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SCMP Reporter

Q Do we need pet parks?

We do not need any particular pet park. Animals are our friends and members of our society. They should be welcomed and allowed in all public facilities including parks, public transport and restaurants. Animals have the right to enjoy spacious areas for exercise and social activities and to breathe fresh air as well.

Air pollution is not their problem - we humans create it. Don't put the blame on poor animals. As the Talkback letter writer Cherie Ng pointed out on Monday, pet owners represent only a small number of people in Hong Kong.

So people who sneeze when approaching animals can simply keep a safe distance. People in big cities such Paris, New York and London are mixing well with their pets in daily life. Why is Hong Kong still so far behind in promoting animal welfare?

Leung Tak Man, Tai Koo Shing

Q Would a smoking ban encourage you to eat out more?

There is a funny TV advertisement with an anti-smoking message featuring comic actor Au Shui-man dressed as different characters to tell people that smoking is bad. He said that the chance of dying by choking on BBQ pork bun is nearly zero, while smoking kills about 1,200 people every year.

I think every non-smoker will be glad when smoking is banned. It would encourage non-smokers to eat out more. Of course, I would do it more often.

I am not happy trying to enjoy my delicious food while people sitting nearby are smoking. There is this bad smell that ruins my appetite. I just hate it. So every time I go to a restaurant I always choose a non-smoking area. I want to enjoy fresh air in a restaurant.

However, I  can still be affected by smoke because often the ventilation systems are not powerful enough: smoking and non-smoking areas use the same ventilation system. Such restaurants can be so full of cigarette smoke that it even reduces visibility.

I don't understand how people can eat in this horrible environment. I can't accept it. I think many people have had the same experience, so they don't eat out and only stay at home to eat. I am glad the government is set to ban smoking indoors. This will not only protect our health, but also our right to enjoy fresh air.

So Wai-chung, Tsuen Wan

I am a family man and I don't eat out very often.

Though I hope more restaurants will ban smoking, I really don't think eating out has anything to do with a smoking ban, especially when you like a place so much because of the good food, good music or the good service which makes the place unique.

At a shabby restaurant next to where I work, the cashier and waiter remember me and my taste in food, and they sometimes throw in a few jokes and warm remarks which make me feel at home. Then you don't smell the smoke anymore.

Of course, I don't mean restaurants that are choking you to death with dense cigarette smoke that leaves a bad smell on your clothes long after you have left. I mean in the restaurants where you don't have too many smokers and the pace is leisurely - a place to chat with your friends, a place of your own - and where you won't really pay much attention to  one or two smokers so long as the ventilation is good and the atmosphere is just right.

You really don't mind that lone smoker at all.

At a certain live jazz pub in Tsim Sha Tsui, where the music is great and the musicians are fun-loving people who like to poke fun at the customers with their music, you wouldn't mind the smokers.

Of course, the ventilation and the air conditioning are very good there. You see people smoking, but you don't smell it as much. In fact the rising smoke really adds to the atmosphere as you sway and nod to the loud music while downing good food and cold drinks for a reasonable price.

Zachary Ng Kwok keung, Mei Foo

On other matters...

A little piece buried in an article yesterday on Disneyland caught my eye and left me wondering at the bureaucratic nonsense one sees in Hong Kong from some government departments. Interruptions to rides are now down to 10 to 15 minutes and the delay is caused because staff have to contact the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) every time a ride is interrupted to explain the situation. It is then up to the department to determine whether it is necessary to send a member to inspect the ride before it can resume. What utter nonsense!

I would hope and assume Disneyland has experts on hand to inspect and repair all breakdowns/interruptions and it is their responsibility to ensure everything is safe before the ride is restarted.

If they don't do their job properly they will have to face the consequences which are potentially very serious.

Why is government poking its nose in?  What next, the Government Motor Vehicle Examiner being consulted and checking all buses after a breakdown to ensure they are safe to go back on the road or EMSD checking all lifts before they can be reset after a breakdown?

These types of things are the responsibility of Disneyland, not the government. Indeed, as a taxpayer, the waste of EMSD resources concerns me as does the possible government liability if there should be an accident at Disneyland.

Name and address supplied

What on earth have you done with Pooch Cafe? I can't believe you have dumped the only really witty cartoon strip and kept the deadly boring Helen, the extremely repetitive Hagar and the irritatingly dull Calvin. Bring back the dogs. Let one of the others go.

Mak Kin-to, Kennedy Town



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