I WAS totally shattered when I saw a television programme which revealed that people in a backward village in China had been locked up and beaten by government officials only for the reason that they cannot afford to pay the taxes. In another village called Jingyan in Sichuan, the villagers even said that they had sold blood in order to make a living. They have to pay a large part of their income to the local authorities, but the Government has not done anything to improve the living standards of villagers. Every year people in Hong Kong donate large sums of money to the mainland through many channels and associations. This year a sizeable campaign on the theme of ''reducing disasters and helping the poor'' was launched. The organisers of the campaign have said the donations will go directly to the needy, but how can they be so sure? How can they assure the donors that their money will be used appropriately when local officials in some villages take villagers' property such as chickens and pigs in lieu of unpaid taxes? I think there must be many people who are concerned about where relief funds for China actually end up. LUZERN SAU Kowloon
