While one can sympathise with the legitimate concerns of most the population in Hong Kong, there cannot be any place for violence and, in particular, speaking as a retired burns surgeon, petrol bombs – they are as evil as acid assaults. The police are being put in an invidious position and those who want to see Hong Kong survive must give them their full support. Let there be no doubt, however, that this social unrest was absolutely predictable. The extradition bill was a diversion or excuse; the reality is that social inequality is getting worse year on year. It was just a year ago that the Post highlighted the 60-page report by the aid agency Oxfam outlining the dangers of the increasing wealth gap in Hong Kong. The report proposed multiple steps the government could take to address the problems. There are so many “experts” and opinions taking up media space but the solutions are already there. I would strongly encourage some responsible members of the government to read the report. I think some of the protesters could also learn a lot, in particular, about how to better articulate their concerns with facts, numbers and evidence. The cover picture of the report says it all. Rolex in the background, dire poverty in the foreground and schoolchildren in between. Andrew Burd, Tai Po Forget protests, how about a property boycott? Mr Alex Lo (“Forget suffrage, just reform the government”, September 14 ) suspects that extremely high property prices are closely connected to Hongkongers’ dissatisfaction with the government. And, of course, the government should do something about it. Short memory, Mr Lo? If Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor or her successor does anything about it, their fate is most likely to be the same as that of former chief executive Tung Chee-hwa, who also wanted to bring this absurdity to an end. Hong Kong needs radical reform. Start with breaking up its property cartel Isn’t it ridiculous that people ask for government intervention to bring property prices down – while their relatives line up and fall over each other in property tycoons’ sales offices? Not long ago, 2 million Hongkongers took to the streets to protest against the government’s extradition bill and other concerns. Now let us create this very unlikely scenario: these 2 million people do not call on the government to “do something” but instead ask their family members to stop buying property for at least six months. This would have exactly the desired effect and, at the same time, save the present or next chief executive from being ousted again, just as Tung was. Roland Guettler, Lai Chi Kok Government land sales are a failed model If the Hong Kong and central governments genuinely want to solve the housing crisis and lack of hope for young people, then selling land for billions of dollars to property tycoons is not a solution. That will just make them even wealthier at the expense of the general public, as has been the case for decades. It is a failed model that has resulted in many Hongkongers living in public housing , and many more on waiting lists. The real solution is for the government to hold on to the 1,200 hectares of buildable land, construct flats via public tender to any company in the world willing to bid for the project rather than the usual local cartel, and then sell the flats directly to the public, without the huge land premium, that is, at an affordable price. Only in this way can young people in Hong Kong have any hope of buying property. Sandra Starc, Discovery Bay