The Correspondent, March 1994 by The Foreign Correspondents' Club, Hong Kong

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An Open Letter t'rom MB China

THE GORRXSPONIIDNT ÀIalch, 1994

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A lettel'florl ¡he Presicient Mercedes-Benz THE FOREIGN

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CORRESPONDENTS'

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previous rrorn the

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the pattern r¡i'ith

Flnance comittee Sinro¡r Holl¡erton C¡rl Colcisteirr \ c Kulkrrni

Publïc Relations "Jä1Jffi

The

at I-unctr

Vzodd

luncheon speakels make their poinls.

A- Kor:ean

Holid,ay

lVocbenpost ìnvestigates the u'eìr'cl t'c¡r-ld

of l(im IJ StLng,

2'>

Corr¡fort

Souttrern 1ü

to your impressive

u't I or: SrLrl Locklrrrt

I'rul Iìvlìclcl

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'iïJjÏ"iËilühi'íl'ffi ffiiJu$Ët]Jpz

Darkn.ess

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iftre \zoice of Él:re Vzicked \Xziûctr of Étre E,ast is Silenc

FCC

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.llenbets: Llubert Yxn Es Pilrl \looney

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F aster:n

tl1e

r'itel Kevin Sinclail checks out the Chilean lifestyle.

Publications Coûmittee Cc¡t

ûtre

Inside

Stefan Reisnel

Krrlkr¡ni. KeVin EgJo Entertairment Committee ('ut reì1or: Daniela l)eane llember: l)ar icl Crrcia. Prul lll,fic'lcl _Julie ll€lclnrnr

"-Ë.:î"1å.1î'mxt""l*;'-:''llJlli'iÏiJï:äåï'lî"iJii' ManagÚ

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comitt€e \ an

apart

has closecl

llc'lclru¡ì l'h iì ippe I-c Corre. Pauì trlocner. Paul Ba\'l'¡el(l

Cont ette¡r: Hubc.rt

lontine

Wl'ry one of tl're lalgesl cir-clLlation ne\vspapcrs in tl're n'ollcl

-l/e,r¡rbcrs: .lul ie

.lleltbeN:

Why not

a-2

Chaclha Krrl \\'¡lsorì

Membership

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alrost lost his lifè.

Coodhle to tlre \XrlleLl Ciq

Associate Member Governors Kc\in Egiu). D:trirl G.tr,i:t. SrrLrÌ l-c¡ckhrrr..ltLlie \lelclrtrn Professional Comittee C, n t u't or: Crrl C, riclstcin

ïï'"iî.,"-"-* Press *U

IJrirn leltìies \ G Kulkanri. I)ìrilippc l.r C,rrrc. Prul lloonet . Hrtber t \¡rn Es Journalist Member Governore K

ifaking E><pfess

and

A look ar rhe cìesign of Hong I(ong's new kicl on the block

Sinron Holl)erÌon

Ladies and

Cotrespondent Member Govemom Pnl lh\ f¡el(l l)rniel¡ l)eane

a Mercedeshad placed ^ -,êqrq we

Edicor

Peri-ls

inteñrie$'in Lim¿r

Plrilip l3osrirrg President Cirl Gc¡lclsteirr F¡rst Vice President - Sturr t \\ olfenclrlc Second Vice Presid€nt

MAY CONCERN

ttre

Asía ,l[agazi.ne reporter:John Dikkenberg hacÌ

CLTJB

March, 1994

list of credentïals?

Sir)ron'l'\\ istoll l)rr ies ( Ecìit<¡r) F & B Comittee Cottrettor: Srurrt \\ c¡ltènchle ,llentlrn: T)rvicl Carcir Sirìorr Hollterton G Iiulkar ni llrian -leftìic's, l)hilip¡rc Lc Corrc

Wall

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EDITORIAL OFFICE 'l \\ iston Drr ies. Eclitor 2 Los c'r \ll¡ert Rorcl Hong K<;ng Telc'¡rhorrc: i21 1í11 Frx: tl68 i092 199{'I he lbreign C()r responclcrìts Cluìr ol Horrg Kong OpiLrions expressccl l)\ \'riters ¡rl Tltt' Cot rcspottderrl îre not necess¡r iL\ tìrose ol''f he tÌrreign Correspr>nclents CIulr Telephone' lb rêlef¿/ lele!¿/ tc¿bles

594 8800 + Bg0ì

MEFU)'"

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Ross \ü'a)' takes the pfizes at FCC

be Correspottclctrl is pLrblishecl montìrìr' 'l hc troreiSn Cor res¡;onclertrs Cluìr ol Hong Kong

Ran't

chrl¡ in Nl:rcau.

SilÌolì

A- FÈoof

FCC

l(alir-r À{almstlom lcports on 1'enovations at oLLl affilìated

The Correspondent cHrN A

Lettel'fron1 Syclney, by Vcr-non

Comittee

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a EBe\-\-J¡ at ttre

Sinking Souûl.r

PRODUCTION ñ l)rirrtirrg FoLLrtìì Floor. Strc'et.

1iB \\,ellington

Fareszell

Rita Rcicl (,940-1994).

Il'

Linc D<'ign

A, Fond

Hole golf [oLunamel]ts

Journalist

as I{ero

I(ar-l V¡ilson revieq's the biogrzrphy

FCC

of CNN's Petcl'Alnett

Fa-ces

The filst in a rlonthly series of pl-rotoglaphic portlaits leatr.rr'ing FCC members

Centlrl. Llong Kong ]'el: 52t 7993 Fex: 521 ti.l66 Putrlisher lrn Har ling Market¡ng Director Katic IlcCrcgor DTP Art¡st - J()c\- l-e c

Mercedes-Benz

CoVcr photograph: Â Nloscov news slancl ìr1' r\lark Graharr

Nlafcl'r 1994 THE GORRXSPONITINT

Tfl TAKE GREAT PIGTURE$

The Last Governor

PRE$$ HERE.

Ch-rl> Presideaat PZI¿Z¿P Eì<>ourirzg drs<:r_rsses ctre FCC screening <>f a EtEtC telerzisiondocr-rrrretata:4. on the Li_fe an<f sol.rretirrres good tirrres of Clrairrna-n Àzla-o-

ost news is bad news. The

the late Chairmanand an insult to "the

FCC itself has recently experi-

whole Chinese people" etc, etc. \Øe were showing the film be-

Dengist "Socialist Market Economy". Even Mao's (very norrnal) sexual preferences had been revealed before, in print, by his former doctor. So why the fuss about a foreign film? One can onl1. 5¡1¡-it.: nationalist resentment that foreigners should demean a Chinese leader? The Communist Party's continued need for an idol,

enced the truth of this adage by getting itself - for very different reasons calrse there was interest in it and it had - into local back-biting columns and not been publicly shown in Hong into the global media. Kong. Itwas up to members to decide On the first I will merely obserwe whether it was a lair portrayal or not. that I do not believe in newspapers or However, we offered Xinhua the journalists suing each other for libel opportunity to come to the showíng however strong the case, and notçvithstanding the SCMP's record on that score. BYARTHUR HACKER THE ZOO On the second, it is hard to know whether to laugh or JUST THINK FCC F¡LM NIGHT cry at the events surround\^/HAT THEY CHAf R^AAN WOULÞ HAVE ing ourJanuary 24th screenIF SAID HE ^^AO ing of the BBC documentary THE LAST WAs A TORY,/ É/'\ÞEÈoR Cbairman Møo; Tbe Last Emperor.

THÊ

^AINÞ ES./ BO GGL

Laugh at the sheer silliness of the approaches we had from

Xinhua and the Hong Kong Government?

a saint, to justify their place

power? The suggestion from the title thatthe revolution has

merely meant a change of emperors? Or the fe ar of those currently try1ng to deify Deng

that theìr "little emperor" would suffer a similar fate? Perhaps all these factors played a role in bringing the messengers from Xinhua to the FCC.

ln a way, their

Or cry at the

thought of what lies in store for Hong Kong's joumalists? It is hard, however, not to feel sympathetic towards the two unfortunates from the

foreign affairs depanment of Xinhua who had the task of trying to persuade us not to screen the Mao film. They had called me at home on the Friday morning prior to the scheduled Monday showing and arranged

an "urgent meeting", for that afternoon. The day of the annual board lunch as it happened. Most board members were still finishing their coffees and cognacs when the Xinhua men arrived. So, instead of being able to make their

plea to me in a quiet corner, the hapless pair were given the opportunity to put their case td the board at large. Not very comfortable. '\Øe listened politely to them explain how the film was slanderous of

history and their hold on

attitude

was less suprising than that

the Hong Kong Government.

Not only did the TeleviEntertainment Licencing Authority (TELA) suggesl we needed a licence to show the film. The Urban Services DepaÍment came around to check the

sion and

and tell the assembled members why they believed the film to be inaccurate

and insulting.

They did not take us up on the offer, which was a pity because they might have made a reasonable case that there are precedents in other countries - including some normally regarded as free - for not subjecting

religious or royal figures to harsh criticism, or revealing the seamier details of their private lives. Of course, Mao is no longer the or emperor-like figure he was - alive. His statues have been while mostly taken down, his cultural revolution reviled, his austere socialism god

traduced into today's dynamic but

unequal and corrupt China of the

premises on the grounds that we were showing the fihn to the "public" - not the case as it was for members on1y, TEI-{ said we should send them a copy of the tape, although they had, in fact, already seen it and approved it for showing elsewhere.

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orx

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film or tape to members of

company, a partnership, club or indeed almost any group of persons. \7e noted thatwe had been screening films of professional or general interest on an occasional basis for years. The authorities could scarcely have been unaware of this. -ùØe also noted that the law ap-

To tbe

Editor -o'

peared to require, fol example, banks

to get permission to screen training videos to their staff, sports clubs to gain permission to show recordings of their own matches, advertising agencies to

-"" ":j;:rr: rCTtø

Ctrsþ

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do likewise in displaying videos of their work to prospective clients, and Catholic churches to obtain a permit to screen videos of the Pope's travels. The law was obviously not being applied in these cases, so why didTEI"\ suddenly think it should be applied to us?'!Øe are still awaiting an answer. Meanwhile, we have every intention of continuing, from time to time, to screen films, whether of politics,

sport or entertainment

anything

which is not obscene or slanderous, The problem with the largely unenforced law which gives TELA such

sweeping powers of censorship is that it is one of many in the government's arsenal which can be used to suppress freedom of expression or political acriviLy.

These censorship controls are seldom, if ever, used. But the government has repeatedly failed to deliver on promises to abolish them so that they are not around to be seized upon by less tolerant future regimes.

