The Correspondent, November 1994

THD

GOTSPOIIIIENT Tbe Officiøl Publication of

3Í

tLse

Foreign Coruespondents'Club of Hong Kong

FIGHT OF THE GENTURY

" THE REAL HIGH NOON

IN HONG KONG!

Mongolian media:

I

"Hot Blankets" in a cold climate

Foreign Affairs: Hacking it in Beijing

G.K.Mq & Steve Vines

speqk out

The house that Shakey built

'l,& Alpine

r\}t$1ts"

G

boro

/f\

Ç."/

*ùl 1l y'r

THE GORRESPONIIDNT

arl

November, 1994 _?ì

JËr

(l \) \

2_

THE FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS'

Lunctrlines

CLTIB

In sea¡ch of the lost accorcl.

2 Lo$,er Alben Road, Hong Kong Telephone: 521 1tll Fax:868 4092

President Sinìon Holberton First Vice President Hans vriens Second Vice President - Dororhl R]?n

-

Cotrespondent Member Govetnors Paul Ba),neld,

The largest consumer packaged goods company

Letter:s to ttìe Editor:

5-

Lunctúines Shining the light

6-

lVfedia ÌVfatter:s iî a cold climate

Mxrcus W. Bmuchli, Ptill¡ppe Le Core, Diane Stomont.

Hubert \¡an Es, Nury Vittaclil, Ilichacl Wcstlakc

Hot Blankets

Journalist Member Governors

Hacking it in Bejing.

Fofeign

.

Hartuoocl: tbe light oÍ tt'uth

.A'fFairs

Paul Moone),. Francis Moriarq,

Associate Member Gov€rrors

in the \ryorld ...

Cor¡edines

Atlrcrrc Clro1. Kevin Egân.

llre lt

An English-language newspaper with Chinese

Ronald Ling, Keith Shakespeare

.tcc,?¡d,lf Paul Moone) Professional Comittee

characteristics?

Conuenot'. Haos Vriens

&å

7-4-

,lIe, nbe rs: Paul Ba¡,field,

\v

llarcus

Finance

Comittee

a9-

l, ¿ns.,?,r Doroth),

... and committed to Asia.

R)'an Carl Golclstcin, Simorì Holbcnon Keith Shakespeare

:'

Cr¡ttuenc¡r. Hubcrt Van Es ,lleDtbers: Ke\.iD Egan, Keith Shakespeare

20-

Entertainment Comittee Cor|e,ror: Nun Vittachi

2)

.llentbeß. Nlarcus W Brauchli, Ronâld Ling F & B Comúttee rc, rc r: Pbilippe Le Corre

Comittee

ttor: Paul Ba¡field tyleDrbers: Irrîncis llodart)., Hubert Vrn Nur' Vittaclli, Terr)' Ducklìam, Cort t

26-

e

Es,

EDITORIAL OFFICE Simor Ts'iston Davies, Editor Marion ßourke. Assistant Editor 2 Lo$,er Albert Road, Hon€, Kong 'l elephone: 521 1511 Fax: 868 4092

----.:MORRIS GROUP OF COMPANIES PHILIP

-=-t-=:'

Foreign Corespondents' Chrb of Hong Kong

INTERMTIOML

PRODUCTION & Pr¡ntirrg Fourtb Floor, 15B WellioBton Street, (lcntrrl, Hong Kong 'rcl: 521 799i Frx: 52 I 8366

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Philip Morris Asia lnc.

Kratt General Foods (Asia-Pacific) Ltd.

jæ

Miller Brewing ComPanY

f-Y

= t.-

æ

F-

ta

To u)

Fur:ttrer: Reading Anatomy of

2a-

ers revisited

a

tiger

Sundogrrrers Retllm to the FCC

30

Social .Affairs Who, where, wh1

32-

?

Part?íng after sundoun

FCC Faces Elegance personifiecl.

FST Line Dcsigrì

Rrblisher Ian Harling Marketing Director Katie Mccregor DTP A¡tist Lienna Duon8, .[oe), Lce

KMFTCENERALFOODS

FCC People

1994 The Foreign Conespondents'

Club of Hong Kong Opinions expressed b),writers irì n,e Corresþo,íle,r¡ âre not necessarily those of Tlìe Foreign Concspondents' Club 'fhe Corrcspo,tden, is publislìed nronthly b¡'

ftc

Fl:ofiì. Hole to flole

Fatu lty

Sinìon Twiston Dîvies (Editor)

The Correspondent

O

[n the sun u'ith Sinclair

The road to boot camp.

Hubert \/an Es, Bob Dâvis

Publications

Getas.aJ. Dry democrac;.

25-

f,Ientbers KcYin EBan, Atheoe Clìo)' Wall Comittee

lVfedia lvfalfer:s Speaking out at the FCC,

lliclìiel Weithke

ì

Obituar5.

James Clavell

Memberehip Committee

Cot

Portfolio The house that Shâkey built

Brauchl¡, Philippe l.e Corre.

Fm¡rcis Moriarq'

Cover illllstration by FST Line

November 1994 TÃE

coRREsPolllIlEIlT

John Dailey

To the

Editor French leave 'SØe

On our return from Hong Kong (having originally left six years ago) we felt we should write to express our pleasure at the reception we received at the FCC. Apart from meet-

have, it would appear, been treated with contempt by the actor

Gerard Depardieu in the matter of his twice-cancelled luncheon. justi-ûcation for the FCC to treat any of its members with similar disdain.

At some inconvenience to us all, my wife, a friend and I duly turned up This is not, however,

ing over 50 members from my time, it was good to see the continuityamong the staff Sammy, Joe, David - Tiger, and Irene and I have to say the food was better than I have ever known it at the Club. Someone is doing a terrific job but I'm sure a lot of it comes

a

shortly before the appointed time for the luncheon scheduled for October 6,

only to be inforrned that it had been

from the involvement of long-time

cancelled six days eadier. We had con-

'hard core' members, and not necessarily just those on the current committee, as well as loyal staff. To those friends we saw, and to the many we missed, we hope you'll look us up in London. Regards to all,

firmed our bookings for the eyent, yet no serious attempt had been made in the meantime to alert us.

I am disgusted at the discourtesy andlor incompetence of those responsible for wasting our time.

Chris & Lynda Minter

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In

counterpart, Wu Xueqian, proposing that consultations to return legislators be dropped and that elections be defined as democratic elections. The Chinese agreed to the former but would

search of the

not define elections. There was the rub, according to Roberti. Rather than face the possibility of no accord - and harze to take responsibility for the people of Hong Kong - the British gave in and accepted some vague wording.

lost .S

"The British govemment needed the people of Hong Kong and Parliament to approve the accord. So they did not let it be known that China had

accord

s ø

consistently refused

to include any

democratic provisions in theJoint Dec-

lfkre knirzes out for tkre chicken uzeren,t tkre only oraes a.r-rthor ÌVlark R-oberti trad faced recently, as kre discussed his nes. book Tbe Fatt c>f -Hc>rtg I{<>ng at a. Club lunch. Andrer¡z L¡rzrrctr reports.

laration. They let Hong Kong and Parliament believe

-

or they encouraged

them to belieye - that Hong Kong would have a democratic system of government. They did this simply be-

its colony was on the table again when former Asiaweek reporter MarkRoberti spoke to the Club about his new book, Tbe Fall of Hong Kong, subtitled Britain's Betrayal and

China's Triumph ($195, published byJohn IùØiley & Sons) on October 7.

The controversy about Britain and China's negotiations over the colonywhich led to theJoinr Declaration of 1984, t}¡re Basic Law and today's impasse on the way to handover so long as they used to say

will run

-

about the Middle East conflict

tldla;t

will have to put it up in -lights.

And the strong attendance for

-

PEN centres all over the wodd were doingthe samething, andmoun-

tains of letters arrived on the Presi-

published too) and told rhem the people of H'ong Kong were in favour of elections but not in 1988. He wanted permission to negotiate with China on the basis of elections in 1991. He knew he would get co-operation and struck

"A-ûler completing my research

I

no longer believed that that was the case. I don't think that theJoint Declaration is a good agreement. I think it

was only

a

partial agreement. The Brit-

ish agreed to hand back Hong Kong and China agreed that it would main-

point because if you don't agree on how Hong Kong is run then all of the other promises in the Joint Declaration are not firm."

Roberti maintained that rumours that Britain never made an attempt to define the word 'election' were untrue. During negotiations the Chinese indicated that the chief executive after l.997 would be chosen by elections

or consultations in Hong Kong,

as

time work on the book inJanuary l99O

until its completion tnMarch1992. "'SØhen I started I believed that the

eign Secretary, wrote to his Chinese

THE C0RRDSPOilDINT

.

good relations.

would the legislature. But there was no provision for the chief executive to be accountable to the legislature and the British felt this was not enough.

under the Act and rterviewed 142 people from the time he began full-

His name was Vaclav Havel

before the consultation period of the

Roberti's talk underscored the interpark your Mercedes. Roberti explained first why and how he set out to write his book. He had been influenced by an American joumalist's behind-the-scenes account of howthe US govemmentformulated its policy towards the Marcos dictatorship in the Philippines byusing extensive interviewing and access provided bythe US Freedom of InformationAct. Roberti filed more than 100 requests

members, a young playwright little known beyond his country's borders.

because China reneged on promises it made during the negotiations and that Britain kowtowed in order to maintain

after 1997. But the two sides never came to an agfeement on how Hong Kong was run. And this is a crucial

where you

onald Harwood's first task as an ordinarvmember of the PEN Club in England #u, ,o srrite to the president of Czechoslovakia, protesting the arrest of one of the club's honorary

asso-

ment and that if Britain and China would just implement it everything would be all right after 1997.I think a lot of people believe that the reason the transition period went so badly is

tain the capitalist system in Hong Kong

or right, depending

T) -Ñ.

wanted them, the new Govemor David 'Wilson went to the Executive Council

Joint Declaration was a good agree-

they

est in finding out what went wrong

Ed Peters !\zas slr.ept along by tkre argurnents and fenzour of R-onald Ha-rvrzood .wtro argued passionately for tmrrra.n rights and freedorn of e><pression at a recerrt FCC hrnctreon-

dent's desk. Marches and demonstrations were organised, editorials written, and Havel was flipped from obscurity to cause celebre.

"He was released, and the rest of the storyyou know, " said Mr Harwood, novelist, playwright, screenwriter and

cause they needed to get approval

he sinologist turned, buried his face in his hands and cursed: "Bastards. " Albion's perfidy towards

Shining the tight

Sir Geoffrey Howe , the British For-

November 1994

for

the accord."

