'*". * *-. - * investment banks was ,T:".:ffi i::r"i:':.Jå:ïïïii:l*r.f; EIEE ir"î,",:riî îlïi capacíty - there simply Gõ!!! were not enough qualified and experienced brokers, analysts or corporate :iéft,iit.::j::";r* finance professì.onals to "i;:i!,1#;i,:i"*?":-'d,;'"'".".'-',e "h",,".,,., meet demand," says John ;;;;;-';;;:ü:iÍ *"*"'^""^* "'" """ ¿#ffi-"";; Mulcahy, a prominent Hong Kong business journalist in the 1980s who later

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THE CORRESPONDENT

15

MEDIA

shareholders) attached. All the cars are discounted for the risk of lemons, so if you can avoid the lemons, and pick the cars that have been wellmaintained by careful drivers, then you do well."

Moreover, Webb believes it is his duty ro do what he does: "Ifyou have achieved financial security and have expertise in some area, then it seems almost selfish not to apply that experrise to the public good."

One inspiration is George Soros, who in his younger days.combinecl l'investing.and advocacy in a spectacular way", for exampie, helping to bring down the Iron Curtain by funding photocopiers to help ,JisLribute informaticn in his narive Hunsalv ir the l980s. If Webb makes enough money in investing, he hopes to establish Webb-site as an independent foundation that can suryive hÍm and to expand its role in defending and advancing civil llberties and free markets in Hong Kong and China.

Recently, Webb's activism has been aimed at defending Hong Kong's traditions of freedom of speech and informati.on. InJanuary he spoke at the Foreign Correspondents' CIub about his failed efforts to appeal against a ruling on privacy issues which requires Webb-site,com to remove from its extensive archives past court cases, such as reports of bankm¡rtcies, litigation or conviclions. Webb argued that it was in the public inreresr to make this information available, but the Administrarive Appeals Board ruled against him.

Hong Kong's ruling on privacy issues is in line with the European court's ruling on Google searches.

In other words, it is perhaps another example of a China-related clampdown on transparency and free speech. But this "right to forget" issue is hitting Hong

,16

THECoRRESPoNDENT

Kong at time when civil traditions are already under threat from Ber.¡ing.

"The recent case of the book publishers disappearing from Hong Kong and Thailand without officially'leaving'is very worrying, and the facr that Hong Kong's government took weeks to obtain the most basic information from mainland counterparts makes it look powerless and highly subordinated to mainland authority," says Webb.

"There.is.also increasing mainland=in{luence. in

traditional Hong Kong media, either by outright ownership or by pressure on advertlsers (particularly ihose wiih mainland operatrons) not tû suppoit Hong Kong medra who are critìcal of the mainiand government."

Graduates may face difficuh personal choices.

"If they work for critical media, then travel to the mainland may be difficult, fearing anest ún chalges that their criLical sl<¡ries violated national security laws.

They may also have concern for any family members in the mainland, and after the recent publisher disappearances, they may even be looking over their own shoulder while in Hong Kong," says Webb. ln his view, this makes it all the more ìmpr.rrtant that new, independent online media are able to fill the gap, "but they will face the same financial pressurcs."

Indeed, the journalism profession is increasingly turning to non-profit or subsidised models. And the Fourth Estate may find itself more and more dependent on outsiders and activists, like Webb, to break the stories they can't. After all, Webb teft banking bccause hc could atlord to; this is the inverse of the journalism equation, where many leave because they cannor afford to stay lK

REPORTACE

Deqr Sir

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A letter to a newspaper can set in motion a train of events with far reaching consequences, writes Gavin Greenwood.

Gazette led with a long front page piece regarding by the health of the Hong Kong garrison. The Gazette domain l-journalists wrote that "by way of an experiment, and with a rants and ruminations, random lost to rpu.. rec'ollections that could have been better employed view of reducing military expenditure, the authorities at the commencement of the year determined on carry4ng their own urgent dispatches and opinions . the Indian troops, who have hitherto withdrawing for platforms *h.r howéver, In an eãrlier age, airing grievanð.r *e.e lìmlted, a well-placed missive proved themselves most useful on the station".

This had occurred in April 1865, just as the hot f.omãn authoritative source could breach official weather returned despite the pleas of senior officers complacency and maladministration, and expose ì.n Hong Kong that the seasoned and acclimatised policies. willfully damaging

f

etters to rhe Ediror are ofren viewed

as an in[rusion into their

On túe lttayl2lgO: u letter from a correspondent lndian troops remain in the colon¡ which had gained signing himsãf "Confucius" appeared in the London a grim reputation as an unhealthy posting. To no nlenilgstandardne\Mspaper to report that the military avail. The Indian units 1eft, leaving a single European regiment to provide troops for the numerous garrison by rumours that in Hong Kong was "panicked" -

officers;paywasto

be reduced due

the ending of

ro

"Indian

, ,. !, r,-_ ._.,_^ The letters and articles in the press had

allowances"asunj.rs impact on both public opinion, from the Indian

dutiesrequired

their around the colony, ìncluding in wha¡ sensitised to rheGazenecalled

Army

the "oestilential

werewirhdrawnfrom military suffering by Florence Nightingale's r.ttlJ-entu..oss the water on the the embryonic colony , r ^,!,, ! - ,-Russell's William and in the Crimea work mainland,,vtz.

Indianallowances Kowloon." were paid to Royal or , it, r - -- r !, the more whenasecond queenturrnyoífi..., reportage of that confl¡ct and

bring

,, rheirincomecloser recently concluded American Civil War and -

in order to

generally beuerpädlndián army counterparts whó were emþloyed to their

- - !r: -: by degree - the politicians,

directþ by thå eritish Indian government. the letier, clearly written by a serving British army officer, also áluclecl to the cleparture of the Indiân troops reflecting fiscal rathei than operational concerns, n-otitrg "thatlt is to be hoped... that the paltry savings as would be affected by stinting a

officers, round whom the unseen foes are always circling, who work up to the citadel of life in silence and dirkness and carry off the strong man with all the rapidiry of a 'fl1'rng sap'was not a serious suggesrion being contemplated in London." Ëút it was, anã rhe coni.qn".ces for the unfortunate troops and many of their wives and children was car;strophj.c.

Some six months láter the writer's warning proved prescienr. On November 4 1865 ttre Army €e Na,'ty

i.* ár-y

r

Britì.sh regiment

arrivedlnMay i865 hey were allocated

rhebarracksvacated by the Indian units in Kowloon, and the soldiers and thei.r families qu1*ly fell ill with variety of tropical diseases - notably malaria which was then still attributed to "bad air" rather than mosquitoes - and other condìtions such as cholera and dysentery related to the unsanitary conditions in the rudimentary camp.

A second letter, this time signed "Têlemachus" - a nod to Odysseus' loyal if violent son - to the Gazette published on January 27 1866 produced the first publicly available hard data on the impact of the policy of removing the hardier Indian troops was having on lhe European units and thejr families.

Telemachus reported that there were 152 deaths among the garrison betweenJune I and October I 1865, including 52 children, nine women and more than 90 officers and men. A further 335 men, women THE CORRESPONDENT

17

REPORTACE

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and children were defined as "invalided" - which rrreant their health was broken and had to repatriated - far too late for many of them. On the voyage lrom Hong Kong to South Aîrica 40 of the 234 invalids carried aboard a chartered shÌp died.

While Europeans had been prey ro dlsease since the Hong Kong colony was founded in 1841, these high moltallty rales represent-eci a serious reversal to a steadily improving trend due to medical advances pioneered in the Crimean War and a greater understanding of counrcring thc cffccts of tropical climates. This point was made in a parliamentary debate in February 1867 in which Augustus Anson MP pointed out that the original force of 1,300 European troops sent to China in 1850 had been replaced three times due to losses, mostly caused by

18

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l

ætos the do¿¡d down _^¡

doubt for the benefit of the Tieasury, that the cost of repatriating a srngle shrp bcaring 1.35 invalidcd troops was L6,827 (Â565,000 in current money), implyrng over ll million was spent simply bringing back men who were no longer fit for military service.

