TE
-t
Tbe Official Publication of tbe Foreign Corcespondents'Club of Hong Kong
FCC BOOK LAT]NCH
EYEWITNESS ON ASIA UP TO 1997 AND BEYOND
Stephen Shaver Exhibition in Main Bar
-
THD CORRf,SPONITDNT December 1996
ÏTIE FOREIGN CORRÉSPONDENTS'
2_
Letter:s
4-
Frorrr the President
CLIIB
Reactions and freedom
2 Lower Albert Road, Hong Kong Telephone: 2521 151 I Fax: 2868 1O92
6-
Presldent ciannini -John Paul Bayfield First Vice President Second Vice President Karin Malmström
Corzer Stol-J'Eleu)itness on Asia
-
9-
Cotrespondent Member Governors Bob Davis, Cathy Hilborn, Robin Lynanr, Michael Mackey, Kees Metselaar, Jonnthan M¡rslq', Rob Mountfort, Keith fuchburg, Christopher Slaughter, Hubert van Es
l\4errrlrers
atLalrge
Tnscany Trar.els
Tuscany Trauels
L2-
Life Okay, so I'm in n wheelchair,..
Secteta tJt: Cath¡' Hitborn
Joumalist Member Governors Saul Lockhart, Fmncis Moriart),,
Associate Memb€r Govemors William H Areson,John Corberr,
a6.
Ptrrel¡,' Personal Election färce
Ronâld Ling, Julifln Walsh
Professional Comittee r : Michæl Macke),
4.7-
Co n uetto
Ifrter:net Traidng c¡'ber surfers at the FCC
Houe Commlttee Lirg
Co,,uenor: RonÃld
Flnance
Comittee
a8-
Conuenor: Willi^m H. Areson Trea s ut'e r: J uli^t1 w zlsh
Membemhip Coûnlttee Conuenot': Htbert van Fs Trea s u re r: J \linn W F& B
Publications Con uen ot':
P
atl
Ba¡, fr
eld
FCC G€neral Manager Roben Sanders
The Corespondent EDITORIAL OFFICE JeffHeselwood, Editor Teleplìone: 2at1 0493 Fax: 2815 2530 2 lower Albert Road, Hong Kong Telephone: 2521 1511 F^x: 2868 4rJ92 E-mail: ihc@neNigator.com @ t996 t'tre Foreign Correspondents' Club of HonB Kong Opin¡ons expressed b) writers in Tbe cofresponderr, afe not necessarily those of The Foreign Coüespondents' Club Tbe Cor'Ìespo,tderr¡ is published monthly b), The Foreign Corrcipondents' Club of Hong Kong
HongkongBank
Rttssian-5t¡,1s, 007 and \4adivostok
-
\Ieszs IMMF course for Inclochinese journalists
27--
Elezuihtess on Asia
FLeview Cltinese Footltr'lzf.s b1' $¡¡5x11¡o
go"
Comittee
Freedom of the Press Coffnlttee Con ue,to | : F rrncis Mori¿rt),
Lasr A LmErn¿n.
20-
md Entertalnment Comittee Wall Comfnlttee Conue,nr: Bob Davis
PnnrrvERsHrps
News
^Isl1
Con ue nor' : Kano Mal mströnr
l\tredia
PRODUCTION FST L¡ne Design & Print¡ng Founh Floor, l5B Wellington Street, Centnl, Hong Kong 'fel: 2521 7993 Fax: 2521 A366
t2
Portfolio On the wall; photographs b)'Stephen Shaver
25-
FCC Golf Socieû5r FCC take seconcl place in Bangkok
)1
Social
3L-
People
torrnanent
New metnbels
32-
FCC Faces Vernon Ram On the
Main cover picture
:
uall
Shanghai as it wâs adr.er-tised in the Thirties From the Reisner & Reschke Collectiou
Your Future Is Our Future December 7996 TÃE
C0RRXSPOilDENT
signs the book. The Sydney Journalists' Club laces closure.
In Germany, the Presse Club Munchen could not be found at its
To the editor From Mr Hans Vriens Reading your [the President's] letter of October 17 I would like to express the following views. Like we have discussed before the board has a long standing policy of standing up for freedom of the press in Hong Kong,
China, Cambodia and wherever we decide it is appropriate to voice our opinion about. If this is our policy and I am not aware the board made a decision to
address of Ma rieîplatz 22. Ltelephone call resulted in an answering machine.
your proposal to abolish the above described policy on press freedom the FCC will become the laughing stock of
the journalistic community. And not just in Hong Kong. And for sure the Chinese govemment will no longer respect the cowards of Ice Holrse street. As tbis is a copy of a letter receiued by tlre Board, it is þrinted ín its entireU) nnd in its origínal form u¿tboLrt editing. JH
the contrary, this brings up the question what it means in practice?
From Mr Edward
The following summary:
nothing of disgusted
Testi,ffingbefore Legcopanels inissues related to the press (although our role is
so-called artyphoto by someone called Bob Davis on prominent display in the
often limited in giving moral support);
downstairs bar of the Club. This has somehow escaped the notice of the Board's censorship unit, so allow me to describe the lascivious pose that is on view for all to see. A man's naked nipples can be plainly
1.
jointprojectswithAmnesty lntemational, the Hong KongJoumalists Association and the Freedom Forum; 3. H:avtng a Freedom of the Press sub2. tùØorking on
committee, which among others prepares statements, lobbeys and whose members usually testify before Legco panels; In 1'our letter you suggest to bury the FCC-policy onfreedom of the press. From now on it would be sufficient for the FCC to issue a letter "stating that the FCC supports the rights of journalists to work without interference no
matter where it is". I presume this is joke. But in case it is not, we should be honest. Issuing a statement like that is the same as saying the club is in favor of "stability and prosperity in Hong Kong". It is meaningless. It is amarfira. A reflection of a lack of moral courage. With regard to your idea that "we must maintain orrf status as neutral observers" you are mixing up your role as a foreign correspondent; an 'independent' obserwer indeed and your role as President of the FCC. Bydefinition somebody who is expected to have the moral courage to stand up for issues regarding the members, pressfreedom among them. It is somewhat troublesome if a president would be "neutral" in a case like Xi Yang, a Hong Kong journalist who is spending 12 years in a Chinese jail. Andforwhat? Foran ordinary scoop. I am afraid if the board accepts
Peters
I was extremely alarmed
-
-
to sa¡'
to obserwe
a
seen, his fist is holding what is definitely a small vibrator, while the tattoos on his torso - also completely naked include a dragon (suggesting bestiality) and a butterfly that looks when regarded through half-closed
eyes - like a woman with a thick forest of pubic hair with her legs akimbo.
ü
In Bangkok, the FCC Thailand is no longer at the Dusit Thani hotel, but is now in a much smaller location in the Jewellery Trade Centre, near the Holiday Inn. In Singapore, finding the
Foreign Correspondents' Association is impossible. There are no doubt other clubs whose inforrnation needs to be urgently updated for Club members that travel.
From Mr Peter Bennett I don't believe what I am reading: 'because of complaints by þrospectiue members (my italics) who said theY wouldnot join a clubwithpictures like that on the wall ... the offending (my italics again) photo should come down'
.
members objected to Huvan Es's more colourful turns of phrase? Orfound the FCC Rockfish Soup unacceptable? Or objected to Ted Thomas on account of his advancing years? Or were unable to tolerate Arthur Hacker's faslion sense? 'lflould those prospective members callse the committee to have them all removed? And would the committee behave in the same gutless manner as it did over tlre Style cover?
who are offended by 15-year old
any more of those around.
magazine covers?
From Mr Peter Finn It is abouttime the reciprocal clubs
I believe the action of
the question
most pafticulady where
tn Tbe Corresþondent is uPdated. For instance, in Britain, the Sf.ig & Pen Club is now a Pub, not a club. Anyone can go there. TheLondonPress Club &Scribes is on the second floor of the Wig & Pen and has no special club atmosphere.
of freedom of expression is concerned.
always to be closed orunder renovation.
In Australia, both the Rugby Club
in
Sydney and the Victoria Club in
Melbourne are open to an1'one who
,/ . LÉú EF so--
i-s''
I
a
@
'
/
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\ Eo5
t-
2
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Conon leods the trend of oulofocusing
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All these sophisticoted feotures
reflect the commitment of Conon in fulfilling the true needs of photogrophers, professionols ond omoteurs qlike.
ST(lLICHNAYA Letters to tbe editor are altuaYs tuelcome - uin Yourself a bottle of StolicbnaYø for an
original or uittY letter
-
\
the
committee in acceding to thewhims of individuals who are not even members of the Club to be totally outrageous
idormation that is printed periodically
The Foreign Press Association seems
,/".''",\.",i
the conduct, the decor and the decorum of the FCC? \ùØhat if these prospective
This is not a laughing matter. If anyone can find anything offensive about the Stjtle cover, then they are bloody perverts! And we don't need
photo be removed
,
Since when do prospective members have any say whatsoever in
at once, so I can enjoy the FCC in peace without being visually harassed. P.S. Do we really need members
Please could this
IN COS WC TRUsT
but
u)e reserue tbe riglct to editfor clarity orfor reøsons ofsþøce.