Although Mrs Thatcher had decided that elections could go ahead in

1988

if the people of Hong Kong

1987 Green Paper and policy review had ended @efore the results were

a deal. When the results of the review

came out they showed that elections in 1988 were favoured. "It was too late for Exco to go back and change the

decision," Roberti said.

Chris Patten's attempts to exploit the vagueness of the Basic Law gave China good reason to say the British have not been negotiating in goodfaith,

I admire Chris Patten and admire the zeal with which he has put forward the reforms . " Roberti argued. "Much as

To judge from his comments Roberti was unlucþ that Bill McGurn got there frst and entitled his book on the handover, Perfid.ious Albíon. Yet Roberti maintains it was never his intention to prove that Britain sold Hong

Kong down - or to be more accurately, up the river.

- Lyncb is assistant@ Andretu features editor of tbe South China Morning Post.

nowpresident of PEN, thewodd

ciation of writers.

But the struggle for human rights is shifting eastwards. In sounding the tocsin for press fre edom in Hong Kong and much of the rest of Asia, Harwood seemed an unlikely harbinger. But the

incongruity of his appearance - he has the aura of a liberal Hamsptead intellectual scarcely detracts from his passion.

-

With glasses perched on the end of his nose and hair awry, grasping the lectern or punching the air, Harwood lambasted one totalitarian regime after another, belittling perceiyed oppressors with common sense, reasonandwit. Lee KwanYew was a vile element, Anson Chan depressing and the Chinese goyernment's record appalling. And keeping faint praise in resewe, tlre Post was labelled "rather bland".

"The next great battlefield for PEN is to be here in Asia," Harwood said.

"The Bangkok Declaration seems to me to be a declarution of war against human rights, and perhaps the most

affogaît and disgusting display of power there has been in recent years.

The conviction that there is no universal definition of the rights of human

beings is of course not only an attack

on the people of this region but also on all people all over the wodd.

"At the heart of the Bangkok Dec-

laration lies our old friend 'Certainty' , allied to a lust for power. But InternationalPEN maintains asloudlyas it can that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights - especially the fundamental right to the freedom of expression - remains the model to which all goyefnments should subscribe.

Referring to his own visit to the territory, Harwood spoke of the "desperate plight" of the writers held in Vietnamese refugee camps in Hong Kong. "To send them back to their country of origin would be criminal, because writers are always the first victims of totalitarian goyemments, and I cannot accept with any confidence that on their retum theywiJl be able to resume their professions and lead decent lives. I don't want to raise false hopes, but you know how difficult and recalcitrant the authorities can be . I want it known that the fight continues on their behalf."

Harwood noted that China lras 32 writers in prison, and Tibet laas 14.

"China is the most difficult ar€a we deal with," he said, "firstly to find out where they're being held and inwhat conditions, where theirfamilies are. If they need medical help."

'VØith the approaching takeover, self censorship has rearedits uglyhead in Hong Kong. "It's easy for me com-

ing from the outside," admitted Harwood, "saying you know what you

s I Às

I

q)

Õ I

Haruood: it's eas! comingJrom tbe outside

the record is appalling. I'm not trying

to frighten you, that's how it is."

Correspondent member Jonathan

Mirsþ mentioned that the Chief Secretary had asked the press to be constructil¡e in its criticism, because it was hurt-

ing the feelings of the bureaucracy.

"Governments are like playwrights and actors." Harwood responded. "They hate criticism.'When

we get bad reviews we think our plays are masterpieces and the critics are wrong, but maybe we could do

better next time. I thought that if Anson Chan stopped doing things that were depressing and in need of criticism..."

Asked about the situation in Singaporc, Harwood said: "I think it's been monstrous. I think Lee Kwan Yew is one of the vilest elements in the whole human rights dimension.

I was horrifi ed that the Internationel Herald Trìbune apologised on its leader page to Lee Kwan Yew. You can publish that, I've nothing to fear in Singapore we don't have a PEN there.

-

"But PEN has no power

-

no

power

butwehave enorrnousinfluence , and I give you myword thatwe will use

ought to do, you ought to be brave and do this and that.

at all,

"It's a communal, collective effort that's required, that's why I said freedom of expression affects eyerybody, not just writers. Everybody is going to be caught in this dilemma, and I think you should cry. I don't think it's funny at all. You're dealing with a totalitarian government and

that influence, irrespective of race, creed or political persuasion.

"People

with responsibilities in

society should make it clear that there are dangers. I've only read one local newspaper since I'ye been here, the Posf. It's rathersanguine, rather bland. "

NOVCMbCT T994 TÃ}, GORRXSPON¡IEIIT

@

ÍIot Blønkefs in a, cold climate Errer since the age of Genghis l(anh, Àzlongolia has treld a- repìLrtatior:r as arl e><otic and dangerous location- Irr- a latterday, postera \zetef ala -{rneric an j ournalist C olrrrrlrnist rW.illiarn Ringle has l>een in\zestig.atirag, the state of ttre Àzlongolian rrredia- I{e spoke vzittr l\4ictrael l\zf acke¡r. lice of Wondedand would prob-

inches towards something akin to

ably feel at home in Mongolia, especially if she became a journalist.

Take the following examples of the wackiness of the Mongolianmedia.

true democracy.

In the meantime, tl],e ancíen regime of 'The Communists' continues to exelt considerable clout. According to Ringle, who after 46 years and 42 countries as a working journalist should know about political change and consequences for the press, 'Journalism in Mongolia is much freer than it is in, say, China. But Mongoliahas a long way to go before it will be able to say it has arything approaching a free

Ardy n Erb, the Goyernment newspaper, has acirculationof about 50,000

in Ulan B^tor, a city with

roughly

600,000 people.

In these enlightened days its presses are used to print the opposition newspapers, yet the Government news agency is the sole vendor of the newsprint and ink.

On top of this, the government wire serwice, Montsame, retains the right to determine what foreign news

will be printed.

Meanwhile, the second player in

the circulation stakes, which sometimes surpass es Ardyn Erb's dailyprint run, is the weekly police newspaper.

The explanation for the success of the police publication is not the brilliance of the writing. It's rather more mundane: the paperhas the exclusive right to print all crime news.

The next most successful publi-

cation in terms of circulation is a pornographic newspaper. Titled Hot Blønkefs, the paper is rather grubby and badly-produced with Xeroxed copies of pictures lifted p ornography sprawling amidst the Mongolian text. According to William Ringle, who has just spent a month in Mongolia as a consultant to the US-funded Freedom Forum: "The thing seems to be thriving."

At this point it is useful to put matters into context. The Communist

from'W'estern

era is over in Mongolia and everything is in a state of flux as the government

THI

CORRESPoNI¡EilI

pfess. "

To make that point he gave two recent examples of where the Mongoin a big way. lian press failed

lFhe e><planation for the success of ttre police publication is that the paper has the e><ch-rsir.e right to print all crirne nelvs-

The first was a visit by the Dalai Lama which, despite Chinese Pressure, the Mongolian goYernment reftised to cancel. The Mongolian press, said Ringle, "treated it gingerþ and didn't dwell on the government's political dilemma."

The second example of a failure to give a dramatic eYent its Proper

weight was an accident which occurred during a Mongolian national holiday.

During

horse-racing spectacular a grandstand structure collapsed with, a

by all accounl.s, a large number of

November 1994

fatalities. Ringle asked his first source how the press had treated it. They hadn't. "Not one line had appeared in the newspapers or on TV, " said Ringle.

He then qtizzed some 15 journalists about the silence. Only one of

them had even beard of the incident. The exceptionwas ayoungTV reporter who had been an eye witness. "He'd told his superiors about it, but they'd told him itwouldn't do to mar such a festive occasion with a report of such a calamity," said

HackingitinBeiiing;:: As Ckrina's doors contitalre to creak open a correspondent's lot is ctranging in EteijingForrrrer Club president Peter: Seicllit- e><121a,ins(( ll,^

ring to the fact that only a few'W'estern

correspondents (Andrew Brown of

wooden floors and high ceilings. A

tional University's journalism course.

This is a not a one-year post graduate top-up, but a four-year course majoring in the profession.

Interestingly, T5 per cent of this group was made up of women. Not because journalism is viewed as "women's work" - but because it suits their more go-getting approach. Thanks to the new intake of female graduates, Ringle thinks the press could have "a more feisty attitude".

But what of working,professional journalists? How do they deal with the situations that they find themselves in? The answer to that one is "with a great deal of patience tempered with some resignation."

One investigative reporter wrote a stofy about a govefnment minister found at a Mongolian airport carrying 5.5 kilograms of gold which he had not declared. During Ringle's visit it emerged that the journalist was up before the courts for the third time.

Although there were some judicial mutterings about what kind of penaþ the reporter, a young man called EnkhAmgalanmightfaceforrefusingto name his sources, according to Ringle, he

Reuters andJoseph Kahn of the AWS) are so far accredited in Shanghai. "Dow

satellite dish in the courryard receives CNN, NBC, ABC, French TV, Star TV, NHK and theJapanese movie channel,

journalists themselves. That being said, Ringle was impressed by some of the

"didn't seem woried".

A different way to deal with rhe authorities isto adoptthe approach of the editor of the crime weekly. His method is simple. "In each issue I give four pages to the Ulan Bator police chief so he can tell us how good he is at his job," he told Ringle.

E

Ministry, ChenJian.

Jimmy - former Wøll Streettourcorrespondent and president of the FCC Beijing, now managing director of DowJones in charge of business was referdevelopment in China

nal

-

Jones has several hundred staff inAsia, but only one fellow in Shanghai . That' s

not

as

According to my ministry dinner now allowed to rent afl apaltment outside the com-

people he met. He was panicularþ taken with the students on the Na-

Ringle.

It could be that the biggest danger to press freedom in Mongolia is not interference from a basicallyinept central government, but the failings of the

is

guest, you are

be renewed annually. The police will only issue two exit visas at a time. And whereas one used to send a driver or translator to collect the re-entryvisas, a new rule means you has to appear in person. There is also amandatoryAlDS testiri a local hospital - an experience in itself.

I moved to China in 1993 and my working and residential apartments in theJianguo Men !üai diplomatic compound are big comfortable place s with

financial centre won't work witnout a tìnancialpress," declaredJimmy McGregor recently at a dinner I was giving for the newly arrived spokesman of the China Foreign

ïîryx;d

bad as it sounds: aside from the occasional bicycle theft, the compounds are crime-free.

police which

'W'ow'Wow.

not nearly sufficient to cover the Chinese markets."

