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SCMP Reporter

Environmental degradation ruins Lamma
Oh that the idyllic, sensitive development suggested by Eva Wiegandt ('South Lamma is ripe for series of small-scale developments', April 21) were possible. You only have to take a look at the other end of the island to see that it is not.
In Yung Shue Wan agricultural land is being dumped on and natural habitats are being destroyed. Though there is a statutory outline zoning plan for Lamma which prohibits this, no enforcement action can be taken because Lamma is not included in the development permission areas under the Planning Department.
There is effectively no planning on Lamma. Houses are allowed to be built with no proper access, drainage that runs straight into neighbouring lots, and no landscaping or requirement to leave surrounding areas free of building rubble and other waste.
Government 'improvements' use the same materials and design  found in inner-city areas. Poured concrete and ugly metal fences are the norm. There is no concept of rural design.
Last week in Legco, representatives from the Environmental Protection Department told us that the unlicensed, private landfills that are occurring on Lamma did not constitute a nuisance. Yet, they are causing misery to residents and visitors alike.
If there are any enlightened members of government who would like to make a significant contribution to Lamma by exploring the type of heritage and nature conservation projects outlined by Ms Wiegandt, Living Lamma would certainly like to hear from them. We would like to stop the environmental degradation of Lamma before it is too late.
Laura Ruggeri, chairperson, Living Lamma
Bleak future for young people
Critics of the post-1980s activists have called them rebellious and aggressive because of their radical protests and the speeches they make. Some citizens see them as individuals who want to create trouble rather than sit down and talk. However, when you try to put yourself in their shoes it is easier to understand their motives.
The generation living in Hong Kong after the war faced many problems. They had lived through difficult times, facing diseases and sometimes serious food shortages.  Members of the post-1980s generation do not face the same problems, but they do have issues to deal with which have adversely affected the whole of society. Many face unemployment and have accumulated debts to pay for their education.  Also, prices for flats are soaring. During the war, the main aim of people was to survive. Hongkongers should expect something more in 2010. 
No matter how much money the government spends, it is of little use if so many people face a bleak future, if they cannot get a decent job and if there is no prospect of them being able to develop their careers. How can they repay the government loan for their college fees when they can barely make ends meet? The hope of having a family is a dream that will not be realised when you cannot afford to own your own home. 
When will our officials fully grasp the situation I have described and the  needs of citizens? I hope all those who are concerned about the future will express their concerns in a constructive way so the government can fully appreciate what needs to be done. 
Wendy Ng, Hung Hom
Local children need school
This government has proven its incompetence time and again in its dealings with the people of Lantau.
To quote the Director of the Society for Community Organisation, Ho Hei-wah, speaking about Hong Kong: 'Government officials do not have any sense of crisis and ignore public anger and discontent. The city is really facing the threat of a riot' ('Spin doctor lashes the doomsayers', April 10).
The Lantau Education Concern Group has been asking for the return of its Mui Wo secondary school since 1994.
This is a public facility, paid for with taxpayers' money. Yet the government still debates whether to give it to a profitable drug rehab enterprise instead of allowing it to be a badly needed local school.
If Legco members rode the 7am ferry from Mui Wo to Central, they would find it packed with  exhausted children on their way to school. Their travel time is three hours daily. Their health and family life suffer and  their needs are ignored.
The local group has more than enough children to fill a  school in Mui Wo and has the documented support of parents, local educators and leaders, and the community. Legco officials should take a few minutes to examine this issue with due diligence. So far, these requests have been largely ignored and  there is growing discontent.
Julia Brown, Mui Wo
Observatory must do more
It is beginning to feel like fresh air in Hong Kong should be regarded as a luxury, as it is so rare. 
On March 22  the air quality across the city became so bad that the air pollution index went off the charts. It hit 500, and an API reading of even 200 can be hazardous to our health.  However we were not given any warning of this by the government. And even when they look at such high figures, it is difficult for ordinary citizens to know what they should be doing to protect themselves from the harmful effects of these pollution levels. 
The Hong Kong Observatory should revamp its air pollution index  and alarm systems. This would enable people to have a clearer understanding of the hazards they face depending on the API readings.  When the index is particularly high, there must be regular messages on television and radio, which is what happens when we are affected by a typhoon or heavy rainfall. 
There should be better guidelines and medical help available to at-risk groups, in particular young children and the elderly. More resources should be set aside for public hospitals to deal with problems arising from days like March 22.
Lam Ho-pak, Tuen Mun
Dreadful waste of paper
If, as I suspect, every shareholder in every company listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange receives a telephone directory- sized report from each company in which he/she has invested, I shudder to think of the number of trees that are consumed in the process. And consider the equally huge number required for the production of the company prospectus before the initial public offering. This being Hong Kong, it is unlikely that much of this paper is recycled.
I understand that companies have to comply with certain rules, but surely there is a more environmentally friendly way to do this than through the present, insanely wasteful expenditure of paper.
As Hong Kong is hosting a climate conference in November, reforming this outdated system would be a good way for the city to show that it can 'walk the walk', as well as 'talk the talk'.
Michael Jones, Stanley
Stop whining and start acting
I think the sandstorm from northern China, which exacerbated our pollution levels last month, will have raised public awareness about some of the problems we face. 
That part of the mainland has been affected by such sandstorms for some time. The fact that it affected Hong Kong shows that the problem is getting worse. 
The air pollution index topped the 500 mark. I believe that Hong Kong's poor air quality is life-threatening for some people. Individuals suffering from allergies and respiratory diseases are particularly at risk. Some residents have moved to the outlying islands and avoid urban areas. 
Following the serious pollution levels last month, many Hongkongers chose to blame the Observatory for the failure of its forecasting system.
However, this is a time for reflection. Instead of just complaining we should  all be examining the pollution problem and thinking of ways to improve a situation that is getting worse. 
Mandy Chan, Tsuen Wan 
Innocent girls have little hope
A  brief report ('Yemeni child bride dies a 'martyr'', April 9) probably went unnoticed by most of your readers. It was datelined Sanna and said a 13-year-old girl who was forced into marriage died five days later, her sex organs ruptured.  
Last year I clipped an item from The Economist titled, 'The unhappiest day of her life', with a photo of a turbaned, bearded man glaring straight at the camera, while a veiled 11-year-old girl sitting beside him glances apprehensively sideways, apparently during a marriage ceremony. The text cited the Afghan tradition of selling young girls to pay debts or raise money, and named the photographer as Stephanie Sinclair, who documents women's lives around the world. 
Such crimes cry to heaven to be stopped, but so long as males in backward societies view themselves as masters, this barbaric practice will never be eradicated.
Beatriz Taylor, Cheung Chau
Legal query
I have a question to ask about Macau's state security law. 
Under  the legislation, would it be 'inciting subversion of state power' if one were to publicly suggest in Macau that the reason so many schools collapse  on the mainland when earthquakes strike ('Curse of the 'tofu' schools strikes again', April 15) is due largely to local government corruption and inefficiency, and that this is an issue which would be urgently and transparently investigated by any honest central authority, and those responsible duly punished, under the law? 
J. Fearon-Jones, Macau



Letters