The Correspondent, December 1997

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Decer.nber 1997 TÃl' CORRESPOilIIEIIT

IN COS WC TRUsT æ

To the editor From Anthony Paul

competitive market. The fact that the

I qras on a month's assignment in Austlalia q4ren Steven Knipp's article

aI¡ovt Asia

Inc appeared in

The

Corresþot'tdent, and readthe item some

Bill Mellor's follou- up letter'(Octobel issue) did a good job of pointing or-rt tl-rat the piece reflected a failed freelance conttibutor''s rnalice, compor-rndecl by ignolance. My first reaction \&-as to lea'u'e the matter to u,'eeks later.

Bill's letter, and not to dignify the eponvmoLrs Knipp with a response.

Hol-ever', I then found Visu..a Nathan,

nagazine now- has several large

demonstrated to the Laos government

Thai entlepreneul able to bleak or-rt of the confines of the Tl-rai-Lao language and play in a

Asia Inc ahead ofthe industrial average.

Despite the obvious aclvantage the Asian \Wall StreetJoulnal has in nsing

of copy generated in New York, that publication took, I believe, 77 years to bleak et en. In f977, its second year, Asiaweek was abollt to rlln oLÌt of financial backing vast amollnts

as

p1'oprietors. Becalrse

that that company shoulcl invest in it.

RDA held a rnajolity ìnterest for about eight yeals. (During drat tin-ie I s''rote a colun'in, Ro\ring Report, fol Asiau,eek ¿rnc1 coveled the VietnameseCambodian andAfglian wals, the Tl-rai insurgency, and various otl-rer regional

of

recent

constraint, but pelhaps it's

tile

to

n'eigh in.

Tlie first point to acldress is the infelence tha t Asia Inchas suspended pr-rblication because it failed to bleak even Tl-ris r-r-ia1. be disposed of qtrickly: Asict Inc lias not suspended pr-rblication, and it u,as not expectecl to bleak even before 1999 at the ealliest. Tl're n-rost recent Lancl rnodel

(a computer simulation of future

publisl iing prospects p1'oduced earlier' this year) showed tl'rat break-even was indeecl possible llvo yeals from norn'if certain l-iigh overheads - rent on the

expensive office in Holly.wood Road, fol exarlrple - were redtced. Asía Inc was not meetinÉl its bills in June because its ploprietor in Bangkok had

in rnuch larger publishing

most new pr,rblications do. As some

older- club rlembers are au,'are, it was rescued after I convinced tlie Reader's Digest Association's CEO in New York

stof ies

for the ner¡,sweekly.

tùØhen a

col'pofate coup ren-ioved my cEo rnate fi'orl office, n-iany of his diversifications q,eLe teLrninated, and Asiaweek was sold to Time Inc. It finally broke even

in its 12th year.

Another over'looked point aboLlt Asia, It'tc.is its l'athel'cornplex original

plu'pose. Of course, profit nras a considelation, br-tt the pt'oplietor-, Sonclhi Lirntl-rongkul, had another, more irlmediate task, whÌcl-r tl-ie rnagazine fulfilled forhin several yeals ago. The Asia Incproject s/2ts palt of a

w'htIe Asict ltzcstill neecled sr:bsidy. As

ratl'rel elabolate br-tsiness plan devised

by Sondhi. This plan was only partiaily successfr,rl, br-rt justified expencliture on the ::nagazine.

tlle Asiøn Wctll Sh"eet JoLn"tTal, not a Fliencl of Asia lr¿c's, r'ecently noted, the r-nagazine ovel'the past fi"'e yeat's

Sondi'ri had his eye on the two slots in the geostationaly orbital arc reseLrred to Laos by the Intelnational

Iiacl acquirecl zr niche

Telecorimunications Union By

invested

anci satellite projects tliat had failed to

pay off, and had

llÌn out of rnoney

in a very

THI C0RRf,SPONDf,NT Decenl¡er' 1997

that

/'@

Sondhi

investors enthusiastically courrting it srrlely speaks lol itsell.

Break-even in u.4rat wor-rlcl be its seventh year of publishing woulcl pr-rt

n'lio I tliought n'iigl'rt knou.something about publisl-ring, pratding on in a thoroughll. palanoid manner abor,tt Caucasian plots against Asian developn-rents I mlrsts¡f ite nnderson-ie

fonnding Asia lrtc i-re u,'as a

rrl <irrron\\.*rj, /

nn"*

"-"ìt

\./

legional media arena in w-hicl-r English was the lingua franca.

Sondhi's othel major Englishlangtrage publication, Asia Times, q'as, in addition to its r-ole as a regional nes.spaper, the beginnings

of a daily delivery systen for satellite-TV

lf c'.r,,',\

p1'oÍ11'a1rrmes.

Sondhi's plan was blilliant and it patly vu'orked. The Lao gave his satellite-TV and Intel'net ploject, Asia Broaclcast Commnnications Netwolk (ABCN), a 3j-year lease to theil slots.

He was planningto take ABCN to \7all

Street last September', br¡t his suppolting banks and finance companies in Bangkok began to feel the strains of which Thailand ancl the legion aLe noq, well aw-are, and all his

VentLlres began

to rLrn oLlt of

I al

."r;

-.:å .\ ra

É(.15

/

1lìo1lìentu1Tt.

Asia Inc then went tl-rrough

a

peliod u,-hich, vieq¡ed fi'om Bangkok, u'as qr-rite bizane. Sondhi is a goocl friend of rnine - we've knou.'n each other for about 20 yeal's - bLlt it has to be said tl-rat infr,r11entrepreneurial flight

he is sorletimes, for want of a better' phlase, a few satang short of a baht.

He appointed a chief operating officer - a man whom we ma)/ describe as

different. By the new COO's own accolÌnt, he was a forlrtel Mossad officer, the fifst person to cliagnose Michael Milken as a paranoid schizophrenic, the former de factcr secl'etary of state of General Manr-rel Noliega's Panama, and a foruer senior adviser to President Boris Yeltsin. I'm snre there were other (cottïit'tued

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Canoil

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WORLD'S

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CAMERA MANUFACTURER _ THE BRAND TO TRUST

a1l ar-rtl-ioritarian regimes, For Bunna. he saicl. ''ù'e think the). shor-lld

for

be isolatecl." And Cambodia'i '\''e thrr-rk thel- ale sltsceptible as weli.'

Ar-rd as

Freed Wei rrl.ray have to stand alone in US J lirs g,ot tlre nen s in a Sundai' Lno,nìng phone call. r'lrile still

"It's probably \\,'orse than in the Deng Xiaoping era."

sl-raking off the cobu'ebs flon-i a particularly boozy late-night session

China's

at \¡isaÉae ancl

LeJaldin tl're night before.

It t'as Liz Sl¡', ¡1t. Beijing bulear-r chief for tlie Cbicago Tt"ibune, q'ho u,as in ton'n fol tlre n cekend.

'I

harre to ask you a favour," Liz

said. "Do you have the cor.rrage to stand alone?"

"Uh, 'V¡h)' clo

I think so...' I

stalnmered.

yor-r ask?"

Becanse

I

need it, and

I

It u.on't be easy fol

leadership - or for those w'ho believe that quiet diplomacy and commercial engagement is the u.a), to bring political refonn to tl-re mainland - to easily dismiss \ØeiJingsheng, udro nou, has a platfolm in America to continue his or-rtspoken advocacy. Bnt at the same time, \X/ei's release, signalled ear'ly by

a Chinese leadership anxious for a successfr-rl Clinton-Jiang summit, will

v'as

revive an interesting qLrestion: 1s'ù(/ei's

l]oping )/ou had it and could l-relp n1e

freedom a r¡ictory for the policy of

u.itl'r son'rething."

constlnctirze engagement?

M), mind raced u'itl-i

the

Accor:ding to reports from the

possibilities, all of them bad. I{adLiz been fired? Decided to go freelance and v'as asking fol advice? Then it

to the \øhite House u'ell before the

dawned on hel that m1: mind was

and as a result, Clinton deliberately

wandering in tl'ie q'rong direction.

Wasbinglott Post, China telegraphed sr-rn-urit tl-rat

rW

ei was set to be fi'eed

she said. "\üelJingsheng v.as jlrst freed. ancl I need to find

avoided rnentioning hin-r by narne during the trt¡o plesidents' joint neu,s confelence. As one official said, it

lris book, 7'be Cotrage to STancl Alone."

r¡,or-rld harre

"The

book!'

Thus I learned that China had fi'eed its l'rlost prolrlinent political prisoner', allolving hir-r to fl)r to tl-re United States for n-redical treatment (to Detroit, I can say with the civic plide of a l'rorlegrov.'n Detroiter) only q.eeks after President Jiang Zemin's snccessfnl \ñ'hite House summlt. And once on US soil, 'ù7ei imn-iediately signalled l'ris intention to take up the

lole as China's most prominent dissident-in-exile: a nev'and articulate i'oice fol democracy and I'ruman rights on the mainland lvho u'i1l provide a sharp counterpoint to those arguing tl-rat Cl-iina's hunan riglìts situation is ir-nproving as the coLrntС progresses

economicall)r and becones n-iole pfospel'oLls. '

It's exactl)'tl-re opposite,"

in an ínten'iew

l'ith

\íei said

Tinte rnagazine.

been " countel'prodr-rctirre

"

to "rr-rb theil faces in it", and Clinton instead opted for quiet persr,tasion an-ay floni the telelision calììeras.

Scole one lor constlLrcl.ive engagement.

But if thele's a problem u.ith tl-re constructive engagement strategy, it is tl-iat it is not applied evenl). in all circumstances to all cottntries, I'n-t thinking specificallyhele of tu.o places

close-by, Burrna (nov" called

Myann'raÐ and Cambodia. Sl-rortly after' the handover at the end ofJune, I t'as

down in Kuala Lr-rrnpur u'atching Btuma being folrnally installed as Asean's neq¡est rnetliber. The rationale, as pLlt to me bY a senior Asean diplomat present, \^/as not that the assorted Southeast Asians r¡'et'e s)¡lrlpathetic to the junta in Rangoon.