ChenJian, a suave diplomatwhose last posting was as the PRC's dePuty chief of mission at the UN, denied that China was being difficult in giving more accreditations: "Has any corre-

For those news organisations which have had an officein Beijing for

spondent applied to live in Shenzhen? "

Add US$150 for a cook, US$400-500

pounds. Of course, you have to build up good guanxi with the housing authority in charge of letting flats.

Prime location is in theJianguo Men 'W'ai next to the Friendship Store on a floor high enough to escape the noise and dust.

In fact I no longer bother to tell the foreign office if I go to Shanghai.

Francis Deron (Le Monde) andJean le Clerc du Sablon (Ie Figaro, L'Exþress and current president of the Beijing FCC) drove 6,000km to Urumqi without official perrnission in August. Only when Francis's wallet was stolen and

they contacted the local police did Beijing find out that the place.

trþ

had taken

of over 100 foreign correspondents

Agency journalists who have to chase every dissident story and are regulady phoned by dissidents and their families do not have it easy in Beijing.

The use by dissidents offoreign news agencies as a last re sort has put some journalists in the dog house.

On rare occasions - six in the last yeat the foreign ministry even

wanting to come to China. British correspondents have to wait the longest and the only ones gaining entry these days are from countries in which China shows an interest, butwhose newspapers have nobody based in Bejing.

ventive

many years, rent is quite low. A tworoom flat costs about US$800, a family ap artmet'û

^round

US $ 1,

ers, however, are hit

600. Newcom-

with much higher

rents of about US$2,000 to US$3,000.

he asked.

Apparently, there is

a

waiting list

-

calls in journalists and delivers a 'stern'warning.

Though access to top leaders is rare, it is not impossible. You have to develop your ownguanxi andbein-

policy convenient

it keeps the competition out the 80 or so correspondents now living in Beijing have a comfortable monopoly on China news.

Infact, the largest group of journalists are not'W'estern correspondents but

and TBS all have offices in Shanghai as

well

in Beijing.

Those wanting to set up shop in as

Bejing can expect a long struggle with the bureaucracy - evenaffer securing accreditation. Nothing is easy in China; the customs, police and foreign office all issue separate passes which have to

one American correspond-

ent slipped

asking

as

Japanese. Kyodo, Asabi Sbìmbun, Cbuniclti Sbimbun, Nibon Keizøi, Yomiurí Sbimbun, NHK, TV Asahi

-

letter to a political leader the recent opening of the social Capital

Many correspondents find this Tbrougb Clsinese walk

a

for an interview during

Club.

The FCC has no official status, for a ttaîslator (that amount should pay for afreelance academic from one of the Chinese think-tanks) and US $ 100

for a maid (who still can't be hired on the free market but is supplied by the Diplomatic Serwice Bureau).

'SØhen it comes to telecommunica-

tions, however, Beijing is the most expensive place in the wodd. My monthlybill for long-distance calls and

me€tings are infrequent, it's not a pressure group, nor does it have a "home".

Having beenpresident of the FCC in Hong Kong I think the FCC Beijing has to put in some stronger efforts if it is to get status. Butwhowants to be an

officialin a joumalists' club andrepresent a bunch of foreign correspondents? Not

me.

@

faxes runs to several thousand dollars

Peter Seidlitz is tbe Beijing cor-

ctronic

Handelsblatt ønd a forrner þresideü of fue FCC.

despite using the

ele

CHINAPAC computer network.

resþond,ent

for

November 1994 TÃE GoRÌxsPoNl¡EIfT

An English-laÍrguage newspapef with Chinese cha tacteristics Since its launch last Febrtrary, the E(zsterrt.

Express has l>een rnaking a-hTrost as rrnrch laer\zs as it h.as l>eerr reporting,- 7lVse Corresl)c¡rtclertt e><arnines its recent tristory, talks to the Oriental Press Group's C.K. lMa and prints a plea frorrr e><-ctrief editor of the Ezcpress, Ste\ze Vines-

l\Tobodv could deny it has been a I\ rr.u*itopping, roller-coaster nine months since the hoopla of the launch of the Oriental Press Group's (OP G) E astern Exþre ss. The stylishlydesigned broadsheet was expected

bymanytogive boththe South China

Morning Post (SCMP) andthe Hong Kong S tøn dar d. serious competition and to change the face of the local

onlygave us a good corporate image it also gave us a springboard into the international market.

treachery was also abroad and accusa-

?

the design of the paper was almost universally admired, when it finally hit the streets many professionals were surprised by some of the eady news selections.

EYen so, chief editor and former Club president Steye Vines managed to create the feeling of an authoritative, modern publication with excellent foreign and comment pages. The W'eekend magazine was a first-class

product. Above all, the quality of the photography astonished readers with its clarity of reproduction and its imaginative execution. The uncounted hours of hard work by all concerned were apparently paying off.

However, as was inevitable with a new product, the paper soon began to show signs of wear and tear. Within weeks questions were raised about

as

would have hoped. To begin with there was bad blood between some defecting members of t}re SCMP and its management as the journalists took up senior positions at the Express. Then the launch of the paper was delayed because of highly technical computer problems. Although

I made the decision to launch the

Eastern Exþress after hearing the news that there was to be a change in the management at the Soutlt Cbina Morníng Post.

According to figures released at the time , one third of the issued share s

of tl;re SCMP were worth about HK$3 billion, based on a daily circulation of about 100,000. That meant that a successful English-language newspaper could be worth something like HK$ 10 billion. Moreover, the Chinese newspaper publishing business has almost reached saturation point and there is

very little potential for growth.

THI c0RRESP0ill¡EI{T November 1994

The publication of an English-lan-

complex personnel reasons sur-

given a reprieve.

At much the same time, while on assignment in China, a young female reporter ran into trouble over a story she had written about the political

rounding his proposed elevation to

copies per day - the yalue of the group would increase by

cool $4 billion. Doesn't that sound like a good investment? We took on a

the project as a long-term inve stment and hope ir will stfaddle 1997.

Hauing undertaken tbe launclt

of tbe pa.per, díd you enuisage tbe productyouuere giuen, oru)ere ?ou boping for a lnore 'raqt' tabloid as seen ín tbe Onental Daily News/ CKM: The aim of the Eastern Express is to capture a share of the SCMP group's circulation. We have

ffiPnt$$ Us

TIINIryOilD C.K.Mq & Sieve Vines

speok out

decided to take the printing of the Saturday magazine in-house on lower-

grade newsprint

to save

some

$500,000 per month. Senior staffers,

including Marsh, production editor Ewen Campbell and magazine editor Steve Procter threatened to resign

A recent issue of tbe Sunday Morning Post røn øn interuieut tuith Mike Hanson, tbe outgoing goue?wnxent information co-ordínator. He admilted TCz

bauing l¡ad díscussions tuitlt you þrior to tbe launcb of tbe Eastem Express. Cotr.ld you comment?

CI(M: I read the article in the Sunday Morning Post. It said that the

government information

coordinator had a hand in the creation of theEastern Express. This is ironic.

I would like to ask the management of the SCMP if if. enjoyed special privileges from the government, like

deputy chief editor. Marsh and Procter resigned in protest along with, among others, China editor, Robert Delfs and deputy foreign editor Gavin Greenwood, all members of the FCC. As matters shook down, veteran local journalist and Club member Timothy Jim took the reins as a special assistant to C.K. Ma. He appointed foreign edito r andformer Corresþ ondent editor Kad'Wilson as an associate editor to liaise with the editorial staff, while veteran newspaperman Yernon Ram, with more than 40 years in the bnsiness, was reportedly hired to look into the launch of a Sunday edition of tb.e Exþress. Peter Metrevelli, one of Hong Kong's longest-serving turf cor-

HA$TNRlr

clashed, the management had, indeed,

quality product. This conviction is reflected in our investment in stateof-the-art equipment and our decision to print on high-grade newsprint with top-quality ink that will not blacken readers' hands when they flip through the pages.

-around 50,000

''

TTOON

IN HONG KONG!

the job of chief editor to high-priced Fleet Street journalists. The paper would close within weeks. The We e kend magazine was to be closed or, at best, relaunched on newsprint rather than on high-grade paper.

In the event, while personalities

with a small print run would

slot

FIGHT OF THE GE¡ITIJFY

THE REAL H¡GH

man, was said to be in London offering

never considered the idea of a tabloid newspaper. From the start, our objective was to publish a modern,

perfectly into our daily production schedule in our newly-upgraded, $200 million facilities.

I estimated that if the OPG could put out an English-language newspaper justhalf as successful as the SCMP that is with a dally circulation of

rf

wasn't an elevating spectacle.

Club member Jon Marsh, one of the most vociferous ex-SCMP staffers, took over as acting editor. Further llrmours of poor staff management/ relations went spinning through the always-voracious newspaper gossip mill. Then C.K. Ma, the OPG chair-

guage newspaper is a good fit for our existing facilities and mode of operation, especially as an English paper

TCz

and the magazine's paper quality was

tions of "spying" and disloyalty emerged from several quarters. It

most FCC members know, the story didn't evolve as many

However,

In order to clari-f¡z sorne of ttre rrrisconceptions qztrictr tranze snrrounded ttre ExPress, C.K- lMa g,ra,flted anr e><clusir.e inter\zie-9\z to 71r'¿e Corresp orzden t- Sírrron Ts¡iston fDanzies reports -

market researcb utøs cørríed out?

C.K. Ma: When we moved into our existing premises in Kowloon Bay in 1990 provision was made for expansion. Afterthatwe launched the Oriental Sunday, Jade Magazine, Tbe Sun Røcing Journøl and E ø s t u e e k M a g a z i n e . Exp anding into the English-language market was a natural and logical step for the Oriental Press Group. Such a move not

In the end Vines depar-ted. Talk of

English-language newspaper market.

Chasing a cool $4 billion

The Correspondent: Wbat uas tbe cbronologJl oÍ tbe founding of tbe Eastern Express/ Wbat kind of

the paucity of advertising. It was said there were few financial controls and that relations betçveen the OPG management and staff were growing tense.

make-up of post'97 Hong Kong. Accunot so unusual in newssations

- about the irresponsible rewriting of the reporter's copy, caused rooms

respondents was appointed racing editor. Four new Chinese reporters joined the staff.