Singapore, among several countries, offers plenty of examples of how colonial laws designed for times ofwar or insurgency can be dusted off and put to use against even mild dissent. Chris Patten cleadyhas a personal commitment to issues of freedom of

expression. He is fond of making speeches about Hong Kong's press and other freedoms and how they must be maintained after 1.997. Yethe has done nothing to amend slrch monstrosities as the law which gives TEL\ the right to decide whether

or not FCC members can watch

documentary. So this is a plea for action which goes direct to "FCC Member Patten: The Last Governor".

tæ

The Art

Americatr was saddened

read (Corre-

spond.ent, Oec 1.993-Jan 1994) of the death of Fred C. Shapiro, Tbe New Yorker' s former China and Hong Kong

correspondent. Fredwas a "gentleAmerican" who came to Hong Kong and China in the twilight of a career which had earned him the right to sit on the verandah sipping gin and tonics and filing the odd piece to HQ. Instead, he continued to be the consurnmate professional, soaking up

every nuance of China and Hong Kong for the 10,000-20,000-wordpieces run by his journal. Fred loved the business and the writing and after hitting Hong Kong from post-Tiananmen Square China was very keen to be included in the stable of contributors to the "Foreign

Correspondent" column Sunday Morning Post. be cut).

the (Yes, he had to

His death robs the region of an egalitarian veteran who was as readlr to teach a young dog the old tricks as he was happy to share his stories, garnered by dint of decades of firsthand experience of New York's journalistic and literary scene.

DavidMaguire Absent Member S un d ay M o rning

Pos

t (l)

Þ È

Bulldust

The Gentle I

87 - 1 99

Having just received and paid my annual bill for our excellent Club magazine,I pondered why, in a club such as ours, we still have to pay for the production and distribution of the

The Angel Touch of aÍr lce-Cold Beer

Correspondent?

understand

it, the scribes

who write the copy do so as a "labour of love", or something close to it. Also, I was always under the implession that the Club's membership

consists

of taipans and experts in

advertising, PR, communications and marketing who drink at the bar alongside the foreign correspondents and local journalists. How come, therefore, that with all these hotshots we cannot dnrm up enough advertising revenue to cover costs? Are those fellows just a bunch of bulldust artists extraordinaire ? If so, there's future for them here in Australia, which is known to the Kiwis as fhe Moutb Island.

George Suthedand Mackenzie Colonel Commandant (Leura Rifles, mountain Militia)

23tdFoot & Mouth Australia (Assistance witb "drurnming-up" sca.rce ad,uertising reuent'rcs to couer editoriøl ãnd production costs is ntore tbøn uelcome. All practical øduice

and professional contacts tuill be gra.tefally accepted by the editoriat and production teøms -Ed.)

Eit-

fiiefiil> er J<> r't yz I) i /<.k e rz b e rg r e <' er.ìtl¡tPerr-r to iaatenzievrz President tranzelled'to -A.II>erto Fujirnori. He goû kris stor;z- He also rl.ean:LSr got killed'Itris is uztrac ha-1>1>enedC orre

s1>

o ndealt

I sat in my grLÌngy hotel room in Lima, I reckoned it was the gripes of froth the elbow "bends" that come with -an over-accumulation of alcoholic bubbles. I swore off the drink for at least another few days. However, after some fulther', but s

exhaustive research I can confirm that

a drop of the old amber is not only good for you, it can save your life. I had endured, sustained and outlived a 35-hour slog to Lima to interview President Albefio Fujimori, once a glrest speaker at the FCC, but now ensconsed in rather more elevated and exalted circumstances within his wedding-cake Presidential Palace. Our meeting was on the first day while i was still unsLue whether I was overwhehningly jet-lagged, sleepdeprived or hungover. Maybe I was

merely cannibalised, a wandering surwivor of an Andean air crash. The evening I was to interwiew Fujimori I s/afted outside the hotel

Paths in all their dimensions and mani-

festations. I must say, though, the old

boy looked after me and my welfare really well.

and hailed a cab, a contraption whose

He pushed down all the door'

over-whelming terms of endearment were the two coathangers thatclamped the rear mudguard onto the chassis. The cabbie I lucked onto was a doddering old geezer with a good grasp of international gesticulation

locks, wound up the windows, indicating that I should I coalesce into a nonchalant blob. He then proceeded to draw eddying waves of attention to himself with Êiery Latin horn blowing and flowery

codes, some "Ayers Rock" Spanish and an answer in bodyJanguage for evely tired bit of dialogue. Naturally, being Latino, he first tried to fob me off onto every brothel in town befole rellìctantly acquiesc-

Spanish curses flowing.

ing to negotiate the fwo kilometres to the Presidential P aIace. NØe dawdled throu gh the crowded

back alleys, a heartland of Shining

'When

we leached the

Pizarro

Palace, he knew the inside layor-rt so well that he flawlessly guided me to the door which accessed the President's private reception chambers. We agleed that he could ferry me about again the next day. After all,

why get rid of a mechanical Moses who canpaltthe seas of lima'spacked March 1.994

THD CORRXSPoNDETTT

"Look out the win-

dow," he said. "See those scantily clad women out there? They re hookers, thousands ol them. But they're not half-naked because they're hookers, lhey're like that because they're poor. "There are onlyñvo olher types of nocturnal animals out there,

andmuggers,"

-mugs hecontinued. "Andyou

P resid ent Al

lookmorelikeamugto me. It's a buck for a bang, but it's like playing Russian roulette with five-and-a-half rounds up the spout. AIDS is more rife than

erto Fui im ori

chickenpox."

traffic with a mere jabbing of the middle finger? He was not quite ready for govemment selvice, but he would be fine for me. The interview with Fujimori went smoothly as ¡¡'e discussed the Peruvian economy. Until recently Peru was staggering under a world record annual inflation raÍe of 7,649 per cent. 'W'e also talked about the day's major news: government securìty forces had finally nabbed Jaime "Aldreda" Pefruzzí, acting leader of the country's second most violent

He also pointed orÌt a great iittle canttna across dre road, your quintessential scribblers-at-large bolthole, where the beerwas much cheaper than

the hotel and where the local colour was liery Peruvian chilli pepper.

-fkre tl-rree 1>eo1>1e tkre door nearest Ll.a-<1 l>een xzitkr skroxzered skrards of glass -

\Øhen he arrived in his raggedY, Beverly Hillbilly sedan, I contemplated the body-pr.rnching 35-hour trek back to Hong Kong, took an umpteenth look at the cantina and decided to have a quick noggin or two.

Nothing swallowed, nothing gained. I asked the driver to wait for me at the fi'ont of the hotel and crossed the road to Paradise, moving past the first

was shredded. The two security guards on the

The concussion wave

had

slammed into the wall about a half metre behind my bar stool, leaving me as whole and as shiny as the day I was born, albeit I thought the fire engines were a bit quick off the mark

until'I reaìised my like churchbells.

ears were ringing

Although the front of the pub had been more or less blown away, I was

still perched on my bar

stool.

Paris style.

Petruzzihad been locked up with

infrastructure during the past

Per-r-lvian

14 years.

Fujimori took a predictably optimistic line when we talked, but I was

still happy with my story. "I think South America will be the next economic miracle after Asia," he said. Perhaps he is right.

It was the next evening that the concierge of the Hotel Crillon, an absconded \World !Øar II German sailor quaintly surnamed Maniak, gave me

watch-your-ass, pre-street

pep talk. THD CORRXSPoNDEilT

March 1994

After all, if you're going to cross the Pacific Ocean, the Amazon rain forest

and the Andes mountains, whY floP aroundyour hotel room watching CNN? Over the next few daYs, mY cab

rattled up a few dozen miles calling upon various mini, me-

t aa¿

dium and maxi gurus and dodging the Shining Path in all its manifestations. The job, the flight Plan, somehow always kept sidetracking me fromthat

'-r. ,t-

cantina. Then it was my last daY on assignment and I was due to flY out at 11Pm. Because of the terrorist Problem, passengers are required to go through a sequence of checkpoints and secu-

rity checks on the airport approach road. The old guy suggested that he pick me úp at7pm.

sprinted across the roadto where

lips to the angel touch of the ice cold glass when there was a thunderous explosion, followed by a whooshing concussionwaveand a pall of smoke. I could see nothing for a couple of seconds, but the bloke on my left slumped against me. 'ùØhen I took stock, I could see that the three people nearest the door had all been showeredwith shards of glass ancl were peppered with cuts.

lutionary Movement.

driver and

my taxi was standing, but I knew it was bad news the split second I saw the smashed windows and the smoke pouling frorn the inside. The cal was totalled, My driver

But I was now out on the footpath,

another prize catch, ex-philosphyplo-

here on in, but the only way I can rationalise blood and guts in my own mind is to tlir¡ialise it.

three people inside the door and sitting four stools in from the street. The first Peruvian beer went down like pasteurized mother's milk. I had just started my second, applying my

terrorist group, the Tupac Amaru Revo-

fessor Abimael Guzman founder of the murderous Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) guerillas, which have killed 25,000 people and caused billions of dollars worth of damage to

You get a bit foggy in these sittiations, and then the adrenelin kicks in. luckily, being a longtime scribbler I'rn programmed to think sometl'ring like, "\Øou,! That's very interesting! I've just got to go and have a look". I hope I don't sor-rnd flippant from

fi'ont steps of the hotel were also flipped over'like r-ag dolls with their limbs thrownwide and out of whack. Injured people were all over the road, moaning, cursing; trying to drag themselves to some corner of safety and comfort.

Many of them were hookers, white-faced with shock above the blood and muck, hard wornen who wele sobbing like little gir'ls. I noticed

q'hen the ambulances arrived that nobody wantecl to tolrch them, or even go close to them.

The car- bomb was not even s.reck, just a jumble of smoking metai shalds and spiky bits surrounding a hole in the road. As I raced around the building my feet crunched through a carpet of glass several centimetres deep that shimmered and winked nnder the emelgency lights. Next clay the International

Ilerald Tribune reported that tefforists had detonated a 100 kilogramme bomb, killing three and injuring 60 people. Shining Path had claimed r-esponsibility, and itwas thought that the reason for their reactivated cal' bombing campaign was that Guzman was becorrr-

ing too accommodating

Fujimori.

It was only when I

¡Íâ

I 'å

was

halfway home, and some of the shock had worn off, that I started thinking my life had been saved by a beer.

Rid.irzg higb: Peruuicu't

fficer

ot't borseback

The Cost of a Shining Path The Peruvian Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) have

often been called South America's deadliest left wing terrorist grolrp. More than 25,000 people have been killed in the 14yeal-old war between the government and the Shining Path since May 18, 1980. The southeln states-basedterrorists have also caused more than US$22 billion damage to the national infrastrarctLrre, equivalent to the entire national debt, The self-avowed Maoist group is so hardline that it hailed the collapse of the Soviet Union, and has denounced the cr.rn'ent Chinese govelnment as being traitors to uale Communism. President Alberto Fujimori, on the other hand, has said that members of the Shining Path are "like the fascist

cdminals of \Øodd \Øar II". As in most revolutionary situations, the Shining Path leadership is essentially middle-class, and much of its funds comes from the easy pickings of drug money in Peru's northern cocaine provinces bordering Columbia. Their weapons of terror are lRA-style assassination and car bombs. The Shining Path leadels, former-philosophy profes-

sor Abimael Guzman, second-in-command Elena The øftennatb

Barman, you can line me up another one any time you like. I think I prefer the FCC on Zoo NiSht.

Iparraguirle and political leadel Zenon Vargas, arc all

now in prison facing the death sentence. Three nationally known entertainers; a singer, a dancel and a composer, are also among the leadership. Guzman, 59, also called "Presidente Gonzalo" and "The fourth sword of Manisn" the footsteps -following followers, was captured of Max, lenin and Mao by his in September 7992 at a-dance academy for gids that he had been using as a hideout. Many Peruvian universities are hot beds and breeding grounds for the Shining Path, who wear an official uniform of Mao caps and collarless Mao jackets, and chant slogans at political lallies, sometimes from the Little Red Book of the Cultural Revolution.

