The Correspondent, December 2001 - January 2002 by The Foreign Correspondents' Club, Hong Kong

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THE CORRESPONDENT DECEMBER ?OOI-JANUARY 2002

Barry Kalb Cover Photographed by Christian Keenan

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Health Corner Renovatìon

How much money in total does the fitness

centre generate in a month? 5. How many people use the centre in a month?

From Kevin Sinclair, #1434

I am concerned with Board plans to spend $500,000 on the exercise centre. It seems to me a waste of money' After reading the Board minutes on the matter, I went the down to look at the register of f,rtness centre use previous day there had been eight users, all of them before 1 p.-.

This raises a number of questions: 1 . Is there a full-time staff member on duty at the fitness centre? 2. How many hours a day is this staffed? 3. \¡\4rat on earth does the staff do for the majority of the time when the centre is not used?

COCOCABATVA

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I appreciate the Board is elected to run the club and make decisions, but in my opinion the Health Corner seems a non-productive use of space and expenditure on it of this scale is totally unjustihed. For fitness fans, there are health centres nearby. I suggest the valuable space would be much better used for expansion of the crammed kitchen. Reply from PresidentJim Laurie Dear Keain

This is to adai,se you of the FCC Board of Gouernor's decis'ion on Noaember 24th regarding the FCC health corner After discussing the concerns exþressed lry yourself and those of Mr Barry Kalb about the þlan to re-model the FCCts Health Corner, the board re-conf.rmed, its decision to continue uith the project, uhich uøll begcn earþ next year A record of the proceedings will be aaailable shortly. The Board, felt that health facikties are þart of the seraice rendered b1 many quality membershiþ clubs in Hong Kong and around the world,. A Health Corner at the FCC enhances

the attractiueness of our Club. Haaing an imþroued facility

would encourage usage and the þoor facùtty we haae now

þooþ on our Cl:ttb. As before, the uþgrade of the Health Corner will go hand-

reflects

Come to Mo Tat Wan on Lamma Island and discover

Hong Kong's newest venue greal Parlies,

for al fresco dining

and

Located on the beach, Cococabana offers a laid back Mediterranean-style atmosPhere, Enjoy our exotic cocktails and Þalcony dining set against the soft sound of waves on the beach and sPectacular views over the

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to Hong

Kong. Live Latin music and

Salsa parties can also be enjoyed on a regular basis,

Cococabana can

reached

by ferry from

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Aberdeen Fishmarket or by junk. Our own boat, Le Junk, is availaÞle for hire at a very reasonable Price.

Älso at CuÞana greal Cuban sounds like Candela, Carrelero, Chan Chan and more. A real taste of Cuba. Musíc by the Havana Libre Quartet every Thursday and Sunday

night from 8:00 pm, Reservation recommended for tables. Everyday Cuba, everyday Mojito and great Salsa.

For reservot¡ons pleose coll ?3?8 2138 Produce your FCC membersbip card and receiue a free Søngria uPon arriual.

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in-hand with an exþansion and uþgrading of the adjacent hitchen and bakery facility. The Board felt that as our finances at this time are good, ue can afford the hitchen and health corner renoacrtion. If

in future our financial position deteriorates, the Board agreed to consider leuying a sþecial charge for use of the health facili,ty.

From Frazer McGilvray Executive Director International Marinelife Alliance

It was with great interest I read the article 'Life Below the Waves' (The Coresþonclent, Augwst-September) about Robert Delfs' superb underwater photos. The exhibition in the main bar has certainly had its fair share of attention. Mr Delfs' description of the state of the coral reefs of the Indo-Pacifrc is very true, they are indeed facing increasing pressure from human activity. However, it is not strictly accurate to highlight that a 'significant percentage' of the snappers and groupers caught on these reefs are caught with cyanide. While cyanide frsing is still a problem in Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam, rnaîy of the fish that supply the market in Hong Kong and China are from mariculture. Consumers would be advised to ask if a fish is cultured or wild caught next time they choose one from a restaurant tank, thus reducing the pressure on the region's coral reefs. THE CORRESPONDENT DECEMBER 200I-JANUARY 2002

From the President he long term prospects are good," said Alan Greenspan in late October. But he continued: "Before recovery can get under wa¡ stability will neecl to be restored to the American economy and to others around the world"' Wren I was asked to write your "state of the Club" report for this year-end issue of tÌne The Corresþondent'I toàk ttry cue from the distinguished American Federal Reserve chiei to write a cautionary column' As I write this two months before the end of the and the world's economic prospects ),ear, Hong Kong bleak. The media industr¡ in increasingly iook

particular, faces hard times. Advertising revenues are at

organised remains strong. (See Tom Crampton's report on page 9). . We have finalised long overdue revisions to our Club's Articles of Association and plan early in

the New Year an Extraordinary

General

Membership meeting to review and approve them.

We have been increasing our links to other clubs and facilities around the region, obtaining for our members advantageous reciprocal benefits. o

In Beijing, we now have a link to Laurence Brahm's fine Red Capital Club. Built in a Qing Dynasty courtyard on DongsiJiutiao, it offers Chinese antiquity,

all-time lows. Job losses among the media are rising' With a prolonged American military offensive in West Asia, the costs of cot'ering the news are soaring. The irony of course is that the appetite for all rrarìner of information is soaring as well. More people are 'watching and reading news than ever before, and yet the additional "eyeballs" are not easily translatecl into revenues at a time of deepening worldwide recession. One small American newspaper recently decided to pay for its satellite phone bills from its

accommodation, good food and fine wine and cigars all in one location. FCC members can get up to 30% off on rooms.

cor-respondent in northern Afghanistan by laying off a ferv junior staff writers at home.

the Vietnamese capital. Now I'd also like to add a few words of re-assurance about one of the more controversial issues confronting the board this year. More people have approached me with questions about the future of our basement health and fitness corner than about any other bit of Club business. The board has approved plans to renovate within the next several months the Health Corner area. The aim is to provide both an improved health facility and to expand kitchen space. The kitchen expansion is necessary for fi,vo reasons. First, we are serving more meals with a more varied menu than ever before. And second, and most importantl¡ extremely crowded conditions need to be improved for the sake of the comfort and safety of our

Here in the tiny world of the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Hong Kong, we are in the enviable position of being stronger than ever before. But with Greenspanian advice in mind, we seek to achieve and maintain "stability" while waiting for those "good long'¡erm ProsPects. " As Kate Dawson, our First Vice-President and Treasurer, will tell you, we have considerable cash reserves on hand nearly double what we had on the eve òf the last economic recession in Hong Kong in 1997. Our membership outlook is also favorable. With the help of our Members Relations Manage¡ our numbers have increased steadily: from fewer than 1,100 in January 1999 to around 1,700 now. In November, we

to put in place a waiting list for new members in all categories except that of

'n'ere forced

Correspondent Member.

Now all this is no reason for complacency. Your Board. of Governors is watchful and wfll proceed with caution in the months ahead. We will continue to review the impact of these uncertain times on our members.

Still, there are a number of positive developments to trumpet. Among them:

. It is now likely that our lease on these

old,

protected, ice house premises will be renewed soon for ten more years atavery small increase in rent.

¡ Attendance at the increasingly varied professional lunches and dinners we have

THE CORRESPONDENT DECEMBER 2001-JANUARY 2002

In Hanoi, we have a new arrangement with

the in Vietnam the Press Club Hanoi Press Club. Of course

is that in name only. It is a private restaurant. The Hanoi government has never authorised press or correspondent clubs. Still, the Press Club, located convenientþ behind the Metropole Hotel, with the 15% discounts offered our Club members, offers a reasonable menu for those seeking European food in

hard-working kitchen staff. The frtness area, however, will not be sacrificed. IJnder the guidance of Second Vice President Ray Rudowski, we are working hard to have an improved

health facility with a better uúlisation of space and modernised equipment. In spite of serious space limitations, we believe can please both those with 24 or 30-inch waistlines and those who are quite happy with their 4O-inch girths. So with caution, courage and hard work in uncertain times, we wish you all a successful 2002.

till law!

FCe EeI:f $ecietY he incredibly wet weather this summer \certainly got in the way a little bit and resulted in somewhat less golf than we would have wanted' We have had so many games in ,.r¡tt. weather in the past - including a number that *ere abandoned mid-g

Recent events have curtailed plans for more extensive overseas trips, but we are nonetheless planning a short trip to Manila in November to meet up with a group coming in from Guam. We also expect to have two more regular events before the new year including the FCCGS' traditional Richard Hughes and Seniors trophy matches. Can Duckham retain his Richard Hughes crown? Whilst most members of the FCCGS are duffers of the highest orde¡ Sarah Henderson did manage to win the Hong Kong Ladies Open championship by a wide margin, represents Hong Kong, yet still plays with us. Golf society notices are sent out by e-mail and I still get many of them rejected. So if you are, or think you are, a member of the FCCGS, but do not receive any notices, please let me know. New members, even good golfers, are most welcome to

join.

Julian Wakh jþwakh@jpwakhco.com

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æ ganfre!

I heard that uä'ot' a quiet Briáge following that other well known usually i.oom, However, here I want to eople, not the game, and ow often have

not only of the Tuesday

sometimes, stood in as director for me. Also, Christine Dunn set off for the UK and Portugal with partner (not Bridge) Peter; she writes to say that she is still looking

for a game (Q: Anybody know how to bid in Portuguese? A: Call the Club Lusitano).

must here mention one couple who were with these events from day one, Mondays & Tuesdays Avriel and Michael Gerber now resident in France. Michael, who visits from time to time, always tries to frt in a game when he's here. Now there's loyalty! Also, I would like to thank all those who have left Hong Kong but the minute they know they are passing through email me to make sure they have a game (sometimes three months in advance): Alan Chuck, Michele Neale, Carol Shinkel and Margaret Sullivan to name but a few. It would be discourteous of me not to say a huge thank you to the FCC members who are still here and have supported the events over the many years, especially those that I have dragged out of the Main Bar on a Tuesday night when there has been a no-show. And it would be equally discourteous not to thank our hardwho working staff offìce, restaurant and kitchen all contribute to making the Bridge Nights so successful. I wish you all a very Huppy Christmas and a great 2002. Wendry

special thanks 4

to :t" who, on very short

notice

Richardson

jj r w ir @ n etu i g at o r. c o rn THE CORRESPONDENT DECEMBER 2001-JANUARY 2002

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receive the cancellation message but, committed to a night out, enjoyed themselves in the Club nonetheless. This was the only quiz ever to be cancelled, though we

lg* ¡ change

I I I did have one postponement but that was totally I down to me as I had no electricity and I couìd not I retrieve all those lovely questions. I We have had huge turnouts throughout the year, I never less than 12 teams even during the summer. Most I of the winning teams have been faithfully recorded in I The Corresþondent. | Many people ask: \Àrhere do you get this stuff) How | long does it take? | The stuff is researched, once I decide how each I sections' hook will work. Hook? Well, for example I "History" \A/ho won the battle? Who lost the battle? - | two hooks same battle, two sections, two different quizzes. I It takes 24 man-hours to construct a full quiz, including I reading the newspapers right down to the third paragraph. I Q: Who wrote La Bohème I A: Leoncavallo I No, you cry. "It was Puccini!" Both are correct, I Puccini in 1896, Leoncavallo in 1897. I tr¡ I try. We have many teams who have been with us from I the start, some who have reinvented themselves a I -

uck

and

ffiifr

Society who also became Lamma Lama's Llamas (neat huh). All waiting to see if I can pronounce them at the fìnal tally call. Of course I can. Or the question of questions: . Why you ask, is there no classical music? 'Cos

r . .

I'-

fed up getting lynched. Couldn't you have a round where an individual team member answers specific questions? NO, this is a team event. What about late 90s music? Lynched again. More scientif,rc stuff.) See previous answer.

The point is you either know it or you don't

Question: Isn't that the POINT of a quiz???? I would like to thank, and you are too numerous to mention, each and every one of you, the teams and the people who take part in them for supporting the FCC all these years and hope that we will continue to keep our reputation as "The Best Quiz in Hong Kong" and probably the most well attended, also known as "The Thinking Drinker's Quiz". And thank you to the staff as well,withoutwhom.....HuppyHolidays. Wendy Richardson, jjrwir@netuigatorcom,

Fit for Life

hen did I last workout? Have I seriously made a commitment to actually want to get frt? Do I really want to lose weight? Have I given up? What's my goal? Do I get up early for this one or shall I just lie in? These are questions that a lot of us ask at some stage, whether we've made fitness a part of our lives or not. In my experience everything has to start with an attitude. That attitude has to be one of a simple commitment. No great ambitions. No great dreams or projections of where we'll be a year from now or any"thing. Just start with the attitude of 'I really want this". If ybu want it badly enough then you can get it easily. If you're halfhearted or not sure about committing to a fitness attitude then it'll fade for sure. You have to make it a decision that'll be for the rest of your life but it is also a decision that you'll never regret. So many people flake out in the early stages of programmes or routines simply because they think they've attained enough to justi$' more time back at the bar or away from workouts. Or they conjure up excuses that can be convincing only to themselves. Let me just THE CORRESPONDENT DECEMBER 2001-JANUARY 2002

is just not about working out, it's actually of life or, for that matter, a way of living. So the first step is a decision to go for it. Once you've made that decision then I would say that 607o of the work is already done. The rest can be done with a little initial guidance, some basic supporting facilities and a daily routine.

say

that fitness

a way

I'm now throwing out a challenge for one FCC It'll be a decision that must be for keeps. That will be the member, only one, to make such a decision.

deal. You come forward with an honest commitment

then we'll go for it. There will be no before and after pictures or anything of the sort. Except after six months, all that I ask is that you write a short article for The Corresþonclenl on how much you feel you've benefited from adding fitness to your daily living routine. Just e-mail me and tell me why you want to make the commitment. Mark Sharþ mark@marksharþ.com

WinB, Wine & MoFe Wine

V A Then I was asked in late 2000 to take over the wines are very expensive, and the majority of inexpensive French wines are bad. There is value for club's wine list, I thought to myself, this will f¡|t/ Y V be like becoming an undertaker: I'm never money to be found, however, and the occasional gem, especially from such lesser-known regions as Languedocgoing to be short of clients. My faith has been rewarded: club members continue Roussillon, and I've been tasting myway through a lot of to imbibe enormous amounts of wine, along with beers those. There are enough examples around, and enough people who insist on French wines, to warrant doing the and spirits. There have been occasional grumbles of discontent over the selections, but more often, praise promotion during two separate months. Some other themes for the coming months: South for this bottle or that. I am gratihed. In case you haven't noticed, we've been doing a Africanwines,Argentinianwines,NewZealandwines,the Arnazing Antinoris, the incredibly varied wines that all go special each month, each based on a theme: wines of a by thenameof chardonnay. Ifyouhaveanythoughtsor certain country, wines of a certain region, wines of a certain t1pe. For the most part, I try to choose wines requests or suggestions, my e-mail address is below Having said that, I will adopt the FAQ tool of the that the club can sell at reasonable prices; i.e. between internet to answer the following query in advance: (As now similar I'm offering a sideline, and $175 $400. themed cases of wines to individuals, at retail instead of e: FIow come I can get such-and-such a wine at restaurant prices, under the name Wines Made. Easy.) ñ.il.o-. at a lot lower price than I,m charged Among the specials this past year have been wine.s of at the FCC? Australia, German¡ Alsace, Spain, and various regions A: Restaurants and clubs must take a much of ltaly. Based on the reception the specials receive, I've higher mark-up on food and beverages than been making subtle changes to the regular list as we go retail outlets do in order to pay costs. There is along. My one iron-clad criterion is: I won't put it on no comparing the two. The FCC, however, takes the list if it's not good, no matter how low the price is. a lower mark-up than the average restaurant, so There are a lot of interesting new wines to come. For in general you're getting a better deal here than the December holiday season, I emphasised better red wines from several countries, along with champagnes you would on Lan Kwai Fong or in Wanchai.) and other sparkling wines. The January theme is a continuation of what I began in November, which I call Barry Kalb "affordable French". The premise is that good French bhalb@gd.ecoffiz.com

Chess Club

he FCC Chess Club has survived its hrst year and, after struggling a little early on, threatens to develop into a healthy entity. It has been an certainly more eventful than imagined eventful year back in January when the club was conceived, like so many conceptions in Hong Kong, after a long night in the Main Bar. The club has had its fìrst title hght (the inaugural championship is in its final stages) and its hrst fight (one tournament game became a little too competitive). It has also attracted new members to the FCC, and even attracts a regular visitor from Germany. Some Wednesday evenings are quieter than others, but we have on occasions had more than a dozen players, and the list of regulars is slowly but surely growing. The tournament was undoubtedly the highlight of 2001. As we go to press there are only four games remaining. Rob Behull is undefeated so far and, with only one game to play, is strong favourite to become the first FCC Chess Champion. Graeme Hall has lost only once (to Bob), however, and retains

chance of finishing equal first.