With a daily circulation rumoured to be anything between 10,000 and 30,000. the Eøstern Express is now said to be metamorphosing into an "English-language newspaper with Chinese characteristics". An amusing

crack but probably not true.

further tension.

Finally, Campbell was sacked for

the provision of exclusive stories and advertising and other support, in the "good old days"?

Since I publish a newspaper in Hong Kong, of course, a good relationship with the government of the day is vital to our operations. And since Mike Hanson is the information co-ordinator, who else should we turn to if we want to understand the government's thinking? 'W'e would certainly like to develop a good relationship with his successor and hope to gain the same support from the administration asfhe SCMP has enjoyed in the past.

T Cz

M øny questions

b

au e b e en raised

about tbe circulation of tbe Eastern Express. Vbat ìs it tod.ay?

CI(M: We have joined the international ABC group for a circulation audit and we expect to publish the results around February. As a member of the ABC, we have to abide by its re gulations which require th distri-

@ bution of circulationfigures oneyear after publication.

TCz Tbefast

start-uþ of

tbe

paper ís

seen by some øs being at tbe root

of

lnqny of tbe eaùy ediioríal þroblems. Giuen a second cbance, uould you baue tøken longer to launch tbe Eastern Express?

CKM: The successftll launch of a news-

paper very much depends on good timing. Suffrcient financial resources, up-to-date plant and first- class human

resources are also vital elements. In

myview, the success of anewspaper requires constant fine-tuning. Even the SCMP, after 90 years of publication, needs constant fine-tuning.

TC: Aduertising bas been sþatrse since tbe launcb of tbepøper. Could you tell us about your ad.uertísing sales strateglt?

CKM: The advertising volume of a newspaper usually takes time to

November 1994

Continued onpage 10

TAÊ, CORRESPOI|ITDNT

Ileading for strangulation ,#

Forrner Ch-rb presiclent Ste¡ze Vines szrote the follovzing article for pr,rblication in the E ¿ts tertz E.xpress shortl¡z t>efore he s¡a-s rerrlrorzed as the l?al?er's ckrief editor- ifhe Oriental Press Group, hou¡erzer, decided agairrst publicati<>tt - 7'/c e () ct rr e sþ c¡ rz ¿l e tz t put>lishe s it for the recorcl-

woulcl have the courage to start a new English-langltage newspaper. The pessimists were wrong. They underestimatecl the spirit of enterprise which pulsates through this place, they un-

derestimated the thirst for untainted news and they underestimated the de-

termination of Hong Kong people to preserve the freedoms which have made this famously barren rock one

evotutions tend

to ear their

babies. This newspaper revolution is no exception. That is why I am writing for the last time as chief editor of Eastern Exþress. Some readers may feel that aîexaggetated claim is being macle here. They might well ask: can the launch of this newspaper really be described as a revolution? I think I can.

Hong Kong has essentially been a one

a papff committed to independ-

ence in news reporting and dedicated

English-language newspaper town for more decades than most people care to count. The alternative to the matket leader has been in the hands of an under funded competitor, kept alive but rarely given the means to breathe with real life.

After the seal was set on the transfer of sovereignty in Hong Kong, it seemed even less likely that anyone

Continued fronl þage 9

grow. The Eastern Exþress is just another nes/spaper and should not be singled out for criticism. It is unfair to compare a nine-month-old ventlue with anothef productwhich has a 90-year histor¡'.

TCz "Cultural

dffirences" baue been tuidely quoted in reference to tbe m an ag e m e nt/st aff r e lati o txs h iþ at t b e Eastem Express, I1as "culture" plajted a role in tbe dfficulties experienced ouer tbe pastfour montbs or so.

CI(M: That's really a hypothetical question. To imply that a manage ment with a Chinese cultural background would have difficulties in

managing a group of '$Øestern journalists would incite undue racial conflict. That is deplorable. However, I realise that such reasoning could provide a convenient excuse for those stepping down to cloud the real issues. Please remember, that Hong

of

the world's greatest trading centres.

This was the spirit which brought about the birthof theEastern Exþress

-

f!

I\

.-t

Kong's success is due primarily to the fact that we have blended the cultures of East and \ù7est.

a neu cbief ed.itor baue to be aþþointed at tbe Eastern Express. Will it be an inter nal aþþointment? \Yill ,nore expatriate støff be apþointed?

CI(M: My philosophy is simple: to give the job to the right person.

TC: Euentually

ttill

d.o you see tlJe þa,Þer in 12 montbs'time?

CKM: tù(/e will work harder in order to live up to public expectations. \ùØhere the Eastern Express will stancl in a year's months time, has to be judged by public suppolt when the time comes.

TC: Wbere

Simon Twiston Davies is contributing

co

¿r

lurnni s t to tb e Eastern

Express.

@

to being an open market for the exchange of ideas and views. lùØhat, you may ask, is so revolutionary about all that? The answer is very little in countries which enjoy a free press. It is only revolutionary in circumstances where this freedom has been extinguished or is in the process

of

being squeezed to the poinr of strangulation.

FortunatelyHong Kong's press has yet to experience strangulation but we are heading in that direction.

One of our television stations is now reluctant to carry any news which reflects badly on the Chinese govelnment, many newspapefs are becoming increasingly selective about what they report and how theyreport news which is considered to be "sensitive".

The Eastern Express chose to travel down another path. This happens to be a more conventional path where news stories are treated according to merit, not the sensitivie'of Chinese officials. It takes us in directions which may not lead to the winning of friends in high places but rhis was never our intention.

In manyways we could be considered to be Hong Kong's true optimists

-

some may say, foolhardy optimists.

NE\rySMAKER Where history is made, as it is being made, the Nikon F4 toils. Unfailingly, tirelcssly.

The F4. Good news for pros everywherc.

'W'e

have carefully studied the territoty's new mini-constitution, the Basic Law, and found it to contain unequivocal guarantees of press freedom. 'W'e have listened careftillyto the speeches Contintted

otx

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In other words we have worked on the assumption that China must at least be given the benefit of the doubt in matters of press freedom. 'W'e saw no reason to retreat from the field of battle before the battle even began.

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does it mean in practice?

How

we claim thatthe Eøstern Exþress is really different from any other English language newspaper in Hong Kong. Allow me to provide some samples.

Let's start with China coverage. can

Other newspapers cover a national People's Congress meeting as if it decision making-occasions filled with debates likely to shape China's future. This is nonsense and treated as such on our pages because we belieye our readers to be intelligent enough to want to know the true function of the congress meeting. Another example is more telling. really is

a

We published in full, the only document we have published in full

in the newspaper's history, the

ex-

ftaordinary speech made by former Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Zh ouZiyaig, prepared (but not delivered) for a meeting of the party's central committee on the eve of his removal from power in 1989.

This is probably the most revealing internal documentfrom the Commu-

nist Party to reach the public domain since the revolution.

'We claim no credit for securing the document, this honour goes to the Ho ng Ko ng E co norni c Jo urn øl which generously made it available to the media as a whole. We merely translatedthe speech into English.'SØe were

the only Hong Kong newspaper to take advartage ofthe EJ's offer. This is quite extraordinary

inaccuracies:

that this paper is pro- government will produce howls of hollowlaughterfrom a great many civil servants in Lower

Albert Road who

of significance the

because interms

can barely contain

their anger when

speech is at least as

important

as

the words Ea.stern Exþressareuttercd.

It is a matter of

Nikita

Khrushchev's address to the tw€nti-

pride that this

eth congress of the

n€.wspaper has

sovietUnion'sCommunist Party at

forced the govemment to act in cir-

which he revealed

cumstanceswhere

the crimes commit-

it should

ted by the dictator

acted on its own

Stalin. Very few

accord. Ourrevela-

newspapers in countries with a free press would

Afrer

tbe

falL

Vhæs

arulfellou ex-F4tress staffers

showthe kind ofrestraint displayed by the Hong Kong press over the Zhou speech.

The creeping polarisation of Hong Kong society has led our critics to assume that because we have coyered China in such a feadess manner, we

must therefore be pro-British, or at the very least pro-Chris Patten. It is depressing that news coverage is viewed through the narrow prism which classifies reportage into the tight categories ofpro or anti this, that or

l

¡

I

"Production hitches forced the paper to delay its launch on January 20tlr by three weeks" - the February lst launch is no secret.

Mycalculatormakes that a delayof less than two weeks"Vithin days . . it agreed to p y arr estimated $150,000 to a charity of SØharf chairman Peter 'W'oo's choice" this is an outright lie, not a cent changed hands.

"Projected editorial budget for 18 monthswas spentin only a third of the time" another lie.

- no one was pfeNo wonder pared to put their by-line on the story.

have

tions about the

Corrective measures

by Steve Vines On October 30th the Sundøy Morning Post ran two, understandably anonymous, pieces about the recent troubles at tl;ie Eastern Express. It is always difficult for one newspaper to write about the affairs of a nval. These pieces of sloppy journalism demonstrate the veracity of this generalisation.

For the record I think it worthwhile pointing out that the Post made absolutely no effort to contact me, despite the fact that the articles make a number of allegations about myself.

Some of the other more absurd

the other. For the record we coYer China seriously becauoe the fate of Hong Kong is firmly tied to the mainland and readers }rave a right to as much information as possible about the new sovereign power. 'We never set out to be pro-British and the idea

¡@

April attack on the Whitehead Deten-

tion Centre

com-

pelled the Governor to order an independent inquiry. Our coverage of the fate of Chinese illegal immigrants held in detention for months while they waited to give evidence in criminal trials, rightly led to their release. These are examples of good, old-fashioned

campaigning journalism, rooted in hard-nosed reporting. The reporters didnot set outto embarrass the government of the day. They set out to unearth the truth. Aside from content, the Eastern Exþress has been revolutionary in form. We ventured where other newspapers feared to tread in terms of design, use of photographs, daring to have a magazine with real substance rather than easy-on-the-eye wallpaper and we dared to be different in the waywe covered the news, abandoning the predictable androutine infavour of the interesting and exciting.

Am I being self serving and self indulgent? I plead guilty, but can only say in mitigation that a departing editor should be allowed a small piece of self indulgence. Fortunately you have the choice ofwhetheryouwantto put up with it. There is still a choice here.

Newspapers live and die by virtue of the choices readers make. Hong Kong will never be the same if the media

offersnochoice.

November 1994 TEE

0oRRISP0NDENT

E

T

t 6:30an a tap came at the bedroom door. Keith Shakespeare, FCC member and Chek Lap Kok guru, stuck his head in saying, "it's all happening here." I dragged myself out of bed, pulled on yesterday's clothes and walked into the main house. About 50 of the local villagers

served as audience to ten Buddhist monks, who efficientþ shovelled food

into their faces.

