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SCMP Reporter

Q Do you think anti-spam legislation would hurt businesses?

I refer to the letter of reader Au Ping Kwan  on December 9 expressing his disappointment with the view of Technology Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah   that legislation against spam might obstruct the business opportunities of small and medium-sized businesses.

We fully understand Mr Au's frustration  in receiving an  average of 20 spam e-mails a day, and his  opinion that anti-spam legislation would be the answer that would solve all his spam problems. Unfortunately, it would not.

Spam is a problem that knows no boundaries. According to survey conducted by the Hong Kong Internet Service Providers Association last  December found  only about 5 per cent of the spam received by  the city's internet users originates from Hong Kong.

Local anti-spam legislation would  have an impact on only that 5 per cent.

And yet, if not drafted carefully, the legislation could significantly increase the costs of Hong Kong's small and medium enterprises to market their products and services.

We therefore consider that we need a package of measures to respond to the problem spam presents.

Such a package may consist of  a combination of legislation, industry co-operation, consumer education, technology solutions and international co-operation.

In developing the measures, we need to strike a balance between their effectiveness and potential compliance costs to the businesses or the community.

We are carefully studying the submissions received in the public consultation exercise and hope to put forward proposals for further public discussion soon.

Marion Lai Chan Chi-kuen,  Deputy Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology

Q How much would you spend on a Christmas hamper?

Having been here a year now, the frenzied year-round, conspicuous consumption among the well-to-do in Hong Kong never ceases to amaze me. Does one honestly believe that a very wealthy family or person really needs a hamper filled with eatables that they can afford any time? Do these things mean much to them? These ridiculously priced hampers feature on the same page as Operation Santa Claus. Isn't that ironic?

Instead of accepting gifts that are really nothing special, the recipients should  pledge the same amount to a worthwhile cause and maybe  change someone's life. It behoves both the giver and recipients of the gift to pledge the total value of these hampers to a charitable cause. Publicise this generosity in the South China Morning Post by all means.  Sharing with the underprivileged at a time like Christmas would at least make it a special hamper.

Priti Devi, Mid-Levels

On other matters ...

The gangs of government-paid workers with their insect sprays touring  villages may be wasting taxpayers' money on measures that neither really help nor have any long-term value. Yes, it gives them a job and that's good. But that's all.

Now they are to be 'empowered' and allowed by law onto private property ('More power to help clear mosquitoes', December 9)  They spray into my garden water barrels without realising mosquito eating fish are already on the job. The result is really stagnant water devoid of other life and that is an ideal breeding ground for the mosquito. So for me it's another fishing trip.

Mosquitoes are an inevitable ingredient of freshwater ecosystems. However, a healthy wetland system is also home to many of the mosquito's natural predators, including damselflies and dragonflies.  Amphibians, such as frogs and newts, also live in and around wetlands. During certain stages of their life cycle, they also consume both larvae and adult mosquitoes.

Natural predators include  birds like the flycatchers,  swallows, swifts and martins. Insect-eating bats are another foe. Some researchers estimate that one bat can eat between 600 and 1,000 insects, mosquitoes included, within  an hour. Water fowl consume mosquito larvae in their normal diets. Wetlands and shallow-water areas do not produce that many mosquitoes.

In fact, many of the mosquito species responsible for transmitting  diseases come from stagnant water found in abandoned drums, tires, untended pet dishes  and clogged rain channels. These places are too small to provide proper habitats for the mosquito's natural predators. Bug zappers have been shown to  kill  less than 1 per cent of mosquitoes, while the vast majority of victims are desired  insects, including those that eat  mosquitoes. Pesticides and other chemicals kill mosquitoes, but they are also  most likely to kill all other insects, sometimes fish and often amphibians.

Natural and restored wetlands and shallow-water areas do not become stagnant  if they have a sufficient watershed and are not contaminated by excessive nutrients or pollutants. Natural wetlands, when left to function as nature intended, reduce irregular and misplaced flooding, which helps keep  mosquitoes in check.

In a balanced ecosystem, plants filter the water, use the nutrients and remove pollutants. We have to bear in mind that mosquitoes are part of the foundation of the ecological food web that supports all of us.

Certain areas of Hong Kong not hit by  pesticides  yet are replete with ponds or wetland get few mosquitoes. This is because, without pesticides,  other insects and creatures are allowed to play their part in the ecological whole. It may seem strange to rise to the defence of the humble mosquito, but there is more to the little blighter than at first meets the eye or leg!

Tony Henderson,  Humanist Association of Hong Kong, Lantau

In the past two months, the  media has reported  the benefits  animals bring to humans, and whether property management companies should relax rules on pets. This has rekindled public interest in the topic. The articles prompted us to think again  about the intricate relationships between pets - or companion animals - and humans.

The significance that companion animals play in the everyday lives of humans is gaining  awareness in Hong Kong, where a growing proportion of the population is either diagnosed or admit to suffer from stress-related illnesses such as depression and schizophrenia. In some cases, these have led to suicides.

Although pet ownership's positive impact on human health is still a relatively new concept, substantial research around the world has been conducted, dating back to the 1970s. Subsequent studies relating to the physiological effects companion animals bring to humans - from patients to children - began to sprout not only in the west, but also in Asia and Australia.

In the 1990s, a study was done  at the Baker Medical Institute in Melbourne involving  6,000 people. The study concluded that pet owners had a significantly lower risk of coronary heart disease. Male pet owners had significantly lower systolic blood pressure than non-owners, and the results were particularly apparent with female pet owners under the age of 40.

Numerous research projects were also conducted exploring the relationship between companion animals and children. These discovered that pets played an important role contributing to the social-emotional development of children including self-esteem, which can be nurtured via involvement, positive reinforcement and acceptance.

Recent research indicates a series of positive benefits stemming from child interaction with animals and these are well documented across various cultures. In Japan, a study  found   toddlers   most familiar with animals showed higher levels of leadership, extroversion and altruism.

However,  we humans must also do our part to ensure their well-being. After all, companionship is about reciprocity;  responsible pet ownership is the basis upon which human-animal interaction is built.

Responsible pet ownership includes not only the provision of proper training to companion animals to reinforce proper  behaviour in public (such as  barking), but also involves harmony  between pet owners and non-pet owners.

At the end of the day, if companion animals and humans are to coexist, we must first honour the concept of companionship which rests on mutual respect and care.

The Companion Animal and Research Centre Hong Kong



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