I am British and it was with much amusement that I read the letter from Lawrence Gribben in the South China Morning Post, on February 2. I, too, do not understand the problem with having to obtain a visa prior to entering the mainland at Lowu crossing. However, I do object to his letter on two points. First he calls the UK immigration officers 'clerks' and therefore by implication all immigration officers including ours in Hong Kong. I have a number of friends in the Immigration Department who work on the counters at various points of entry in Hong Kong. Listening to their stories has given me a different perspective on their job. To call them just 'clerks' is insulting to their professionalism. My second objection is to the intolerance he shows in his remarks about the British. I defend his right to be critical, even extremely critical, but do not be so intolerant as to border on racism. The Post has done fine work in exposing racism in various parts of the SAR, but I think this letter went over the line. Once again, I repeat, I do not object to his attacking the Brits in a critical and objective manner. ANTHONY PAYNE New Territories