The day before Keith Shakespeare, his lady, Mam, and I had arriyed for a traditional house blessing and house warming party in Mam's secluded village in north east Thailand. For the past few months Shakey and Mam had been building what Shakey termed "my country estate". The "estate" con-

sisted of an airy 2,000 square foot house, situated on 30 acres of rice field, and one water Yung.

buffal<-¡

named Sai

made. Nine Buddhist monks arranged

themselves around the living room, linked together by a string, which was tied to a Buddha on an altar in the cbrner and passed through the monk's hands. Once this ceremony had been concluded thevillage elders took over.

The ladies' beetle nut chewing society had p repared aúaditional Isan floral arrangement. This was paraded through the village, led by the head man and followed by a procession bearing household fumishing. The procession circled the house clockwise three times and deposited the goods in the house.

Skakey, Mam and Mama Number Two (the twin sister of Mam's late mother), gathered around the floral arrangement, which had been placed in the center ofthe house. The head mafl, at considerable length, chanted

The village was much the same as any in rural Thailand, an island of trees inthe midst of rice paddies. Therewas a main road, with afew wooden houses

on either side in varying states of dilapidation. The only distinguishing factor was a new masonry bungalow surrounded by three large tents, which had been hired for the occasion.

Before the house could be occupied, prays had to be said and offerings

good wishes and blessings,

while splashing water from a silver bowl on the house and its occupants. Judging from the blushes andhoots, a lot of what he said involved Shakey and Mam filling the house with babies.

The ceremony ended with all the guests taking short

lengths of string which festooned the fl oral arrangement and tying them to the

wrists of Shakey, Mam, Mama#2, and one another.

Now the real party began. Mountains of food had been prepared and a cou-

ple of hundred people tucked in under the green canopies surrounding the

oflao "white lightening" and Mekong house. Bottles

Tf,[

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siding monk went around to all the doorways. He dipped his fin-

gers into white paint and made inscriptions over e ach. He then went around blessing eyerything in sight, including

ers spread mats in the road and took their places. Around 8pm the movies

began and lasted until 3am.

I lasted

until ten.

I have always

thought that,

at le ast

cars, pick-up trucks and motofcycles.

About 8am the band

from avoyeur's point of view, I knew something about "over boogieing".

However, the people in Mam's little village know more than I could ever hope to know. During the whole celebration, I never witnessed a fight or

arrived and set up

stage

saw any hostile act. They welcomed

whiskey began to circulate. Music blared continuously from loudspeakers. By dark everyone was well-oiled

onthe side ofthe road. By nine theywere hammering out "tfaditional" Laotian rock and roll. Some of it had a vaguely Sixties psychedelic

two farøngs and show them one

and old women were grabbing me to join in traditional dances, sort of combination hula and hokey pokey.

The party continued through the

sound, which grabbed the well-oiled celebrants by the throat. They played until 2pm without a break. Some peo-

night. A cowwas slaughte¡ed around midnight. By morning drunken men

sat on a pallet, flailing away with machetes, turning the poor beast to

I counted the digits of the enthusiastic chefs, just to be hamburger. safe.

By now the monks had started in on the serious blessing. The preTHE CORRISDOI|DINT

a

ple danced every dance and drank every drink. It was the most amazing

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helluva good time.

One foot note: amongst dozens of bottles of whiskey consumed during the festivities there was a liter of rather good Scotch I had brought. I had about two drinks from it, until it

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display of stamina drunkenness I have ever witnessed.

There was anafternoonlull, while

minded me of something pJ O'Rourke once wfote: "There are two de s to thirdwodd travel. Rule One: Always bring enough

everyone settled into quiet drinking

whiskey. Rule Two: Always bring

and eating. Around sundown aûavelling movie company erected a movie screen, where the bandstand had been.

During the next two hours the villag-

enough whiskey."

I think Rule Three should be: having brought it, keep your eye on it.

November 1994

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he death of James Clavell in

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CENITRAL SET LIJNCI{ OR BIJFFET

_

Vevey, Switzedand, was not only a loss to the wodd of literature, it also

ics may have

robbed the Club of one of its most

was a master storyteller. He wrote adyentures set in times and places few peo-

distinguished members.

A longtime member of the Club, Clavell held a fond attachment to the FCC in Hong Kong and always made a

point of dropping in when ever he was in town.

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derinto the mainbar searching out old friends or simply buy a drink and strike up a convefsation with anyone who just happened to be sitting nearby.

Even though Clavell was an intemational figure, the ever-changing cast of characters at the bar would often have no idea to whom they were talking.

"Do you know who that

James Clavell? Oh My.God! I just told him how easy it was to write fiction, " is one member's memory of the unas-

I I il1

Clavell's career as a writer

.%it-Vz>øáØrntá7on¿t;t"r>7*rrrol t6.¿.%, -Øø¡ % 1'", .To, /

THE GODOWN -WHERE THINGS REAttY TAKE OFT-

- LUNCH -

DINNER

1es.

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D

GO

W N

A SHORT TAXI T{DE FROM THE FCC HAPPY HOURS 5-7 PM, 11-12 MIDNICHT FOR RESERVATIONS CALL 524 2OAA THE GODOWN, UPPER BASEMENT, FURAMA HOTEL, ONE CONNAUCHT PLACE, CENTRAL, HONG I(ONC

Frida¡ Saturday

12 a.m'

100,000

in research. And he often wrote 20

uJfrM

could not destroy him.

Even so, he never talked about

pleknewmuchabout and they all became best sellers: King Røt (1962), Taipan (1966), Sltogun (1975), Noble House (1981), Wbirluind (1986), Gai-Jin G99Ð. He was working on another novel just before he died.

Clavell's character was formed by his wartime experiences in Singapore's notorious Changi prison. Born in Sydney, he was the son of Commander Richard Clavell, who was part of a British team sent to Australia to help establish the Royal Australian Navy.

The family was posted back to England whenJames was nine months old. Educated at Portsmouth Gram-

- . his irrteflaational popr-rlaril-y rna"de Cla,r.ell arnillionaire rrran¡r tifrles o\zef s/ittr horrres in the fJS, France and .{Lrstria- lftre onl)z h-u<r-rry tre allov'zed trirnself !\zas a krelicopter-

the enormous amountof timehe spent

D-

Att Elíte Cottcept

claimed that novels, which were rarely under

his

ment so that it

about Clavell's style he

mar School,

nevef plotted in advance. "I would simply start writing and follow the story wher€ver it went," he once said.

Butwhat hefailed to mentionwas

and eve's to public holidays,

58-62 D'Aguilar Street Lan Kwai Fong Central Hong Kong

He

wofds, wefe

"Its late arrd had a bi we haven't from lO Lare night supper

with his books selling more than 21 million copyears

in which he domi nated the enYiroll-

said

spanned

more than 40

LUNCH, DINNER & DANCINC ,PRIVATE ROOM-

was?

suming writer.

\\ t:t,K lItrÌ¡,rtr,,rì,'ll

'llhateverthecrit-

drafts of the same page before he was

satisfied and he would spend days checking the smallest of details.

he left

at

the start of VØar II filledwithnotions of duty instilled by his family's longtradition

\Øodd

of military service. And

while there were notions

of

heroism from reading Rider Haggard and other Empire writers, the war quickly changed allthat.

In l94l he was captured inJava and shipped to Changi. He was just 18 years old. Only one in every 15 men managed to survive the filth and malnutrition. Clavell survived be-

how his wartime experiences might have affected him, but he was ruthless in ensuring that he kept total control of his extraordinary career.

At the end of the war Clavell worked as a film distributof and in

1953 moved to Hollywood as a scriptwriter. His film-writing credits included the 1958 horror classic Tbe Fly,tl¡e 1963 ì7vru dtamaTbe Great Escape andthe 1967 To Sir Witlc Loue.

By the eady Seventies Clavell was

established

as a

best-selling novelist. A

screenwriters' strike in 1960 left him idle for 12 weeks in which he exorcised his prison experiences with his critically most successful novel, King Rør. Published ]n 1962 it became an immediate best seller and three years later was transfomed into a film.

King Rat may have exorcised his wartime experiences, but nothing removed his obsession with the Far East, an interest which he managed to turn into a string of best-selling novels which made him a Yery rich man.

Indeed, his international popularity made Clavell a millionaire many times overwith homes in the US, France and

Austria. The only luxury he allowed himself was a helicopter.

In the meantime, while he often avowed that he believed in Tbss and karma, essentially, he thought, "the Gods want to screw you up." In fact, they didn't screw things up too badly forJames Clavell.

He will be missed by his many friends and acquaintances at the FCC.

cause, he said, he adopted an attitude

@

Tel: 845-5577

November 7994 TÃE

coRRDsPoilIlDNT

I

Speaking out at

the FCC Tkre freedorrr of the press an:.d the right to speak or-rt lrzithout fear is a recurring topic for xzriters and editors at rnagazines and ne!\zspapers across ttre region- ifo discuss ttre ba-sis for suctr beliefs amd to argtre the case for and against "Asiam \Zalues" in regionat publiskring, tkre FCC is co-sponsoring a confererlce at the Club in ea"rl¡z Decerrrl>er.

n December 2nd and 3rd the

their countries in nation-building? If so, does exposing corruption contribute to or harm the process of

Asian Center will present a wide-ranging conference on "Asian values and

nation-building?

the media's role in society" on the upper floors of the Club.

"Most of the correspondent

actively promote , the values of its society? Qr does good joumalism somehow transcend local culture and reflect more universal values?

"We hope that all of these topics

members of the FCC come from the

will be given a thorough airing," says

wodd," says Holberton. "W'e seek to interpret erzents in Asia mainly for our readers in Europe and the United States.

"Yet the recent past is littered with

Schidlovsþ.

FCC and the Freedom Forum

According to Club president Simon Holberton, the conference has been

designed so that members can pick and choose between session topics and the lunches.

The speaker on the Friday will be Derek Davies, a former Club president and aformer editor of the Far Eastern Econontic Reuìeut. The speaker at the

assist

OECD

Saturday luncheon will be the Bangkok-based chairman of the Manager

examples of the clash between ''W'estern' and'Eastern' perceptions of news and comment and what is acceptable as news and coÍrment. It is, at least, my hope thatthe conference - conducted in the spirit of open disinterested in-

Group, which publishes

quiry

f}:Le

Asia Inc

business magazine.