The Shining Path has tried to follow the tactics of Chai-man Mao in conducting a prolonged guerilla campaign starting in the countryside and aiming to surround and stlangle Peru's coastal cities. Most of its victims have been peasants caught in the crossfire between security forces and the rebels.

The government has also captured the leaders of the number two terrorist group in Peru, the Cuban inspired MRTA Tupac Amaru Rer.olutionary Movement,

Victor Polay Campos and Jaime Sebastian Castillo "Aldreda" Pefrtzzi. John Dikkenberg March 1.994

THD CORRDSPONIIENT

There has been some criticism of the "old-fashioned" headline and standfirst type. In fact, chronologically, it is only a few years old and is called Fenice. But it does hint at an earlier era of newspapers. So what. To combine all that is modern in

newspaper design with an older look headline type whilst remaining

Busines

intensely readable, I find balanced and aesthetically pleasing. Fenice is also used for the masthead, but in a computer enhanced condensed form. Using extensive

¡f,J.....-._.r."rcnuæ9ol)s-

white space and inside pointers make for a pleasing balance and overall look

.-.,t"'-*-,.1Y111

E¿zstet'*

Sü11 of

East**.o Prorrrrs

Fartl

e, B aryf¿ "

well as being useful in freeing up the rest of the page from the usual clutter that pointers

t7î,lt i;;i::;;'zzu ot i:r;r::il:;::

t-:{;ies'

cause. (A few year-s ago the Far Eøstern Economic Reuieu, under the aus-

pices of Henry Steiner and his design team, adopted a similar style. It

nníZ*11'2;;;;i äesasrl' !}xpnn'_läLt effe cc' =

.r{;:;'ii:;'

used the 2}}-year-old Bodoni

typeface. A bold move that worked particularly well in fhe magazine

format. The less said about that innovation the better). Commercial reasons aside, to use front page ads to plovide the counterpoint to the masthead often

The Business and Sport mastheads are particulady useful and aftracÍive.I waxed lyrical about the lead sport page earlier and I could do the same for the rest of the sports section. Business news and features pages work well, but the style falls

a little with the stock listing

^way Using a short news story and pages. an excellent graph looks good, but the combination of very heavy logos and very light listings does not work well.

Besides Tbe Guardian, fhe other influence appears to be The Independent (and its antecedent Tbe Sunclay Times in Harold Evans' day). This is in regards to the use of pics. Tbe Indeþend,enl pioneered, if

you like, using big pics well

partly due to modern presses, paper and computerised page design. The drawback however is that going large all the time can become a lyranny since you need a constant supply of good pics. Ordinary pics stay ordinary whether you use them large or small page design aside. - is fortunate in havThe Express ing excellent photographers who

pics for the international stories.

The other side of the design equation is how it works in day-to-

day application. Talking to senior 'editorial staff like Jon Marsh, Ewan all of Campbell and Steve Proctor whom were involved in the- design process

reveals that generally it is

a good -design to work with,

the

10pt-grid mentioned above provid-

ing a core discipline to their page design. Steve Proctor, with his excellent Weekend magazine, is less constrained and has plenty of scope within the overall "feel" of the bold typography and pics design

to respond to the design needs of -a particular story. Clearþ the editorial approach is for longer stories, with a sprinkling of shorter ones and news briefs. They are a commodstories that require time - of. ity we are all a little short One approachwould be to make

more of news briefs so that there is

plenty of bite-sized news for the without adversely scanners

affecting the- visual splendour of the

page.

have produced some great Hong Kong (and nealby) shots. However, you cannot always depend onagency

leads to front pages "failing away"

^t the bottom. All three papers do it, although not every day.

h.e arrival

of the

Ea,stern

Express on Hong Kong's news-

the most innovation, particularly its new Sunday offering, Hongleong Life.

even more than when Tbe Times

-put news on the front page tn 1,966

section strengthene d an ak eady pr edominant hold on business coverage. The other two papers have a

and abandoned Times Roman in favour of Times Europa in 7977. One of the key design elements of TIte Guard.ian is the space between

papers, the II ongko ng St an d. ard and the Soutb Cbina Morning Postlifted their visual game both look better and are easier to-read.

long way to go to challenge that

the headline and the beginning of the

position.

standfirst or the text. At the time it seemed disproportionately large, but

In this review I am not so much concerned about the quality of stories, but rather the paper. Although a number of changes were supposedly in the works for some time, the Exþress launch saw the Stand.ard and the Posf introduce modifications around the same time. It was an exciting few weeks, particulady for those with an eye for

One of the first sections of the Express that I saw was the lead

stands turned the newspaper world

on its ear. Besides the improved conditions

for many journalists on all

three

design.

Out of the Standard and the Posf, I

thoughtthe Standardshowed TtrD GORRXSP0NIIDNT

March 1994

The Posf's two-part Business

As for the Eastern Express, ifs bold, clean look

is a

refreshing change.

sports page. The combination of typeface, bold photo, spot-green and overall balance was a joy to behold a statement on the art of broad-sheet design. The Express imported designer David Hillman, who headed the team which introduced the radical rede-

sign of Tbe Guarclian in the mid80's. Backthen, he upset and divided newspaper purists all over the place

it intloduced a clean sense of space. Infact, it was in proportion related to the leading or the gap between lines.

tr-iffi"-

Hillman adopted a similar approach fothe Exþresswhichuses ppt Century Old Style on 10pt leading.

This leading then forms the grid from which all spacing is derived

headlines, text, captions, pics, graphics, etc. This is what gives Íhe Express its open, clean look in addition to

the dramatic use-of the pics and modular layout.

March 1994 Tf,E

CORRf,SPOilIIDNT

Inside the City of Darkness A- lasû look a-û ûtre rW.alled <aiÍ>, chrougl.r ckre e)zes of Hong I(ong 1>kroto gralckrers (7re¿1 (]ir¿trcZ a-rrd I¿zrz f,¿zrrzt><>t

t toot< HK$l million and five years for FCC members Greg Cirard and

abìe to undertake the initial photography and research into what often

Ian Lambot to complete the coffee table book Tbe City of Darkness, a

seemed a lawless zone within the confines of normally well-governed

photographic farewell to what what is now a part of Hong Kong's rapidly

Hong Kong. It then took another two years of negotiations with the Urban Council before it agreed to help with further funding for the enormous task of interviewing \Øalled City inhabitants and recording intimate portraits of theil lives. In return, the Urban Council was presented with a set of the a:ural history tapes, with full transcripts, of the stories told by the people of the in the book. \Øalled Cily that

f I

changing history. Initially, Girard and Lambot turned to businessman and photography buff Po Chung for financial assistance in their quest to assemble an historical

document. "If you are creating a quality fourcolour photographic book of this kind," explained Lambot, "you need to sell some 8,000 copies to break even." Since the subject matter athand

was local and in some ways lacked immediate chocolate box appeal,

the pair reckoned they could only sell 3,000 copies on a commercial basis.

\øith the help of Chung, the man behind the the DHL express delivery service, Girard and Lambot were THI

GORRXSP0M)ENT

March 1994

Along with a ^ppean complete set of

transparancies, the entire project is now lodged at the Hong Kong Museum of History. Most of the photography was completed in 1991,, some four years after the demolition of the \üØalled City had been announced and three years after the clearance began.

At its height in the mid-1980s there were maybe 40,000 people living in the damp and crumbling concrete jungle. Most were illegal immigrants sure that by living in the'ü/alled

City they would be free from

interference from the Hong Kong authorities who treated the enclave as a no-go area. Today the space where the huge mass of concrete and steel once stood

is being turned into a park for the people. "The park was the only solution to what was a tricky political situation, where nobody seemed to have a real claim on the land," said Lambot. "Before the clearance started the \Øalled City was a centre for drug

dealers and aIl kinds of vice, and people kept to themselves. But once the authorities moved in at the beginning of the clearance it became quite safe and about 50 people were soon willing to tell us their stories."

Mar cb. 799 4 TtrE coRRxSPolfItHlT

PflATDA Dead at82 ilkre rzoice of ckre rülzicked rWzitch of che East yzas silenced irr tkre clositrg <>f Pr¿zz,>¿a¿¿, one che -wrodd' s rrrost farrrotrs are-qzspa-tr>er:s and one of che least. lor.ed- Correstr>ondeatt Íaelrìl>er -Stezse Kyzil>lz took a totlf of Ckre Praz,t¿Aa edicorial roorns alot long l>efore iû friû ckre Àzloscosz str:eets for ckre la-sû ûir¡re-

firct saw the wire report oi the closure of Prauda in the Koreø fIerald.. Datelined Moscow, the rwoparagraph item quoted editor in-chief Viktor Linnik who complained about the paper's new Greek owner, busi-

f I

nessman Yanni Yannikos. Editor Linnik complained that publisher Yannikos was demanding "total

right of ownership over the newspaInterfered in personnel matters . . . possible replacement of the editorial board . . . a shift in the paper's per

...

politicalline..." Hey, Vic, welcome to capitalism! Prauda Truth was founded - the birth - of the USSR six years before

by that notorious trouble-maker Vladimir Illiych Ulyanov (Lenin). At its peak in the early 7980s Praudahad

a circulation of 10 million with

fell further to barely two million. Iù(/hen it died last month, Praud.a had less readers than the Soutb Cbina Morning Post ín tiny Hong Kong. For a long time a lot of people read Prøuda, but there was precious little to read. Most days saw six pages and there were seldom more than eight.

Pr¿zz,,c/¿z article,s took <J'aSts, e\zen

to pre[>are s.eeks altcJ e\zer)z-tkring krad to l>e szritten approv-ed 1>¡z inkror;se cerlsors.

readership five times that number.

Like the notorious regimes it for so long, the newspaper came to signify all that was selfserved

serving and insidious about communism. It too went out with a whimper rather than abang. Al98l editorial in Prauda's issue number 25,000 claimed that the paper's own history was "inseparable from that of the heroic history of the USSR itself ".

How right it was. llithin three yearc, Prauda's circulation plunged to less than seven million and by 1991 ir Tf,D CORRESPoMIDITT

March 1994

There were no gossip columns, no ads, no stock market reports, no comics, no pictures of pretty gids, no horoscopes and no crime stories. Until its last year, there was seldom any

Sample headline: "Intensive methods

development for livestock breeding."

Nthough P rau d ø cotld never peF suade its readers that life was paradise at home, it could at least stress how much worse things were in the \Øest. And this is where it must be said that some of Praudø's staff demonstratêd both wit and style in the sense of wliting propaganda, a word which had no more worse connotation in the Soviet Union than the word "advertising" has for some of us. In its early days, one of Prøuda's mostillustriousfreelancerswas George

Bernard Shaw who, in a July 1931. afiicle, wrote: "If the future lies with Lenin, then we canalT rejoice." If you fell out of favour with the Communist party, however, your star

fell from Prauda too; when the deposed Rnssian premier Nikita Khrushchev died in 197L, the New Yorle Tintes ran a 10,000 word obit. Praudø ran one sentence announcing "the death of pensioner Nikita Sergeyvich Kyrushchev, " which

hint of political scandal or sexual

it buried under a long report on the

hijinks. There were also no revealing profiles of political leaders. In fact there was rarely any real news at all.

latest harvest.