Anson also raised another issue regarding Britlsh troops'deplo;.'rnent to Hong Kong despite the overwhelming evidence that the casualty rate would be high; the demands of the "China merchanrs" rhar they be protected by European rather rhan "native" soldiers. further, as another MP noted, "Eulopearr regiments might be more acceptable on account of the society whlch they introduced into a colony". Anson countered this argument by pointing our that Indian

disease.

troops were far better behaved than European soldiers.

A parliamentary enquiry was duly held, and reported its findings at commendable speed by

The letters and articles in the press had their impact on both public opinion, sensitised to military suffering by Florence NÌghtingale's work in the CrÌmea and William Russell's reportage of that conllict and the more recently concluded American Civil War and - by degree - rhe politicians. On March 20 1866 John North, an MP and a British Army colonel, called for a parliamentary Select ConurriLLee Lo inquire into "the Mortality in the Tioops in China". North also pointed out, no

August 1866. One of its mosr srarrling findings regarded the fate of the 99th (Lanarkshire) regiment, which was sent to Kowloon Ìn disgrace at three hours' notice after some of the troops rioted in September 1864, leading to multiple deaths among the soidiers and local and forelgn seamen. Before being exiled across the harbour the 683-strong regiment had 31 men in hospital and three listed with "fever". One month later I2B were in hospital, 8l with fever; rwo monrhs later 161

THECoRRESPoNDENT

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were in hospital, 113 with fever. The regiment was elfectively destroyed and was sent to South Alrica in early 1865, but its experience was a clear indicator the Kowloon barracks were unsuitable for any troops, but particularly Europeans. Nevertheless, its replacement unìt was sent to Kowloon with what should have been predictable consequences.

The enquiry findings focused mainly on technical issues regarding the barrack accommodation and responsibilitÌes of the local commander, who was implicitly blamed for the poor health of his troops, while London's insistence that the cost ol maintaining the Hong Kong garrison be reduced was disregarded.

However, the committee also conchlded that the decision to withdraw the Indian troops in order to make some marginal economic savÌngs relating to their allowances had indeed led directly to a spike in sickness, disability and death among the troops and their dependents as well as incurring far greaÍer expenditure than had they remained.

Confucius, whose letter some l5 months earlier had brought the issue to a wider audience, had made precisely this point and - assuming the author had survived the pestilential summer of 1865 - could have been grimly satisfied his warning helped expose a lethal scandal that took the lives and health of hundreds of men. women and children. lK

Letters to lhe Editor tend to coniure the slereotypicol green-inked ront from o choleric colonel in Tunbridge Wells disgusted with the woys of the world ond oppolled by fhe mores ond monners of the doy. However. they con olso occosionolly improve lives, reveol truths ond rolly

ogoinst oppression.

On Sepîember 29 1830, on open letler from Richord Oostler, o Yorkshíre lond steword, wos published in fhe teeds Mercury newspqper pointing out lhot while slovery hod been bonned in Britoin in I 807, thousonds of children from seven to l4 yeors of oge toiled for more thon I 2 hours o doy in foctories, forms ond os domeslic servonts. The populor outroge this cqused led porliomenl to impose mondotory working hours thot groduolly reduced the working doy for children, olbeil to q sfill shottering l0 hours o

doy,by 1847.

On Jcnuory 12 1898 the Porision poper L'Aurore ron on open letter by the outhor Emile Zolo on its fronl poge with electrifying heoder "J'occuse!" Zolo's occusotion of systemic ontiSemitism omong the French estoblishment of Coptoin Alfred Dreyfus, on officer in the French ormy occused of spying for Germon¡ remoins powerful shorlhond for outroge ogoinst iniustice

ond preiudice.

Some letter wrilers, however, poy o high price for their lenrerity to chollenge the slotus quo. On Jonuory l0 1991 lhe Giornole di Sicilio published o letter by Libero Grossi, owner of q Polermo lingerie business, in which he declored thot he would no longer poy lhe "pizzo", or proteclion money, demonded by the locol mofio. His slond qttrocted widespreod medio coverqgq which cleorly disturbed lhe mofíosi. On August 29 I991 Grossi wos shot three limes os he wolked lo his cor ond died on the spot. HÌs murder triggered cr wcrve o protests ond contributed to the compoigns thot hqve since greolly reduced

Mofio influence in ltoly.

THE CORRESPONDENT

19

ON TH E WALL

FRACTURED STATE January 2016 marks five years since South Sudan's much-heralded vote for independence.

Briefly celebrated, South Sudan is now under the

threat of sanctions and from the inside, joy has given way to despair. Still, on the ground, South Sudan has barely changed. No nation was ever

builtÞeace never truly arrived, Dominic Nahr has been travelliñg to South Sudan since 2010 and he has struggled with the dissonance

-

South Sudan the concept, versus

South Sudan the people

-

ever since. As TIME's

contract photographer, he worked across the African continent, covering the news stories of

the month

-

but no place confronted him with

such stark contrasts as South Sudan.

f.

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20

THE CORRESPONDENT

rtJ\ tucr

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ON THE WALL

w;,3tr*;iî:ïi:T*ï:'*.'ål:i¡^ïù,", the terrible war of brutality that followed the nation's birth demands we accept this truth, and try again.

I have worked in a far-flung corner of South Sudan, accessible only by an infrequent chartered aid flight, where villagers never speak of Juba, but of warring neighbours pulled apart, from one nation that never truly existed to two troubled nations. I have shared pickup trucks with South Sudan's ragtagarmy, as it rushed to capture disputed oil fields and then watched from remote villages lar away from the border as the same army turns Ìts weapons on thelr o\¡m people to try and en[orce uniLy. That which unites it, divides ir: Violence, hardshÌp, resilience. South Sudan is migrants, fleeing into swamps and savannahs, hopping

l3l Nl lli.r ',r ri I ll-1 ',i rl )Al:1 . 1¡ ¿ /r)llilì Ir'r rytltr r till( .ry,Ifìl .I¡ rt(./ 'rtr'lrlllte )rr¡1,,¡rr' {,,rr'r'¡rirllr) lriln| 't,r., ¡r,il ril,rì(ìrr',ì .,¡ il,,r, 'r' U I'liV,tr (i')r trr! () l',lt',r'r' rrtlt J'ryrlr(l'rtdvr f.alltri! lt(l iOr¡r' nsrrtr 1-1il )l\l irr()lr,( lr(rl )t ( Viltdtt,.,.trnf, ;f i3(jilllì .rytìtt.t' ,r()lC.,fV(:, l{)0(l(¡ ¡rslrar (1r t)(r)t)rr

from island to island to hide from militias that torch their villages, but still hoping to return home. South Sudan is warriors taking up arms from national politicians to settle old scores, or lo protect their communities.

By tracing the path of families as they crisscross the country in search of safety, or by spending time with the men Ìnflicting this suffering on their own neighbours we can see how decades of conflict has left South Sudan torn apart, strugglì.ng and still at the beginning of a very long road ahead.

I think of a grave digger I photographed in November 2015. He had just finished burpng three bodies, including one young baby taken straight from the hospital. Each morning, he picks up the dead to be buried in unmarked graves outside of a UN base, which protects him and his family He wore a dirt-smeared T:shirt that read: "One South Sudan."

Even on the ground, it looks like the idea of South Sudan is fading away Many of the once booming towns, like Bentiu, Leer or Malakal, now stand in ruì.ns, nature slowly reclaiming the land and swallowing up whatever s[ructures not already dissected by looters and scavengers.

