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SCMP Reporter

My wife,  a Filipina, is concerned about the penalty for non-compliance in changing to smart ID cards.

She believes it will hit those individuals in our society who  either do not know  about the requirements or are unable to comply with them,  and ultimately unable to pay the fines.

Her reasoning  is based  on the assumption that a significant number of the non-compliers are domestic helpers.

Among her friends who work as domestic helpers, many are not aware of the  mandatory nature of the  ID card change and have therefore not acted.

There are several reasons for this ignorance.

1. All the advertising has been in the Chinese and English media and none seems to have been  directed  at the Filipino expat community in the  language of Tagalog.

This has resulted in a large amount of misinformation circulating among Filipinos.

2. Some employers have told their helpers that it does not apply to them so they need not apply.

3. Helpers have not been given time off to apply and, as the card centres are not open on Sundays, the helpers are unable to act.

I can guarantee that the employers who fit the last two categories will not pay the fines and their actions will not be challenged by the government.  Those  to suffer will be the  individuals in their employ.

It boils down to a complete disregard by this government and a significant number of employers of the rights of those members of our community who are disadvantaged.

A.E (Tony) James Director, Laboratory Animal Services Centre Chinese University of Hong Kong

3g problems are the same as any new technology

I read with interest Carolyn Ong's column last week on Hutchison 3G's service in Britain.

It is not surprising that people are griping about everything from the handset to the service. With every new technology, customer gripes are common.

Let's not forget that when NTT DoCoMo,  creator of the i-mode service, first launched 3G in Japan in 2001, the service was flooded with customer complaints.  The telecoms firm had to recall a number of 3G handsets, there were complaints about the hardware and poor network coverage.

The same thing happened with CDMA2000x1 service in Korea when it was first launched in 2001. But now, both Japan and Korea are held up as  great examples of 3G success.

I think the problems experienced in   Britain are part of problems associated with any new technology.

I would also like to raise my concern about a recent report in an Australian newspaper that new research from the Netherlands has emerged, showing that 3G emissions can trigger minor ailments in humans.

The report sponsored by the Dutch government  found that there was  a significant increase in the number of complaints about headaches, dizziness and 'tingling' sensations  from people exposed to radio emissions identical to those emanating from 3G base stations.

I find this very worrying. I am a regular mobile phone user and I spend up to five hours every day on my phone.

I have headaches  often and I do not remember at any other point in my life being as susceptible to headaches.

I have seen a specialist about it and the results were not conclusive that my headaches were as a result of mobile phone usage.

However, according to other reports, 2G systems are more likely to cause headaches and dizziness to users than 3G systems. I do not understand the science of it.

John Regev

New Territories



Penalties over ID cards are discriminatory