The Correspondent, November 1993

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STORY FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS'

CLUB

The new paper tigers Hong Kong gets a new newspaper under the stewardship of former FCC president Steve Vines.

North Block, 2 Lower Albert Road, Hong Kong.

Telephone:521

l51l

Fax: 868 4092

President - Philip Bowring First Vice Presidetrt - Carl Goldstein Second Vice President - Stua¡t Wolfendale Correspondent Member Governos Paul Bayfield, Dmiela Deme, Simon Holbenon, Brian Jeffries, V.G, Kulkami, Philippe Le Cone, Paul Mooney. Hubert Van Es

The people's banker Willy Purves spoke to the Club just before

he left Hong Kong after almostfour decades with the Hongkong Bank.

I

Severe cases of media whiplash BusinessWeek's Bob Dowling looks at the future of electronic media in Asia.

Journalist Member Govemon K.K. Chadra, Krl rJt¡ilson Assoclate Membet Gove rnors

'

Kevin Egar, David Grcia, Saul Lockhart, Julie Meldrum Profe¡sional Committee: Cotvenor: Carl Goldstein Members: Julie Meldrum, Philippe Le Cone, Paul Mooney, Paul Bayfield Finance Committee

Cul

Simon Holberton,

Goldstein,

V.C. Kulkmi Membership Committee: Convenor: Hubert Van Es

Members: V.G. Kulkmi, Kevin Egm Entertainment Committee: Convenor: Dmiela Deane Memher: David Garcia, Paul Bayfreld, Julie Meldrum Publicatio¡s Comm¡ttee: Conv en o r : Saul Lockha¡t Members:

H.YnEs,

K. Wilson (Editor), Paul Bayfield (Co-opred) F & B Committee: Conve rc r : Stuart Wolfendale Members: David Gucia, Simon Holberton, V.G. Kulkami, Brian Jeffries, Philippe Le Core VYall Committee: H. Vm Es Club Manager C. Hoelzl

THE CORRESPONDENT Advertising Muagerr K¡t Myeß Page Make-up: Jane Recio

Artist:'Amdo

D. Recio, Jr.

EDITORIAL OFFICE: AsiaPacific Directories Ltd, Rm. 1301, l3lF, Puk Come¡cial Centre. ó-10 Shelter Stræ1, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong Telephone; 5'17 9331t Fax: 890 7287 @

Manager's Choice Italian chef Mario Caramella arrives at the FCC.

F & B Musings Stuart Wolfendale and the case of the missing veggies.

Surfers, journos and a Vet David Garcia goes surfing at Vietnam's China Beach.

Can Bluesmen sing to Reds Or how Bill Barker and his fellow Mind Your Head(s) survived Da Nang.

Australian night The Australian bush band The Sundowners retuÍr to the FCC. Press Freedom COVER STORY - to the future of Hong Kong, vital according to speakers at the World Press Freedom

Press freedom is

Committee's conference on rrthe market economy and the media".

Philip Bowring: Lee was right, the media can be bought.

Katharine Graham: Courage turns the tide.

Daisy Li: A gun to the media's head.

Conference statement on press freedom.

There's always next year

The Corespondent

Opinions expressd by writes ue not nec$silily those of the Foreign Concpondenls' Club.

Frank Casey voyages to Thailand for the

B

angkok Overseas

Challenge.

The Corepondent is published monthly for md on behalf of The Foretgn Compondents' Club by: AsiâPåcif¡c D¡rectoris Ltd.

INTERNATIONAL

we're all the

Rm 1301.

13Æ, Park

Comercial

Centre,

6-10 Shelter SEeet, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. 'fe|; 57'l 9131; Fax; 890 72E7

LETTERS. PEOPLE. PEDDLER'SJOURNAL....

....10

......14 ......,.32

Publisherr Vomie Boston Mauaging Dir*tor: Mike Bisha¡a Colour sepilalion by:

Colou An Craphic Company Printed by Elite Printing Co., Ltd., Hong Man Ind. Centre, 1403-1,108, 2 Hong Man St., Chai Wan, HK.

Inside photographs supplied by David Thurston, Hubert Van Es and Ray Cranbourne.

THECORRESPONDENT NOVEMBER

1993

1

NEWS AND VIEV/S

could revitalise what had appeared a stagnant industry, what with hhe SCMP being so dominant under News Corp's ownership and increasing pressures

The new paper tigers

f

-l-H=ZOO

BY ARTHUR HACKEtr.

rom China to tow a pro-Beijing line, now

that Malaysian tycoon Robert Kuok had

acquired

a controlling interest in

the

paper. here could hardly be bettergrist for the rumour mill: the launch-

By Simon Twiston Davies

ing of an English-language signed to the new project include Jon Marsh, assistant editor of lhe Sunday Morning Post and now managing editor of the new paper; freelance columnist

newspaper in the early part of next year.

The editor will be Steve Vines, until recently the Hong Kong correspondent ol lhe Guardian in London and a former FCC president.

The new paper, which is to be called lhe Eastern Expressand launched early next year, is being backed by the hardheaded Oriental Press Group, the owners of the 600,000 circulation Chinese

foreign editor of

daily newspaper, the Oriental Daily

the new

News.

Vines said the paper will be a broadsheet, have about 100 editorial staff and will be produced from the Oriental Press'

Stuart Wolfendale, who will be the daily "political diarist"; Karl Wilson, deputy business editor of lhe Sunday Morning Post and now

Vines said the paper's political stance would be neutral, neither pro nor anti the Chinese government's position on Hong Kong. Nor would it be taking a particular line on the per{ormance of governor

Chris Patten.

"We will deal with issues on a case by

case basis," said Vines.

While reaction among the majority of

local journalists would seem to have been welcomrng, management at the Souffi China Morning Post seemed dismayed at not only

paper; Ewan Campbell,

formerly sports edi-

tor of the SCMP as production ediFreelancer

the prospect of se-

tor;

"However, I can reveal that the launch

Steve Barnes who

will be rapid and we will be using the upgraded presses oÍ lhe Oriental Daily

becomes systems

manager; Louisa

rious competition but also of losing some of the paper's best opera-

and its distribution network," said Vines.

"The paper will be in full colour, although I am not yet convinced there are enough high quality colour pictures available to merit their use on every page, for instance. And yes, there will be cartoons but this will be a quality product."

To that end, it is known that Vines has already flown British designer David Hillman to Hong Kong to begin work on the look of the paper. Hillman's most recent high-profile achievement was the relaunch ol lhe Guardian.

According to those involved in the

Tam of SCMP as

tors.

headquarters in Kowloon Bay.

planning of the paper it will also be heavy on business and analysis, making the business section the largest part of the book. lt won't be a downmarket tabloid style publication. lnitially the paper will run Monday to Saturday, with emphasis laid on the Saturday edition which already has a special editor, FCC member and start-

up specialist Steve Proctor, formerly deputy business editor with lhe Far Eastern Economic Review.

Other FCC members who have been

2

TIiE CORRESPONDENT NOVEMBER

deputy news editor; Robert Delfs of the Far Eastern Economic Review as

China editor; Paul Mooney, also from

the Review as

ln talks with sen-

ior journalists, edi-

tor David Steve Vines' Eastern Express, in living colour, plans to take a

neutral stand on China.

Arm-

strong said that maybe lhe SCMP had been undervaluing the contribution of the news-

China business edi-

tor; Paul Lakatos from the Sunday Post

room staff and that substantial pay in-

as pictorial editor; and Nancy Langston,

creases were in the pipeline. There was immediate lalk of 20"/" rises all round.

However, SCMP managing director Lyndley Holloway said later that the pay rises would be awarded "on a case by

freelance writer and editor as features editor. Writers Tad Stoner and Christine McGee have also been signed.

Others signed werethe Sunday Morning Post's chief sub Peter Welton and his deputy Lee Howard, who is to become sports editor; and lhe Sunday's deputy news editor Mark McSherry.

Rumours of big salaries being paid to all-comers has been rife for weeks.

When contacted

at his office

in

Kowloon Bay, Vines was reluctant to talk about money but would admit that he intended that salaries and freelance rates would be "more competitive" than those paid by other publications.

1993

case" basis after individual assessments. For many at the Post management concern proved to have a hollow ring. Apparently some got nothing, some as little as 37o, some as much as 30%.

Even so, some SCMPstaff are believed

to be delighted at the turn of events, since they are now in line for unexpected promotions as senior staff migrate to the new publication.

The announcement of a third Hong Kong English-language newspaper

However, doubts remain about the prospects for the Eastern Express.

Will the large number oÍ ex-SCMP recruits bring many of the faults of the

old employer with them, including

WONDERs NE.VER CEAS 8...

bffi

a

sometimes slap-dash attitude to writing and copy editing?

There are also questions about the financial viability of the new paper, particularly its ability to attract advertising.

The SC M P has overwhelmingly dominated lhe Standardfor so many years that it will take some skill to overtake it in terms of the all-important classified and display advertising sales.

According to Andre Nair, media director of Ogilvy and Mather, Hong Kong needs something new, rather than more of the same.

"Why would a consumer switch and what reasons would an English literate,

non-SCMP or non-Standard reader, have for picking up a new paper," he

(

HONG KONG IS GOING TO HAVE A NE\^/ N E\^/S PAPER

v v \,

{

i

IT NO POLICY...

I SUPP OSE!

50

BECAUSE

YES BUT WHY CALL IT ..THE INDEPENDENT,,

HAS

WHAT,S NEW?

\

asked in Media & Marketing magazine.

"You have to ask with two (papers) already there, just how large is the market?"

Meanwhile, the betting would seem to be that The Standard is the more vulne-

rable paper while the new paper will probably be gunning for the SCMP. Certainly, the Hong Kong stockmarket

has taken a dim view of the SCMPs short-term prospects. South China Morning Post Holdings dropped 12/" after it was announced that Kuok had gained control of the paper and that the Oriental Press Group would be creating a rival operation.

And certainly the relatively low paid journalists at the SCMP are lining up to get on board the new publication. But not all of them feel they have much chance of being hired.

"What? Me want to leave the Posf," asked a senior SCMP production specialist. "No chancelAt least, ldon't have a chance. I don't drink at the FCC!" Perish the thought.

@

[e ;u ]ne\¡er úoo

**oly úo e[o;^lu

aìbouú ú[0" fesúive

sedrso]n"

"]f[0" ]FCC'* úalne ouú caúeni^g is seaolodl. úo rnoüree wiúh pni.ces úhe hesú in úown" "lfilo;^lu rf ún'e F"CC fro úhaú "I"ilo*^nuugivi^g ú*nlke y o

l[o*n on ú*oollney" Pl"nn a pnice niuú *ú ú

rnn&s

THECORRESPONDENTNOVEMBER

1993

3

stand up and take a political stance. lt is very diff icult to divide a personal political stance from a corporate political stance and, if you express a personal political

Sir William Purves: the people's banker Among the many piles of documents that came to light with the result of the

inquiries into Bank Bumiputra and Carrian, there is one very intriguing note

penned by one Chooi Mun So who was parl of a Malaysian investigation team.

This is a minuted conversation he had with Sir John Bremridge [former Finan-

stance, it very soon becomes corPorate."

He said: "l think we worry a great deal

pleasure in introducing a man who is not only a banker's banker but, and I don't wish to be misunderstood, a people's banker.

