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SCMP Reporter

It looks as if Jason Wong But-sit's luck is running a bit dry.

The former 'boss' of CA Pacific - the family-run brokerage that spectacularly crashed back in 1998 - is facing yet another day in court.

Mr Wong may have thought the tables turned in his favour when he walked free from the High Court in 2000 with a suspended sentence for false accounting.

The jury had found that, yes, he did make a bogus loan agreement but, no, he wasn't guilty of then using it to steal HK$248 million from CA Pacific Finance.

This sum was needed to fund the HK$1.24 billion purchase of Central's Century Square building in late 1997.

Mr Wong found himself on the wrong side the law after his brother Alex called the cops.

The trial also left him in the most unfortunate position of being jobless and cashless, according to heart-wrenching mitigation which also revealed Mr Wong to be living in an 80-square-foot unit in Tai Hang with only a small television for company.

Back to the present. Just three years into his seven-year ban from being a director of a public company, Mr Wong faces the prospect of an even longer sabbatical from running a firm. The Official Receiver is trying to up the disqualification order.

Actually, more than double it to 15 years.

A court date is scheduled for December. And yes, Mr Wong is contesting it. There is, after all, only so much daytime TV a human can bear.

COUNTING THE COSTS

Nine out of ten businesses have been negatively impacted by the Sars outbreak in Hong Kong, according to a recent survey, with turnover affected by anything between 5 per cent and 50 per cent.

Unsurprisingly, it is mostly those in the retail and restaurant sectors the Coface Frontline poll is referring to.

But only 5 per cent have done anything about it - ie, used the Internet to sell products and services, reduced pay or asked for rent reductions.

Lai See, however, must take issue with the next finding in the survey.

Nearly 12 per cent of companies recorded increases in 'administration costs' of between 10 per cent and 30 per cent.

All this because they had to provide employees with masks and clean the office more frequently.

Given that most people buy their own masks and the average price of a huge bottle of bleach is HK$19, Lai See thinks they doth try it on a bit.

BOBBY DAZZLERS

The police do have a sense of humour after all. At least the ones in Avon and Somerset (in southwest England) do.

They have kindly posted a few examples of non-life-and-death calls received by the 999 emergency service.

For example, the woman who could not find her glasses.

Caller: 'Look, I've lost my glasses, the ones for my near-sight.'

Operator: 'Right.'

Caller: 'And I'm trying to get my lunch and I can't see to do my potatoes very well.'

Operator: 'Right, well I'm afraid this is a 999 line and I can't help you with your glasses.'

Caller: 'I'll have to phone the taxi.'

Operator: 'Hmmmm.'

Caller: '. . . to Waitrose, I mean I have to try everywhere you see.'

However, an irate husband who called the 999 emergency line takes the biscuit.

Operator: 'Hello, police.'

Caller: 'My wife's left me two salmon sandwiches which were left over from last night . . . and I'm sat in the chair here and she's out there decorating. She won't put any food on or anything, for anybody, I don't know what . . .'

Life and death in suburbia.



Challenge could see Wong's life go down the tube