This left plenty of room

for- lum-

percent of Prauda's pages - and turbering government speeches

gid official reports about bountiful harvests and new gas pipelines.

Russian readers, however, had long since grown wise to this ruse, realiztng the smaller the space allowed for a story, the more likeiy its real importance.

Iikewise, wheneverthe paper ran

a series of reports about

overseas

Contìnuedonpøge 14

= +

õ g I

Journalists were talking quietly

Continued.frompøge 72

plane crashes, quick-\Ã¡itted Russian readers would carefully scan the back pages to find the tiny announcement. A crashed Soviet jet, which had actually happened weeks eadier. \Øhile in Moscow last winter, fellow FCC member Mark Graham and I had the rare oppoftunity to visít Prøud,ø and meet one of its senior managing editors. This was arranged by a friend of mine, ex-Praud,a Manila correspondent Dmitri Kossyrev. Prauda headquarters .was a tenstorey building on a quiet Moscow boulevard, not far from the Kremlin, unsurprisingly tagged P ravda Street. As Mark and I entered the large, high-ceilinged lobby we were almost

immediately set upon by a short but powerfuliy-buiit babusbka bellowing "Nyet, Nyet!" Most babusbþas I'd met before, and since, were as sweet as Russian ice cream, but this one was unquestionably an unrepentant Stalinist. Our crime: we had entered through the exit door. \øith this sepluagenarian

sadist behind us, Mark and I entered the heart of Prauda, a wodd of long,

dimly-lit corridors and dark, gloomy stairwells which reminded me of a hospital ward after lights out. Aswe stroliedtowards the deputy managing editor's office, we glanced

through open doors where journalists sat at large ash-wood desks in small rooms off the main corridor where most of the paper's 180 edito-

rial xaff worked. None of the rooms we passed had computers, and in onlytwo dimly lit rooms did I spot an over-sized manual typewriter, adjacent to large piles of mimeographed paper, mainly reports from the Soviet news agency TASS.

among themselves, smoking or drinking the dark tea Russians call cbai.

Most were hunkered down over their desks, looking up perhaps only due to the rare sound of English-

addressed ifo Gorge or not co Gorge? -Ílrlra¡ szas ckre question Studies ganr:Lr Patrictr< b)z ctre Sctrool of Orierlta-l- arr.d African dtrring a str>eectr in tkre rrrain d,ining r:oorrr.O'ReiIl¡r Ed Peîers '¡eÉr<)fts-

in \Øestern papers, no sound of

telephones ringing or chattering wireservice reports coming in. There was

no sense of excitement, no air of frantic deadline frenzy tobeat compe-

tition into print. Because, of course, there was no competition. Prøud.a articles took days, even weeks to prepare and everything written had to be approved by in-house censors (who had their own office in the building). Censoringwas done twice; once before printing and again just before distribution. The sedate atmosphere seemed more like the offices of a scholarþ publishing house than a major newspaper, once eagerþ poured over by l(remlin watchers the world over.

Being introduced to Dmitri's

former office colleague, Mark and I swapped tales of our journalistic adventures in places like Saigon and Seoul, while Dmitri's associate went one better with his arcane tales of life in Pyongyan g and Havana. Later, meeting a senior managing editor, whose name I'm too polite to mention, we were tongue-lashed about

dark conspiracies in the \X/est ("from a country across the Atlantic") to purposely ruin the Russian economy.

Prauda's terminal illness began during the August 1990 putsch, when Yeltsin temporarily closed the paper. (The paper had only been closed three times previously, by the Czar).

\Øhen Prauda re-opened 70 hours later, Lenin's lithograph on the masthead was missing; gone too was and the communist party's insignia most of its readers. In the end, the propaganda Pro-

duced by Prauda largely failed, not only because it was propaganda, but because itwas boring, crude, andmairly because it insulted the intelligence of the Russian people. In its last year, the like the brain dead editors of Pravda were dolt who lectured- Mark and I

A senior managíng editor

That Dam Project

speakers passing. There was no central news room

talking only to themselves. journalists have alwaYs \øestem wondered abott Prauda's 60 overseas

correspondents. How manywere spies?

Anti-Yeltsitx Poster

Some, perhaps, were. Butmost, I think,

were not. From my experience in meetingTASS correspondents, this kind

f) I

ar.ck ., Ke'ry s

pronounce-

ments during his speech to 100

not all the

dividing and ruling rather neatly.

Golges have yet

power transmis-

demonstrate that answers about Three

Finally,

of special irrfonnation gathering seemed

FCC members on the subject of China's Three Gorges project were

to be more their speciality.

sometimes less than definitive.

been solved satis-

sion is controlled

Thus, quizzed on whether the project (a "Good Thing" since the time of Sun Yat Sen) would ever get off the ground, O'Reilly replied: "Yes, ir will be built within rhe

factorily,

by the

\øith the possible exception of being an Aeroflot executive, being a Prøudø joutnalistwas probably one of the best jobs to have in the USSR. Salaries were higher than most white

But

both tangible and intangible, seems to lie at the heart

collar workers, and Pravda employees had access to special shops and apartments. Best of all, there was the chance

next five or six years unless Li Peng is

of the

no longer premier. That's not re ally an answer . . . I think that if Li's there it'll

O'Reilly said.

of international travel. In

be built.

Moscow, theybelonged to the House ofJournalists, a press club in a charming old mansion which was once owned by a millionaire Muscovite merchant. Prauda's death should be hailed by journalists and free thinkers everywhere, for it marks the re-birth of real journalism in Russia. For 70 years Pravda played a major role in propping up a regime so corrupt and so evil, which had caused so much misery to its own people, that it would make aMafiadon shudder with shame. Today, Russia's re-born publishing industry is booming like never before, with scores of exciting new newspapers a ndmagazines, each fightlng frantically both for readers' respect and advertising revenue. At last, the nation which produced the wonderful poetry of Pushkin, the epic novels of Tolstoy, and the classic stories of Chekhov, is finally free to produce some first rate journalists. To them I say: DOH-bro Pa-ZIIAlo-uabtl ee--Oo-DA-Cbee! (\Øelcome and Good Luck!)

Central Government and

power,

as the grid be-

matter,

\Øhile the Chinese leadership is

unless it has he's not reached the point of -no return, both economically and in terms of the

keen to steamroller those who oppose

significant amount of face China would lose it s/ill not be built." Precisely.

try, and engineers categorically state off the record that it- "shouldn't be built".

First floated as an idea in the

the dam, its detractors

including

provincial authorities, the-water minis-

FIowever, for Beijing, the Three Gorges project has several distinct

1!20s, every Chinese leader since has

advanfages.

embraced the project to dam the mighty Yangzte for the prestige and power it would generate. Now priced at around US$10 billion, the hydro-electric plant's output

Li Peng, a Moscow-trained engineer and formerly a minister in the water fesources and electric powef

is estimated at 18,200 megawatts,

equal

to that of the whole of Taiwan. But the objections to its massive,

departments, is, said O'Reilly, "a man who firmly believes China can use the dam not only for its own economy but also for political Leasons". One of the keys to economic growth Chinese coastal provinces has

heavily-touted benefits are frightening.

in the

More than 1.13 million people will have to be uprooted from their

been an access l-o electric power. As such, the Three Gorges can be used as a symbol of the Central Government's determination to allow the inland provinces access to the type of

homes and moved. And should the dam burst due to natural disaster, hostile military intervention or shoddy constmction, hundreds of thousands of lives would be lost and the economic consequences incalculable. There are substantial ecological

comes more integraÍed, so Beijing

Patrich o'Reilly

prosperity enjoyed on the coast.

It will also create a Yaîgtze economic corridor between Pudong and the Three Corges, a massive economic zone and axis around which China will

conside¡ations too. Comparisons with

revolve. China can then play off the

the silt problems of the Aswan Dam

new zone against the provinces,

will have more control over "who gets the juice". O'Reilly continued: "Inthe best of all possible worlds, the Three Gorges project should not be built, but I don't think the dam is doomed to failure. It

can be made to work, and can be made productive. It can be a force for good. However, it's iust too eady to judge. It's the type of shot in the arm that the region needs." Three Gorges is variously described as the last Stalinistinfrastructure project, the culmination of man's battle against nalure as well as a demonstration of China's ability to ovefiake the'Sl'estern powers in a single leap. There again, as the biology teacher told his blushing female student who could not put a name to the part of the human bodywhich could swell to slx times its normal size, the answer was the eye's pupil. He said her bashful silence indicated she had done no homework, had jumped to conclusions, and was way too optimistic. The Three Gorges Project suffers

from similar misconceptions, said O'Reilly.

It was well

put. ==

March 7994 rHE coRf,xsPolfltENT

Etritish corrred¡z act<)r Etrian Ri>< rrrade a¡ irrrtr>a-ssioned ç>Iea f<>r r-rndersûanding the needs of ûtre rrrenûall¡'z trandical>1>ed an during e><trerrrel¡;z fr-rnrr¡rz s1>ea-ker's at luncheon 'ûlre B<a<a- E(Z Peters l:el>orts-

PLEASE

actress struggles to the top, enjoys a more or less successful spell in the

limelight and writes a best-selling, kiss-and-tell, warls-and-all autobiogruphy at the end of it. The public's pmrient interest and the thespian's declining bank balance are both satisfied. 'Sl'hat, then, could be expected of a man who made acareer of exposing himself; whose dropped trousers had passed into iconography? The farceur and British peer, Lord

S BAR

The characters were vaguely risqué and straight out of stock comedy writing the golf captain with the flirtatious-wife; the Queen visiting

a hospital patient who had boils all over his arse; St Peter at thê Peady Gates; and the provincial mayor who took an olive out of his mouth and said ".\X/ho's pissed on these plums?" Solidly English though they may have been, the jokes were without exception extremely funny. No small part of this was due to Rix's immaculate delivery and timing, honed over 27 yearstreadtngthe boards THE CORRf,SPONItENT

March 1994

capped child you are

as ít were

thrown right into the -midst of it," Rk remarked with studied understatement.

These were the days before Britain had "never had it so good", and there was, Rix said, nothing like edu-

cation, welfare or social security for the disabled

The causes of Down's syndrome were not understood and those afflicted by itwere wrongly stigmatised as mongols. Timeshave changed, thanks mainly to pressure from parents like Rix, who now vouches for Britain's present level of care as the best in Europe.

¿L

sva.n,m.

*"l"o*n"

awai.ú you.'

I-

CENTTR.A.

PY HOURS - ALL DAY STINDAY

AND 6 -

PM & 11 - 12 PM EVERY NIGHT G/F., ON HING BLDG.

South China Building, 1-3 \flyndham Street Tel: 526-5293 Fax 801-5006

(UP THE STAIRS, opposite ULOFT" ¡N WYNDHAM ST.) CENTRAL. ÈESERVATIONS: 81 01 1 62

with no outside support.

physical and sensoryhandicaps. "Once you are a parenf of a mentally handi-

Central, Hong Kong. Tel: 5257436

G""d. foodl tttdl

off his tongue with hilarious ease. It was a star turn fuom a sÍar turned charity aristo. For when the final curtain came

which he genially admitted were borrowed from others in the profession.