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I nout twenty years ago I sat down L \at the No Name Bar in Sausalito, Califomia. A burþ characterthat looked like a rugby player kept giving me sidelong glances. I tried to avoid leis gaze. Since the bar was across the bay from
Hugh van Es that the wall committee
had not been consulted, that theY threatened to resign from the Board' They both lambasted me fôr allowing this to happen. Bob suggested that if
to
sTomen were offended by what was on
encourage any unwelcome advances. After about fifteen mtuÌutes of this, he approached me and said, 'Aren't You John Giannini and aren'tyou supposed to be dead?' 'Yes, on both counts', I said, suddenly realising I was talking to an otd friend, the late, great Australian radio reporter Roger Allebone. \üalking into the main bar of the FCC during the Past month has been a
our walls, then perhaps they would be better advised applying to another club. As a member of the Ladies' Recreation
San
Francisco, I'didn't want
somewhat similar exPerience.
However, I must thank all of You who accosted me to voice your complaints before I could reach the bar. Mybill has
dropped drastically. Having had to accept the blame for the removal of the Style cover has caused me to redefine the meaning of 'a sobering experience' .
Taking the rap for this ill-advised decision comes with the job. However, one memberdidconf.de,'Everymember of the board I've spoken to denies that they were even at the meeting.' The general membershiP has had
no problem making their feelings known. PhiliP Bowring was the most succinct.'The word is'intolerance', he said, 'pure and simPle.' As the month passed and the brickbats flew, from the lawyer's corner came anofferto swap the picture ofthe little drum major for the Style cover. Tony Nedderman suggested that 'the only intelligent solution is that it goes back on the wall now and if PeoPle really feel strongly about it, it should become a topic for the AGM - in 1998.'
Brian Jefferies reacted to the implication that political correctness had creptinto the club. He said, 'This is a fundamental decision, which decides which way the club goes.'
Club, he offered to Put them uP for membership there. Another Yote was taken and this time the Board came down on the side of freedom of expression. The picture
is back. Jennifer Bowskill told
me afterwards that'if thatpicturewas taken down, itwould mean that I could never exhibit my work here, because I take pictures of women - and men - with no clothes on'. A huge error regardrng tl'rc StYle cover needs to be corrected. It was shot by the late Dinshaw Balsara, not Kevin Orpin as I mistakenly repofied. There was one reaction regarding the freedom of expression statement made to Legco on the Club's behalf. Ed Gatgan, t}ae New York Times bureau chief calted me to say that he was 'outraged'. 'It seems to me,' he said,
'that it is not the role of the Club to approve or disapprove ofone country -two systems. One country-two systems is some construct, that Deng Xiao-ping came up with, that is part of the Chinese political process. The FCC should not
take political positions. Our job as journalists is not to monitor the implementation of anything. Our job is
to report what is going on, Period. 'What you have written is basically a political statement. It is not our job to make political commentary.' .ê>, A
word of caution: Gangs of thieves
have been targeting restaurants in Wanchai and Lan Kwai Fong, where they have been snatching bags from
unsuspecting patfons. One would have thought that the FCC would not be an
Tel: 2584-4333 Fax:2824-0249 lnternet: http://wwwtdc.org hk
Hong Kong.
righteously replied that I
to preserve a few brain cells. 'You don't need brain cells to write,' she shot back. 'This is the FCC.'
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lnchcape Pacific Limited is the Greater China regional arm of lnchcape, the international distribution group.
tlrc S øn Fr ancisco Cbronícle columnist, who is known as 'Mr Three Dot'. The following exchange ensued: He: 'Herb Caen-didn'the die aboutsix
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difficult task, I had not yet had to resort to 'three dot journalism à la Herb Caen,
I
Kodak House 1,321, Java Road, North Point, Hong Kong
Assistant Public Relations Marketing
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17th Floor Standard Chartered Bank Building, 4 Des Voeux Road, Central,
Heard at the bar: I recently remarked to some friends that whle I find writing this monthlY column a
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equipment lying around.'W'hjle we are taking steps to improve security, the best way to protect your belongings is to personally keep an eye on them. It is
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38/F , Office Tower, Convention Plaza, 1 Harbour Road' Wanchai' Hong Kong
door, Fortunately, the bag's owner spotted him before he could get out of the Club. The police were called and the thief was arrest€d, During the comingyearwe ex-pect to have record attendance. There will be a lot of strangers around and a lot of valuable
had to go write my column and needed
2565 2OO7
-
recent Fridaynight he mingled in the crowd until he thought itwas safe, then boldly picked up a bag and made for the
recently,
Wong
tr1tr Hong Kong Trade Development Council
a
months ago?' She: 'No he didn't' He: 'Yes he did!' She: 'Yeah, but he's still writing.' I discovered that Herb Caen has a web page linked to www.sfgate.com. I sent him a note to apologise for the three dots in last month's column. And a somewhat related remark: To Betty Fu's offer of another drink
Ms Louise
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,NFORMATION Photogrophs-Vrdeos-Fe otures-Literoture-Books on oll ospects of tourism industrY
a
-il
t
/& ,þ-
(¡
irq @ 6)
Iejt: CommunLst
demonstrators
Top: Helicopters loaded xaitlr Marines bead.
for
Toþ:
Eyewôtness on Asíø
'
Up to 1997 and Ete¡zond
published by Stefan Reisner and Kai Reschke, and edited by Paul Bayûeld, Vaudine England, Saul Lockhart and Hubert van
British trade delegation to
It is, quite simply,
a superb tome andworthy ofits title . It r€cords a number of significant events throughout the
region. Its mziny photographs are a collection of the years gone by, while the photographs of past and present members will undoubtedly evoke a string of memories. Some of the subjects have moved on; some, sadly, are no longer
with
us. W.ith a foreword by Chris Patten,
in which the Govemor emphasises the need for the wodd's press to maintain a
vigil over Hong Kong in the years to come, the FCC's part in the ongoing M arcb íng
for
de rno cr acy
saga of
nextyear's handover
is
gradually
drawn out. Baffy Grindrod unfolds the
THD CORRESPOII|I!f,NT December 1996
Wise,
Jonatban Sbarpe andJím Príngle
Club's history in the first chapter, while well known columnists such as Stuart Wolfendale, Jon Swain, Stephen Vines and Karl Wilson pop up in the ensuing pages.
Thereis evenhumourfromDavid
Garcia.
Es.
House ín 1987
Beijing tuitl: Zbou Enlai in Marcl¡ 1973. Spot Clare Hollingutortb, Dick Hugbes, Derek Dauíes, Dona.ld
long anticipated f tub -.-bers have \-¡this work, put together and
ttt Gouenxment
tbe Kompong Seíla
Any serious book review should examine the content, the stfticture and
the layout of the work. In terms of content, Eyeuítness on Asia is beyond criticism as in most cases it is a factual record ofevents of - from the outbreak by war in 1939 to the fall of Marcos
-
the people that were present at the time: Clare Hollingworth and Sandra Bnrton respectively in these two examples.
There are inevitably minor errors but it would be chudish to mention themhere. As awhole the bookiswell produced and worth every cent of the $368 cover pnce ($377 if paying by credit card).
As you will see on these pag es of Th e Correspondent, where space dictates
Aboue: Table tennìs
but a few can be shown, tl¡re 614 photographs are of the very highest quality and illustrate the book to an
diþlomacy: Prof. Cbien
exceptional level Eyetuítness on Asiø, which runs to 248 pages, is a serious exercise and it would be unwise to think of this book as a 'coffee table'work. It is an effort well worth reading, or at the
lritb
Jobn Ricb, AP's Jobn Roderick, NBC's Jack Reynolcls and
veryleastpickingup fromtimeto time to
US table tennís
Wei Cbang
browse through.
The only problem Stefan Reisner and his co-publisher and the book's
Ntr[C's
þlayer Glenn Cotuan.
designer, Kai Reschke , will have is trying
to repeat the exercise in years to come. Books which relate to people, inevitabll' become quickly dated. The next edition will also be eagerþ awaited.
MrPatten,inhisaddressatthebook's Rigbt: Cteanìng launch earlier this month, described uþ Møo beþre
EyetuitnessonAsiaasa'teasuretrove'. I would not argue with that. JH s]fl
tbeworkers' Day parade December 1996 TÃE
C0RtrESPOII|IIENT
Tuscany Ttavels by I(evin Sinclair
Clockuise: Constructíon oÍ tbe Tsing Mø bridge; Hong Kong in tbe Fífties;
Bamboo scaffoldíng; Notlríng cbanges: Hong Kong bauker, 25 years a'qo.
