The door closes on 'Long Hair' once again
Lawmaker 'Long Hair' Leung Kwok-hung has suffered a twin blow in less than a week. After being barred at the last minute from joining a Legislative Council delegation on a visit to quake-hit areas of Sichuan last Friday, he was denied entry to a welcoming banquet for Vice-President Xi Jinping last night. Mr Leung said he was told by officials from the Home Affairs Bureau and the Island Shangri-La that he had been refused entry because he did not wear a suit when he arrived at the hotel in Admiralty. He had prepared a letter to the vice-president calling on vindication for the 1989 pro-democracy movement and investigation of 'substandard construction' in the quake zones.
HK scores own goal on vice-president's visit
Conspiracy theorists speculating over inauspicious omens leading up to the Olympics were given an extra element to consider. Vice-President Xi Jinping is in town with messages of pride and encouragement for the forthcoming Olympics, but on one of his family visits in Hung Hom yesterday, he met a boy fully kitted out in the German national team's soccer strip. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has already said she will not attend the opening ceremony, nor any other event related to the Games. Dr Merkel has also been one of the most vocal critics of Beijing's handling of the Tibetan riots, and has welcomed the Dalai Lama for friendly talks. Let's hope the boy knows who to support when the Games kick off.
Passport move may come too late
Having learned from the public relations debacle over the foreign citizenship of government undersecretaries, a young political aspirant groomed by Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee plans to make a better show. David Wong Chor-fung, 28, tipped to run on a ticket with Mrs Ip for the Hong Kong Island constituency, has invited journalists to witness his application to renounce his Canadian citizenship today. However, unless Mr Wong has some high-powered friends, his submission could come too late. Civic Party members are pessimistic about one of their intended candidates for New Territories East, Ng Gene Bond, renouncing his citizenship in time. The party has been told it could take up to six months to go through the process.