Explanations needed

Senior mainland official Lu Ping seems to have caught the mood of the moment with his call for the Government to reveal the reasons behind the sudden retirement of the Director of Immigration, Laurence Leung Ming-yin.

China may have its own reasons for exploiting the affair, but there is no disputing Mr Lu's charge that Mr Leung's hasty departure was 'not normal', and that Hong Kong deserves a full explanation.

It is no excuse for the Secretary for the Civil Service, Lam Woon-kwong, to argue that Mr Leung was not the first to be exempted from the 12 months' notice normally required. Never before has someone in such a sensitive post been permitted to leave almost overnight, without even time to appoint a successor.

Nor does it appear credible to believe that poor health was the sole reason for Mr Leung's departure. While the mental exhaustion cited by Mr Leung may be valid grounds for early retirement, it scarcely explains such a speedy departure. As Mr Lu noted, 1997 jitters can also be ruled out since Mr Leung has excellent relations with mainland officials.

As acting Governor Donald Tsang Yam-kuen refuses to deny Mr Leung was asked to stand down, it seems reasonable to conclude that his departure was not entirely voluntary. And in the absence of official elaboration, rumours are inevitable.

Some are probably false, such as the suggestion that he was poised to work for a private security firm. But that will not stop them circulating unless the Government gives a full explanation.