Letters

Why 'Long Hair' felt he had no choice According to Nigel Ng ('Legco jester reaps his just deserts', March 24), legislator Leung Kwok-hung, better known as 'Long Hair', deserves a two-month jail sentence for disrupting one of the so-called public forums on proposed changes to the by-election mechanism held at the Science Museum. However, it was obvious that the administration had taken steps to ensure few dissenting voices would attend the forum. Many people who called up for places as soon as the forums were announced were told there were no places left. Subsequent reports revealed that many of the attendees were planted, and some of those registered did not even bother to turn up. Therefore, I disagree with Magistrate Peter Law Tak-chuen when he said the behaviour of Leung [and the other defendants] had deprived others of the right to express their views. It was obvious that after half a million people voted in the May 2010 by-elections there was significant public interest in the consultation, but the public was excluded from participating in the forums. If the then secretary for constitutional affairs, Stephen Lam Sui-lung, intended carrying out a genuine public consultation, the forums would have been held at much larger venues and places would have been allocated under a fair and equitable system. The magistrate should have looked at the full picture. If the forum had been genuine, then there would have been no need to storm the doors and the incident would not have occurred. The administration, through its own manipulation, brought about the inevitable consequence. While the magistrate may have 'ruled impartially with only the evidence in mind', he should also have given weight to the extenuating circumstances that mitigate the offence. That is how the common law system is supposed to function. Martin Brinkley, Ma Wan Room for cautious optimism Having read the articles by Frank Ching ('Cold waters', March 28)and Albert Cheng King-hon ('Leung's win only the start of a journey into uncertainty', March 28), I am inclined to feel Ching has presented a more fair and reasonable view of the obstacles facing chief executive-elect Leung Chun-ying. The harsh reality in Hong Kong is that there is an absence of genuine political reform, thanks to the central government. However, I hope that the new chief executive could at least provide sufficient housing at a reasonable cost, tackle inflation and ensure Hong Kong has a stable economy. This can be achieved by curbing the vested interests of the rich and powerful. Given that Leung is a self-made man, I feel he can probably do a better job than his two predecessors. Peter Wei, Kwun Tong Tycoons should take initiative In your edition of March 26, there are several comments suggesting that chief executive-elect Leung Chun-ying has to seek ways of working with the tycoons. This puzzles me as, whatever our views about the election method used and the final choice, Mr Leung is to be Hong Kong's new chief executive with the task of leading the government. Surely then it is up to the tycoons to seek methods of working with the chief executive. Or are the tycoons really more powerful and important than an elected (however imperfectly) leader? Patrick Wood, Quarry Bay US fuelling tensions in the region Alfred Wong says that China is wrong in thinking that the US is preparing for war ('Washington wants to strengthen co-operative ties with Beijing', March 28). He turns our attention instead to the diplomatic efforts made by the current and previous US administrations to strengthen ties. Your correspondent may be mistaking diplomatic efforts for events in the real world, which Beijing naturally takes very seriously. In its 2006 Quadrennial Defence Review, the Pentagon foreshadowed a shift away from the Atlantic, with the allocation of at least six aircraft carriers and 60 per cent of America's submarines to the Pacific. Over the past two years, the US has steadily strengthened its military alliances and ties throughout the Indo-Pacific region, especially with Japan, India and Australia. It has provided warships to the Philippines, held joint exercises with Vietnam, based combat ships in Singapore, and announced a huge new weapons sale to Taiwan. In November, President Barack Obama announced the positioning of 2,500 marines in the Australian city of Darwin. At an Association of Southeast Asian Nations meeting last year, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton deliberately inflamed tensions with China by declaring that the US had 'a national interest' in the South China Sea and was prepared to mediate territorial disputes between Asean members and China. Encouraged by the US, the Philippines and Vietnam have aggressively asserted their claims in the South China Sea, provoking a series of conflicts. In January, the Pentagon released the report, 'Sustaining US Global Leadership: Priorities for 21st Century Defence', that places China squarely at the centre of American war planning. A catastrophic conflict between the US and China will not come from political leaders' intentions, but from the competition fuelled by the global economic crisis and mounting military preparations on both sides. William DuBay, Ap Lei Chau Runway levy punishes air travellers Hong Kong will benefit from the construction of a third runway at the airport. It can help the SAR maintain its position as a leading financial centre in Asia. The government should try to convince the public that the runway is needed. However, the suggestion that a levy will be raised to pay for the project has proved controversial. The imposition of the levy could lead to higher air fares and this could put off some business people from overseas investing in Hong Kong. The potentially harmful effects of such a levy cannot be taken lightly. The economic benefits of the runway will be enjoyed by all Hongkongers, so why should the cost only be borne by airline passengers? Erica Pang, Sha Tin Disclosure of HIV status was wrong I am puzzled by the disclosure of the HIV status of a recently deceased doctor in the mass media. I wonder how the information was given to the media, and to what end. Shouldn't one's HIV status be kept in strict confidence, even after one's passing? The HIV status of a person working in the medical or the nursing profession should be shown the same respect. Secretary for Food and Health York Chow Yat-ngok had pointed out that the risk of passing the virus from a doctor to a patient is small. The disclosure does nothing but create panic and paranoia. And I cannot start to imagine the negative impact this incident might have on someone who wants to get tested. If one's HIV status can be leaked to the press, posthumously or otherwise, who will have the courage to find out if he has this heavily stigmatised infection? The relevant specialist panel of the Department of Health should do a lot more than just containing the damage caused by this irresponsible disclosure. It should enlighten the public about how people living with HIV should be respected in the community so that no one will fear getting tested. Wu Shun-ping, Sha Tin Live match on betting channel Like many students I am a keen follower of German soccer and enjoy watching the live Bundesliga matches on the iCable Super Soccer channel. On Friday, March 23, I planned to watch the Wolfsburg v Hamburg match, but found it was not on that channel and could only be viewed on the Soccer Betting channel. During the match, the anchors on the Soccer Betting channel talked most of the time about odds, and the commentary was essentially gambling-related. I am under 18 and do not bet, and I felt extremely disappointed about the new programme arrangement. This distorts the core value of a sports channel. Also, this kind of commentary of a live soccer match is unsuitable for younger viewers. I hope Cable TV will take note of my comments and improve its coverage. The betting channel should just be an option that a viewer can choose, not the only way you can view a game. The company's priority should always be to show such live matches on its mainstream soccer channels, which are not devoted to betting. Calvin Lee, Sha Tin