But if South Sudan the nation is failing, South Sudan the people are not. Even as violence drives neighbours apart, other neighbours are driven closer together. The strongest social support structures

-

the family, the clan, the church

-

are

now stronger than ever.

And this is the South Sudan that actually exists. Torn apart, united only in struggle, but still on the move. Out of this, they must build a nation. This is what we must understand if \Me are to help. Lines on a map do not make a nation. People do.

THE CORRESPONDENT

21

ON THE WALL

South Sudan, Bentiu,20 I 5. an abandoned building covered in graffìti. Over a dozen families have found refuge in these rooms in the tow¡r of Bentiu aftcr it had been completely destroyed by

lghting.

South Sudan, Bentiu,20 I 5.

Nyajava Wech l"lakuei, the

mother of Koy Gotkuoth

Riak

(40) cries after slre watched him die in the MSF hospital inside the Bentiu Protection of Civilians camp. She heard he was sick and had to travel from Leer for three days

to

reach the hospital, I lis

dcath was rcgistcrcd Scpsis, duc

to the presence

in tissues

of

harmful bacteria and their toxins, typicallythrough infection of a wound,

Jlf ominic V2010.

Nohr is o controct photogropher for Time mogozine ond ioined Mognum Photos crs nominee in July He is olso represenred by O'Born Contemporory ¡n Toronto ond currenlly res¡des in Noirobi, Kenyo.

Dominic wos roised in Hong Kong ond his porents were members of the FCC. lt wos the collection of oword-winn¡ng covers ond photos thot hung on lhe Club's v/oll ¡n those doys thot firsl otlrocted Dominic to photoiournolism. Thof ond meetÌng lhe prominent pholoiournolists, including Hugh Von Es ond Robin Moyer, who frequented the Club ond were friends of his fother, ond who loter helped Dominic get his stort os o

photogropher.

"l remember looking ot John Slonmeyer's photos (Stonmeyer won lhe first FCC photogropher of the yeor Awords in 2001) ond reolised thot you didn't hove to know everything obout o ploce or hove spent o lot of time lhere to toke greot photos of il," Dominic soid. "l then took il from there."

He first worked for the Soufh Chino Morning Posl os o stoff photogropher ond in 2007, while still ottending university in Toronlo, storted working os o freelonce photogrqpher for mogozines such os Newsweek, GQ ond

Ihe Foder.

Dominic hos been honoured wilh severol prestigious owords, including The Oskor Bornock Newcomer Aword' He wos selecfed os one of the 'Top 30 under 30 photogrophers' by PDN mogozine ond hqs been exhibiled ot Viso Pour I'lmoge in Perpignon, Fronce. He wos selected to toke port in 2010's Joop Swort Mostercloss in Hollond ond olso received gronts from the Pulizer Cenler ond the Emergency Fund. His editoriol clients include Nolionol Geogrophic, Time, Slern, The Woll Slreet Journol, Le Monde 2, lnlernoziono/g ond GQ.

))

THE CORRESPONDENT

ON TH

E

WALL

Kok lsland, South Sudan 20 I 5 Nyangar Phar (6) sits in a bucket after being washed by his mother in Kok lsland, a transit point for Internally Displaced People and a camp for over 2,000 South Sudanese who have fled lghting in

their

State, Nyangar had his leg

amputated a few weeks before after being shot in the foot.

Tonjo, South Sudan,20 I 5 Tens ofthousands ofpeople from all overthe nearby region prepare to receive their first distribution in many months ìn Tonjo, South Sudan. Many residents from Leer fed toTonjo leeling safer in

rebel territory, Currently almost 600,000 people are displaced in Unity State, In April 2015 after a rìse in fìghting in Unitythousands of civilians were forced to flee into the bush, swamps or into the UN Protection of Civilians Camp.

South Sudan, Bentiu,20 | 5.

A

MSF worker stands in front the shack used as a morgue while holding the body of a baby

wrapped up in plastic sheeting after dying from malnutrition inside the IYSF hospital in UN Protection of Civilians camp in Bentiu.

THECORRESPONDENT

23

PRESS AWARDS

:T:-..

AFP's Philippe Lopez took striking photos Occupy Central protests in 2014.

ofthe

Xyza Bacani, formerly a domestic worker in Hong Kong, is a self-taught photographer who documented

the physical abuse of maids in 20

14,

20 yedrs of qwqrd w I nn I n g o

o

By Joyce Lau

Th. Human Rights Press Awards'20th anniversary L yea, continues with a retrospective photography exhibit at the Main Bar in March, plus two gala events

in

May.

These initiatives have been made possible by

increased support from individual FCC private donors, plus sponsors like Cathay Pacific and the Far East Film Festival.

Two decodes of pholos HRPA organisers and the FCC Wall Committee combed through almost two decades of files and prints to come up with a selection of photographs that represent images from the'90s to toda;r They include almost 20 years of protest and police clashes - from the years around Hong Kong's I997 handover, to Occupy Central and beyond.

HRPA also recognises photojournalism from around the greater Asian region. Highlighted past winners include Philip Blenkinsop, who documented the Hmong people of Laos lor TIME; and Greg Constantine, who has dedicated much of his career tracking "citizens of where", or people wiLh no oflicial nationality or documentation. z4

THE CORRESPONDENT

AFP's Munir UzZaman has been honoured by HRPA several times - most notably for his coverage of the Bangladesh factory collapse, and Rohingya refugees.

Another featured past winner is Du Bin, who won for a strikÌng image of a Chinese petitioner, published both in the Posú Magazine and in a book by Ming Pao Publishing.

An atypical past winner is Xyza Bacani of the Philippines, who while working as a domestic helper in Hong Kong began recording the physical abuse of maids in stark black and white images.

Both the HRPA and FCC Wall committee were early supporters of Bacani, who has now left Hong Kong to pursue an international career in photojournalism.

The HRPA retrospective will be exhlbited on the Wa1l until the end of March.

Ír 201I

Enlries ond prizes HRPA is continuing three inj.tiatives launched last year: cash prizes, a youth essay contest and student

- which have recently been expanded to include both local high schools and universities. awards

In the professÌonal categories, HRPA received 274 entries this year from across Asia Pacific: 139 in

PRESS AWARDS

I

,.Ð { ,\ Munir Uu Z,rrrran has been honoured 'nLrllrpic trrnes by

the HRPA Ihìs 201 l l)ir()t() fo AI P : oí 4.()r ìtr

rqva,.'i itpef-'s

r lt

photos

,ô

F Chinese-language media, 80 in Englishlanguage media, and

55 in photojournalism.

HRPAb judging panels - which now includes 24 volunteers from the fields of

*l

rr (X)q,lì¿!( ) ltc,\r rÊ,liir()|(' ì).- 'lÌr .)1il)l()t()rlr ¡]d r\: iirr 1¡¡rc';r','rr I' r,)\ V(tv(l/ltìt

)l

media, 1aw, academia and

human rights

- will choose

the

winning entries this spring.

Many of our long-standing judges are returning this year, including barrister and Senior CounselJacqueline Leong and former FCC presidenr Douglas Wong.

The veterans will be joined by some new judges, including current FCC presldent Neil Western, Tom Mackey from Amnesty International and Icarus Wong, founder of Civil Rights Observer.

The Far East Film Festival in Udine, Ital¡ is returning as a supporter of the Youth Essay Contest, whose winner will be invited to attend the FEFF's Campus for aspiring young film critics and

Anniversory golo The HRPAb 20th anniversary gala will be held on Friday, May 6, with two events.

