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SCMP Reporter

What do you think of changes to the plan for Central Police Station?
Surely H.C. Bee (Talkback, July 19)  is being a bit hard on the good citizens of the Mid-Levels for preferring to keep their hard-earned and costly harbour views rather than exchanging them for a close-up of a black-box cinema.
And the likelihood that the new building would become a Hong Kong architectural icon, but only after three years of noisy construction work, was obviously not sufficient to persuade them otherwise.
Anyway, H.C. Bee has given us a possible solution to the dilemma.
There is a brilliant architectural design for which there is no suitable site; while over in Kowloon we have a magnificent harbour site (the West Kowloon Cultural District), which is desperate for an imaginative architectural icon that will do the concept justice.
Perhaps the two sides can get together and then we could give Sydney Harbour a run for its money.
Bill Greaves, Repulse Bay
What can be done to revitalise the Hong Kong film industry?
The number of films co-produced  by Hong Kong and the mainland dropped from 32 in 2004 to 22  last year. This decrease is cause for concern. I think measures should be taken to reverse this trend.
Firstly, more manpower and other resources should be allocated on the mainland to deal with filmmakers' production applications.
I appreciate that for China this is the 'Olympic year'. The world is watching as China must get it right and ensure the Games events are well organised. But I do not think efforts should be exclusively directed at the Olympics.
The film industry is very important. It provides people with an opportunity to use their creative skills. It also helps the economy in terms of tax revenue. Therefore, we should not abandon the film industry for the sake of the Olympics.
More resources must be put into the film industry to increase the pace of development and to rescue it. And I believe action should be taken as soon as possible.
Mainland authorities have to be more open-minded when it comes to approving film projects.
Also, because of films like Lust, Caution, authorities have been slower than usual to approve applications.
I do not think officials should be so concerned about these films. Especially in the west, subjects such as sex are no longer seen as taboo.
If China wants to be seen as a country with an international outlook, then there must be a more open-minded approach.
The mainland must be willing to accept a wide variety of films.
Once officials have decided to take a more open-minded approach, the rules will be relaxed and it should be easier to get approval for new productions.
An increasing number of film production companies will show an interest in filming movies in China and I think the  industry in the country will have a bright future.
Cheung Kwan-tang, Kwun Tong
On other matters ...
I would appreciate it if  an official would take the time to look into a problem that has been ignored for many years.
I urge the government to get officers  to patrol Victoria Park and nearby underpasses, footbridges and pavements during the weekend.
If hawkers who are Hong Kong residents are not allowed to ply their trade illegally, why should migrant workers be allowed to do so?
These illegal practices lead to the accumulation of a great deal of refuse and it is Hong Kong citizens who pay the taxes that are used to clear the rubbish, which is generated by people who do not pay taxes.
Also, areas where hawking activities are concentrated become congested.
This makes it difficult for pedestrians trying to walk in and around Victoria Park. This park is very popular with families.
Often pedestrians have to walk onto the road, where they are at risk because of the heavy concentration of traffic. Virtually all pavements and underpasses are completely taken over by migrant workers, who are camped out for the day, and by hawkers. Do officials have to wait until someone is knocked down before they take action?
We should all be entitled to use pavements and should not have to take risks by walking on a busy road. The fact is that in this part of Hong Kong, the streets are already congested before the migrant workers arrive.
They are totally unsuitable as venues for people to meet and party, and also unsuitable for hawkers, irrespective of their nationality.
Someone in the government should be held accountable and be made to do something to solve the problem. The problem has existed for decades, yet not even our legislators seem willing to help.
Our government must learn there is a limit to tolerance.
I would like to see this matter  dealt with promptly.
S. Chan, North Point
Thomas Won's letter (Talkback, July 22)  reminds me of an incident I experienced on a train a few days ago.
When I stepped into the carriage, I became immediately aware of a child who was screaming. He was around seven or eight years old and was shrieking, but at the same time seemed perfectly happy. His mother sat beside him and looked at him affectionately.
After around 10 minutes the boy was still screaming and because other passengers were glaring at her, the mother finally decided to do something. She tried in a mild voice to get her child to stop, but he would not.
As I left the train the boy was still shrieking.
What happened illustrated how important it is for parents to teach their children how to behave properly when in public places.
Muk Lam, Mong Kok
One of your readers recently wrote to these columns extolling the virtues of the rapid overseas delivery service of the Hongkong Post.
Although I admire their rapid service to North America, your correspondent forgot to also acknowledge the other major contributing factor - the international dateline.
Due to the fact that the Earth is round and that the globe is divided into 24 one-hour time zones, Hong Kong lies on the opposite side of the Earth to North America.
Therefore,  mail and passengers that leave Hong Kong on one day arrive in North America on the same calendar day. The reverse is true when travelling from east to west, when one arrives a day later.
It is a shame that my primary school principal also fails to acknowledge the fact that the Earth is round, thereby necessitating my early departure from North America to arrive back in Hong Kong for duty the 'next day'.
Philip Richards, Sheung Wan



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