I have great

Philip Bowring's introduction to HSBC Holding's chairman Sir William

The note records Sir John's comments about a significant number of people in Hong Kong who were in one way or another involved with or concerned about the matters under investigation. As was his wont, Sir John was fairly blunt in his description of people most were either derogatory or libellous, with one exception: Purves, hon-

about our future here and maybe it is worthwhile, sometimes, to look back at where we have come from and all the difficulties we have been through. "l arrived here first of all in 1951 as a

very young national service soldier. ln those days the troop ship arrived every month. I found myself out at Dodwell's Ridge Camp which was dismántled about 18 months ago, near the

Royal Hong kong Golf Club

Purves

cial Secretaryl and Michael Thomas [former Attorney General].

AFTER almost four decades with the Hong Kong Bank, HSBC Holdings chairman SirWilliam Purves publicly revealed his political colours in a farewell speech at the Foreign Correspondents' Club.

Democracy had come too late for Hong Kong, said Sir William. "lf some of these things had been put in place some time ago. . .there was no push for it, no desire for it or if there was

It seems to me that this word taken in its widest context sums

the end of Nathan Road, Shatin was a

tiny village. There were two watering holes that were worth mentioning in the urban area, the Peninsula Hotel, and on the island, the Gloucester Lounge.

"There had been an enormous influx

of refugees and people were living on

the hillsides and on the pavement

is not just honest but is

Willy Purves restored the bank's reputation.

has ever had, and he will be sorely missed as he leaves Hong Kong.

4

THE CORRESPONDBNT NOVEMBER

in

cardboard boxes.

up the man we know of as our idea of a banker, someone who

from these difficulties to become one of the world's not only largest, but most profitable banking institutions. But above all, Willy Purves has, if I may use the word, restored the reputation of the Hong Kong Bank Group to the h¡ghest level it

Fan

"ln those days, Kowloon finished at

!-

He has seèn it now emerge

at

Ling.

est.

hardworking, is somewhat dour but somebody who we know we can trust with our moneY. So we shouldn't be surPrised at Willy Purves' achievements as head of the Hong Kong Bank Group. And he has seen quite difficult times, seen the Group through the absorPtion of Marine Midland and James CaPel, and the property disasters that have taken place in Canada, in London, in Australia.

"l think our property

for the chairman of such a group to

NIEWS AND VIEWS

"There were shortages of everytfring and as a young boy I wondered just what the future for this place could be.

"But there was still life; rugby was played. There was only one pitch as far I can remember and there was a hut with a line of basket chairs for the president of the club."

Sir William noted that apart from the bank, there were no buildings more than four storeys on either side of the harbour.

During his early years with the Bank, Sir William found himself working in many different depart-

ments with stints in Tokyo and in London.

desire, it wasn't a loud enough voice.

"l had always hoped to avoid the head

And maybe business should be blamed

office of the Bank but in 1976 I found

for not supporting those changes;

developers

learned a lot of lesson then which is probably why today none of them are overgeared. That is why I don't lose too much sleep over the property market at the moment," he said.

Four years later, in 1986, Sir William

became chairman of the Bank just in time for the world stock market crash in 1

987.

"l won't dwell on the closure of our market except to say I don't think people today really recognise what a serious problem it was for Hong Kong," Sir William said.

"The real problem was not in the stock market it was in the futures market,

where the professionals had been beÈ ting against the amateurs and, clearly, the professionals won.

"The futures market, at the time, was not perfect but it has been greatly improved since. But if it had been closed down, which was threatened, I am sure the damage to Hong Kong would have been enormous and I am sure there would have been many writs flying around, some of which would have been very embarrassing indeed.

"At the time people looked to me to

raise my voice and I am glad to say eventually got some people to listen to

the bottle to develop their full

rich

flavours.

Penfold has long felt the need to introduce a lighter style of cabernet sauvignon for earlierdrinking and from

the superb 1990 vintage produced Bin 407 a 100 per cent cabernet

-

sauvignon with Íruit blended from the

Southern Vales, Padthaway and Coonawarra regions of South Aus-

ne of Australia's leading

tralia.

winemakers, John Duval, was the special guest at a

The wine was aged for 15 months in oak barrels which had previously held Bin 707.

Duval summed up Bin 407 as having leafy, capsicum, meaty flavours. ln thanking Duval, Stuart Wol-

Club luncheon recently where he spoke about a newly released red wine, Penfold Bin 407 cabernet sauvignon 1 990, which members and guests enjoyed with their roast lamb lunch.

Chief winemaker with Penfold, Duval is also responsible for making Grange Hermitage, acknowledged as one of the world's greatest wines, and the excellent Bin 707 cabernet sauvignon.

ì

fendale remarked that he had learned more from the talkthan from a number of prime ministers who had spoken previously at the Club.

Barry Burton, Chairman, Hong Kong Wine Society

continue to survive its current bout of

ment participated, the banks participated and the more assertive brokers pafiicipated, may of them against their

and I have spun it out for as long as cou ld."

tional and to make all nationalities welcome. Language is important and we

me. A lifeboat was formed. The Govern-

will.

"Many of the brokers had to have their arms twisted because they didn't expect to see any of their money back. Well, am pleased to say, that lifeboat was totally repaid just a few weeks ago. "l think that was one of the best decisions reached. lf that lifeboat had not been put in place, I don't think Hong Kong would have been the financial centre it is today."

The 1980s also saw the Bank make some serious moves towards establishing its presence in Europe but to do so it needed to acquire one of the British High Street banks. Blocked by the monopolies commission at its first attempt I

myself sitting their and and have never

more gradual change some time ago would have made things less uncertain today."

been able to get out of it," he admitted. ln 1982 he was appointed executive director just in time for for the big property crash ... a situation he attributed to speculators, over supply and the political uncertainties over Hong Kong's fu-

the bank finally succeeded last year in acquiring the Midland Bank.

One of the conditions, however, was that the holding company, for reg-

ture.

istration reasons, had to be located

1993

Penfold launch new red

in the UK. Sir William said he had been loathe to leave Hong Kong, which had become his home, but added "l have a job to do

I

a

Sir William, who was speaking on the eve of his departure to HSBC Holdings' new corporate headquarters in London added: "lt is not appropriate in my view

Both of these wines are powerful and complex needing many years in

I

Today the Bank is the 1Oth largest in the world in capital terms and the 15th largest in terms of its assets.

On a more reflective note Sir William said: "l think we have been very lucky in Hong Kong because over the years the administration has been good. Not perfect but betterthan what you get in many other places.

"Hong Kong is what it is today because of its people ... people who put education first... people who have drive, initiative and entrepreneurial spirit. "lf I was asked 'would I like to do it all again and would I come back to Hong Kong again', I would say most definitely 'yes'. "l suppose then you would say, 'well it is different, it won't be the way it was'.

Well, maybe not but Hong Kong has lived with uncertainty for 150 years and

I have no doubt that Hong Kong

will

uncertainty.

"lf I have any advice to give I would say try and keep Hong Kong interna-

are not very good at teaching our young

people any language. lf you go into a hotel in Beijing today the staff speak better English than they do in Hong Concluding his address Sir William had some kind words on the press.

"They have sometimes been critical, sometimes sharp, sometimes persistent when I have tried to avoid talking about politics," he said. "l have enjoyed working with the Hong Kong press. Some of the correspondents that I see are very young and inexperienced and they ring up at all our hours of the night. But you find a way of working with them and they have a job to do. I made it clear when I joined the executive councilthat I was not going to say anything to the press about what I said or thought in the council and they, by and large, accepted that." @

THBCORRESPONDENTNOVEMBER

1993

5

AGFA. WHERE CREATIVITY AND TECHNÍ)L()GY MEET.

sis specifically tailored to the Asian viewer

NEV/S AND VIEVTS

and reader".

"Rupert Murdoch's purchase of STAR

Severe cases of

media whiplash

By John Frank-Keyes

"This was the global village at its peak,

ing editor of magazine, rewards himself BusinessWeek

a conclusive demonstration of how the eleitronic media could free information and smash borders."

More recently, he said, the limits to

annually with a week of complete solitude, trail walking and camPing out somewhere in America's vast forests.

This year, colleagues pressed him to

-

-

typhoons.

The core of his argument was that Hong Kong would be the "laboratory" where Western media companies will test innovative formulas for collecting, packaging and distributing news.

It would also be the "battleground" where rival organisations in fields such

as financial and economic services, entertainment, home shoPPing, telephones, electronics and software will compete to deliver increasingly specialised high quality information.

"The reason is simple. The US$2 trillion Asian market is just too big for any large Western company to ignore," said

6

potential that we already knew was here.

We can't pretend it's only going to happen in the late 1990s anymore."

He argued that we were in the third stage of a media awakening that began just four years ago with the fall of the (Berlin) Wall.

"That was a period of images that TV does so well- in Prague, Berlin, Beijing'

Moscow, the Gulf."

ob Dowling, assistant manag-

take a mobile phone so they could contact him in an emergencY. Bob laughed. They didn't.

He took his vacation incommunicado, but was reminded of "our modern obsession with immediate communication" when he called in a week later to be told the FCC was keen to hear his views on the American media's expansion plans.

"The global media media comPanies have the same f ixation as my colleagues in New York, They want to have 24 hour access to you, their correspondents, and to viewers everywhere in the world' all the time, every daY," he said.

"And the technology is there for them to do just thaÎ."

The Dowling, gave his sPeech a FCC at Western Media ln Asia lunch eventually held on September 27, having been twice postponed thanks to

TV was a wake-up call for all of us because it forced us to confront the

global media power have become more in the "revisionist period" apparent the horrific images from Bosnia and Somalia have not helped resolve either

-

crisis. The third and current stage he called the "technologic phase".

a PhD. in international economtcs.

Dowling was en route for home following the'1993 BusrnessWeek Asia Symposium of Chief Executives in ShangDowling,

hai. Both his outward and return journeys were disrupted by typhoon 8 signals. "One of the few advantages of this was getting to watch a lot of TV in the solitary confinement my hotel room," he joked.

"One big disadvantage is that you get a severe case of media whiplash. Starting the day with Lany King interviewing a US lesbian mother or CBS Bob Schieffe/s rollthrough Russia and Somalia, break for the Asian stock market reports, then Russia and Somalia again, then more stocks, then Russia . . . half an hour tells you we're in the early days of programming out here still. "lt feels like ',l950s TV in America, or as we say in the newsroom - kitchen sink journalism. Dump it all in and let'em sort it out. I'd argue this chaotic programming reflects the sea changes taking place. in our business," he said.

Dowling predicted an end to the 'fullscale retreat from overseas locations by (American) newspapers, magazines and the Big Three networks" in the face of growing demands for "news and analy-

THE CORRESPONDENT NOVEMBER

Specialisation was the key to avoiding

media overload, he argued, but with it would come a need "to raise our quality of coverage, sensitivity and understanding of the many Asias in Asia."

He said he had based his analYsis on the free flow of information developing in Asia, though he added: "Even as a visiting editor I know there are still major constraints. Singapore has managed a controlled information policy and may be able to continue to do so. I don't think the same is true for China."

There were now an estimated 4.5 million satellitedishes in southern China, he said, "and I don't doubt that the Beijing government could do serious harm to free satellite communications if it wanted to." "l don't think the hardest part will be printing or broadcasting the story, but

getting the story, especially when it comes to digging out the real business or economic meaning in a country where statistics still don't mean much and where the real deals are buried in a maze of

Nothing escapes Agfa. Neither reality, nor a product of the imagination.

paper and photocopiers, X-ray film and cine-film, computer-controlled

Agfa film and graphic systems offer photographers the possibility to

photo composition systems, digital

triple books, shadow

fuse reality and illusion, to crealively manipulate an image.

