DBS Bank's safe deposit box incident was caused by a human communication, co-ordination and management problem. Insufficient supervision, risk assessment and management techniques were applied by the contractor, the banks and, above all, the property management company.

Once more, it is very important to understand and apply the techniques of facilities and maintenance management.

C. Kwan, chairman, Hong Kong Institution of Chief Engineers

Q Should banks automatically compensate victims of online fraud?

Bank customers fooled by fake bank websites or bogus e-mails should take full responsibility. I am sure there has been enough promotion of security issues by the police and banks to prevent online fraud. It is customers' carelessness that leads them to log on to bogus websites and lose money. Banks do not need to compensate victims of online fraud automatically.

For those customers whose accounts are hacked into, I think their situation is similar to their homes being broken into and money stolen by thieves.

Sammie Kwan, Kowloon Bay

Q How can we protect children from the internet?

It is an alarming problem that thousand of teenagers indulge in the internet. The most staggering thing is that a few spend up to 21 hours a day online. During this time, youngsters may make friends with bad people, or receive obscene material. It is time we did something to protect students when they are on the internet.

First, teachers can hold activities or drama to teach students that it is dangerous to make friends with strangers online. It may lead to sexual harassment or financial loss.

Excessive time spent online will affect students' health. Parents should watch out if their children become addicted to playing ICQ or browsing webpages.

As the young may receive filthy material on the internet, there should be software programs installed in computers to prevent them receiving such material.

It is our responsibility to protect children from perilous activities. We must not overlook this serious problem.

Cheung Tsz-kwan, Tseung Kwan O

Q Where would you take children to experience nature and why?

As a nature-lover, I highly recommend Tung Ping Chau, an island in the northeastern part of Hong Kong. To me, Tung Ping Chau is a paradise. Nowhere in Hong Kong can you find such a beautiful place. In spite of the increasing popularity of eco-tourism, the island is still not suffering from pollution.

You will feel very refreshed after visiting there. You will be amazed by the fresh air, tranquillity and spectacular rock features.

It is a little bit difficult for children, though. Yet I'm sure they will enjoy the trip if the parents accompany them. Parents can also explain the importance of environmental protection to their children.

You simply cannot fail to enjoy Tung Ping Chau, whether you are a child or not.

Ivy Ng, Sha Tin

On other matters...

What can we trust nowadays? Until now, bank safe deposit boxes were one of my answers. My illusion was shattered when DBS Bank made an official announcement of its most mysterious mistake.

For the victims, it is not only the loss of precious valuables and others of sentimental value, but also the trust in the bank. Can it be compensated by simply giving the victims money? No, the trust is lost forever.

What DBS Bank is unable to remedy is Hong Kong citizens' confidence in bank services. After this unfortunate incident, they may not easily give information to the bank for fear that their information will be disclosed.

We put our stuff into the safe deposit box because we trust the bank. That this unacceptable incident happened gave us insight into how some banks operate.

Andrew Tang Ho-fung, Chai Wan

In recent years, Halloween has become a popular 'festival' in Hong Kong. However, how many people know the story of Halloween? The ancient origin of Halloween is a celebration of the devil called Samhain, just like the lunar calendar's Ghost Festival. Will people hold a party on the Ghost Festival? I do not think so.

Tony Chan, Tsing Yi

Is it just me, or has the MTR suddenly decided to allow awful advertisements on the trains and stations in the past month? I know they are getting bad press for service delays, but I am suddenly very aware of the poor quality advertising that has suddenly appeared around the stations.

Two in particular have caught my eye in the past two weeks. One is for Citic Ka Wah bank, which shows a young female model with a $10 coin placed in her mouth. The first thing kids are taught is, don't stick filthy money in your mouth and second, you may choke.

After a year of Sars and our apprehension about cleanliness, I feel putting $10 coins in the mouth, no matter how pretty the model is, is just poor judgment.

The second advert appeared in stations yesterday for Spaghetti House. In two separate adverts, one for a pig resembling the movie piglet Babe and the second one for a large chicken, both the animals appear to be alive and kicking as sauce is poured over them.

Although I can accept that in a city that lives to eat, it may be seen as acceptable to portray an animal being prepared for consumption while alive, Spaghetti House does little to give children - and adults, for that matter - a sense of respect for the food we eat or any animal they may come across.

What nightmares any child who loves Babe must have, seeing their screen idol covered in a cream sauce.

Callan Anderson, Tai Koo Shing

When I bought a flat in Tin Shui Wai, a district far from downtown, I hoped there would be easy access into the heart of Kowloon in the future. This was key to my decision and made me feel happy moving out to the New Territories.

But where is the easy access and will it ever come? Canton Road and Tsim Sha Tsui East, with its great shopping, dining and entertainment, is a key destination for myself and other West New Territories residents. I knew the transport infrastructure would evolve over time. But haven't we endured enough?

To start off, we have the Light Rail and lengthy feeder bus journeys. The addition of the West Rail is an improvement, but most residents have to rely on the Light Rail to link up with the West Rail and there is still a bus journey from Nam Cheong station at the end of the West Rail to access Tsim Sha Tsui.

The newly planned Kowloon Southern Link was set to finally make the access 'easy' as it extended our rail journey to the tip of the Kowloon peninsula and the heart of Tsim Sha Tsui. Now I hear the KCRC is hesitating about building the planned Canton Road station in the Kowloon Southern Link. It is ridiculous for the rail link to pass right through this key location without giving passengers the chance to get off. It would be like MTR building the Island Line without a stop in Central.

The KCRC's whimsical plan to build a station one day only to discard it later affects hundreds of thousands of New Territories residents.

Its new proposal for the Kowloon Southern Link would require us to spend as long as 15 additional minutes to walk back to Canton Road from the Tsim Sha Tsui East station. We need a Canton Road station - and the KCRC to do the right thing.

Kenneth Pong, Tin Shui Wai

There has been a lot of discussion in the Talkback column over the past few months on the standard of driving in Hong Kong and whether there is a need to upgrade the driving test. I strongly believe the driving test needs to be revamped, as the standard of driving in the city is far from world class.

Very little instruction is given on the rules for entering and driving around roundabouts and I have witnessed many close calls where drivers do not give way to the right and do not indicate as they enter the roundabout. Recently I was driving behind a police car. It did not indicate as it approached the roundabout and did not give way to the right.

How can the police give tickets for bad driving when they themselves do not abide by the rules of the road? We should improve the standard of driving instruction. And licence candidates should be tested on roundabouts and major roads, as opposed to the 10-minute test around Happy Valley most of them get now.

Anita Gidumal, South Bay

I had an unpleasant experience at ParknShop that I want to warn readers about. The gimmick used by ParknShop is 10 per cent off on Wednesdays. It is usually loudly broadcast in the ParknShop in Provident Centre, North Point, that I patronise.

We went on September 29, a Wednesday, but we didn't get 10 per cent off. I called the shop and was told the shop only offered 10 per cent off after 11am that day.

It was unfair to me as I patronised the shop at 9.30am and so I was not entitled to the discount. Can the manager of the ParknShop give a written reply on that sort of weird arrangement?

Iris Wong, Wan Chai