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Letters

Long wait for new passport unacceptable
Your article regarding the lengthy process in obtaining a new British passport highlights an important issue ("Passport snag angers city's Brits", May 29).
The new process implemented by the British government under the all-encompassing (and hard to argue against) excuse that this is to improve security, totally neglects the fact that this process effectively denies a person the right to travel at will.
I and my wife have sons living in Australia and New Zealand and sisters in the UK, and would expect to be able to travel within a few hours should anything untoward such as an accident or medical emergency arise. With this new system where your old passport is effectively confiscated for four to six weeks, the British government removes my right to travel.
The only way around this, which I carried out last year, is to make the application in person at the passport office in Britain. You can make an appointment three weeks in advance, but only when using a UK phone. To be fair the actual process was carried out efficiently; I left with a new passport in hand just six hours after handing in my application, lighter by over £100 (HK$1,300).
Interestingly, the small coffee shop opposite the passport office near Victoria station was full at 8.30 in the morning with people doing exactly the same as me. One gentleman I spoke to had flown in from Dubai that morning just to carry out his renewal.
Why is it that the British government has to make such a gigantic procedure out of what should be a routine, efficient, process to renew one's travel document?
We live in a world where travel is an everyday necessity, yet somehow this message has not got home to the bureaucrats in London, who seem to think that travel is some kind of a luxury only to be undertaken at their pleasure.
R. H. T. Rogers, Sai Kung
 
Knock down Causeway Bay footbridge
One of the eyesores mentioned in Mark Sharp's article ("Now that's a sorry site", May 23) is the bulky round footbridge in Causeway Bay.
In my opinion, it can be demolished as there are street-level pedestrian crossing facilities right under the bridge and within 50 metres on each side of Yee Woo Street.
The bridge has become a sitting-out picnic area for domestic helpers at the weekend and a strategic photo shooting location during protest marches.
By taking it down, it will create more openness and brightness as well as adding more pedestrian space around the area.
Taking things a step further, why can't westbound traffic from Causeway Road have straight-through access to Yee Woo Street?
This can be achieved by relocating the Causeway Bay tram terminus, which is in the middle of the road, to a side street, just like the North Point tram terminus.
Paul Lee, Happy Valley
 
Religion may assist peace process
I refer to your editorial ("'People's pope' grows in stature", May 28) concerning the peace process in the Middle East.
Your conclusion that expectations should not be overly high, as all past efforts have somehow failed in reaching an accord, is justifiable.
However, we should be grateful to Pope Francis for his effort to get the leaders of the Jewish and Palestinian communities to pray together ("Pope invites Abbas, Peres to meet with him in Rome", May 26).
Prayer is a tool, when all efforts have failed, to achieve the required goal.
The question is to which god the prayers will be addressed. Each shall address his own god naturally and consequently there will be three different answers corresponding to three faiths - Catholic, Jewish and Muslim. As your faith so shall be the response.
A possible alternative is to look and discover one God in whom all faiths may abide and in whom the whole of creation rests.
I do not entirely agree with your observation, "Religion is, after all, one of the sticking points to find lasting peace."
A knife in the hands of a surgeon is capable of saving a life while in the hands of a lunatic it may kill. In the same way religion is a perfect science. In the hands of a master it shall save humanity while in the hands of the uncultured it creates wars.
Let each return to the scriptures and ponder over the truths enunciated therein.
K. P. Daswani, Mid-Levels
 
Not convinced by pledges on human rights
I refer to the report ("Video raises new charges of Israel using excessive force", May 22).
An Israeli rights group, B'Tselem, said a security-camera video showed two unarmed Palestinian teenagers falling to the ground, backing its claim they were shot and killed by Israeli troops.
The group said the soldiers were hundreds of metres away and there was no need for them to fire.
When it comes to justice and equality there is a saying that "Justice is in the hands of the powerful". In the mid-20th century, under a UN plan, Palestinians were deprived of part of their lands to enable the formation of an independent Jewish state. Israel annexed more land after winning Arab-Israeli conflicts and the UN and Western powers turned a blind eye to this.
The UN and US always claim to be guardians of human rights, and yet, apart from a few empty words, nothing has been done about the alleged murder of these teenagers.
Claims by America and the UN to be protecting human rights cannot be believed while Israel keeps being granted privileges and Palestinians remain oppressed.
I am reminded of what George Orwell wrote in the novel Animal Farm, "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."
Michael Yu, Tsuen Wan
 