("1 hour labs")

payments,

cronyism, corruption and family secrecy."

Film is Agfas visiting card. Everybody knows it. Everybody loves

it.

Professionals and amateurs alike. But Agfa is more than just film.

John Frank-Keyes is the SCMP's media & marketing correspondent.

For over

a

-

printers and mini-labs

Agfa provides vital stimulus

in all

areas of

pr0gress.

The Agfa rhombus is a shining light in more than 140 countries on all five

hundred years Agfa has been setting milestones along

the road to today's hi-tech world of text and images. Photographic

art

iTlä:i.ffiiï,i:;1iiiliÏ::i

1993

NOTHING ESCAPES AGFA.

AcFA

@

MANAGER'S CHOICE

F & B MUSINGS

Caramella at the FCC

The case of the missing veggies

"I don't cook to impress

the

your eyes, go and see a movie or ø magician. I cookfor you to eat and to enjoy." eyes. You want to impress

ario Caramella, chef of the Holiday lnn Crowne Plaza Hotel's popular Mistral Restaurant, doesn't mince words. Nor does he need to, his cooking speaks for itself .

Since he came to Hong Kong two years ago, he has been performing to a full house. He has won the coverted ll Cucco D'Oro lnter-nationale, ltaly's international recognition of the best of

Caramella combines the region's traditional peasant fare with a subtle blending of the richer tastes from the tables of

Lombardia's aristocracy.

Minestrone soup owes its fame to the resourcefulness of the region's housewives who added pork rind and rice to a thin soup of beans and vegetables. While the sophisticated dishes of Milan reflect the strong influence of French customs, food and fashion which impressed the Milanese aristocrats and wealthy bourgeois during the 'l 9th century.

fresh ceps, morels and yellow mushrooms), are to be found alongside such non-traditional fare as Spaghetti alla Chitarra con Astice e Pomodori (homemade spaghetti with lobster and toma-

toes) and Pappardelle con Ostriche e Cavolo Rosso (pasta ribbons with oysters and a red cabbage sauce).

Two dishes have been specially created for the FCC., one in pafticular acknowledging the club's journalistic origins. lt will be interesting to see how many connoisseurs of ltalian cuisine identify it.

$ ì ! $ È

its culinary masters, a first for Asia. And, perhaps even more impressively, has received al-

tnose with more expensive tastes (what in the FCC?) have not been forgotten, with the Lasagne con Fegato D'Oca

e Cipote alla Crema diTartufi (la-

sagne with gooseliver, onion and truff le sauce, an exotic com-

most universal acclaim from

bination of two classical

Hong Kong's culinary columnists, many of whom are members of the FCC.

Venician dishes) topping the menu.

Nor have those who find that rich, heavy sauces may be heaven to their palate, but are hellish on theirwaistlines. Most of the dishes are light and f resh to the taste. All four fish dishes

From November 29 to Decemberl l,those memberswho don't normally enjoy such occupational perks will have the oppoftunityto taste these same acclaimed skills in the club's Main Dining Room and Veran-

dah restaurants.

are served without heavy sauces. Each is cooked in its

Chef

Caramella's guest appearance at these venues has been or-

ganised by the manager Christoph Hoelzl and is sPon-

Guess who's cooking.

sored by the Holiday lnn Crown Plaza Hotel.

An extensive menu has been

Prepared keeping in mind the eclectictastes

and pockets of members, and, not to neglect the oenophiles among the mem-

bers, it is complemented by a modest selection of ltalian wines.

The Mistral's popularity lies in the authenticity of its traditional ltalian country cooking. Born and raised in Pavia, in the

northern province of Lombardia,

8

THE CORRESPONDENT NOVEMBER

ln keeping with the region's innovative style, Caramella has borrowed from the cities and countries he has worked in to create dishes and flavours that have become distinctly his own.

Staples from his hometown, Favia,

such as Zuppa Pavese con Uova di Quaglia (a beef broth with eggs and toast, a paft of ltalian folk history made famous by Francis l), and Risotto con Porcini Spungole e Gallinacci (rice with 1993

own style and basted with oilto enhance its f reshness and particular taste.

The FCC has dabbled in ltalian specialities more than once in recent times and not always to everybody's satisfaction.

This promotion promises much more, but Chef Caramella does sound a note of warning: "lf someone wants mint jelly with the lamb or pasta with their veal perhaps they would be happier elsewhere."

Terry Duckham

By Stuart Wolfendale hristoph Hoelzl rang me the other day with a note of panic in his voice which would have made Radetzky proud. "They are threatening to burn the place down!" he screamed. "They say they are not getting veggies inclusive mit der pies."

"Calm down," was my first note of advice to him.

The only inflammable things in this club are the members themselves and since we have, till now been exempted from the need to put sprinklers in the place, if they catch light, they are goners, anyway.

My second counsel to him was, "Let them eat cake; preferably FCC cheese cake." yet another Like Marie Antoinette I am not standing for the Austrian

-

Board again so this is just one of several pieces of advice which, as Food and

Beverage Committee convener, I feel can share with you.

mourners raving againstthe shortage of vegetarian dishes.

This, of course, had been expected.

Members concerned were given reassuring advanced notice of Decembe/s

forthcoming beancurd festival on all floors

-

and a Temperance Week to

match.

What had not been foreseen was objection to the brilliant notion that, instead of enforcing 'Veg of the daf with every pie order, we should sell the pies atan individual priceand memberscould construct their own dish by ordering as many or as few, or no veggies, to their

taste from a side-order list.

Take the most expensive pie from that October promotion, add french fries and one more veg and you are paying,

for a whole head of high-quality homemade food no more than HK$70.

Yet still they rolled round the bar floor, tearing their Armani suits and frothing at the mouth. "But its a

I

You agree to innovations which seem massively reasonable and fairand within the length of time it takes the average "Main Bar-proppe/'to go for a pee and consort among the closets, you have a

cry. Well, that is true, but let's also

an understandably skeptical middle

realise that this is now the Zurich of Asia

European manager that large numbers

on costs. Where do these people go

of members from the Anglo-Saxon

home at night? The China Coast Community?

laager enjoy carcinogenically murderous pastries with fattening fillings plus Oxo axle grease and colon congesting green peas.

That done, Hoelzl gave us, in revenge an entire a pie festival and some members wandered the bar like professional

Mario Caramella's time with us in November, as guest chef, is one of the several careful, but considered innovations which are coming to the Club on the F & B front. I am sure all, as a matter of principle, FCC style, would disagree when I say that food quality has seen

some qualitative changes on all floors with the same chefs and the same -staff.

To achieve this with the hell-hole kitchen, which is all we have to play with, has involved some menu and service reorganisations which are unpopular wÍth some. But, then, I gather, so was Christ and the intemal combustion engine.

Guest chefs of Mario's status and ability will become features of the club after he has bravely and brilliantly inaugurated the practice.

We did, of course have a little trattoria

of our own, on The Verandah under

minimum of four insurrections on your hands, led by Club members who suddenly make the Shining Path leadership look like Quakers.

Let us take, at a level of aching simplicity, 'Veggies with the pies."

We have had a pie festival because Kevin Egan and I managed to convince

than the Hong Kong Club's".

I can only assume that he, and many like him, are given the ladies' menu without the prices because l, who saw the naked listings when I was a guest in that club twice last month, can assure you that the cost of lunch for four could service the Ethiopian national debt for twice.the length of time it would take to pat the meal.

An interesting sliver of information I would like to share with you came my way as F & B convener only the other day . A member, with a face as straight as a six-lane motorway said to me, "This

place's food is now more expensive

Reichsmarshal Seidlitz's rule and we got through as many chefs as we did paper napkins, and, in the evenings, nobody showed up to eat the stuff. "But I thought you wanted a nice ltalian restaurant in The Club, upstairs?" I asked Ah Slurp atthe Main Bar shortly after we shut the operation down completely at vast expense.

"Naah. Just kidding!" he chortled.

Well, there is no kidding with Mario or with any aspects of the F & B operation in future. Just focus on the concept of the Zurich of Asia, and that it can cost less to fly in fish chill-fresh from Australia then buy it in the local market and see how well we do.

Ciao!!

g

THE CORRESPONDENTNOVEMBER 1993 9

LETTERS

section will be bombarded by outraged shouts from those I've left out or put in inadvertently but some of my fondest memories of Hong Kong are of battle-weary reporters, film-crews and photographers crowding the old FCC bar and putting away prodigious amounts

-

-

Where are they now?

of booze amidst wet-eyed

reminis-

cences of better times.

I was delighted to read the Al Kaff story on the Korean War correspondents, but felt that it lacked substance.

Many more doddering members of the FCC will have known a wide selec-

tion of such correspondents and, if they're anything like me, would want to know what happened to all of those glamorous (to me, anyway, in those

The Vietnam War which followed never seemed, to this reporter at least, to provide as much in the way of adventure. But then I never saw the fighting in either place: or the point of it.

FCC members enjoying the splendid lce House Street facilities today owe a debt to the hard drinking, hard driving, tough as old boots correspondents of

the Korean War.

days) war correspondents who thronged

Ted Thomas

the old FCC main bar up on Conduit Road, and made frequent use of the bedrooms upstairs.

I personally would like to know of the present whereabouts of such stalwarts as:

John Dominis (Time Life) Scott Leavitt (Tine Life) Greg McGreg gor (The New York Times) Grant Wolfkill (BBC) may have the publications wrong but the names are the same.

Those who have gone before would include: Forrest Edwards and George I

(Editor's Note: Any member knowing what these distinguished correspondents are now doing wewould appreciate hearing from you. Photographs would also be appreciated.)

Prices too high, choice too low

That is not to say that the Korean press corps consisted entirely of Americans, although of course they were preponderant.

Russell Spurr produced what in my view was the best book of all on the conflict in EnterThe Dragon -aclassic but I'm not sure that he was actually there at the time. lan Morrison, the role modelin Han Suyin's mainly biographical A Many Splendoured Ihtnggave his life in Korea in a landmine explosion

the menu choice is deteriorating rapidly.

And the price hikes didn't wait for the opening of the new mid-levels escalator.

One of the first things the new board told the new manager to do was to cut out cooked breakfasts because the service wasn't profitable. When this move was first announced, I wrote to President Bowring suggesting that the service wasn't used more because most

along with lhe Daily Telegraph man

members didn't know that breakfast

Christopher Buckley.

Rawle Knox (The Observer), Frank Robertson (Daily Telegraph) and other

I understand that some was available of the board members didn't know about it and suggested that a little promotion within the club would make it profitable.

I never had the courtesy of a reply and I understand that anotherclub member was told that he was the only one

well-known byliners all did a stint there.

Rene Cutworth was the BBC man in Korea and Steven Barber represented lhe London News Chronicle.

No doubt your letters To The Editor

10

fortunately, didn't trouble to write to right

the wrong.

Then came the current "continental breakfast" with its wide range of choices.

One has the choice of croissants, jelly doughnuts or toast. Unfo単unately, the "use by" date on the croissants and doughnuts has long been expired before they are offered to the members.

Since one makes the toast oneself, it is resh.

One has the choice of cereal as well.

The first time I looked, there was a choice of any one of four packs of Familia muesli. The next time I visited, the choice was either of two boxes of Kellog's corn flakes.

I have since found a more convenient place to eat breakfast where I get a choice of bacon and egg, ham and egg, or sausage and egg plus a fresh flaky croissant and coffee for less than half the price of the FCC's "continental breakfast".

Since the service was cut in the name of "economy", could someone inform us how much this exercise has saved?

