YOUR coverage of liquor licence problems for restaurant owners (South China Morning Post, July 3) was commendable.
The problem of restaurant and liquor licensing is not new. The same problem was around when I arrived in Hongkong 25 years ago and there has since been little improvement. The poor restaurant and bar owners invest millions, offer employment to lots of workers and generate other economic activity. However, the bureaucracy still prevails, working at a snail's pace and only looking for faults in the name of public safety. There should be a time limit or deadline of, say, three months, otherwise the industry which caters to lots of tourists will decay.
The closure of restaurants is very common as exploitative landlords increase rents by 100 to 200 per cent.
They know that the relocation of a restaurant or bar is very difficult because of the mammoth task of obtaining liquor and restaurant licences. It is high time this problem was solved or else after 1997 and the arrival of Chinese rule, you know what willhappen; such overdue and unjust delay will breed corruption.
Justice delayed is justice denied. A. L. NANIK Indian Restaurant (HK) Limited