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David Evans

Despite a series of setbacks the cast of Hong Kong's longest-running reality soap-opera are plotting the next scene - the Heritage Committee.

The story so far. Young upstart and Foreign Correspondents' Club president Thomas Crampton - with the full backing of the board - decides to transform the club's main bar.

The plan.

Relocate the central oval-shaped bar to the back of the room to comply with expected government legislation on smoking in restaurants, to tighten up compliance with health and safety regulations and increase revenue by introducing more tables.

The problem.

A small group of members object to the dismantling of one of Asia's finest watering holes and claim members were not fully consulted.

According to Mr Crampton  the proposals have been the most transparent in the past five years' worth of changes.

To date the opponents have resorted to calls for a members' poll, threats of physical violence and legal action.

With work on the main bar now in progress, the group has developed a new storyline.

The five (a sixth is out of town) have called for an extraordinary general meeting to amend the club's articles of association to provide for a new heritage committee to oversee future renovations.

Member Peter Mann writes: 'The main bar has gone. We can now only attempt to avoid a recurrence of such high-handed action by the board and the disregard of such an overwhelming and outspoken appeal by members in the future.'

Mr Crampton said it was understandable that people were upset with the renovations as the bar was viewed by many as a very personal space.

'It is like the board running [amuck] around peoples' living rooms.'

He said the board fully supported the call for an EGM but hinted that proposed changes to the club's articles were likely to meet stiff opposition.

In next week's thrilling instalment, disgruntled members learn it was all just a bad dream and Thomas Crampton gets abducted by aliens.

Just deserts: For the shareholders of Greencool Technology Holdings yesterday's interim results announcement brought good news and bad.

The bad news was that the Chinese refrigerant distributor reported a fall in net profit of about 51.2 per cent to 71.75 million yuan (about HK$67.2 million).

Greencool said its bad news was due to negative reports about the company in the media.

However, there was some good news from the bad news which in turn helped the company's bottom line.

'The company and our chairman of the board Gu Chujun filed charges in court against UBS Warburg and its head of research Joe Zhang [Huaqiao] for defamation at the beginning of this year,' chief executive Hu Xiaohui wrote.

'The case was settled in July, with UBS Warburg and Joe Zhang paying . . . HK$300,000 in compensation.'

Fortunately, Mr Hu is pragmatic about the settlement.

'Although the amount is far from compensating our losses, it has brought us justice and retained our reputation.'

Silent movie: Not making a song and dance about a company in which he owns about 10 per cent is Canto-pop heart-throb Andy Lau Tak-wah.

Oddly enough executives from Growth Enterprise Market candidate Milkyway Image Holdings also appeared keen to shun the limelight at a press conference yesterday at which Mr Lau was not present.

Executives are reported to have become uncomfortable when quizzed extensively on the film production service provider's risk factors in its listing prospectus.

After four questions reporters found microphones mute; preventing further quizzing of film director and chairman Johnnie To Kei-fung. Perhaps he is working on a film he doesn't want shareholders to know about - Silence of the Lambs  (to the slaughter).

Graphic: whee14gbz



Heritage at stake as main bar fans rally