Wealth of experience fuels second career
No sooner had former police chief Dick Lee Ming-kwai retired from the force than he turned to a 'second career' - sharing his knowledge and experience with others, including mainland public security officers and cadres.
'Experiences from the 1997 handover are outdated. They [mainland officers] are more interested in security arrangements for international meetings such as the WTO and Olympic torch relay,' said Mr Lee, who is director of the Institute for Public Administration.
He said mainland cities were looking forward to hosting international events.
Apart from public-security officers from Shanghai and Zhuhai , Mr Lee taught Ningbo town planning officials in Hong Kong in a course on governance organised by the institute.
The experience of the police force handling the Korean farmers and protesters during the World Trade Organisation meeting in December 2005 was a useful example of how to handle a crisis at an international event. 'This is totally a PR battle.'
Looking back at the demonstration, which saw the protesters staging a sit-in on a main road in Wan Chai overnight after rampaging and battling with police, Mr Lee said that as the head of the force he had negotiated with the Korean farmers' leader face to face, presenting a clear message and the bottom line of the government.
As a result, Korean farmers agreed to leave Wan Chai passively, and everything was back to normal after a night of rioting. Mr Lee said this success was based on the preparation the force undertook a year before the convention. 'I even wrote a letter to the Korean farmers' leader before they came to protest in Hong Kong.'
Meanwhile, Mr Lee is helping the government promote a programme of healthy eating. He will take part in a 12-episode television programme produced by RTHK, in which he will show the public how to make food in a healthy way - the so-called 'one high, three low concept' of low sugar, low salt, low fat and high fibre.
He is also heavily involved in efforts to promote his favourite sport: tennis. He is helping the Tennis Association raise funds for organising international tournaments in the city.
