WHETHER it's being ripped-off in Beijing, shop-lifted in Shenzhen or deserted for a mistress on the mainland, Hong Kong's fledgling pro-China political party wants to help. Hot on the heels of the Liberal Party's telephone hotline to promote its image, the Democratic Alliance for Betterment of Hong Kong (DAB) has opted for the more subtle approach of setting up a 24-hour service to field complaints about anything to do withthe mainland. DAB heavyweight Cheng Kai-nam said party members had long been hearing grievances about everything from lost luggage at the border to rude Public Security officers, and had decided it was time to do something about it. ''We receive all kinds of complaints. One woman sought help from us after losing her luggage in Shenzhen,'' he said. ''Another man complained he brought a motorbike back to his family home in Guangdong but the police did not allow his family to ride it even though he had all the relevant permission documents. We will offer help in all such cases.'' Common grievances include the long wait for mainland relatives to join their families in the territory, rip-offs in the notorious Guangdong property market, as well as the increasingly common problem of Hong Kong husbands leaving their wives for a woman on the other side of the border. The self-professed pro-China party, which enjoys good relations with mainland cadres, has been assured the complaints it passes on will not suffer the all-too-common fate of being ignored, after DAB chairman Tsang Yuk-shing led a delegation to Guangzhou to discuss the issue with government officials. ''Most of them are professionals, young and open-minded, who welcomed our suggestions and complaints,'' said DAB treasurer Wong Kine-yuen. Among the organisations already involved are the State Land Department, Environmental Protection Bureau, Railway Administration, Port Office, Public Security Bureau and People's Court, as well as the anti-corruption and bribery office. The hotline - which is expected to start later this month - will operate on the DAB headquarters number of 528-0136, with an answerphone to handle calls out of office hours. Extra telephone lines have already been ordered to cope with an expected high demand. Legislator and DAB vice-chairman Tam Yiu-chung said all complaints would be sent straight to the appropriate mainland department, by phone or fax, and DAB officials would continue to pursue the matter until they got an answer. He said he hoped the service would improve the image of a mainland government that is often viewed as closed-door and narrow-minded.