The 2002 tournament will start immediately after 6

Prisoner at the B ar Two for One

Hong Kong Club: "Sorry not possible. This would

Ali (not his real name) is a Muslim. He married his three wives in Malaysia where, he tells me, the serendipitous custom of collecting wives is perfectþ legal. \A/hen he came to Hong Kong, a rather less

establish a precedent. "

enlightened administration, he did the right thing and brought two of his wives with him. When he joined the FCC, he felt it better to keep wife number two in the closet, so to speak. Now wife number two is insisting on equal rights and wants to know why she cannot also be declared a partner and invited to enjoy the FCC along with wife number one. Opinions at the Main Bar are about evenly divided, except for one denizen of the Red Lips corner who sniffed: "There are far too many women here already."

Other Cluhs Being the Bar Correspondent for The

and- persisted.

will probably include a blítz championship and

challenge ladder. I'd like to conclude by sapng a special thank you to the hard core of regulars who joined virtually from day one and without whom the club would have folded a long time ago. They are, in no particular order, Sarah Flenderson, V G Kulkarni, Feng Chi-shun, Graeme Hall and, fìnally, Bob Behull, to whose lofty standards the

rest of us aspire. Their playing ability may var¡ but their pleasure in playing the game is the same. It is for such people that the chess club exists. They have also become good friends. And of course a big thank you to the staff whose work behind the scenes is invaluable. Chris Chamþion champs@netaigatorcom THE CORRESPONDENT DECEMBER 2001-IANUARY2002

Hong Kong Cricket Club: Instant response from the GM Nigel Stearns, listing all of Chip's friends and saying they would be advised individually.

At the funeral

I summed up the three clubs to which f still belong, with a little parable. As any FCC members know, my friend and mentor Chip Plunkett was recently called to the great dice school in the sky. I wrote to the managers

of the clubs which he used regularly: the Hong Kong Club, FCC and Hong Kong Cricket Club, asking each manager if they could advise their members of the funeral arrangements. All I wanted was for the clubs to tell members by e-mail or multi-fax, the date and time of the funeral service and the wake. The responses from the managers addressed were varied and says much about the clubs.

all these clubs were well

Enter The Buffalo Football legend Walter Gerrard (The Buffalo), along with Derek Currie (Jesus), were the first professional footballers to display their skills in Hong Kong with Ian Petrie's sadly demised Rangers FC. Since

that time, he's become more familiar face at Hong Kong watering holes

and none more so than at the FCC's Main Bar. About 20 years ago, on the eve of Walter's wedding

to an innocent and blushing bride, I bet him a bottle of champagne that his marriage would not last ayear.

I was wrong. They just celebrated their

21st anniversary of an exceptionally huppy marriage. I had reckoned without the saintliness of his incomparable

wife Barbara. In view of her fortitude, patience and Toyalty, I have written to the Vatican to put her name forward for beatification. I am pleased to say I have received a communication from the Pope to assure me that Barbara's place in the queue for canonisation has now been advanced and she is now directly behind Mother Teresa. Hang on Barbara, you're nearly there. Ted, Thomas corþ

service,

represented, and also at the wake which took place at the Hong Kong Club, where a traditional Irish band played the tunes he loved so well.

Corresþond.ent

has its ups and downs, not least being considered an expert on everything by reporters looking for a story. So it came as no surprise when the genial freelancer Robin Llnam asked if I'd answer a question or two about the FCC as a club vis à vis other clubs. I trotted out the usual clichés, like the Ladies Recreation Club's blizzard of regulations resulting in it being nominated as the Latest Regulation Club; the China Club being not so much a club as a restaurant and a bar with the world's worst club library; the Yacht Cìub as being the best club for knocking off other members' wives and so on but the wily Robin was not so easily diverted

Lunar New Year to avoid disruption from the summer holiday season, and entries are being taken now. Players of all standards are welcomed, indeed urged, to play. All it needs is a firm commitment to Wednesday nights for 12 weeks or so. Other innovations in 2002

FCC: GM Gilbert Cheng was quick off the mark: 'Yes. Sure. We'lI do anything to help." And notices were placed on the main notice boards and friends advised by phone or fax. It's worth noting that Chip was not a member of the FCC, but was well-known there as he was a regular guest.

m@hk. linka ge. net

THE FCC sHoP

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CUMMULÄTrVE REAL GROIVTH, 1986-2000 (%)

Pro fession a"l & Entertainment

Ç,ommittee R"port uilding on the brisk pace of programming set in 2000, the Professional Committee has delivered numerous high profile speakers,

Japa[

Hong l(ong

By David O'Rear

news making events and controversial panel

Á.SEÁ.N

the 10 n the 15 years to 2000, Southeast Asia grew I24.ú7o, or 5.5% ASEAN countries' GDP

a yeaî. That's better than Northeast Asia (Japan, Korea and Greater China), but only if inflation

and exchange rates are held constant (i.e., "real" terms). In surreal terms, where all that inflation and all those

discussions.

Top drawing stars included financier George

Taiwan

Soros, chief secretary Donald Tsang, author Jan Morris, Pakistan's consul general Ali Azmat Ranjha, Mainland film director Zhang Yang, the gadfly of Hong Kong regulators David Webb, the

Korea China

wild currency swings are taken into account, ASEAN despite in and big devaluations of depression decade Japan's grew 763.7 Vo (6.7 % pa) while Northeast Asia

managed 270.2% (9.7Vo pa; see Korea and China graph). To put it another way, ASEAN was I7.7% of the size of Northeast Asia in 1985, but just 8.4% h 2000. ASEAN has lost the plot, and will remain an also-ran to Northeast Asia for a long time to come. The reasons

boil down to two: Risk and Reward. Let's start with the basics.

Political risk threats and more serious First, there are more to political stability in Southeast Asia than in any other part of East Asia. Business loves predictability, and

ASEAN has faced and

will continue to face the

challenge of relatively inconsistent politics and policies.

Most immediately, the four larger countries (Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia) have large Muslim populations (there are smaller numbers in Brunei and Burma). Their governments must walk a very ttrin whether they want to or not line between supporting global anti-terrorist efforts and maintaining peace at home. Some may not succeed. In a longer-term perspective, Southeast Asia is going

through generational change and this is always disruptive. After the wat most countries in East Asia had one, or perhaps two, strongman leaders. In

Indonesia, Sukarno and Suharto; Lee Kwan Yew in Singapore and Ferdinand Marcos in the Philippines. Chiang Kai-shek and Chiang Ching-kuo ran Taiwan, as didJapan's Liberal Democratic Party in that country. In Korea, no one questioned Park Chung Hee (for very long) and of course the words of Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping were law. There are exceptions (most notably Thailand), but the pattern is clear and pervasive. Northeast Asia has worked through these changes; ASEAN in still in the process of change. And that increases the risks. Sometimes, as in the liberalisations that followed the departures of Chairman Mao, Chiang Kai-shek and Park Chung-hee, those changes are benefrcial. Often, such transitions are slow, and

frequently the frrst new leader does not last very long. Bloodshed is not uncommon, nor is loss of business or business opportunity. \À¡hat is important is that such transitions are: . Difficult to predict; ¡ They bring changes in the relations among power centres such as political parties, the militar¡ family-run businesses and the frnancial institutions; and . They carry with them an undeniable increase

in risk. Indonesia is still working through this generational change following President Suharto's retirement. In the next couple of years we will see a similar change in leadership in Malaysia. I'm not sayng Malaysia will fall into the sort of civil violence that has racked Indonesia in recent years. After all, the changes that occurred in China after Mao Zedong are universally seen to be quite positive. What I'm saying is that change is coming, and that means less predictability, and hence more risk.

Winners dontt lose

My second point is to the comparative rewards of

doing business in Southeast Asia. The regional cohesion that gave ASEAN such promise in the mid1990s is fading, most notably in the challenges to a smooth and early implementation of the ASEAN Free Trade Area agreement. Without an early and largely unchanged implementation of the AFIA agreement, ASEAN will lose its role as a potential competitor to China,Japan, India and Korea.

Third, China's success in attracting foreign

and particularly since investment in the past 15 years 1992 has decisively shifted the balance of business power- north. To put it bluntl¡ ASEAN has fallen off the corporate agenda, at least for companies with a strong presence in Northeast Asia and for those looking to enter Asian markets. I

Daaid O'Rear, Regional Economist for

Economist Corþorate Netuork, has been a Northectst Asia boy since 1980 THE CORRESPONDENT DECEMBER 200I-JANUARY 2002

Falun Gong, US political commentator William Kristol, Philippine President Gloria MacapagalArroyo and East Timor hero Xanana Gusmao. Also packing people in were the Body Shop's Anita Roddick, Legislative Councillor Audrey Eu and Professor Perry Link of The Tiananmen Paþers

Financial guru George Soros

fame.

The increased amount of work required to keep up the new pace has been met with great enthusiasm by the FCC staff who deserve generous thanks and full credit for keeping operations so smooth despite the pressure of a healy workload.

News

Record attendance

Following the September 11 attacks in the US, a series of hastily assembled, news-related programmes

Sell-out events attracting more than 90 people now take place on average almost every other week, with the George Soros evening setting a new all-time record of attendance 207 people attended while an additional

70 people -participated via live video link to the Bangkok FCC that was kindly supplied by Poþom. Soros addressed and interacted with two audiences in

The Professional Committee also organised a new range of programming for members on topics as diverse as dancing, business negotiations and health.

Enterprises FITOU - I.ANGUEDOC

INVESTMENT APARTMENTS

separate countries at the same time. With 31 events organised during the first 19 weeks in office, this year's Professional Committee has run a higher pace of programming than for at least the last

seven years, according to General Manager Gilbert Cheng. Many of these events were featured in reports

by publications (SCM Post, Hong Kong

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international wire services (Agence France-Presse, Associated Press, Reuters) and in numerous television and radio broadcasts, local and foreign. Moving towards a new style of event^that highlights the creative arts, Club members were tréäted to a sneak preview of Øitting, the latest film by award-winning Beijing-based director Zhang Yang, at a gala cinema

evening

in the Queens

ST. RAPHAEL. COTE D 'AZUR

GOLF IN PROVENCE

Cinema. After the show,

producer Peter Loehr and Zl;'ang were peppered with questions for more than half an hour about their highly personal and emotional film. The film had only been shown to audiences on only two previous occasions the film festivals in Toronto and Venice - be released to the general public in Hong and will not Kong until mid-2002. THE CORRESPONDENT DECEMBER zOOI-IANUARY

2OO2

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proved highly popular. Less than a week after the attack, a panel on "Terrorism, Aviation and Security" brought offìcials from the US Consulate-General together with experts in those frelds. Alice Moore, consular section chief responsible for the protection and safety of US citizens, attended along with aviation security specialist Ian Gilchrist, director of operations in Asia for Hill & Associates, and former FBI agent Harry Godfrey who is now regional managing director of Kroll Associates. As attacks began in Afghanistan, Pakistan's Consul General, Lzmat Ali Ranjha, headed a panel entitled: "Pakistan, Afghanistan and Islam: Legitimate targets?". Star Neus,4siø correspondent Joe Kainz, who recently returned from Afghanistan, and Mohamed Yoonus, former vice-president of the International Islamic Society of Hong Kong, brought their expertise to the panel. In another news-related programme, members of the an organisation Falun Gong banned on all other Parts of the Mainland Presented their views. The panel featured lively discussion among Kan Ilung-cheung, the grouP's toP spokesman in Hong Kong,

The Tiananmen Paþers rocked the world with its insight into how China is governed. Co-editor Professor Perry Link a addressed luncheon and explained how the book was compiled and translated.

Food columnist Nell Nelson, author of Eat

tell. International expert on sexual behaviour, Dr

just before the handover in t997.

FCC members were also quite prolific and the club proved a natural platform for their endeavours. Launches included SCM Post columnist Jake van der Kamp's Doctory Doctor: The Inttestment Analyst on the Couch, the Far Eastern Economic Reaiew editor Michael Vatikiotis', Debatable Land,

Nury Vittachi's North Wind, Stephen Rogers' The Last

of the Hong Kong Catholic Diocese and Jean-Pierre Cabestan, the director of the

Puþþet Master and Graham Earnshaw's Life €l Death of a Dotcom in Chi,na.

Boeks and writers

A number of writers launched or spoke about their books at FCC lunches and dinners, perhaps the most famous being Jan Morris, author of the much-hailed the Pax Britanniø trilogy works on the British Empire and her tour de force book on Hong Kong. \A4rile at the club, Morris launched and signed copies of her latest book, Trieste and the Meani'ng of Nouhere (her "last book ever", she claimed), several months ahead of the

release anywhere else. Christopher New, one of the most distinguished novelists produced by Hong Kong, launched the re-issued edition of }lris China Coast Tälog7. Author Dr David Hugus discussed his book Laddn to the

of the Imperial Chinese bureaucracy. Dire predictions brought Gordon Chang a sell-out audience as he discussed the controversial thesis of his book The Coming CoIIaþse of Chàna. China's Clouds, a book on the insignia

Professor Douglas Lamont, a visiting professor of marketing at DePaul University, shared his insights on the Internet while discussing his book

Perry Link, The Tiananmen PaPers.

election, which was widely seen as a struggle between the Democrats and the pro-Beijing parties, explained why she bothered to run.

band, provides live music every Thursda¡ Friday and Saturday nights. The joint's packed and jumpin'. If I tried to list all the guest artists who jammed at Bert's,

Judith Macka¡ regaled a dinner audience with little known facts gleaned from her new l>ook, The Atlas of Human Sexual Behaaiour. The glamorous fashion

Justice and Peace Commission

Eu, who romped home as an Independent in a Legco bY-

Bertns Allen Youngblood, the leader of our resident

Cooh

Hong Kong, delighted her audience with a show and

designer Vivienne Tam explained her philosophy while launching China Chic. Anita Roddick, of Body Shop fame, talked about putting idealism back in business while discussing her book Business as Unusual. Novelist Xu Xi discussed her fourth novel, The Unwalled City, set

-lJl'e Conquering the Wireless World: The Age of m-Commerce.

road ahead for China's economywas the centrepoint of discussion at a lunch with Laurence Brahm, editor of a

new compilation of essays on economic reform in China entitled China's Nan Century: the Auakening of the Next Economic Powerhous¿. Former member L Gordon Crovitz, senior vice president of electronic publishing at DowJones & Co, explained to members that "There is Life Online After the Internet Bubble".

Finanee and economìcs As befits a frnancial centre like Hong Kong, the FCC brought a large number of finance-related speakers, in addition to financier George Soros and former hnance secretary-turned Chief Secretary for Administration, Donald Tsang. A panel on the impact of Basel 2 attracted a sell-out audience. Panelists included Simon Topping of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Paul Sheehan of Lehman Brothers, Ken Mclay of Standard & Poor's as well as author Jonathan Golin. THE CORRESPONDENT DECEMBER 2OOI-IANUARY

2OO2

the

biggest events the club stages, but there were dozens and dozens of private functions ranging from intimate dinners to full-blown parties. Our new Chinese restaurant opened and is successfully making its mark on Hong Kong's Cantonese cuisine.

There Anything Left?