Ratl-ier', they thougl'rt tlie best \\¡ay to

reforrn Burn'ia's n'iilitary rlllel's $¡as to engage theÍn in the fegional system, expose them to the more open and

affluent countries of Asean, ancl gladually convince them to change

fol Beijing.

pressr.ll'e o11 China, might find hilr-rself

expressions

a loneliel voice in exile than lie et'eL s-as in prison. He lnal'r'eali1, need tl'ie coLrrage to stand alone

contribr-rted.

str-rdent-led pro-deuocraq¡ protests and replacecl longtime stt'ongman Ne

)':'<:¡+:::'*:i:;::'

After:Jr,r11"s

u'l-ro

Ancl jr-rst a final update on the n'iembersl-rip drive :'$Øe al'e now at 1,486

Br-rrns saicl. 'China

' is iLlst too big to be ignored Tfiat leminded tle of another co11llrent I got fi'om a senior US cliplomat ir-r Rangoon back in 1989, aftel the regime liad crushed tl're

of thanks fol all

bloody caLrp in Irhnom

Penh, dozens of Cambodian journalists iclentifiecl as opposing Hr-tn Sen ol closell'linked to or-rstecl prernier Norodom Ranar'lddh were forcecl to

rlembers, cotlpared rvith 1,407 u'e lrad inJanLLarv - a wlropping incrcase ol-9 nen nlerttlrets tlris year'. even as u,e lost dozens of oldel meubers as a restilt of the handor.er and longtime

residents leai'lng the SAR. Ottt'

V'in v'ith the .shadoul' State Laur and

flee into exile in Tliailand. When we at the Foreign Correspondents' Club

Oldel Restoration Colìncil. I asked

became as¡are of tlieir pligl-rt, \,'e took

continuing MEMBERS GET MEMBERS drive is pror.ing successful, bttt we

up a collection from ottr rlembet's and agreed to match the fr-rnds u,e

this calendar )¡ear, so q,'e can say \\'e

the cliplon'iat the reason fot'America's 1-rear1-þ¿¡¿.d sanctions approacl-r on

Br,rrna,

vùen

other', equally brutal

legines (i.e \igeria) r.ere let off more 1ig1rtl1'.

sl'iould

ain to top

1,507 b). the end of

gathered from our o\^/n tl'easllry.

added 100 neq, rnernbers in

I'm happy to leport that the sLrpport from tlerlbers s/as tlemendous. -ùíe gathered r,rp

hanclover yeal.

tl-ris

Tl'ris is a plea to everyone: let's keep it up, ancl redouble our efforts to find and lecruit suitable new. citlb members. 'We on the Board have

tÌ'reil ways.

On Camboclia, folloq,ing Second Plirne Ministel Hun Sen's bloodl.Jr-rly

He replied to rr-re, in a mot'nent of r-rndiplomatic candor-tr', "In Bttrma, u'e

coup, there s¡as a similal division, tlrough not as prononnced, that emelged at the Asean meeting. Sorlie colrntries, like Japan and Austlalia, opted to stay engaged econordcally q'ith Hun Sen's regirne, v'hile the US u.as plessing for- a ha¡der line sanctions and con'rplete isolation until tlie coup q'as levelsed.

I posed the question to Nicholas Burns, then tl're State Depaltrlent spokesrlan u'ho qras trar¡elling witl-i Madeleine Albligl-rt on her r-naiden

principles,"

lnoney to tsangkok and pelsonally

embarked on a nttmber of neu'

marketing

consistencl' u'as a hallmark of foreign

clelivered it to the IX4MF, the Inclochina Media Men'iorial Fund, n'l'iich is the

as China retnains the

agency l'relping the Cambodians

additions to the Club

n-orld's largest malketplace ancl an ernelgirg econotrric powerhouse, look

stranded in tsangkok and on the Thai l¡older. IMMF r¡'ill disperse the money in monthl), instalments-q'hich makes

local colleagues in the Hong Kong press corps. BLlt we need Your helP,

it

MEMtsERS GET MEMBERS!

joulney to an Asean legional meeting.

Hoq', I asked Br-rlns, can the US justify it's "constructi\/e enÉlagement" u,itl-r China, q'hile rt llre sanre time cliticise

its Asian allies that adopt the same policy tou,ards Burma and Cambodia?

Even bloader', hou' can we apply economic sanctions and an embargo on a place like Cuba, q'hile at the same

tillle celebrxle a neq'stlalegic partnership u.'ith Beijing? Doesn't that alnollnt to sonething like a doublestandald?

Bulns didn't miss a beat. "'S7e cannot have a generic poiicl'that fits all countries worldwide on this isstte."

he leplied. "Yott can't har.e an econorlic embargo agaínst all alrthoritarian regimes." Refelring to Fidel Castlo, Br-rrns said, "'ùØe tl'rink Cuba is susceptible to an economic embargo. "'W'e

don't have a one-size-fits-all

policy," Bulns said. "\7e think itwor¡ld be illogical to have a sanctions policy

have the h-rxr-uy of liying up to ollr

Okay. so no one ever said

polici'. As long

"constn-tctive engagerlent" and "commercial diplomacy," not l-ìuman lights cor-icerns, to define the outside u'orld's lelationsl-rip to China.

Ar-rd V'ei. q'ho has been algr,ring

for

his l'ecent plesi interr.ieu's for more econor-nic as l'ell as political ir-r

HK$8,;20 in donations, and matched it for a total of HK$ 17 ,020. I took the

easier for tlonitoring - and u'ill report back to us periodically n itll ilo¡¡'the ftrnds are being used.

I think s/e as a Club shor,rld feel proud of this effort. And the

g1'oups

stf ategies

targeting specific

we tl-rink rnight make good

-

stalting $/ith

or-rr

because, as the carrrpaign sal's.

Keítb Ricbbtu'g

Cambodian jotunalists have sent back

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GORRf,SP0NIIEI{T

TO the editOf of

accon'rplisl-iments

n'.hicl-r

I'r-r-l

LÌna\\rafe

Presr,rn-iably

in the hope

conr.-incing Sonclhi

of his

of

r,ah-re, lie

institutecl a policl. of pr"rblicly cliscrediting anyone u4to hacl gone

before him, even though this q.'as cleally trt Asia Zzc's cletrin-ient ill tl-ìe rralketplace. The magazine's title u¡as

to be chanp¡ecl, then not chztngecl. It $'as to appeal' as a u,'eekly, then a foltniglitly, then a weekly again. As is nou. r.ell knoü..n, there wasn't enough ruone) to keep it going e\en as a monthly. Tl-re only lesr-rlt of this tholougl-rly wasted )-ear ü.ras the den-iolalisation of a fine editorial staff

-

one n'hich l-ras,

I

sr-rspect, rather journalism an'arcl.s to its cledit

Nevefiheless, I sr,rspect that a Main Bal clique, ritr-rally rnuttering into rather' too n-inch beer about l-iou'everytl-ring sl-ioulcl be done, but never actr-rally cloi'rg it, will eventually lincl tl-rat ti-rey r,'ill liave Sonclhi to kick ¿rLouncl some more. \íhenl'iis sale ofABCNto anothel' Tlrai telecorn cornpan) is cornpletecl nexL yeel, nrl lolrrrel clrailrrr'.rtshoulcl be left with nore than enough to pay all outstancling bills and to retLun to neq. rleclia \/entLu'es.

From Ed Peters Yes. Yes. Yes.

\ùØe

all knou'that

one of the best anaÉ1l'allls of Foreign Collespondents' Ch-rb is "Obscene

- and the clriving off of some increasingly bewildeled

Coln rpting Foncllel's". But, taking sorne friends ( sonie ler rra le. son re lipe. sorne a clelicious fi,rsion of the two) into the Main Bar late one Saturclay evening I

aclrtertisel's.

\\¡as appallecl at the chat-up lir-res of

That Asia lzc surr.ived all this and continr,res to publish is a triblÌte tr¡ its hold on that niclie it fotrnd, the professionalisn-i of its staff, and the

son-ie of the

rlole

than its critics

superb leadership in adver-sit1. lecently clemonstrated by eclitor'-irt-

chiei Bill Mellol zincl pr-rblisliel Anne Linr. I'l-n nolv with a rival magazine, bnt I wish Asia Inc the ver'1. best of luck

as it

leacl'res for' 1999. À{eann'hile,

it might be more appropriate for the clr-rb and Tbe Corresþondent to slrpport this endeavoLlr than to print fol the benefit of lival ad salesmen a clisglr-rntled tl'eelancer''s n-ia1icìor-rs nonsense

V,'hen Sondl-ri lzrst spoke to the FCC (in f)ecernbel 1995),he lefen'ecl

to his

amzrzement

at his

recent

expelience of "tivo difficult-to-explain phenorlena: the incredible pessimisn'i

often qnite mean-spirited - witl-r u,hich fellow-jor,rrnalists greet neu,' pr-rblications; ancl the extlaoldinary

-

lack of bzrsic knou4eclge of pr-rblishing ivhich so many' jor-rrnalists demonstrate rvhen they repol't on der.elopments in theil orvn inc[rstry" Recent is.sues of Tbe Correspot'tclentltave given him no reason to change

point

l-ris

mind abor,rt either

Asia' s fin atrcial crisis

(cor.rtirrect¡ì-ort pctse 2)

llore senior mer-nbers of

rhe Clowsfeet Tlibe w'hich chrstel-in dre environs at sllch times

For exanple: "Girnme telepl-rone numbel",

"'ù71-rat

yor,rr'

a tiglìt T-

sl-rirt" and "I'rr \/e1y famous". Coulcl I sr.rgÉlest that sollie giftecl ancl charitably inclinecl FCC inmates (Steve "Divine"

Vines,

Steve "Pygm)," Knipp) pLÌt together a list of "Apploacl-res for the 90s" fol the sakes of theil less err-rdite

bletliren ancl the club's par-rnchJike repLrtation?

From RJ. Mills-Owens So Tung Cheeìu'a thought

it more in'rportant to attend a scoLlt jzrmboree

l'athel'than honour people u'lio clied fol Flong Kong inclucling himself ancl l-ris family.

MrTungis a fine man and probably

the best of a n'iediocre bunch of car-rclidates for the position of Chief Execlrtive. However, he is eitl'rer illaclvised or his priorities ale n'arped.

Rerlembrance Day is to honour the people who paid the r-rltirnate price by giving their lir.'es in tlie clefence of Hong Kong. They inch-rdecl Chinese ancl Porttrgr-rese people and also those of otl-iel' nationalities.

we borrowed too much

One can therefole onl1, sympathise with Mr Tung if he is incapable of unclerstancling and

Tlle markets cor-rtinue to t>e irì tLrrrrroil. rJÇZl-rat l-ras precipitated tkris crisis? \Øhere are s/e headed? Tl-rese questions q/ere addressed by tuzo leadin5¡ cc)llrrrrentators at a Club Lr-rnch

appreciatingthatto honourtlie people q.ho diecl in the car-rse of fi'eedorn is lrlor-e s/olthy of his time than to romp al'ound with boy scouts.