No, it's not Terry Duckbam, but a tuell-buílt
Breakfast ott
tLJe tet"ra.ce a.t tlJe
fa.flnlJouse...gre¿.t xuay to start tbe da!,
oufs writhe in torment.'Women are ravished in graphic detail by lewd demons. Men are stretched on
Q \-l
racks, disemboweled, decapitated, crucified. Scenes of outstanding agony and horror are etched on the walls in loving and specific particular.
'Welcome
Tuscany. THE G0RRXSP0MIDNT December 1996
to the
cathedrals of
cbef ín a Florence restaura.nt.
Guidebooks will tell you that it was these ancient walls which
of Siena. You go to Tuscany, you bathe in art and culture.
provided young painters, frontline intellectual troopers of the Renaissance, with their opportunity to explore the borders of their art. It lives on, triumphantly, in tiny village churches and the museums of Florence, as well as the laneside walls
A vacation in Tuscany can be affordable. As with all holidays, it pays huge dividends to make a few
advance. 'We left Hongkong on September 3; it was a
basic plans
in
couple of days after we wanted to go but savedthousands of dollars because
Decembe¡ 1996 TÃE
CORRDSPOlfIlEllT
it
are renting the huge ground floor, bigger than the average Hongkong flat and fullyfurnished down to wine and home-grown olive oil and of
avoided the peak school holiday
and vacation period. On an Amex package, we flew to Rome and back, with two nights in a comfortable hotel off the ViaVeneto,
spaghetti. The L-shaped apartment which used to be the cow barn has a course!
for $16,000. on no account attempt to drive in Rome; everyone behind the wheel of a car is certifiable and there is no parking near places like the Forum or the Coliseum. \ü/alk, grab buses or take the excellent underground where you can gape at trains hide ously adorne d with graffiti. The ancient centre of Rome is pretty small and walkable. Romans are a friendly bunch, except for the riot trooper with a sub-machine gun who moved me on from the back door of the presidenfial palace; I thought it was a hotel. l7.e headed north by train, and it's
flagstone-floored bedroom-lounge, a bathroom, storeroom and a kitchen
where you could cook for a Roman legion.
All this surrounds a
teffacotta.
terrace shielded from the sun byvines with red beries. Outside the bedroom window is a big fig tree with ripe
fruit. With strong coffee and fresh figs, sittinginthe morning sun looking out at the ramparts across the valley, you scan the maps and plan your day. At $4,000 for a tull week, the spacious apartment is about par for the Tuscan coufse. Get on Internet and call Tuscan tourism and you can se€ scores of apartments for rent.
here that the advance planning comes in handy. On a previous trip, I had met a fellow called John Garner, an Englishman who has become the first
ern Tuscany. Over yonder
was
Montepulciano, where the brunello comes from. The other way, was Montalcino. Cortona was close by. The whimsical city of Piensa - the heart of it was built by an ambitious pope as a metropolis to rival Rome, but abandoned by his successors
-
-
On the terrace, we would open
remember these statues are four times life size, all over.
Across this marvellous countryA young oliue oil seller at a uillage fete.
the DarkAges came this way, e ger to get what plunder remained in Rome. The Tuscans themselves were not exactly Mr Nice. Feuds that lasted for centuries pitted Pisa against Florence , Siena against Arezzo.If there wasn't an invader to fight, theywould grab a
became totally fluent in ordering beer, wine, cheese, bread, spaghetti and pears. I could also ask if there was a lion in the house; for some reason totally inexplicable, this was a phrase
weeks of the year
bother askin g anltalian. It's like Hong Kong; go to the New Territories and
depending on popularity. Au-
query a Hakka farmer about the history of the area. You'll get a blank look. Same in Tuscany. Garner has lived in Italy for 20 years, speaks the language and is on
tumn is cheaper; the tourists have
neighbour.
largely trekked back north, the
habits?
Kong?"
nodding terms with the history of
crammedandthe weather is cooling and glorious. We swiftly fellinto apattern. I'd be up eady, outontheterrace with my trusty
Out to explore this violent past and peaceful present, we would head
Florence...
every castle, vineyard and cathedral. He met us at Chiusi railway station, with a nifty Fiat which he had rented for us for $8,OOO for 15 days. Off we set with Garner, thankfully, driving. Every single Italian I met was charming, helpful, smiling and polite - when on foot. Behind the wheel, they turn into rampaging motorised
versions of the Visigoths. It's customary for Italians to drive one metre from the car in front, so when you get pile-ups everyone is - and driving 100 km/h there are scores of vehicles involved.
for different
Does this explain the driving
in the Fiat. Tuscany has churches the
way Hong Kong has cooked food stalls. Each is different. This is where
Sony shortwave,
listening to the BBC SØodd Serv-
ice (Thank you,
Beeb!) and belt-
ing out a few yarns on the laptop. Kitwould
brick and wood farmhouse, set amid olive groves and grapes. He bottles his own oil and wine. The nearest neighbour is the fortified hill town of Rigomagno across a wooded valley, more than a kilometre away. The air is clear and crisp. It is quiet. He lives on the top floor. 'W'e
couple offigs.
get up, pluck
a
\ùØe
map.
The location
was ideal. All around us were
the famed wine towns of south-
CORRESPOI|ItENT Decembe¡ 1996
Tbe tirneless face of Tuscany, uíneyards and touers.
And then, There are no words to do justice to the city on
atheist, the cathe-
as
soft
as
angel's tears. Siena,
Medici's knife in the back.
would study the
"Isabella,
who is this raging moronfromHong
grandma to serve you. Study the map again. !Øhere are we?'Who cares?
brunello
Montepulciano where a gorge ous gid in a wine shop took me through a tasting of a dozen reds, which made me appreciate the tortures inflicted on the ungodly on the walls of the cathedral next door.
By mid-afternoon and a long
@
house?"
the Arno. We had
where the truffles came with rabbit and the cheese was as sharp as a
So it's back home and start planning for next autumn. 'W'e've decided to go back to Southern Tuscany for a week, then to rerft a farmhouse over in neighbouring Umbria for a week and then to spend a third week in a farmhouse on the far side of the peninsula at Abrvzzi, where they make a purple wine that is perfect with a Florentine steak and would inspire Michaelangelo to catve a female companion for David.
in the guidebook. "Hello, doyou have a lion in the
artists learned their trade. After viewing 637 Yirgins, 3,87 4 assorted saints and a few score crucifixions, it was time for a beer. Choose the tiniest, sleepiest hamlet. Park. Wander. Sit andwait for Into one of the bigger towns for lunch. Piensa, where we discovered pasta with truffles, and whole roast suckling pig washed down with a
Lord, for the
John Garner and his partner, Carol, live in a 5Do-year old stone,
TIE
sword and go for the nearest
museums are not
a
Wonderful day followed maryellous day. I practised my Italian and
officially recognised foreign culinary tour guide. If you have a liking for historyand romance andfolklore, don't
soar
large crowds of lady tourists. It's obvious they've got something on
solid sleep.
side have tramped rugtag armies, or-
Pricesplungeand
David, Neptune and other very well-endowed naked figures attract
their minds apart from strict appreciation of art. Hey, ladies,
-
unpolluted skies. Then to bed for
reason, Signor.
a
magnificence it is! - stands in a museum on the other side of town).
one of the bottles of the wine we had bought that day as we watched the sun go down over the valley. A slow dinner, watching the stars come out to play; there's a lot of stars in these
are all on the pinnacles of the highest possible hills. Why? For a damn good
-
square.
and what
and big juicy
steaks.
deep green of the ripening vines, rolls into the far distance. The towns
Rome enthusiastically put the Etruscans to the sword. Atilla, the Goths, Vandals and every brigand of
(The original carving
were my favourite
A rum bunch, the lties. The glorious patina of Tuscan landscape, the gold of wheat, the grey olives, the
ganised invaders and freebooters of every stfipe. The legions of an infant
statue of David
towards the farmhouse. On the way, we would stop at local shops. Small containers of olives, tuna, pickles and sausage. A loaf of that wonderful rockhard bread that does miracles for the
digestion. Jars of homemade pasta sauce mushrooms and tomatoes
rears out of the rolling plain atop a granite outcrop.
in the main
lunch, we would head slowly back
a horel ($1,ooo a
nighr) right in rhe
heart of town.
Even for a devout
and practising dral facade uplifts
the spirits.
The
museums hold the treasures of the Renaissance; it was here fiye centuries ago that European civilisation was revived. It can be em-
barrassing, how-
ever, when the spouse focuses
her Minolta on the private parts ofthe copyofthe
Kìt Síncløír relaxes on tbe teffa.ce at sunset, ¡n come
from
a.
settíng tba.t could
tbe ca.nuas of a Renaissance ,naster.
