Lai See | Why are London barristers calling Hong Kong Treasure Island?
We hear that the prosecutions division has agreed to record-breaking fees for British barrister David Perry QC, Joseph Tse SC and a team of junior barristers to prosecute next year's corruption trial of Rafael Hui Si-yan, Raymond Kwok Ping-luen and Thomas Kwok Ping-kwong, and two others, which could last for up to a year.
The precise fees to be paid at the end of the day will be related to how long the trial actually runs, which could be anywhere between three and nine months.
Given that Perry leads a large legal team on a huge case predicted to run for ages, the lawyers fees overall will likely break all records for a prosecution, with the lion's share inevitably going to Perry. These fees are on top of those already agreed with Perry to prosecute fung shui master Peter (Tony) Chan Chun-chuen, and additional to those he has already received for prosecuting the Nancy Kissel murder trial. While Perry, a favourite of retiring Director of Public Prosecutions Kevin Zervos, will be rubbing his hands, the word from London is that the wigs in the Temple have taken to referring to Hong Kong as "Treasure Island".
Incineration is a sensitive topic these days. The government has for the moment put on hold plans to build one on the island of Shek Kwu Chau near Lantau. There has been growing opposition around the world to traditional mass burn incinerators, which many see as a threat to the environment and public health. There are those who maintain that modern incinerators are safe. Others hold that plasma gasification is a cleaner technology and safer from a public health perspective. All this and more can be discussed at a Public Forum on Thermal Technology for Waste Management in Metropolises, which is being held at the Convention and Exhibition Centre on May 7.
It's being organised by Professor Jonathan Wong the director of the unfortunately named Sino-Forest Applied Research Centre for Pearl River Delta Environment, at Baptist University. Sino-Forest, it will be recalled, is being investigated for fraud and filed for bankruptcy protection in Canada last year.