Nevertheless, I will continLle to ask for guiclance

forMrTung

at

Sunday

prayers, as he obvionsly neecls it

From Doug Roots On lear.in€l hospital after my most recent jolrsts,.ith cancer, I qras cheeled by tu,o iter¡s in the July issue of Iåe

Corresþortclent. Firstly, the richly

desen.ed Honolary Life Membelsl-rip awardecl to Tiger - sulely one of the best ancl rnost loyal ser\¡ants any club in Hong Kong (or any.where else) has

Letterc to tbe eclitor cnc always

ruin ltotuself a bc¡ttle ¿¿¿lç6¡1xs of Stolicbnaltct.for an oñgirtøl or

lefter-

but ue rcserue tbe rigltt to ed.it.l'or clcuitlt or.f67" re;tsot'ts of sþace.

Unfofiunately the investrnent is usually cl iannelled to the unproductive sectol's of society like properry.

picture, although both agree that it q,ill take two to three years for Asian

property as unproductive. Propelty is

than comment on the

commentators, the following are their

edited speecl-ies.

Miron Mishkat Asia has taken bets over a long period of tir-ne, say 10years, borLou,ed,

invested 1-reavily and somewhat

I

'\)(/'e

are at the end of an investment cycle that started in the mid-8Os and endecl in the mid-9Os. sr-rccessfully.

1

arotrnd 10 years (or eight or 12).

of lndosuez rùØ.I Carl Securities HK. Both speakers paint a f airly gloomy

Ratl-ier

pr-rblicly, in a weekly column of Tbe Tintes, w-hat Kevin [Sinclair'] did so bravely, as privately as s/as possible,

ST(lLICHNAYA

investment that normally extends to

clid take tu¡o to tango.

John f)iamond, q,.ho is doing

@

invests, then tl-iere is a momentlun to

managing director and chief econornist for Asia at Lehman Bros, andJolin Mulcahy, managing dilector

have borrowed. The pointbeingthat it

Sliatin Hills knows of a British w-riter,

nearly a decade ago - getting on with his life as a journalist, while suffeling throat cancer. I am sr-rre I cannot be the only men'rbel of the Club q,ho has not benefited hugely

by Ker.in's gallant exan-iple ancl wonld like to take tl'ris opportLulity to thank him for it.

he speakers were NIilon Mishkat,

econornies to reco\¡er through exportled growth, tl-rrough tough financial l'estrllctLlrinÉl and der.alued cu rrencies - something like China has been doing successfully over the past few years.

One point John Mulcahy rnade r¡,as tl-rat the banks shouldn't have lent lroney and the bollowers shoulcl not

enjoved. Seconclly, the excellent photograph of, I think, \Øendy Richalclson on one of the handover' party nights on page 36 - lf I am n-iistaken, I apologise to the laclies concernecl and congratnlate then-l both, as well as tl-re photographer.

I clo not know if tl-re Sage of the

tuitt-y

:

There is nothing r-rnr-rsr-rally Asian about it. Japan has experienced sucl'i a cycle: it u.as booming in the 80s, it investecl

very heavily in the 80s and is suffering

In Asia it is difficult to think of

in the non-tradeable

goods sector. \X4'ren thele is too much investÍrìent directed into potentially slow growing sectors of the economy, then suffer the consequences.

Ittakes two orthreeyears to adjust,

Like in the rrrid-SOs qzith tl-re ;zen, tl-re dollar kras t>een clirnbing in the past fe.wz;zears taking Asian cl.lrrerìcies qzith it. So tl-rere l-ras been ar-r erosior-r of colTrpetitirzer-ress often needing the assistance from the outside - the IMF or Uncle Sam - to

adjr-rstment in the mid-8Os, and so maybe we will see another one now.

There is a sense of dejavu aboutit.

Now what is unique about this crisis -

uniquely Asian about it, despite my wolds earlier - Asia has overextended itself throLrgh heavy bolrowing.

There is amismatchbelween assets and liabilities. Borrowing from foreign

sources under the assumption that exchange rates would remain stable.

There is also a maturity mismatch.

I q,ill give an example: a chairman of a

Thai corporation decided to buy a helicopter for his pleasr.tre. \Øhy not?

Unfortunately this is a long-term asset, financed by the issuing of short-term bills.

Ln aggravating factor in

this

mismatch of currency maturity is the very real possibility these short-term foreign debts not being rolled over lhe root of lhe current currency crisis.

This would not have happened with growing exports and Asia's export growth has been very slow in recent years. Ifyou borrow and have a healthy revenue then yor-r arc okay.

Exports have ground to a halt or collapsed in some Asian countries. \{zhy? Like in the rnid-8Os with the yen, the dollar has been climbing in the past few years taking Asian currencies with it. So there has been

in the 90s.

The US had a shortel investment cycle - again investìng heavily in the

we

80s, then they experienced the Savings and Loan Association crisis in the early 90s, but recoveling since tl'ren. There are stories involving Scandinarrian and Frenci-r banks. So it is not necessarily a

IMF, there was a very severe

in the picture. China has gained

ad jrrslrnent in some Asian econornies.

Malaysia, for exarnple, took too long to recover from the excesses of the

with its massive devaluation of the

leflection of some Asian weakness or sonre Asian rnethod of opelation.

It is a common phenomenon: one

rescue their ailing economies. And here are.

In the mid-S0s when there was no

early 80s. This was not jLrst confined to Malaysia, it happened in Thailand and also in South Korea which blew u¡l in tl-re early 80s, had a major

an erosion of competitiveness.

China is also a macro-factor

competitiveness in the past fouryears yuan of 55 per cent in late 1993. Then China granted value-added tax rebates of 17 per cent to its exporters between

mid-95 and sometime tn'96, which provided fr-rrther stimulus to China's f)ecenrber 7991 TÃf,

CORRDSPOIì|IIENT

exports, along with product prices falling in the past two years by as much as 25 per cent. Add these percentages and you see wl'iy China has had such a massive growth in competiliveness. Somewhat at the

the bol'roq'el's shor-rld not

expense of Sor-rtheastAsia, aithough I wor-rldn't stress that too much.

conseqLrences. But that is the leality,

Japan's cul'rency and economy has weakened, so as a source of denrand, Japan has not played its

excl-iange rates s.'ould nevel change.

It

have

of enrrilonllent.

managing a business would actually bolrou, US dollars in a Tl-rai baht project

longel going to be available in Asia.

That is going to be the definition of

the

these markets for the next little while.

seerls,

and expect to sttrt.itre

The presun-rption \\;as that You cor-rld bolrow yen at L5-2 per cent and you could invest in projects tl-rat in local currency telns s'ere yielding 15-20 per cent. It was very easy to make those decisions q.ith

traditional role. It could be argued that Japanese exports are deflationary to tlìe rest of Asia.

An additional factor is that Asia's

out hedging the cr-rlrency.

Noq, the problem was the banks also fell into tl'iat trap and they also fr¡nded tl-iemselves in yen and dollals

export strLlcture has evolved from industries where prices wor-rid not fluctuale much - such as textiles, garments, footwear, plastics - to industries that arc cyclical in nature such as semi-conductors which can see prices rise and fall 80 per cent.

Asia has suffered a serious

ancl cl-reap n'ioney and lent in baht and lr,rpiahs and pesos w'ithout considering

the consequences. rü/hatwe have now is huge dollar and hald cr-trt'ency debt and inability of the borrowers to repay.

Tl're rest is going to be history.

Until such time as we stal't seeing,

deterioration of its tern'is of trade (ratio of export prices to irnport prices).

I feel there is a crisis of confidence regarding governments in Asia except Hong Kong and Singapore. The Asian

llletaphof ically, blood on the

st1'eets

u'e ha\re to see collapses, banks

usefulness. \Øhen I came to Asia, I used

closing,. propeil)' courpanies going to the q'all. The consequences of these actions u'ill have to be borne before

to speak wannly of the Asian form of

these lnarkets are really going to settle

government - corporatism.

Then it was fashionable to extol the vifiues of corporatisrn as against the

dou'n. I an not alluding to Hong Kong, l'rrr t:rlking aborrt tlre.region.

form of government has outlived iß

Anglo-Saxon style of fi'ee-market ,î economies. The close relationship s between government and business, coming toÉlether to work for the benefit of sociely.

Now', unfortunately,

for

many

Asian countries this form of corporatism has evoived into a form of cronyism. To some extent the financial crisis we face is the result of

too close a relationship between government and business, for the benefit of business ... and the benefit of some members of government, but not in the public or national interest.

There has been a contagion. It started in Thailand, but the virus had spread out to force a more level playing field in Asia markets. So now South Korea is undel pressure. Taiwan - with a relatively healthy economy - is under pressure. The markets are trying to create this level playing field.

Eventuallywe will recover. And the recovery will come from the export side. But it takes five to seven quarters

and Mit'on Mishkztt both.fourtcl lessons from Cbina's financial rcstructLuitxg

lor lower currency l'ates to move the export side of the economy. Now everyone has devalued. By the tirne this is overBrazilwill be as competitive as

Thailand.

Unfofir-rnately for Southeast Asian

countries, tl-ieir exports are not vely

price sensitive. Exports are not as sensitive to changes in the exchange rate as they are , for instance , inJapan.

Japan'.s exports have recovered witl-r a vengeance, clue to the appreciation

of the yen.

point in rr-rshing in and converting time deposits into equity exposLrre.

There was

a

very false signal which

is a good indicator: In July when Thailand I'rad suffeled a dramatic collapse of tl-ie currency and the index, all the indications shon'ed that this was a logical rnalket to pick up pieces.

It's since dropped 35per cent ìn dollar terms. So the obvìous signals are not always that obvious.

I think that the expelience over the past sevelal decades in Asia has

The fact is q'hen markets fall precipitousll'as tl'iey har.e in the past feq' nonths, it doesn't take u'eeks or rlonths to leco\/er that gror-rnd, it takes years It took Hong Kong mole tl'ian Nvo years to get back to pr-e-October'

'87 levels - a good indication of the kind of tirne it takes to recover. \ffe sl-rould be expecting that sot't of period of recupelation. I think the Asian nlalketsalest ill in inlensivecat'c.

There is no foinl ìn tJrrou ing rnoney

Thailand, for example, does not have the political will to implement the tough policies thal are requiled. It is

very encouraging that Indonesia has

a

continued with its determination to

property development and generate a 20 per cent retllrn on drat capital.

Tl-re collapse in the currencies

close tl'ie banks that have failed, despite

apply cheap loans, thlour them at

and the structural cl-ranges in the

econom)/ that are going to be bor-rgl-rt

abont as a result of the crisis will ultinately have winners and losers. \Øe ale Eloing to be hearing a lot mot'e

about the losers initially than we will about the q'innels.