A prominent correspondent and former HRPA winner will fly in from London to be our keynote

and

speaker for an FCC Club Luncheon. Later that same day, the 2015 Awards' professional and student winners will be announced at an evening cocktail reception at the Hong Kong Maritime Museum, a venue overlookì.ng Victoria Harbour.

Both the use of the Museum and refreshments from the caterers were given as gifts to HRPA. The awards are co-organised by the FCC, Amnesty International Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Journalists' Association. @ Joyce Lau is the HRPAis director. For more information,

winner to attend the event in ltaly.

go to HumanMghtsP r e ssAw ar ds. or g.

filmmakers in April.

Cathay Pacific became a new supporter this year, will provide the alrfare for the Essay Contest

THE CORRESPONDENT

25

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In

Hong Kong

By Ingrid Piper

Displaced Somalis at a camp in Kenya: not wanted anywhere,

tlris: you'r"e a journalist working lreelance for inLernational media organisations, your country's endured years of civil war; laws and human rights no longer exist; but you want the world to see your people's story For this, you're arrested, jaiied, tortured and abused. Your family is targeted and torn

f)ictrrre

L

apart. Your only crimc is you arc a journalist.

People smugglers offer you a chance of life in a Western country, so you take it. But you're duped.

When the plane lands, all the signs you can see are in Chlnese. You're jailed again, only this time it's in Hong Kong, a jurisdiction with the rule of law, where you discover that in 2016 your chances of gaining refugee status are pretty much zero to none.

This is not anímagínary scenario. lt j.s real and happened in Hong Kong recently to two journalists.

The FCC has been trying to help where it can, by for example exploring the possibilities for work visas. We cannot mention their country ol origin due to the real fear of retribution for their families.

In fact, only about 42 asylum seekers have been granted torture claim or refugee status by the Hong Kong government over the past 24 years, according to Robert Tibbo, a Canadian barrister, human rights activist and director of Vision First, an independent Hong Kong-based NGO that provides advocacy and

28

THECoRRESPoNDENT

advice to asylum seekers, Çaining rcfugcc status is an essential step tcl progress Lo Lhe rrexL sLage, resettlement in another countп Tibbo hit international headlines in 2013 when he secured the rights and safe passage of US whistleblower Edward Snowden, but much of his advocacy involves those who are highly r,r:lnerable, living lives in slums, waiting potentially years for their cases to be heard.

He says many asylum seekers have no iclea they'll end up in Hong Kong. "I have a number of clients who thought they're going to Ireland, for example, and finished up in Hong Kong; or they end up in

Mainland China and are then shipped across to Hong Kong. Invariably the new arrivals will be arrested and brought to Castle Peak Bay Immigration Centre. Or they are caught in Hong Kong for illegal entry and then they taken to Castle Peak," he said.

"While they are locked up, they have no money, no contacts and no access to alawyer until they are screened for their asylum claims."

By international 1aw and convention "asylum seekers shouldn't be held, they have an absolute right to enter any countryr' he said.

While some asylum seekers have spent months in Castle Peak, Tibbo says a recenL lega1 challenge means

REPORTACE

they can be held for no more than 39 days.

Article 3 of the Hong Kong Bill of Rights, ArtÌcle 39 of the Basic Law, the UN Convention Against Torture and Article 33 of the Refugee Convention offer some grounds for asyium seekers to seek non-refoulement protection including refugee status. A number of successful recent Hong Kong court challenges have added another layer of complexity, causing thousands of asylum seekers to be re-screened, some up io three times.

However, inJanuary 2016 following his policy address, Hong Kong's Chief Executive C.Y. Leung told media the government would review the asylum seeker screening process to speed up the backlog of claims. He also raised the possibility of withdrawing from the UN Convention Against Torture. Although, Tibbo says, it is the SAR's piecemeal approach to the screening process that's the root cause of its failure to process asylum seekers expeditiousl;z

"Unfortunately the government is now tÐ^ng to blame these refugees. salng the situation is out of control when many of these refugees have been here sìnce 2001," he says.

As of 2015, there were 10922 individuals needing screening in Hong Kong, 60% of which are new claims, which have increased dramatically in the past two years,

While being granted refugee status in Hong Kong is fairly rare, getting resettled in another country can be protracted. "Resettlement may be very quick, or it may Íake ayear, or it may take a decade," he says.

Gaining refugee status can appe r a hollow victor;r Until resettled, a refugee needs to seek approval from the Department of Immigration to be allowed to apply for a six-month work visa, which is a bureaucratic dislncentive for potential employers.

In Hong Kong, a refugee lives on approximately

HK$2,130

a

month, broken down to a housing

allowance of HK$1,500; and food vouchers of

around $1,430 plus HK$200 for transport.

Asylum seekers who work illegally in Hong Kong face a lengthy prison sentence of up to 22 months. Even working as a volunteer could result in a I 5-month prison sentence.

In Hong Kong, there is a dedicated group of lawyers, church leaders, human rights supporters and numerous others who continue to attempt to make a difference to the lives of marginalised asylum seekers and their children who are born here, and who are effectively stateless until their parents' cases are solved.

But what hope is there for journalists seeking relocation and a chance of a new life in a safe haven?

You would think that international media agencies who rising by 331%. Most of these so readily accepted their stories and video footage from war zones and claims are from Vietnam (2Io/.), RobertTibbo: advocacy for asylum seekers. lawless locations where they feared Indìa (19olo), Pakistan (18o/"), Bangladesh (I2o/.) and Indonesia to send their Western reporters and (l0o/o). production crews, would act responsibly and support The smallest group of asylum seekers is Somali, their very r,ulnerable freelancers when they are forced consisting of approximately 30-40. Somalia is one to flee for their lives?

Most major organisations these days highlight their of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists. The Committee to ProtectJournalists says corporate social responsibility credentials, lncluding major media companies. You would think that they 59 have been killed there sìnce 1992; nearly half of have a duty to support, retrain and employ those those have died in the past five years. they assigned stories and from whom they accepted Tibbo admits the task is Sisyphean. "I'm tired, I'm pitches from places where lives are of little value. really tired," he says. "When I left law school, I wanted The uncomfortable question is -why we as to do some grassroots work and when one or two of journalists here in Hong Kong are not doing more these cases came up I thought, man this is going to be really interesting and these people really need help. to care for our fellow journalists who have risked "l guess it's a Canadian thing. I grew up with a lot their lives to tell the world about human tragedies and who have instead become traumatised, stateless, ol refugees in my Canadian classrooms and I never isolated and voiceless. Particularly as these j ournalists saw them as any different than any other Canadian people, they were my fri.ends." have followed their profession with a passion, Tibbo said in the Hong Kong situation "even if they selflessly wanting to tell the world about the horrors their countries are enduring. win their case they're not allowed to resettle here, and ln my view diversity is the foundation of a strong What we need to do is more than passing the hat society because diversity connects to tolerance, and around, we need to make sure our feliow journalists Hong Kong is not a tolerant society, it has difficulties are supported and equipped to re[urn to their profession. liß accepting diversiqr" THECORRESPONDENT

29

SPEAKERS

Confuciqnism in the erq of X¡ Jinping -

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The comeback of Confucius is potentially one of the most

signiíicant trencis in Cirinese poiitics arìcj cuiture. iìowever, is it for real or is it an attempted bulwark against unwanted Western influences?

Michael Schuman, centre: Confucius is back in vogue.

much ol the past 100 years, Conlucius f,ol l. ' *as vilitied by relormers and revolutionaries

in China who believed the ancienl sage was an outdated relic holding the nation back from a new, glorious future. But today, China's greatest philosopher is experiencrng a revival. President Xi Jinping routinely promotes Confucius's ideas in an attempt to resurrect traditional culture as a bulwark against unwanted, foreign influences. Encouraged, ordinary Chinese are revisiting Confucius's teachings and travelling to the sage's hometown of Qufu. The comeback of Confuclus is potentially one of the most signiflcant trends in Chinese politics and culture.

