Q What can be done to promote responsible dog ownership? In recent years, there has been a surge in the number of abused and abandoned pets. The reason behind this is that having a pet at home is considered stylish and trendy. Many Hong Kong people do not think twice before following trends. That is fine if it's a fashion trend, but when it comes to the life and death of animals, it is cruel. Children should be taught to have a strong sense of responsibility at home and at school. Parents and teachers should grab every opportunity to teach them that idea. When the children do something wrong, such as forgetting to bring in their homework or giving up doing something they do not like, teachers and parents should tell them that they should not blame others and always be responsible for what they have decided. This simple approach will need hard work and patience. The only way to promote responsible pet ownership among adults is through advertisements, in which greater awareness of the serious impact of abusing and abandoning pets could be raised. I suggest showing some tragic but touching stories of pets. Viewers will realise that having a pet takes a great deal of time and energy. Then more people would consider seriously before adopting a pet. Cheung Ko-chi, Tseung Kwan O Q What do you think of the smoking ban? I think the government and the anti-smoking lobbyists are total hypocrites. It has been decades since smoking was banned in game centres and arcades, but when one walks into any game centre or arcade in Mong Kok or Tsim Sha Tsui, one still finds people smoking while playing video games. Do they really want us ordinary citizens to confront those people, probably with tattoos, smoking inside these game centres? These anti-smoking groups should feel ashamed by starting a new battle front line when they already failed in banning smoking in these amusement facilities. Scott Cheng, Tai Po I am concerned that as reported in the local media, there have been no convictions in the past few days since The Smoking (Public Health) (Amendment) Ordinance 2006 came into effect. While I am not saying there should necessarily be convictions, it seems unlikely that with a massive local smoking population, further inflated by mainland tourists who are likely to be smokers, law enforcement in this regard could not possibly be totally smooth, or that smokers would be entirely compliant. If not, it would imply either the enforcers have difficulty carrying out their duties or that there are loopholes that the ordinance has failed to cover, both of which call for the Tobacco Control Office to quickly look into. I am also aware the complaints report hotline, which many have complained of being busy, runs from 9am to 10pm, which might not be sufficient to accept complaints - at least in the start period of the enforcement. May I remind the Tobacco Control Office this ordinance has been long awaited by non and anti-smokers who deserve a healthy environment to live in. This is a basic human right which surpasses and nullifies the 'right' or 'freedom' to smoke. Enforcers should not be lenient, or else the office and the ordinance would become a 'paper tiger'. Wong, Mid-Levels Q What can be done to curb drug abuse by young people across the border? I am astonished to learn that youngsters aged only 13 cross the border to take drugs. The 24-hour opening of the border encourages teenagers to travel across the border. I wonder if the government will implement laws to restrict under-18s crossing the border after midnight without giving an appropriate reason. Immigration officers should pay extra attention to youngsters who often cross the border. The government should also co-operate with the Shenzhen authorities. The government should seek extradition of the drug abusers arrested in Shenzhen. In Shenzhen, drug abusers only need to pay money to get released. Drug takers should be penalised more seriously. Alan Chu, Mei Foo In my view, schools and parents have a decisive role in curbing drug abuse by young people across the border. More effort should be put into organising healthy activities for the young. The main reason why young people indulge in drug abuse is because they are lonely and bored. Just imagine if you have a healthy habit, will you abuse drugs? Definitely not. Parents should look after their sons or daughters carefully to ensure that they do not become addicted to drugs. However, if parents detect that their children are abusing drugs, parents should stop them immediately and try to get aid from social workers. When the young make an attempt to quit drugs, their parents have to give them love and support. Those things give the young a better chance of success at quitting drugs. Not much money is devoted to educating the young about drug abuse nowadays. The government has to establish more seminars regarding the disadvantages of drug abuse. Furthermore, the government should co-operate with the mainland and the central government should organise more raids on discos. Andrew Choi, Mong Kok Q Is it fair to charge mainlanders more for maternity services? It seems there is a relatively simple solution to the problem of mainland mothers giving birth in Hong Kong and then skiving off without paying the relevant fees. Since the main motivation seems to be to get a Hong Kong birth certificate for their offspring (and hence residency rights) the authorities should simply issue but not hand over the certificate until the mother produces a receipt showing that all her medical expenses have been paid in full. Ron Baker, Tsim Sha Tsui On other matters ... As one who has taught and otherwise worked in classrooms for many years, I find it depressing to read that Kevin Sinclair believes that the prohibition of corporal punishment in schools is 'not necessarily a good thing' [City, January 3]. It is particularly sad that a writer whose pieces are usually reasonable, and often in defence of the underdog, should be so equivocal about an issue as fundamental as the rights of children. The teacher who has to resort to striking a child in order to maintain authority simply has no authority. The lesson learned is that violence overrides reason. In a world where the exercise of such a belief is all too commonly witnessed, we are surely right to protect our students from physical punishment by adults in school. Sinclair asserts that teachers 'need to be effectively in charge of their classrooms'. Quite so, sir. David Coles, North Point Corporal punishment is absolutely not the 'quick fix' as Chan Ho Ling said. It is ideal to tell the kids off for doing anything mischievous but persuasion doesn't work all the time, especially when the prank they do is so serious that it may do harm to themselves or others. Sometimes the punishment needs to be severe enough so as to give them an unforgettable lesson and deter them from doing it again. Every parent and child is so unique that there is no single rule to judge what kind of punishment is the most effective. For some kids, corporal punishment is a quicker and more effective way to guide them into behaving well. But most importantly, as long as the children understand the rationale of corporal punishment and the unconditional love of parents, they would not hate their parents but thank them for disciplining them when they grow up. Davies Parker, Tung Chung