I personally don't beliewe that tl-ìis is the end of tl-re line. It is the beginning of a l1es/ era qzhere genr-rir-re retlrrns on eqr-rity are going to l-ra-rze to l>e earned Br-tt

it is t1're genuine contrarian

inves[ors who ale going to be looking for those companies that n-right

r-rltimately

be beneficiaries of this

envilonment. And lhose contpanies are going to be the ones that have

challenges from one of the members

of the Suharto family. This is not a voluntary gestLlre, bltt one of the conditions of IMF fr-rnding: do it orwe cut off the money.

It's not going to be intelnational banks lookinÉa to see where they can drop some cheap money, but the IMF

gelting very tough on fiscal policy alound the region. That is not a vely comfoltable investment envilonment because a lot of companies will be going through restlucturing, a lot of markets are going to be recovering cledibility with international investot's fol sorne tirìle to comc.

I think Asia is now living with the hangover of its 21*' birthday party. \Øe are not going to have people patting r-rs on the head and saying there, there. \Øe are only going to get investment caprtal if retr-rrns are going to be avallable - and they will be available.

I think Asia will continue to be its own rnarket and the sectors that al-e likely to r-ecover ale the conslrmer sectol's: those cornpanies that have a dilect and clear line into tl'ie needs of their own consllmers. Asia has become

fanndlazy,SoutheastAsia panicularly.

The rest of Asia should take a leaf out

of

coincidence that China is perceived as the villain of the piece because of the

spoke to investol's Most were talking

prodr-rctivity gain ancl the improvement in t1-re con-rpetitive envírônnent.

risk prernium above US interest l'ates

Clearly u''hat China brought about, in its on'n rrniquely chaotic q'ay, ü as tlle econorl ic le.structr rring everyone is going to have to go throu€Jh in the next few years In other words, ¡¡et tl-re cull'ency clown to a reasonable level, get employment applied productively. It

conseqr-rences for the property market are now'evident - to what extent will not be known until at least the second qllarter next yeal'.

\íe hosted a conference in

abor-lt þe¡4r gor:ernn-tent policy

created a spending inr¡estment binge

and that decisions of the past\vere not

John Mulcahy

that has led to these dire consequences.

Solleone asked me u4tetl-rer this is a function ofstupid banks. The leality is the banks sl'ior-rldn't have lent and

necessarily bad decisions. Only one person €aot Lrp and told everyone about hou, his colrpany was going after

yet lìfted. Until it does lift there is no

beginning

of a nen'era q.here genuine returns on equity ale going tc¡ have to be earned.

Yon ale not going to be able to sinply

Singapor-e at rnùich 40 Singapore and Mala1..si¿¡ colllpany chief executives

them just yet. Br,rt what sort of

showing no signs of rising.

The state of denial in Asia has not

I pelsonally don't believe tl-iat this is the end of tl're 1ine. It is the

need is 40,000 - so fire the other'80,000.

That's reallyu,hat has to happen. Until companies leaÌly start taking that sort of action tl-ien we are not going to see our way clear.

portfolios can be prlt togethel--i

¿ìt

been one of relatively easy credit. Tl'rat cledit has become a lot easier in tlie

ol six years. And that has

The binge is or.el'. Easy credit is no

simply not logical for\Ør-rhan Steel to er-r-iploy 120,000 people, when all they

is

good ploducts, that pay close attention to their clrstomers, that can compete in ah-nost any circumstances.

Small Asian econottties may take longer', particularly with semiconductor and electronics prices

past five

one shor,rld be looking for in this kind

in hindsigl'rt, almost ludicrous that soneone

borrowed.

direction üras going to give ther-n

tl-re

opportLrnity to recovel'; hou' strllctllralh'they were in good shape;

cllstolrers. That

is tl-ie sot't of con-rpany

I don't think there is

any

China's book.

In Hong Kong, the market is going to pay the price of defending the curfency for some time to come.

The currency peg will remain and we see interest rates at a significant

wili

for some time to come.

The

Beþre ue went to press Jobn Mulcaby parted conxpan! wüb Inclosuez W.I. l)ecerrl¡er- 7991 TÃ0,

Can".

CORRXSP0ilIIEIIT

I@

of

Jeff Heselwood, one-titlre editor'

Tbe Correspondenl and publisher

of tl-re clitically acclaimed Motorsport

ntagazine. the l0th anniversary edition of which adorns the Club's walls, has had a close connection with the Macau Grand Prix since 1985.

"I arrived in Hong Kong in

Decen'iber' 1984," said Jeff, "just in time to miss that year's Grand Prix.

"I q,'ent along sirnply as

a

spectator the following Year and launched /4o t orsp ort M ac au tn 1,986."

This year Jeff was looking after the San Miguel Paul Stewart Racing tearn in a PR capacity, in conjunction with Jeff Mann's PR Partnership , as u'ell as colnlllentating for TVB Pearl.

Top inter-national photographer Neil Farrin is usually present on these

occasions but was mysteriously absent this year, while Hu van Es ("I aln'ays enjoyed Macau ...") was also

conspicuous by his absence.

However', the Club's photographic honor-rr was upheld

fr tTttr" 44th Macau Grand Plix helcl I lurt' month over a gloriously

{ aI È

P

The FCC takes on the Macarr Grand Prix Tkre À(a,cant Grancl Pri><, first hreld irt 1954, ll^as alvzalzs l-rad Clul> rnertrt>ers inrzol:red- 7þe (1<>rrespc>tzcietzt takes a look at tl-ris ¡/ear's everìt

sunny weekend with no hint of violence - except on the track of course - attractecl a nr-unber of Club members, some just to party, others to work in the serious business of 1noto1'racing.

The Grand Prix, first lield in7954,

has alu,'ays had Club members involved. \Øalther Nahrwas for many years the official starter, while'ùØendy

Hughes has also contlibuted, filst offering public relations services to the olganisels ancl then the Montagut

fashion tearn q4rich won in 1991 with current Mclaren-Mercedes Grand Prix driver, David Coulthard.

Now, Club mernber Stephanie de Kantzow runs the press office, ably assisted by a highly proficient tearl fi-orn PR Ph¡s.

Until recently Jerry and \Øendy Richardson ran the track office, efficiently distributing passes to competitors and tearns, as well as checking helmets and overalls for eligibility.

f

by Bob Davis

and Telly Duckhatl who were on l'iand to shoot anything that moved.

And rvith snch a heady cocktail of bikes, touring cars, single seatels and the inevitable attractive pron'rotional girl, tl'rele was no sholtage of actìon to captlrre on film Tony Nedderman was on hand to contribute to the social scene enjoying at his 33''r Macau Grand Prix. Tony rt as a drivel for'a nurnber of yeals and u,ottlcln't n-iind doing it all over again. Club members'\Xl'arren and Anita Rooke combined bttsiness with pleasure, partying at night and concentratin g on their Møc au Trauel Talk tabloid dr-rling the day. \Øarren and Anita live in Macau

ancl own Asian Artifacts, a boutique furnitule shop on Coloane, reached via the causeway from Taipa. Assisted

by Dar.id and Thea Baird, they took over publication of Macatt Tt"øuel Talk eadier this yealwhen thê Macau Tottrist Infolnation Burear-r closed its doors for goocl.

Meanwhile, tl're pinpoint accltracy of the timing necessary tl-rese days to ftrn an international motor race was the responsibility of the Unisys team,

with Richard "Sl-iorty" \Øeston in attendance. Sl-rorty has been closeiy associated with the Grand Prix for

Clockuise from top, Jeff Heselwood. in close; Steþhanie de Ka.ntzou 'off tbe record'; Bob Dauis andfan; 'Warren Roolee ancl Dauid Baird hard at tuork; Mr Actiott Asia, Robeñ Houstot't., took in bis first Macau Grancl Prix tbis year and is

gets

nou'ot comtnitted.fan

Photos by Terry & Aira Duckham, Bob Davis, .Ieff Heselwood & Robert Houston Decenrber 7991 TÃj' G0RRISPOilIIDI{T

THE FCC BOOK 1997. EYEWITNESS ON ASIA. UP TO 1997 AND BEYOND .248 PAGES .614 IMAGES . A COLLECTORS' ITEM 1ll:ìny )'eals, blrt also talces care of

othel' sp()rts ztlctnnd tl-ie region, inclucling golf, tennis ancì the Hong

Kong Invitatior-r Rngby Sevens "V'e ar-e tin-iing these c:rr.s to ¿r thousanclth of a seconci rl.,hereas 20 veal's âÉlo, a hzrncll-ielcl n'atch rr.'as all that u,'as neecled ancl the tirnes recol'clecl t()

illst ()ne clecrmal place,"

saic1

Shot'tv.

'I'r,e alu.ays enjoyecl NIacau but it's far'

rlore sophisticated these clays."

Some Clr-rb llìembers, inch,rcìing

\ù,'innie rù-hittaker, Paul Ba1'field, NIike

-4

Lund, Kevin Egan, got to the Gland Irrix in a mol-e excltic

v,'zty r,'ia

a

l

the annr-tal

H),att t\'I¿rc¿u-r Cup yacl-it r-¿rce None \\'as in the sih.er, br,rt it is one of the s.'a),'s to get thel'e, particLllarlv on snch ¿L sparklinglv clear'