Father Stephen Chan, an ecclesiastical advisor to the

French Centre for Research on Contemporary China. Legislative Councillor AudreY

The annual Diplomatic Reception is one of

fast-fading historical heritage was highlighted by Tess Johnston as she discussed OId Shanghai, Old China: Is

Merry Christmas

Courrtry Briefings Events also spotlighted many countries, including the US, Malaysia, Vietnam and China. William Kristol, editor and publisher of The Weehly Stand¿rd, discussed prospects and challenges for the Bush Administration. At a separate luncheon, A B Culvahouse, chairman of the law firm O'Melveny & Myers, gave a Washington insider's view on the George W Bush Administration's frrst 120 days in office. The relations between China and the US and the security implications were the topic highlighted at lunch with Rear Adm Eric A McVadon (USN ret). Malaysia's Internal Security Act, "Rule of Law or Rule by Law?" was the centre of discussion by a panel that comprised Sivara Rasiah, an advocate and solicitor of the High Court of Malaysia, and Mr Gobalakrishnan a long-time political activist ordered released by a landmark judgment. "Hong Kong: The Need for Vision" was the focus of a talk by Ken Davies, chief economist and bureau chief for the Economist

this column would be twice as long. Suffice to say there's a few featured in every issue of The Corresþondenl so I'll let you do the math. But Bert's has become one of the key places in Hong Kong where jazz musicians go after their gigs to jam the night away. (For the uninitiated or new members, Bert's is a fine place to have lunch or a quiet coffee during the day.) Despite these successes, the Professional and Entertainment Committee very much needs help from all members. Please volunteer to help organise a programme on a topic of your choice today! The very capable FCC staff will make the process painless. And any tips of people passing through Hong Kong are also

greatþ appreciated. Thomas Cramþton,

Proþssional

Entertainment Committee Convenor

Intelligence Unit in Asia. Cambodian opposition politician Sam Rainsy spoke about political justice in Cambodia. A second look at prospects for investment in

Vietnam was the topic raised by Fred Burke, managing partner, Vietnam, for Baker & McKenzie. Narayana Murthy, CEO of India's bluechip Infosys Technologies, talked about his country's technical revolution.

Food Glorious Faod Food promotions brought great crowds, including the Mexican Food Fiesta that included 12 dancers and 12 musicians; a Japanese Gala Evening attended by

Japan's Consul-General and held to the tune of a Japanese jazz band, and a Down Ûnder evening featuring Australian cuisine. Events like the successful Beer Buffet and Malt Whisky evenings speak for themselves. And then there were the special one day promotions which were sold out each and every time: St Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Easter, Thanksgiving (both the Canadian in October and the American in November), Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and of course our traditional New Year's Eve bash. And this NewYear's Eve's "do" features the greatAmerican bluesman Cash McCall, who's back by popular demand. THE CORRESPONDENT DECEMBtrR 2OOI-JANUARY2002

Finance Committee Report fter more than three years of careful shepherding ofresources, good planning and aggressive efforts to build membership and sales, the FCC is on solid financial footing. The goal for the next few years will be to give the club a foundation fìrm enough to carry it forward 10 or 20 years. The Finance Committee's focus this year has been on looking to the future, to make sure the club can afford to make necessary renovations, be ready for any problems that might pop up in its ageing building and to keep membership costs and food prices as low as possible.

Led by General Manager Gilbert Cheng, the staff keeps costs well contained, at the same time serving topnotch food to a record number of members. Almost every month this year, the club has sold more food and drink than expected, and for most months, costs were kept below budget forecasts. Their efforts mean the

club, by early October, had $16.5 million in the bank. This comes despite no increase in prices or membership fees in three years. \¡\¡hile this sounds like a hefty amount of savings, remember that the club soon will be renovating the

Fitness Corner and relocating the bakery to give more

room in the kitchen. In addition, there is a stream of repairs and upgrades needed to keep the facilities in compliance with licensing requirements. For instance, only recently was it discovered that the roof gutters needed to be replaced to prevent leaks. For the next year, the Finance Committee will be looking at ways to improve the returns we earn on our savings. For now, as financier George Soros told FCC members in September: "Keeping your savings in cash makes sense, but as the world markets steady, it may make sense to place some of the savings in higheryielding deposits." The goal is to begin building for the future. In the next five to 10 years, the club may need to undertake extensive remodeling, or its growth may force the board of governors to consider expanding the facilities somehow To do that we'll need to continue keeping an eye on costs and finding new ways to boost sales. Kate Pound Dau)son, Treasurer

House/F&B Committee his year has seen our best results ever for food and beverage. This is mainly due to the creative skills of our chefAlan Chan. Alan and his staff in the kitchen have worked hard to keep our food interesting and of the highest quality. The Chinese menu and restaurant have proved to be a big success and well patronised. A big thanks go out to them. Also kudos goes out to the waiters and bar staff who

friendly and courteous service which the club has become famous for. Last, but not least, we mustn't forget our general manager, Gilbert Cheng. His tireless efforts and long hours spent at the club ensure that we can all enjoy the facilities we have come to expect. He and the offrce staff work continuously behind the scenes making sure the club runs like a well-oiled machine. Entertainment-wise, we have had many interesting and well-attended food evenings, wine tastings and special events such as the popular Mexican evening. New Year's Eve should prove to be one of our best ever with GrammyAward winner and Chicago bluesman deluxe Cash McCall playing in the Main Dining Room. Also on the cards is a much-needed revamp of the health club. Second Vice-President Ray Rudowski is working hard with the contractors to come up with a modernised and more user-friendly facility. always maintain

Publications Committee

iå{'ffi

huppy state of affairs are our persistent ad man Steve White, editor Saul Lockhart, a committed committee and our production house for many years, Asiapix. Aira and Baby Fernando and Terry Duckham at

Asiapix have been an important part of The Corresþond,enl's success. Not only putting up with a succession of editors and committees, but doing so with great patience and care for the magazine.

The current format of the magazine began with Viswa Nathan in 1987 and has evolved in style and content ever since. The last revamp of the magazine was

for the FCC's 50th anniversary edition in

1999. Long-

term FCC member and award-winning designer Peter Wong was the man in the design seat. The editor then and now is Saul Lockhart, who over the years has done a great job with the content. The content this year is the best it has been, culminating in November's coverage of members' experiences of the tragedy of September 11 Each bimonthly edition is now averaging 25 separate items per issue, up from 16 three years ago. The range of stories continues to be a mix of media, club and travel articles along with photo spreads. .

Just over a yeaî ago the committee was discussing the final issue of the yeaç which we wanted to be a bumper issue with good ad support. Steve White suggested

holding a FCC photo competition and printing the results in the December issue,

we hoped you noticed.

Within days Terry Duckham took up the reins and the first FCC Photographer of the Year Award was on the map. Very quickly it became a mountain of work and expanded beyond the publication committee. A POYA committee was formed with Terry Duckham as Chairman and together they managed to bring the Hong Kong Tourism Board and Cathay Pacific Airways on board as major sponsors, as well as arranging a 'r'aluable array of prizes from major photographic suppliers and other Hong Kong business identities. A total of265 entries were received over eleven categories representing a very high standard at the top end to make the first FCC Photographer of the Year Awards a great success and a credit to the clwb. (See full reþort on þage 27)

The Publication Committee now looks forward to in the black with every issue. Continued excellent content and year two of the FCC The Corresþondent being

Photographers Award. Paul Bayf,.eld Publication Committee Conuenor

With that also comes another much-needed reorganising of the kitchen. As mentioned earlier, we are now serving more meals than ever, which is putting pressure on the kitchen. We have come up with a plan to upgrade some facilities so that our food will remain maþe even better. This year also sees the first time in more than seven years that we will have a permanent club licence. This is mainly thanks to Robin F{owes, who has worked tirelessly on getting our works up to code and properly approved by all the different government departments, which is no easy feat. Robin has also worked with this committee in the negotiations for our lease renewal. With Robin's guidance, we have managed to persuade the government property agency to recommend to the finance department to renew our lease for ten years and maintain the same rent which we have enjoyed as good as ever,

over the past two years. This was a tricky and sensitive situation and we must thank Robin again for his input and assistance. That being said, we wish you all well for the coming year and thanks for your loyal support to the club.

4 tc¿al M

ioaØtn&Ufa!

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Committee Conaenor THE CORRESPONDENT DECEMBER 200I-JANUARY 2002

rHE CORRESPONDENT DECEMBER 2001-JANUARY 2002

THE NEW YORK TTMES. WEDNESDAY APRIL 2T'

Missing

Where the Action Is

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Reading your own obituary is a rariry *ere killed hlitzer by to ,o'Ëi..iii'i lå but veteran Agence France-Presse of \liss Thc \tr3s wcbb wås krllcd ol I u!:l:,,"ïi'i' correspondent Kate Webb had the last ";:,,ì;'s i.":f f; t;fi ;f 'Jil;',Ìlifi";.,ìil]9,;"t"""n'""" "'" laugh on the grim reaper in Cambodia in 1971. After a career in journalism spanning four decades, Webb retired in August. She talked about her life on the frontlines with Vaudine England. Catherine M, Webb

in Pr¡ze. 2s vrelconB ¿mblsh oct- ?s amb-ush on oct. à vretconB ând examined examinea-by a Pñmpcnh ãna at C¿lmc(Le Hos_ l9?0. on Rot¡le wehb deãth pital ãppointed brrnRstoa(le¿stlÙlhenumm¡ (orrcspondcntq killcd in ir lorrcspondcntq ttPl P hurraumenager hrtr.¿u månaqer in Pnom_ì p¿(trologrst

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ate Webb set out in seamed stockings and miniskirts to learn journalism in Sydney then took herself to war at the age of 23. Now she's

ot even 60, but is stepping out, retiring from journalism. Perfectionist to the core, she thinks she's slowing down. Most of us think we know the dramatic moments in her extraordinary career. But only after a few soothing unguents one late night inJakarta did we get to the nub

of it all: "People always think I must be so tough to survive all this. But I'm a real softie. But maybe that's what it you have to be soft to survive. Hard people takes

shatter. "

Getting into the details of her desperate moments, it's clear she's right. When she was captured by North Vietnamese forces in 1971, aged 28, with frve others at a battle for Highway Four, tearful colleagues around the world wrote her obituaries and mourned the loss of not only "a babe" but, more importantl¡ a "darn good reporter". Friends and contacts the world over lobbied from Beijing to Paris for her release. Unlike every other group captured and killed in those times, her group survived. Why? 'We all said, take all of us or none. If you don't release the Cambodians we're not going... [And] one of the North Vietnamese helped me. He was obviously very tired and sick, but he kept questioning me and I thought,'he's a professional'. And I suddenly 14

I T T J

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on Bill Landr¡ UPI's foreign editor, and

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er worst moment was in Kabul, when militia bashed her head on the floor and tore a chunk of her hair out. "That rattled me, really spooked me. It took a while to stop looking over my shoulder. There's something very humiliating about having your head bashed." And when she was facing death from malarial fever in New York, it was friendship (and beer) which pulled her through. She'd arranged to meetJohn \¡liheeler of AP one day for a beer and failed to appear. Wheeler, saying "she wouldn't pass up a beer", called

remembered that I was a professional too, and I stopped feeling like a victim. "None of us talked about the others. The Cambodians had families and could have easily dobbed me in as CIA and got an award, but they didn't. "So you see what people have given me in life. "Me giving money to people is nothing compared to that," says Kate, asked why she's so generous to the disadvantaged she meets when she has no nest egg to call her own. \Arhen she staggered back to Phnom Penh to the astounded delight of the press corps, friends such as the late great Donald Wise took her aside, warned her of what it would take to get over the trauma of captivity and helped her through. Just as threatening to her life was the motorbike accident in Delhi which left her at risk of losing an arm. She was taking horse-sized tranquillisers, encased in a cast. Half her face had been wiped off. For three weeks

she couldn't see, couldn't move. Her nerves were crushed, she was screaming with the white pain. Instead of running to Bangkok, she trusted the Indian doctors who said if she could stand it, they could save her arm. It so happened that at the time, Kate was giving shelter to a family of Afghan refugees in her house. (How many "tough" hacks would do that?) It is to the Afghans she ascribes her survival. "And suddenly there was no sense of obligation on the Afghan family's part, which was super," she says. THE CORR_ESPONDENT DECEMBER z0OUANUARY 2002

together went to find her. "I was in a coma on the floor of the hotel in New York. Everything was aching, I was Dateline lndonesia Kate Webb at her desk in Jakarta throwing up and passing out. They came and just frog-marched me out of there in a sarong and tenets alive. Kate is utterly anal about getting facts a field jacket, down to the hospital," says Kate. With a straight and quotes accurate. She's also renowned for temperature of 108 degrees, they put her in a bucket screaming at the desk when stories stumble, and can be full of alcohol and ice up to her neck and inserted a right horror some days, colleagues admit. drips into each arm, all the while thinking she was "The more you get the facts right on breaking news, brain-dead. the less chance there is for people to lie," she says. She was in New York as the second woman after Kate's generosity over the years to successive Germaine Greer invited to address the Washington generations of naive hopefuls, including this one, are Press Club. But the honours seem to mean little to selÊ testament to her lasting contribution to the craft. She effacing Kate. notes it's changed. At herJakarta FCC farewell bash, Kate had one idea "It's like we're all mosquitoes dancing on the on her mind teamwork. Working for wire agencies, surface of a pond, we have to move so fast... it's the she said, is being part of a team. The names she damn speed. Reporting has suffered, it's nowhere near mentioned as special were those of her local colleagues as meticulous." from Vietnam and Cambodia, to Kabul and Delhi, to Lecherous men, betrayal, the bugbears of some Seoul, Jakarta, Manila and more. female colleagues, haven't bothered Kate. One boss For he¡ the highlights include her 24-hour had to give up on getting into her knickers: "One night exclusive on the death of Kim Il Sung, or that other I didn't know how to get rid of him, so I got hold of the scoop about Lon Nol having a stroke ("I was tripleBalut boys fsellers of decomposed eggs in the sourced and UPI stood by me, even though Washington Philippinesl, you know, with the little eggs with halÊ was telling them to drop it"). formed beaks. I just slurped them down and the boss She was there for the fall of Najibullah in had to dash out to throw up outside." Afghanistan, the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi in India, As for the autobiography which we hope will appear the fall of Ershad in Bangladesh, Nepal's rebellion one da¡ it would start in New Zealand in 1943, go against the monarch¡ People Power in the Philippines, through the move to Australia in 1951, to Europe when the fall of Chun Doo-Hwan in South Korea, the Gulf she was 13 and, incredibly, to the death of both her Wa¡ East Timor, Vietnam, Cambodia, Hong Kong's parents in a car crash when she was 17 or 18. (She's not handover and more. sure exactl¡ "I blotted it out".) Dad was chair of Strangely, when everyone knows her from 'Nam' it political science at ANU, Mum a historian of Asia who is Indonesia Kate has seen most of. Shd'just happened had sailed off to Canton in the 1930s. to be inJogjakarta in 1966 when the canals were being Given Kate's obsession with facts, it's a shame the frlled with the corpses of alleged communists killed at book she wrote about her captivity had a factual error the hands of military-inspired mobs. Pressing through in the title. Now out of print but net-available, Kate's maddened crowds to get a train back to Jakarta, she "On the Other Side 23 days with the Viet Cong", arrived in the capital only to be disbelieved about what should of course read-"with the North Vietnamese". "The weird thing is, I never thought I would live this was actually afoot. She was back to Indonesia in every decade since, seeing the fall of Suharto (and Presidents long. I'm a geriatric teenager. I've been able to land Habibie and Wahid), even choosing to return toJakarta like a cat on four feet.

after her retirement.

Through

it all, she's kept a few basic journalistic

THE CORRESPONDENT DECEMBER 200I-JANUARY 2002

"But people were good to me. Life is made up of breaks. It doesn't cost anything to give people breaks."

Tributes WHO John Macbeth, Før Eastern Economic Reuieut

'A Kiwi like myself, Kate Webb cut her teeth in journalism in a different era when instant television was unknown, when media packs were smaller and when the wire agencies were king. Forget Reuters and forget the bloody coffee futures. In those days in Asia, at the height of the Indochina War, the real war was between IJPI and AP. Winning was an all-consuming passion. It was competition at

Alan Dawson, Bangkoh Post "I was surprised to hear Kate was retiring. We all get old, but I never thought Kate would have the money. She has been known for too long and too frequently as a generous and scintillating companion. quick to shout... e¡ to buy her round and sponsor dinner. She probably didn't know we knew at least part of what she gave a.way to kids' causes and orphanages and the like."

