Wonderful city, shame about the smokers

I visited Hong Kong last month and wanted to share my experiences with your readers.

It was clear from all the skyscrapers that Hong Kong is a very modern city. It is also colourful and interesting with a lot of things happening around the clock. The title Pearl of the Orient is well deserved.

I did not find it to be a shopping paradise. Many shops did not display fixed prices and not all foreigners enjoy bargaining. I was reluctant to enter some premises.

However, of far greater significance was the level of pollution. The air was thick with dust and the smell of exhaust fumes and cigarette smoke. Hong Kong people displayed some very strange smoking behaviour.

They lit up everywhere, while standing, while walking and in restaurants while eating, including in supposedly no-smoking areas.

In one restaurant I complained about this to the manager, but no action was taken.

The smell of smoke was irritating and spoiled my meal. According to statistics I have seen, more than 65 per cent of Hong Kong people are non-smokers.

So why does the majority put up with this kind of 'torture' every day? And why does the Government not take action against those individuals who are disobeying the regulations? It should be protecting the interests of non-smokers.

This was my first visit to Hong Kong. If the situation regarding the observance of no-smoking laws does not improve, it may well be my last.

ALAN KENT

Auckland, New Zealand