December 1996 Tf,E
C0RRESPONItENT
and torment myself daily with
of my Vancouyer optometrists conferring aftet aî afternoon
my lips is barely intelligible to the
evaluation session concerning my problematicvision: "It's possible," the
uninitiated. Only those with whom I have regular contact are able to 'decipher'
junior of the two opined, "his eyesight
unanswered cries of 'what ifs' or 'if only I'd' and thatwhich emits from
mywords. Theyhave learned to adapt
to my stroke-rearranged mouth
Okay, so I'm in awheelchaír, but, hey! at least I can speak ... (sort oÐ by Tobias Ted Dunfee
muscles. If you did not hear me speak during my 42nd birthday fete at this very FCC in March of '95, suffice to know that I very much doubt that I'll everwin any elocution awards. It was
onths back
- before he
estimable Mr Peter Cordingley, asked
me if 1 might pen a 'longer piece', ('longer', I presume, than my'falling out of bed' tale, published in the June/July Corresþondent), on what
many perceive
to be my rather
steding, seemingly endless 'recovery' . Since I have finally come to tefms with that which befell me back in the
of 1990, yes, I most certainly am interested. May I address this piece, then, to those in Hong Kong with whom I've had the pleasure early summet
of intermingling, those who know only of myplight, andto Ms Cbristinø Yiu siu-ling who remains dear to my heart lo these many years. Contrary to what those who know
me well must think, I've actually become unconscionably serene these
days, having coiled my embattled psyche into an impenetrable ball and simply accepted my lot. Oh sure, I require a wheelchair to alternatively meander or recklessly
afternoon, my
left eye saw
nought but a milky white residue
.
My
upon the marked similarities between mine and my pal, (and yours), Kevin
better, but not
-
!ühyfore my grinning mug, then? 'Síell, for starters, I've finallycome to accept that which I've become,
well before my dotage. It has been a battle to be sure, and one hard won, but only recently was I able to shed the anger, the untoward hostility, and take stock of my general ill and offputting demeanour. I know not precisely when or why, but my guess is that after over six expletive-deletedyears of blaming the wodd for all my ills, the time was indeed nigh to wipe the eyer-pr€sent
scowl from my face
.
I
had rcalized at long last that e\¡ery utterance 1 expel is in itself, a triumph. Readers familiat with my saga will know that having survived six weeks in Bangkok's Samitivej
Hospital's Intensive Care Unit attached to all manner of medical
paraphernalia, I was given little hope of ever becoming functional again. viral The severity of my illness
-
encephalitis compounded by an infarction and a stroke was such that the prognosis posited that I'd never again speak, I'd never againwalk, my
at least ltís way. Then I thought that perhaps I could arrange to
my second, the last, left-eye haemorrhage just prior to that
right eye was
they're
The
to the point whereby I coulddecipher a printed page. Chastened
upon hearing the singulady most depressing me dical newsofmylife, I was moved to
consider the heretofore unimaginable: would I take my own life?
' accidentally' end my misery by simply hoisting myself out of mywheelchair, plopping onto my third-fl oor hospital room's window-view desk, smashing my way outside with my valuable 'dressing stick', (I kneut lhe tool had
Could I ? A pox on myself for inadvertently overhearing the doctor's words not meant f,or my ears. Back in my lodgings at G.F. Strong
Rehab Centre, my chin cupped morosely in my wrought hands, unable to recognize a soul in the burning activity warren around me, I
a plupose, because I hadn't yet
pondered a life unable to walk, barely able to speak, and now never to be able to see well enough to read Dr Seuss to my boys, Shakespeare, or Playboy to myself. My life had been pretty much miserable and joyless now for about 20 months. The doctor's words served
to extinguish my faint glimmer of hope . I sobbed when I thought of my
career around and about, I have not
mind would be 'elsewhere' for
boys. Of the strange tragedy their
seen my lady, Siriporn Singhanan Dunfee, the mother of my two sons, Sasha, now in grade two, and Satori,
evermore, and I'ct likely remain in institutions untilmymakerandlmeet. In otherwords, I was to 'pine-for-thefjords' until the end of my wodd.. It is fair to conclude that things looked uniformly bleak for me. For then, and for the longest while, my
young lives had become through no fault of their own.
grade one, since that terrible, terrible
month of Mayin 1990 andl am able to see myboys only'occasionally'. They have lives of their ownin Canada, you know, and are being ably raised by mysister, Pat, andherhusband, Enrico (Ric) Tesan, (I refer to the pair as 'St, Patric'), in a Vanconver suburb other than the one in which I willfully reside THD CORRDSP0IUIXNT December 1996
never improve.
developing l7-year-old mind might produce in defending the suicide of his then role model, 'Papa' Hemingway. !íould I do same? Could. I? Nah, I initially decided, too messy,
haemorrhages took their toll." After
Saul Lockhart, I believe, who opined
Sinclair's voices. I concur similar, bt different.
sought 'greener pastures' Corresþondent editor emeritus, the
will
l like to think of it as eloquent, yet painfully adolescent verbiage of what a
'progress' resembled that of a tortoise. The faint 'glow at the end of the
proverbial tunnel' was further darkened one afternoonin eafly'92, when I accidentally overheard a pair
Until that fate-laden
jungle
assignment, I'd been a 'winner' in life. Howwas I to possibly defeat this most
recent, incomprehensible and veritably unbelievable combination ofrnisfortune? I asked myself if indeed It could be overcome? My answerwas an emphatic 'NO'. My thoughts singled out the essay I had written and published during my senior high school year in '71.
mastered dressing with it), and thence to waving afond farewell to this wodd. Coining aword to describe my feelings on the tragedy that my life had become during my descent, "IRRIDICULOUS,'
I would shout before my
with the pavement. Alas, no go. I was physically unable to perform such a demanding stunt. If I bad been able, I likely would have, but since I was not, I continued to feel the damnable thumpety-thump within my chest. I wished my heart would simply cease to beat. I even asked 'up there' to help me die, butto no avail. Ibreathed deeply, pondering my imponderable inner turmo il y et again. " Is t lt i s hell? " I asked. Actually, I had established all manner of ludicrous scenarios for my
final act in those baleful, painfully darkdays of depression. Butno matter how much I debated from one side of
my now-bald orb to the other, I concluded that I' m just not the suicide
December 1996 TÃE
CORf,XSPOI{DHIT
type. Ill-tempe¡ed and irascible, I may be. But suicidal? I guess not. Besides, what if my attempt faile d? What rhen? I'll face facts: I'm simply not all that keen on incurring pain; my twodecades of rugby playing norwithstanding. I do not believe that I'm a masochist. Four, maybe four-and-a-half years
later, aftet two laser surgeries plus darly readingof least ten pages of back-
issue after back-issue of library large-
prtrÍ Reader's Digests to retrain my eyes to - glory, glory! read, I very nearþ unintentionally -met he/she/it or whomsoever responsible for my existence. I had 'seryed' my 1,O79
Vancouver suburb
'earned' a kind of a living with a monthly subsistence wage as the recipient of a goyernment disabilitypension. It allowed me to shop for food and such little 'such'. More - Ivery importantþ, lcad escaped institutions.Ihadtime to commiserate all by my lonesome. One'96 summer Sunday morning,
I
decided
and had become relatively content
to exercise my freedom
privileges by treating myself to a ,hot tub'. I motored my trusty wheelchair
the mile or so to the Community Centre to which I belonged.
I
days in four hospitals in two countries,
of Richmond. A
better venue for the wheelchair-bound has not yet been inyented. I also
motored up to the facility at
about 9:00 a.m. 'SouthArm' was open, but only just. The gym was empry, as was the aerobics centre, the outdoor pool, the whirþool, the sauna, and
with my life, having fortuitously landed a one-bedroom, government-funded, wheelchair-modifie d apartment in the
the rest. An attendant raised
his eyebrows at me, I raised mine back,
down into the pool, (an acquired skill
I'd learned on my previous visits), I neyertheless let out an exhilarated
pointing in the direction of the hot pool. He nodded and idly sauntered to the health club portion of the Community Centre. He twisted on the whiilpool jets for me. I had been there five or six times in the recent
whoop of joy when my toes touched the tumultuous water. I sighed with joy then, bur it wasn't until I tried to manouevre my
bulþ, 235-pound,handicapped frame around one of the railings to enable
past, and if anything the jets had always been a tad too tame for my liking. I demand a'massage' from my hot-tub forays. Perhaps this was my mistake? I'll forever assume so. As always, negotiating myself out of my 'chair and into the pool was a simple yet laborious affair. Stepping into the pulsating hot water, and taking notice of the liquid uproar into which I was about to dip, I figured 'it's probably not
as
fierce
as
it looks'
.
