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Outspoken doctor dabbles with heroin and euthanasia

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Alex Loin Toronto

What has one of Hong Kong's most prominent and outspoken doctors been doing since semi-retirement?

The answer could be found at the just finished Hong Kong Book Fair, where Kwong Kwok-hay (pictured), former assistant medical superintendent of the Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital, released his first romance novel.

Angel of Sunset is about a CEO with terminal cancer who hooks up with a heroin addict. She ends up giving him enough drugs to kick the bucket with a smile on his face.

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'It's a statement on euthanasia,' he told LoDown.

'You can't die an assisted death legally in Hong Kong. So to make a point, I portray two illegal acts - drug taking and euthanasia - that add up to a desirable outcome.'

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The good doctor also met quadriplegic Tang Siu-pun at the fair. Paradoxically, he did not think that Mr Tang, the euthanasia advocate, deserved an assisted death. This was because, he said, Mr Tang's living conditions had been improving. What he really needed, the doctor advised, was a woman.

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