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SCMP Reporter

A book signing by Chris Patten ended in chaos in Sha Tin yesterday.

 He was whisked in and out of his only New Territories assignment, leaving angry customers claiming he had discriminated against them.

 Extra police had to be called and a book shop chairman had a stand-up public row with Mr Patten's publisher after the last Governor cancelled a signing and question and answer session at the Popular Bookstore in New Town Plaza after arriving 90 minutes late.

 He signed only a few copies of his book East and West before rushing off to keep an appointment with Tung Chee-hwa.

 Mr Patten asked hundreds of disappointed visitors, some of whom had been queueing for more than six hours, for their 'support and understanding'.

  He offered to send labels signed in London by himself and wife Lavender back to the shop for customers to stick in their books.

 'It's a Sha Tin special deal . . . two for the price of one,' he said.

 'I've got to have a meeting with Mr Tung and as you know it would be disrespectful of me to be late. I want to throw myself on your mercy.'  But angry fans banged on the shop windows and shouted that the labels were 'useless'.

 Cecilia Yip, 18, said Mr Patten had wasted people's time. She had bought a camera just to take a picture of him, she said.

 'I felt love for him when he left in June 1997, but now my dream is broken,' she lamented.

 Many customers took refunds but about 100 said they would only accept signatures in their books, leading to a row between book shop chairman Chou Cheng Ngok and Macmillan managing director Chris Paterson.

 'We want a written proposal to put in the newspaper on how we can deal with it for these people,' Mr Chou told Mr Paterson. 'But if you don't speak Chinese I don't want to talk to you.'  Mr Paterson suggested refunds for all and labels to be sent to everyone regardless of where they had bought their books.

 Earlier, Mr Patten cut the session at the Tsim Sha Tsui main branch of the Swindon Book Company to 300 people, offering to send signed labels to the other 500.



Fans on warpath after Patten signs off early