FLOW OF INFORMATION

AS EASY AS

"It was April 1975 and Saigon was about to fall to the North Vietnamese. Kate and I were the press pool sent to cover the evacuation from Saigon of the Americans in the city. \Ârhat an honou¡ I thought, to cover a story side by side with Kate Webb. I hoped I could get her to talk about her exploits but she was all business,

interviewing everyone, not seeming to pay attention to me and to the fact that she was the only woman on the ship... "I don't think Kate slept for the next 24 hours as helicopter after helicopter landed on the rather small ship... I headed below for a nap. Not Kate.

She was filing constantly through the

ship's communication room, then running back on deck to

watch the next chopper go into the drink and to interview the arrivals about the latest news from Saigon. Then back to the communications room. Llke 24 hours on a stairmaster. "Kate can't retire. Without he¡ how else are historians going to see the real hrst draft of history?" Tony Clifton, N e ut s u e ek a

disagreement with the news organisation of the time

probably hapless AFP or more hapless UPI, -whose boss she had told to ram his typewriter, linotype machine, delivery truck and all his personal possessions up his saggy, pox-ridden arse she was fired and went to work as a, get this, PR -girl for I think Hotel Indonesia. Within days the news had swept around Asia that Kate had been seen wearing a dress, you could see her legs and all, and they ended in feet, and not size nine US army boots. This news was greeted with suspicion, with many opining it was more likely the Pope would be seen conducting mass in a leather jock strap and nipple rings. I should say in passing that I, personally, have never seen the Webb appendages, so this may all be another of those Asian legends."

opportunity to add my thanks to Katie for everything she has brought to this trade. And to me. She's been a tough soldier, a courageous artisan, an honest storyteller and a fearsome reporter through more countries and decades than I'm sure she cares to remember. Kate, you've deeply touched a lot of lives with your friendship, support, inspiration, cynical grit and, sometimes, sheer luck...\Atrether it was the fall of Kabul, the suicide helicopter ride toJalalabad inspired by a derange d New York Times reporter (name provided upon request) or just the garden variety riot in an Indian village, I knew I would survive and thrive just because I was beside you." Derek Williams, Asiaworhs "After thinking long and hard, I realised there is no story I can tell that wouldn't embarrass either yourself, myself, or us both collectively...Will hoist a few in the FCCT tonight in your honour. Lots of love."

Jim Pringle, The Tïmes "I remember the gloom that descended over the Indochina press corps when Kate disappeared in Cambodia. Reflecting the mood, I wrote a letter as the Reuter bureau chief in Saigon to Kate's editors commiserating over her loss. A box of bones said to be Kate's had, after all, been handed over to our correspondent. \Mhen Kate walked out of the jungle,

I still remember the cheer that went up in

with its ripe never felt the lash of her tongue But she of her fist myself. or the power expletives man to met could ask a lady I ever who is the only matters, and the only woman to settle step outside She Korean flinch. make a tough general who could I and irreplaceable." is an original, THE CORRESPONDENT DECEMßER 2001-IANUARY 2002

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Gloria MaGâpâgal-Arroy,

The President of the Philippines, in town to give the keynote address at the World Economic Forum and en route to Beijing to meet PresidentJiang Zerrrin, took time out from a hectic visit to answer questions at a packed FCC lunch.

we have to ensure that even (though) there are elements that seek to make this religious war, we should broaden our inter-faith dialogue and instead make this an occasion to understand one another's culture. We should not allow the inter-penetration of cultures to be sabotaged by religious extremism. So it is very important for us to reach out to our brothers and delrnitely we are doing this. If there are aîy extremists, they are few. I am very proud, in fact, that the mainstream Muslim population in the Philippines have been very supportive of the Philippine government's stand...

On the Philippines' long battle against terrorism, has it in fact failed? It's a continuing battle. And in fact if you talk about the battle, we have been having very significant victories in the recent weeks. The lesson to be learned here is that when we are fighting terrorism, it is not conventional warfare...where you have a few major battles and then it is over. It could really be a

long drawn-out affair and patience is required. Patience and also dialogue, because it is not only the

military attacks that will win a battle. It is also the interfaith dialogue and it is also fighting a war against poverty because the areas in the Philippines where the terrorists thrive are the poorest areas in our country...Aside from our inter-faith dialogue, (we have also been) focusing on anti-poverty programmes in these areas. It is evil that causes terrorism. But the evil once needs to spread its ideology to have a mass base. And that mass base will have as its best breeding ground 18

On terrorism as a war between the haves and the have nots: Terrorism is brought about by evil. Now evil

for a mass base and the mass base is found among vulnerable people. Poor people are lr-rlnerable. That is why when we have a war against terrorism, we must also have a war against poverty. They are very closely inter-linked with each other. What more are you going to do for the have nots in the Philippines? (The) whole programme of my administration is battle against poverty. I said when I became President thatwe should be bold in our national ambition and we should seek to win the battle against poverty within the decade... On the perception that one of the major constraints on development, both economic and judicial, within your country is endemic corruption: In the four components of my battle against poverty, the lourth one is to improve moral standards in government and in society. And so this means frghting corruption at all levels. At the very hishest level, for instance, at the level of my owrl family, my fìrst administrative order was to seeks to look

flanked by FCC President Jim Laurie (left) and Thomas Crampton, Professional & Entertainment Committee Convenor.

the areas where there is poverty. So in the Philippines we seek to address the problem of terrorism...with a combination of military action... poverty programmes... and also broad inter-faith dialogue. My administration is only nine months old and has just started this kind of holistic approach. So, therefore, we can't say really yet that we should already give up and we haven't been able to do it. It is a new approach, a holistic approach and I think that with an international war against terrorism being now launched, we have even more friends to join us in this battle rather than having a lonely fight within our country. Could the war against terrorism have been done differently? Last year when the terrorists did their kidnapping in Sipadan, the Philippine Government's response, and at least I don't feel responsible for that, was to negotiate for ransom. They negotiated very quietly for four months and the first hostage came out four months later. In our case, we decided that we are not going to negotiate for ransom because otherwise they will be back all the time. We just have to bite the bullet now knowing that there are risks. But we have to do it now otherwise it will haunt us for the rest of the time. But our hrst hostages came out within two weeks. So even for practical reasons, I think that it is a superior strategy...to neutralise or even degrade the terrorists once and for all, rather than to give in to them by paying ransom. THE CORRESPONDENT DECEMBER 2OOI-IANUARY

terrorism because they don't care if innocent lives are put at stake...They even target innocent lives as they did in the World Trade Center. That is the evil of terrorism and therefore the sooner it is obliterated, the better.

n post-terrorism and relations with the US: ...The presence of (US military) advisers is not just because of September 11. We have had strategic alliance with the US for a long time now. In fact, my visit to Washington next month is going to be in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of our Mutual Defence Treaty. Under this treaty we have been receiving much support from the Americans in terms of advice, training, equipment...But, of course, the nature of the assistance over the past 50 years has varied depending on the situation of the day, and the situation of the day today of course is September 1 1. So this is not a new thing... On Filipino volunteers to serve with the Taleban: I have not really heard them say it, but indeed we do have to make sure that in our fight against terrorism,

n the most current bombings:...We try our best. It is very important to try our best to spare innocent lives. But that is the evil of

2OO2

prohibit government agencies from dealing with members of my

Indonesia, I have initiated a trilateral agreement among

us that we would be fighting terrorism within our common seas and common borders through exchanges of intelligence information on movements of terrorists,

joint patrols and, if joint peace-keeping efforts. So I believe that if the three of us work in this kind of operational agreement, then I think that we will be able to contribute to stability, especially if it is coupled with a arms smuggling, money laundering, necessary,

real earnest effort at inter-faith dialogue.

On militant Muslim recruiters in the Philippines: The mainstream Muslims in the Philippines are with us,

with the government. The appointed political leaders and very important, the elected political leaders of Muslims in the know the congressmen, the g-overnors, the mayors - they have expressed in writing their support for government policy...Together with the Bishops in the know, (they have) jointly supported the battle against the evil of terrorism...The Moro Islamic Liberation Front... (has) dissociated itself from the Abu Sayad, and more importantl¡ from al-Øeda and Osama bin Laden. So the mainstream Muslim population of the Philippines recognises the moral evil of terrorism and therefore are with us. I am very grateful for that. On kidnapping in the Philippines that's not related to the

Muslim terrorism: There is some debate about the statistics because the statistics that were collected this

year are more comprehensive in

Reunion Veteran newsman and FCC board member C P Ho reminded President Gloria

the sense that they are gathered

from all sources the police, military, the security agencies. Therefore, the statistic(s)... (are)

suppries, X,Xïåi%iå:',",ä#,1!:[Jå:::'fij:årff" and appointments to positions. in the Malacanang palace shortly after he And even as I consider intrigues won his presidential election in 1961 more comprehensive (and) are not against my husband as part of the territor¡ (an) totally comparable. Nonetheless, what is important here ramilyregardins contracrs,

occupationalhazard of a politician, nonetheless if there are any intrigues about him, I would refer them for

investigation to a constitutional body that is independent of me so that the investigations will go wherever the evidence leads them. Because nobody is above the law, not even my husband. My cabinet was chosen through vetting by a search committee where, among the important criteria, is the integrity of the person...I have said I would like to malie the Bureau of Internal Revenue (and) the Customs Commission... corruption. On instability in the region due to the radicalisation of the Muslim populations in Indonesia and Malaysia: That's why I have been saying that it is important that even as the terrorists seek to make this a religious war, we must use it instead as an occasion for understanding one another's different cultures. We must have broader inter-faith dialogue and we are doing that institutionally showcases for fighting graft and

in the Philippines. With regard to

Malaysia and

THE CORRESPONDENT DECEMßER 200I-JANUARY 2002

in order to address this problem decisively and we have had very significant victories in the past few weeks. There have been very important syndicates Íìom the past that have been already dismantled and I have also restored the death penalty for kidnapping in order to put some more fear among the is...we are strengthening our forces

would-be kidnappers or the presently operating qmdicates, some of whose leaders are inside jails... Is it safe to travel to the Philippines? We will take care ofyou.

On Philippine soldiers joining the alliance and suffering casualties: To begin with, our constitutional process says that before we send soldiers into combat, we have to have congressional concurrence. So all of that debate will occur before the soldiers actually go. So if and when there is an international call for combat soldiers, and if and when Congress passes a resolution agreeing to send the soldiers, those risks would have already been factored in. I 19

(it is an) internal conflict between Afghan people. (So) I don't know if I am the right person...to give lessons to the international community. But what I can say is that when we fought for independence, it was to answer a violence, a war. During diffrcult times, when we felt that it was the end of a nation, of a people, of a struggle what made us to believe in victory was that we listened to the radio.

The Mandela of Ea$t fimor East

veryday we heard about the New World Order and it was imagine (d) that... (at) end the war,

Timor resistance leader

Xanana Gusmao is known

we could enter in the New World Order. But during the struggle, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the New World order was substituted by

both the 'Mandela of East Timor' and the 'poet warrior' Excerpts from his talk:

globalisation. And now when we East Timorese are entering a new stage of our histor¡ we are still thinking

that many conflicts before our conflict are not yet solved. What we can say is that maþe dialogue is better

you know, we are in the frnal steps, final period towards what we always dreamt, our independence, on il;{ay 20...We will be fully independent...it was the deep aspiration of our people to get to this point of history. When we were in the mountains, we were always dreaming about being independent. It was one of the factors that gave us s

strength. Now when we are closer to this day, we feel the how to run East Timor? burden on our shoulders How to prevail in the globalisation of a small country

destroyed (by war)...These are the big and diffrcult challenges for us.

We know that independence cannot be only the fact of having flag, president and then ministers, but independence is more important to our people if we can respond to their demands. Their demands are

very simple. We must change their conditions of life... (IÐ may be the most diffrcult task that we have in front of us. We are very, very thankful to the international community for all the help, to the United Nations, (and) especially to the SecretaryGeneral (who is) very personally committed (to us

and) is still going to help us even

after

independence... (We) are committed to do our best to make East Timor a successful case (for the UN). That is another burden, another challenge. We know that it will depend on ourselves just to keep the international attention alive...(yet) we also are aware...that there are other conflicts in the world. (that) is It may make us feel very fragile, very weak the perception I personally have. That's why I say to my compatriots, we must have an attitude of learning because it is difficult to say that we are ready to do

everything and (we don't want) the international community (to) lose conhdence in the East Timorese... We know that you all here follow our process' We are very thankful for the international media... we feel the need not only for your participation, your contribution in making our problems as an issue, but also we need the continued international support. 20

Q &A

On new political parties and Timorisation: It was a concept created by UNCTAD to define the process in the stage of building the capacity of East Timorese. Timorisation means starting to include East Timorese

in the UNCTAD administration. But because of the short time...I believe that the real...building will start on the frrst day of independence. Timorisation only means a phase in which East Timorese are included in the administration of UNCTAD. On your plans after independence, where will you fit into the new political structure? I am not a prophet! I don't know...I always said that if it was possible to get a balance in the political factions, it could be very, very important to the process itself because it would mean that the discussions, the debates can be even better. (Editor:

to solve the queslions. I don't say that the Afghanistan case is wrong or is right. I am only asking everybody to try to contribute to the world peace. We need peace. We

are now in a world of fear...It is my only concern as a world citizen, not as somebody that has had some experlence... On globalisation: What I know is that we are all involved in the process without (a) capacity to avoid (it). Some people say that it is to help the disadvantaged people...Some people say that it is to

enter into a...sophisticated... speculative economy. I don't know...I...try to understand (the) world we are living in and (what) we will face after independence...Globalisation may help East Timor. I don't know how can East Timor survive without any economy. We are living in a very fictitious economy now. I don't know how a small country like ours, a small people with 80% illiteracy, can survive in the globalisation era, in the competitiveness that we are not able to follow, not to be part of. I don't know. That's why I don't have the real perception or real understanding of globalisation. If it helps East Timor, we will be very grateful. But if it suppresses our capacity to be one of the people loving development and progress, harmony and peace, we will be ver¡ very sorry about this. Is the May 20 date for independence too biased in terms of party politics? Yes...we are trying to build a democratic society. If we have elected bodies running our country, it does mean that I must say yes to every decision. I have my right not to agree. I must accept it is a decision. But I must safeguard my own right to have an opinion. On the UN preparing East Timor for postindependence and can it apply to Afghanistan: I believe that it was a great experience to the UN, a new role...But if in Afghanistan some opportunity to do this arose, there is similarity in general terms, but it must be seen as a specific situation that they cannot do

Ousmao is þresident of the Association of Wterans

of the Rcsistance and recently announced he uould' run

for

the þresid,ency.)

