bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

SCMP Reporter

Q Should students be retested if their exam papers are lost?

Losing exam papers is not unusual in other parts of the world. What is shocking and rare is that exam authorities fail to  inform the affected students and  cover it  up until the ombudsman uncovers the scandal.

When the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority mishandles exam papers  and fails to provide the results,  students have a right to be informed and compensated, and not left totally in the dark wondering if their time-consuming study has gone to waste.

According to the ombudsman's report, however, the authority has breached  students' basic rights.  A retest may cost a fortune but it is the  authority's responsibility to reassess the affected students, and to punish the corresponding markers.

There is no excuse for the authority in evading responsibility.

Additionally, having a retest would be just another mental torture for the affected students but it is the lesser evil.  The authority should  realise the paramount importance of keeping  exam papers safe.

Chan Ka-shing, Yau Ma Tei

Q Do litterbugs deserve tougher penalties?

Tougher penalties should be imposed on  selfish litterbugs who throw rubbish and spit anywhere.

Most Hongkongers are quite aware of the importance of hygiene since the Sars outbreak. Not only do they care about cleanliness at home, but they also care about public hygiene. To protect Hong Kong and avoid a second Sars outbreak, everybody should follow the strict  rules enforced.

We cannot allow anyone to make Hong Kong a Third World country in terms of  cleanliness, or lack of it.

Some of the elderly fail to comply with the law as they do not realise the importance of hygiene. This can only be improved by a government education programme.

Otherwise it will be difficult for everyone to work together to maintain a spotlessly clean Hong Kong.

Diana Wong On-yi, Tseung Kwan O

On other matters ...

What happened to the man  who died from liver cirrhosis while waiting for treatment is really sad. The legacy of government neglect in the public health sector has its  origins in the colonial era  when everyone in Hong Kong seemed to be making easy money, so a laissez-faire attitude to public services  was taken. But today, things have changed.

At one extreme we have  very expensive and efficient private medical services that are unaffordable for many. At the other extreme we have hugely overcrowded government-run  hospitals and outpatient clinics.

What is missing is the   development of mid-priced  clinics and  hospitals. The government  should facilitate their development through a  national insurance scheme.   Other countries such as South Korea, have developed such  systems successfully, bringing quality health care to  most citizens and  their families.

Soma Das, Quarry Bay

As a Hunghom resident who commutes to work every day via the Cross-Harbour Tunnel, I  am dismayed at its poor management  and the ineffective monitoring of the Transport Department.

This is  not a new problem  but in the past month or so,  ill-conceived measures have been introduced making the traffic situation worse. A third auto-toll gate has opened on the second inbound lane, with the other two at the first and eighth lanes.

While I have every respect for attempts to increase traffic  flow with a third auto-toll lane being opened,  it has been  ineffective. Buses monopolise the auto-toll on the first  lane  and the  new  lane is  under-utilised because  valid vehicles simply have difficulty accessing  it and so  most will  continue to use the eighth lane.

I  sympathise with the traffic  warden who  waves frantically every morning at drivers to come forward to reach the new  lane.

This is not the only problem  as it had  been common practice previously for tunnel staff to shut the second lane  periodically to ensure buses were not caught in traffic jams.

A bigger problem is the abolition of the 'exact change' lane. I have no idea why this simple way of increasing  efficiency was stopped and perhaps the Transport Department can enlighten us on the rationale.

One great achievement it has led to is the disappearance of all the vehicles at the funnel area before the tunnel - signalling a slowing of traffic flow at the gates. As if that's not  enough, we now see the closure of the seventh gate. Hence on a Saturday morning when the gate area is normally clear,  there are severe  jams, but once you get through the toll gate it feels like midnight because there is so little traffic!

Name and address supplied

I usually buy my groceries from the Austin Avenue ParknShop.  Recently, they started a sort of wet market selling fresh red meat which is kept on an uncovered counter.

Being a vegetarian, the sight of meat makes me feel unwell. Also, it's unhygienic for meat eaters too as it is subject to  bacteria and cigarette smoke.

They are soon going to be offering meatballs, like sister concern 7-Eleven, and apparently fish will be on the menu too, which, quite frankly, will make my shopping experience absolutely disgusting.

I'd like to know how  the  ParknShop  chain will differ from the street hawkers who  sell their wares in the open air so passers-by have little choice but to breathe in the fumes. Also, a pre-recorded in-house audio channel advertising the shop's products throughout the store set at a high volume is a source of noise pollution. Using the audio system to play soft music would be a welcome move.

I wonder whether management has ever considered conducting  a customer survey before  imposing such moves on us?

I certainly hope they'll pay due attention to my concerns.

P.K. Kakkar, Tsim Sha Tsui



Talkback