Author and journalist Michael Schuman in his new book "Confucius and the World He Created", and at an FCC lunch ÌnJanuary, looked at the questions: ls it for real? Could Confucius once again shape Chinese politics and society, as he had during the country's imperial age? And what would that mean lor China's future?

Confucius is defÌnitely back in vogue in Chinese politics today, according to Schuman. President Xi Jinping quotes from Confucian texts so often he

30

THECORRESPONDENT

can sound more like an impenal mandarin than the modern Marxist he claims to be. In 2013, Xi even made a pilgrimage to Qufu, much like the old cmperors oncc did.

However, it is hard to imagine the Communist Paily wholeheartedly embracing and abiding by Confucj.an principles. Despite rvidespread perception, Confucius was not supportive ol authoritarian regimes. Good government, he believed, was based on virtue, not coercion. If a ruler was benevolent, upright in hÌs own behaviour and cared for the weilbeing of the common man, the people would follow him willingly, making force unnecessar;r Toclay's Communist regime would have to change its entire relationshlp with the Chinese people to

qualily as Conlucian. That's why the Communists' pro-Confucius campaign is more likely a propaganda effort to try to convince the public that the cadres are benevolent Confucian rulers deserving of reverence, without actually changing state practices based on Confucian teachings.

Schuman doesn't doubt that Xi and many other leaders are quite knowledgeable about Confucius,

SPEAKERS

and they probably see real value in these ancient teachings. Xi probably believes a stiff dose of Confucian morality can help in his quest to stamp out corruption. Confucius, after all, believed stare officials should govern sel{lessly with only the greater good in mind.

At the same Lime, there is reason to be cynical about the Communists' new love for Confucius. For much of its existence, the party vilified Confucius as a feudal oppressor and tried to uproot his influence

Other speakers in January covered the future of Hong Kong's rail links to China, the future for Hong Kongrs property market, and looked at the case for peaceful demonstrations.

Hong Kong's roil links with Chinq Lincoln Leong, the CEO of MTR

Corp, presented the MTR's plans for Hong Kong's raiiway network - and its China connections - over the next few years at an FCC lunch onJanuary 27 . Thís included new rail 1ines, of rail.

Leong: trains and signalling processes. from Chinese society, often violently Leong has been CEO and a MTR Confucius only became acceptable board member since March 2015 and a member of to the party when it became desperate for a new the Executive Directorate since 2002. ideological foundation for its iron-fisted rule. Amid http ://www. fc chk. or gl no de / 6 3 7 4 the nation's capitalist quest for wealth, the Marxist bombast of the Mao days rings especially hollow. But Politics of conlrolling orgonised crime in Chino with the economy slowing down, the party requires something beyond "delivering the goods" to justify its rule. By resurrecting Confucius, the Communist Party can paint itseif as the defender of Chinese tradition and its government as rooted in Chinese

political history At the same time, the cadres believe Confuclus can help them fend off unwanted democrati,c ideals from the West. By focusing on Confucian concepts like harmony and filial piet¡ the party thinks Confucius can build support for its authoritarian reign.

Confucius, then, has once again become a critlcal player in China's political future.

"One of the great failings of Confucian political thought is that although he spent a lot of time talking about what should happen and how kings should behave and what makes a moral government, he didn't talk about how to get there," Schuman said.

"What happens if your king lsn't benevolent? What are you supposed to do?

"Confucius in his own life chose basically to withdraw once he found he wasn't making any progress in reforming the way the government was run. That's not very useful in getting your government to adhere to Confucìan principles."

Schuman sai.d that what it comes down to is that under Confucianism "you are supposed to be loyal to the emperor, but the emperor also has to be just and

/ Lo; police cooperation needed.

aside.

Professor Sonny Lo, of the Department of Social Sciences at the Hong Kong Institute of Education, dìscussed ì.nsights of his new book, "The Politics of Controlling Organization Crime in Greater China", on how the governments of mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao have been controlling organised crime activities such as triads, terrodsm, narcotics, prostìtution and illegal gamblìng, at an FCC lunch onJanuary 2I. Lo said that state capacities of controlling organised crime vary in these four places and are phenomena reflective of not only state autonomy from the influence of crime groups but also state legitimacy in the combat against criminai groups. Most

Schuman is a Ber¡ing-based journalist who writes about Asia and the global economy He has spent 19 years living and working in Confucian societies in East Asia. He is also the author of the book "The Miracle: The Epic Story of Asia's Quest for Wealth". http ://www fc chk. or { no de/ 637 2

importantly, police cooperation across the different legal jurisdictions could enhance state capacities, autonomy and legitimacy in organised crime control.

Lo's previous books include "Hong Kong's lndigenous Democracy" (2015) and "The Politics of Earthquake Management ln China" (20L4).

benevolent."

A principle that governments conveniently push

THE CORRESPONDENT

31

SPEAKERS

a director of thc board of thc Pctcrson

Institute for International Economics, member of the Council on Foreign Relations, National Committee on USChina Relations, and Committee of I00.

He is also founding chairman emeritus of the Asia Business Council. He serves or has served on the governing or advisory bodies of several think tanks and universities, including the World Economic Forum, Tsinghua University, Fudan University, a

Ìuilrvr r.^i-.^-^i+.. c^..,L^-- il -^l:f^---:^ ^r JUuLltcr r)LL) ur LdIIUIIlla,

Hong Kongl property mqrkel is okoy... for now Hong Kong's property markel is aiive and weII, according to Ronnie C. Chan, chairman, Hang Lung Properties. In fact, it is in its healthiest state in 20 to 25 years, Chan said at an FCC lunch onJanuary 14.

Despite concerns over declining home prices, he said Hong Kong's property market is likely to remain stable this year amid solid demand. Commenting on the recent correction in home prices, Chan said it is normal for property prices to fluctuate within a range of l5o/o to 2.0o1o.

Therelble, thele is no neetl [o¡ the govenuuerrl to remove the property curbs it has put in place for now. And it was a wrong decision to have halted regular iand sales since 2005, which he blamed for the shortage in housing supply and the surge in home prices.

Although home prices declined to a low level 1n 2003 due to a weak economy and the SARS outbreak, the government should have continued with regular land sales to ensure ample supply Nonetheless, property prices are stÌil relatively expensive, as demand is boosted by new couples looking for about 40,000 to 50,000 flats each year, new immigrants and homeowners who want to move to new units.

Chan's outlook for the China retail market was less bullish. He said a combination of falling rents, a weakening domestic economy and the slowdown in retail sales, especially for high-end luxury created a "triple whammy" for Hang Lung's shopping mal1s in the mainland.

He said that retail outlets in Shanghai and Be¡ing wiil weather the storm better than in second and third-tier cities, u,hÌch "are being hit pretty hard".

Stiil, Chan said the longer-term prospects for China retail are good.

"If anything in the economic world is sure, it's going to be consumerism in China," he said. "In the long run wc arc okay, it's just in the short run it ìs very very difficult."

Chan is also co-chair of the Board of the Asia Society and chairman of its Hong Kong Center,

32

THECORRESPONDENT

East-West Center, Pacific Council on International Policy, Eisenhower Feliowshrps, anci The Nfaureen and lviike MansfÌeld Foundation. http ://www. fcchk. orglnode/63 5 9 The power

of peoceful demonslrotions

Harris, right: justifìed civil disobedience

Crowds and riots are as old humanit¡ but peaceful demonstrations are fairly new as

in history Barrister Paul Harris, founder, the Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor and one of the world's leading experts on the history of

demonstrations, explained at an FCC lunch onJanuary 7 how the peaceful demonstration idea started independently in China and in England, how it spread round the world, and how eventually the right to hold peaceful demonstrations was recognised as a human right.