On creating and training a civil service: Our main problem is to have our people ready to run the government. Many governments, many donor countries, are helping us in the formation of new cadres. I know that like Japan, Portugal, Australia, other countries are very willing to give us assistance in this freld. On foreign aid and economic assistance: We will still be dependent on foreign aid from the donor countries for the next maþe f,rve years, because everybody talks about the possibility of receiving some income from oil and gas in the next five to six years. That is wh¡ for

now, the foreign aid will be mainly from the donor countries. We also don't have enough capacity to build our own economy. I can say that in the frrst f,rve years, we will face many, many difficulties. We will be very, very dependent on the generosity of the donor countries. On nation-building and the proposed rebuilding of Afghanistan after the Taleban are defeated: I must say hrstly that there are differences. We were invaded and occupied, and in Afghanistan it is not for domination, THE CORRESPONDENT DECEMBER 2OOT-JANUARY

2OO2

Advancing information. Powering success,'"

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THE CORRT,SPONDENT DECEMBER 2001-JANUARY2002

NewswrreAsra 21

everything that rhey did in East Timor. It's a little different. In general terms, if UN goes there to run the administration, to help the Afghan people, maybe we can say there are similarities. But they must pay attention to the specific conditions in Afghanistan...We are lucky for being considered as (a) potential(ly)... successful case. On the lessons of having the UN administer your country: For me, the important lesson is that being an external body there, the

f (which) is composed of all the E civilian members of the resistance. We are one of the rare

in the world in the -that after lit¡eration struggle an overwhelming victory, we cases

didn't push our members to get jobs, to get compensations or any privilege...They asked me ro be president for three years just to help them. That's why we went to

Jakarta to invite Indonesian business people to invest in joint ventures with groups formed

from the Association, (which) is a non-profit organisation, but we time to calm down politicall¡ will do everything to help our psychologically and in many members...small or big... to other aspects . . .It was the enter into the private sector...I important lesson that we learned. came also to Macau, not only to If not...the struggle for power Family potrait The Gusmaos at the invite business people to invest FCC might have made the process a there, but also to re-establish the little bit more difficult...Of course, we used the links that a lot of Timorese have with Macau from presence of the UN, (blaming) all rhe mistakes (on) the past. UNCTAD... It was important for the process that we On foreign investrnent: After the approval of the East Timorese had enough time to calm down It was an constitution, the ConstituentAssemblywill become our important lesson for me of the United Nations, first parliament...They will decide on investment law, a presence there. property law, just to make sure the investors know what On Macau: I went to Macau as president ofjobless the rules are... That's why we don't say what the people..(president of) the Association of Veterans priorities are. Our invitation (is) to see the situation, study the conditions. If from outside some companies, some businessmen would like to invest in something NÆS that we don't need, we will say so... On further assistance from Australia: Australia, together with Portugal and Japan, are the biggest donor countries we have. We know that Australia is a strategic partner in many aspects...(it) provides government assistance in many areas, in capacity building, human resources, information, and stiìl even community aids...(it's) ...a strategic partner in our nation-building process. About the agreement FGG members can make use of our two on the percentage of oil or for Timor Gap, I only cted rt and Hughes can say that we have got a very positive agreement priva h as meetings, ress with Australia. c On Australia turning back refugees: I was in perth in the beginning of (October) to participate in a Refugee Week event. And many Australian journalists asked me about my position on this. I can repeat my answer. During September 1999, many East Timorese students inJakarta were persecuted, four of them killed outside Jakarta. Many went into hiding. I met the Buffet or full sit-down, or just coffee and (Australian) Minister of Immigrarion (and) asked him, tea - you name ¡t and the FGG's F&B Department and kitchen are flexible enough to (as) a favou¡ to allow East Timorese in Java to go to handle it. And our prices are very competltive. Darwin as a bridge to East Timor. The plans or the Find out for yourself. Gontact Fiona in expenses were covered by International Red Cross (and the office for bookings the) UNHCR. (He) told me: "No. I undersrand you, but I cannot allow it." I was very, very angry because Tel 2521 1511 Fax286fô 4Og2 E-mail: banquet@fcchk.org people were in a very difficult situation, but I accepted his decision. I East Timorese could have enough

PRIVATtr R

THE CORRESPONDENT DECEMBER 2001_JANUARY 2002

Tnuth u$

Just what is the role of the Voice of America in the War on Terrorism? Myrna Whitworth, Acti:ne Director of the VOA, stands up for the agency's independence, in spite of attacks from the State Department and Congress. Dan Kubiske reports ho better to handle a hot seat than a seat warmer?

Mpna \À4ritworth was the Acting Director of the Voice of America when she earned the "seat warmer" title from conservative columnistWilliam Safrre. She was in the hot seat for adhering to the charter of the VOA.

On the same day President George W Bush told Congress that anyone

harbouring a terrorist would

considered a criminal in the eyes of the US government, Taliban leader Mullah

Mohammad Omar contacted the VOA offering an interview. "This was a major scoop," she told an FCC dinner. "All major news organisations in the world had been clamouring to get an interview with Multah Omar, but we got it." And why did the VOA- an independent agency of get the interview everyone else the US government had a simple answer: 'We got him wanted? \A4ritworttr organisation that he knew." the news because we were In Afghanistan where illiteracy is high and where television and the Internet are banned, radio is the

major source of information. Whitworth said an

independent research study last year estimated that B0% of Afghans listen to the VOAwhich broadcasts in Pashtu and Darrie, the two major languages of Afghanistan. Coming in second was the BBC with the Taliban radio service far behind.

"Because of our reputation and our supe.rb contacts inside Afghanistan,"

Whitworth said, "it was logical that when the reclusive leader of Taliban, Mullah Mohammad Omar, wanted to speak to the West, he contacted the Voice of America."

The interview was held

and

Whitworth notes they had his voice and the Afghan telling the world he was willing to sacrifice the people

people of Afghanistan to protect Osama bin Laden. For other news organisation all that would be left is to edit the interview talk to a few more people to help put the interview in perspective and broadcast what was a major journalistic coup. Except that VOA is an agency of a government that just declared war on the person being interviewed.

Almost immediately pressure from within the U'S. government bureaucracy and from the Congress began to be applied to Whitworth not to air the interview. As VOA was working to settle the issues internally, news of the dìspute reached the US media. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher, who in a previous incarnation was US Consul-General in Hong Kong, confirmed his agency had attempted to

stop the interview from being aired. At a regular briefing for reporters at the State Department, Boucher said, "We don't think the head of the Taliban belongs on this radio station."

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newspapers around the

country picked up the story and

150

reporters and editors at VOA threatened to resign. The VOA staff also petitioned the independent board of governors that oversees VOA activities to back \Â4ritworth's decision. The head of the

newsroom sent a note to his staff calling the State Department action "a totally unacceptable assault on our editorial independence, a frontal attack on our credibility".

Whitworth decided that efforts to arrive at

solution to the controversy within the government were going nowhere. "I made a unilateral decision...fìve days after the interview to release the report [based] on the

Mullah Omar interview. I notified the

State

Department and our Board of Governors. I did not ask for their permission. I just notihed them that we were releasing it. Our staff was elated believing that we had saved VOA's journalistic integrity," she said. Whitworth said media outlets around the world including Hong Kong's Radio Television Hong Kong picked up the story. Editorials in the US were mostly -in favour of Whitworth's decision. Also backing her were the International Press Institute and the Society of ProfessionalJournalists of the IJS. (For the sake of full disclosure, I am the vice chairman of the international committee of the SPJ.) Boucher called the airing of the interview an act of defiance. And Safìre pulled no punches irthis New York Times column when he called her "that seat warmer at

the Voice of America who could not restrain her news directors from broadcasting the incendiary diatribes of Taliban leaders." \t\4-ry

did \À/hitworth put herself and the

news

it was to protect the credibility of the organisation she has worked for more than 20 years. The first item in the VOA charter, she said, is to serve as a consistently reliable and authoritative source of news. "This is the foundation of our credibility," she added. Since the interview was aired, some voices in the Bush administration and in Congress have called for VOA to be more a megaphone for US foreign policy rather than a news agency. Whitworth was adamant that to do so would hurt the credibility of the VOA. She told the FCC audience: "Central to democracy is the freedom of the press. As America's voice to the world, the Voice of America has a duty to exemplify that basic organisation through all that? She

says

principle." Whitworth also noted that despite rumours in Hong Kong that she had been fìred for her actions, she is still the programme director. "Was my tenure as acting director shortened," she asked and then promptly replied: "Probably." The new director designate, Robert Reilly, is a conservative Republican who has been with VOA for about 15 years, she said. In his first speech to the editorial staff of VAO he backed \A¡hitworth's decision to air the Omar interview and promised he would protect VOA's editorial independence. I

THE CORRESPONDENT DECEMBER 2001-JANUARY2002

VOA & RTHK: Not exactly peas in a pod \Àrhen the VOA came under attack for preparing a story that included an interview with the leader of the

Taliban of Afghanistan, many in Hong Kong saw frightening parallels to the situation here. After all here was a government agency telling a governmentowned and operated news service what it should and should not air. Concerns were raised in Hong Kong that if the US, which has long been held as a bastion of free press, could stifle a news organisation, how long could an organisation like RTHK hold up? As soon as the former US Consul-General to Hong Kong, Richard Buche¡ who is current spokesman for the State Departrnent, said, 'We don't think the head of the Taliban belongs on this radio station," shivers went down the spines ofjournalists throughout the HKSAR. The voices against the VOA editorial independence were not limited to the foreign policy apparatus of the US government. Columnist William Sahre led the conservative charge in the media and members of Congress, including well-known conservative Jesse Helms, added to the complaints. From the conservatives in the US it is commonplace to hear complaints that the VOA should be a propaganda machine for the US government instead of a news organisation. Just as in Hong Kong, the chorus from pro-government and pro-Beijing factions complaining against RTHK programmes is a regular chorus. They also say RTHK, as a government-owned broadcaster, should support the government in its programmes. RTHK, in fact, is a government department with nothing special protecting it. Unfortunately for the RTHK news division, it does not have the legal protection from government pressure in the same manner the VOA is protected from interference by agencies of the US government. For a number of years the VOA was under the umbrella of the US Information Agenc¡ which was never a policy-making body. When the State Department took over USIA in 1999, the VOA and the other broadcasting services of the IJS government were placed under the control of a newly-formed Broadcasting Board of Governors. The President, with the approval of the Senate, appoints six members to the non-partisan board. The Secretary of State serves as an ex-officio member. It is this board that provides a firewall between government pressure and adherence to the VOA charter, which was signed into law in 1976. The charter states the first mission of the VOA is "to serve as a consistentþ reliable and authoritative source of news. VOA news will be accurate, objective, and comprehensive." It is only at the third and last point does the charter sayVOAwill present the official views of the IJS government and then only in clearly THE CORRESPONDENT DECEMBER 2001-JANUARY 2002

identifìed editorials.

RTHK has a similar stance in its statement of values. The document says the broadcaster must "ensure that news values and news judgments alone will be the deciding factors when planning programmes or covering news events" and "maintain an editorial system which ensures fair and balanced programming, of the highest ethical standards, open and accountable to our audiences." RTHK has no frrewall to protect its values. There is no independent body between it and the government policy-makers. At the best it has a "Framework Agreement" with the government that guarantees the editorial independence of the broadcaster. It is, howeve¡ an agreement without legal standing. Since RTHK is a government department, it is possible, in theor¡ for the government to transfer people from RTHK to another bureau and replace him or her with another qualifìed civil servant. The specialty nature of the frontline troops the technicians, editors and reporte¡s ¡¡¿þ6s transfers - management unlikely. In fact, even senior level transfers out of and into RTHK are rare. One such move did take place just two years ago. Cheung Man-yee, director of RTHK for 13 years, was transferred to be the Hong Kong representative in Japan. Cheung had spent most of her then 26 years in the civil service at RTHK, the last 13 as its director. It was the rarity of an RTHK manager being sent to another bureau that doubts were raised about the real reason for her transfer. Efforts to make RTHK less a government agency and more an independent news organisation with a charter such as the BBC have been proposed, but never acted on. In the 1980s there was a movement to corporatise the organisation, but that was put on hold in the 1990s as the handover talks intensified. The

Mainland negotiators had seen RTHK as a mouthpiece for the British colonial powers and apparently wanted it to be the Hong Kong government's mouthpiece. The guidelines for producers at RTHK notes there

is "a pronounced government policy [of

editorial

independencel ." This polic¡ however, is not rooted in

in the Framework Agreement. There is nothing to prevent the government from legally law, only

pulling the plug on any programme or broadcaster. In the VOA, MlrnaWhinvorth said, the programmes are aired based on their editorial value and not on the political winds. She and her staff have the US Constitution, a legacy of editorial independence and the protection of an independent body. The stafT at RTHK also have their editorial integrity and have withstood political pressures. But legally only tradition is keeping the government's hand off the kill button. I

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competition. Entries demonstrated both a diverse interpretation of the topic categories and at the top end standards were very high in almost all categories making judging extremely difficult and calling for a second session ofjudging to make the final decisions. The judges, professional photographers Hugh van Es, Bob Davis and Leong Ka Tai were joined by Peter Cook, Managing Director of PPA Design, Sin Waikeung, Chairman, HKPPA, Donna Mongan, Public Relations Manager, Hong Kong Tourism Board, and Robert Huston, Publisher and Editor of Acñon Asia rnagazíte, took their duties very seriously and put a great deal of time and effort into their final decisions. Judging was conducted using a blind judging system with all photographs numbered by FCC staff at their time of entry and judges unaware of the photographers' identities. In each category an outright winner was selected and judges awarded Runner-Up awards and Honourable Mentions based on the standard of entries. The FCC Photographer of the Year and Photographer of the Year Runner-Up awards were selected lrom the calegory winners. The selection of the Photographer of the Year took a great deal of deliberation by the judges. It came down to a choice between the four winners of the Asia News, Hong Kong News, Asia Magazine Features and Hong Kong Magazine Features categories. Finally, to a choice between John Stanmeye\ a respected Time magazine photographer, Pulitzer Prize nominee and winner of the Asia News category and Christian Keenan, a young freelance photographer based in Hong Kong and winner of the Asia Magazine Features category. After much thought the Photographer of the Year Award went to Christian Keenan for his extremely well executed black and white series of the Uyghur people of Kashga¡ Xinjiang Province, China. Christian's images stood alone and together to succinctþ capture the essence of the Uyghur character and environment. John Stanmeyer's dramatic and poignant black and

ln'FlOnl

su¡te100l,10thFloor,cityplazaone,

ll11King'sRoad,Taikooshing,HongKong Tel:28823936 Fax:25045689

Mentions.

"City of Life

- Hong Kong is Itl"

received a as harder time as the Photographer of the Year Award in selecting an outright winner. Chan Wai-hing, a staff photographer from Economic Digest Publications, won this Hong Kong Tourism Board - sponsored category with a surrealistic series of Tai O, Lantau Island. His images demonstrated àn innovative view of a traditional Hong Kong hshing village and its cultural heritage using the primitive effects of a hand made pinhole camera to achieve this view. Judges also awarded three Runner-Up awards and four Honourable Mentions in this category. Runner-up arvardees were photographers Edward Stokes, Chueng Yìck-pan and Carsten Schael respectively. overwhelming 82 entries and gave the judges

he Action,4.slø Adventure Travel Award was won by veteran adventure travel and action sports photographer, Charles Pertwee, for a his dramatic action coverage of mountain bike races in Hong Kong and Japan. Alex Di Sunero was First Runner-Up, with John Callahan, Richard Castka and RobertDelfs receiving Honourable Mentions.

white series documenting Indonesian President Wahid's last hours in office was awarded First Runner-Up. SMCPphotographer David Wong Chi-kin's provoking

The judges felt that the Asia Advertising category entries didn't measure up to the standard of entries in other categories and awarded Honourable Mentions to Tim Lau Kwok, John Heaton and Paul Hu. The Young Perspectives of Hong Kong disappointingly

image of the execution of a Mainland criminal in

contin.ued on þage 40

THE CORRESPONDENT DECEMBER 2001-JANUARY 2002 l',*orroro*oNGLTD.

Shenzhen and winner of the Hong Kong News category was awarded Second Runner-Up. Kuan Weng-kun, Econoilic Digest Publications staff photographe¡ became Third Runner-Up and winner of the Hong Kong Magazine Features category with a graphic colour series of Mongkok streetwalkers. Hong Kong Corporate was won by Paul Hu, Assignment Asia and freelance Time magazine photographer, for his KCRC Annual Report 2000 colour series. So Hing-kueng, Kueng Imaging Workshop, won the Hong Kong Advertising category for his advertising series " One Second Later". The FCC Members' category, The Wonderful World of Tra'r'el, was won by Brice Minnigh for his strong series of colour images of the people and panoramas of Tibet. Norman de Brackinghe was First Runner-Up and Rober Delfs and Phillip Nourse received Honourable

Uyghur People of Kashgar, Xinjiang Province, China

FCC Photographer of the Year - Christian Keenan, Freelance Winner of the Asia Magazine Feature Category 28

THE CORRESPONDENT DECEMBER 200I-JANUARY 2002

Second Runner-up - David Wong Chi-kin, SCMP Winner of Hong Kong News Category Chained Melodยก China

First Runner-up -John Stanmeyer' Tile l.nc WinneroftheAsiaNewsCat"go'y-"-tra"'rahmanWahid,sFinalHours/Indonesia THE CORRESPONDENT DECEN',IBER 2001-JANUARY 2002

THE (IoRRESpoNDENT DECEรฌvrBER 2001-JAยก,tuARy 2002

i:t

i)liii

fH+-J,r-v

- Kuan Weng-kun, Economic Digest Publications Ltd The Lighting, Mongkok Winner of Hong Konø Magazine Feature Category

Third Runner-up

Winner of Hong Kong Corporate Category

Paul Hu, Assignment Asia Ltd

THE CORRESPONDENT DECEMBER 2OO]-JANUARY

2OO2

THE CORRESPONDENT DECEMBER 2OOÌ-JANUARY

2OO2

KCRC Annual report 2000/Hong Kong

Category Winner Hong Kong Advertising Later Second One So Hing-feung

Winner Wonderful World of Travel Brice Minnigh, Asia Pacifrc Loan Market Association

THE CORRESPONDENT DECEMBER 2001-JANUARY 2002

THE CORRESPONDENT DECEMBER 2OOĂ&#x152;-JANUARY 2002

People and Panoramas of Tibet

PnorocRAPHER Or Trrn Ynen Awann

Winner Action Asia Adventure Travel Award Charles Pertwee

Winner'City of Life - Hong Kong is it!' Tai O/Tai O Lantau Chan Wai-hing, Economic Digest Publications Ltd.