Now we have the monthly menus for breakfast and dinner. October was English Pie Month. lf one wants vegetables, they have to be ordered separately. The vegetables are limited:green peas, colef

slaw, three potato dishes, cottage We have a new manager at the FCC and the quality of the food is better, but

sitk.

who had complained about the elimina-

tion of the cooked breakfast. Many others complained to one another but, un-

THE CORRESPONDENT NOVEMBER

-

-

1993

cheese, steamed rice, and black pepper sauce.

Since the board is hiring so many

consultants these days, perhaps they should hire a nutritional consultant. Or maybe they should just talk to some of

the members.

The nice thing about allthis is that my club bill will be reduced by more than half this month since I am now eating an

average of only five meals per week at the FCC compared with more than 15 before. I am sure that at the present rate of menu changes I shall be down to less than one meal per week by the end of the year.

My waistline will doubtless be smaller but, if the recent rate of price escalation

is maintained, my club bill bottom line will be significantly larger.

Fred Fredricks

let the resl conforn

NTEV/S

AND VIEWS

Surfersr omewhere in my muddled Past, some 25 years ago, I had occa-

sion to surf China Beach, Da Nang Vietnam.

Itwas an "ln-Country R & R Centre" at

the time and had (and still does) an incredible beach-break getting to '14feet plus in good storm conditions (September through January).

I always thought that if Vietnam ever mellowed out it would be a great place to have a surf contest. Four years ago I visited Vietnam for the first time since the war and saw that Da Nang still maintained the good surf.

Last year when Bruce Aiken (who was promoting sport events in Vietnam) and I were having a beer at the club bar the subject of possibly setting up a surf event at China Beach cropped up. To make a long story short, Bruce

jour os and a Vet Then came the journos. They outnumbered the surfers. Everyone with a pen and paper or a camera was there (except Van Es). They were all working find a vet. on the same angle It was amazing. One guy ran around asking everyone who looked over 40 "are you a vet?" When it was discovered that I was a vet the game was on.

"We gotta talk." The worst three words in the English language. No good ever comes after these words are spoke.

Only my wife can say this to me, and I

-

1993

smen

First leg, Saigon, where we enter our

-

in Vietnamese which was to help us pass through immigration smoothly

in the river when he discovered that it

causes an even wider smile."You have

photo?", he asks. US$10 lighter we

when he also discovered it was the only booze we had. Then a crazy cyclo ride through town to every seedy bar Hue had to offer.

The next morning we took off for the A Shau Valley to try and find

rejoin the now longer queue, smirking at

Hue, on a pre-colonial period ferry and Moyer decided that it's beer o'clock.

Our Vietnamese guide and Public Security watchdog was worried that we had better stock up on food as it would be unlikely that any was to be found in the valley.

Moyer held up his beer and said "don't worry, there's a pork chop in

every bottle". Like idiots we

all

looked.

We found the A Shau Valley and what we were told was Hamburger Hill. Everything had changed. The Vietnamese had completely deforested the whole valley. Not a tree was left standing. Nonetheless, we found a lot of spent ordinance.

Backto Da Nang and the event. Things wound dowrt. The Vietnamese were still trying to cover their deficits to the last minute, charging for beers not drunk, changing the hotel rates, etc, etc.

But there's another story to the saga

-

the band. .

to

Minh City Formation. Barely glancing at our visas and the wad of paper we had filled out on the flight, a new book of forms is presented to us by our smiling immigration officer. The piece of paper

was moonshine, but quickly recanted

Forty{hree surfers arrived in Saigon in early October with

THE CORRESPONDENT NOVEMBER

cigarettes and other consumer items. Air Vietnam are our spon-

Nang surf and music festival in Vietnam.

first sporting event, the 1993 Ho Chi

managed to pull it off and an internationally sanctioned contest was on.

12

China Beach, Vietnam

came an invitation from the organiser Bruce Aitken to sideline at the first Da

turns out that the Scotch and the Vodka Vietnamese were one in the same moonshine, just the colour differed).

By the time we reached the Citadel of Hue (two and a half hours later) the beer was pretty much devoured.

We hired a boat to cruise the Perfume River at sunset. Moyer dumped his glass

Hamburger Hill.

Itwas 8.00 am, we were aboutto cross the Perfume River, approximately an hour and a half outside

maximum hassles and problems that only a Third World commurN, -+ + ...= nist regime can produce.

-þ+ + -+.

They somehow managed to getto Da Nang and were amazed at the quality of the surf and were "stoked" (surf-speak for verY happy). The food was cheaP the accommodation acceptable and Dave Garcia, right, with organiser Bruce things were rolling on.

Aitken The Vietnamese in Da Nang generally run like hell when she does. were not prepared for what was about to I decided to stay drunk and basically descend on them. incomprehensible. lt didn't help much.

After the arrival of the surfers the At one point Robin Moyer, Greg James prices at the hotel doubled. The Viet(Iime) Norm lnnis (Quicksilver clothing namese were trying to make up for 20 of the sponsors) and I decided to some years of deficits in one week.

-go one on a road trip; we needed to escape Everyone was on the take. There was the circus. money to be made. The attitude was Off to Hue. Two cases of beer, one that if you accepted the price, it was to bottle of Johnny Walker Black Label cheap so it must be doubled. Padding Scotch, and a bottle of Stoly Vodka (it bills was the name of the game.

his was the moment the band had been hoping for. The culmination of 12 turbulent years performing in Hong Kong. From an idea spawned in the FCC by David Garcia

the new arrivals in the knowledge that they would soon suffer the same fate.

They don't.

Some time that evening we emerge with instruments and humour intact to find that there is no one to meet us as arranged. We drip downtown through the driving rain to

By Bill Barker roof with a and we are

sors. We are draped in Air Vietnam produce. Air Vietnam fly old Russianmade Tupelovs. So do we.

The announcement, "Ladies and gentleman, please sit down until the aircraft comes to a helpless stop", heralds our arrival in Da Nang, a name from the past but fortunatdly not ours.

As expected there is no one to meet us except for a frustrated Aussie from Telstar who is picking up a sledgehammer to connect the card phones that had been installed for the event.

Da

Nang-bound. Air

Vietnam

makes delightful ashtrays. They also

manufacture

the Huang Senn Hotel where there

are reservations for us but for the previous day.

Naturally, the obvious solution is to

change the date on the hotel desk l chop.

Dawn over Saigon, a fine breakfast buffet on a

FCC member mind their heads on China Beach. Below, Robin Lynam and the band; Below left, surfs up.

à Þ

=

o È Ë

.

David Garcia an Associate member governor of the FCC.

@

THE CORRESPONDENT NOVEMBER

1993

I Touchdown! China Beach! Unfoftu nately the Sixties equipment through which we are to pedorm our sixties mu-

PEOPLE

sic is still back in sixties.

It is a very quiet night the first night.

During the long wait we learned that surJers like to speak in monosyllables making noises that sound like "Yo!" and "Bro!" and "SurJ!" and "Up!". The assorled gathering of musicians, media and vets do not sound anY better.

Three litres of single malt later and "the music is definitely happening tonight, man." The equipment arrives, two decades late as promised and made in Russia as a bonus. "Does anyone know the cyrillic symbol Íor 10?".

At 7.30 that evening, we lurch into our opening number. Twenty minutes later we are hauled off to make waY for a surprise pedormance by a local version of 'the King' supported by a folk dance troop. His stage manoeuvres consist of him attempting to squirm out of his oversized gold lame jacket.

At 8.45 we return to the stage. At 9.00

a province-wide 30-second power outage during which the micro-

there is

phones disappear. "Crowd control" was what we are told later. Apparently everyone goes to bed at 9.00 pm in Vietnam.

The following day we travel up country where we meet some very friendlY, in-

quisitive people and eat some very riendly, inquisitive food. The beer is cold and that is enough to forget."Crowd con-

f

trol" is in evidence again the same evening in the form of local militia dressed

as hotel doormen with electric cattle prods and a seething mass of drunken media. We are out of the bizarre and into the ludicrous. We jump with both feet.

The surfing was successful we hear' As for the music, the locals loved it well certainly by the local peoples'committee member who kept grabbing the singer in a headlock and proclaiming "You numbah one! You numbah one!"

A hardened Hong Kong fan likened the band to "the cast from Winnie the Pooh, on drugs!" A fitting epitaph.

Footnote: Mind Your Head is one of Hong Kong's top blues bands. Three of the members are also FCC members.

The othertwo are quite willing to drink on their bills.

The WIPS network widens

but it also has its drawbacks. Newcomers can be ovenruhelmed by the 'anything goes'atmosphere and the lack of

The Hong Kong Women in Publishing

a basic wage structure to use as

Society celebrated its third birthday lasl month; the cause for rites mainly being the fact that membership has grown by more than 500% in the three years since publication of WIPS' first membership directory and newsletter.

A flip through the monthly directory reveals almost 200 members comprising authors, journalists, editors, publishers, graphic designers, illustrators,

indexers, proofreaders, researchers,

and adverlising and communications specialists

-

who together appear as a

microcosm of English-language pub-

for a drink! The No. l FCC member with Stuart Wolfendale, Philip Bowring and Christoph Hoelzl.

So look who dropped in

Discovery makes it three

of Qantas AirwaYs and who ere joint run' Airlines United

magazines

For the third year running, Cathay Pacific and Emphasis' Discovery magazine has been voted best inflight

ners-up.

Displaying the Avion awards and award-winning magazines are from left, Victor Paddy, editor of Discov' ery,'stephen Ellis, chief executive of Emphasis; Nina Grudzien, assistant

magazine at the annual Avion

brand manager, lnflight Entertain'

Awards, led by the World Airline En-

ment

tertainment Association.

Produced by Emphasis in Hong Kong, Discovery beal the inflight

Chapman, editor in chief at EmPhasis; and Mimi Chan, lnflight Entertainment at Cathay Pacific. @

at

Cathay

Pacif

lishing resources in Hong Kong Membership is still growing, principally because of WIPS' reputation for networking and information exçhange.

According to former president and co-

founder, Robyn Fleming: "l've seen women arrive in Hong Kong with few or no leads, only to land on their feet very quickly, often as a result of contacts they have made through WIPS. "The laissez-faire marketplace of Hong Kong certainly creates opportunities,

a

ln each issue, working journalists and

media scholars will examine the performance of Hong Kong's media organisations, pr{t7t and electronic (English

marker for doing business," Fleming

and Chinese) and discuss matters of

notes.

cricial importance to jourñalists and

The organisation formalised some of its information exchange this year by

media consumer alike.

publishing a survey of freelance rates in a bid to redress an information gap on pay rates in the publishing environment.

WIPS' efforts in Hong Kong have spread the word regionally about raising the profile of , and contact among, women in publishing. Affiliations have been established in lndia and the Philippines, and there is interest f rom Singapore and Nepal. The WIPS'network is, in fact, an international one. The concept originated in England, where there are more than four branches;there are also WIPS groups in Australia, Scotland and Chi-

give behind-the-scenes accounts of how

cago, and associated organisations in the US, lreland and Germany.

By Debra Maynard

On the record Starting next month (December), the Hong Kong Journalists Association will begin publication, on a quarterly basis, of a journal of media criticism, called On The Record.

"lnside Story", a regular column, will important stories were botched, censored or killed as well as offering praise

for pafticularly well-done reports.

Other stories in the first edition will include a report on thè growing trend of self-censorship in Hong Kong's journalistic and academic communities, a call by a well-known Chinese journalist for Hong Kong reporters and editors to defend our current freedom to publish.