Get more cars off city's roads to cut pollution
Cars are a major cause of air pollution in Hong Kong and our pollution problems are becoming more serious.
There are so many cars in the city and their numbers keep growing every year.
The government should recognise that having so many vehicles is exacerbating pollution levels and it should do something about it.
It should limit the number of private cars that can be sold on the market.
Tsang Cho-him, Tseung Kwan O
 
Restrictions on visitors could hurt economy
Regarding correspondence on tensions between mainland visitors and Hongkongers I agree that we should seek to preserve harmony in society. However, tourists from north of the border have to share some of the responsibility for what has happened and the confrontations that have taken place.
For example, panic buying by mainland citizens and parallel trading in milk formula led to shortages for Hong Kong mothers who had to join long queues for tins of milk. This should not happen with a product that is supposed to be plentiful on the local market.
Some people have also complained about more places in local universities being filled by students from the mainland, making it more difficult for young Hongkongers to be admitted.
I agree with people who argue that this is unfair.
However, I have reservations about the argument that the number of visitors from the mainland should be restricted.
All people who want to come here should be welcomed.
If we impose limits on mainland citizens our reputation could be damaged as could the tourism sector.
It would be difficult to repair the damage in this sector and maintain the image we have of being an international tourist destination.
While mainlanders should be welcomed, they must also learn what is acceptable and what is unacceptable behaviour in the city.
This can help maintain Hong Kong as a harmonious society, because only through having that harmony can we maintain prosperity.
Chan Ka-hei, Tseung Kwan O
 
Diners can decide to order less food
Hong Kong is famous around the world for its variety of restaurants serving different kinds of food.
However, the downside of this is that a lot of food is wasted and ends up in landfills. The city generates more than 3,000 tonnes of food waste every day and volumes have grown over recent years.
There needs to be a change of attitude in Hong Kong. We need to realise that many in the world do not have enough food and that it is something that should be cherished.
The government must try to do more to reduce volumes of food waste by having more recycling bins in residential buildings, including a container that can take food waste so that it can be converted into fertiliser.
However, individuals can also play their part.
When we go to a restaurant we should only order what we reckon we will be able to eat so that we do not leave any leftovers on our plates.
Edwin Tong, Junk Bay


Letters to the Editor, June 2, 2014

Pope Francis prays at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Photo: AFP

Travel warning for British expats living in Hong Kong over passport ‘mess’

Katherine Horgan was told she had to wait up to six weeks for a new passport. With her student visa expiring in days, she will be forced to pay HK$1,200 for a temporary passport. Photo: May Tse

The British consulate in Admiralty is no longer processing passport applications. Photo:  David Wong

The British National Overseas Passport (left) and the standard British passport are differentiated by the latter's European Union label. Photos: Wikipedia, SCMP

What is Hong Kong's biggest eyesore? Ugly side of city exposed by decades of bad decisions

'People's pope' grows in stature with peace-making efforts in Middle East

Pope Francis has made much progress in pushing for an end to the Middle East conflict.

Pope Francis invites Abbas, Peres to meet with him in Rome

Pope Francis prays at Israel's separation barrier on his way to a mass in Manger Square. He called for an end to the "unacceptable" Israel-Palestine stalemate. Photo: AP

Francis and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas embrace in Bethlehem. Photo: EPA

Video of Palestinians being shot renews charges of Israel using excessive force

A man attends to Mohammad Salameh, 16, after he was shot by Israeli forces during a demonstration in the West Bank town of Beitouniya .Photos: AFP

Nadim Nawara, 17, was killed.

Opinion

Your article regarding the lengthy process in obtaining a new British passport highlights an important issue ("Passport snag angers city's Brits", May 29). The new process implemented by the British government totally neglects the fact that this process effectively denies a person the right to travel at will.