THE CORRTSPONDENT DECEMBER 200I-IANUARY 2002

THE CORRESPONDENT DECEMBER 200Ă&#x152;-JANUARY 2002

Mountain Biking/Hong Kong &Japan

Canoil ,o+

lt ; lÈ

a Ifonourable Mention - Asia Advertising Toþ left:

Tim Lau Kwok

Tim Photography Ltd

lohn Raymond Heaton - Pictures Finders Ltd, Mt Fuji and Ahinkansem , Japan Toþ right:

Right: Pawl Hu

Catalog, Macau

Assignment Asia Ltd, Fashion

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ln World Cup '98 in France, most photographers will continue to count on their",EOS cameras and their "white" Canon EF lenses to make the difference. Honourable Mention -

Young Perspectives of Hong Kong

Darren Siu Student, Man vs Nature, Central, Hong Kong Canon Marketing (Hong Kong) Co. Ltd.

Tel. 217O 2B2B THE CORRESPONDENT DECEMBER 2001-JANUARY 2002

...

FoR Youn

B¡sr SHor

Canon

continued, from þage

FCC Photo Award Winners

received

FCC Photographer of the Year Winner : Christian Keenan, Freelance

Honourable Mention for the thought he had put into

lst runner-uþ: lohn Stanmeyer, 'l)ime 2nd runner-uþ; David Wong Chi-kin, SCMP 3rd runner-uþ: Kuan Weng-kun, lìconomic Digest

City of Life

- Hong Kong

is it!

Winner: Chan Wai-hing, Economi.c Digest lst runner-uþ: Edward Stokes, Hong Kong Conseraation Photograþþ Foundation 2nd runner-up: Cheung Yìck-pan, Stephen Chung Studio 3rd runner-uþ: Carsten Schael, Carsten Schael Photograþhy Honourabl¿ mention: Tsang Wai-tak, SCMP, Anat Givon,

Cheung Ka-chun, Aþþle Daiþ; Wong TszDaily

Associated Press;

c}lrt

AppÌ.e

Action Asia Adventure Travel Award Charles Pertwee runner-up: AÌex Di Sut'ero, Freelance

Winn¿zr: 7st

lohn Callahrary John S Callnhan Photograþb; Richard Castka, Sportpix; Robert Delfs, Tabula Int'l Honoura.bl¿ mention:

Hong KongAdvertising Winner: So Hing-keung, Keung Imaging Workshoþ lst runnn-up: Marcus Oleniuk, First Light 2nd runnn-uþ: Garry CÌ;.an, Garry Studio Hr¡nourable mention: Wong Ching-yten, Tim Photograþh1

Hong Kong Corporate Winner: Paul Hu, Assignment Asia I st runnn-up : Shya Win g-ho ng, Shy a- L a-La Work s hop 2nd runner-uþ.'Marcus Oleniuk, First Light

Hong Kong Magazine Features Winner: Kuan Weng-kun, Economi.c Digest an Boiuin Photograþhy l st runner-uþ: Joan Boivin, '/o 2nrl, runner-uþ: Paul Hu, Assignmenl Asia Honourable mention: Anat Givon, Associated Prøss; Chan Yiu-hung, Hong Kong Cultural ltnaging Workshoþ

just one entry from Island School student,

Darren Sui, and judges warded Darren

his entry.

The success of the FCC Photographer of the Year Awards would not have been possible without the support of our sponsors. I'm sure that the involvement of our major sponsors Cathay Pacific Airways and the Hong Kong Tourism Board strongly influenced our 269 entries. As did the media support from RTHK, Hong Kong iMai), Aþþk Daily and Action Asia, as well as the great prizes offered by Apple computers, Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Fuji, Polariod and Heli Hong Kong. Special thanks also go to Crown Pacifìc Moving and Corporate Communications. But nothing would have been possible without the support of the FCC staff members who collected and catalogued entries, answered inquiries and liaised with sponsors and photographers. Special thanks indeed go to Chan Hoilo and Andrea Gutwirth for all their hard work and effort and to Publications Committee Convenor Paul Bayfìeld for his hands-on support. The Awards Ceremony will take place in the Main

Dining Room on Thursda¡ January I7,

2002

concurrently with an exhibition of winning entries in the Main Bar. An Exhibition sponsored by the Hong Kong Tourism Board will take place in early 2002 with other exhibitions to be arranged throughout the Year. Details and entry forms for tlrre 2002 POYA will also be

Winnsr: David Wong Chi-kin, SC,44P lst runnn-up: Chan Shui-chtng, Aþþle Daill Honourable mention:Alat Givon, Associated Press; Chan Wai-hing, Economi.c Digesl; Wong Lap-ki, SCMP, Cheung

C¡rHnv P¡clnnc

Ka-chun, Apþle Daily

lninonl AGFA€

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Winner: loJ;ln Stanmeyer, Time 1 s t runner-uþ : Grischa Rusch endorf, As s i gnm ent P ho to graþ hy 2nd runnn-up; Tsang Hin-wah, þþle Daily Honourable mention:Regg Martin Colilrr, Toronto Súø4 Ng

äþ

tr'#ä"ä"Æ

Raymond Heaton, Pictures Finders; Paul Hu, Assi'gnment Asia

Wonderful World of Travel Minnigh

runner-up: Norman de Brackinghe Honourable mention: Robert Delfs; Philip Nourse 7st

Studenl

o @

CerHnv Pnctnc THE CORRESPONDENT DECEMBER 2OOI-JANUARY

2OO2

currently have a retrospective at Sala Millares in Madrid and on the swing back, stopped at Paris Photo where several of my dealers had booths. My wife saw your booth and suggested that I might have some prints in that collection. Although I have freelanced for the [New York] Times for over 40 years, I said "no" because I always sell "One Time Rights" and the Times does not

l o q

own any of my work. Surprise ! ! #122, George S. Zimbel:

trul¡

Dear Mr. Zirnbel, I am counsel lor I'he Nau York Times Company. Your November 2I, 2000 e-mail to Barbara Cox has been

referred to me for a response. You assert in your letter that all physical photographs taken by you and submitted to the Times for one-time reproduction are not owned by the Times. We disagree. Our understanding has always been that title to the physical prints passed to us upon payment to you for the right to reproduce the photo. This understanding

is reflected both in our practice of retaining or disposing of prints without the involvement of the

Tim Lau Kwok, Tim Photograpþ;lo}:,n

Young Perspective Winner Honourable mention: Darren Sír,

Dear Barbara,

Noaember 28, 2000

Asia News

Winner: Brice

Nouember 21, 2000

George S Zimbel

2nd runner-uþ: Grischa Ruschendorf, Assignment Photograplry Honourabl¿ msntion: Laurie Gilber t, L'Image Cinematograþh1 ; Andrew Chester Ong, Sþlight Prod,uctions; Edward Stokes, Hong Kong Consertation Photograþhy Foundati'on; Joan Boivin, Joan Boiuin Photograþhy; Cli'an Wai-man, Iieelance; So Hing-keun g, Freelance

Honourable mention:

archives.

Yours

Asia Magazine Features Winnn: Christian Keenan, Freelance 1st runner-uþ: Rose Magno, Tizze

Hiu-tung, Eyeþress Asia Advertising

Many media companies are often at odds with freelance writers and photographers over who owns the words and images once they have appeared in print. What follows is an exchange of letters about a single picture. It was triggered by an e-mail from the photographer, George S Zimbel, to Barbara Cox of Photokunst, a consulting firm for both individual photographers and archives, including The lr{ew York Times

Jacqueline & John Kenned¡ NYC 1960 8/10 print described as 'iintage." Price (US)$4,000. I have not authorised the sale of any of my work through The New York Times and would like that print and any others that you may have of mine returned safely to me at the address below. Thanks for your attention in this matter.

available in early 2002.4 Special thanks to:

Hong Kong News

fpeelance photographer s, The i/llew Yot tr Time$

photographers, and in the fact that, in the many years since we first acquired the photographs, you have never before seen fit to request their return or otherwise challenge our ownership. Indeed, to accept your position one must believe that for all these years, the Timeshas been providing free storage for your property. THE CORRESPONDENT DECEMßER 2OOI-JA}IUARY

2OO2

Who owns this picture? George S Zimbel noI The New York Times

In sum, it is our position that we own the prints you refer to in your letter. Therefore, we decline to comply with your request that we first comb our extensive archives for photographs from you and then return them. Please feel free to contact me in the event you have further questions. Very truly yours, Maggie R Drucker November 29, 2000 Dear Maggie, You get paid when you write letters and I don't, but sometimes I have to come out of the darkroom and tend to business and ethical issues. First I will deal with the philosophical aspects of this situation. You always had a wonderful photography staff ...Bill Eckenberg was a friend when I was still at Columbia; Pat Burns and I used to trip over each other on the political beat, etc., etc., so your true New York Times archiye is rich in content and available for

whatever commercial exploitation tl'¡e Times feels is profitable. You have paid these people a salary. Their ,11

negatives are undoubtedly

in a file

somewhere at

t]¡.e Times.

The freelance people traditionally have worked for tine Times on a one-time reproduction rights basis with the modest remuneration based on that fact. ' ' I don't know how many freelance photographers or the estates of deceased photographers have contacted you, but if the letter I received is the response they get I am very sad that you have seen fit to treat us in this manner. To quote a letter which (Neu Yorh Times publisher) Arthur (Ochs Sulzberger) Jr. wrote to me last year: "times have changed," but they have not changed so mrrch that you can take my property to sell for your profit. If I rent a car from you, I am just renting a car. It doesn't give me the right to sell the car once I am frnished with the rental. I would suggest the following process to deal with this situation. First, talk to your photo editors to better understand the procedures which have been followed by the Times in dealing with free-lance photographers. Then, for those photographers who are lucky enough to still be alive, offer to return their material, or if they wish to participate in this process pay them a 50 percent commission on any sales which tlne Times may make. My personal wish ìs to get my material back, but others may opt to sell through the Times. I hope you give this serious attention because it is a

offering for sale. If there are others let me know. In regard to whatever prints of mine may be in your archives I would like them returned to me and, in any event, I do not give permission for them to be sold. Thanks for your attention to this matter. York Times is

My best regards, George Zirnbel have only one addiction in my life, and that is reading The New York Times. I have read it since I was a P.S.

in 1943, and have worked for it since the early 1950s, so my position is not antagonistic. I just teenager

want this settled. December 20, 2000

Dear Mr Zimbel,

serious matter. Yours truly,

In your recent letter, you requested the return of your photographs, including this one. Let me explain why (in addition to the fact that there is no legal basis for returning photos, which we have discussed) we can't comply. That photo, through the years, has become a historical document by virtue of the Times' possession of it. The back of it has become as important as the front because it is a passPort to its life at our newspaper, showing captions and date stamps. In fact, it is this very documentation that gives value to the scuffed print. I'm sure you know that, in Paris, we framed the pictures to expose the backs, and we were not surprised when visitors were as interested in that part of the picture's history as they were in the

George S Zimbel

image itself.

December 6, 2001

Dear Mr. Zir¡'l>el, I am in receipt of your November 29 letter.

I have conferred with my clients and have determined that there are no plans to sell any photographs taken by you and printed in The New Yorh Times.

am hopeful that the foregoing will satis$r your

concerns. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questrons.

Very truly yours, Maggie R Drucker December 11,2000 Dear Maggie Drucker,

Thank you for your letter of December 6 in which you say "there are no plans to sell any photographs taken by you and printed in The New York Times." When I first read your letter I had a feeling that it didn't say anything that would address the issues I raised with you. Then I thought, "you are being too suspicious" and I brought it home for my wife to read. She said "It doesn't address any of the issues you raised." So here I am again when I should be in the darkroom. First is the question of the 'Jacqueline & John Kennedy, N.YC. 1960" print...It is my property and I would like to have it safely returned. I assume that it is the only print of my work that Photokunst/ The New

As a photographer who has shot extensively throughout his life, I know you understancl the worth that the Times br\ngs to histor¡ and now your photograph has become part of ours. I hope you can understand our position ancl that we have satisfied your concerns. Very truly yours, Maggie R Drucker Jønuøry 3, 2001 Dear Maggie, \Arhat an eloquent letter.

or e-mail me the front and back of my Kennedy picture which was offered for sale in Paris. I Please fax

know it was not made for The Neu York Times and I want to know its provenance. After I receive it, I will respond to your letter, specihcally in regard to that print. My best regards, George S Zimbel Jønuary 12, 2001 Dear Mr Zirnbel,

Pursuant to your January 3, 2001 request, I have enclosed a copy of the front and back of the Kennedy photograph.

Please feel free to contact me questrons or concerns. Very truly yours, Maggie R Drucker

with any further

THE CORRESPONDENT DECEMBER 2001-JANUARY 2002

Jønuary 16, 2001 Dear Maggie, I have now received the photocopy front and back of my photograph 'John & Jacqueline Kennedy 1960, NYC" that you offered for sale through Photokunst in Paris. The provenance has now become clear. The print was requested by your photo editor... At that time I lived in Dobbs Ferry, New York, as indicated from the stamp on the back. It evidently was used by your women's page and was not returned to me after use as is the normal procedure but instead was put in your morgue. It was not shot lor The Nan Yorh Times. (See American Politicians, MoMA, 1994 - page 34). It was done for an ongoing personal documentary project on American politics.

Now

I am going to reply to your letter of

December 2000.

I do not agree that you own the print,

despite your citing a "legal basis" for your claim. You get paid to cite legal bases which then have to be challenged in court in order to be resolved. That is not my path. I am a documentary photographerwho is trying to do my work. I could walk away from this, but I don't choose to do so, despite the urging of my doctor/art consultant' You mention that my photo has become a historical

document by virtue of tt'e Times' "possession" of it. My

photograph is a historical document because of its content. The fact that the Times stamped dates on the back and used red grease crayon on the surface "gives value to this scuffed print" and so, in the new world of commercial exploitation, the Times offered my photograph for sale in Paris for $4,000 through Photokunst. I am getting very upset as I write this, but I will continue and quote your last paragraph and respond. You wrote: "...I know you understand the worth the Times brings to history, and now your photograph has become part of ours." That is very eloquent but the reality is that the reproduction of my photograph has become a part of the Times' history. My Kennedy photographs are in the collections of MoMA, ICP, Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Musée du Québec, Musée d'Art Contemporain de Montréal, Institut Valencia d'Art Modern, and other collections. That is a historical context. You have my permission to scan that print, front and back for your archive, with any future sales from that scan paid for in the normal manner which has been our way of working together for nearly flfty years' I value tlne Times more than you will ever know. My concerns will be satisfied when I receive my print properly packed here at my studio. That is a Times traditton. Best regards,

George S Zimbel Jønuary 17, 2001 Dear Mr Zimbel, I was pleased to hear that the issue of your Kennedy

photograph has been resolved and that the print is THE CORRESPONDENT DECEMBER 2001-JANUARY2002

being returned to you. As I thinkJim Mones fdirector] of The Nal York Times Photo Archive made clear to you, our return of the photograph does not suggest that we do no[ stand by our legal position. We continue to believe in our ownership of the print, but, in the spirit of compromise, we have agreed to make an exception in this case. Sincerely, Maggie R Drucker

February 12, 2001 Dear Maggie Drucker,

Ji-

Mones used terms such as

"valued

contributor" and "longtime relationship" in our final conversation before he returned my photograph of 'Jacqueline & John Kennedy, 1960." In the conversation prior to that he said that the archive was returning my print, and then added the proviso that I would have to pay 50 percent to the Times if I sold it! I used several expletives to let him know that the photograph belonged to me and I expected it returned properly packed. He urged me "not to get excited" and said he would call me the following day. He did, stating that the photograph would be returned with no provisos. It was and he kept his word. So, after thirty-nine years the print was where it in my possession, in my archive was supposed to be It is and always has been with the original negative. my property.