mole pleasant

,l

$'eekend Tl-re

racing over the fonr davs u'as

as Slood

2r.s

ever', br,tt legr:ettably

pnnctr-rated bv numerolrs stoppaÉles due to accidents. Satluday's selies of

.CHRIS PATTEN BEARWITNESSTOTHE INTEGRITYOF PROMISES FOREWORD.BARRYGRINDROD FROM CHUNGKINGTO HONG KONG A CAPSULE HISTORYOFTHE FOBEIGN CORRESPONDENTS'CLUB.ALBERT RAVENHOLT/ASHLEY FORD REPRESENTINGA PROFESSION, NOT A MOB THE LAST SURVIVOR OF THE FCC FOUNDERS RECOUNTS THE CLUB'S EARLY YEARS. KEVIN SINCLAIR EDDIE TSENG: ONE oF THE FIBST TELEGRAMS FRoIV THE FRoNT LINE . DEREK DAVIS MEMORIES OF JOHN IC CNRRÉ THE FCC AND THE HONOURABLE SCHOOLBOY . SAUL LOCKHART THE FCC'S FINEST HOUR RESCUING A VIETNAN/ ESE JOURNALIST FROI\4 HONG KONG'S REFUGEE CAMPS . WALTER LOGAN MY EVENING WITH ZHOU ENLAI MAO TAI WITH THE REVOLUTIONARIES'AL KAFF PING.PONG DIPLOMACY WFIEN CHINA OPENED ITS DOORS. JAIV]ES MILES WHERE WE WEBE WRONG COVERING TIANANMEN SQUARE'KEITH B, RICHBUFG EMBRACING FOREIGN BABES C}-IINA WAFY OF CROSS-CULTUBAL DATING, BUT DELIGHTS IN TV SHOW'PETER SEIDLìTZ NO FUTURE, BUT QUITE HAPPY CHINA FEPORTING . KARIN MALIVISTROM FORKED LOGIC, TWISTED TONGUE ESSENTIAL JOURNO-SPEAK FOR GREATER CHINA HACKS . KARL WILSON JUI{K BAY THE KUOMINTANG WERE HEBE'PHILIP BOWRING TIMES OF TRANSITION FACING A RED-CHIP FUIURE . AFTHUR HACKER TAKING POSSESSION OF POSSESSION STREET THE CHALLENGE TO FIND POLITICALLY COFRECT STREET-NAI\i ES . HANS VRIENS A TALE OF TWO HONGS HONG KONG'S FIRST OPIUIV-TRADERS ABE HOSTAGES TO THE FUTUREAND PRISONERS OFTHE PAST.STEPHEN VINES JOURNALISM IN HONG KONG COLONIAL PRESS FREEDOMSTHOUGH LIIMITED WILLBE LOST. EMILY LAU 1997 - A QUESTION OF HONOUR HOW BRITAIN ISCHEATING HONG KONG'VAUDINE ENGLAND HONG KONG'S GANG OF FOUR WOMEN IN THE COLONY'S POLITICS.ANDREA KOPPEL HONG KONG JOURNALISTS AFTER'9T INTERVIEWWITH LU PING, DTRECTOR OF HONG KONG AND Iv4ACAU AFFAIRS OFFICE. MARTIN C.M. LEE SELF-CENSORSHIP lS THE SILENT ENEMY AND ANOTHER WORD FOFI FEAR . CLARE HOLLINGWOBTH FRONT LINE MY BAPTISN4 OF FIRE: OUTBREAK OF WORLD WAR ll 'ANTHONY LAWRENCE FROM OUR OWN CORERSPONDENT THE LONELINESS OF A LONG DISTANCE RADIO REPORTER'PETER ARNETT ENROUTE TO ASIA HOW I WALKED INTO JOURNATISIV1 . TIZIANO TERZANI A DEAFENING SILENCE SAIGON'S LAST DAY'JON SWAIN RIVER OF TIME CAMBODIAN DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES. JONATHAN SHARP DOTS, DASHES AND THE DAWN DIP SOIVIE OFTHE MODES AND WOES OF COMMUNICATIONS IN THE PRE-COÍVIPUTER AGE . SANDRA BURTON WATCHING MARCOS FALL THE GRAVITY OF HISTORY'RODNEY TASKER BRINGING DOWN A DICTATOHSHIPWATCHING THE GENERALS.TONY CLIFTONTODAY'SYOUNG JOURNALISTARE SO DAMN SERIOUSTHE LËGACY OFWOODWARD AND BERNSTEIN. PETER CHARLESWOFTH IN SEABCH OFTHE BIG PICTUREBEWAREOF PHOTO ÉDITORS WITH VISIONS. ERICH FOLLATH NOW IT IS OUR TURN INTERVIEW WITH MALAYSIA'S PRIME MINISTER MAHATHIFì MOHAIV]AD . PHILIP BOWRING PRESS FBEEDOM PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR IVIOUTH IS'RICHARD HORNIK THE LIMITS OF CONFUCIANISM WHAT ABE THESE ASIAN VALUES? . STUAFìT WOLFENDALE ASIA'S THRIVING MONARCHICAL BUSINESS WHEBE FAITH IS MORE THAN FANTASY. DAVID GARCIATHE FCC ON TOUR MISSTIBETAND ENLIGHTENMENT'THEY CAME. THEY SAW.THEY RECOLLECTED, A BAO CHI REUNION TWO DECADES ON . VAUDINE ENGLAND CONVERSATIONS BEHIND THE BAB THE SENIOR STAFF OF THE FCC ' FCC PHOTOS FROM THE FCC ARCHIVES ' EDDIE ADAMS 'JOSEPH BECK'JACK BIRNS PBESIDENTS . FCC GUESTS . FCC MEMBERS WERNER BISCHOF. LARRY BURROWS . ROBERT CAPA. PETER OHARLESWORTH . RAY CFìANBOUFNE'BOB DAVIS'GREG DAVIS' RICHARD DOBSON.TERRY DUCKHAM. HUGH VAN ES. JOHN GIANNINI'GREG GIRARD'GERHARD JOREN'KEES'STEVEN KNIPP'JAN LAMBERT.LEONG KATAI. ROBIN MOYER. ROBERT NG. BASIL PAO. DANTE PEFALTA. BOBERT PICCUS'KYOICHI SAWADA'STEPHEN SHAVER . DAVID THURSTON . C TILLYER . PETER TURNLEY. MICHAEL WOLF. EDWARD WONG PUBLISHED BY STEFAN REISNER & KAI RESCHKE. THE FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS,CLUB, 2 LOWER ALBERT ROAD, HONG KONG, PHONE +8522521 1511 FAX +852 2868 4092.. EDITED BY PAUL BAYFIELD, VAUDINE ENGLAND, SAUL LOCKHART AND HUBERT VAN ES

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wele killed in 1954 near Dien Bien Phu, w-hi1e Micl'iel Laurent diecl covering one of the last battles before the fall of Saigon on April 29, 1975.

On May 25, 7954, the first Amelican photographer was killed in Vietnam wl-rile covering French troops south of Hanoi. Robert Capa u'as a legencl among photographers, having covered many â war, stalting widr the Spanish Civil \Øar. T1're book includes l'ris very last frarle, shortly before he stepped on a mine.

Other' legencls would follow.

One of them, lalryBurrows, who coveretl 50 coml¡at nrissions Lo get

what he wanted lor Life magazine's

first major cover story about the Vietnam war. On Janualy 25, 1.963, Lífe ran a 14- page splead of his pictures, including a pull-out cover, almost unheard of in those days. He

was a thl'ee-times u.inneL of the Robert Capa Award and tI'¡e 1967 Magazine Photographer of the Year.

U.S Marines btLddle as

aint ing

Notfh Vietnamese sbell the aùfielcl,

and respected.

for incoming supply 6t¡t"ct"útft

A tribute to Indochina's

fallen photographers Thre IndocLrina s/ars cla-irrred the lives <->f 1-35 photogral>hers. Veterala ptrotographer flrrbert \zam Es, uzho s/as in Vietna-rlr in tl-re la-te sbcties, krreq. fiaa-r1y of tl-rern

cor.ering the Indochina wars, the rnajoríry of whom I never knew, too

are, for rnany of r-rs, images of the faces of the men and women who wele there, who wele our fi'iends, and who took these very photos. rùØe are leminded of their bravery, of the

many I did.

terrible risks they took, and, of

The book is the brainchild of two veteran Vietnarn photographers, Horst Faas and Tim Page who, through gleat dedication and five years of hard work, managed to trace all those who lost their lives or-disappealed in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos on both sides of the war.

As David Halberstam says in his introduction : "The title says this is a requiem for a war, but as much as anything else, this striking book is a

colrrse, constantly, of our own good

equiemis one book I'm glad I'm

to

not published in. It's dedicated those photo-graphers who died

THE C0RRXSP0II|IIDNT December 1997

Larry was a ûran a greatly admired

fortune."

form of homage paid by those of us who made it back frorn Vietnam to the memory of those who did not.

Looking at these photos now, they

Between November 24, 7945, and April 30, 7975, 135 combat photogr-aphels died in the Indochina wals. It may be ironic that the first and very last \Øestel'ners were French. Raymond Martinoff andJean Peraud, one of whose photographs is very leminiscent of the famons Spanish Civil \Øar pictr-rre by Robert Capa of a soldiel getting hit in battle,

I filst n'ret the soft-spoken

ancl

gentle photoglapher at his home in

Stanley, sliortly after rny arrival ià Hong Kong. It was one of those rare weekends that he spent time with his farnily and friencls, away from daily

suffering he recorded so well in Vietnam. rùØe went through back issues of IiJe and he wor-rld explain to me how some of the photos urele taken, what cameras, what lenses he used in the clifferent shots. How he mounted remote caÍreras on aircraft

wings or on the outside of a helicopter. His arlay of gadgets,

clamps, and lights etc. was n'rindboggling.

Later, when I too covered the s''ar, we would go thlougl'r his latest photo stories for life, wl'rile sipping drinks in his room at the Caravelle Hotel, usually with my AP colleague Henri Huet, another veteran of the Vietnam war and a legend in his own right, u.'hose dramatic series of a wounded medic cr-adling the liead of another wounded soldier in his 1ap and feeding hirn C-rations were pr-rblished alound the world and earned hirn the Robelt Capa Awald.

Never again have I rnet a man

like Larry, who gave so much of time and knowledge to yolrng

ITenri Ht Let, Vietnan4 1966; Wearing a bloocly bantlage ouer tbe left sicle of bis .face. ntedic Tbonzøs Cole of'Richntottd, Va., cradles the heatl of Stffi Scugeatxt Han'íson C D Pell .ft'onl Hctzletotl, Pa., oJ'the I'-itst Cauahy Diuisiott

pliotographers, both in and ont of the field. On Februaly 10, 1971 he, Henri, Kent Potter of UI'Ì, with whorn I had sl'rared lliany a pipe of opiurn in Phnom Penh, and Shin-ramoto-san of Newsweek were killed u,hen their

South Vietnalnese fielicopter was shot down over the Ho Chi Minh tlail in Laos. To this day their remains have never been l'ecover ed. In June 7996 the Joint Task Force for Full Accounting finally discoverecl the crash site and markecÌ it for futr,rre excavation. 'We may yet be able to put our lriencls to resl.

Another familial face tl-rat springs to rnincl is Ollie Noonan. He came to

Vietnarn on spec fron'r his job at the Boston Globe, eventlÌal1y working at AP, whele we became fi'iends and shared an apartment onTu Do Street.

He soon got tl'ie hang of things, even though in the beginning he felt like

an intruder on others' misery, like rlost of us dicl. Those feelings soon changecl to "you'1'e doing your job, I'n'r doing mine". There is only one photograph in the book that shows the frustration of sLlch intmsion: a shot of a GI wounded in an ambr-rsh

near Saigon. The ladio operator points his finger and shor-rts at the photographer, Ollie.

