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SCMP Reporter

Red tape is not an issue for marine police when it comes to saving lives
I refer to your reports and editorial ('Boating boom strains police', 'Review of marine police role suggested', 'Red tape must not get in the way of saving lives', August 31).
Marine police are fully aware of the recent upsurge in water sports activities. Since 2006, the police have teamed up with various government departments to co-ordinate efforts aimed at promoting water sports safety. Enforcement operations are also carried out regularly at popular anchorages and beaches.
Although rescue operations are a core responsibility of Fire Services Department, effective co-ordination with police is always maintained in tasking resources.
Other rescue options include airlifting of injured persons.  Police launches regularly carry out exercises with the Government Flying Service.
The Fire Services Department has also positioned additional rescue craft at strategic locations around Hong Kong during busy periods to provide additional coverage in the area.
Regarding  first aid equipment, all police launches are issued with a standard first aid kit that conforms to international standards.
In addition to basic first aid and life-saving training at the Police College, marine police officers also attend special first aid at sea and sea survival courses.
Marine police have a good track record with regard to response times resulting in many lives being saved or assisted.
In 2006, lives saved and assisted were 103 and 397 respectively, while in 2007 the figures were 76 and 194.
Very few of these cases involve persons suffering from heart problems.
Nevertheless, your suggestion to equip police launches with defibrillators has been previously considered but their use on small workboats is not recommended by manufacturers as any significant vessel motion is likely to render the equipment inoperable.
Hong Kong is fortunate in having some of the best policed waters in the world, with response times that would be the envy of any maritime law enforcement agency and red tape is never a barrier when it comes to saving lives.
Ng Ka-sing, chief superintendent, police public relations branch
Hong Kong can learn from US sports system
You have been running excellent articles about the Olympics and the need to improve sports in Hong Kong. Joseph Cheng's Observer piece ('Sport comes last for most Hongkongers', September 1),  talked about the creation of sports elites.
There are other important reasons for promoting sport besides national pride, such as lifelong health and pleasure.
Professor Cheng  said the US and Europe offered the 'best chance of becoming a sports star', but  they have two completely different  systems.
In the US  there is no government funding for sports (other than providing venues). Sport is supported by families, schools, private organisations, and corporate sponsors.
The focus is on  the benefits and pleasure that sports provide the individual. Coaching systems  emphasise the fun and satisfaction of  training and competition. This inspires individuals to  keep training after finishing school and aspiring to elite levels.
The system  is far from perfect.  Given its population of 300 million, it should be producing many more gold medals.
Many Americans are overweight.  But the country has lessons for us all: internal motivation is necessary for lifelong sport and health. It can  be a key ingredient for developing a Hong Kong sports elite.
William DuBay, Ap Lei Chau
We never got to meet our Olympic heroes
Shortly after the end of the Olympics, China's  gold medallists visited Hong Kong.
Their marvellous skills in various sports impressed us and helped encourage our feelings of patriotism. Many of us hoped to get a closer look at our Olympic heroes and perhaps have our pictures taken with them and even get to shake their hands.
It was great to see performances by the diving gold medallists. However, it  was disappointing that they had to deal with sub-standard diving facilities at the venue.
We were told we would have a chance to get closer to the champions, but this proved impossible, even though I was one of the few fans to arrive at Ocean Theatre in Ocean Park two hours before the dolphin show started.
All that was required was a  30-minute well-organised autograph activity by various gold medallists, so that the fans could meet the Olympic champions and the athletes could come to appreciate how proud we were of them. Instead, the general public was kept at a distance
What is wrong with just a friendly handshake.
Barry Kwok, Wong Tai Sin
Palin's speech showed nothing has changed
Listening to US Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin's speech, one cannot avoid being shocked by just how much she embodies that overwhelmingly large sector of the US population which is fearful and ignorant and  putty in the hands of the Bush administration's  war mongers.
She referred to winning the war in Iraq and echoed  the Republican slogan 'Country First'; this in an era of globalisation which requires more international co-operation than ever.
As a blind patriot, Mrs Palin is proud of her family's involvement in a war started by disseminating fraudulent information.
All this in just the first five minutes of a 40-minute speech.
Basically, if the McCain/Palin ticket wins, the attempt to maintain US power via an increase in military conflict, when necessary pre-emptive, is assured as the Republican message is still the same. As Mrs Palin said herself, she's a 'hockey mom' which is a 'pit bull with lipstick'.
Her  attempt at humour and connecting with the 'small town folk', fails to mask the belligerence of the Republican agenda.
Peter Daignault, Mid-Levels
Important fishing culture worth saving
Fishing is a sunset industry only if you let the sun set. However, we the people, government and the fishing industry must  be the ones to decide if fishing should be allowed to die ('Ban on trawlers planned to save fish', September 4).
Hong Kong has a long heritage in sea fishing and this should not be so lightly swept  aside. So many Hong Kong people work in the industry and we have  regular festivals of the sea. It is part of our culture.
Look at the effects of previous bans, for example, with pig breeding on Lantau. Along with that ban, chicken rearing was limited to  12 birds. Now, there is absolutely nothing and gardeners cannot even get manure.
Where there should be a thriving local industry of  market gardening with small farms, you now have only a few souls planting a row of vegetables, because they love the land. The culture associated with this kind of farming and the folklore associated with it is  nearly lost.
Similarly, fisherfolk from the islands and towns like Aberdeen have their own culture.
Yes, fish conservation and proper management and a ban on commercial large-scale fishing in inshore waters are important. However, we should not stop that man and his wife in their skulled boat from laying their pots and lines. How else are the fisher-people to spend their later years?  It is just like a farmer who, as he is getting on a bit, has a small garden, just to keep his hand in.
It is the same with the fisherman.
Tony Henderson, chairman, Humanist Association of Hong Kong



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