The co-sponsors have invited a heavyweight list of participants to attend the conference including Paul Kelly, the editor of Tbe Australian newspaper in Sydney, A. KadirJasin, the group editor of the Neut Straits Tímes in Kuala Lumpur and Sutichai Yoon, the publisher of Tbe Nationin Bangkok. It is hoped that all will be able to find time to speak.

S7ith such participants the conference promises to be a lively and demanding couple of days.

The co-sponsors want to encourage the Asian editors to discuss the concept of "'W'estern" versus "Asian" styles of journalism.

Does the '$lest try to impose its

values on Asia? Is aggressive investigative joumalism intrinsically " Westem" ?

Is the role of the Asian media to TEE CORRESEOIYIIDNT

- will help sort out the serving from the sui generis."

self-

According toJohn Schidlovsþ, the director of the Freedom Forum Asian Center, many \üi'estem journalists susexpression "Asian Values " is a catch phrase designed by a handf,rl of Asian autocrats to justify repressing the media in their countries.

"Participants at the conference will be discussing whether that is a fur judgement, " says Schidlovsþ.

The conference will also consider why some Asian countries have a free and dynamic press while others have a tame aîd docile press. Are some Asian countries less "Asian" than others?

Schidlovsky also asks whether there pe ct that the

aren't "social and moral values that more cofirmonly prevail in Asia today thaninthe West, andif so, howshould the press treat these values?"

Shouldn't the press reflect,

November 1994

if not

The FCCÆreedom Forum Asian media conference will also examine how the press in Asia covers or

does not cover

- in stories

neighboring countries.

It rn¡ill also look at such issues as: when does legitimate reporting abouta neighbour become "interference in internal affurs"? Is there an unwritten pact among friendly Asian states not to report critically about each other?

The conference organisers promise that visiting Asian editors will also get a first-hand update on the state of Hong Kong press

as

it appro aches 1997

.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong joumalisrs might be able to learn from their Asian colleagues how to deal with selfcensorship, a problem that some Asian joumalists have faced under authoritarian regimes but which may have fade d when those govemments liberalised their policies.

"I hope thatall members will take an interest in the conference - a first for th.e FCC but giyen space constraints in the upstairs dining room, adrnittance will be on a 'fitst come first served' basis," says Holberton.

The conference will be free to members exceptfor a $ 125 meal charge on the Friday and Saturday.

@

9ó ceNrg

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Making up thls fine print are a hundred amusing drawings in elegant curlicule style, illustrating the history, myths and flora and fauna of Hong Kong.

This print is a perfect wall decoration for your home or office and a "must" for anyone who has lived in, knows and enjoys Hong Kong.

Beautifully printed in a limited edition of 500 numbered copies signed by the artist, it is available unframed for HK$300 post free from: Arthur Hacker Ltd., Suite F, 8th Floo[ CrystalCourt, Discovery Bay, Hong Kong.

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a half-dozen times, travelling around the country by bus, car, train, bicycle and elephant.

And over the past decade, two

So we moved for the leisure

part of

ouf stay to

You don't read much in the

sir, nor Three Coins lager. 'We're hav-

dise. You sprawl on a beach chair under the palm trees, pristine beaches

ing an election, sir."

'Well, I'm all for democracy, but

running to the horizon, the Indian man ladies of formidable structure.

The sun blazes down but a steady,

isn't this carrying things a bit far?

Not really. On past election days, beer bars, toddy shops and streets throughout the tropical island republic have resembled the FCC on

salt{aden breeze keeps you cool.

Zoo Night.

Ocean sending green rollers crashing

onto the beach, idly observing Ger-

You've had a healthy breakfast of coffee, mango juice and papaya and if you happened to be on a boat, the sun would be well over the yardarm. So where's the beer?

Sorry about that, says the beaming, venerable waiter at the Mount Lavinia Hotel, 12km down the coast from central Colombo. "No Lion ale,

flI

cORlISD0tlDEIlT

As poll results have come in, booze-fuelled mobs have taken to the streets in bloody welters of racial, communal and religious rioting.

Not this time, the government decided. After ballots had been cast, there was a total curfew and a complete ban on alcohol.

I flew into this Methodist-like cli-

November 1994

government offices.

But election fever had güpped fiercely; all my interviews had been cancelled because cabinet ministers

throughout the

frighteningly-effective Tamil Tigers in the north and east and Marxist revolu-

nous sign: fromthe

efficiency. The Tigers fight on.

Through all this, I've been to Sri Lanka

the former

govefnof's

bedroom and this Slim and sober

even mofe

om1-

time polls closed on Tuesday, all aIcohol sales would ceasefor...waitfor it! ... fourdays. This

-

Sinclaír ønd daugbter on tbe beach ctt Mount Lauinia

Brits stole Ceylon from the Dutch in 1802 (the Dutch had eadier seized it from the Portuguese who in turn had grabbed it from the Singhalese) the colonial ruler built himself a two-storey pleasure palace down the coast from the fort and port which remain the heart of the city.

The official residence is now embraced by about eight extensions

added over 190 years and Mount Lavinia sprawls along the beach in a variety of styles, from parquet-floored Raj colonial to Thirties Art Deco.

The food was spectacular. But

any God you care to name

-

and

neady all varieties seem to be on the

land.

lobby there was an

The threat from the [? (which translates as the People's Liberation Army) has been put down, with brutal

Kit, and I were in

is-

1973, it's been engaged in not one bur two vicious internal wars; against the

Singhalese in the rest of the country.

PrimeMinisters, generals, government officials, bankers and many thousands of others - mostly innocents - have been slain.

.

When the

In the hotel

tionaries among the majority

a

My wife,

could understand Spanish, which I can't. So we headed back to Asia in happy ignorance that polls were to be held in Sri Lanka.

The first two days, we were staying in the stylish downtown Hilton, a

love the place. Since

I

Lav int

guy was no Chris Patten.

were away in their constituencies telling lies to the voters. On almost every street corner, soldiers with automatic rifles and heavily armed police stood guard; about 50,000 were on duty

explain why

Mount

Basque and Gallic provinces of northern Spain where we were holidaying about Sri Lankan politics, even if you

couple of blocks from the presidential palace, Prime Minister's residence and

mate blithely and without notice. Sri Lanka is a trifle weird, which may

either.

orphanage, my family demanded to be taken there. Okay, I said, let's stop off

National Parqr, which had been in power 17 yearc.

it almost everyone's idea of para-

tourists don't get a drink,

batiks and pictures of the elephant

vance to get the cheapest tickets - at that stage, there was no hint of elections being called bythe ding United

t

chardonnay happened, miraculously, to be in my suitcase.

sian community.

'When

in Colombo on the way back from Europe. So, we booked well in ad-

If

good fortune, three bottles of

ban applies only to local residents.

But nope, in Sri Lanka they go all the way

trips, ladenwith cunymixtures, spices,

lftre threat of a- uzet season has ne.rzer szorried rrrost Hongkongers- So xth.en a less -ttra.n- darnp enrzironrraent trit correspondent rnerrrl>er trler¡in Sinclair in Sri Lanka_ it lrzas a a1,a,sty surl2rise.

was open for guests only. By great

tourists have been injured. It's a great country, if you don't happen to be a Tamil, Singhalese or Burgher, the Dutch-Portuguese-S cottish-whatever brew that makes up the local Eura-

I've come home from past

Dry democracy

I've covered plenty of elections in the Philippines andthere the booze

It's a grea-t country, if ¡zor-r don't trapl2en to t>e a ifarnil, Singtralese or Eturrg,trer. - -

meant that most of ourweek-long stay in Sri Lanka would

island

-

decree

these spicy dishes have to bewashed down with a few

young bottles of Three Coin lager.

No beer!

As

I

was get-

ting bronzed, lean

and healthy, millions ofSriLankans

wefe voting. Because ofpast electoral unrest, the cur-

Meanwhile, the poll results came

in. The government, long under fire for cronyism and corruption - it l'ra.d93 ministers running the admin-

istration replaced

.was

turfed out to be by a mildly socialist regime.

There was no trouble, apaft ftom a few minor disturbances up-country.

Butyou still couldn't get a drink. The ballot box booze-ban had been lifted, but, by coincidence, the day following the election-imposed drought was þoya. " Poya," said the waitress. Taking this to mean some sort of pleas-

antry,

I replied, "Poyø to you too.

Beer, please." "Nope", she said, "no beer. Poyø." It turns outþoya comes

around every full moon. Síhen that brilliant disc shines down on the beaches, all alcohol sales are banned.

Every single full moon. Each month there is a different reason; the one I was given was that Buddha had taken his mother to heaven to explain his teachings. With all due respect to the

deeply-held religious beliefs of others, it's hard to see why it should stop me from having a beer with my curried pumpkin and lamb stewed with red peppers.

Sri Lanka ìs a trulywonderful holi-

be like whooping it up at a Ladies' Temperance League meeting. Hor-

few was total. $íe were virtually con-

day destination for the

rors! But, I saidreassuringly, this can't mean tourists.

fined to the hotel. You could get an icy ale from room service, and one bar

Hongkonger. But take cafe they're not holding an election. @

November 7994 TÃE coRREsPolmDilT

jade d

From hole to hole: the roadto boot camp .A.ssociate rneirrì.I>er Darrid Garcia colatilÌues his series on ttre jo)rs of vzorking tkrrougtr tkre vzodd's geograptrl.. reetings!

Imagine receiving

a

telegram

which starts the correspondence with the word "Greetings" and then says you are about to be sent to a s#lthole some 10,000 miles from home.

Worse still, when you get there people are going to shoot at you after which there's a good chance you will get home maimed or in a body bag.

Someone in Washingtonhad awarped sense of humor. "Sorry man, but..." would have been more appropriate.

By the time I received my "Greetings" , more commonly known as aDraft

Notice, I had, or I thought I had, prepared myself.

I went to the Iaguna Beach Free Clinic where they had draft counsellors .

This guy had hair down his back and a Seven-Dwarf beard with "F%@k The Army" tattooed across his forehead.

He - the counsellor - advisedme that staying in universitywasn't enough to get out of the draft; you had to have a better trip organised. "Whatyou need is an essential govemment-type job, or a handydandy tattoo like rnine," he said.

I explained that I was a part-time Iife Guard for the county and the tattoo

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lftre indrlction centre s/as sornetkring ttrat Fellini on LSD couldn't tranze producedThe Orange County Draft Board's politics were just to the right of Ghengis Khan and in any case they weren't too pleased with me at the time.