Floor, Hutchison House (next to Furama Hotel)

31 WYNDHAI\4 STREET TEL: 8775472

the disabled in

laugh, make 'em cry, then . . ." Rix launched into a string of anecdotes

till 10:30am Mon. - Sat. TraditionalPub Grub, Daily Speciai \-, We look forward to seeing you!

Buen Vino

A Bow Bells cockney and a snooty, stuttering second lieutenant both tripped

tally Handicapped Children and

HappyHour5-8pmHearty English Breakfast served

In the old days, the stark choice for parents lay between shutting up

Adults, and is now chairman of what is known as Mencap. His own daughter was born in 1951 with Down's syndrome and other

Rix of \øhitehall, did not disappoint. On the principle of "make 'em

Opening Hours: 8 am till Midnight Monday - Saturday, Noon - Midnight Sunday

during which he notched up a highly respectable 12,000 performances.

down on the \X¡hitehall Farces at London's \X/hitehall Theatre in the 1970s, Rix assumed his second and more personal role of devoting much of his time to the National Society for Men-

5T/PPORTERS

Come and join us at one of Central's favourite pubs.

Timing andDelivery t't n fairly accepted cycle. Actor or

FCC

THESE

Bull & Bear

f I

PATRO N I5 E

THE GODOWN

home, or being faced

Closc Encounters of the Exotic lndian Kind

-WHERE THINGS REALTY TAKE OFF-

wìth the task of caring on their own

The Ashoka he lìcrt¡u r,¡¡tt ' ¡\ llotrrl Ìiou rnrot clelite ¡rr ¡its votr, \\'il lì \'dl('t l).u krng Scr vicc {;':tìl) | rn l0l)(l I rìì ) I

According to Rix, the disabled in

l¡lr,\rr¡tr'¡\rleliciot¡sl¡eli,rnlrr.lulgerrce l!t'ilL,lircrthclrrrlrrlgenretrx,, ll|ll(l prì \\rf ¡re \trll ther('¡t siri() \\ \ n(lh¡tìì qt, ( errtr¡ì, I I K, fcl ;2.1 r)b2:1, :2i ;719 ¡nrl ¡l'() ¡l 0ur hr.r¡.i rt'\' frl.rcc ¡t (ìrll:Cortrtau¡;ht Conlrrercial lluilLlin6,

Britain now have "the right to live in ordirnry housing, in ordinary streets, with sufficient care. There are none of the problems which I know you have

lìrl\\eorì l0llprn

llìî

Hilton Hotel, based on his cument book Tour d.e Farce. Too much of a gent to ram it

K,1ì'l 8ql ¡ì9f,1, Sel ()l'llN

had in Hong Kong in the recent past." Sadly his voice did not waft across the water to the Kowloon utopia that goes under the name of Laguna City. RLr added: "I feel fortunate, privileged and proud to be in the House of Lords as it enables me to speak up on

behalf of people with disabilities." His honest, demonstrably beneficial and humane attitudes are a solid argument for retaining what many see as an anachronistic upper tier of government in the United Kingdon. The third prong of Rix's string of bon motsmlxed with a social message was a discreet plug for his show (with wife Elspeth Gray) then running at the

\V,rtrcir.ri lÌo¡Ll, I I

l(rf!'r.rt!{l

:\l-1.

5lì51

D,\l ç ()l:

ì\ t ri,,J Ilairr,L-

llr \\ LlrK lrr(,lr¡rr 'r,¡

)

.T/t-Ø";uo¿¡.Ø.*r/7on;a;""t;"7*trnul

t6rZ.% D

GO It

W N

LUNCH, DINNER & DANCING -PRIVATE ROOM-

-Øøz

ton,Toa./

- LUNCH - DINNER

AND AMBIANCE AFTERDINNER

- LIVE PIANO

A SHORTTAXI RJDE FROMTHE FCC HAPPY HOURS 5.7 PM, 1 1-12 MIDNIGHT

FOR RESERVATTONS CALL A661166 THE GODOWN, ADMIRALTY CENTRE, TOWER2,

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"Its late and had a h we havenrt from lO 12 a.m. Late night supper Frida¡ Saturday and eve's to public holidays.

8-13

l7o On

Lane, Lan Kwai Fong, Hong Kong

Telephone 5265965

¡ì\¡il

l¡ì 'llìI

down his audience's throat, Rix had

to be prompted by a question to

i,--'r1"il¡ì.illi

mention both this and his forthcoming

book.

tæ

58-62 D'Aguilar Street Lan Kwai Forg,,C;ntral

HonBKonB Tel: 845-5577

-T---

Afiter

Ctrristrna-s, dr-rring l>leak rrrid,--vrzitrter, () -s t " " IY'<> <: Zz e "-z,l? cor:resl>ondent .Sîelfczrz -Reisrzer ûook a, strort krolida¡'z in NTor-th I(orea- and qzas girzen star: trea-trnentHis onl¡,. 1>rol>lerrr sz-as a- sense of l>eing a-lone-

Tourist Number One "\fou are lree now," I was told by I the saluting, Lrníformed border guard who returned my passport as I entered North Korea from China.

Obediently, I felt it must be so. The train had worked its shattering way for 22 hours from Beijing to Pyongyang and the journey had given

me a fine example of the modern theory of physics: we travelled in a for-ward direction but backwards in

was returning to a zoo I had experienced once before.

time. Even though I was travelling into

like this in the early

Then I got it: East Germany looked 1950s.

a country that was new to me, it

The ever-growing number of Great Leader Kim Il Sung posters,

produced a distinct feeling of d,éjà uu. It was slow motion time travel. I

with every station reminded me of

statues and banners that appeared visits to the former SovietUnionwhere another, nowvanished, historicalnem-

esis had left monumental heaps of bronze, plaster and pictures. As the journey progressed, to my astonishment, I lealised I was the only

tourist in the whole country.

Indeed,

was officially Tourist

Number One! with the result that I received far better treatment than I would have found affordable as a simple journalist on limited expenses.

to argue? allowed myself to enjoy the thoroughness of my interpreter who So who was

took great care of me every step of the way.

þ ø Cats are seen so rarely tb6tt the tuc¡rkers use tbe bighways as bouleuards

Then there was my pleasure in the extreme care of the driver who carrted rle into the non-existent traffic and drove at hair-raising top speed along highways which see cars so rarely that the workers coming home from their ContÍnued on þage 20 Nortb Kolean casb & carry?

THD CORRESPONDENT

March 1994

March 7994 lEE coRRDsPolrI¡EIrr

Pcclestrians in Nolth Korea have

Contínued.from prrge 18

to cross empty

factories use them as boulevards.

Because the

streets by unclerground crossings

Leader

and, despite the

doesn't care for the sight of bicy-

empty roads, use them ail the time.

cles, there are virtually none in his

The subway stations look like

Pyongyang me-

ballrooms but

tropolis. Thanks to that, large parts of

the piped music is hardly for dancing. It's Kim Il Sung Shosta-

Great

the city are without any traffic at all.

Later on, be-

kovich-style.

Even my grand hotel, the newest in town,

ing still Tourist Number One!, I wasgivenrnyown train with three

was so dark it ap-

sleepers andares-

peared to have

taLrrafit cat for a journey into the

been constructed underground. In fact, it rose in two

People øre not allowed to cross tbe street

mountains. \Øeall

my official entourage and the rail-way personnel had a wonderful time with bottles- of fine Cuban rum and a slap -up kimchi dinner. Itwas definitelybetter than being a correspondent in Bosnia. For instance, having forgot my hat

boory for prime rninistels is very small

returned to Pyongyang the next day.

some bearskin, and from good old Fidel, a Croco-bag. Layed out for my

in the train, I got it back when we

\Øhen I told this to a Chinese friend he just sighed: "It used to be like this at home in the old days!" But it was certainly an odd place. "Don't feel claustrophobic", I had to tell myself when I stayed in a 700room hotel as the only guest. The waitresses were extremely happy to help out with candlelight when the electricity failed for an hour out of sheer exhaustion during one

cold evening, \ùThatever the Americans may say, I have no doubt whatsoever that North

Korea does need nuclear power! Meanwhile, the Great Leader is taking his construction rnania to an extraordinary extent. One day during my grand tour we visited a splendid museum that was burjed six floors deep inside a mountain. It contained all the official presents the Great Leader has been given by foreign dignataries over the past few decades.

Here there were none of the piffling strings of diamonds that were recently argued about in Britain. Such THE CORRISPoNIIXNT

March 1994

beer indeed. It was such a pleasure to admire the fleet of SIS limousines that Presi-

dent Kim was given by the likes of those friendly fellows Stalin, Bulganin,

Khruschev, Kosygin and Brezhnev. From Causcescu, there was

hand-

admilation was also a pistol from Honecker; from Mao a pen and from Gaddafi a camel saddle.

"Don't feel f cla-ustropkrobi<:", kr.a.<a to tell rn¡zself xrkren I sta¡zed in krotel a- 7OO-roona as tl-re onl¡z gr.lest.

huge towers and was said to have a revolving restaurant at the top which was never shown to me. Even so, at night, despite the coid desolation of the hotel, thele were at least some guests in the bar. Most were diplomats who, obvi-

ously, had been unable to arrange better postings. There were also a few businèssmen

in the barter trade,

pleted, u.hereas thousands of other construction projsçts çe¡dominiums, facare unfinished. tories and highways

- seem to have But North Koreans an extraordiîary of underground work: I^ppreciation have never seen so many tunnels.

with freedom of speech. lndeed, most of these newspa-

After Midnight

adveltising without exuding the barest whiff of liberty.

Take that lip-roaring read, the Jakarta Posd which commits an act of treason if it doesn't have Suharto or his missr.rs in tlie first three pages,

FCC l>oard rrrer¡rl> e f .S t:2,¿ 6¿ r t W7<>Zferz<f¿zZe looks of ûo ttre ftrture nati\ze Engliskrlan-gr-rage -wzriter:s in Hong l(ong after China regains coaatrol of tkre teffitor])z-

Or glance at the Sfraits

lal" silver lining - Straits Tirues of KvaIa The Netu Lumpur is a neurer version of the same diet, but u,ith the bacon taken .

out. 7he BangkokPostand The

about saying "boo" to certain royal, military anci ecclesiastical geese. Of all Hong Kong's neighbours

Express and the Posl and

n-rm Convention, a meeting designed

to launch this very well-meaning and very wealthy body in Southeast Asia. Goodness just glowed. There was

much talk of "youth" ancl "pro-

who are doing very well fol them-

The American evangelist Billy Graham arrived in Pyongyang a week afterl left and hada longtalkwith Kim

Kim is certainly convinced that he has created some kind of paradise.

Indeed, if it weren't for the

impoverishement of Communist Korea, everybody would feel as if they were in Singapore. As I left the country I remembered the words of the saluting border guard

when now."

selves on this particuiar cilcuit of the historical caronsel. Our Govelnor, Chris Patten, gave a speech of forceful piety.

Legislative cor-rncillor

Miss

Christine Loh then asked for a

Fr-ee-

dom of Information Act. One orñvo people seatecl amongst

the potted palms then put questions that would not have cracked a square of bean-curd. The delegates broke for the first

coffee break in a bttzz of polite

Sung.

had arived: "You are free

excitement.

