A Hong Kong man has been booted out of his diplomatic post in Britain because of his criminal past and suspected underworld connections.
Wealthy businessman Dr Peter Chen Hung-kee was appointed earlier this year as Honorary Consul in Britain for Vanuatu, the tiny group of South Pacific islands.
But last week the Foreign Office in London was forced to remove him from his position as a representative of the tiny tax haven after they discovered he had been jailed for a total of 18.5 years in Hong Kong.
British officials say he does not meet their 'good character' criteria for diplomats.
Sources said the dumped diplomat returned to Hong Kong from the UK last week and was staying at the Excelsior Hotel in Causeway Bay. But attempts to contact him there last night were unsuccessful.
Dr Chen is understood to have been put forward for the post by the Vanuatu Government because of his business interests there and his contacts with senior officials in the capital Port Vila - including Prime Minister Barak Sope.