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Viable waste management plan snubbed
The government's waste management policies and plans, or to be more correct the long-standing deficiency of them, has fired many well-considered letters to these columns.
In particular, the Environmental Protection Department's dogged intention to locate a massive offshore waste incinerator on Shek Kwu Chau has been the source of bitter criticism.
These columns have also been addressed several times by an executive director of Green Island Cement (Holdings), offering a time- and cost-effective plan at a more convenient location.
The department has never responded to these letters, and thus gives the impression that it does not welcome any private sector initiative in waste management - perhaps it prefers to waste public funds? The only comprehensible reason for the selection of Shek Kwu Chau appears to be that it avoids a hostile reaction from vested landed interests if a more logical site in the New Territories was chosen.
Green Island Cement is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cheung Kong Infrastructure Holdings, and according to the company profile, the group is aggressively seeking business opportunities in environmental development.
Those New Territories interests must be powerful indeed if they can cause the government to knock back the interests of Li Ka-shing.
In your editorial ("Rumblings in an empire affect all", July 25) you muse that perceptions "are rife that the tycoon is not in favour with the government, prompting speculation that politics is at play and a push is on to exit our city". As if on cue, I read ("CKI eager to enter new industries as profit grows", July 26) where Cheung Kong Infrastructure has made two major overseas acquisitions - a waste management firm in New Zealand, and a stake in the largest producer of electricity by burning waste in the Netherlands.
While I generally think that Li Ka-shing's footprint has grown too large for the public good in Hong Kong's confined economy, I believe that in the waste management sector we urgently need all the help we can get.
It is a sad day for the city if our most successful businessman is investing in waste management overseas because the government is stymieing private enterprise here in Hong Kong.
Frank Lee, Mid-Levels
 
Overlooking complexity of airspace
Due to the geographic location of Chek Lap Kok airport, the justification for the third runway is undoubtedly a complex exercise.
Keith Moran's assertion that the key element to efficiency is air-traffic control comes from a common lack of understanding ("Air-traffic controllers the key element", July 27). A superficial comparison with Heathrow does nothing but harm the reputation and dedication of Hong Kong's air-traffic controllers.
It overlooks the complexity of airspace, impact of terrain, lack of centralised flow control, single departure tracks, inability to turn traffic operating from the southern runway and the impact of weather through our two extremely narrow arrival corridors.
New York is similar in complexity to Hong Kong with the close proximity of busy airports. However, by being controlled and regulated by a single authority, the entire airspace model and operations are designed to optimise and integrate aircraft movements.
This is not possible in Hong Kong for political reasons. Five or more competing national interests and four nearby airfields govern our operations.
A1, the major air route running along the coast of China, is considered the busiest on the planet. It is a two-way route unlike any busy motorway that separates traffic.
The complexity faced on a daily basis by our controllers managing departing and arriving traffic into and crossing this route needs to be factored into the overall performance of Chek Lap Kok.
Mr Moran's solution was for controller training in Britain. Over the past 15 years, a large body of expats, many from the UK and US, have been primary training officers. Those methods and techniques are incorporated into our syllabus.
As a consequence of the rapid growth in air movements, the Civil Aviation Department and the Hong Kong Air Traffic Control Association have been active over the last two years with an educational programme for local airlines, providing aircrew visits and briefings.
I encourage Mr Moran and other aircrew to contact either body to obtain the facts rather than comment publicly and cloud the third runway debate. Communication and understanding between aircrew and air-traffic controllers is vital to safe operations.
Mike O'Neill, president, Hong Kong Air Traffic Control Association
 
Cathay's new website has problems
Recently Cathay Pacific revamped its website and it is full of software bugs.
My preflight notifications by e-mail and on my mobile are delivered in Chinese. I cannot reach a human anywhere in the system. Has the company gone totally autopilot?
When I tried to book a flight on the site it did not recognise Singapore as a destination. "Invalid" was the auto-response.
As a Marco Polo member for decades, this is the first time I have experienced so much disruption.
Can the company explain how such a major decision for a global airline got so throughly messed-up?
Cyril Pereira, Stanley
 
Learning the language would help
Having read Kevin Rafferty's piece on trying to make a bank transfer to his account in Britain ("Japanese banks' maze of rules", July 31), I can only sympathise with his frustration with bureaucracy.
What I have no sympathy for though is his inability to find bank staff who spoke English. I doubt his Japanese wife would be able to find Japanese-speaking bank counter staff anywhere in Britain.
Seeing as he lives in Japan, and has a Japanese wife, maybe he would like to take the trouble to learn Japanese so that he could at least be able to do his daily business with about half the frustration he experienced.
English might be the most popularly learned foreign language, but that doesn't give native English speakers the right not to learn the language of the country in which they live. Nor does it give them the right to expect to be given English-speaking service in a non-English-speaking country.
This is especially the case when English-speaking countries are tightening up on prospective immigrants' language skills.
Roger Phillips, Sheung Shui
 
Ensure people have very clear road map
The comments by the chief executive during his policy address in January about consultation over the 2017 election for the chief executive were unsatisfactory.
Despite all the debate in society on this subject, Leung Chun-ying barely touched on the subject of constitutional development.
If this is the prevailing attitude of the administration it does not bode well for the future.
You cannot help thinking that it will continue to hoodwink the public, and that on this issue it lacks sincerity.
It appears Leung is playing for time, which could make it easier for the central government to find an election that suits it.
Despite protests and the fight by groups and citizens to get the most rudimentary kinds of voting rights, our government appears to want to continue to follow the instructions it is given by the communist leadership in Beijing.
There appears to be an absence of any real planning for the launching of a genuine electoral process for the election of chief executive.
If Hong Kong officials do not start to gather the views of the public on the methods by which the chief executive will be elected in 2017 and Legco in 2016, it will be too late.
The government should come up with a clear road map.
Jack Kan, Tai Wai
 
Sorry about royal family mix-up
We refer to the letter by Jenny May ("Wrong royal named in news report", July 27) commenting on our News at Seven- Thirty broadcast on July 23 on Pearl channel.
Our news and information services division apologises for the mistake made in the news report.
Every effort will be made to avoid a recurrence.
Winnie Ho, assistant controller, Corporate and Community Relations Department
 
Make licence holder legally responsible
Why are the police wasting their valuable time on taxi fare scams ("Cabbies caught charging too much", July 31)?
It should be the responsibility of taxi licence holders to ensure no illegal activities involve their taxis.
If a taxi driver is caught in an illegal activity or the vehicle is not roadworthy, the licence should be automatically withdrawn.
If the licence holder is not responsible, what is the purpose of the licence?
Jason Brockwell, Tuen Mun


Letters to the Editor, August 5, 2013

Green Island Cement's plant in Tuen Mun. Photo: David Wong

Opinion

Letters

The government's waste management policies and plans, or to be more correct the long-standing deficiency of them, has fired many well-considered letters to these columns.