As widepread concern about Ruper Murdoch'ssaleof the South China Morning Postlo a pro-China owner indicates, it is important for Hong Kong to keep a close watch on the state of the local news media. On The Recordis one way we can help do just that.

The editor of On The Fecord would like to hear from all working journalists with story ideas, inside information and tips.

For further information contact: HKJA

executive secretary, Ada Ma. Tel; 591

0692; Fax: 572 7329. English editor, Dave Lindorf. Tel: 649 1342: Fax:649 1342.

@

ic; Tom

LAURENCE E. LIPSHER TS AAT ATIERTCAAT CERTTFTED

PUBTJTC ACCOT'T!í/'jAT!Í'" (CAI¿IjFORffiA) nfiIO WORKS SOIJEITY WîTH EX-PAT ' ATTERTCATTS AÃTD THETR U. S . TNCOME TAXES .

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THE CORRESPONDENT NOVEMBER

1993

THB CORRESPONDENT NOVEMBER

1993

PEOPLE

From the land Downunder The popular Australian bush band the Sundowners, made its third return visit to the FCC last month.

As usual, they made merry in the Main Dining

Room. But how do you dance and

sing on tables and do not disturb the crockery? Those who missed the mayhem will have to come next year to find out.

Photos by KEES.

'l ,I

Meanwhile. . . back at the bar On the Sundowners' night, photographer Kees found, u,hut has been alleged, the three shortest people at the main bar Annie Van Es, Peter Wong and.llnnie Oden.

Retired members, 65 years and over I $

Members who are 6-5 years and ovel. and who are retired. with l-5 yeals rĂŹccurnulated membership

will now

have their monthly

subscliptions waived from Sept. l. ll you tĂ&#x152;rll into that calegory please notil'y Klren at the oiiice.

Phitip Bowring

COVER STORY PHOTOS BY MARK ROLSTON

Lee was right, the media can be bought NOT believing in the sort of things con-

can see from the list of delegates and guests that most of you are

tained in the Freedom Committee's manifesto. As far as Mr. Lee is con-

already converted, at least think

cerned, foreign media have no rights to be meddling in the affairs of his, or any other country, by claiming the right to circulate in as well as cover the country.

The domestic media must be aware of and promote national goals such as

you are, to the values of the Press enshrined in this document. I could of

Governor Patten and a section of the participants.

ong Kong's economic future would be placed in serious

Press

doubt if China limited press freedom in the territory warned a delegation of international publishers and

freedom vital to Hong Kongts

media leaders recently.

"A shackled press would not only be a blow to Hong Kong's international repu-

tation and undermine the trust of its trading partners, it would also pose a practical danger for the territory's economic future," delegates said in a statement at the end of a two-day conference on "The Market Economy and the Media."

Sponsored by the World Press Free-

future

dom Committee, a global free-press organisation, the conference, which was held in Hong Kong, was attended mainly by delegates from the United States and Europe.

Delegates said a f ree press and a f ree flow of news and information, including economic and financial information, "are the essential bases of successful economic development."

And theywarned:"News media around the world will denounce any curtailment of press freedom in Hong Kong upon its reversion to China in 1997." ln a 1O-point Charter for a Free Press,

delegates agreed that censorship, direct or indirect, is unacceptable. "These

and should be repealed. This is an obligation that the outgoing British administration must undeftake promptly.

"China, for its part, has a responsibility to see that new restrictive laws do not

take their place.

"We note that the People's Republic of China made a commitment in the Joint Declaration that rights and freedoms, including those of the press would be ensured in Hong Kong after 1997 ... that commitment must be honoured.

"Moreover, as a memberof the United

principles are the foundation of a free press and should become a universal standard," they said. "ln Hong Kong, old laws that are relics

of a colonial past threaten a free press THE CORRESPONDENT NOVEMBER

On the following pages are edited versions of speeches by Philip Bowring ; Kathartne Graham ønd Døisy Li. 1993

Nations, the PRC is committed to uphold the principles of the 1948 Universal

Declaration of Human Rights, in which Article 19 states: 'Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without intederence and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.'

"Afree press in Hong Kong will benefit everyone. A shackled press would not only be a blow to its international repu-

tation, but it would pose a practical danger for the territory's economic future," the delegates said.

Opening the conference, Hong Kong's

Governor Chris Patten, said: "Censorship is a pernicious and ultimately as self-defeating in Asia as it was in Eastern Europe. lt's counter-productive, socially, politically and economically."

Patten pledged to work closely with Hong Kong journalist representatives in reviewing Hong Kong laws to see how they might conflict with press freedom.

Among the speakers were Katharine Graham, chairman of the Washington Post Company; Sir Frank Rogers, chairman of the European Publishers Council; Cushrow lrani, immediate past chairman of the lnternational Press lnstitute; FCC president, HKJA chairman, Society of Hong Kong Publishers, journal-

ists, editors and publishers from Hong Kong, Europe and the United States.

China was invited to send a speaker but the invitation was declined.

course preach to you about the damage to Hong Kong's international role, the damage to its own society, the damage to the general concept of a free press that will be done should the freedoms to

unity, development, etc. These tran-

which Hong Kong is accustomed be just - as is as likelY given away for financial reward. That is an issue which is clearly of specific concern to today's speakers at this con-

taken away, or

ference. Those concerns are widespread, justified and very much shared by the Foreign Correspondents Club of which I am President.

However, for such an obviously interested party myself to repeat them will not add anything to the sum of knowledge of the subject or to the weight of opinion, or of political or economic pressure, to bring them about. So instead will make a few remarks drawn from personal observation of press freedom issues derived from 20 Years of dealing with them in Asia as a correspondent and editor. These are not

the views

of

I

scend the ideals of media freedom, let alone the rights of proprietors to make money by publishing or broadcasting what they choose.

Mr. Lee is not merelY an oPPonent of

our professed ideals. He adopts an aggressively cynical approach to our actions, which sometimes speak differently from our words. I note that the sub-

title of this meeting is: The Market Economy and the Media. Mr. Lee's oft expressed policy, in word and deed, when confronted by what he see as a hostile and meddling foreign media has in been to: "Hit them where it hurts

-

cause he makes no bones about

impact on advertising).

Without going into specifics, it is clear

that Mr. Lee was basically right in his perceptions of the nature of the marketplace, the tendency of money to triumph over moral indignation. lt is painful to Few of say this - but unavoidable. those who profess to believe in a free press cannot be bought. As they used to say: Every woman has her price.

Given that background it is hardly surprising to find the increased degree of self censorship evident in the Hong Kong press as 1 997 approaches - the fear that the wrong political attitude will lead to commercial losses, or depriva-

tion of possibilities for investment in China. Self-censorship is not entirely new to Hong Kong. Backdoor influence

of the rich and powerful, and, less often, fears of direct revenue loss has long inhibited some well known media. I have seen this in the Past and I know it goes on todaY. Stories bowlderised, names taken out, libel lawyers working under instruction to minimise risk rather than maximise

.the FCC.

The first thing we should recognise is the extent of our own hypocrisY. However much we would like to think of our free press values as absolute, the reality is that they are relative. So perhaps we should begin by trying to see ourselves as others see us. One such observer is former Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, a man much admired, mostly from a safe distance, by members of that amorphous mob known as the "international community".

I choose Mr. Lee to start with be-

their pockets". They would, he believed, mostly cave in to commercial pressures.

Mr. Lee was right. The pressures of the market economy proved stronger than the professed ideals, even in situations where the commercial losses to be incurred by a high moral attitude were very small relative to the resources of the organisation concerned. From the Lee-type standpoint, the publishers were basically amoral. On the one hand they wanted publications to be "agin the government" because that sold newspapers. On the othei they were unlikely to resist for long the commercial pres' sure the government could bring to bear restricting their revenue directly (through limits on sales) and indirectly (through

coverage.

But the dangers of self-censorship practiced by the media for commer'

cial reasons in a free society

Philip Bowring

will

obviously increase as pluralism itself comes under threat.

So far, Beijing has clearly been far more successful in pressuring the proprietors and hence editorial comments than it has in pressuring the journalists to refrain from writing uncomplimentary stories. That is partly, I presume, due to the anarchic spirit

THE CORRESPONDENTNOVEMBER 1993

19

;lrtl

which exists in embryo in rliost journalists. But is also because commercial pressure, the pressure of the marketplace, is more easily applied to the proprietors not to run stories critical of power-

ful business interests.

I have to note, too, the acquisition by businessmen not previ-

would help if companies which

avoided appointing to their boards

culture and economic conditions, common interests, common perceptions of the nature of freedom do exist. Meet-

persons who are known for regarding political or commercial advancement as far more important than a free press. I cannot

them. So I thank you for inviting me to take paft. But I hope you forgive me for saying that if we are talking universal

It

avow support for a free press

help but note that the first Asian, maybe the first foreigner, ap-

ously involved in publishing of vari-

is not a publisher or editor,

let

alone one who has fought for editorial f reedom. lt is one of Beijing's now favou rite "patriotic" business-

changes in the Chinese press. For example, the magazine Pai Shing, once noted for its China coverage and intellectual quality, was bought byT.T. Tsui, a businessman known for his connections to the PLA. Pai Shrngcontent has changed markedly.

The biggest attention has been to the

men who seems to be held in rather higher esteem by visiting foreigners than by local advocates of press freedom, least of all Chinese-language ones.

I have left till last the issue of the

Jack Maisano, Society of Hong Kong Publishers: Your purpose here is to impress on Asian societies, and specifrcally on China, that a free press is essential to rapid economic development. The facts are otherwise. Asian socieites have been the fastest growing in the world over the past three decades and have had the most restrictions on press freedom. History has shown us that such a condition is not unusual.

purchase of a commanding interest in lhe South China Morning Posf by Robert Kuok. But even before that event, under Murdoch's control, I have to note the recent removal of Peter Lynch as editor of lhe Sunday Morning Postfor reasons which have not been disclosed but are regarded by most journalists as related to the aggressive coverage of business issues, including ones relating to fraud and corruption in China, and allegations against Hong Kong's largest utility, China Light and Power that it withheld vital evidence from an inquest.

I do not wish to sound overly critical.

I have faced week by week the problems of reconciling belief in a free press and equal treatment for all countries with the desire not to get banned, not to have correspondents expelled. I am guilty of writing things in different ways

ity among publications from countries which believe in and enjoy the luxury of

freedom in combatting oppression of the press elsewhere. Mostly they are too busy competing with each other.

Protests against specific transgres-

sions often have a pro forma look to them and may often appear to be highly selective. I don't see much "interna-

according not to a single standard giving lndonesians, for instance, the

tional" support for journalists of an lslamic fundamentalist persuasion who

chance to read between the lines rather than having facts thrust down throats in Australian style.

But in the end I note that the sacrif ices for press freedom which have been made in Asia have almost all been made

get jailed.

That is not to say that we do not appreciate such mutual and disinterested efforts as are made on behalf of

connection between

inevitably leads to democracy, a la Thailand, Korea and Taiwan.

Frankly, I do not believe that generalisation is possible. As an historian I find that those who claim common threads are in reality trying to impose their own ideologies through selective use of evidence.

Surely freedom should be defended as a good in itself, a natural aspiration.

To varying degrees it has had to

be

modified in the interests of social order,

economic progress etc. How and to what extentthat modification takes place is necessarily influenced by the balance between social and economic expectations, the degree of homogeneity of society, and so on. One could argue, for instance, that the f reedoms that lndians enjoy contribute to economic ineff iciency but are what holds such a diverse nation

press f reedom. But these might be more

effective if they came from people and organisations which did not, for purely commercial reasons, enter into media ventures with avowedly anti-free press governments who will not even allow

together. Or that Russia has never

their own citizens to receive the product without special permission.

some of the West for centuries.

