Today, Hong Kong still lacks an anti-racial discrimination law, and sees nothing wrong with imposing a racist tax on Southeast Asian domestic helpers. Not to mention the population's right to live in an environment free of pollution and environmentally induced disease.

What does Hong Kong's standing on the index really mean? We are not 23rd best in the world, just 23rd least objectionable. It is nothing to celebrate; rather, it is an indictment on the sad state of human development elsewhere.

CHRIS DONNOLLEY, Lantau

Just doing his duty

My friend K. K. Lau at the Transport Department ('Harbour clarifications', July 21) is doing the best he can to put a good face on a piece of rubbish.

His problem is that he is a conscientious and loyal civil servant and has been told to go to the Harbourfront Enhancement Committee and make stupid statements like 'Electronic road pricing (ERP) is complementary to the bypass but cannot be implemented until after the bypass is complete'. He knows this is stupid because he knows that the ERP executive summary that was given to Exco says no such thing. It says: 'The need for ERP will diminish after 2010, as the completion of Central-Wan Chai Bypass will relieve the traffic congestion along the main east-west corridor.'

The original ERP report is being treated as a state secret. Will Secretary Sarah Liao Sau-tung please declassify the report and allow 'KK' to distribute it to the members of the committee so that they can come to their own conclusions? He can then get back to promoting schemes that reduce rather than increase the traffic entering the Central-to-Causeway Bay corridor at rush hour.

ANNELISE CONNELL, Mid-Levels

The money chase

I refer to the idea to appoint deputy ministers. The fact is that our ministers are civil servants window-dressed with titles to represent a model democratic government.

Elsewhere, ministers are not rewarded with wealth for stepping down. But in Hong Kong we shower them with severance pay, break-contract payments and accumulated bonuses which are justified given their years of dedicated service.

Furthermore, these ministers are released to share their experience and high-level contacts for higher pay from the private sector and international organisations. Some call it punishment (it is, for the weakened civil service), but others see it as a promotion for the ministers.

If the government provides deputies to the ministers, this will double the chance of such resignations as people are sure to ask the new appointees to be accountable.

LAL DASWANI, Tsim Sha Tsui

Distortions on schools

I am amazed at the distortions in the article headlined 'School management: The government doesn't know best' (July 22), by Chan King-ming.

There are so many inaccuracies it seems pointless to refute each one. Let me just give one glaring example. Mr Chan wrote: 'Under the bill, elected board members can manage the schools, even though their vision and mission may be different from that of the sponsoring bodies.' In the bill, it is clearly stated that the vision and mission of the school are set by the sponsoring bodies and that the incorporated management committees (with 60 per cent of managers appointed by the sponsoring bodies) may not change it.

If one examines the allegations in Mr Chan's article and the actual facts, one can clearly see many devious mis-representations of the situation. Democracy is laudable but has to be underpinned by integrity and honesty. Sadly, some of the so-called pro-democracy elements deliberately mislead the public for their own ends. They have really let themselves and the public down.

PROFESSOR ARTHUR K. C. LI, Secretary for Education and Manpower

Museum opportunity

When the Hong Kong Institute of Architects gave its 2003 Overseas Award to the C. Y. Tung maritime museum in Shanghai, it hoped that this would encourage local architects to pay more attention to heritage buildings.

Alice King deserves a Hong Kong home for her 'Ink-painting museum' (July 27), and many potential candidates have recently appeared in your pages. It would be a great shame if this unique museum opportunity had to follow her father's museum to Shanghai for lack of response here.

NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED

End of era in Taiwan

In 'Painting over the cracks' (July 22), Bradley Winterton described his encounter with a Kuomintang supporter in Taipei. Asked what he hoped to achieve by his protest against the presidential election, the man responded by asking Winterton about love of country, family and God.

Like KMT chairman Lien Chan, the man's stubborn denial of the election results reflects a rejection of a changed Taiwan. The majority of Taiwanese have accepted the passing of the KMT era. They are tired of unverified claims of fraud, conspiracy and wrongdoing.

In contrast to the protesters' denial is the reported request of Faina Chiang Fang-liang, widow of the late president Chiang Ching-kuo, to bury her husband and his father, the late president Chiang Kai-shek, in a military cemetery in northern Taiwan. The two bodies were embalmed in temporary mausoleums awaiting formal burials in their hometown in Zhejiang once KMT forces recapture China.

This signifies the Chiang family's acceptance that Taiwan is now their home and that they have given up their desire of conquering China. They have come to terms with history. How long will it take Mr Lien and his diehard supporters to do the same?

KENNETH CHOY, Mid-Levels

Stay clear of US police

I am truly sorry for what happened to Zhao Yan ('Tourist's nightmare at Niagara Falls', July 26).

But when the US authorities raid a house, one does not go towards it. To execute a warrant, they first secure the premises, that is, kick down the doors and handcuff everyone. Given that suspects are expected to be armed, this is done at lightning speed. There will be no polite requests, just 'freeze'. One cannot expect them to know, in the heat of the moment, at night, that one is a bystander.

And taking pictures of a police operation? That is what the authorities expect terrorists to do. The violence in America is not just in the movies. If one sees police lines, stay clear.

GERALD WOO, Guam