Then I received your letter dated 17 Januaty on 6 February...I will begin by saying that I

consider that letter as insulting as the first one your wrote. I am not an exception, I am one of those freelance people who you seem intent on denigrating in the name of increased profits for The New York Times Company. Now I know what Arthur Jr. meant when he wrote me "times have changed." So, that is clear. I am ashamed of you and your management colleagues. I still have the highest regard for your

editors, writers, and photographers. Your statements have the feel of events in Florida

during the last election with lawyers and persons of authority depriving people of what was theirs. You are expending huge amounts of highly paid time to deprive freelance photographers of their property and consequently of income for the minimal amount of profit that will be generated by this mean-spirited policy. It is not acceptable. You use your muscle in words in a court of law because you are lawyers. I will use my muscle in words in the court of public opinion because I am a communrcator. George S Zimbel

@Coþlright This piece originally appeared in the May/June 2001 issue of the Columbia Journalism Review. It and the photo are reþrinted with the hind þermission of Mr Zimbel.

T-_

Moving closer to the original topic of the day, selÊ censorship, a member of the Seattle audience raised

his advertising from the pape¡" he said. "These are problems we all face and Hong Kong has many

concerns that the reporters and news organisations may

newspapers."

be too willing to accept the Pentagon line without question. He did not accuse the Pentagon of overt

An American journalist noted the situation in the States is not much different. Stories about automobile

attempts to rnuzzle the press, he just expressed concern for an apparent unwillingness by the media to appear to be too critical of the Pentagon at a time of crisis. "There are no whips in the press room," he said, "but in this case fthe media] is like a well trained dog that will do circus tricks without the sound or threat of the whip."

aking this cue, Legco member Margaret Ng

the need for better training for journalists to avoid being used as tools for propaganda. 'Yes, the media needs to be stressed

sensitive fto the military's requests for secrecyl but they

should be able to be allowed to report as soon as they can," she said.

Correspondent Dan Kubiske is a member of the FCC's Press Freedom Committee and vice chairman of the American Society of Professional Journalists International Committee. FIe recently conducted transPacif,rc dialogue on selÊcensorship. hat was billed as a dialogue between American and Hong Kong journalists on selÊcensorship changed as a result of the attacks on New York and Washington, an issue by DC. Instead of focusing on selÊcensorship discussion in a larger itself, the topic was incorporated on media manipulated and selÊcensorship. as

On the Hong Kong side, a dozen or so journalists and politicos gathered in Studio 1A of RTHK. At the same time, more than 300 USjournalists crammed into a meeting room at the Doubletree Conference Center in Seattle, Washington. The US participants were attending the annual convention of the Society of Professional Journalists SPJ) (

Because of technical issues, the Hong Kong audience could be seen and heard in Seattle, but we in Hong Kong

were allowed only the audio portion. Major Robert Bateman of the US Arm¡ on loan to the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC, 44

opened the session in Seattle without pulling a punch. "Let's face it," he told the journalists, "the public doesn't like you as much as it likes us." The groans that

came from Seattle indicated that several in the audience saw more than a little truth in the matter' "We are studying the media constantþ but the media is not studying us as closel¡" he said. "Therefore the military has the advantage."

Bateman said ideally he would love to see a reporter

with each rifle battalion. But, he added, that would account for only 300 reporters. In the Gulf War, he said, there were more than 2,300 journalists that had to

be accommodated by the military while maintaining operational security. Reporters traveling with the soldiers, he said, would help keep the military honest. Had reporters been with US troops in My Lai in Vietnam, he said, the massacre there would not have happened. "I want you with our troops to prevent that from happening again," he added. THE CORRISPONDENT DECEMBER 2001-JANUARY 2002

Hong Kong Baptist University journalism professor and commentator Tim Hamlett wondered if it was diffrcult for the American reporters at this time. "After all," he said,'r'lyon have the politicians wrapping themselves in the flag and the public is going along with that." Numerous participants from the US side agreed it was tough to keep the trust of the American public while, at the same time, remaining neutral and objective about the current story. Several American journalists criticised those news anchors who wore lapel pins or other piece ofjewelry to show their "patriotism". US moderator Paul Ferguson of CNN changed tack and asked CNN senior China anaþt Willy Lam and Hong Kong Economic Journal managing editor K C Chan to discuss how the Chinese-language press in China and Hong Kong had handled the September 11 story. Willy started with the press in China. The Chinese media, he explained, took several hours to report the terrorist attacks, showing a division among the country's top leadership as to how to react. Once the decision was made to air scenes from the US, he said, theywere limited tojust the pictures with no commentary. K C Chan added that in Hong Kong, the coverage has been thorough and reflected a wide range of opinions. He noted there was concern raised when the US State Department tried to get the Voice of America to not broadcast an exclusive interview with the head of the Taliban. "This has serious consequences for Hong Kong," he said. There are elements in Hong Kong, he continued, that would havd used the US action as an excuse to do the same thing to Radio Television Hong Kong. Fortunately, said Chan, the VOA stood up to the State Department and aired the interview. (It should be noted here that the Society of Professional Journalists convention praised the editorial staff and management at VOA for standing up against the pressure from the State Department.) Chan added Hong Kong papers face pressures not unlike those in the United States. "If a businessman is unhappy with an article, he might pull THE CORRESPONDENT DECEMBER 2OOl-JANUARY2OO2

dealerships and lawyers are always carefully scrutinised.

The car dealerships buy a lot of advertisements and the lawyers can sue. "I can do any story I want," he said, "as long as it doesn't cost the paper more than $100,000 in law suits."

Just as the discussion really got going a solar flare caused the satellite link to be lost. The Hong Kong

participants continued the discussion for about another hour. One member noted the discussion on how the US media and the military relate to each other was important. "Hong Kong reporters have no experience with the military," he said. "So we will be depending a lot on the US and European reporters to let us know what is happening and why. It was good to hear how the Pentagon tries to control the coverage." The programme was organised by the SPJ in the US

and Hong Kong with the help of RTHK, which provided the studio space, equipment and staff, CNN which provided the satellite time, and KIRO in Seattle, which took the CNN signal and sent it into the SPJ convention site. The SPJ is the oldest and largest journalism organisation in the United States. Its more than 13,000 members are involved in all aspects ofjournalism from publishers to reporters. I

lmported by

SOLAR MAX LIMITED Tel:2554 1183 Fax:2554 0796 45

A LongWuy From F{unza, The Asian wau street Journal celebrated, its 25ttl anniversary recently. Former FCCer Seth Lip.sky was present at the creation. and distributing it from Nova Scotia to New Zealand' But the leadership of Bill Kerb¡ Warren Phillips' The Watt Street Journal Don Macdonald and Ed Con;'- was possessed of a different notion. The Watt Street Journal had been built into a national publication in America on the recognition that the businessman in Portland, Oregon, has many of the same interests as the businessman in Portland, Maine. It served a rather than of geograPhY. If re sound, this communitY of d from Palo Alto to Peking' and from Seoul to Sumatra. At first, the plan was to issue a newspaper to offer owned

THE

ASIN

WATT SINEET JOIIRNAT

Asia's Future Fo¡ q qwrlq of a

entufl'

7\o /¡îüE Wdl Stua lwnal lw chøid¿l th¿

Asir Whdli6 oh.d!

Massachusetts,

to the Asian businessmen and women a "window on the world." Four reporters were set up at the outset,

Eugene Carlson Singapore, Eduar ne day in Hong Kong, in the summer of 1976-in fact, precisely 25 years ago-Peter Kann, Norman Pearlstine, Charles "Chuck" Stolbach and I were standing amid a pile of moulding carpet that we had scraped from the floor of what would become the fìrst newsroorn of The Asirtn Wall Street Journal' We were covered with grime, the room was sweltering, and we had a way yet to go. This is when Peter looked up,

surveyed the scene and uttered the immortal line: "Well, men, it's a long way from Flunza'" The reference was to the Himalayan land he had once written about, a perfect principality untouched by crime and misery. We would take to uttering the line whenever things got a little less than idyllic in the cramped quarters the paper occupied in Quarry Bay' Tiuth te told, that wasn't often. Looking back, I f,rnd it hard to imagine a more magical assignment for a generation of young newspapermen and women than

to be told, in the wake of the Vietnam war and at the great turning point in the struggle befi'veen totalitarianism and freedom, to start a new newspaper in Asia, dedicated

to free minds and free markets. All the more so because there were those who said it couldn't be done. In 1970, DowJones had spent more or so it was rumo¡¡sd - sn ¿ than US$1 million study to see whether an edition of the Journal,

published

publisher and editor,

was Peter

Kann, the Journal's roving correspondent in Asia who'd won a Pulitzer covering the war that created ng editor was the Paper's Banglad TokYo, Norman Pearlstine' former lwas launched SePt' I,1976, The Asia amid great fanfare, and we did our best to provide our window on the world, while keeping our eye on Asia' Then on Sept. 9, 1976, Mao Tse-tung died' It happened that among the handful of Americans in China was then the editor of the editorial page of The Wall Street Journal managed to get a Hong Kong and

remember about around the newsroom at the prospect of having a scoop from the paper's beat in Asia. It wastt't that anyone lacked enthusiasm for the idea of providing a window on America and the world' ThËre were, after all, terrific stories around the globe' But in the event, what really got the news staff excited

in Hong Kong and distributed throughout

Asia, would be feasible. The consultants roamed the region, pored over standard newspaper costs and the like, and reported back that, no, it would not. Itwould be, someone said, like taking the Cape Cod StanrJarrl Times,

Kong. The news des said to have once br of a story. Leading the team,

a community newspaper Dow Jones

began to get its full voice. -\Alhat stories there were. The collapse of Indonesia's state oil company, Pertamina, had me scrambling THE CORRESPONDENT DECEì\IBER 200I-JANUARY 2002

around the banking entrepots, as The Asian Wall

Street

Journal'srnan inJakarta, Raphael Pura, gave the paper's

readers scoop after scoop from the country that for much of our fìrst two years was at the heart of what was then called the Third World Debt Crisis. One of the big scoops everyone was seeking was an interview with the visionary who built Pertamina, Gen. Ibnu Sutowo. The scoop was snagged by a reporter in the Los Angeles bureau of The Wall Street Journal, Earl Gottschalk, who managed to buttonhole the general on a California golf course. It was an early illustration of the virtues of a news-gathering team that was global (and of playing golf, too, of course).

äi'

army chief of staff and commander of martial law, had been nearby when Park'was assassinated and that there were questions as to whether he was involved in the plot. Thorpe's dispatches were so astonishing that I phoned him and asked if he could give us a sense of where he was getting his information. Not on the phone, he said. Not even a hint. So I flew

to Seoul and met him in town, where the two of us walked to the grounds of Kyong Bok Palace. There, among some of the most elegant plantings on the planet, he briefed me on the situation and where the information was coming from. I took a taxi back to the airport and returned to Hong Kong. He followed with a torrent of dispatches that kept our readers one steP ahead of the tumultuous transition. Gen. Chung was eventually cleared.

In those days, the manufacturing processes in the newsroom were a bit different from the computerised consoles of today. Back then, stories were written on a substance called paper. Cathy Panagoulias, now an editor w\th 'fhe Wall Street Journal in New York, likes to tell of the chaos as the copy poured in from Korea. The managing editor's desk was so covered with foolscap that she and the editor got down on their hands and knees and, brushing aside the crushed cigarette butts, edited on the floor. Not all of the memorable stories were the big frontpage dispatches either. Once, during the International Monetary Fund's meeting in Manila in 1976, Eugene

Carlson fìled a dispatch only a few.inches long. It contained a verbatim account of a meeting between American and Italian treasury officials in Italy. It was on the explosive topic of gold sales, however, and the result was a middle-oÊthe-night call from the American consul, who had been awakened and given the assignment to tell us that the Treasury was furious' The problem of furious governments wasn't limited to the American consul. Articles in the paper were, rvith some regularity, tarred out in Indonesia, clipped out in Taiwan, held up in Malaysia, and shut out in China, to name but a few. One of the remarkable things to me, THE CORRESPONDENT DECEN,IBER 2001-JÀ\UARY 2002

looking back, is how much has changed over the years as

Asian go\/ernments have come to see the value of the

free flow of business information. One of the most important stories the paper ever published was a little business news dispatch of but 200 or 300 words, which ran inside the paper under the byline of Frank Ching. It said that the editor of the Chinese news agency Xinhua had met in Hong Kong with the editors of Chinese language dailies in the Colony. If small countries like South Korea and Taiwan could have such successful economies, he had said, there is no reason why miracles couldn't be achieved by a big country like China. The liberalisations on the mainland soon followed. The Asian Wall Street Journal helped make famous what may be the most important essay of the 20th centur)/, "The Fifth Modernisati DemocracÍ" It was originally published in China by a young electrician named Wei Jingsheng, who had been imprisonecl for his journalism. One of the editors of The Asi'nn Wall Street Journa[ Nicote Seligman, published an early translation on the Journ¿l's editorial page. For years, the paper reprinted "The Fifth Modernisation" annually. There was also lhe story of the Indochina refugee

crisis. It was Barry Wain, then diplomatic correspondent (and later editor) of The Asian Wall

Street Journal, who put the story on the map' He frled dispatch after dispatch from the beaches where refugees lucky enough to escape communism were landing what was left of their boats. His work would later result in a book, The Refused: The Agony of the

Indochina Refugees.

It also resulted in a break with tradition. At the time, the Asian edition of the paper did not carry editorials.

But in the spring of 1979, when the heads of government of the Group of Seven nations met in Tokyo, the paper decided to publish an editorial called 'AJob for the Summit." It argued that the leaders of the big industrialised nations needed to put the Indochinese refugees at the top of their agenda. The US edition of The Wall Street Journal reprinted the editorial. So the matter was brought in to President Carter, and the men and women and children who had risked their lives for a piece of the dream of freedom were put on the summit agenda. From time to time since then, I have been asked whether newspapering will ever be so romantic and rewarding as it was during those post-war years in that

run-down printing plant on the Hong Kong waterfront. I have never hesitated in answering yes. I don't have the slightest doubt that the biggest changes in Asia are still ahead. And that new adventures await those newspaper men and women who will scrape back that mouldy carpet and set out in search of their own Shangri-la. I

Seth Lipsky, aformer managing editor of'lhe Asian Wall StreetJournal, is a contributing editor of'lhe Wall Street

Jowrnal.T'his column is reþrinted uith þermission.

uetta

March, writes about in lunch FCC arr at rn Novelist Xu XL who sPoke tife in writers' colonies in the US. Red here were no scheduled flights to

.rfr

Yi"g'

Minnesota. Instead, a flock of mosqurtoes Ày arrival, feasting on 1oY PJ'îd ;;ì;t ?in. state bird"' said the -otquito's our Anderson Center dir..,o, of the -

of o

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Out of need, the newest FCC takes root in a hotel broom

tl"::,L'ht

he 'nt :t^t-? to be one of three writers-in-residence'

g. rically, as

wtt"r. Iîas get used to You'" '"They'll ^^H'...-*u, My the world of the artist in solitude' a with progress submission was awarded

,roveiin would month in the country, where nature's-bounty path this t;tt* -y ."r-tr.t' Ot' "ty first walk down and mayflies onå .u.nírlg by the rivei, bluebottles safety' invaded my'itait. I fled to indoor a "colony rat" atbeen I've year, past the During including one in folr. *.itåg' colonies or residencies' residency terms Norway this past summer' Although tl" same: to tt ;;;;, ;i. basìc idea of such places their thing do to orovide a space for creative writers Lhree months living in the l #;. ;;ä;;f1., 'p'n' home in Orlando' American writer Jack Kerouac's d owtDho'rma Bums\n Florida. Itwas where he hammere on a rented rypewriter in 1957' ìfaty-term Beat KJronu. was thä first to use the

closet in Pakistan. CNN satellite coordinator Richard Stokes filed this rePort:

ouse in Orlando Florida,

to the life of any active journalist is a decent workspace, preferably with light, power and fresh air, somewhere to sit and think. But

ssential

more importantþ a place to test facts and trade gossip with a beverage close at hand. An FCC or press club, so to speak. The recent commencement of military action in Afghanista filling the

C.rr"rutior.inreferencetoagroupofAmerican mainstream *.-J..r, including himself' who rejected ;t;;; i,. tt'" 1"e5os thro"qh tl:ti T::l:î:::it

;äiä.;;i.i .."t'*t lifestyles' His best-knorvn novel' oriä n*a,written in 1e5?' :î"',î:"t;L:*

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and regarded as one of the

Generation.

holding down a For years, I'd written n rvels while and fed in housed full-time job, envying writers who were wrote wherever in between these beautiful surroundings' I

long hours, bu slept very little. here was mY ch

\-W

The show must go on CNN cameraman Fan Wen-chun and reporter Mandy Kibel prepare to go live from Quetta.