He also talked about why some demonstration movements succeed while others fail, and about rvhen civil disobedience rvac justified.

Harris is a barrister in England and in Hong Kong, and a Hong Kong Senior Counsel. He has represented clients in many hÌgh-profile human rights cases. He was the founder of the Bar Human Rlghts Committee of Lngland and Wales. I Ie has just published "Raisrng Freedom's Banner - how peaceful demonstrations had changed the worìd". http ://www. fcchk. orglnode/6323 ñ

MEDIA

Copyright lqw'o pen to interprelqlion'

Flt

Out

Lf ong Kong's Legislative Council resumed ils I Isecond reading of the controversial Copyright (Amendment) Bill 2014 in December... but didn't get much further. Pan-democrats and others have stalled the debate, with even pro-Beijing parties urgrng the government to withdraw the Bill to start consultations anew. While other critics claim it is "Article 23 of the Internet". ln fact, these delays since then have caused the Bill to be withdrawn.

It's within this context that Boase Cohen 6¡ Collins solicitor Susan Cheung has cautioned Internet service providers and users that key parts of Hong Kong's proposed new copyright law - designed to keep pace with today's digital era - are questionable and open to i,nterpretation.

The Copyright (AmendmenÐ 8i112014 contains exemptions desÌgned to balance the rights of copyright owners and the general public, particularly people who produce derivative works such as pictures, videos and music and share them on the internet.

But, Cheung, whose core practice areas include j.ntellectual property, believes the wordings of these exemptions could be further clarified.

"For example, some wordj.ngs in the amended section ol lair dealing lor crit"icism, review, quotation and reporting on current events lack clarity," she said.

"Creators of derivative works are required to provide 'sufficient acknowledgement' of the original work, but it is unclear as to what amounts to sufficient acknowledgement.

"lt also states sufficient acknowledgement is not required 'if it is not reasonably practicable to do so'. These wordings are a1l subject to individual interpretation and currently are not c1ear.

She continued: "The bili provides that people who produce derivative works and communicate them online are exempted from criminal and civil liability if the work was created for purposes of parody, satire, caricature, pastlche or commentary on current affairs.

"But what constitutes parody, satlre, caricature or pastiche has yet to be tested as these are all new wordings in the Copyright Ordinance. Anything which is interpreted as falling outside these categories will be in breach of the law.

"The amendments effectively put the onus on the public to self-regulate themselves by creating works which do not fall outside the wording of the exemptions."

È I

A banner slogan against 'lnternetArticle 23'

The Copyright Bill is intended to update Hong Kong's copyright laws to bring them in line

with the

modern world's fast-evolving digital and Internel era.

Its aim is to encourage and preserve digital creativity and maintain Hong Kong as an international place of business with a sound lega1 system.

The laws in many major countries such as the US, Australia and those in Europe have already been updated to keep up with the digital world.

Bur the Bill has been widely criticised. It is supported by copyright owners but opposed by lnternet users and pan-democratic lawmakers who say it will inhibìt freedom of expression.

Pan-democrats, who form a minority in Legco, have used various filibustering tactics to delay the passage of the bill since December.

"While the bill brings about a much needed general update to cover copyright works in the digital era, the exemptions seem to tip the scales in favour of copyright owners," said Cheung.

Inlernel Article 23. The amendment bill has been dubbed "lnternet Article 23" by Netizens, internet freedom advocacy groups and some lawmakers. The

blll is intended to extend the protectlon of copyright owners to the internet, however, it could limit the creation and distribution of derivative works, as it did not include an open-ended exemption for "user generated content", a "contract override" nor a "fair use" term.

When the debate began in December Internet freedom advocacy group Keyboard Frontline organised a rally against the Bill outside Legco. Locaiist group Hong Kong lndÌgenous also joined in and urged protesters to wear dark-coioured jackets, face masks and trousers in order to conceal their identities.

The opposition from local netizens stem from worries that using copyrighted works - even if just for personal use and not for profit - could lead to a criminal investigation. They have also rai.sed concerns that new amendments could make ìt an offence to live-stream game-plalnng and to screencap television programmes or movies. lK THECORRESPONDENT

33

BOOK REVIEW

Frederick Forsyth foreign correspondent had seen, and after frantic checking with Washington and Moscoq the story never went out to the world.

The supposedly ominous troop movements were not the start of World War'lhree, merely a rehearsal for a May Day parade.

Forsyth recoLrnts many other escapacles ancl scrapes which many FCC members can relate to

F rom

an carly agc Frcderick Forsyth craved adr.enture. And he found it in spades. Passing up a chance to go to university, he became a jet pilot ìn the RAF [-ater, he hecame one of the hest known thriller writers of our time, the research for which pul him in harm's \May on multiple occasions. A spot or two of freelancing for MI6 helped to make sure life was rarely dull. He also made - and lost - sums of money fhat most foreign corresponrlents can only dream of.

And, before he wrote novels, he was a foreign correspondent, first with Reuters in Paris and East Berlin, and subsequently with the BBC, notably in Nì.geria during tine 1967 -70 civil war. ln fact hìs new book, "Frederick Forsyth - The Outsider", opens with an episode from his time as a journalist. It's hard to put a book down which starts: "We al1 make mistakes, but starting World War Three would have been a rather large one."

That near-Armageddon moment came in the early hours of Aprll24 1964, in the deepest Cold War, when Forsyth was driving to his East Berlin flat "from a visit to a charming young member of the State Opera Chorus". He found his way repeatedly blocked by convoys of lorries packed with Russian troops along rvith lines of tanl<s and artiilcrl., all hcading iowards West Berlin. What could thls mean? Forsyth filed a story to Reuters about what he had seen, "nothing more, nothÌng less. No embellishment, no suggestion, no speculation. Just the facts."

After an understandably huge amount of agonisìng

by Reuters editors, their nerves shredded by the potentially appaliing Ìmplications of what Forsyth

34

THECORRESPONDENT

and which helped to slake his thirst of adventure.

But this is not a book of bar room braggadocio. He writcs at lcngth and with bittcrncss about thc British government's role in the Nigerian cir.il rvar and the famlne in Bj.afra. He clescribes the British Foreign Secretary af fhe fime, Michael Stewart, as "appalling".

Post hj.s time at the BBC, aged 31 and broke, he rattled off "The Day of the Jackal", the first of his l7 books, in 35 days flat and, after a struggle, found a publisher. The movie (in my vieq among the best) followecl.

And the rest, as they say, is history? Not quite. "It was on a bright and sunny morning in the spring of 1990 that l learned that fìnancially I had been completely and utterly ruined." The investment company through whlch he had invested his life savings and was headed by a friend, had collapsed.

He was the victim of a swindle that left him not only penniless but owing one million pounds. He was a

minus millionaire.

There was only one thing for it. "That was, at the age of fifty, to wdte a series of more novels and make

it allback. Which I did."

In the book's final chapter, Forsyth recounts movingly how in 2014, following his 76th birthday, he was able to realise a little boy's dream and fly in a Spitfire, one of several of the World War Two fighters adapted u.ith a sccond coclcpit for a pacscngcr.

So has Frederick Forsyth finally had enough adventure in his life? I wouldn't count on it. lG Jonathan Sharp

I'rederick Forsyth

- Thc Outsider Banlam Prcss rSBN 97rì 0 591 07541 - tì

OBITUARY

Rqy Crqnbourne 1933-20 15

By Terry Duckham, David Thurston, Ken Sadler and Saul Lockhart

'T'he

FCC lost another o[ its iconic, Vietnam War era members when Ray "Cuddles" Cranbourne passed away in Manila in early November. Ray and his wife NÌda had been living between their apartment in Makati, Manila, and their home in Tong Fuk, Lantau island, since Ray hung up his cameras and took up his golf clubs full iime several years back.