Yet despite the differences in history,

1993

of those who profess to believe in a free press cannot be bousht 7

market economy and economic growth.

One frequently hears the argument in Asia, perhaps more often from visitors from outside the region as from Asians, that democracy and a free press inhibit investment and growth, and cause social instability etc. The examples comparing Park's Korea, Suharto's lndonesia, Lee's Singapore and Deng's China with lndia, Australia, etc. There is now the related argument that prosperity

have been made by editors who have gone to jail, proprietors whose publications have been closed, journalists who have been sacked. lndonesia, China, Korea, Taiwan, etc, all have produced their free press heroes. On the other

THE CORRESPONDENT NOVEMBER

/ tFr*

a free media, a

by nationals, not internationals. They

20

values it would help to have a more

pointed to the board of Dow Jones

ous Hong Kong titles. But there have been a number of such

hand there has been little sign of solidar-

ings such as this can help to define

known the kind of individual freedoms,

the plural society that has existed

in

universal group. lf we are talking of the value of Hong Kong freedoms to Asia,

Katharine Graham

Courage turns the tide

let us have Asians playing a more promi-

nent role, and not give the impression that press freedom and human rights are just the latest Western missionary activity.

The English-speaking world of Burke, of Jefferson, of Adam Smith may have defined many of the things we think we stand for. But many see us not in those idealistic terms but in terms of crude money grubbing. They see, or can plausibly claim to see, not high ideals but the market-driven licence of British tabloids to invent stories or of American television to aim for the lowest possible of human common denominators. One can best defend what one is proud of.

Groups such as this can only claim relevance in Asia if they engage more people here in Asia, the writers, editors and above all the proprietors in the process of promoting the ideals and practical merits of an open and plural society, of which the press is a key part.

Proponents of press freedom can only gain respect if they are prepared to make sacrifices. To use a piece of blunt English phraseology: put your money

where your mouth is.

Philip Bowring is the FCC president

ong Kong and the People's Republic of China soon will embark on an unprecedented, historic and exceedingly difficult voyage into the future.

When the Union Jack is lowered for the last time over Government House on June 30 1997, and the five-star red flag rises in its place, Hong Kong will begin a new existence under the sovereignty of China, but with a Westernstyle, capitalist economy, and a political structure that is supposed to provide for autonomy in running its own affairs.

The expressed and, I believe, sincere aim of all parties is to preserve Hong Kong's enormously successful way of life. However, despite expressions of confidence in the city's future - and everyone's best wishes for its success the fate of "one country, two sys-tems" remains uncertain.

The world will be watching the evolution of Hong Kong with the keenest interest. We feel a common bond with the people of this city, who have been vital members of the international com-

mitted to preserue has the following three, fundamental, characteristics: First, it's

a press that is free from

government censorship, control, interference, harassment and intimidation.

This applies to the reporting of news,

analysis and opinion as well. A free press must have the ability to present

critical views and offer proposals for change.

Second, Hong Kong needs a press

munity for so many years. And the global economy has a large, vested

that is not only free, but independent.

Just as the press must be inoculated

stake in Hong Kong's continued pros-

from the government, it should also, in its reporting, not represent any faction, party, politician, societal institution or ideology. An independent press should

and former editor of the Far Eastern

perity.

Economic Review.

My purpose here today is to assert that freedom of the press is essential to

@

Hong Kong's continuing way of life - its growth and prosperity now and in future.

I'd like to make the case that China has much to gain by preserving press freedom in Hong Kong, and much to lose if it doesn't.

Moreover, a free press in one country can mean something quite ditferentfrom a free press in another. The adversarial free press in the US, for example, has a different role from the press in a parliamentary system, such as Great Britain, or the press in Japan, which has its own traditions and journalistic practices. ln Hong Kong, I believe the kind of free press the Joint Declaration is com-

THECORRESPONDENTNOVEMBER

1993 2I

not be afraid to say government has done something right, any more than it

cess in the past.

should be afraid to criticise government

not just a manufacturing centre. lt is, above all, a capital and trading centre,

for making mistakes and doing wrong.

Third, the kind of free press essential to Hong Kong's future must be responsible. lt must adhere to high standards

of journalism. Key among them is

a

commitment to fair, complete and accurate reporting. Publication of unfounded rumours has no place in the practice of responsible journalism. Paying sources for information or documents is particularly odious, in my view. Even worse are demands for payment by government officials with access to information the public needs to know.

I realise developing and maintaining a high-quality, responsible press is a long struggle that is not won overnight. ln its early days, the press in the US operated more from the gutter than from the steeple. The penny press, Hearst and Pulitzer, were renowned less for quality than for highly inflammatory reporting, propaganda, crusading and outright lies. Even today, of course, not every publication isan lnternational Herald Tribune, New York Times, Wal I Street Journal, Wash-

Hong Kong is different. Hong Kong is

and the free flow of information is its life blood. lnformation is essential for markets to function properly - to set prices, to know supply and demand, to weigh risks and to generate the confidence that is the foundation on which financial markets are built. ln very real sense, free information is the essence of capitalism.

Singapore, to cite one contrary example, has a successful economy, but

does not play a commensurate role in Asian capital markets. One reason may be its restrictions on freedom of the press.

However, it's important to note that

even the manufacturing-based countries of the Pacific rim are changing and increasing the flow of information in the process Taiwan and South Korea in

-

pafticular. The reasons are twofold.

ington Post or Newsweek. Freedom of the press means accepting the worse along with the better. And even the most responsible news organisation makes mis-

takes.

I

believe

I

na-

tional, but global. Today's revolutionary

innovation is merely the launching pad for tomorrow's new offering. Countries that deprive their industries of needed information are sowing the seeds of inevitable obsolescence and ultimate deterioration.

It's also. þard to draw a clear line between economic and commercial information, and political or cultural information. Business people need accurate repofts about political development, not only to make judgments about securities, but also to evaluate new products, markets and industries.

As long as its press remains free, Hong Kong is poised to be a leader in the information-based, technologically sophisticated world that is emerging. Hong Kong has the financial resources, the educated labourforce, the drive, energy and experience to excel. And China will be the beneficiary of the increased prosperity Hong Kong's leadership engenders.

Hong Kong has a small, but important and growing information industry. Star

- have significant opera-

Bloomberg tions in Hong Kong. lf press restrictions were imposed, these organisations

would disappear. And the flourishing Legco's Christine Loh makes a point.

realise examples can be cited of

economies that have prospered in spite of press restrictions. Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea and Malaysia spring instantly to mind.

However, the nature of Hong Kong's economy is f undamentally different f rom

those I just mentioned. Many Asian economies are manufacturing based.

They have relied heavily on labour-intensive industries with assembly-line production. These economies may not have required free information for suc-

22 TrIE

-

the competition- are no longer

TV is headquartered here. Mâjor newswires Telerate, Reuters,

a free,

independent and responsible press is inseparable from the vibrant and successful market economy that has flourished in Hong Kong. Therefore, it seems to me China will serue its best interests by supporting and protecting freedom of the press here.

mental change in the global economy.

As the world moves from an industrial/ service base to an information base every country needs information to remain competitive. Sophisticated products cannot be created in a vacuum. ln fields as diverse as electronics and pharmaceuticals, the industries and

First, growing prosperity. Rising stand-

ards of living have brought about a concurrent rise in education levels, in-

teraction with the outside world, the emergence of a technocratic elite in the bureaucracy, and above all, a growing middle class.

These developments not only stimulate irreversible economic and political reforms, but also create pressures to compel more freedom of the press, and a more pluralistic press as well.

A second reason for an increase in the flow of information centres on a funda-

CORR"ESPONDENT NOVEMBER 1993

printed press, obviously, would change in character.

Market economies also demand accountability. A vigorous press is one of the most effective means of ensuring that accountability takes place.

Still another benefit relates to the traditional watchdog role of the press. A vigorous, free press is the most effective means of routing out and ultimately eradicating corruption. Corruption is one of the greatest threats to any political

and above board.

of the press, as they have not been used

ln other words, vigorous repofting can

by the present government. The Hong

give any political system the information it needs to understand its problems and solve them, before they veer out of control.

Weighed against all the benefits of a free press, the consequences of attempts to restrict press freedom appear especially harmful - and perhaps ever futile.

We live in the age of satellite televi-

Kong judicial system must have the power and independence to preventthe use of these laws or others to stifle press freedom.

A second threat to press freedom is economic. To be free and independent,

the press must be financially successful. The greaterthe business success a news organisation enjoys, the more independence it has and the more

-

sion. lt's already common throughout much of Asia, including China itself.

Satellites can permit the wide dissemination of information, regardless of gov-

ernment attempts to control it. ln this environment, restrictions on freedom of the press might muffle free expression without in any way suppressing the flow of ideas and information.

Therefore, a policy of press restriction would bring little gain, and the costs would be severe.

Let me be clear: any move to restrict the press in Hong Kong would immedi-

ately signal to the world that other freedoms are in danger, and the entire concept of 'one country, two systems' may be at risk. Freedom of the press is fundamental to the personal liberties, the democratic processes, the rule of law, and the economic system that China is committed, through the Joint Declara-

tion, to perpetuate.

Unlike other Asian countries that are gradually evolving in the direction of more political, economic and press freedoms, Hong Kong is already free.

Hong Kong cannot go backwards and survive as we know it. lt would be one country, one system.

The threats to press f reedom of which I speak come in several different forms.

One is statutory. Although the Joint Declaration and Basic Law explicitly provide for freedom of the press, an Official Secrets Act as well as some anachronistic British press laws are still on the books. ln addition, several other laws could

be used to restrict press freedom

in

Hong Kong. These laws peftain to search

and seizure, emergency powers and

system. Consequently, rather than

immigration, as well as treason, sedition

destabilising a society, a free press can be a means to ensure order and stability in societies seeking to function honestly

and subversion.

Even if these laws are not repealed, they must not be used to curb freedom

reported, "a change of hands for a newspaper identified with Hong Kong's colonial establishment to an owner with extensive business ties to China will raise questions about the newspaper's future editorial and business plans." ln my view, the role of owners and publishers is to appoint the editors, back them in their ability to make the best professional decisions possible, and

shield them from outside pressures. have felt the pressures of an unhappy and angry government at first hand. I know this responsibility is not an easy one, even in our country.

Moreover, there are always risks involved, including financial risk for the I

owner. These risks are intensified if there are other business interests at stake, which may become vulnerable.

tÇ.

F*l

S*Þe,

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Ts+, #S,*..

Llã^)

Appointed Legco member Anna

Wu asks a question. resources it can devote to high-quality journalism. As a result, any action that threatens the financial health of a newspaper, magazine or television station, threatens freedom of the press.

Specifically, factors that cause companies to withhold their advertising f rom and direct it to certain news media

others

-

-

threatens press freedom.

Among these factors could be government investment in either the company that advertises or the publication that disseminates it.

This raises another threat to press freedom: ownership. A press that's owned in whole or part by the government, government agencies, or government front men is, by its very nature, incapable of independent journalism.

For that reason. ownership interests in Hong Kong media by China are worrisome. And the sale ol lhe South China Morning Post has produced understandable anxiety.

As the lnternational Herald Tribune

But experience shows that owners can by doing the right thing journalistically, do the right thing economically as well.

