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PLA looking in wrong place for our real enemies
There is some poetic justice to the People's Liberation Army's  frustration and threats over the projecting of Ai Weiwei's   image on the walls of  its barracks ('PLA in warning over Ai Weiwei image stunt', April 30). This time at least,  its troops can't shoot the phantom images down or run them over with tanks, as they did to the student protesters in Tiananmen Square  in 1989.  
The PLA's claim that  last month's protest was 'a breach of Hong Kong law'  sounds  hollow, since legal experts in Hong Kong  do not agree. But then we are used to being told such things, starting from the time when mainland officials came to Hong Kong in droves to lecture us on the meaning of 'real democracy'.
 Whether the authorities call something a 'breach of Hong Kong law' or an 'economic crime' or 'incitement to subvert state power' (or whatever) is immaterial - it means whatever they want it to mean.
It is  sad to see a nation's standing army, which is supposed to protect us against our real enemies, stoop so low as to threaten conscientious citizens exercising their right to free speech in support of a fearless artist and human rights activist, who was 'disappeared'  last month.
One can only hope that this is not a prelude to (or excuse for) an expansion of the PLA's powers and presence in Hong Kong.
The only  enemies we need to be protected against  are tyranny, injustice and corruption.
Tony Hung, Ma On Shan  
Light pollution wastes energy
There has been a great deal of discussion about air and water pollution, but many Hongkongers ignore the detrimental effects of light pollution.  
 As tourism  has grown to become such an important part of the economy, more shops are trying to attract visitors with advertising billboards illuminated by neon lights.  
 This leads to complaints from nearby residents, and these displays use up an enormous amount of energy.   
We have the annual Earth Hour  organised by WWF, which helps raise awareness of the problems caused by light pollution, but this does not go far enough. 
We are all responsible, and  individuals should play their part to reduce waste. Even turning off lights when you do not need them can make a difference.  
Angela Wong Ching-man, Kwun Tong  
Safety should trump privacy
I refer to the report  ('No cameras for Temple St after acid hits, police say', April 27).  
 Privacy and safety concerns can appear to be in conflict with each other when there is discussion about installing a monitoring system in a public area.  Having 'eye in the sky' surveillance cameras in an area can act as a deterrent to those wishing to throw acid from buildings.  
Privacy may be compromised, but safety is the  top priority.  If the cameras prove to be an effective deterrent, they can ensure the safety of the public. Moreover, Temple Street is not only densely populated but is also a popular tourist spot. Acid attacks there will damage Hong Kong's reputation abroad.  
I am sorry police have decided not to instal the cameras. They say the rooftops are too dark. This appears to be a technical problem that could have been dealt with.  
I urge officials to have another look at this and come up with other options to ensure public safety. For example, they might consider offering subsidies so security gates can be installed in all old buildings to stop people reaching rooftops.  
Lam Yuen-man, Wong Tai Sin
31pc wage rise could kill SMEs
Michael Chugani wrote two short pieces in Public Eye about the minimum wage law ('HK a slave to wage injustice', and 'Mean times in the catering sector', April 6)  that require clarification.
 He chided the 'bosses' for 'exploiting every loophole to avoid paying a minimum wage of HK$28 an hour'. Owners of small and medium-sized enterprises are law-abiding citizens. Most of them, if they survive the instant increase in operating costs due to the introduction of the new law, are willing to pay employees the statutory minimum of HK$28, which will come to about HK$5,800 a month.
However, if that wage includes paid meal breaks and rest days, which are not compulsory under the law, this would jump to about HK$7,600 a month. A 31 per cent increase in labour costs could spell the end for many SMEs. Chugani  recklessly dismisses the whole  issue by saying it is 'just about HK$5,800 a month, after all'.
 In his second piece, he berates top-end Japanese restaurants for their high charges. He criticises me for wanting to 'help out Japanese restaurants' and says I want to 'be generous to bosses'. The fact is that all Japanese restaurants in Hong Kong, big and small, with high and low prices, have been  hit hard by the earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan and the fears over radiation. Employees and employers will suffer if the government does not help.
 Chugani claims that I had said that the minimum wage should be set at HK$20 an hour, which is not the case. What I said was that following research done on minimum wages in Hong Kong, the rate of HK$20 an hour would have no impact on society whatsoever.
Tommy Cheung Yu-yan,  legislator representing the catering industry   
Monarchy has its advantages
Many people saw last week's royal wedding in Britain as a cause for celebration. Others questioned whether there was still a need for a monarch in Britain.  
I am not a British citizen, but I do not think having a royal family does any harm to the country, as long as the monarch does not do something idiotic or tyrannical. Critics say they cost taxpayers too much, but I think they give Britons a sense of belonging.  
 The monarchy has a long tradition in Britain, and I think people should treasure it and be proud of it. 
Hoiz Au Ho-cheung, Tai Wai
Mui Wo pupils need school, too
I refer to Chan Hoi-yan's letter ('Empty school in Mui Wo must be given to drug rehab college', May 5) and fail to understand the reasoning behind his arguments.  
Your correspondent appreciates the fact that children in Mui Wo must travel two to three hours by ferry to reach their schools and yet argues that the Heung Yee Kuk Southern District Secondary School should be given to Christian Zheng Sheng College to convert into a drug rehabilitation centre.
Why does your correspondent  think Mui Wo children should be made to pay the price for that?
 Isn't it their right to get affordable education in Hong Kong by having at least one school in their locality?
 Why is it so difficult to comprehend the situation of these school-age children in Mui Wo and its surrounding areas (Pui O, Ham Tin, Cheung Sha and Tong Fuk)?  They have to travel for  hours every day to continue their studies, thus leaving them too exhausted to pursue any other interests in life?
 Mui Wo residents are not against any drug rehabilitation centre; they only want the government to provide a secondary school in their locality, and the Heung Yee Kuk school seems to be the only option available. 
A responsible government should listen to the needs of the local people to promote social harmony.
Dyutimoy Chakraborty, Mui Wo
Bin Laden trial  a naive idea
Mark Peaker is correct when he describes the murder of Osama bin Laden  as 'barbaric' ('US was wrong to kill bin Laden', May 5). But he then goes on to say that, had he been captured alive, bin Laden could have been interrogated.
Surely he must know that the interrogation of suspected terrorists in the US often involves torture, which I hope he will agree is equally barbaric. 
Mr Peaker's suggestion that bin Laden could have faced trial in a court of law is naive.  No court, based on the rule of law, would allow the admission of evidence obtained by torture or the threat of torture. 
Despite Mr Peaker's assertion that 'bin Laden was a murderer', it is  not certain that any international court would have convicted him of direct involvement in the 9/11 tragedy; his murder was an expedient solution. 
The US is a rogue state that, when it comes to the 'war on terror' or  if national interests  are compromised, pays no heed to international standards of justice and human rights.
Keith McNab, Sai Kung
Normal rules don't apply
What's the difference if Osama bin Laden was armed or not - his murderous minions have had their hands on the  trigger 24/7.
Bin Laden  did not deserve the courtesy of the normal rules of engagement.
 Navy Seals Team Six are true heroes. And it was good timing on the part of US President Barack Obama. Now if he could apply the same skill and luck to the rest of America's problems, we might have something. 
Theodore Carl Soderberg, San Francisco, US 
Regulate  e-cigarettes
 I think electronic cigarettes should be regulated even though they do not contain nicotine. Apart from nicotine, there may be other carcinogens in [some brands of] e-cigarette, such as nitrosamine, according to some press reports.  
If e-cigarettes are not regulated, the safety of the products could be called into question.  
Li Po-yee, Sha Tin



Letters