In those days you were permitted to put what you deemed to be relevant newspaper articles inyour draftfiles for potential review if you appealed your draft notice.

character is going to save my life?

the place up. That, coupled with my

-

Gresfr G[owers HONG

-

- the feds had come to claim their sardine-filing draft dodger. Offto the induction centre. Do notpass go, do not collect $200.

The induction centre was something that Fellini on LSD couldn't have produced.

worse

local five-anddime on the way down town. The place smelled like a cheap

guywho looks like a demented Disney

time duty, takepart-time classes. There's no way they will get you."

On reflection, I must have been on drugs that day. Give me a break. Some

blatant ignoring of their nice telegrams, really made them mad.

One moming I got home to find two guys wearing dark suits withwhite socks standing in 90'in front of the house.

My first inclinationwas to thjnkthat mygidfriend's hash cookies had gotten into the wrong hands. Of course it was

Guys in dresses, guys wearing cheap perfume that they had purchased at the

'With my essential govemment job I thought I was bullet proof, so I would takenewspaperc downto the draft board with fresh sardines in them for filing.

Apparently they didn't discover the really stunk sardines for two weeks

(per unit)

C.The FCC Pocket Diary. 58 weeks in the popular week-to-view format; intemational public holidays and general

x x

i

bitwasn't my scene.

"Wow man! Get yourself on firll-

A few months later the first notice came. My cosmic gidfriend of the time thought that any envelope from the govemment was bad karma.

In a way she was right. But in her wodd the way to deal with bad karma problems was to eliminate them from her space. So she just.threw the little greetings packets away without telling me about them - she didn't want to bum me out now, did she?

Moroccan whorehouse.

Guys dressed like storm troopers, guys going into epileptic fits. Almost everyone was on one form of drugs or another as there were these folks outside passing out all kinds of pills saying that the army wouldn't take you if you werç a drug addict.

'Wrong,

wrong, wrong.

The guys in dresses and the perfumed ones were informed that the army had lots of men; the guys on drugs

wefe put into a room and told to wait untiltheycame down. Theyreallyshould have filmed it.

It

made no difference. 'Whatever

you said, itwas the same thirig. Itwas off to boot camp.

To be continued....

Wines

@

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Signature:

Please telephone when units are available to be collected at the Club Office, Please allow at least three weeks.

November 1994

TÃÉ, coRRxsPol{DDNT

-

Fawlty Towers revisited l-Intil Septernber, Peter Cordingle). s.as ttre editor <>f Asi¿t. n:Iaga.zír¿e, a l2ublication xzitkr one of ttre wrzidest circulations in tkre region.

In ttris opinion piece, kre e><plains qztrere and x.try. ttre rnagazirte tras failed to ftrlfill its editorial potential. like countless orhers, have \Ior,probably I wondered from time to time why Asiø Møgøzine is swch

a

chronic under-achiever, why for all its vast circulation, itlooks like awaste of time, energy and trees.'Well, I can tell you why because, until recentþ, I was editorthere for l0verystrangemonths.

During that time I saw things that I have never seen anywhere before: such as an editorial department that v/as so

casual about the job

it

automatically

closed down for each and every public holiday, no matter how close the dead-

line; such as

aî

art depaftment that

read Chinese gossip magazines for most of the day and then disappeared tlnough the door at 5.30 on the dot; such as an ad sales section that forgot to include

scheduled advertising sections in the pagination; and such as a board of governors that could agree

had no real experience in ad sales? He

But that, evidently, was not the

found a solution that, I sus'pect, still wakes him up in a sweat at night.

Pereira asked the Soutb Cbinø

way Periera saw it. Back from leave, he declared himself aghast at what had been going on. Jennifer Yin was dispatched back to Singapore, complain-

M orníng P osf

'

s

Singapor e manager

-

an old acquaintance of his by the name ofJenniferYin - to come up to Hong Kong to run the office. On that much the two of them agree, but they agree on very little else. Pereira says he merely wanted her "to mind the store". Yin says her brief was "to solt out the mess".

Whatever the truth of the matter, Yin set about her task with vim, installingherself in Pereira's swankyoffice on the executivefloor and callingfor all the ûles. Based on these she claimed to have uncovered all kinds of strange goingson

that arc, perhaps, best not gone into two marketing department em-

here . Herfirstmovewas to sackthe

ing to anyone who cared to listen that she had been "stabbed in the back", andthe two sackedemployees were reinstated. One of thempromptþ resigned, having been offered a job at STAR TV while she was out of work,

while the other was ordered to hand back the payment she had received in lieu of notice.

Oh, there's lots more, such as Jennifer Yin's appointee going on leave two weeks into the job and not returning, and then another, mysterious appointee showing up to start work. But that and a hqst of other cons€quences of the summer of mad-

on virtually nothing, except

ployees, both of

that Asia Magøzine was in a

whom had been

real mess and somebody

appointedbythe publisherandone of whom had just been confirmed alter

don't really matter. 'llhat does matter, I suggest, is that there is such a vacuum in the management of Asia Magazine that someone with absolutelyno connection with the magazine could walk in almost off the street and take over,

three months' proba-

sacking people, appointing others and

tion.

spending more than two weeks

should do something aboutit.

But, most bizarre of all,l

witnessed an episode this summer that was so out of the ordinary that I fear nobody will believe it really happened. But it did, and I offer it here as a glimpse into life on a magazine so odd that working there is like being caught up in an episode of Føtulty Towers.

It started towards the end ofJune,

when Asia Magøzine's advertising manager resigned and walked out, vir-

tuallywithout notice, leaving the pub-

lisher, Cyril Pereira, with an acute problem. He was due to go on leave, but how could he go and leaye the marketing department unmanned aparf ftom two young women who had only recently be en hired and who THD GORRESPOI|IIEI{T

n

To replace them,

Yin brought in an ,l acquaintance of hers and seconded a secretary from the Post's executive floor. Her next move was to haye that secfetary dismissed.

At this point, curiosity got the better of me and I askedwho was authorising all these sackings, appointments and general upheaval. "I have cleared

eyerFthing with Cyril," Yin told me.

Was this so, I asked tlae Morning Post company secretary? "Of course," he

said, 'Jennifer wouldn't be doing it without Cyril's authorisation. "

November 1994

ness

browsing through the company's files.

(Not only that, the same person had access to the executive floor of the Morning Posl building, which must

Anatomy of a tiger Tr<>z¿blerl Tíger'Eìt¿sírzessrirer4 Eìt¿rec¿t¿crats ¿zrtd (]erterals it t, Sc>e¿ty't

ing the Eighties. Censoriousness creeps in a little too often for comfort. Despite the amazing changes that Korean society and politics have undergone in

reans themselves seem to have few

equals

the past decade, Clifford soudy comments that elections "do not herald democracy as it is known in the West"

in the national pride/hyper-

sensitive chauvinism league. The foreigners who know them best are the Japanese, who are disqualified by re-

cent history from comment on their erstwhile subjects. That leaves the Americans who can reasonably claim to have created most of the military security and foreign trading pre-conditions for South Korea's remarkable 3}-year march from Bangladesh to OECD income levels.

'With five years in South Korea behind him, Mark Clifford's American j ournalistic dispassion occasionally shows signs of wear when dealing with South Koreâ's self-centered inability to acknowledge debts. The first and last chapters of this book

citing the number of local govemment officials as evidence ofthe state "reach-

I Informed, balanced and uell docuntented

ing to every household."

The conclusion is also disappoint-

pan and how both nationalist carrots and bureaucratic sticks were used to

Just a single pangraph on what is perhaps the most important issue facing

spur the priYate sector, dominated by a few huge groups, to prodigious efforts and epic risk-taking. Clifford shows how disparate and app arcntly

the South: how to manage eventual

ing. There is little forward thinking.

tion betwe€n populist egalitarianism,

reunification.

He is also, as the book title implies, quite gloomy about the future, concluding that South Korea has taken awrong turn andis in a "developmental cul-de-sac". Maybe. But not much evidence is introduced nor account taken of the factor that South Korea has enjoyed for 30 years and still en-

inherited Confucian structures of order and the social mobility unleashed by the chaos that reigned

joys: the relatively low cost of relatively high skills.

Clifford assumes that South Korea

balanced and well-documented withbetween 1945 and 1960. The book out lacking analysis and reasoned interClifford tras sr-rcceeded in

will be held back by failure to open its markets in accordance with received wisdom. He may well be right. But given the success of statism (including bank nationalisations) in the past, the case is less well proven.

Poor fortune-teller he may be but when it comes to describing what has gone before, Clifford is wellinformed, writes clearþ andhas made an unusually good job of weaving business and politics into a single

might have been written by

editorialists sitting in New York. But the core of the book is informative,

pretation of the informational black holes that dot the country's recent history.

Cliffordhas suc-

and learned about what had been going on. But that's another story, I

the interaction of

motivated and well-qualified to move up to editor. But she says she doesn't want it.'Who can blame her? @

describes the struggles for policy changes, particulaily those for economic liberalisation put forward by (mostly US trained) technocrats, and the role of the labour movement dur-

f t ¡s dilïicult for anyone ro be .l. dispassionate about Korea. Ko-

ceeded in describing and explaining

As I write this,Asiø Møgazinehas been without an editor for a month and v/ithout an art dkector for two months .

The deputy editor, Joyce Moy, is able,

obviously under Chun. But he well

I{orea by lVlark Clifford. Rerzielrzed b¡' Ptrilip Ilouzring

have been of concern to some senior people when they returned from leave

suppose.)

began under Park but flourished more

contradictoryforces combine d in common goals, though he does not address the question of why they did so.

He also recognises the energy and dissension generated by the fric-

describing and e><plainirìg the irrteraction of rnilitary, l>ureauc ratic and t>usirress illterests that tralze created rrrodertr South l(orea-

military, bureaucratic and business interests that have created modern

also provides a reminder of the ruthlessness and zeal for retribution with

South Korea.

whichpolitics

His account of the formative Park Chung Hee era is espe ciallywell done.

Korea, and perhaps bodes

It may not break new ground, but it does show how much South Korea's progress owed to the statist ideas that Park borrowed from pre-warJa-

Clifford has, with reason, few plaudits for former President Chun

has been conducted

in

ill for

chances of reunificationwithout tears.

Doo Hwan, though he probably overstates the impact of corruption that

tapestry thus making this abook more

useful than most in explaining the process by which South Korea arrived at its current state. @f, Publisber: M.E. Sbarpe, børd back USf 55, paper back US$ 19.95 This reuiew utasfirstþrinted in tbe International Herald Tribune.

