Rather than carrying out his Pontius Pilate act, Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands Michael Suen Ming-yeung should hang his head in shame at allowing the demolition of the Peninsula development in Hunghom even to be considered ('Minister shrugs off blame for housing fiasco', November 18).
Such a grotesque waste of a valuable resource must be placed firmly at the door of a government which is either completely incompetent or corrupted by the power of property developers (or both). Mr Suen is supposed to be reponsible for the creation of a policy for land and housing which benefits all Hong Kong citizens, particularly those in greatest need. However, rather than ensure that much-needed housing is made available to those who would most benefit, he has once again opted to protect the profit of developers.
Can you imagine anywhere else in the world large numbers of people having to live in squalid conditions while their government allows the demolition of hundreds of new properties in order to benefit a few billionaires? Let us hope that this demolition is highlighted around the world so that people can learn just what sort of government Hong Kong has to live with.
MICHAEL RYAN, Tsim Sha Tsui
Rogue company found
I was intrigued by the article about the Hong Kong Tourism Board warning over a marketing company (November 16), and in particular the spokeswoman saying we 'cannot find the company'. One wonders how hard the board has tried in protecting its reputation. Within five minutes of reading the article, I had found the company's website and its address in Wan Chai.
DAVID CHAPPELL, Lamma