Experience proves what I have long believed: journalistic excellence and profitability can - and must - go hand in hand. ln my view, the most serious threat to press freedom does not come from any external factor. ln the final analysis, selfcensorship poses the greatest danger to freedom of the press in Hong Kong.

Self-censorship is particularly menacing because it's insidious, invisible and immune to concrete remedial action.

The pressure for self-censorship can

be exerted by a society as a whole

-

especially when the power structure does not fully understand or suppofi press freedom. Business leaders in pafticular are not always sympathetic to a vigorous free press.

Self-censorship also springs from human nature. lt's only natural to want to please those who have control over your livelihood and over your life. Thus self-censorship can occur on the part of media owners. And it also can be exercised by editors and reporters.

Sometimes it works in subtle ways.

Self-censorship not only involves removing possibly offensive material from a story. lt also can mean avoiding sensitive topics altogether. lt can mean the

choice, sometimes unconscious, of sources, facts and even of words. lt can

mean writing a positive piece after a series of negative ones not out of

-

THECORRESPONDENTNOVEMBER

1993

23

concern for fairness, but out of fear.

Resisting self-censorship requires constant vigilance and courage

-

intel-

lectual, moral and alas, ever physical courage. Yet it is only through coura-

geous reporting that freedom of the press can survrve.

ln Hong Kong, as in the US, laws alone cannot defend freedom of the press. To exist, freedom must be exer-

cised. Journalists, editors, publishers and owners acting courageously and responsibly on a day-to-day basis will make tlre difference.

I want the journalists of Hong Kong to know we support you in struggle and appreciate how hard it will be. Being here has helped me understand the extreme difficulties you are already encountering. Establishing a free, independent and responsible press in the

new Hong Kong will be ever more challenging. Even with the best intentions,

maintaining the delicate balances

Daisy

Li

A gun to the

needed lo safeguard freedom of the press will require a learning process on both sides.

I also realise all too well that it's easy for us to come in, give speeches and

media's head he holding of this conference to

overthe past yearon charges of spying

then depart, while you have to stay here and do. lt's as though we've generously offered to hold your coat. However, we all know that the results will be worth the sacrifices you may be comPelled to

examine the challenges faced Ăžy me Hong Kong news meora is timely. lt is particularly significant, given the grave concern prompted by the detention in China of a Hong Kong reporter, Mr Xi Yang. He has been in

on state secrets.

The industry was shaken almost one

endure.

Even a small number of courageous journalists can turn the tide. We have seen this in Hong Kong, where a number

of publications have refused to yield to intimidation. And we have seen it elsein Thailand, for examwhere in Asia

ple, where one solitary publishing

group played a key role in that country's return to democracy last year. ln short, when journalists practicetheir craft with courage and professionalism, freedom of the press will triumph, and people can make real progress toward a life of peace, prosperity, health and happiness, which is our common goal

and aspiration.

Katharine Graham is chairman of the Executive Committee of the Wash-

ington Post Co.

@ 24

tTl I t

detention for the past week, and there is no sign yet when he will be released.

Mr Xi, who worked for many years as a journalist in China before joining the China desk of the Chinese-language

newspaper Ming Pao in Hong Kong a

year ago, was arrested in Beijing by

State Security Bureau officers on charges of "espionage regardÂĄng state banking secrets," according to the official New China News Agency.

I have restrained myself from commenting on the case publicly in the past week, in order to avoid any confusion of my role as the head of the HKJA, and at the same time, as Assignment Editor at Ming Pao. However, the picture would not be complete in any examination of the challenges faced by the Hong Kong news media without making reference to the Xi Yang case.

Xi is the second Hong Kong reporter to detained by the Chinese authorities

THE CORR.ESPONDENT NOVEMBER

1993

year ago when China detained a woman

journalist, Leung Wai Man, of the Chinese-language newspaper Express Daily. Leung was detained for seven days before resuming her libefty. However, that liberty did not come easily.

She first had to sign a confession, and she was then barred from entry to China

for two years.

Some time later, a mainland journalist working forthe New China NewsAgency, was jailed for life in connection with the Leung case. His wife was given a six-

year jail term. There crime: leaking an advance copy of a keynote sPeech bY the Communist Party leader Jiang Zemin.

Some local journalists thought Leung's

case might be an insolated incident despite its seriousness. They held the view that with increased alertness, we

may avoid stepping on the minefield agarn.

However, with this second arrest, the signal sent out by the Chinese government is now very clear - Hong Kong journalists have to "behave themselves",

THE 1994 FCC DIARIES The FCC 1994 range of executive diaries is now available at'club' prices. Each has been specially produced with a wealth of important information, in either black imported bonded leather or calf skin for the wallet. All feature a discreet club logo and your name, if requested.

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otherwise retribution is likely. Localjournalists, who are considered liable to prosecution under Chinese laws, now face the distinct possibility of losing their liberty while they carry out their duties on the mainland.

Xi is accused of "theft and espionage of state banking secrets". Besides these

very vague terms, security officials refuse to give details about exactly what the journalist has done. What's more, Xi is not allowed access to family members

ever been enshrined in the constitu-

These include the Off icial Secrets Act,

tional documents of Hong Kong, in our view, the Basic Law contains several vital clauses which could override this

which is a British law applying to Hong Kong. lts 1989 version recently ap-

guarantee, thereby threatening f reedom

of the press after 1997.

The most disturbing clause is Arlicle 23, which stipulates that the post-1997 legislature must enact laws to prohibit any act of treason, secession, sedition,

or representatives of his newspaper.

any unfavourable reporting would be viewed as a deliberate act to damage the image of the party or the government, or to undermine its authority.

To make the situation even worse is

the ambiguity of Chinese laws. This allows the authorities to interpret them freely, in order to suit any political purpose. While it is true that the Chinese government is struggling to build up a system of rule of law, there are still many

cases where political considerations clearly override the rule of law.

This mentality, on the part of Communist officials, casts a long shadow over freedom of the press in Hong Kong after 1997. ln reply to questions from Hong

Kong repofters about whether the Xi Yang case will affect the media in Hong Kong, Chinese officials here assure the industry and the public that press freedom will be well protected by the Basic Law. While it is true that the Basic Law stipulates in one of its clauses that Hong Kong residents shall have freedom of speech, of the press and of publication, and it is the first time that "freedom of speech" and "freedom of press" has

26

- continues to come under fire in Britain, for example,

similar problem to other professions with experienced journalists leaving, to be replaced by less experienced jun-

for failing to provide a public interest defence. This law, in any case, will

tors.

cease to apply in Hong Kong after 1997, and may thereafter be replaced with a

self-censorship. And this has been highlighted by the recent acquisition by Malaysian tycoon Robert Kuok of a 34.9% stake in the Soufh China Morning

plied

to Hong Kong

Chinese-style law barring the theft of state secrets.

The government still retains powers to allow the police to seize journalistic material, it still retains a power to censor

There is a clear message in all this a message of intimidation for the Hong Kong news media, which plays a vital role in reporting China to the outside world. lt is also probably true that Beijing has never forgiven the Hong Kong media for its forlhright reporting of the 1989 pro-democracy protests.

Under the Communist regime, there is no concept of a free presq. All news media are the mouthpiece of the party.

Their function is to serve the party, instead of acting as a watchdog on behalf of the people. A journalist's normal practice of gathering information would be equated with espionage, and

films for political reasons, and still retains wide discretion over the dissemination of information, which begs the

question as to whether Hong Kong should have access to information legislation an issue the HKJA is pressing with vigour.

I always like to use the following illustration to explain how free the press in Hong Kong really is. lt is like a gunman pointing a loaded pistol at the media, his finger on the trigger. Yet at the same time, he guarantees that he will never really pull the trigger.

While it is true that the present admin-

The Far Eøstern Economic Review's

istration seldom uses the draconian

editor Gordon Croyitz.

power available in the statute books, the question remains as to why these powers remain part of our legal framework, and who can guarantee that the post1997 gunman will not pullthe trigger and cause heavy casualties among journal-

subversion against the central people's government, oi theft of state secrets.

Some of these concepts are alien to the existing common law system, and we fear, can only be interpreted in a Chinese context.

This is particularly important, because Article 158 of the Basic Law gives the powerof final interpretation tothe Standing Committee of China's National Peo-

ple's Congress - a political body instead of Hong Kong courls.

-

However, it is unf air to just criticise the Chinese authorities for defects in the Basic Law. Colonial laws have also provided the government with ready tools to destroy freedom of speech and of the press.

Although some draconian laws have been repealed or amended

-for

exam-

ple, the government no longer has the power to close newspapers or to censor television programmes - there are still provisions which can inhibit the free functioning oĂ? the media.

TIJE CORRESPONDENT NOVEMBER

1993

had tried or would try to emigrate. There is no doubt that the profession is facing

ists.

These visible threats are already worrying. The invisible threat of self-censor-

ship is ever more disturbing. There is much talk about this problem, but little hard evidence, given the natural reluc-

tance of journalists to admit that they temper their reporls.

A 1990 survey conducted by the Chi-

nese University of Hong Kong asked journalists about their attitude towards self-censorship. lt found lhal 23"k o't about 500 respondents were apprehensive when criticising the Chinese government. About 55% said they were not.

It is perhaps understandable that a significant proportion of journalists should worry about possible post-1997

repercussions, given China's current attitude towards the media. That per-

haps explains another finding in the survey

-

that about 30% of journalists

Statement on press freedom

There is another problem concerning

Post and the Chinese-language lU.ah Kiu Yat Po. Kuok has extensive business interests in China. And indeed, he is a Hong Kong affairs adviser to China. So this has prompted fears that he will steer the Posf towards a pro-Beijing line.

That remains to be seen, although pressure rs growrng on newspaper proprietors to ensure that they are not seen to be anti-Beijing. Many would like to extend their market to China, and this begs the question as to what favours they must grant to China in order to achieve their aims. Many people in Hong Kong consider the recent support by the media for Beijing's bid for the 2000 Olympics to be an example of this trend.

So what remains for the future? to Hong

Guessing what will happen

Kong is difficult. There are the optimists and the pessimists, and the'everything will turn out well' and'doomsday' scenarios are equally applicable to the future of the news media.

We must hope for the best, although that does not mean that we should do nothing in the run-up to 1997.

We are now actively lobbying for law reform in Hong Kong and the enactment of access to information legislation, to ensure the best possible legal framework for the media. We also need continued vigilance towards any developments, whether in Hong Kong or China, which might affect the ability of local journalists to carry out their duties.

After all, the continued ability of the media industry to provide reliable information and statistics, as well as critical commentary, is vital to the continuation of Hong Kong as a centre of business and a gateway to China both before and after 1997.

Daisy Li is chairman of the Hong Kong Journalists' Association. @

wenty leading publishers and news media executives from

China in 1997.

The 1O-point Charter for a Free Press

around the world, at the end of

has been discussed at this meeting and is attached. lt sets out guideposts for an unfettered flow of news and information. lt states that censorship, direct or indirect, is unacceptable. These principles are the foundation of a free press and should become a universal standard. ln Hong Kong, old laws that are relics of a colonial past threaten a free press and should be repealed. This is an obligation that the outgoing British administration must undertake promptly.

China, for its part, has a responsibility to see that new restrictive laws do not take their place.

We note that the People's Republic of China made a commitment in the Joint Declaration that "rights and freedoms, including those . . . of the press. . . will

"The Market Economy and the Media" conference, adopted the following statement.