They seemed to me like those hapless passengers who diligently rearranged the deck chairs on the Titønic. In this region it has been demonstl'ated that thele is no precise requirement for the "freedom of the press", ieast of all a marginalised mi-

noritlr E¡gli5hJanguage press. Even though there is an abnndance of English-langlrage newspa-

pers in Southeast Asia,

there is only the baleful and perplex-

ing exception of the Phillipines. But there ilrey just get it massively, riotously wrong, even if they sometimes think they are telling the trr-rth. And what, I might ask the Foundation, the Governor and Miss Lol-r, about me, in Hong Kong, aftel midnight on ltne 30th 1,997? Killed off very quickly within the

well as some academics. And as we sat sipping our drinks,

whether Kim Novak has Korean lelations or not. It was a bleakly enjoyable time.

Nøtion

make brar.er stabs but think very hard

group of the usual sglf-interestecl states

everybody tried to find out what the real business of the other guests could be. Somebody, we all felt, must be here on a nuclear inspection. Just for diversion we discussed

Times,

standing headline: "Every cior-rd has a

f n mid-lânuarv I attenciecl the I op.r,i,li hour áf the Freedorn Fo-

grammes" and suchlike. And much was made of 'Asia', purely accidental identification of

Writers'

pers are allowecl to circulate and carry

I don't know whether he pointed out the risks of Hell. All the buildings in praise of Kim 11 Sung and his son, the Dear Leader, Comrade KimJong Il, have been com-

abr,rndance has little or nothing lo do

if it has not - the deparlakeady been put down by ment of Ag & Fish the Standarò|, wiI be the ranks of inclependent-minded, native English-speaking q,riters.

You can bet we'll be localised faster than a public pl-osecuter, Just look around colonial history anybody's, anynvhele. - No newly-indepeqdent state has

Part2 A recent l:etr)ol:t ia-ì che 1>ul>liskrer's F<>Zi<> ffragazftte ca-trgtrt the attea-ltion of 72te () <> rre.s1> <> rz ¿l e rz tIc rna-kes aa1 follos.interesûing r-r1> to last rrrorrtl.r's adrzice on kro-wz a xzriter shor-rld dras. ia1 up a contfa-ct úl-re electronic rìge. inforrrration ttp I

reelance writers ioin in suit over eleclrorric rights," said the headline in Folio. According to the story, ten American freelance wliters had filed suit in Nlanhattan's US District Coutt, claiming publishers were reselling theirwork to electronic databases without cotnpensation, Defendants cited

in the writ in-

cluded the New Yor k Tirnes Company,

t\ewsday and Time Inc, along with

The very well-meaning and very wealthy Freedom Forum Convention will need to meet agatn and again in Hong Kong over the next few yeals if it is to bring its own palticr,rlar bland of goodness to bear on our faltering

Mead Data Central Corp and University Microfihns International (UMI). The plaintiffs, backed by the Narional 'sl'riters Union (N!ØU), alleged that the publishels sold their work to Mead Data and UMI without sharing the royalties. MeadData owns Nexus, a computer news-retrieval service, while UMI distributes New Yorle Times stories to subscribers via compact discs. The q.ritels were seeking unspecified damages and the suit was an

pluralistic strLrctures. If they don't, those

attempt to ensure compensation for material that is continually re-used,

ever tolerated a citizen of its former masters sniping from within. Hong Kong, which will just pass

from the hands of one power to anothel' of particular ethnic prickliness, u,on't be any different.

of us who

as we popped out of our mother's womb urill have little chance of making a living as writers for Hong Kong newspË

learned English as soon

said Folio.

Spokesmen for the New York Times Company ancl Time Inc declined comment, said Folio.

that March 7994 rHD

C0RRXSPoT|IENT

rcombined to boost production and sales enormously. So after a brief stay in Santiago, I

headed south. And south. Then further south. There's an awful lot of Chile, but

the three internal airlines all offer excellent services. I flew the first 1,000 kilometers down to the town of Puerto Montt, settledby Germans in the 1860s. Then anothe r 7 37 air u aftwhipped us down a further 1,200 kilometers to

Coyhaique, the provincial capital of Chile's fjordlands. From there it was a short journey by cal to the tiny community of Puerto Chacabuco; population about 300 people and200 million

salmon. It's high summer in Patagonia; the snow lays heavily on the crests where the Andes plunge into the sea, heading for Antarctica.

t .i¡

s 3

ò S

Down a l:'arrow fjord where

Magellan once steered, tourists are today discovering a long forgotten corner of the world. .Süe've got 10 times more fiords

Southern Comfort Corresl>ondeaat rnern-l>er -Kez;irz .Sirzc;Z¿zir, srrlrel¡;- one of qzriters, fecenûl¡;- trr.ade a, A-sia's ûìost tranzelled freelance sorrre old fjords ctrror-rgh sail ûrif> ûo Cl-lile to taste ctre szine, ¡ülzelsh? al>iÍ of atr<7. --- learfl

do not need to be a fluent \f"u I \íelsh speaker to get a beer in Patagonia. But it helps. There's no need, 2,500 kilometers south of Santiago, to be able to say fish stew in Serbo-Croat. If you could, however, that would be excellent.

lan-

guage of Chile. Bulthe countrysprawls

ming on pristine Pacific beaches in

over such an extreme and unlikely terrain, composed of a patchwolk quilt of ethnic strains, that almost every language of Europe is spoken. For the first-time visitor to this nation that runs from the most arid desert on earth to the front door of

the afternoon.

of course, is the

Antarctica, the strongest impression is of the stunning scenery. I was sitting in the rooftop sauna of the Park PIazaHo]rel in Santiago, a

looking through picture windows to the dramatic backdrop of the snowy Andes. Chilenos like to boast they can ski in the mornings, stop off for an elegant lunch in one of Santiago's wonderful restaurants, and go swim-

Spanish,

well-chilled chardonnay close to hand,

Maybe, but wandering around the enormous city (founded 754I, population more than six million) is equally enlightening, although less athletic. Chile is isolated from the rest of the continent. To the north, that bonedry Atacama desert inhibits intruders. The Andes stand majestic barriers to nearest major the east. The Pacific land mass: to the west- is New Zealand

flanks 5,300 kilometers of coast. To

-the south

are the eternal snows of

Antarctica and the howling fury of the Roaring Fofiies. All preconceptions swiftly disappear as the visitor wanders through bars and bistros aronnd the immense

caped mass tourism. Chileanos have long known the attractions here and towns and villages are rich in affordable hotels and guest houses. Prices in

Chile are less than half those in Europe; a Hong Konger with a credit card is king The peoples of the south admit they are different from their compatri-

scientific breeding, big investment and have

derous civil wars (what's changed?) and many thousands of Dalmatians sought refuge in Chile. '$Øhen war erupted in what used to be Yugoslavia

this land eg, to steal it from the Mapuche -Indíans were notably unsuccessful. The- consquistadores pressed sor-rth, reaching Chile's inland sea sheltered by the huge island of

return for being baptised, rose, killed the colonisers, burned the towns and chased the surwivors off. It was to be two centuries and more until the Europeans returned. 'ùØhen

they did, they came

stuldy German settlers, lured to what were lush temperate forests by offels

two years ago, President Allwyn (of ìØelsh extraction) receive a petition signed by 400,000 Chilean Croatians urging him to accept refugees. The biggest flood of migrants to the empty central lands came from Gelmany. Today, in the enormous lake districts in the shadow of volcanic mountains, there are pictureperfect replicas of villages straight out of Bavaria. There are Swabian pubs and Saxon

restaurants, the beer could come from Dorfmund and the potato dumplings are just like great great grandma used

to make back in Brandenburg. Today, the southern third of Chile

ots in the sophisticated, stylish capital.

Santiago, with its stunnlng women and four centuries of Spanish heritage, is 2,400 kilometers from Puerto Chacabuco.

By coincidence, I was there in

the clearest waters on earth

A¡d the Mapuches? Some still survive. Many intermarried with Spanish, Scots and other settlers. But most died of smallpox, measles and other diseases brought by the white invaders. The Balkans was plagued by mur-

did not take kindly to the Spanish notion of them toiling as serfs in

December when the country went to the polls. The leftleaning, mildly so-

began. Since then, canny marketing,

only from'S7ales but also transplanted

granite cliffs that plunge 2,000ft straight down from icy crests into crystal waters. It's a land of a thousand fjords and a million waterfalls. It's also a corner

of the planet that has, blissfuily, es-

of free land and livestock. Today, towns like Puerto Montt boast Teutonic clubs and German is taught as the second language in schools. ' rü/ho would settle this remote, beautiful but forbidding land? Chile's generous land offers tempted Scots, particularþ from the Hebrides and other islands. There were bands of 'lleish shepherds, not from Australia.

Chiloe, in the 1560s. In 1598, the enragedlnclians, who

centre. It's totally European, with plazas more spacious than Madrid. Cathedrals three centuries old stand next to glittering financial fortlesses of glass. I was there on a fishy assignment; Chile is now the wodd's number two salmon producer. Salmon are not na-

tive to southern waters and it wasn't until 1986 that the first fish farming

Do¡zrr a tlal¡f<)sl fjord ¡zkrere Àzla-gella-rt once sl-eel-ed, toLrrisl-s are t<><1a;r discorzering along-forgotten corrìer of tkre qzodcl-

than Norway," a grizzled old skipper told me as his fishing boat skirted

of the town

sqlrares and avenues

With a Bible in one hand and a sword in the other, t\ey swept swiftly through most of what is today Chile. First Spanish attempts to settle

cialist government romped home

with

60 per cent of the vote; there is a universal detestation of the former dictator Pinochet and all his works. Travelling slowly north, you get a vivid idea of Chile's fascinating history. Briefly, class, here's the lesson... The Dons came storming down from the north, inflamed by greed for Mexico's gold and the silver in Peru.

Deuout Catbolics tnarch tbrougb tbe street of Puerto Montt

MArch 7994 THD

CORRESPOI{IIENT

from the Gelman

-fiigid waters -

to\¡u'ns

the

around Tierra del Fuego is going through a toLrrist boom.

Letter From Sydney:

The towns all boast a range of

hotels and guesthonses at prices ranging from US$50 a night dow'n to $20,

cutning

I a.cl.ies

Pt'ofer

In the most remote and tiny village, gastlonomic standalcls are superb; in a cafe in the tiny harboul of PLrerto Chacabuco, I enjoyed squicl,

ol' Cbiloe

tls\)

Isl

Sinking aBevry

an.d,

empanaclas /o

þ.lssenget's arriuirtg f ront "the contiiTetTl "

salmon, rrrlÌssel, oystelandcodstewed

South

with garlic ancl olive oil for HK$25. It v!'as a dish that u,'ould bling laves in Palis lor' 20 tinles tlre plicc. It's a fish lover's paladise. If you like steak, even better. And the u.ine is totally superb. Pictule this: I go into a 160-year'old villa and I sit outside in 30'C weather, with low humidity so it's per-fect, undel the shade of a 3}-yearold Spanish oak. I have a beel(excellent) n'hile I

US83OO

f .l-

trIil¿e Tbrussel,

I;ernon Ram,.[ac/e Bennett, Neuille IQtto and lwicbdel þ'oote

s thele lile aftel rhrt longest end

to set LÌp the Macau Tourism Office,

least one group tour each yeal- to

l.,r-rclest iinaJ gooclhye

nou,'flor-rrishing in the capable hands of Blian Cuthbertson, fonner editor at the old Sunclay Post Heralcl.

