THE E-MAIL FORUM Q Should the AFCD call in professional crocodile hunters? In the current climate where we are trying to promote Hong Kong's image, why not get Steve Irwin, the crocodile hunter, over from Australia to rid our river of this reptile? It would provide great material for one of our recently denigrated documentary producers to highlight Hong Kong's natural wonders to a captive worldwide audience. Unless, of course, James Thompson wants the job of catching it. Bruce Anderson, Wan Chai I would like to express my grave concern about the recent discovery of a crocodile in the New Territories. As I watched the television footage, I was so worried that the crocodile is still in the river and the government seems not to have a solution yet. I understand it is the first time such an animal has been seen in Hong Kong, so I'm not surprised the staff from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department had little experience in dealing with such a situation and were unable to catch the crocodile. However, what I don't understand is why our government does not seek help from experts from nearby countries, such as Thailand, Indonesia or Malaysia. I believe it would not be unfeasible to hire someone to help deal with the situation now in Hong Kong. As it takes less than two hours to fly from Thailand to Hong Kong, I wonder why the government lets its staff wait helplessly on a river bank for days? Cost should not be a consideration - I see no point in risking lives to save just a little bit of money. Hong Kong is a densely-populated area - what if the crocodile attacks just because it is hungry? What if there is not just one crocodile there? I believe the cost of seeking external help would not be significantly higher than having a team of staff standing by the river day and night. I sincerely hope the situation will be resolved as soon as possible without any casualties, and the crocodile can be returned to a more appropriate place. I also think the government should be more humble and seek help when it comes to areas with which it is not familiar. George Lam, Tsing Yi Leave the tadpole alone. It is not harming anyone, it has already been through enough trauma in being relocated to a polluted bog. The AFCD staff have no idea what they are doing. Shoot it with a tranquiliser? How stupid - it will slip under the water, fall asleep and drown. Catch it with a net? How idiotic - it will dash for the water trailing the rest of the net behind it, get snagged on the rubbish at the bottom of the cesspool and drown. Cages? Why put the cages out at low tide? When the tide comes in the trapped croc will drown. Shotguns, for the police? For god's sake, it is a mere tadpole. It seems the AFCD wants to kill this beautiful creature. I am no expert but I have watched many crocodile programmes on television and never have I seen anyone use a trap or try to catch a wild crocodile during daylight. Normally, a big stick with a wire loop is used, then some adhesive tape or rope to tie up the snout. How much money has the government wasted on this creature already? Terry Greene, Yuen Long Q Should EOC boss Michael Wong be sacked? I cannot see any point sacking Michael Wong Kin-chow. Mr Wong should be presumed innocent until evidence is discovered and valid judgments are made by the courts. No one has the right to sack him or seek his apology. Other than the persons concerned, no one really knows the full picture or the real reason why Patrick Yu Chung-yin was sacked. Pure conjecture will not help the situation. Please leave Mr Wong alone and let the courts and lawyers do their work. Fiona Wong Kai-ki, Tsuen Wan Q Should Harbour Fest organisers have used more Hong Kong talent? It is clear the US-oriented Harbour Fest is a great failure. This means that US production can not guarantee success every time. On the other hand, Hong Kong's film industry is emerging. A lot of Hong Kong films have a good reputation worldwide. It shows Hong Kong really has talented people in the film industry. As the Harbour Fest is a local event to boost tourism, it should have used a Hong Kong-based production team to show off our characteristics to foreign tourists. Tourists would then have got a better understanding of our culture. What would make our Hong Kong music festival different from other festivals in the world? It must be our innovative ideas. Hong Kong is a place full of surprises and talent. Simon Lee Hau-man, Tsuen Wan Harbour Fest organisers should have used more Hong Kong talent. Managers and workers in Hong Kong are no worse than those of foreign countries. Managers in Hong Kong are full of creativity and our workers are very hardworking. The cost of hiring local people is low compared with those who travel from overseas. During economic recession, the wages of Hong Kong people are lower - so why not employ them? Local managers are more familiar with the business environment and consumer preferences of Hong Kong people. This will help them make better decisions and set strategies that are most suitable to Hong Kong people. Some may argue foreign managers have more experience in organising large functions - but the result for Harbour Fest has been a total failure. Yeung Chun-wing, Tsuen Wan