"The vitality of its economy and its people are Hong Kong's greatest assets. Meeting in Hong Kong at a critical time, we emphasise for both China and the united Kingdom that: * A free press and a free flow of news and information, including economic and financial information, are essential bases of successful and rapid economic development. * News media around the world will denounce any curtailment of press freedom in Hong Kong upon its reversion to

be ensured" in Hong Kong after 1997.

That commitment must be honoured.

Moreover, as a member of the UN, the People's Republic is committed to uphold the principles of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in which Article 19 states: 'Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.'

A free press in Hong Kong will benefit

everyone. A shackled press would not only be a blow to its international reputation, undermining the trust of trading partners, but it would pose very practical dangers for Hong Kong's economic future.

The delegates:

Harold W. Andersen, Chairman, WPFC; former Chairman, Omaha World Herald Co., Omaha, Nebraska, USA

Dana Bullen, Executive Director, WPFC, Reston, Virginia, USA L. Gordon Crovitz, Edilor, Far EastTHECORRESPONDENTNOVEMBER

1993

27

r Charter for a free press

ern Economic Review, Hong Kong

Andres Garcia Lanvin, President, lnternational Association of Broadcasting; former President, inter American Press Association, Merida, Mexico Katharine Graham, Chairman, Executive Committee, The Washington Post Co., Washington DC, USA Liam Healy, Chief Executive, lndependent Newspaper plc, Dublin, Eire Karen EIliot House, Vice President, lnternational Group, Dow Jones & Co., New York, NY, USA Cushrow R. lrani, Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief, Statesman of lndia, Calculla, lndia Urban C. Lehner, Edilor, Asian Wall Street Journal, Hong Kong

Leonard H. Marks, Treasurer and

A free press means a free people. To

this end, the following principles, basic to an unfettered flow of news and information both within and across national borders, deserve the support of allthose pledged to advance and protect democratic institutions.

1. Censorship, direct or indirect, is unacceptable; thus laws and practices restricting the right of the news media freely to gather and distribute information must be abolished, and government authorities, national or local, must not interfere with the content of print or broadcast news, or restrict access to any news source.

Legal Counsel, WPFC; former Director,

US lnformation Agency, Washington

2. lndependent news media, both print

DC, USA

and broadcast, must be allowed to

Richard McClean, Publisher, /nfernational Herald Tribune, Paris, France, published by The New York Times and The Washington Post

emerge and operate freely in all countries.

man, ReuterTrustees; Chairman, Press

3. There must be no discrimination by governments in their treatment, economic or otherwise, of the news media

Complaints Commissions, London,

within a country. ln those countrieswhere

England Dr. T. O'Reilly, Chairman, lndependent Newspaper plc, Dublin, Eire James H. Ottoway Jr., Senior Vice President, DowJones& Co.; President, lnternational Group, Dow Jones & Co., New York, NY USA Gunter Prinz, Deputy Chairman, Axel Springer Verlag AG, Hamburg, Germany Sir Frank Rogers, DePutY

government media also exist, the independent media must have the same

Lord McGregor of Durris, Chair-

to all material and facilities necessary to

their publishing or broadcasting opera-

4. States must not restrict access

to

newsprint, printing facilities and distri-

quencies and facilities.

hibit the distribution of news and restrict

S BAR

the flow of information are condemned.

JI WYNDHAM

6. Government media must enjoy editorial independence and be open to a diversity of viewpoints. This should be

STREET TEL.' 8775172

7.

a country to outside news and informa-

tion services, and the public should enjoy similar f reedom to receive foreign publications and foreign broadcasts without intederence.

O/j $

8. National frontiers must be open to foreign journalists. Quotas must not apply, and applicationsforvisas, press

given full protection of law. Journalists working in war zones are recognized as civilians enjoying all rights and immunities accorded to other

ginia, USA

civilians.

Governor Patten: Censorship is as pernicious and ultimately self-defeating in Asia as it was Eastern Europe, or anywhere else in the

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Ckrsc Encounters of the Exotic lndian Kind

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28

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There should be unrestricted access

10. Journalists, like all citizens, must be

Today I nternafionaf Arlington, Vir-

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by the print and broadcast media within

be secure in their persons and

California, USA John M. Simpson, Editor, USA

"Happy Hour Everyday 5pm - 7ptn" Ground Floor, Hutchison House (next to Furama Hotel) Central, Hong Kong. Tel:5257436

G""d. foodl rtrd.

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-LIVEPIANOANDAMBIANCEAFTERDINNER

Alvin Shuster, Foreign Editor, Los Ange I e s limes, Los An geles,

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affirmed in both law and practice.

9. Restrictions on the f ree entry to the field of journalism or over its practice, through licensing or other certification procedures, must be eliminated.

Presse, Paris, France

lor, lnternational Herald Tribune, Paris, France, published by The Washington Posf and The New York Times

Buen Vino

5. Legal, technical and tariff practices by communications authorities which in-

Chairman, Hachette Filipacchi

John Vinocur, Executive Edi-

Y

cies, and availability of broadcast fre-

both official and unofficial news sources, and be allowed to import and export freely all necessary professional materials and equipment.

Chairman, Europeans Publishers Council, London, England Gerald de Roquemaurel, Vice

Conæ

bution systems, operation of news agen-

credentials and other documentation requisite for their work should be approved promptly. Foreign journalists should be allowed to travel freely within a country and have access to

Chairman, The Telegraph Plc;

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Therets always a/

yster coloured, clouds scudded over the landscape, approaching rain . . . hold on, that's the wrong story.

Twenty finely tuned athletes - 10 from Hong Kong and 10 from Bangkok recently in Thailand for the golf-ingmet event of the year - The Bangkok Overseas Challenge. Three courses were invaded by this disparate group of golfing specimens.

The Khaoe Kheow (Green Mountain) Golf & Country Club, which has been opened only a few months, provided the venue for the first day's play which featured a s-man scramble with the better ball being used by each team member.

The winning team in this event did, not surprisingly, include The Bangkok 'A'

Team of John Lenaghan, Adrian Gundlack, lzzy Friedman, Alan Taylor and Mike Howard. Two-zilch to Bangkok was the day's outcome, with John Charlesworth whacking the longest drive and Dave Stuaft of Bangkok providing the precision by being nearest the pin.

The optimists of Hong Kong, our own FCC Golf Society's tri-athletes, were set for revenge on Day 2 at the Siam Country Club with the lndividual Stableford

Competition for the BOC (Bangkok Overseas Challenge) lending credence

to our stiff resolve to destroy the opposition.

30

By the end of Day 2, we had the Bangkok lads struggling to hold their 6game lead (Bangkok I - Hong Kong 2).

But led by the mighty Lenaghan (how does he do it?) who picked up 38 points but was adjudged to be the winner since their leading non-FCC member (Don Ratcliffe) notched up 43 points and was therefore ineligible to win the tournament. Best front nine went to Derek Currie-Puff, with yours truly matching Derek's score on the back nine.

Nearest the pin - Ray Cranbourne and John Lenaghan, longest drive-Nifty Nev Nicholson, with Geoff Miles uniquely qualified to win the award for Most Room For lmprovement. Ah well, there's always Day 3 at Bangpakong Riverside Golf Club.

THE CORRESPONDENT NOVEMBER

1993

It

was not to be for Hong Kong, as the

star-studded assembly of Dave Stuart and Don Ratcliffe cleaned up - Dove again had the longest drive and John Lenaghan, yet again, sticking the ball nearest the pin. Result: Bangkok 4 Hong Kong 1.

Who needs def eat? But the odds were

stacked against our gallant band of marauders. Others, more cynical than l,

found expression with the concept of the handicapper being out to lunch.

There is always another time. However, the level of conviviality, camaraderie, not to mention the comfort zones of the ultimate super-bus to get us back and for1h, have fuelled our desire to return to Bangkok to at least gain some face next time.

q

The SLR c

fromadiffere

PEDDLER'S JOURNAL n the years before Asian restau-

rants became so widesPread in the USAthe mostfrequently heard

complaint from Japanese and Chinese business travellers was the lack of edible food.

Having to survive on hamburgers or steak with French fries, for even a few days, was for most an almost intolerable hardship.

All that beef and grease, and no rice of the recognisable variety, became the subject of many war stories upon their return home.

Experience travellers brought along their own goodies.

I remember a Japanese businessman who showed up at our office once with an extra bag stuffed with dried seaweed, instant noodles, pickles, and many other dietary essentials to see him through the ordeal of a two week trip visiting factories in the hinterlands.

But obviously it is not only the Asians who are thrown off stride by an unfamiliar combination of taste and texture.

Take for example that favourite Cantonese delicacy chicken feet. The taste may be acceptable to the Western palate and even the texture but the fact that they come from the lower extremities of

a chicken puts most Westerners off.

Unusual smells can be equallY off putting. A whiff from the barbecue pits of Deep Water Bay on a Sunday afternoon where groups of young Hong Kongers are happily grilling sections of digestive tracts or organs will be enough to illustrate that point.

I thoroughly enjoy plain ordinary Chinese food. But on business trips when my host wants to splurge and jazz up the meal with a lot of expensive exotic stuff,

the banquet for me becomes

Pearls

before swine.

Much to the delight of mY Chinese colleagues I was once treated to civet cat in Guangzhou. I would have been happier with friend rice or noodles and a

plate of vegetables.

On a recent business triP I was accompanied by a young Chinese engineer from our plant in Virginia. lt was his first business trip outside the United

32

One plate of pigos guts .oo

but go easy on

the rice

five boxes of the instant variety to see him through the trip. "After all," he said, "You never can tellwhat those folks over there are gonna eat in the morning and there is no harm in being prepared."

Even the most adventurous explorer

of exotic cuisines tends toward conservatism at breakfast time. Perhaps like joints and muscles our taste buds need a little time in the morning to regain their normal flexibility. ln any case an encounter with the unfamiliar is not usually looked forward to with gleeful anticipation soon after awakening.

The traditional Japanese breakfast has become almost legendary with foreign visitors. To be greeted in the morning with an array of tiny lacquer cups and plates containing among other things dried fish, pickles, a raw egg, slimy seaweed floating in a clear soup and various unidentifiable forms of life from the sea can be somewhat breathtaking.

Our foreign visitor, who will be staying in a Japanese inn somewhere in the countryside, quickly decides that following morning he will opt for the western

breakfast.

What he does not know however is

States.

One evening after exhausting the subject of the Civil War (our great grandfathers were on opposing sides) lturned to the subject of grits.

Having once tried grits I put it down to one of those mysteries of the human palate.

It is coarsely ground corn meal, tasteless and invariably appears on breakfast plates south of the Mason-Dixon line and east of the Mississippi.

It is unknown in other parts of the country and for good reason. Southerners thrive on the stuff.

My friend tried to convince me that there is nothing like a plate of grits seasoned with salt, pepper and butter to start off the day.

Perhaps out of embarrassment he said nothing at the time but later confided that his wife had packed for him

THE CORRESPONDENT NOVEMBER

1993

that the fried eggs, ham and toast will be served ice cold. That is because the inn will have a very small stove with only onè or two units and to expedite delivery the meal will have been prepared the night before.

lf it is any consolation the rice and bean soup will bè hot. The Japanese guests insist on that.

On the other hand Japanêse unaccustomed to foreign idiosyncrasies find it strange when their guests kick up a fuss about cold fried eggs. After all they have no qualms about eating hard boiled eggs cold.

When I have occasion to travel in the

backwater areas of China or Japan

I

solve the breakfast problem by packing a small box of my favourite muesli.

Leighton Willgerodt is an associate member of the FCC and is a sales executive with an American multinational

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