Ollie was killecl when the l)ecerrber 7991

TAÊ, GORR[SP0lllIlEflT

l-relicopter he was in was shot down near Danang in August 1969. His cameras u''ere retrieved, film intact.

That day he had covered a fielce battle and was trying to rusl'i liis film back for the world to see, when a 51 cal. abruptly ended his life.

Then there was Bob Ellison, who took some of the best pictr-rres ever taken of tl're Malines under siege at Kl're Sanh during the 1968 Tet

Ie.ft; Sean Flyttn, Dttc Phot'tg, Viettlam, 1966 - A ltotutg I,'ieI Cot'tg sLLSþec[ cries crfter bearing a rifle shot; belotu: ILLotlg i\gbitr Durrg. llanoi, l'ielnant. 1967 A,fter contpletion o.l'theit" Vietncun Nezus Afenqt tt'tlit1.ing, Iuottg Nghia Drntg

offensive. After spending some three weeks thele, he returned to Danang to ship his film dou,'n to Saigon. He

(secondJront left) and.fiue otber asþiring Not'th lietnantese pbcttogrctpbets tufilt tltei.r netulf isxtecl e(lLtiþnxent; bottont: Lu.ottg Aþbict Dtmg, Sr.tutb of tbe DMZ, Viehtant. 1972 Not'rh \,Tetnatnese inþntry clru"ing the

decided to return to Khe Sanh with solr.te cases of beer and soft dlinks for the Malines he l-rad been shaling a bunkerwith all that time. His plane was shot down on March 6, 1968, one week after n'ry plane was shot down on take-off. We crashed inside the base and lived, Bob's plane crashed in the mountains outside.

All died. His legendary pictures were

publislred in Newsweekaftel his death n'hich posthtin'iously won hil the

OPC Awald

fol Best

Nlagazine

Coverage fi'om Abload.

This piece would not

complete without

be mentioning the

aln-rost insepalable duo of Sean

Flynn

and Dana Stone. Both extlaoldinary guys and outstanding combat photo-

graphers frorn very different

o.ffensiue across the

Oliuer Noonatt, Near Saigort, Vietnam, :1969; During an antbusb by Viet Cong guerillas, a worn'¿decl solclier øwaits euacucttion

backgrounds. Dana was a lumberjack from Vermont; Sean the son of the

famous Elrol, who dabbled in rnovies, lived in Paris and hunted in Africa.

One day in eady 7968 I was in a

Special Forces camp under siege west of Danang. After we got off the chopper that brought trs in, it was destroyed by groundfile. No way out.

The CO, a US captain, told us he expected a gronnd atÍ-ack that night.

The possibility that the NVA would overrun the camp was there, but help was on the way. A company of Montagnald mercenaries under Special Folces command q,ould try to relieve us. That night the fighting was fierce and sleep impossible not helped by having cases of C4 explosives as a mattress.

Luckily we were not overi'un and the best thing I saw at daybreak, was Sean covered in filth coming through the wire, leading a notley bunch of Montagnards. Duling the fighting to relieve the camp, the US captain had

In contrast to their \Øestern colleagues, Viet Cong and Nolth Vietnamese photoglapl'rers s,'ere soldiers filst, pl-rotoglaphers second.

None of then-i became known, not even

in their os¡n countly, but some, like Luong Nghia Dung and Br,ri Dinh Tuy,

both killed in action, have some

s''as that tl-rey s/ere shooting

propaganda pictr-rles. They wele not

on Aplil 6, 197 0,Sean and Dana, "The Easy Riders", were driving their motor-bikes down Route 1 in Cambodia, looking for the action,

wor-rnded, the pain, misery and angr-ris1'r

great

end on a Cambodian road q'as UPI's Kyoichi Sawada. His Pulitzer Prize

Decer.nber'1994

terrible shape.

command, fearing that otherwise the "yards" might run if thele was no one to lead them on.

photographer who met an untimely

T

mostly through the Vietnam News Agency, to open up tl'ieir-files to them Most of tl-re negatives were in

rernarkable photographs in tl're book.

The difference between them and tts

seen again. Another

lean PerarLd. Tot'tkin, Vie.nttllx, Decentber 1, 1952; Hit by gun'fire, a French Utiott soldier falls durittg tbe Battle o.f Na Sart

to locate the family, wl-ro l-racl lost all theirbelongings, and donated part of l'ris prize money to them. A gesture of a rrery gentle man.

So far I have not mentioned "the other side". Faas and Page managed to convìnce the powers that be in Vietnam,

been killed and most of the NCOs wounded. Sean had taken over

w'hen they were captured and never

allowed to shoot the dead and on the faces of their soldiels.

The Vietnam war was the most accessible war in history. Some of the best photoglaphers lost tlieir lives there. Fol those of us alir¡e today, this book blings back lrrany melnolies.

winning photo of a Vietnamese

Requien'i is ptúlisb e d by Jonatb an Cøpe (UK) ancl Random IIotLse (USA)

farnily fleeing across a river hangs on the FCC wall. After winning the

Page One

Pulitzer, he went back to the area whele he took the picttire, rnanaged

I)MZ

and will

be

auailable in Hong Kong at

in

Times SqrLare ønd tbe Swinclon's cbait't.

@ L)ecenber. 1997

lÃÍ,

CORRESPOI{DXIIT

To be or not to be?

What is the answer

Brave cofrfrontation with colour and self

ftr.

I

quiz niglrts thar rake pìac'e at valious venlles in Hong Kong are increclibly popr,rlar and tlie FCC is

R.obin I-¡rnarrr finds tr-uth and cor-rr¿Lge in I{eith Richburg's recently ptrblisl-red book ()ctt of Artzeri<;cz - A ,Bl¿tck A4¿ztz ()c>n¡fuotzts Afri<-ot are a feü. plohlenrs frlere I associateclwith leviewinga book

by Keith Richburg. One, of course, is that he is the FCC president and that any critical position is therefore subject to the suspicion of political motivation.

Anothel is that there ale certain phlases which I would most certainly other-n'ise have used to describe O¿¿l of Antericawhich given the natr-rre of his chosen subject ale decidedly off limits. "Coloulful charactels" and "black hurnour" spling to mind.

This is LlnfortLlnate, because notw itllstrnding its very selious approaclr, Out ofAn'tericø offers plenty of both. As fol politics, Richburg has

no apologist for modern America's disglacefr.rl treatrlent of large ntimbers of its black citizens, but has leluctantly conch-ided that even most of these are

still significantly better off.

Another reason the book has attl'acted hostility is its low tolerance for w'hite liberals plepared to lurn a blind eye to vicious behaviour by black African strongmen, and black lobbyists who expect truth to take second place.

Few journalists other than

Richbr-rlg could have made tirese points as tellingly, because few have

evel been in such a complicated

position. As the Afi'ica correspondent for tfie 'Wøshington Posl he enjoyed

run sufficiently foul of those in the

tl-ie status of a

intelnational rnedia already for it to be entirely Lrnnecessaly to intelpolate those of the FCC hele. The fact is that

the people he had to deal with he

representative of a rnaior 'W'estern publication.

As a black man in Africa to most of

thìs is a brave and fine piece of writing.

The quality l most adrnir-e in Out of

to deal with poverty he got the full

America is its fearlessness of the censr.rre of the politically correct. The book has attracted a lot of flak, which its ar-rthol rlust have expected, for he

"being-b1ack-in-Africa" experience, all the way from hassles at borders to being chased by South African white supremacists, and knowing when he

painfr-rl conch-rsions by looking at unpalatable

entered

has articulated some

clidn't stand out that much. Bar having

^ better than

war zone that he stood

a

now no exception. The FCC quizwhicl-r

was l'ield on 18 Febr-r-raty atÍacted a srnall but beautifully formed group of

On the first level, anybodywho has experienced or has an interest in the the lives of foreign correspondents will find it compelling. The book is ftrll of characters Richburg met, and in some cases lost along the way and in the cases of those who did not survive the

reader feels he or she knows enough about lhem to nnderstand something of the author's sense of loss.

The book has its share of anecdote

and gallows hurnour. but it is dominated by the stench of death

Richburg smelled the first time he saw

bodies floating down a river and lealised that but for a quilk of history his own could have been thele.

It's powerfr-rl stuff - so much so that the voyage of self-discovely sometimes seems trivial in the face of its setting, br¡t the conclusions are hard won. The authol recoLlnts a process of disillusionment in the face of a dream of Africa which nowhere seems to connect with an achievable reality, and at the same time realises that the colour of his skin doesn't really rnean that Africa's future has anyhing lnore to do with him than with any

hard.

usual chance ofbeing shot, if not deliberately, simply by mistake.

Risking his life legularly to report

other American. This is not a book without hope, but it is bereft of foolish

One of these is that the blame for tl-re chaos and carnage rampant

the news, he was confronted by pressures to suppress it or slant his

optimism.

"Thank God I arn an American" is

throughor-rt Afi'ica today cannot be laicl

coverage in favour of special interests.

Forced to confront the question, "Am I black first or a journalist first?" he rightly concluded the latter'.

The book operates on tvvo levels.

One is as an accolrnt of life as a foreign correspondent in Africa durÌng the

but incontrovetible truths long and

exclusively at the door of white colonists. Anotl-reris thatmodern black Arnelicans. far lrom being in eny sense

defined by ancestral links to Africa, rea11y have very little to do with the place,

of all is the guilty recognition that the tlagedy of Most telling

enslavement tliat befell his ancestols is also Richburg's good fortune. He is THE CORRXSPONIIXI{T December 1997

seemingly endless crises

a sad and deeply uncomfortable conclusion that has not endeared him to critics afraid to look the truth in the

face. But it is the truth, and

upbringing and calling have earned him the right to tell it.

Out of America - A Black Man

in Liberia,

Rwanda, Sornalia et al. The other tells the story of a journey of discovery of self and of relationship to history.

his

Confronts Africa

for

$25O.

zs

on sale at the Club

I@

seven teafirs of six, some wefe experienced "quiz nighters" having played at the HK Cricket Club and some had honed their skills at Mad

Dogs. The rnajor problem in attracting FCC members was explaining that this ü.'as a team event and you wefen't expected to sit in rows and hold yor-rr

hand up to answer the questions. In fact silence w'ithin the tean'i is all ilnportant.

It goes like this: the quiz master asks a question and every membel of the team writes dou'n their answer, at

the end of each question the team confers - either amicably or not - over

the answers and then submil an anslr¡eL

sheet to the poor sods who volunteer to do tlre rnalking Tlre n'inning terrn and runners up then receive a prize of so1ìfe sort and we all repair to the bar for yet another cleansing ale.

