League lawmakers oppose proposal for Sichuan funding
Some pan-democratic lawmakers have yet to pledge support for an extra HK$3 billion in funding for reconstruction projects in quake-stricken Sichuan . While the Civic Party and Democratic Party have reservations about supporting the new funding - on top of the HK$6 billion granted - the League of Social Democrats is determined to vote against the proposal, which it criticised as 'ridiculous'. On July 3 the government will seek funding approval for a number of projects - including a highway, six medical and health facilities, and 25 rehabilitation projects - from the Legislative Council's Finance Committee. Legco is expected to pass the proposal with the support of the Beijing-friendly camp, despite opposition from some pan-democrat members.
Sort out wage survey before cutting pay, union says
The city's largest civil service union has criticised the government for announcing its pay-cut scheme before solving disputes sparked by the pay trend survey results. The chairman of the Chinese Civil Servants' Association, Peter Wong Hyo, has said many civil servants did not mean to oppose the 5.38 per cent pay cut for those in the upper income bands, but stressed the figure had been extracted from a controversial survey. 'Nobody from the administration has ever tried to understand the dispute surrounding the pay trend survey,' Mr Wong said. The unions were required to reply to the government's pay offer by Wednesday, but the association has yet to submit its response.
KMT members in HK rally for Ma
Hong Kong members of Taiwan's ruling Kuomintang are collecting nominations for Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou to run for the chairmanship. Spencer Tai Cheuk-yin, convenor of the Ma Ying-jeou Fan Club Hong Kong, said the club had obtained about 50 signatures by yesterday and hoped to gather more than 100. Mr Ma declared his candidacy on June 10 and is expected to be the only contender. The KMT has about 1,700 members in Hong Kong and Macau.
Support rises for Taiwan's UN bid
