Lu's time for civil servants

THE Director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs office, Lu Ping, will be able this week to meet more civil service unions than he did last year - despite not having the time to meet their bosses, Governor Chris Patten and Chief Secretary Anson Chan Fang On-sang.

More than a dozen staff unions have been invited to talks on Thursday morning with the senior mainland official on the territory during his week-long visit starting today.

The additional trade unionists include the expatriate civil servants, who were shut out of the similar seminar between government staff associations and Mr Lu last year.

According to Chinese Civil Servants Association president Wong Hyo, other trade unionists from the four major consultative councils representing senior, junior and disciplined officers will also attend.

Arrangements were made for the Former Civil Servants Association, founded by one-time senior officials Nicky Chan Nai-keong and Wilfred Wong Ying-wai, to meet Mr Lu.

Mr Wong said: 'It is good only in the sense that more opinions can be heard because more are invited to participate. But because more opinions can be heard does not mean that more in-depth discussion will be possible,' he said.

It is understood the expatriate officers were excluded last year because of a lack of translation facilities.