The questions are set not unlike the format of the Trivial Pr-rrsnit, so yotr

new kids on the block "The Ice Hor-rse Street Irlegulals" beat them to it - ancl a good time was had by all. The poor sods (aka the markers) wet'e so tirecl that sevelal cleansing ales l-rad to be

have tlie ali the well-known categories plus a few sneaky new ones, eg, classical and pop nusic (audio); music (verbal); food and drink; lists (egName

consumed to the delight of the club accolrntant The third event also had a good turnont and at the end of the evningthe crywas heald, "rù7hen's the next one?" \Øe11, it was on Septernber 8 to allow for all the holiday bods to recover from being away from Hong

gathering the team it's useful to have a

to delve into her reference liblary fe¡ more of the sarne but of colrrse,

the seven dwarfs?); 'Sü'ho am I? and Hong Kong and China. So, when

gloup u,.hich has trash knowledge covering a wide range of subjects: Such was the talk around the bar of this highly entertaining evenìng that

the second quiz night pulled in an amazing 15 teams. "HK Mensa" retul'ned to defend their title but the

Kong and the Club, and the quiz master'

different. This too u,'as well supported, as was the one on November 11 and

on l)ecember 17. Look forn'arcl to seeing yolr at the next one

Wendy Rícl¡ørdson

I@

Bridging the gap l\ /f",-ru vears aqo the FCC usec] to lVln"i¿ Drrpliiare Bliclge every

started

evening, I clon't knoq.'who arranged them or why they stopped, br-rt they did. So, when I suggested to Bob Sannders (a fiendishly keen blidge player himselÐ that we should try it again he agreed u'ith alaclity. The question was, "wlio would organise them?" And, of course, those who open their rrrolrths should beware of volunteering. Yor-rrs truly got the job and set off to find the valious bits of palaphelnalia requirecl. That was the easy bit. Next, the flyers had to be wlitten and sent out, while I then waited with baited bleath on the

being discussed alound the bar, rnainly

fesponse.

By Tl'rulsday April 15 I was deliglited to find that we had six tables booked for the following night.

\X/e

at7 pm, altl'rough eadier you

could heal mlrl'rrrlÌrs as strategy was

alnong the new partners

fol

that

play Stayrnan?'ùØith or withont Transfers?", "Do you plefer evening: "Do

yor-r

strong or weak twos?" or "\Øhat's your cor-rnt fol No Tlr,rrnp?". You could see the eyes of the non-briclge playing r-nembels of tl'ie Club beginning to glaze over.

Since then the Club (and I) have

point

been rnnning Duplicate tsridge evenings every fortnight.

I

am

sr-tre

that if the den-rand was made we could rr-rn them every week. I sl-rould also

mention, tfiat r¡nlike any other club tlrat runs blidge evenings wc wl'ap ours around an excellent dinner. The

I know that many people believe bridge to be difficult gan-re to play.

Not so, like any otlier game yor-r have to know the rules (and possibly have some card sense), br-rt once yott have mastered the conventions (rules) yor-r *'il1 be able to play one of the u''or'lcl's greatestwar games.'With that in n-rind,

the managerlent has agreed that in Janvary I will start folnal bridge lessons in the Club at tl'ie beginnel ancl intermediate Ìevels. So, watch for the booking forrn.

Maybe in the futtire u.'e can field an FCC team and take on the other Ch-rbs If anybody is interested in this please le[ me know.

Wendy Rícbørd.son

Duplicate Bridge nights are open to

@

mernbers and tl-reir gLlests. l)ecen-rber 1991 TnE CORRESPOilIIENT

CanOn

Canon Hongkong Company Limited

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Address:21lF.. Cornwall House, Ta¡k@ Place,979 King's

l\ilanager

l\¡r Albert

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Director (Operations) Co-ordinator

Senior Managing

Canon cameras and video camcorders

Senior

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Wong

Services:

International Risk Managemetxt Consuhants Inte ntational Wo rldw ide B

2565 2008 2565 2OO7

Stephen G Vickers David W Holloway Yasmin R Shaker

C o rp o us

rate Inv e sti g alo

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ines s Inte lli genc e

FREELANCE WRITERS

FREELANCE CAMERAMEN

DAVID BAIRD - Writing, Editing, Research, Photography

FRANCOIS BISSON - 10 years in Asia. PAL & NTSC Betacam rigs

Tel/Fax:

27927278

E-mail: baird@asiaonline.net

ARTHUR HACKER - Author & Historian Tel: 2987 9043 Fax:2987 9072 ROBIN LYNAM - Features on travel, food, wine and spirits, music and literature. Speeches and corporate copy writing also undertaken

Documentaries, Corporates, News/Features

Tel/Fax: (8521 2570-9722 . Mobile:9097-2766 RICHARD JONES - News & Corporate Video/Editing

Tel:2982

0508

Fax:2982 1758

Tel:2827 2873 Fax:2827 2902 MICHAEL MACKEY - Writer + Researcher, Politics, Economics & Business Tel: 2559 6037 Fax: 2575 3860 EDWARD PETERS - Features, Travel, Profiles, Research. Many Asia Pacific photos. Tel: 23282553 Faxi 23282554 E-mail :edpeters @ netv¡gator.com CHARLES WEATI'IERlLL -Writer, Literary Services, Researcher Tel: 2524 1 901 pager: 7 3O0 7 37 3 E-ma i : charlesw @ netvag itor.com

FREELANCE ABTISTS - Ad Carloons Design Tel.2987904il Fax.29879072 GAVIN COATES - "Say it with a cartoon!" Call Gavin Coates on Tel: 2984 2783 E-mailr gavincoa@netvigator,com

ARTHUB HACKER

I

NEWS

Hong Kong Trade Development Council 38/F , Olfice Tower, Convention Plaza, 1 Harbour Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong Tel: 2584-4333 Fax: 2824-0249 E-mail: hktdc@tdc org hk Web Site: htlp://www tdc org,hk

'fel

'Rr¡ 2817

1006, HK Arts Centre, 2 Harbour Road, Wanchai

'7611

Fax:2877

7618

E-mail: Newsasia@asiaonline.net

CAMERA CREWS . EDITORS. EDITING SATELLITE FACILITIES PRODUCERS. FIXERS PACKAGED STORIES . LIBRARY FOOTAGE

For Hong Kong trade statistics, information and

analysis, fast, call TDC's Media Communications

lnternational Section at2584-4333 Ext 7489.

Contact: Vivian McGrath

Vír*,írO7arí,a Kodak House 1,321 Java Road, North Point, Hong Kong

ífumt for 6

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Td,t 2606

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7093

Communications

anù Ç ørd*,w

Jessica Chan Enquiry : 2564 9333

Direct

Fax

: 2564 9309

:2856 5004

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AInPORT AUTHORITY Manager Phillip Bruce Manager Terri Lai Enquiries (24 hours)

Public Relations Media Relations

5031 Fax: 2810 6586 lnternet: httpf/www.shriro.com

Director Manager

Media

28247700 28247705 28247152

P.L Poon Jimmy Wan

Function:

Sole agent of Nikon cameras, Hasselblad cameras, Linhof cameras, Elinchrom

Developing Hong Kong's new airport at Chek Lap Kok

studio flash system, Epson LCD portables TV Agent of Epson multi-media projector

Ground Floor, 18A Stanley Street, Central, Hong Kong. fel : 2526-0123 . Fax : 2524-9598

Managing Director Shop Manager Services: Film Processing

Photography -- News . features . Online TeL2547 9671 Fax. 2547 8812 E-mail: vovokees@asiaonline.net

@ KEES

Johnny Lee Lam Yan Hung

.

6o¡or Enlargement Digital Retouching & Output

Feature writing, fixing for overseas media, colloquial interpretation (English, Cantonese, Mandarin) photos and photo sourcing.

Tel: (852) 2791143112191 9107 F'ax: (852) 2191 1431 E-mail: angelica@asiaonline.net / mrg@asiaonline.net

and action sports publication,

I

welcomes contlibntions. Ft'eelance

eclitols, sub-editors & designels also required.

Tel: 2527 63f7 Pax: 2868 1799 E-nail: aaeclit@asiaonline.net

Neil Farrin Photocrauhv Ltd. l/F Tien Chu Commercial Building, 173-174 Gloucester Road, Wanchai, HK has been established in Hong Kong since 1977 ,having travelled worldwide on major advertising campaigns, hotel and corporate assignments. Moleover, we haveoverseasproduction contacts forallworldwide

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if you have any photographic requirements

Joan Boivin Photography GOLDPHOTO LTD,

Advertising, Portrait, Corporate, Still-life Tel: 2.530-48 l2l 2541-6300 Fax: 2536 4214 Mobile: 90995056

Fax:2892 1727

RICHARD

I

F.

JONES

Video Cameraman / Editor News, Documentary, Corporate

Te|.2982 0508 Mobile:9104 5358 Fax.29821758 e-mail: theaqe@hk.net

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Providing a comprehensive service throughout As¡a Pac¡f¡c

EDITORIAL . CORPORATE . INDUSTRIAL Ray Cranbourne Photography Ltd.

News & Feature Programming . Beta SP crews. Producers

. Journalists. Editing . Stock library. Avid Editing . Transport & Accommodation

96 Pokfulam Road, 11Æ, Flat B-2

As¡a Pac¡f¡c V¡s¡on Ltd.

YY Mansion, Hong Kong

Suite 1164, 11th Floor, Telecom House 3 Gloucester Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong ret (852) 2827 2122 Fa* la52l 2802 2687 html E-mail: apvbrown@asiaonline.net WWW: htlp://www.mandy.com/apv002

Tel: (852) 25248482 Fax: (852) 25261630

THE CORRESP0ilDEI|I Decer¡ber. 1997

The region's premier adventttre tlavel

I

FIRST \ryORD MEDIA CONSULTANCY

l7 Old Bailey St., l/F, Central, Hong Ksng

COLOR SIX LABOBATORIES LTD.

e-mail: asiapix@hk.linkage.net

Neil Farrin Photography

2/F, Hutchison House, Central, Hong Kong

Managing Senior

Terry Duckham/Asiapix Tel. 25729544 Fax. 2575 8600

JOHN GIANNINI - News, people, travel, commercial TeL2541 2540 Fax.2541 4954 E-mail: giannini@fcchk.org

Contact Angelica Cheung or Mark Graham

lxi*onl Shrto (H.K.) Ltd. Tel: 2524

Manager

JENNIFER BOWSKILL - Specialising in portraits,fashion,events, Commercial & Coporate photography TeUFax.2547 6678 Pager:71 1 68968 #88Í18

DAVID THURSTON - People, events, travel,wacky digital portraits Tel: 2524 4381 Fax: 2525 O77 4 E-mail : thu rston @ asiaonl i ne.net HUBERT VAN ES - News, people, travel, commercial & movie stills Tel: 2559 3504 Fax: 2858 1721 E-inail: vanes@asiaonline.net

tsALT ARTWORI<S

Assistant Public Relations Marketing

Editorial Features, Advedising, Corporate and Commercial Photography throughout S.E. Asia and the Pacific

FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHERS

Decenrber 1991

TAÊ, CORRf,SPOIIIIEIIT

Sallmanns

Clara Chung Realty Ltd.