Ray worked as a photographer

I

for the Herald Sun newspaper in his hometown of Melbourne before setting off on a marathon world tour by Vespa alter covering the 1960 Ol;'rnpÌcs in Rome.

He travelled all over Europe and the UK before setting sail with his Vespa to New York where he proceeded to crisscross the US extensiveìy belore returning to Melbourne in 1965.

In 1966, Ray set sail for Vietnam to cover the war there, working for Black Star, and where he bought another Vespa to get him around the hotspots in and around Saigon, including during the 1968 Tet offensive.

As the war wound down Ray

moved to Hong Kong along

with many other Vletnam War correspondents and it was here that he married his wife Nida, who he had met in Manila while he was covering the I970 papal visit.

Ray and Nida ran a

photographic studio in Central and, as well as working and traveliing for the major media groups in the region, he numbered several of Hong Kong's leading business groups and government offices among his clients, including Cathay Pacific Airways, Swire, HSBC, HKTA and HKTDC. As well as major poiitical stories, Ray also covered regional stories of visiting

dì.gnitaries and celebrities for Black Star, including Shirley Maclaine, Jackie Kennedy Onassis and his

all-time favourite, Muhammad Ali. Ray was a regular at the Club and a keen supporter of the FCC Goll Society, never missing an overseas tour or the local iournaments. As three of his old colleagues and friends David Thurston, Ken Sadler and Saul Lockhart recount below, he will be remembered fondly and missed by man)¿

for photograph¡ but Ray, with typical lack of pretentiousness, never considered himself as anything more than a good

Dqvid Thurston wriles: "Very saddened to have a phone call just now from Kent Hayden Sadler to tell me that our old friend Ray Cranbourne had not survived a massive heart attack in Manila. He was 82. and must have been one of the last of the singlefigure FCC membership-number veterans, after the likes of Vietnam War boys Charlie Smith, Bert Okuley and Hugh Van Es. "What a dear man he was. Always there with aready wit - "bon mots" he called them, eschewing the French pronunciation in favour of his native "melb'n strine"

craftsman.

"Always ready to help the beginner, whether it be taking pictures or starting out at golf, he was, with me, proud co-founder of the Tong Fuk Golf and Paddy Club to which we would repair after lunch on Sundays and try to hit ba11s into an oÌl drum 100 yards away on a piece of rough swampy land. "l am lucky [o have spent many

Generous with hospitality, he was

passing of Ray Cranbourne. We had been friends for 45 years, our chÌldren grew up together. He taught us how to barbequel "He was a dear, loyal friend. In all the years I knew him, I never once heard him say a bad word about anybod;r It was a privilege to counl him as a friend.

"When Ray and Nida were married, Wendy and I were witnesses at the Registrar's Office, though Ray only asked me to be his best man because he needed to borrow a tie! After the ceremony, he whisked Nida olf on the back seat of his beloved Vespa to

never more at home than when on his roof at Tong Fuk, Lantau, tending ribs, wings and sausages, tongs in one hand, glass ln the other.

"He truly loved to laugh and I never ever heard hÌm say abad

word about anyone.

"Someone must tell the story of hÌm leaving Oz,buytnga Vespa to go and shoot the Rome Ol;.'rnpics

in 1960 and travelling around the world on it. Marrying Nida and leaving the wedding with her perched on the back.

"We shared a common passion

happy hours in his company" Ken Sodler wriles:

"Many tears were shed in our family when we learned of the

THECORRESPONDENT

35

OBITUARY

Gardena Court for the inevitable barbeque. Happy days.

"Ray was a damn fine photographer, although, because he was so modest, he was sometimes underrated. All the years I was at the HKTA, Ray was our official photographer and he always "got the picture", without fail. The HKTA photo library was stacked fuli of his work, much of it briiÌiarit, 'oul iic'ne ol ii accrcclilccl to Ray No wonder Black Star thought so highly of him.

"To me he was .Hnppy Snaps''; to him, l was "Saddie Bags"l We travelled Asia together, sampling the local cuisi¡re, rnainly aL cooked food stalls, which was his passion, and rmbrbing coplous amounts of the local brew. With his mischievous humour and ready wit, he was a greaÍ travelling companion. We got wasted in India, Bali and Papua New Guinea among other places, and more _!"ecentlv ---"_'/ in laos. Bhutan and

Thailand, ofcourse. I thought he was indestructible.

"Our love goes to Nida and Ray's three beautiful daughters, whom we hold very dear."

Squl Lockhqrl wriles: "I first met Ray in late 1966 in Saigon where we were both struggling lreelancers tDnng to cover the war in Vietnam. We crossed paths regularly all over the country... out in the field and in Saigon, at press centres and bars and restaurants.

And then, ilke many ex-Vietnam correspondents, we ended up in Hong Kong. Unlike most, we stayed for decades.

Over the years, we had many

jobs together and spent much time together at the FCC. No matter who I was working for, I could count on Happy Snaps to come through with the pix.

His barbecuing skills were legendary When word reached us in Sydney of his passing. thoughts of bygone repasts on the Cranbourne roof in Lantau and in our front garden in Repulse Bay jumped to the fore.

36

THECoRRESPoNDENT

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A group ofus had kids about the sunny Sundays, we'd often gather with kids and hoses and paddle pools, eskies of iced beer and wine, and of course the BBQ, which in our house consisted of a pair of tiny, rusted Hibachis pilecl high with smoking

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The BBQ was al the opposite end of the garden from the gate.

When Ray and Nida and the girls would arrive with bags ol clobber, Ray would dump everything grab a beer, and work his way gradually across the garden, saying hel1o and

chatting to one and all, but never taking his eyes ol the smoking llil!,i

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Hibachis. The longest he lasred from arrìval to grabbing the tongs was 15 minutes. We usecl to tlme it because we knew that he would take over the barbecuÌng chores, and that was when he was at his happiest, cooking the sausages... bangers and snags were what Ray called them in his Aussie vernacular.

He was the ultimate professional, but he coupled prodiglous photographic talent wrth an abundance of humour and

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goodwill.

Hìs birthday gìft to Alison and me on the occasion of our wedding in August l97l was to photograph the occasion. We treasure those pix, many of which are displayed in our gallery on our kitchen wall. Also on dÌsplay are group pix of parties and dinners "way back in the day" in which I Ray and Nida are prominent.

Ray was an integral part of our decades in Hong Kong. Nida, O Loretta, Raeanna and Cheryle, you É have our love and we will miss him and cherish Ray's memory õ

forever more.

We'll remember Ray as we put ô into practice the art of barbecuÌng s which he taught us. We'1l hold our x q beers and tongs high to toast Ray jn lront ol the barbie, hoping we E do not embarrass him by burning ô the snags. à F !

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Raise your glasses please: "To absent friends." Alas, another is

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added to the long rol1.

K

THECORRESPONDENT

37

Hong Kong's fulure continuedJrompage 13

which is what I call i¡ - remains the pride of Hong Kong people.

"You think Shanghai, say, with her mainland judlcial system and corruption, and lack ol lreedom, could overtake Hong Kong as China's premier city?

You would have to be utterly insane, and stupid.

"Ergo, we must hang on to thÌs holy trinity of a decent judicial sysiem and uncormpted community and genuine freedom until the bitter end. . . or 2047 at ieast.

In my moments of fantasy, I even think Hong Kong could play a vital role in shaping the future of China. "\'À/hl'else u'ould 50 million mainlanders come lloocling Lhrough Hong KorLg every year?

"It's because of our holy triniq¿ This would make the seven million of us in Hong Kong the greatest and lreest de facto Chinese diaspora, which in turn could change the course of Chinese history in our lifetime."

