Q Are you in favour of smoking bans in pubs? Not only should smoking be banned in pubs, but also in all public areas like restaurants, hotels, bus stops and shopping centres. The measure should be implemented fully and immediately to make Hong Kong a better place to live. Actually, if the smokers were more considerate, it would not be necessary to adopt such a measure. Some smokers' behaviour is really intolerable. They keep producing the awful and smelly smoke which contains tar, nicotine, carbon monoxide and other poisonous gases, and we, the passive smokers, keep absorbing such noxious chemicals. I just don't want to die before my university years! Furthermore, Hong Kong is infamous for air pollution. But cigarette smoke is far more abhorrent than car exhaust, especially the smoke we take in passively. The smokers should stop smoking in all public areas in order not to be murderers. Christopher Yim, St Stephen's College, Tsim Sha Tsui Well done Dublin Jack! You have just earned my patronage. I just hope that other patrons who enjoy a pleasant smoke-free zone will give you full support. Ian Polson, Mid-Levels Even though I don't go to pubs, I support smoke-free pubs as a place where tourists and young people go to relax. The hazards of active and passive smoking are already known to everyone. The situation is awful inside pubs where many people gather in a small space. Quite a number of countries have already banned smoking in pubs and restaurants. Their experience has shown that a decreasing number of patrons in pubs is not always the case. In the long run, the opposite often happens. Diana Wong On Yi, Tseung Kwan O Q Should all lifeguards be paid the same? Hundreds of lifeguards are protesting against unequal pay. However, does equal pay mean better or fair? Certainly not. First of all, Hong Kong is capitalist, with a free-market economy. If anyone controls the price of anything, this will affect the functioning of the market. Prices should be determined by demand, supply and other factors, not simply by an individual. Moreover, the difference in salaries is due to transportation costs. Is it fair to pay the one who works on the islands the same as one who works in urban areas? The difference in transportation costs can be double or triple! So who will be willing to work in isolated areas if the same payment is offered in urban areas? There are still vacancies for highly paid lifeguards in the New Territories. If lifeguards think that after deducting transport costs, the salaries for working in the New Territories are still more attractive, why are there still vacancies.? Also, lifeguards are not volunteers. It is just a job, the same as being a clerk or salesperson. So why don't clerks or salespeople protest for equal pay? Different working locations and different companies mean different salaries. Of course, your ability and experience will also determine your salary. As a lifeguard, if you want to increase your income, working harder is better than protesting against 'unfair' pay. Tracy Lai, Tsuen Wan Q Should the super-jail project be scaled down? The proposed location of Hong Kong's super-prison in a remote, scenic location at a cost of $12 billion and taking 10 years to complete raises questions about the planning process supporting that decision. If existing prisons can be refurbished at one third the cost of building new ones, why are current prisons identified for sale rather than redevelopment at a saving to the public purse? If the overcrowding in Hong Kong prisons is due mainly to mainland overstayers and short-term prisoners, isn't the super-prison an expensive, over-engineered solution to a low-security custodial issue? Doesn't building a super-prison delay more immediate and economical solutions to the problem? Why aren't other sites closer to public transport and community links that provide better support for the rehabilitation being considered? If the economies of scale claimed for constructing a network of prisons and their infrastructure, including an inter-island bridge, will not offset the construction and longer-term costs to the community of locating the new prison at Hei Ling Chau, then why destroy a site with potential for significant tourism and leisure development for future generations? Hong Kong is already paying the price of poor planning decisions in over-building, pollution and environmental decay. Why is the government spending more money on degrading a scenic island location at a time when natural sites close to urban areas are being increasingly valued for their recreational value? Martin Munz, Discovery Bay There is obviously a need for a new super-jail, the reason being that very soon our maximum security prisons will be full of people who have been incarcerated for selling $10 lunch boxes. Neil Keen, Fanling Q Would an abuse review team save children at risk? We need no more reviews of child abuse. Having had so many tragedies over the years where authorities knew children were in need, we need at least a public inquiry into the case of Ng Wing-sum, who died in May last year. The child had been known to the Social Welfare Department all of her short life. The inquiry should have experts and be chaired by a judge or some such eminent person, preferably retired so he or she will not be looking for personal gain. I don't care if an inquiry seeks to apportion blame but the most important matter is to find out what is going on and whether our government officials know what they are doing. We must avoid these tragedies by looking carefully at practice and policies. W.T.Mah, Wan Chai