Residential

2881 -1 866 / 9043-2807

Mctcøu comes to Hong Kong

Short Term Lease Tai Hang - Causeway Bay

580 sq. ft. 2 Beds, Bath, Ilitchen, Fully firrnished, Cutlery, Crockery,TV, Phone, \Valking distance to MTR, FCC and I-an Kwai Fong, POOL!! Move in with suitcase!

Rental starts from 2 weeks plus.

HOUSE TO LET

570 sq.ft., mid - hi / floors, opt¡ons of 1 bed studio,

MACAU INFORMATION BUREAU

1 bed with study or, 2 beds Fully/partly f urnished or unfurnished. Panorama view. Close to MTR, buses

& MACAU TRAVEL TALK

and trams. 6 - 12 months lease

Ío Eet in Southern SpaÍn.

Delightful house Ín pÍcturesque vÍllage, 6 km from the Mediterra.nean sea. tel: @52) 2792 7278

HK$12,000.- to HK$l 8,000.- inclusive

Call Soni 90828097

Room 307, Yu Yuet Lai Building, 43-44 Wyndham Stleet, Central Tel: (852) 2869-7862 Fax: (852) 2536-4244

II{I{ER CIRCLE , tlttt

()htlt

EDITOR WANTED The Correspondent magazine requires a

The Rickshaw Club

DAN RYAN'S

22 Robinson Ro¿d, Mid Levels

CHICAGO GRILL

Hons Kons

lel:)s25.i977

Fa*, 252t Jsgg

Re¿l LIVE MUSIC MOST NIGHTS GREAT PARTY VENUE A GYM AND SWIMMING POOL tsY FAR THE BEST PIZZA IN TOWN SHOW YOUR FCC CARD WHEN ORDERING TO ENJOY A SPECIAL DISCOUNT

Place Queensway, Hong Kong Phone: 2845 4600 114 Pacific 88

z4øtsc¿c¿r¿

7oo¿ a^¿ Drlt4¿

200 Ocean Terminal Harbour City, Kowloon Hong Kong Phone:2735 6111

THE

ARTHUR HACKER

new editor who would be able to begin work in February 1998

FCC 1-997 T-SHIRT

Applications should be addressed to: The Correspondent magazine, 2Lower Albert Road, Hong Kong

HK$ 1,20. 0 0 This classic piece of Hacker memorabilia now available directly from the FCC

Fax2868 4092

PROFESSIONAL CONTACTS The Professional Contacts page appears every month in The Correspondent and on the FCC Correspondent web site at >http://www.fcchk.org < . Let the world know who you are, what you do and how to reach you. There has never been a better time, Listings start at just $100 per month, with a minimum of a six month listing, and are billed monthly to your FCC account.

Posto lunch Buffet, incl. onliposto or sOUpr deSSerf

ond coffee

$I tg.oo n !2ünes

E

@

$100

n3Lnes

@

$150

small box @ $300x6mths / $250x11

!

E4ünes

@

$200

mths n Large box @ $600x6mths

n

copy attached

5Hnes @ $250

/ $550x1lmths

Large box w/ spot colour @ $700x6mths / $600x1lmths

Name

FCC Membership No

Company Name:

Authentic ltolion cuisine, I I to Open .30 om 3.00 pm ond ó.30 pm to 12.00 midnight I

fustonRrute IrRlrR¡ro

fHE C0RRf,SPONI)XNT Decel'rber' 199-

/F

24lce House Street, Centrol, Hong Iel:2523 8624 Fox:2523 3955

Shun Ho Tower,

Kong

Address: Signature:

For more information telephone 2572 9544 or fax 2575 8600

l)ecerrber 7991 TÃf, GORRESP0I\|I¡EIì|T

Jon athan Mirs Ly farewell Photos tly Hu van Es and ßob Davis u'ete the fiual wolds of a man of m:rn1- s-ords -Jonathan Mirskl- ìras been r'r'riting abottt Chir-ia and Hong I(ong since the earl)' 1970s I'ith acclain-r ¿rnd notorietl'. His sharp u'olds u'ill be missecl Tt,o É¡,tests - forrler politicians À4ar-tin Lee anc'l En'rily Lau - plobablr' "I hale r-iothing to

sa1,'".

r.on't n'riss l-rim quite as t-t'tuch Faxes and emails fi'orl all or.el' ti-re place poured rn ancl t'el'e read or-lt to the ¿rmllsement of tl're thlong, By the end of tlie evening ernotions s/el'e st1'ong

as

Jonathan took his leave fi'om tl-re

Umpteenth bithday

FCC ancl tl-re nerl-spztpet' u,olld.

-=

Jon Ritger recently celebrated his upteenth birthday at the Club. From left, Ray Cranbourne,

Õ

Jon and Lyra Ritger, Saul Lockhart, Dr Peter Miles

ao a

.[ctbrt

Giattttini

cntcl

(who kept hirn going all those years).

Bill Areson Mitsl¿t, tuftl:t Mrs

Mitslqt

Mitsþ.t' keþl thent latrgbittg ro ilte end

Motorsport launch

,l(íke Gonzal.ez Di.atle Slonllottt ctttcl .[trlícrtt \\:'alslt

To launch Motorsport '97, editorJeff Heselr'ood (centre) v'as joinecl by, left, TerÐ/ Dlrckham.

Lanrence Porter-. David Aclami and Nick Fulchcl ì4itskt', ,1,[artitt Lee att.cl Frcntcts Mctriafilt

HollirtgtttcuTh

Cheese and wine FCC chel Stephen $Tarren offelecl ancl increclible lange of little-knoq'n regional English cheeses at the recent s'ine ancl cheese night on the Velanclal-r. A goocl ct'os,cl etìjolzsd \\'i11ss suppliecl by Rem1,.

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Plti lip BotL,ring

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Decer.nber

199r THI

CORRDSPONDENT

Reflrrn to the River Kwai

Chek Lap Kok soiourn

Photos by David Thurston The FCC rnaintained its consistent record of finishing second when our tean flew to Thailand in November for the annr-ral Ctown Royal golf tournarnent and cultural exchange. After three days of play on beautiful courses in the River Kwai area, the margin was narrowed to rwo points - a record for the visitors.

The

tenninal takes.flight Ba¿gage bandling cbecks

Clocþ.u,isef¡otn rop, Oscar Con'igan, Ray r t b o utl e, ll[ u nalt B tnîot t,.Jr,t I iatt Va ls h and Dauid Tltutston al the Burnza Railwa-y Cra

utar cen?eterJt at Kachanaburi; Ray 'Cuddles' Ctanbounze at the uater; -[ulian tl(alsb floats his Lol Khtatonefestiual offering on tbe nntddy tuaterc of tbe Riuer Kwai; Oscar and Philþ Bruce tuith lisa'Weauet", lefi, Diane StonnotxL Betï! FLL andJonatban Shcr.rp

,friends Tbe FCC mc¡b,

mirtus one

Tbe Pbílip Btttce lectu.re

Macartby night Below left: Club Plesident Keith Richburg, Alene Freidenlich, second vice-president Karin Malmstr'öm and Ir,y Ng attended the China Coast Ball at the Bela Vista in Macau. Like all good balls, the snn was u,ell up when festivities ended.

Below right: The (largely) FCC Spice Girls, fi'om left, Fin Halligan, MJT, Karen Penlington and Lyn Grebstad. Back row, Espen Harbjtz and Karin Mahnström.

Open itx Aþril?

Jtiliat't rï/alsh, Tor4t Lawrence and

lisa

Weauer

Nc¡

wonies - airþot"t flat otr.t on the job

cotTstt^Ltctiot't staff ate

The FCC tour of the new Chek Lap Kok airport got off to a good start with David and Kam seruing up Bloody Marys as the bus left the FCC. Organised by Keith Shakespeare, Philip Brr-rce (both airpolt labourers) and Diane Stormont, the tour group was sornewliat stunned by the size of the terminal and transport

interchange as u,ell as the connecting railway, highway and bridges.

The FCC cateled for the tour, ably seled premises' specialists David \Øong and Kan. Tf,E C0RRXSP0ilDENT Decen'rber 1997

Tbe

temtinal building nears completion cornpletion

by 'offPhotos by Terry Duckham and I(ees Metselaar December 7L)97 TÅE

CORRISPOil|¡ENT

A montbly portrøit of tCC ùrcepløceøbles Local Needs.

Local Response, Supporting education.

Protecting the environment.

Providing young people with cultural and recreational

opportunities. Organizing care of the aged and disabled.

There are many ways to

support Hong Kong.

HongkongBank is playing its

part. Our aim is to contribute

to a happy, healthy, secure future for everyone in Hong Kong, young and old.

Jonathan Mirsky Member since: Age:

Profession:

Nationality: Least likely to say: Most likely to say:

spling chicken.

Vhatever retirement age is?

Scourge of China (and writer). \Øirh rhar bow tie...

Two tickets to Beijing, please.

Tlre drinks are on ûìe. 'ùØhen Mao was a

Pltotograpbed. by Bob Døais

sp.ns.rec

THE GORRXSP0ilDDNT December 199r

bl Kt itËiHH;äï:î'"'

Si,

Now, on permanent exhibition, a collection of Limited Edition lithograPhic fine art prints by Pat Elliott Shยกrcore Featuring thirty truly unique pieces in which details from the original agreements ceding Hong Kong "in perpetuยกty" in 1842 and extending the territory under lease in 1898, have been transformed into near--abstract images of stril<ing colours and subtle rextures. Signed and Sealed has been exhibited at the FCC, LKFthe Gallerยก the ChinaTee Club and the lMFWorld Bank Conference.

Each piece is issued in a limited edition of ninety seven unframed lithographs, printed on to soft, hand-torn paper with wide borders, and embossed with the printer's imprimatur.

G A L L E RY

opus Mon-Sat lOam to 7pm Drop in and see us

before Christmas