Other subjects that came up during the Q6lA

-

include: Outsidc influcnce on sludenl proleslers. Maybe there was a tiny amount of support by outsiders, "but Ìl you thoughr in our ciry fuli ol brighL, loyal young people require a conspiracy outside of Hong Kong to sllppon a movement - that was genuinely moving - i think that is far-fetched in itself. So, in a nutshell, no.

I have to tell you there are ser-ious and influential people I know - who don't live in Hong Kong but own a lot of Hong Kong - who keep telling me, oh, it's the

CPHo-h¡ gh flyer continued

from page 40

Reuters news agency at 85 Fleet Street in London and was given a perch as a foreign correspondent based in Hong Kong ln 1957. At that time and lor many subsequent years, the bureau operated mainly as a listening post, wlth a cluster ol aerials bristling on a hut on the Peak monitoring regional radio stations and news services, especially those in places like North Vietnam where Reuters at that time had n<r presence.

CP's first worldwide beat with Reuters came in 1959. While he was working the late-night "graveyard" shift, Peking Radio gave what proved to

be a momentous announcement: the DalaÌ Lama had crossed into India after his epic escape from Tibet.

The report prompted a bit of head-scratching on CP's part because the radio, as usual not making a reporter's life easy, used the Dalai Lama's unfamiliar Chinese name. However, after checking that it was indeed the Dalai Lama, CP's story went out. He beat the opposition handily, earning him what is still sometimes known as a "herogram" from his bosses.

]8

THECORRESPONDENT

Americans or CIA. I think that is absolute balderdash.

Should Britain support Hong Kong more. At this trme there is no point blaming Britain. In fact when Britain left Hong Kong it left the territory intact and did not take one cent... and it even paid rent for its consulate building. And you couldn't have a greater champion than the last governor, Chris Patten, in trying to install a system of government or politics that would maximise the possibility ol Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong."

The bookseller who evenluolly emerged in Guongzhou ofler some weeks. "The fact that he left his passport behind must have meant that somebody

fairly hlgh up ìn authority managecl to get him abclucLecl irrto Chirra. Ancl, oI course, llris irrdceci is a very serious matter - not oniy about the breach of the Joint Declaraiion, but as a fundamental principle of the one country, two systems. lt is essential that we stancl fast on this one. It sets an extremely bad exampìe. "l have heard that the Chinese authorities have rLow told Lhe civil servanls whu cany t.rul ihese sor'ts of thlngs not to come Lo Hong l(ong any rnorc as thcy are slightly edgy about the recent bad press. "l know one or two friends who were supposed to go to China for questions but decided not to and askecl to meei ìn Hong Kong insteacl. They have now been told to bring a solicitor or pollccmcn with them to feel safe. In a way th¿ booksellel incident has defused that wind of bad change, which I hope will

carry on."

K

Flying high - literolly After a decade in Reuters, CP moved on to loltier climes in the Hong Kong media arena. Eight years ago he suffered a serious heart attack, but even that has barely slowed him down. He subsequently scaled Mount Kilimanjaro, at 5,895 metres the highesi mountaln in Africa. (He had akeady conquered Mount Kinabalu, Southeast Asia's taliest mountain.)

And, speaking ol heights, CP's 77 -yeavoLd eyes light up when he recalls how he learned to fly light aircrafr. "As a child, I liked ro warch bÌrds fly. lf they can, so can I. But it was not to be for some time, because o[ time and work, money, commitment and other consiraints.

"But the opportunity came in Melbourne in2014 and I grabbed the chance. I was given a ceiling of 3,500 feet and it was exhilarating. Whether flying straight and level in my Jabiru two-seater prop or banking and circling, I felt as free as a bird. It was another world existence altogether.

"And remember, flying is easy. lf you can drive a car, you can fly -- provided you pass a few exams, including some on IC (internal combustion) enginesl" CP

-

a

hlgh flyer indeed.

K

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THECORRESPONDENT 39

LAST WORD

CP Ho

high flyer

By Jonathan Sharp

f

Ho is one ol the FCC's more senior as can bc judgcd from his Club number: 25. But lar from taking things easy, CP, as he is universally known, .P.

lr,-, mcmbcrs,

is acltievirrg ttew clrearns arrci si:aiing new heÌghts -- in more ways than one.

CP quite typically has made no fuss about it: the Geneva-based charity International Social Service (ISS) has elected him chairman of its Boarcl of Gclvernors. This is a c]istincL honour. He is the first Asian to serve in this post at lSS, which was founded more than 90 years ago and has operations in up to 120 countries.

And this job is no cosy sinecure, one where he Ìs a mere ceremonial figurehead, turning up in Geneva once a )/ear for a pro forma speech and a photo op.

Far from it. Indeed, apart from being richly deserved rccognition, what docs this appointment mcan for him? "lt means I will have to work harder to make ISS better," says CP with crisp understatement. "I will also be travelling more, because where there are problems, I shall go and try to solve them," he adds.

And of course there ìs no shortage of problems, wiLh the rrLigrartl crisis errvelopirrg the Micldle Easi and Europe merely being the most obviously pressing one at the present time.

CP says his number one priority now is to ralse funds for lSS, which has a broad range of services, but is best known for helping children and families läcing complex problems centred on migration and re-establishing family links. Since its founding, ISS has helped several million children and famllies

worldwide.

CP cites the ISS branch in Greece as one of several in the organisation in need of financial help. "Our

Greek branch has been operating for many years but of late it has fallen on hard financial times. That is understandable in the context of what is happening in Greece and in Europe. And the Greek government, which helps to subsidlse the Greek branch, is in difficult ecnnomic sfraifs, sn has fo crf dnwn on ifs subsidies. This puts the Greek branch on even poorer

flnancial ground."

CP adds: "So on hearing that the branch might have to close down I have been putting al1 my efforts Ìnto raising money to help the Greek branch." CP's efforts have borne fruit, raising HK$200,000 for the embattled branch. "More needs to be done. Greece must stand on its own feet."

40

THECORRESPONDENT

CP Ho: scafing new heights,

He adds an appeal: "If any kindhearted person is willing Lo clo¡ra[e sonre rrioney, L]rat will be rrrosL welcome." CP also wonders, now that the FCC Charity Bail is no longer with us, whether the Club's new charity programme might consider ISS as one ol its beneficiaries.

CP's second prlority focuses on the expertise avai.lable in individual ISS branches. "Some branches are good at helping children, for example our Swiss branch. Othcr branchcs arc good at hclprng thc elderly, and so on. So it's a question of how the dillerent branches can best use the peopie they have.

The work of ISS is too varied to be focused on one aspect. lt depends on the sj.tuatj.on of the branch at the time and the people it works with."

CP3 irrvolvetrent wilh ISS began about l5 yeals ago when he joined the NGO's Hong Kong branch.

"I was interested in the work of ISS because of the influx of Vietnamese boat people into Hong Kong."

He took over as chairman of the branch when BBC and FCC iegend Anthony Lawrence, who reported on the boatpeople crisis, retired lrom that post.

ISS Hong Kong distinguishes itself by providing a broader range of services - both here and on the Mainland and elsewhere - than its ISS peers. These operatÌons include facilitating cross-border child adoptions, in which would-be parents from as far away as New Zealand have been helped to adopt orphans in Hong Kong. Several of these intensely moving stories, as recounted by the adopting families, have been published in books produced by ISS Hong Kong.

At the orher end nf rhe age spectnrm, iSS helps ro make sure that elderly Hong Kong people who have settled in the Mainland receive their Hong Kong benefits. For details of the full range and depth of ISS

Hong Kong's work, see www.isshk.orgl.

CP's

firsl scoop

Born in Hong Kong but raised in then Malaya, CP trained as an engineer but knocked on the door of

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