November 1994 TÃE G0RRISPoNI¡H|T

I

After sundown The foot-stomping Australian bushband, The Sundowners, recently returned to the FCC for the second ye ar running to

entertain a packed dining room at the FCC. The lively 5-piece band played guitars, a squeezebox, fiddle and eyen didgeridoo, introducing songs with bawdy tales andanecdotes. Joan Howley lead the dancing and a source claims that though certain guests were itching to take to the tabletops, they were restrained by the Club's ever-vigilant 'While manager. the band played, guests dined on lare far grander than your avera;ge bushman's tucker with chilled cartot and orange soup, coq au vin and kiwi mousse. a

Tf,D CoRRESpoilDHtT

November 1994

November 1994 TAE coRRDSPolfll[l{T

-T-

Hot footing

it

\Øinc8

for tlome Delirzery

When Fred Fredricks was invited to a barbecue, he wasn't told that he was to be the main dish. On several Friday evenings during the lastyear, Fred has disappeared from the FCC to participate in firewalking. According to Fred: "A cool head will keep you from haying blister-packed feet. The tempera-

(Hong

Taking off

These

rooy

Kong

something birthday on October 6 in .$Tyndham the FCC's Room.

NTew Territories

""rJ

cases

(I)bottles)

"o-pl"t"J

$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

TLis

onl¡z)

-ines -uy t" ord"r"J {tom th" Chb, bill"d to your account urJ J"lit"."J to ur uJJr"r. o{ your choice. Orly *Lol" To plu"" yo* ord"r, form to tk" Clrt. o, {u" (868 4092) tLi"

t" otJ"r"J.

Ellaine Scullion had a great thirty

ture of the liquid metal when they pour engine blocks is about 1,100 degrees. Your mind tells your feet not to burn. The don't. No one has yet come up with a scientific explanation of how and why this happens."

and

SAVE

$ $ $

$$

$ $ $ $

$

I L.r'" decid"J to o{{er wines

-hi"h ur" particularþ attractive {or tLe CLristmas activities. I hope tLis wiil enatle you to taLe to luy áown stocLs {or this tr"y, tut enjoyatle, perioá. Becaus" o{ thir, tL"r" will t" .o Home \Øir" D"liv"ry "h*"" in Decemter. You -i1l also note tLat, in response to many enquiries, I Lave co-pil"J a Selection Bo* o{ tL" six wines. May I talee tLis opportunity to wisL you 'Happy DrinLing' roJ u 'Huppy CLristmas'.

-o.th

tL"

{u1l advantage o{

@ChampagneJ"Cu"tellane,Rose,N.V.$198($æ76Cs)Epernay,CLampagne,France.A{estivetreatjustrigLt{ort1'" time o{ year, *h"r".,", yol1 are. A lor"1y, tiscuity Rosé to start a Jay - rnuL" u g1.." o{ thi. Je Cu"t"llu." your {ir.t present o{ tL" ."uron.

Talta*i Cuvee Brut, N.V. $120 ($1440 per case) Moo.rur't"I, Victoria, Australia. TLis Àussie ,purlnl"r, maJe in tLe Irom Cha-pagne, is a creamy, light J"ligkt -Li"h I lilee to dtirL .,"ry Itt uJJitio. to tle usual grape varieties, "olJ. (ChutJorruy, Pinot Noir anJ Pinot Meunier), Tulturri Lnt" ilrrolt"J CL"ri. Blunc, Tus-u.i.r CharJonr.y urJ rro*J 5% o{ R"r"*" \Øi."

Bl".d. Th" ."r.,lt i= u poprlur =putL1irg wine whicL is recom-erJ"J as an aperitif u" v,"11 u, an accompaniment to sea{ooJ unJ *kit" -".t.. same u¡ay as tLe wine

lj('(',r*( )\' \\'

Dutch

.ith

tteat

ChutJorruy, Bin 7000, 1993. $95 ($1140 p"r

Kowloon side, has accepted the FCC as Corporate account no. 1705.

This substantial benefir of FCC membership is greatly welcomed; it is available to members and their

required by the hotel, payment may be made by cash or credit card,

ffisa,

Mastercard, American Express, Diners' Club orJCB).

Special Services for resident FCC bona-fide guests. The Corporate Ac- membefs include:- free use of swimcount numbermust be quoted at all ming pool, complimentary dally times in reference to any booking newspaper, in-room tea and coffee or enquiry. Reservations should be facilities, welcoming drink coupon, made at least three weeks in ad- complimentary fruit basket aîd a. vance, either by letter, Tax, telex or complimentary welcome buffet telephone through the Re servations breakfast.

THD CORRf,SPONIIEIIT

November 1994

"o-puty's -ine-.L"r.

Pl"asantly

".re)

McGuigan BrotLters Hunt"rVn1l"y, New Soutk\Øa1e", Arrtrulia. citrus overtones, it's an ea"y-Jri.tirg wine that *ili Luppiþ

i*tty *ltL

rvLit" meats, also gooJ on its om.

"hnr-

lì l Cot"á"Btorilly, 1993. $95 (1140per"ur") C"l1i"rd", Sumpsons, Quincie Beaujolais, Ft*"". On" o{ tL" villug"s of B".tjolais, almost entirely wrappeJ-up geograpLi"rlly by Btorilly. TL" Gnlnuy grape is predominant. GooJ, J""p urJ "olou impressive .or" tr"L"J-op fu1l {luvorr. ]ust rigLt n'itL botL u.d grilleJ meat.

l:('('À..()\'

{u-ot, Discounts for FCC members are, at

pfesent:

Room

Discounted Discount '94 rate Style

15%

HarbourView 20% The FCC can now offer accom- office or the Sales and Marketing ofto both members and fice of the YMCA of Hong Kong. guests. The Salisbury, which is siruMembers are personally responsiatednextto the PeninsularHotel on bleforthe settlement of all accounts as

tLit

I

Standard

modation

"*u-pl" "i r.d

o{

l:('('N( )\' lì Chateau Montagne, 1990. $85 (7020 per case) Cotes Je Castillon, BorJ"ur*, Frr."". Tkis -ir" is u "o-tin.tion of Caternet Franc anJ Merlot. It is from n l"rr"t-Lro*. area just east o{ St. E-ilior. Tke amount o{ M"rlot rr"J ir, .r"L that its {ruity character orerriJes the rugtic oÍ th" Caternet {tur".

from their retirement yilla in Malta.

tr

tk" tLill

marry witL r"u{ood

misioner of police and FCC memberBaffie Deegan and his wife Franca maîaged a short trip to Amsterdam

Accorrunodation

tLe expecteJ cLaracteristics

À typi"ul

Former assistant com-

tr

"11

J" S.r"erre, 1992. #I52 ($1824 per case) Marnier Lapostolle, Loire,France. A signilicant Sauvigno. Blun" tL" L"uvily lim"rtor"J ,oil. It i. crisp anJ tangy, just the tLirg for r"{r"rhing tke pu1rt". "{

Chateuo

I

Family

Suite

25%

6646 $760 6952.5

"'itL

lr( ('N()\' )l('t Champagne á"

"olJ

TLe Selectio'

C..t"llur",

Rose,

8"" $1490

o'1y.

N.V.

2

Ckut"ur Je Sancene, 7992 CLrt"ur Montagne, 1990

2 2

Bottles Bottles Bottles

Taltarni, Cuvee Brut, N.V. Cl'u'Jo'.uy Bin 7000, 1993 Cot" Je Brouilly, 1993

2 Bottles 2 Bottles

2 Bottles

Harbour View Sutfe 25%

$ 1117.5 Subj ect to I 0% seruìce cbørge and.

Wines Ly tlr" case ånlionrnå to you

no gouernment tax.

Members having queries should contact the FCC Executive Secretary to the General Manager, (Ms Karen En), who has full details of the facilities

available and the special arrangement for FCC members.

The Salisbury YMCA of Hong Kong 41 Salisbury Road Tsimshatsui Kowloon, Hong Kong Teli 369 22ll

Fax:739 9315 Telex: 31274ITYI4CA tIX The Foreign Correspondents' Club, Hong Kong

FCC No.

Name

\Øi'" R"{' FCC NOV FCC NOV FCC NOV FCC NOV

No. o{ Cn.", o{

C."""

No. of C."". -No o{ Cu.". Frll otd"t.,u1r", $ -No. Frll .JJt""r {o. J"1it"ry'

Total Total Total Total

T"1.

Price

$

P.ic"

$

Price

$ g

P.i""

FCC NOV FCC NOVFCC NOV -

-

N".

No. o{ Cus"" No. o{ Cu."" No. o{ Cu"""

-

Tot.l Price

$

Price

- Tot.l Pri"e $ $ -Total -

-

Signature:

TLi" off=r is {or OctoLer only D"liveries will te Juring the 4tL w"ele o{ tk"

-o'tk November 1994

TÃ0, coRRf,sPotutDNT

A montlrly portrøùt of FCC ùrrepløceøbles

!*?

Saul Lockhart Member Since

The Hilton and Mr Liao. (1976) A Scorpio born in the Year of the Dragon a bit more thanhalf-a-century ago.

Vriter/editor (when not realistically falling off motorcycles as a stuntman for 'how to to drive safely' fitms) former dubber, water skiing and scuba-diving instructor, softball player and mini-rugby coach.

The U.S. of A. A neat, tidy, organised and stylishly-dressed man whose favourite phrase

:

Age:

Occupation:

Nationality: Description:

Tm BEsr PenrxgnsHlps Lasr A LpErn¡m.

is "\üØhere are my specs?".

Pltotogrøþbed by Terry Iluckbøm

Sponsored b1'

ItrE

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November 1994

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\\?o'\

(r,

\

(^

\ol ,'ë

;'.

ú/:ìl h'îz a \"'h

""t Õ ¡îr

The

Þìterna-NIari'c GNIT gives vou -.-

a ¡rrccise indication of vottr po\vcr

rcscrye. And if v<lu necd t<l knou,wherc y<ltt stancì in ¿rltothcr titllc zone,

it rvill tclI

vor-r

that too. In fact thc onll' unccrllilttv is u'hich of

thc tg,g rnodels to choosc: stccl ancl golcl or solicl I fl crtriìt vcllor'r'

aoa ao

ETERNtrI ol tirttc Aherttl

Sirttc ìtìi(r

Sote Agent and Service Centre: Desco (HK) Ltd

.t

fel:369

1221

g<lltl

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