Hong Kong.

tlre

Foleign Corresponclents' Club in

salrvlgnon. Desce

ndants

oJ'

settlets front. ntar4,

lands, tbese lotmg scien.tific researc b ets be il' S cottish. SÞ 6nxis b

The bill comes. It's HI($98. Am I going back to Santiago? I'n on m)¡ s'4y...,

¿tttcl C rca

ian

n l.atn'Ìes

Say "AHH!" lutton for punishment: associate board tnetnber l)avicl Garcia ha.s his tonsils tickled in the dleaded dentist's chail at The China Junp. The occasion was a long-haul parly tl'irown by Virgin Atlantic whizz Richard Blanson for his staff, crew and friencls to mark the inaugural flight from London, Heathrot' As the evening degenerated tou.'ards dawn, Dave found himself coming in to land with a game of spoof involving the "grinning pullover", cricket legencl Ian "Beefy"

Dauid G.LrcLa cû tbe .letltist's

IHE coRRxSPoilnENT lvlarcl-r 1994

la.tgest

From left to tigbt:

teafil-

a bottle of Santa Rita cabernet

Botham and others.

tlottb

ntillion making it secottcl

on ectrll:t (after lt'orLua¡)

toes and a pile of fi'ied gar'lic onions. I also, for a thirst is upon me, call for

aromatic.

past clecacle, Chile has bLtilt LQ .ul farm ing ind Ltst Dt, ruitb

exÞot'ts l¿tsl ))edr o1 64,00O lorxs

t1y to make sense of the lnenu. I order cold asparagr,rs, salad and a steak the size of the Macar-r phone book which comes with a mountain of roast pota-

The meal is superb, the sen ice fi'iendly and efficient, the garden

the

enonn.ot.Ls sctlnlon

szriter Peritr>etetic Verrz<>t'z R¿zt't'z rrrade a dir.e do-vrzn to take in under clre I7<;<; S<>z-ttZt Ttris is tris report for ûkre trorne

Hong Kong?

For a handful of Sydneysiclels, the answer is an emphatic and loudthroated yes. Particularly after theil throats have been h-rbricated by vintage Australian plonk and an extended lunch at least once a month at the patio restaurant of the Bellevue Hotel in Paddington, the temporary hon-ie of the

Anothel StarsÍaffer v'ho has joined forces with Throssell ancl Palkes at the FCC South is Michael Foote, the rnarketing w-hizkìd whose Runic International has the sole agency for Mont Blanc pens in Australia. Neville Kitto, former'ly of Grant Advertising and Lufthansa, rnoved to Sydneyn'hen he joined Qantas l'here

FCC South.

he is now À,Ianagel Government

On a recent visit to Sydney, I was inducted to the FCC's Down Under branch with a true digger-sryle beer and nosh session. My host was Mike Throssell, the one-time fire-spewing news editot' of the now defunct Star who drools over fond memories of his encottnters with Graham Jenkins, the evening tabloid's celebrated br-rt abrasive founder, publisher and editor. Throssell shared the inspiration for the FCC South with Joe Parkes, formelly of the Cbina Mail, the after noon paper from the Soutb Cbina Mom.ing Posl stable that came to its untinely end in the mid-70s. Long before that catastlophe, however, Parkes had moved on and helped

Affairs. As a familiar lace at the FCC Bal

in the oid

Suthedand House, Kitto views the FCC Sor-rtl'r as an extension

of his onetime watering hole in Hong Kong. Jack Bennett, a sometime featufes eclitor of the SCMP ancl habitué of the FCC during its Sr-rthelland House days, is currently Pr-rblic Relations Officer of

\ØorkCover Authority. David Bell, Russell Spulr', Ken

Creighton, Dave Arnett and Penny Brindìsi are among others who help to recharge their FCC memories in Sydney.

\(/ith the watershed year of

1997

not far aw'ay, the consenstis at the FCC

South is

"Given some people's connections u.ith Qantas," Throssell said, "this should pose no great problem." The first of these trips, if everything goes according to plan, should materialise in Septernber. Throssel and Foote felt the Ausffalasian Chamber of Commet'ce in Hong Kong might be interested in what members of the FCC South are cloing in telms of business and the opportunity for interaction and exchange of views and experiences. Likewise, the Australian Consulate might wish to host a reception for the visiting FCC South members who plan to arrive here rvith their wives and girlfriends to take in some shopping before Christmas 1994. Foote, a keen golfer, would like to gather a Down Undel golf team fol a few matches with the FCC Golf Society. The ball has already been set in motion in anticipation of the visit.

Most of all, neaiy all these fine folk expect to be able to renew old acqnaintances and get a first-hancl Llpdate on happenings while they've been al,'ay in

Australia,

in favour of organising at March 1994 THE CORRXSPONIIENT

E==

NT<>sz thac the l-rairr-a-ising3 " L) ir-ro s¿rllr:s In Nzf¿r-cau" e><hil>it has goale, FCC rrrerlrl>ers lrzho trírvcl tc> N4 ¿r<:2t Lt cíli-t Ioc¡k f-<>rqz-¿rcl tc> aless; frighter-rinE1, infinitel¡z mc>re

.L1fi i¡1Ít J

HEtIUlEI, LIFEJACKÊI, P \RACHUÍEOOO

:!;t;3'-1

!¿'

-elerzating-.rt íL e><Í)ef1ea-tce re\zarrrapecl Ch-rl>e 1\4i1it¿rr x¡zhich rnzill l>e re-o1>erred l>¡,. NT<>rzerr-rl>er this )aeítr I{¿t z' i t z AzI ¿:z Z t't'z s- tv' () 722

Èr

reports-

f t's been a ltjt of a s¡ait. ltut thc L.tt,,,a,* l-lr'()rììr\c lo rlc \\or'1rrrt, Our alfiliate cL-Lb in Njacau. thc C[rbc Nlilltar! xs pa1't of its renovation schcrle, is litera1l1' raisir-rg the roof to ¿rccor¡lnocl:t te ri-a!\'arcl FCC n-ret-nl¡ers r,r'ho tentulc to i\lacaLr for I'ork ol at-t

unab:rshecl Nlacanese

Por-tltguese

In ÀIajor zrr-c

r-:rising the

in mincl," Fror-n

frrl

Geralcles' r,i'cxcls: "\\-c loof n-itl'r )'ou ltl-ic FCC

the glouncl up, tl-ie pl:Lns c:rll

turr-rir-rg tl-re

bar

¿u'ea

into

ar-r

'intj-

te' rest: u-r ra nt serr.ing r\Iacane.se ancl Por-trrgr-rcse specialities at clangeronslr. leasonable plices Thc '.rcljacent, high ccihngecl. plem:ì

fol the thir'cl floor', it's mostl)¡ fbl strong-n-rinclecl FCC ancl

leselvec'l

Chrbe r-nernbels u.ho h:rr e not lteer-r sic]e-tlackecl bv tlie filst tn'o, Othel actir-irv loorns u'ill share tl-ie loftl' space unclel neslv br-rilt rafters. An¡re¡ç enticìpating

fooc] ancl n'ine flr So, in n'ric1-Febn-talv tl-re Clube ck¡secl its cloor-s to begin inplement-

viousll'nndcl

r-rrday lrliclge session area ri.ill becorne

fLLn gLrest hoLrse

ing blr-replints for-l'enovating thc clining aleas of the chrb ancl installing a.

the maill bar and lor-rnge lrhele patrons can lelax o\¡er zì gl:rss of port u-l-rile

work

of The

blorl'sir-rg tl-iror-rgh newspapers

¿rrea icle:rl

fol visiting

FCC

rlerlbers.

-fl-ranks

to thcse

renor.'¿ttions, FCC

r-ill be altle io nse a u-olk ancl corlllrunic¿Ltions a1'c21, a lill'ary ancl :r lcacling loolr-r on the neul,v createcl thilcl floor of the builclrr-rg Schecluled to take eiglrt n-ionths. the interior ovelhaul n'ill reflect the nerrbe

br-rilcling's pre-1 920's look. All that's neeclecl is a flash of ¿u-t FCC rlernbet'ship czrlcl to llain access

to the area ancl the entire Clube X.Iilital facilitv Clearl;', Chrl¡e NIilit'¿r' ofTicials inclncling À,lajol t\iannel Gelalcles, the Directol of AcL¡inistt':rtion fol the ÀIacan Defense Fol'ces ltclicr-e r,i-e - clesignatecl n-ill avail onrselr'cs of the rvork area, ancl h:rr.'c gorle to consicl-

r-rsccl

rr:stalrrant ancl

S:rl,

:tt-tci

magazlnes On the seconcl flool, clirectlr- abor-e the intenclecl n'rain bar, ri-ill be thl'ee ñ il ì( li{ )n r, ,t ,l|s \ lì jclt L, tn )fcrì t rp into

one large

loorl

This l'oor-n u.ill be zrccessible ñ-tx-r-r a separate ontsicle entl'2ìnce ancl usecl fbr'

cnltural event.s opcn to the plrblic ancl Clube rlernbers l)ilecth¡ above the ne\- l'estaurant. a pub. cornplete rl.'itJ'r pool tzrble ancl f'\', ri'ill be ar-ailable for genelzrl rner'r1'makir-rg 1'he Nlajol assule s me tbat tl-re floors of the 125-year-olcl ll-rilclir-rg are sounclpr-oof enough fol those 'intimâte' clincrs

elablc tl'onble to m:rke us feel

lrelon'r,r'ho zu-e not interestecl in knon' ing tllc l:ttcst lootlrall s.,rl'c tllrslltilc. A chilcL'cr-r's plarrloon. mahjong ancl briclge r'oorr-i s'ill ror-ncl olrt thc

rrelcotne.

secrrnc-1

tloor'.

long

c1a¡' s

or'

niglrt'; s.ork ol plar' :rt thc Cltilte can zìl'r:Ìnge to ste)- ovefnight in Àlacan at the Pousacla

Iong-Ha. the govclnment-

As lepoltecl in

t1-re

Aplil

1993 issue

Corresþon,cleizl, reselr-ations

mlr st I )e macl e dir-ecth' s-ith tl-ie to secLrfe a foo1ll

P o us¿rdzr

C^ff ii6920 or i6l2i2 exr. i05 ro rlakc an ach:rnce bookir-rg. R:rtcs ¿rre betr,recn Ptc500 arrcl Ptc-00. a trlrc bzrrgaìn in telrls of tl-re bottles of l'ine )'ou can bul'

r.r,'ith 1-olu' s'.rr-ec1 Patacas. hzrs Lrccn nentionecl that in fi-ltule . Clube NIilit:rl stalf m:Ly be zrl>lc tcr assist rrs to book rooms ¿rt the Polrs'.rcla, Àiember-s of tl'ie FCC Boat'cl intencl to Llsc thc time d Lrrrng the Cltrbe 1e no\ 2ìtion process to cliscr-rss this ancl othet'potentìa1 areas of reciproc:rl collabor¿tiot-r n-itl-i botl-r the Pousacla ancl CliLlæ Àlilitar. Tl-ris r.i11 enslrl'e that ri¡l-ren reno\ a-

tions to the Clube ar'e fìnzrll1'corrpletecì this Nor.elliber, FCC n-iemhcrs can r-isit NIacau s.itl-r a l-ieightenecl sense of seculifi., kr-rort''rng thztt s¡e har-e rlole tLian jlrst a r-oof ovcr' oul he.lcls

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wo of the FCC Golf Society's majortlophies were up fol grabs ovef the past couple of months and both were won by Ross -ùØay. During November last the Richard Hughes Memolial Trophy match was played at the Royal Hong Kong Golf Club links at Fanling. During a beautiful daywith a good

Before the 19th Hole

donated rnonthly by Hiram 'ùTalker for this competition. HoweÌl Givelin had the best back nine (17 points) and this writer managed the best fi'ont nine. \Øe each won a fine bottle of wine

Stableford points over the Eden Course

donated by the Kangaroo Pub (yes,

to take the prize for the second time. At the Fanling course, 'Way was closeiy followed by Menyn Owen with 36 points and Alistair Leckie with

rea1ly!)