How wrong I was. It was u)orse. Using the twin hand-railings to step
me to sit along the tertazzo tiles and
commence to relax, fhat
I
rcalized
the whirlpool had become
a
su.tirlþool. Iwas apparentlyreliving a movie I had seen as a child,Journey to tlre Centre of tbe Eørtb. I was caught up in the jets' power and swooshed
taken for a - involuntarily A nano-second or two
away
lcoping to grab hold of the edge. The thought hit me that this could be my last official act on this earth; I silently mouthed. "Good luck, big fella." As it has done so many times
before, 'ad,renalin', (a hnman secfetion) empowered me to 'feach out, touch and hold'. I could feel the ledge and cuded my right fingers around, painfully so. My hand seemed
about to implode . Atlast, Iwas stable oîthreteffazzo tiles. My terror had been but a minute , but still my entire being trembled. Assuage d, yes, but I wasn't 'out of thewoods' justyet. The jets continued to rage. I sought a le ss-turbulent spot,
terrifying ride.
into my 'journey', I thought about simply allowing the jets to 'have their way with me' and dip my head into the angry water. I'd struggle, to be sure, but hey, I'm an excellent swimmer. It won't take nte long to
necessary
traction. I hadn't any choice but to allow the jets to take me as they saw fit. I wondered if the well-polished railings
øll my bodily functions had been released. STas my waste to be my legacy?
It was then that I
realized how much I actually ualuedhfe, even in my
state.
I
resolved then not
to allow
those jets to take any more latitudes
withmyperson. I couldn't, I shouldn't, I
u,touldn't, even think of the turbulent,
pounding surf around me I took a deep breath water TnE c0RRXSP0lftlEI{T December 1996
-
.
- air
not
and flailed out again, wishing,
one hand coiled until I ascertained the safest spot - the least turbulent spot in the pool. Here I realised once again that I was in some kind of a serious pickle.
Not a soul in sight, nor even within earshot. I thought ifperhaps I could gain somebody's attention - the attendant who started this terror for me? - he/they could come into the whidpool/sauna enclosure and at the very least'tone down' the turbulence of the jets. I tried an experimental "Help", but the effort almost threw me back Se
curing myself
would allow, I
Nary a soul eventuated. Seven or eightminutes of struggle in the turmoil had gone unnotic€d, and I was wondering how I'd appear as a prune? I summoned the strength for one last, one final, "IøOULD SOMEBODY HEL. . . "when the jets suddenlyceased. The South Arm attendant, bless his soul, must have started the whirþool bath on a lO-minute timer. The timer had expired. By good fortune, I hadn't. I allowed the water to reduce itself to a dull roar, glanced about the now becalmed pool to inspect the
yearned lor a pair of sneakers with
¡:
I allowed the jets to pummel me around the pool with the fingers on
tried a slightly louder "Help" then "Please help".
disabled. I reminded myself to remain calm. After all, I was embroiled in a fight for my life, miserable though it may be. I
were the last thing I'd ever see. A further nano-second or t.wo later, as I was about to fam feet-first into the wall of the circular pool. I frantically reached out to grab the edge of the pool top to pull myself out of the raging turmoil that used to be a quiet hot tub. I failed. I was scared, uh. . . sltitless. Terror engulfed me, rampaged through my eyery pore My musculature vanished. For all I knew,
balance.
out into the jet stream. as best the torrents
regain my equilibrium. I had momentarily forgotten that I'm
which to provide the
My life did not flash before my eyes, but, oh my word, the thoughts that arise when one's life hangs in the
and using my hand as a hook, coiled
and throbbing with the dull ache of survival, I tentatively allowed the jets to power me from jet to jet. After all
the previous þseudo-tlrought of suicide, was I to now find out what it's like to die? Involuntarily? Certainly, I thought, there is no
good way to die, but
I
am pretty
ceftain some ways are less unpleasant than others. To die by simply taking a deep breath one deep breath of
water would- definitely not be- my choice. Dammit, Ithought, lwas once good enough to rank number ten in all the nation among Canada's 8-10 year-old swimmers, and hadn't I captained my high-school swimming
extent of my 'waste', saw nothing, wiped my brow with an exuberant "boorøy, y'tooray", then giddy with excitement hopped smiling from terrazzo tile to terrazzo tile, thanking an unseen hand for 'coming to my rescue', Once again, rather excitedly this time, I grabbed hold the railings and
was up and back into my chair in what I presume would be an Olympic record time if there exists a record for 'Skedaddling the Hell up and our of
a
Hot Pool'. Tobiøs Ted Dunfee acquired ø mystery uirus utbile on øssignment for Asia Magazine ín tbe Golden Triøngle inMøy 1990. BetueenMøy and Deceruber tbøt year, be lost 122lbs as well as muclt of bis preìllness lnetnory.
@
team? December
I
Election farce A Ont Fool's Day usually lasts unril ,( \mid-day on the first of ApriJ. In
I
Britain, newspapers see this as an oppoftunity for running spoof stories. In
office of one of Britain's political parties while a real election was nnderway. The problem we had as election campalgnerswas twofold. First, we did not know all the electorate. In Britain
out a glimmer of journalistic humour on the horizon. This is something of
a
disappointment. That disappointment ended a few weeks ago when I started reading stories about something called the 'Chief
theyhave the strange practice of allow-
we did not know the result in advance. ..
careflilly checked my diary and
strongly
-arr objecti\ze
ot>serwer rnigfit laot rega-rd rn)z Sr-rp edranvk a.s a, Rolls-R.o¡rce, tl'-rrat sa-n1e ol>sen er rnigtrt conclude the Ckrief E><ecutirze Election szas nottring of the kiaad
can confirm that al7 this did not begin on April 1 , nor did it simply end at miclday. It went on and on, and then on some more. The joke started to wear very thin indeed. At particular moments it sprung to life and was covered in such a straight-
I
with them all. Indeed I
ing more than 400 people to vote which tends to complicate matters. Seconcl and you may find this hard to believe
LrecutiveElection'. Onsome dayswhole pages were devoted to this phantom election; eamest editorials appeared commenting on the event andtelevision news programmes developed special backdrops to signify'election' stories.
forward manner that
am familiar
once worked in the headquarters press
Hong Kong, April 1 often passes with-
I
Training cyber surfers at the FCC
ot
by Stephen Vines
sus-
pected that the Hong Kong media had become affected by that rare occurrence known as irony. For example, one of the alleged candidates in this
Drawing on this experience I can confidentþ say that both of these problems were profound and I can therefore quite understand why the Chi nese govefnment decided itwould be better to dispense with the great Llnwashed as electors and decide the result in advance. The new system is more predictable, efficient and reliable. But, can it
alleged election was a chap with a knighthood. Ever since Her Majesty the Queen gave him this honour, he has been quite happy to be known as Sir Ti Liang Yang.
Suddenly, about a few days after the so-called election camp aignbegan, this knight ofthe realm decided his real
be said to be an election? Psephologists
will no doubt argue about this for years to come. My view is that everyone is
name was plain old Mryang. Within minutes the media stopped callinghim byhis propertitle and startecl using the new honorific. I should like it
pefectly entitled ro call an¡hing they own what they like. I, for example, callmy 4OOcc Honda Superhawk motorcycle, a Rolls-Royce car. I have no problem with this, nor does the aforementioned motorcycle which responds well to the worcls ,go Rolls'. \ù7hat goes for the Honda must
to be known that although for many years I have been known as Mr Vines (coincidentally the same name as my father), I shall henceforth be called Sir Stephen, or, to both my friends, Sir Steve. This has the added adyantage of avoiding confusion with either my father or my uncle.
Meanwhile, back at the election front, I noticed the use of the words ' campaign','voting' and'electionrace,.
surely go for the owners of the Selection Committee, which organised the alleged election. However, in the same way that it is just possible that an objective observer
might not regard my Superhawk as a Rolls-Royce, that same obserwer might
conclude the Chief Execlrtive Election was nothing of the kind. Fortunately, the Hong Kong meclia has shown a generosity of spirit in this matter. It has allowed the owners to get
byTerryDuckham
away with a descrþtion which frankly would not stand up to much examination. I have asked the Consumer Council what they make of all this becarne if consumers of the media are not consumers, I would like to knowwhat they
are. Generally accustomed to dealing
with
shark-hfested electrical shops, dodgy purveyors of dubious medicines
and the like, the testing section of the Council was baffled by this enquiry. 'Seek truth from facts,, I urged, as comrade Mao Zedong once instmcted us.
'But where can we get the facts?, they moaned. They had a point. Facts arc hard to come by and as comracle Qian Qichen has told us, they must not be confused with opinions. So, what to do? I pondered long and harcl before remembering that comrade Qian thoroughly approves of the facts contain ed kr Tb e Pe ople's Daíly. I rushed out to buy a clutch of back copies of the overseas edition. Careful
reading demonstrated that
it
argot !Øilliams, under the auspices of Freeclom Forum International, recently invited a number of FCC members to
was in-
deed afact that the events under discussion constituted an election.
