HK authorities clearly out of touch with reality
Hong Kong's TVB Pearl report over the weekend shed a little light on the thinking behind the Security Bureau's obdurate insistence in maintaining a black alert for the Philippines, which means people should avoid all travel.
Syria enjoys the same status as the Philippines. We have all seen the television pictures of Syrian troops fighting citizens with guns and tanks. The same can hardly be said of the Philippines, but it still attracts the same threat level from the Hong Kong government.
This is clearly wrong-headed. Over the weekend TVB reported that the Security Bureau had yet to see measures put in place by the Philippine authorities to ensure the safety of Hong Kong tourists and guides. Philippine officials have been to Hong Kong and said they intended to increase the number of police tasked with protecting tourists and set up an emergency hotline, and to provide further training for SWAT teams involved in rescues.
The Security Bureau maintains that these measures have not been put in place. But so what? The Philippines is what it is, but it cannot be said to pose the same risk as Syria or even Pakistan, which gets an amber warning.
How many other countries does the Hong Kong government ask to improve security measures for tourists? It makes nonsense of the system. It's yet another example of Hong Kong seeking to be viewed as 'Asia's world city' - which you would assume means adopting industry best practices - while in reality it is some way off the pace.