33 points. The first outing of the 1994 season was at Discovery Bay where 22 players appeared to contest the Seniors Trophy.

On a grey day, the JadelRuby Course did not look its best.'!Øhether it was because of this, or because of the usual New Year excesses,

Sleaves of golf balls donated by Mitch Davidsonwere awardedto Ross \Øay, Ian Wallace and Paul Marriage for Nearest the Pin, 1st and 2nd, and Longest Drive. Finally, the Captain's Myst ery P rtze for Most Room for Improven'ient was received by Hans Schmidt.

The Society has a very full programme of events planned (see box), including three overseas tours.

scoring was generally poor.

New members are always wel-

The winner of the Sen-

come, but please be aware of the new membership arrangements for 1994. The annual subscription is laised

iors Trophy (presented

by Keith Statham) is the player with the lowest score after deducting his handicap and his

$400 and from March 1st new

members will also pay a joining fee equivalent to the annual fee. Only FCC members will be eligi-

ble to join the FCC Golf

agel -üØay

although members' glÌests will be

a score of 17. His gross score was 85 and his handicap was 10, so you can work out

very welcome. Finally, if there areany Golf Sociely members not receiving their newsietter, it is probably because we have an incorrect address. Please leave your mailing address in the "N" pigeonhole box at the FCC main bar

the rest for yonrselves. An overall Stableford score

of 36 points won Richard Lake

handsome Ha'rrod's Book of Wine, donated by Eþicure's Frank Casey.

entrance.

Rira Reid rg40-rgg4 Erzer-che erful and a-luza¡z-s kind-1-rea-rted, A-s so c iate Azlerrrl> er Rita- R-eid died in Jarlrary.Rita -slzill l>e rrrissed not onl;. l>¡;z krer farrtTl;r, l>ut a-lso l>¡t trer frraflrs. friends at:l.<l colleagtlesiMaSrfield tril>r¡tel<> ç>aSrs

Sociery,

had

Ross

t>y 'NeztiZZe Nic;22<>/s<>rz

Geoff Miles with 32 points. A bottle

of Ballantines is to be

tulnout of J2 players, \Øay scored

oaa the A- fef>ol]t of golf, ß<a<a s'odd

The inar,rgural winner of the best score by an ov er-24 handicapper was

T t'¡rr, met Rita Reicl when she was I *oro,ng ln [nç rnsrrrance DUS'ness with John Leader back

in the

early I970s, and over the next 20 years

we saw each other on regular occasions, often at Australian Club and Association events and, more lecently,

at the FCC. Rita's beauty and positir.e outlook u'as typical of her Pol1.nç5i¿t-t ¡"ttr-

age, as was her invariably cheerful

and happy nature. Even when she FCC Golf Society 1994 Calendar

April May

June

July

of Events

Thursday 7th - Stableford, Clearwater Bay Thursday 5th - Stableford, RHKGC, Fanling Thursday 12th - Carlsberg Media Classic, - Sunday 15th Philippines Thursday 2nd - European Community Trophy (details to follow) Thursday 7th - Summer foursomes, Deepwater Bay - Ireland Tour Sunday 3rd (details from Frank Casey/ - Monday 11th

Augtlst Friday 5th

Keith Statham) - Stableford, Shek O

September Thursday 8th

October

Thursday 6th

Stablefold, Honichi GC, PRC. Richard Hughes

Trophy Thursday 27th

Stableford, RHKGC BOC, Thailand

- Sunday 30th November Thursday 3rd December Thursday

1st

Stableford,

Clearwater Ba;. Bogey Competition, Discovery Bay Ladies Night

was losing at dice which was rare - it's only a taxi she'd say: "'ù7e11, -fare home." Her uncanny ability to throw unbelievable dice, often "coming home

with a wet sail," resulted in

some unprintable remarks from her male combatants, a couple of whom threatened to ban women from the dice

tables in the Pool Bar. Such threats were totally ignored and rightly so by Rita, who -continued, unabated, - her regr-rlar attacks on "Stumps", the Two Ronnies and othel habitués of the dice table. A long and successfui career in

the insurance industry gained Rita

rHE coRnxsporrnEt{r À¡Iarch 1994

not only many loyal clients, but

Rita was happily anticipating the ar-

host of friends with whom she was never too busy to have a chat when

lival of her next grandchild in a few months time, as well as excitedly pianning a visit to England laler this year to attend Angela's wedding. AsJohn leader said in his moving eulogy for Rita at her funeral service on February 2nd, she was a "warm and caling person" and will be missed by very many people, all over the world. Not only her many Hong Kong friends mourn her passing, but also those in london, where a simultane-

they popped into the Club to see her, or to remind an errant, snooker'-

playing client that his policy was coming up for renewal. Rita's love of sport and good com-

pany made her a regular watcher when a major event was being telecast at the Club. Like the rest of the viewers, she uras known to have a side-bet or lwo on the result, and not surprisingly, she often won!

Undoubtedly, however, one of her biggest thrills was when "her boys" from Tonga won the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens PIate in 7993. As the only permanent Tongan resident in Hong Kong, Rita was adopted as the team "mum" and hel elation and pride at their victory was unbounded, with celebrations lasting

well after the victols had

ous memorial serwice was held. She will also be mourned in Aus-

tralia and, of course, Tonga. rùØhen

news of her death reached of "her boys" from the rr-rgby team went to the family house to convey their condolences, saying

Tonga, fir.e

that "Rita was like a mother to us when we were in Hong Kong, she

retr-rrned

couidn't do enough for us and made us feel really at home."

Rita was devoted to hel son,

Such sentiments reflect Rita's true generosity of spit'it. It's a spirit that will be sadly missed.

home.

Geoffrey, and hel daughter, Angela. She also adored her beautifr-rl grandchildren, Ben and Blayze. Indeed,

March 7994 Tf,X

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Hoq¡ever, the BBC'sJohn Simpson made the claim in his book, From tbe House of Warthat the bulk of CNN's coverage of the u'ar had been "grossly

misleading."

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.. . I don't think ûiany in the profession u¡ould dispute that clain-r and his alÌtobiography, Liue from the Battlefield, sútriùed, From Vietnam to Bagbclad: 35 Years in tbe World's War Zones is a good read. BLÌt har.ing weaved my way through t]ne 447 pages of text I came away lhinking: who in the hell, other lhan journalists, woulcl bother reading this book. Arnett became a household word

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As time went on so the Arnett grew. Some say he inspiled the film Tbe Year of Liuing

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Arnenbrushedaside Simpson's claifls as being "purc professional jealor-rsly." But it u,'ent deeper than that. As

one television colleague explained sholtly after the war: "The diffelence between solrreone like Alnett and Simpson is one of style. "In the United States someone

and pulitzerprize winner

when

in Laos tn 196I after a hear,y night. As the only reporter in Vientiane he not only covered his AP string, but those for his

writes of his friend: "It is

Reuter', Agence France-Presse

arguable that

and United Press International colleagues as well. Although aloyaIAP man,

Peter Arnett has seen and

done more combat

Arnett was stlrck in a rut in New York and wanted olrt. "I

coverage than anyone in the

was busy but nol happy. I was not being sent to the places I really s,'anted to go: To Nica-

historl. of \ùØestern ,, Journalrsln.

rag]ua, where

Tlte bncl¿ couer

Perhaps Arnett enjoys the adulatíon ... I don't

know. At 59 Arnett l'ias not hung

r,rp

his

flack jacket. He describes himself as a waf col'respondent in pfeference to that of a foreign correspondent. Bom in Ne'¡, Zealand, Amett's childn lust 24 pages and then we are into his tirst job as a joumalist \\'ith the Soutbløncl Times tn 1957. In 1956 he jurnped a tramp steamer to Australia and walked the flve blocks

hood is described

fi'om Circular Quay, Sydney Í.o

The

SrLn'soffices,where he was hiled on the spot for six Australian pounds a day. After a colÌple of years in Australia, Arnett headed for Asia u¡here he stayed for the best palt of 30 years.

His first job was with the noq,' clefuncf Bangkok Woddln 1958 before moving to Vientiane, Laos, as editor of a weekly sLlpplement for the \ùØodd.

like Arnett is more than just a reporter ... he has become a celebrity whereas in Britain someone like Simpson is, well, jLrst a BBC journalist."

It was while in Vientiane that he picked up the Associated Press string and never looked back.

\Øhen one reads through the mountain of stories written aboLrt Arnett it nevel ceases to amaze how

before being tl'u'own oLrt a year later. In June, 1.962 he arrived in Vietnafir and found the story that was to consume the best part of his life and incleed consume most of his book, If Alnett macle his name in jour-

journalists love to heap platitucles on

their friends. Take David Halberstam, former corresponde ntfor The New Yorle Titnes

He was AP's man

the Sandanistas

were fighting to overthrowthe

inJakaftatnIg6I

nalism an),rvhere it was in Vietnam

Somoza l'egime, to El Salvador, to Africa, where terrible conflicts were dragging in the big powers, to the civil s/ar in Lebanon," he writes. Perhaps what Alnett failed to realise was the fact that he was part of a teafir. AP had theil people covering Nicaragua, E1 Salvador, Lebanon and Africa. In fact, AP had and still h.as a lot of Peter Arnetts who are specialists in

their fields of journalism. It was while on assignment in Atlanta, Georgia, in Apriì 1981 that Arnett bumped into an old AP colleague who had joined the fledgling CNN. At first scepticaÌ, Amett listened to his old colleague as he describedCNN's

possibilities and challenges. For Amett

it sounded like a video version of AP l¡ut he was still sceptical. Journalists will no doubt enjoy Arnett's book, especially those u'ho know him ancl have worked with him. \Øhat I wor-rld have liked from the

book would have been a little bit more about the man, instead of the Boys' Own stuff. I know Arnett's work, have seen him in action and read what he has u.'r'itten, but know little about who he is. His life can't just be al1 death and destruction.

Kad Wilson

March 7994 THI

coRREsPo¡tDDNT

CTRRY

monthly poftrait of FCC irreplaceables

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