'If that is so,' said the Consumer Council experts, 'there are no grounds for complaints about shoddy work by the Hong Kong media.' Shamefacedly, I admitted my effor in making the report. Now I know that the Hong Kong media gets its facts fromTbe Peoþle's Daiþ, eveq¡rhing is much clearer.
@ Views expressed in 'Purely Personal' are those of the author. The board and publications committee of the FCC do not necessarill'agree.
a
series
of
seminars on the mysteries of the Internet and how to unravel them. Margot is a staff writer for the Wasbington Posl and writes a weekly
I ;
'
column called Networkings, all about how to make effective use of the Internet and intelesting places to visit there. A little like Gareth powell,s Netlife column in Sundal'' 51¡¿ ng Kong Life magazine, with a lot more hard
information.
Space was
limited and those
sites to visit. Margot also distinguishecl
between basic \ùØ!l!T surfing tips and basic high tech pirfalls for beginners
in a down-to-earth conversational manner spiced with anecdotes.
To quote from one of Margot,,s
Networkings columns on new technology;
"It's summe r akeady. Out at the beach, a few wetsuit-clad surfers are way, wa)¡ out there in the watef, grabbing the next big wave. Ordinary folks sit in the sancl or duck and splash close to shore. Butafew swim wayout there, and sometimes get into trouble.
members
lucþ enough to attend had a choice of two subjects "How
It's pretty much like that on the Internet these days too. Much of the exciting new stuff that's being
Journalists Can Make Best Use of the
cleveloped is forpeople on the soffware
Internet" or "How to Create
and
Improve Your Web Page ". Both proved
to be highly informative and straight to the point, with a useful bias to the needs of those of us in the information getting and disseminating business. The seminar on making better use
of the Internet was packed flill of useful information and addresses of
eqtrivalent of the sna.zzy boards. Ordinary folks who rry ro sample it risk getting wiped out." On Web page construction she told us; " There really isn't much scary
about creating a Woild rù7ide \Veb page. Here's what you neecl: Some ASCII text . A few brackets ( these things:< > ) to make hypertext mark
up language (HMTL) commands. And to gllssy things Lrp, an image or two. Pretty simple." It might sound simple to Margot, but to most of us who grew up in the pre - computer generation it still sounds
pretty scary. Its like you have to do a special language course before you can do the training seminar, but Margot was pfetty gentle with us and put up with dllmb questions like, "\ù7hat is an ASCII?". She took the group through the basics, step by step from creating a basic web page with headlines and
text, to aclding images and copying links to other'W-WrùØ web pages of interest and pasting them to your own web page.
It was all very useful ancl in a world and
informative stuff
profession hurtling at warp speed into to the cyberwodd of the 21st Century. But it was a learning experience I, for one, will need to repeat many times overbefore I evenlooklike coming up to speed, let alone warp speed. rü(/hen are yoLl coming back Margot?
THE CORRf,SPONIIf,NT December 1996
Decernber 19
@
simply a translated digest of the Russian
paper, it gradually developed its own
identity, and nowadays some 80% of the Vlad News is generated by Syedain,
her Russian deputy editor, Nonna Chernyakova, and reporter Karen Ogden. Plans are in hand to goweekly sometime in1997,andad sales - an innovation triggered by Syedain when she took over in September 1995
News Russian-style, 007 arrd
Vladivostok Hasbi Syedaín
-
Ed
in
CLtief
by Edward Peters
I t tne age of 12, incarcerated at L \an all-boy boarding school in Surrey, I read my first James Bond You Only Liue Tutìce inwhich 007 destroyed his arch-enemy Blofeld by
but in dealings with the former
blowing up his castle in northern Japan, severely injuring himself in the
main daily, which also runs the only
USSR,
if the question is "why?", the answer is so often "just because". My generous unknown host turned
out to be The Wadiuosfock, the city's
"We coyer stories that are much bigger than our paper would suggest. It's a little local paper with a small circulation but we cover important business stories, political stories, national news and because of the
English-language paper, called Wadiuostock Netus, an eight page, 2,5O0-circulation, bi-monthly free-
audience, do quite exciting stories which you wouldn't get to do on a
on his futon. Something in all this must have jogged Bond's memory because
sheet that veers somewhere between local rag and hard-hitting tabloid. Editor-in-chief of the Mad News is former Fleet Street freelancer Hashi Syedain, who holds down what many
he looked over the sea towards
similar paper back home ." As an example, the mid-Noyember issue splashed with a "sea-of-blood" grenade attack by a drug addict in a local disco, ran an in-depth feature on
wouldregard
process. An amnesiac Bond was rescued by a naked pead diver, one Kissy Suzuki, who compounded her resusci-
tation efforts by putting love potions in his food and leaving a 'pillow book'
Vladivostock, decided it was concerned with his past, and set off there at once.
The book's ending left my
adolescent mind with two thoughts. Bond must definitely be off his trolley to leave somebodywho combined sex and motorbikes, and there must be
something pretty damn interesting about Yladivostock. Japan headed my list of must-sees at the time, but \4ad was a close number two. A quarter century later, I applied for a visa at the Russian Consulate, only to be told I hadn't a hope in hell unless I had a letter of inyitation. How did I get that? Oh, we can apply for you. rù(/hy not just give me the sodding visa straightaway, I could have asked,
intemàtional slant and the intemational
aplum assignment. No
a stalled multi-million dollar
set budget, no set editorial agenda, publishers who can't actually read English, no competition, and - tn a city that's largely run by five separate
supermarket project, and profiled
as
Mafia gangs
-
enough political
mayhem, lurid killings and shady goingson to fill the paper several times over. Now for the bad news. Communi-
cations are lousy, power cuts can wreak havoc with production schedules, nobodywants to do an interview oYer the phone, and the handful of staff have to runround doing the distribution themselves. "Sometimes you do want to bash your head against the wall," admits Syedain, "but it is incredible fun and there's a gteat sense of achievement getting a paper out.
THD CoRRDSPOITI¡IEIII December 1996
are growing.
-
"For the first time ever we're breaking even, andwe are also on the
.
So
the Wad Neuts soldiers on,
phone and oîefax,one copyeditor Heidi Brown and two translators. "The language is a problem, and
so is talking to people orrer the 'phone. It could be something very straight-forward like getting statistics from a goyernment department, but they stillwantyoll to go there in person. It's very time consuming."
Wodd !íide'W'eb, getting about 16,000
Another communications
hits a month," says Syedain. "!(/e got a US aid grant for the web server andlease line, whichis marvellous because people read us all over the wodd, as there is very little information avatlable about the areain English." Syedain is also fortunate in that
barrier is the Wad Netus'layott
she has a free hand, editorially, to decide what goes in the paper. " We are probablythe free-estpaper here, as most others tow a particular
political line. Our bosses don't read English, don't pay much attention to us andthatmeans we candowhatever we like." The finance side is another mafter. Syedainhas no defined budget, andno
rigid targets either. "It's all terribly Russian - if we want something we ask them. And if they think it's reasonable they grant it. It appears to bear no relation to how much the paper is making, or if we're doing well or badly. tù(/orking for a Russian company with Russian bosses is a real experience."
with
four "ancient, steam-driven" PCs using PageMaker, frequent power cuts, one
man. "He can't read or speak English, so if a headline busts or a story's one line too long every little thing has to come back to us. It makes the production process very cumbersome." In a city that was off-limits
to outsiders for years and which
¡
is
barely getting used to a new system of business, gathering infomation is also
an absorbing process. "You have to keep on going, build up your contacts, although sometimes we don't get to the bottom of things and just have to say we couldn't find out any mofe. "There are alot ofbusiness stories, and there are local problems like the
power cuts
we've been trying to
find out exactly why they are
happening. And we have covered a number of elections. During the presidential election, for a short while Vladivostock was the centre of the wodd, as the first results came ollt
here and we all try to do a bit of freelance so we were filing for Reuters, AP or the BBC." Freelance is an important outlet for the expatriate staff who arc paid Russian salaries, although these do include housing allowance. "Heidi and Karen are both on local terms, although it's a great opportunity
for young reporters and I think it's going to prove a very good career move for them." A portrait of life in Vladivostock is incomplete without mentioning the Mafia, whose gangs oversee much of the business dealings in the city.
"'We haven't done a great deal on them to be honest it's the kind of
-
thing where you want to know your teffitory very well before you venture into it. "The Mafia's only really on one
enyironmental specialists trying to save
the Far East's endangered Amur leopard. Nibs included an acting governor's suicide, a threatened state of emergency - and a lament from Madivostock prostitutes that visiting Italian sailors were "cheap". Plus
level, but if you are involved in trading or any cash-related business you will comeup against them. It's like Chicago in the 1930s inaway," Incidentally, James Bond was, not surprisingly, intercepted by the KGB in Vladivostock, brainwashed, and sent to Londonwhere he tried to assassinate his boss. I flewback to Hong Kong and
with a rather more homely feel -
-
there was a welcome for new arrivals Nick Rees and Debbie Hutton, details of shows at the Primorye Puppet Theatre, and the regular "S7e Love It Really" column on the arrival ofwinter.
straight into an argument $/ith
The paper started just o\¡er three
Accounts o]¡ef expenses. I know just how 007 felt. IheYladivostock News' uebsite is 6tt : bttp ://ulad. tribnet. com
years ãgo, when publishers Vladivostock Novosti decided that
as
the city was opening up it needed some English language media. Initially
Hasbí Syed.aín and copy edìtor Heidí Broun on deadline dalt alter tlre comþuter crasl¡ed!
@ December 1996 THD
GORRf,SP0IIItEIIT
IMMF course for Indochines e i ou rrrraltsts from Peter Eng in Bangkok
,.ï',ï,"^:'**oo*I "--"''Ì; issues. It was taught in classroom sessions in Bangkok with field trips to the southern Thai coast. The IMMF was founded in 199 I b1,
British photo-journalist Tim Page, to commemorate the more than 3 50 jour-
nalists from all countries killed in Indochina. 'With start-up money proFielrl triÙ tuíth If,IMF
vicled by the Asia Foundation, a nonprofit group was set up in Thailand,
hanks to the Indochina Media Memorial Foundation, 18 southeast Asian journalists are now better equipped to cover one of the most
g teway to Indochina.
important issues of the region's
effect of - the on the rapid industrialisation developing countries environment. The IMMF conclucted anintensive three-week cotrse forprint and broad-
cast meclia journalists from Vietnam, Camboclia, Laos, Thailand and Burma. The course, which ended on October 23, focused on marine and coastal
Its first major training course, in basic journalism, was conducted in May,1994. Aside from a project director, the IMMF is mostly run by western journalists based in Bangkok.
The environment course marked the first time a Burmese had attended an IMMF course. That not only met a great need to improve journalism in Burma, but also ftirthered the IMMF's goal of promoting understanding ancl co-operation among journalists of different countries.
In the classroom, the students re-
viewed basic journalism skills and learned the key scientific and other concepts involved in environmental reporting. During their 10-da1' field trip, they visited village fishing com-
The IMMF is currently seeking fund-
ing for.cotrrses planned lor 1997, on photo- and radio-journalism. sff
you sÍgn
 comptete, searchable ftarcrrive of the American Society of Journalists and Authors Contracts' Watch Ís available on the World l9id.e l{eb. Find. it - with other
valuable infornation and. tips on freelance contracts, electronic rights and copyright - at It
tl-p'./ / w ww. a s ja. or grlcwpa
g e.
THE C0RRISPONDENT December 1996
htur
book is refreshingly -freethe of the hectoring tone a term like 'feminist history", or come to that any other category of self-consciously
(
TJ I I rn.l imagination',
istory rs rhe marriage or racrs
sl-ates Susanna Hoe baldly. That is, to say the
least, a contentious definition of the
historian's function, but Cbinese otþrints (Roundhouse Publications HK$155) offers plenty of both those
Fo
talks, lectures and articles researched,
written and previously given by
Ms
One of the newest and most convenient
Hoe, or published in outlets including
hotels in the centre of Hong Kong, the Bishop Lei lnternational House, located on Robinson Road (close to the escalator) is otfering Cl u b mem bers a c0rporate d iscou nt of 35 per cent off the published room rates.
the late and generally unlamentecl
Members should book directly with the hotel: tel. 2868 0828 fax. 2869 9829
1997 T-Shirts: 20Vo FCC discount! FRONT OF T.SHIRTI
ONLY HK$80! HONG KONG 30 JUNE I 997
1007o white cotton. 100olo Fun. XXL, XL, L or M. Call Jon Resnick at 2836 0335 ol email joninhk@asiaonline.net.
Winclout andthe Liuerpool Daily Post and Eclco, with generous chunks of
new material specially written for it.
Given this piecemeal method of genesis the end result is remarkably
coherent.
women, many of whom were fascinating characters and clearly deserved the author's attention and
all-consuming passion for her subject. The otherside ofthe coin ofcourse
abundant enthusiasm. Philanthropist Clara Ho Tung, China's Minister for Jlrstice 1949-1959 Shi Liang, and American radical journalist and activist Agnes Smedley spring immediatel)' to mind.
is that, while the book is long on
normally imply. The book is concerned with the lives of arouncl40 Chinese and'W'estern
The author's fascination with Clara Elliot, wife of Captain Chades Elliot,
perpetuity, seems to me more eccentric. Turning a
word 'diligent' is far too mild
not make them into
of the supporting cast does ke1'
and for anybodywith an interest in the history of China, Hong Kong and Macau it makes fascinating reading. Ms Hoe calls herself afeminist, but except to some extent in the chapter
players. The chapters on Clara do however have the merit
a
principal intention - of shedding some light on Charles Elliot, a more interesting figure about whom we know too little, and I confidently expect
'Different Wavelengths'
comparison of two accounts of the same journey across China undertaken
]n 1935 by two adventure úaveller/ writers, one female, ancl one male to whom
she seems to have taken a dislike
it when she is behg fanciful, bLlt one sometimes wonders if a little more distance from her sr.rbjects might pr.rt them into a more first to admit
It's a small cavil. This is a wellwritten and highly readable book and )'ou don't have to be a female or a feminist to enjolz i¡. E35
obtained Hong Kong's cession in what he fondlf imagined at the time to be
spotlight on to members
imaginative engagement, it is shoft on objective detachment. Ms Hoe is the
balanced perspective.
the British plenipotentiary who
Cbinese Footþrints is the fruit of several years' research for which the a term,
to be berated f'or mentioning this next time we meet. As interesting in manyways as the women she has written about is the persona of the historian herself which
is strongly present in the book. She wlites almost as much about the process of her research as abont the results of it, and a fascinating portrait enrerges of a serious histolian with an
slanted historical interpretation, would
ingredients. This book combines a number of
NEWS
Ctreck before
Reviewed by Robin Lynam
The IMMF operates on a bare-
tion and AusAID.
Clcùnese
by Susantra Hoe
they were introdnced to a computer program which analyses problems of coastal and marine management. bones budget and depends on sponsors for each of its courses. Main funding for the environmental course came from Danida, Denmark's govemment aid agency. Other ftincling came from Freedom Forum, The Reuter Founda-
ii
tootprínts
munities, atrawlingfleet, shrimp farms and projects to rehabilitate the mangroYes that such farms destroy. At a university research institute,
,A -'
iJ:'g i:
this was - although not Ms Hoe's clearly
Susanna Hoe
uitb Duantnu Hongliculg, Beiiing, 1995
December 1996 TllE
CoRRXSPoNIIENT
I I
On the wall Photographs by Stephen Shaver p I
nrrograpirer stephen shaver coveredtheRennie,sMillprotest
when the government took the decision to evict residents from the old Taiwanese enclave. Shaver was also present during
the Daiol-u Islands incident which resulted in the death of protest organiser and leader, David Chan.
Stephen Shaver's photographs from these two disparate but none the Iess tragic events are currently on display in the Main Bar of the Club.
@ Photographs reproduced by
Colorsix Clocktuße: Dauíd. Cban eefi) figbxþr lris tfe; Ihe deatb ofþrotester Døaid Clsan íronicalþ brouglrt Tl¡ß Rennìe's Mill res¡dent's E)es say it all; Police u.titbd.reut to calnx emotions rmdþreuent A þrotester and resídent of Renníe,s MíU.
AJapanese
journarßt
Lùbo
¿,
ca.hn to ttre rtßþuted
ßktn^;
Wury;
ß løuncL¡ed ínto ríot þolice;
Dauíd cban suspected of being a
bettueen þarameclics and the protest sbiþ's cetþtaín
sp1t, acted as ri,ìson in an efort to scrue ch6tn
il THE CORRXSP0N|IENI December 1996
FCC takes second place
in Biangkok tournament
Døuid Gilltooþ off tlre tee
Renewal of memberships lor 1997 Subscrþtions lor 1997 will be HK$500 which I think compares favourably with other societies. 'We
I
plan to have at least 10 'local' games in 1997 of which four will be at Kau Sai Chau and the balance at a variety of other courses in Hong Kong, Macau and China. There will also hopefully
Murray Burton drinks froru tlre BOC cuþ uLticL¡ he won he FCC Golf Society came second
our 5th consecutive second place) was
overall in the annual golf
that they were better players than us.
tournament played over three days in Thailandin November. Firstplacewent to the other competitor, the Crown Royal Golfing Society of Thailand. The
However, that did not stop them resorting to some dirty tactics. A lot of trouble was caused by the traditional 'Thai' meal that was hosted for us on the first evening, a steak and kidney pie dinner with lashings of gral,y. The Thai chef could hardly be blamed for
format ofthe eventwas ateam scramble on day one (played at NaturalParkHill), an individual Stableford (played at Siam Country Club) on the second day, and a
two man better-ball (played
at Noble
Place) on the final day.
Points were accumulated during the tournament and our second place
spot was never seriously threatened
not knowing that this is traditionally a dish served at least warm and that it is quite common in Europe for the pastry to be cooked as well. Some of the bushes on the 5th hole at Natural Park should soon be
by the competition. As always, the
sprouting luxuriant growths due to
organisation was seamless (courtesy of Mike Howard andNiftyNicholson) and the Cadsberg and jokes flowed in
Murray Burton's urgent contribution of nutrients the next day. However, this slight setback did not stop Murray from winning the individual Bangkok Overseas Challenge trophy with a marvellous 39 points.
traditional torrents. The general conclusion at the post mortem as to why gold eluded us yet again ( it was
be the normal oYerseas tours plus a trip to Guam that is being planned for eady in the new year. If any existing members have changed their address or contact details please let me know if you haven't
-
aheady received a fax regarding membership renewal and the issue of new cards for 1997 then it means that the details I have foryou are not coffect. New members of any ability are most welcome. By the time you read this we will have made our first visit to the public course at Kau Sai Chau. There is another game scheduled for Tuesday, lanuary 21, agatn atKau Sai Chau, only this time on the daunting North course. Getyour entries in now. It should be a gteat day.
Julian Walsh Secretary FCC
GS
December 1996 lÃ0, GoRRXSPoillllNT
E@
1
FCC
book launch pafiy
The Foreign Correspondents' Club of Hong Kong
Eyewitness on As¡q Up to i 997 ond Beyond 240 x 300mm, 224 poges (full colour ond duotone) Hordcover (linen bound) 'l
997 is on unique onthology of reportoge ond insight, on qlmonoc of wor ond remembronce, but olso o look qt times to come, os well qs o reference book for those who qre interested in iournolism ond the mediq of Hong Kong. lt will be volued os on essentiol tool for everyone reporting on the historic events thqt will chonge Hong Kong ond The FCC Book
Chino. Distinguished writers debote the future of our profession, os well qs different ospects of Chino qnd Asiqn politics. The best photogrophers offer their imoges of Asiq. Eyewitness on Asio will be q voluoble gift for everyone who is interested in next yeor's chonges. The book deols with oll ospects of the FCC, the enterTqining ond the serious ones; storting with Chungking, the move to Shonghoi qnd then to Hong Kong; stories, onecdotes, essoys ond clippings, oll interwoven with the history of modern Chino ond the rise qnd success of Hong Kong. A foscinoting reod, o feqst for the eyes is promised. The book will be ovoiloble only through the FCC. The price per copy is HKD 3ó8.00.
S
È
5UBãERIEE NOW TO RE5ERVE YOUR OWN PIEEE OF H',TORY ANI' SAVE
s Õ
PO%O 77)e
Þr'od.uct¡on
tean
]-/_ _ MaiI gour order now Faxio + 852-2868 4092 Pleose chorge the omount
to The Foreign Correspondents'Club,2 LowerAlbert Rood Hong Kong or
of HKD
tr membership occount tr Moster Cord tr Visq cord
no.
þ
Ê
No.
*È
ct
Dote of expiry:
tr I will collect the book(s) ot the FCC E Pleose send to (pocking ond moiling HKD 45.00 for one copy, odditionol
Tbe gouernor, Cbrß Patten receiues a Çree) copy of tbe book from John Giønninl. Stefan Reísner looks on.
to
postoge
Nome
Signoture
Tiger seems impressed
Van Es Øa.tcbes tbe GouemoÌ slgn a copy
December 1996 TÅ0,
CORRXSP0IIDENI
David T.K.'\Yong launches lfong Kong Stories
Oldie but goodie Louis Thomas completed this year's Trailwalker. At 61, Louis was the oldest among the 1,400 competitors that took part in the charity walk.
Despite being due at a major civil service function at the same time on the same night, acting governor Anson Chan found tirne to pop into the Club to congratulate old friend and colleague David T.K. Wong on his latest literary achievement. Hong Kong Stories is a collection of fiction that finally gets awayfrom the stereotypical 'triads, t¡'phoons and cheongsams, school of writing and looks at modern Hong Kong life as it is
C'olden wedding
really lived.
(Left to rigbt)
Nuri Vitt¿tchi a.ncl Chailes
Weatberill @CC tr[embers)
ù
c
F s Mr and Mrs Anthony Lawrence
recently celebrated their 5oth (Left to riglrt) Dauicl T. K. Wottg
wedding anniversary. ctrxd
[ianna (Cltairntan Pttblic Seruices
Hilicler
(LeÍt to l"igbt) Kittjt
W671g
(DTK's Wife), Atxs()n Cban ¿md Dct.uicl T.K.
Col11llxission)
Guam Island Food Fiesta winner Ms Lola Linker, Club member and former T\lB presenter, was the lucþ winner of the Guam Islancl Food lucþ draw, leceiving a trip for two to Guam, flying continental Micronesia and staying at the pacific Islands Club. The drawwas made by Club manager-, Bob Sanders andpresented bysponsors, DougFiesta
las King of the Guam Visitors Bureau ancl Johnny Wan of Continental Micronesia. The Pacific Islands Club of Guam was
Vernon Ram turns 70 A 70th birthday celebration for Vernon Ram, hosted by friends, M.P. Gopalan and K.K. Chada, was held in the Hughes room on November 28. Anthony Lawrence
proposed a heart-felt toast to Vernon "he's younger than I am".
the third principal sponsor of the month long promotion, which was launched in October with the Guam Island Fiesta Evening in the Club's main dining room.
as
(Lelt to rígbt) Roger Medca$ Veflton, Bíll Knigltt nnd. Brian Cutbbertson
The evening featured the exotic islan<l fare
of chef Ronnie Guillermo and the pacific Islands Club Fantasy Dancers.
Other sponsors providing spots ancl nightlife tours were Sanclcastles, Guam Tropical Dive Station, Bien Biahi sports fishing charters and Leo Palace Golf and Country Club. Ms Angela Ho won the Island Fiesta evening's grand prize, also a trip to Guam for two.
(LeÍt to rigbt) Bob Stmders, Douglas King, Iota Linker,./oltnny Wan
Forntet" Corresþondel,tt rrxen, Petet. and Sítltr¡t.t Ttttiston Dauies utith Nicolct Niglctingale, the
Artbur Hacker ancl Lan? Allen
Cord.ìngle1 Oíght)
Bob and Iuy Dauis congratulctte Ventc¡t't
proof-reacl.er.
THE CORRXSP0NIIDNT Decembe¡ 1996 Decer.nber
1
FCC members'
table at this year's Macau Grand Prix
New members
---'l
()orrc
sl><>rrcl
ent Àzlerrrt>ers
Mike Chinoy
Aun Koh
Matthew Flynn
Patrick Dransfield
Tricia Caithness
A:filîi;ïx#i*i:ï*; (Manhattan)
would like to swap apartments with someone in Hong l(ong for the month of February. The Fourth Estate couple will be here researching an artÍcle and reckon it is the perfect opportunity for anyone who would like a rent-free stay in the Big
Apple,
Qeft to rìgbt) Aira Fernanelo, AndJ, Cliluorou)sk!, An¡ta Rooke, tbe Macøu Canídtome's Bríatl Murþh1,, Warren Ru)ke, L.)'t'ttl Grebstad (stand¿nÐ , Terry Duckhant ancl Torryt Neddennan.
Lloyd's Asia
Irw
Asia
& Pmctice
Fü
East Trade Press
Ass<>ci¿tte À4errr t>ers Eugene Galbraith
Roderick Wu
Alexander Wong
Andy Chworowsþ
Paul Har¡is
Banister
lfindy City Int'l Ltd
Gilt Chambe6
Contact Çael Çreene TeI: (212) 799-3073 Fax: (21Ð 799-1174 E-mail:
7
4627 .210@compuserye,com HG Asia Ltd.
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December
1996 fHE
CoRRXSPoiltt[NT
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A montbly portrøùt of FCC ùrceþløceøbles llowever Good You fue, You Can D0 Better ,,,
Vernon Ram Member since: Profession:
Club's heyday at Hongkong Hilton, now defunct Younger than Clare Hollingworth 'Wordsmith
Nationality: Least likely to say: Most likely to say:
Indian All work and no pay! If the hat fits, flaunt it.
Age:
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