The first night at Kerou D-ecember' but surely was freezing. Admittedly, this was bewarmer than the climate"in Florida *ät "'ppottd to home for the in New York? By five, I left my "ttttt^ttd warmth and of streets of College Éark in search not been had food subsidy breakfast. My promised ^b"fort when I arrived' and in '|ack's ,."Jy ,rt. dáy kitchen, the cuPboard was bare' I missed Over coffee, biscuits and sausage grar'y'

indicating otherwise' UtU erouac's house, by contrast' *:^'J' :t:.:ït n: î'¡'1"."

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:r^; ::ï# :l;l:i:; onry ih" *n",. ¡i;* t,stay':" ì;i i' ;" '"'o'd pains' J}ä: nîî, occupied |i,ii:' xiii.lived {!t:!:: :':i i: he Ï' slnce' ,:i'^"^;;;^¡u.k ,,..tiott his mother

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Quetta, P the latter one first thought. The plethora of satellite phones, laptops, camera gear and conquering the oddities of local, Iong distance and international dialling codes were organised with relative ease. Negotiating permission to leave the hotel, visit the border, interview local and d.istrict officials took significantly more time' Navigating through red tape in order to locate and procure a beer took full dedication to the task, with declarations of infrrmity and family credentials in support of a modest glass of ale! It was this major handicap in reqorting efficiency that encouraged a rare solidarity of opinion, to create a workspace known as the FCC Quetta. The Serena Hotel management was stretched fully in handling the gaggle of text, stills and video gatherers from around the world, though always helpful and courteous. Apart from extra phone lines, power feeds, 24hour room service (with midnight requests for hot chocolate and sticky nutty pudding attended to) and ample supplies of wet towels (for the tear gas), the provision of ale needed urgent attention. General Manager Barkat Mitha came up with a THE coRRESpoNDENT DECEMBER 2ooI-JANUARv 2002

THE CORRESPON

surprising revelation

¿ þ¡6e¡1 cupboarcl would be

renìvated to allow journalists to mingle in controlled

freedom, with suitable tippte available for those who could sign off on their depraved deeds' The FCC Quetta was born, in room 261'

Bottles of famed Murree classic beer were offered, priced at I20 rupees,the equivalent of HK$15, and ãssorted unknown brands of spirits at higher cost' A dartboard and TV (pre-tuned to CNN) soon arrived, along with Afghan floor cushions and mood (switching off the fluorescent) lighting' The Serena Hotel management obviously knew something that we didn't, that journalists were unlikely to be allowed out of the compound for days on end "for their own protection", according to the charming gentlemen of Special Branch, so a means of calming tempers was quicklY required' With armed police on the roof, at the gates and patrolling the corridors, it was reassuring to know that in. fCCq*as a welcome and safe refuge and worthy

of becoming an approved affiliate of our

own

famed Club. ocal commerce was facing a rather bleak outlook, as regular protest marches, strikes, torching of

stores and cinemas took their toll on the townsfolk nerves and pockets. Only the carpet sellers had a ready market in the form of the captive foreigners. Howeve¡ the hotel trade with its enterprising ideas and the growing demand for fixers, transiators, helpers and minders has quickly transformed the scene in Quetta to a hustling, bustling media service hub.

I wonder if an FCCQJazzBat will be opened?

I 49

to members of the Foreign Correspondents' Association. The responses were lodged on a university website, allowing results to be incorporated on a spreadsheet and analysed. Thirty responses have been received. Two-thirds of the respondents were male . More than two thirds were more than 35 years old and had been journalists for more than a decade. More than half worked for newspapers or news agencies. They were highly educated with 74% having university degrees. Forty percent thought that their own foreign coverage of Australia was not balanced. There seemed to be agreement that coverage was fair, but selective, with emphasis on easily obtained colour stories. There was a perceived need for more serious stories. "More real stories (politics, economics, human rights) instead of the tired old kangaroo and Crocodile Dundee crap. It is done to a certain extent, but not enough. Kangaroos are easier to cover and sell...." One correspondent blamed local media, which other parts of the survey indicated were significant sources for foreign media covering Australia. "Too often the foreign press corps reflect the work of the local media organisations and do not have enough time to initiate their own material using own sources." There was a need for "more resources, more experience, more space" in their respective news holes. The correspondents were frequently critical of reporters reinforcing stereotypes of "macho men and cuddly animals". Reporters needed to be sensitive to local customs and ideas: "Get journalists out of their offices and into the countryside and the cities, talking to people and attending events. Cover Australia as they would any'alien' country with an exotic culture..fust because Australians speak English, it doesn't mean that their cultural underpinnings can be taken for granted and be seen as merely a slightly different version of US or UK culture. which is what usuallv questionnaire by e-mail

it still possible to be a foreign correspondent in the age of globalised

journalism specialist and professor ofjournalism at Central eueensland lJniversity Atan Knight explores the question in

news? Foreign

his latest book. hat is left for

Buddhist peace movement which marched several thousand strong through the streets of Phnom Penh led by an Australian based refugee who also happened to be the

foreign

correspondents to rePort, when a viewer can watch the World Trade Center collapse live on global television?

REPORTING THE ORIENT

Cambodian Buddhist Patriarch.

Does the globalisation of live news

Australian corresPondents I

help or hinder good journalism?

surveyed and interviewed were critical of their country's coverage of

Does the resulting freedom of choice mean better news or just more of the

Asia. They blamed: lack of resources, too few Asia based corresPondents, lack of language skills among foreign reporters, parachute journalists and

same? What about the local perspectives on international stories?

Cambodia I went to Cambodia in 1993 to conduct a case studY on how the Australian press covered Southeast Asia in general and the Cambodian elections in particular. At that time Khmer Rouge Radio was still broadcasting from uP in the mountains. TheY talked in the rhetoric of the Cultural Revolution; referring to running dogs, traitors and socialist objectives' Down in Phnom Penh, correspondents used to savour the cool of the evenings sitting in the hotel roof gardens, drinking Cointreau and watching the swallows ãhung" shift with bats as dusk arrived. The nearby rooftops were covered in a spider web of television cables linked to communal satellite dishes' As the sun went down, the roof top televisions went on' The locals were watching Hong Kong quiz sholvs, sitcoms and bimbos in sports cars. I realised then that hardly anyone was listening to the Khmer Rouge any more. Globalisation had arrived, exposing the Khmer Rouge world view to the international market of ideas' Journalism, wrapped up in modern consumerism triumphed over bleak ProPaganda. Howeve¡ a study of the foreign press indicated that local perspectives were ignored as foreign journalists strove to fulfil stereoqpes. I found for example that most Australian correspondents covering those Cambodian elections mainly reported on what was an imaginary military threat by the Khmer Rouge. The Australian press mostly ignore d the issues the Cambodians thoug-ht important, particularly the 50

editors' ignorance or indifference of real Asian issues.

On the other hand the editors blamed: audiences uninterested in certain types of Asian news, i deadline pressures and sloPPY or

lazy reporting.

collective failure to report on the Buddhists indicated that western journalists were part of the problem; their narrow news values hetped power a cycle of misinformation; e'g' reporters wrote stones editors expectecl. Editors checked their reporters work against that of competing correspondents. The resulting published stories were

ut their

read by subsequent generations of correspondents who set off to Asia feeling fully briefed. Nevertheless, this flawed Process, which says it seeks the truth, is clearly superior to the Leninist model, which defines journalists as notjust the voice but also the arm of the Communist Party. Selective reporting seems objectively more acceptable than deliberately created untruths.

Since then, the spread of digital technology has made it much more difficult for authoritarian states

to impose censorship and replace news with confections of information more pleasing to the ruling party's palate.

,dustralia This year I began a study

press covered Australia.

happens."

orrespondents were critical of the Australian government decision to effectively close down the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade International news centre in Sydney. A number of correspondents blamed Australian government and public service sources who they believed saw foreign

correspondents as a low priority. Rpporting was: 'Accurate but not very balanced. There's a lot more colour than hard news and a lot more focus on the quirky or 'yobbish' than progressive or intellectual elements of society. Government and other officials need to take foreign media much more seriously than they currently do. Often ministers' press secretaries do not even return calls from non-domestic news media, which doesn't help journalists trying to write

examining how the foreign

serious stories." If these problems with coverage could be identihed

I began by sending a

why were they not addressed? Respondents blamed:

TIIE CORRESPONDENT

DECF,ì\'ÍßER 2001-JÀN U,A'RY 2002

THE CORRESPONDENT DECEMBER 2001-JANUARY 2002

commercial interests, perceptions by gatekeepers that readers/viervers etc are not that interested, lack of quality of some reporters the ones -particularly that onll' come here on "holidays", doing just the "nice" stories, editors at home some of who only

wanted clichés and Australia's relative unimportance to the world. Conclusion Does

globalisation helþ or hinder good journalism?

Globalisation of news helps demolish national censorship regimes that may have created state constructed fantasies at odds with local realities (Cambodia and China). A free international market of ideas allou's the participation of more sophisticated

Bring .vour FCC

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cover Cubsn Cockt

desk. But he said the romance of foreign correspondence still lingered: "Even though it becomes harder to justify the expense of having someone of the other side of the world, there is still a type of flavour and insight that you can never capture by interviewing everyone over the telePhone. Sure you can get the quotes and You can get all the information, but there isn't anything quite like having someone

information vendors' However, these journalists bring with them their own ïational, political and cultural and assumPtions which .o--...iul helP frame their maY and underpin can be missed angles Local reportì. or ignored. Does the resulting freedom of choice mean better neus or just more of the same?

Competition should allow news consumers to compare accounts and

on location...That is what reallY brings the storY to life." I

reject incorrect reports. Howeveq the

f.ãe market of ideas can be influenced bY the intentional

construction of stories and control of sources (Hong Kong) or aPparent neglect (Australia) ' Consumerism

1993 The local

Cambodian media in action

Reporting the Orient is Alan Knight's second booh on foreign corresþond'ence, the first being on the

Hong Kong handotter. Much of the booh

published another thriller. have a statue of Mao Tse-tung (or Mao Zedong, as

he's called these days)in my dining-room rn London, bought from his home village of Shaoshan. It is a conversation piece, certainly not

a polidcal statement, yet onìy Mao could get away with guests It. if t aisptayed Hitler, Pol Pot or Stalin, dinner would Many odd' I slightly that was best at rvoulcl think

uas written in the dounstairs þressroom at tlt'e FCC Hong Kong. He has hetd' the founda'tion Chair oJ CJ Med,ia Studies at Central Queensland tJ

rvalk out.

Uniaersity since 1998.

corlupted. He equalised, yet divided' And

.lournallsfl¿

Mao is an instantly recognisable twentieth century figure. Yet our moral compass is unsure where to place hirn. Mao unihed, yet destroyed. He moralised, yet he

slar.rghtered.

Reþorting the Orient ByAlan Knight

RED SPIRIT

It is this contradiction and the fascination we have with Mao which led me to my latest book, Red S\irit' I wantecl to place Mao in a modern thrille¡ with all the ingreclienti of suspense, love and accessibility that

Xlibris. Chicago. 2001 rsBN 0-738842834 PB, 334 pages

reacler-s need.

Those of us who become enveloped in China tend to br-oocl over her selÊcontainment, her untouchability and her violence. We track who is in power and who is in line for succession. \Me search for a new emperor,

for it is only under those terms that we think

under-stand her.

Of course it didn't quite work out like that because in exarnining Mao, I had to look at the psychology both of China and of my readers. I also had to let myself be srvayed by

imagination, the big themes of China such

, .ì1..,;',',,';,ì,.1;,,ìì,'

knows what's inside, because no-one has ever been allowed to take a look' Flere was the setting for my new book' Luckil¡ it struck a chord with my publishers as well' We had spent drinks after drinks debating exotic thriller scenarios' The Middle East was out. I am not sure if it still is' Latin America generally falls flat' The Balkans is a yawn' story Russia has its moment. We even tossed around a line for Mongolia.

ut China has an attraction, yet to be tapped,

the Yangtse, the north Asian night and the Great Wall' So it was, while swimming in a lagoon underneath

I thought of the labourers building it and horv thousands died, their bones crushed into

and hundreds of thousands of tourists see the tomb and the warriors every year. Against the backdrop of Mao and Qin, Red Spirit needed

the Great Wall, that

the soil on the slopes. And that took me to the man who

it, Qin Shi Huang, the frrst emperor of China, near Xian is protected by the terracotta warrior army. !\¡heu 1'ss look at the warriors, arranged in columns of aclvanced military science, you get an extraordinary sense of ghostly motion, of both power and protection' Any rnan rvho had such a vision and such a quest for immor-tality had operated with fanatical. determination. On the roof of his tomb, with the winds cutting down from the mountains through the pomegrzn^te orcharcls, )¡ou sense the mystery beneath your feet. The mausoleum bejewelled with stars, the rivers of mercury arottnd the body, the warriors inside, their crossbow bolts poisoned tã ward off intruders. That is how the t-ew history books have described it, but no-one zct.uaTly

began

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THE CORRESPONDENT DECEMBER 2OOI'JANUARY2OO2

THE coRR¡r.spoNDENT DECEÀ,IBER 200I-JANUARv 2002

ll,l.l l,,li;:),

obsessively compulsive heroin, (American' of course) up against one starkly evil baddy, a threatening ex-bofriend arrd a loving new one' Fifty thousand wotds were lost when my lap top was stolen catching a flight to Hong Kong to promote my previous book Díagon Fire. Tine manuscript needed a dozen revisions .ni ggC work taking me from Paraguay to Albania meant it was months late in delivery' I now only hope that Mao and Qin can fight their

corneragainstSi@ Red SPirit By HumPhreY HawksleY

fleadline Book Publishing, London PB,,3l2 pages, ISBN: 0-7472-7294-8 HK$r35

An American's view of post-Nine Eleven Ametica. Saul Lockharl reports: hat family would collectively subjugate itself to 22 flights on eight airlines passing through 10 different airports 25 times resulting in 25 security checks and one random check, all in the space of nine days? Well the Lockharts for one: My wife and I flew from

Hong Kong and our two adult children from separate areas of Australia, all to converge on Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for a long-planned family event. We had long and deep, post-Nine Eleven IDD discussions about whether we should go or cancel or 'Just let Dad go"' To be truthful, I was terrified. The "what if" scenarios kePt intruding on my waking and non-waking thoughts, turning into "God forbid" scenarios. The night before we left, an effervescent Annie van Es came up to us at a part1 and said out of the blue, "Don't worry, nothing will happen." Others too chimed in with similar phrases.

Security

Travel Hassle Factor (THF) exacerbated pre-flight unease

throughout the triP and in

Hong Kong started at 4:30 a.m. when we rose to catch a 5 a.m. ride to the airport in order to arrive at 5:45 a.m. for the new mandatory, checked baggage security for an 8 a.m. United Airlines flight to Chicago. security after The

we all were, need something in print, but could go directþ to the gates. At check-in in Pittsburgh, our daughter was for a informed, she had been chosen "by the computer

Continuing support One of the many rallying points,

would put uP with this increased THF? Not as many as the airlines would like. For those in the back of the bus, this downturn in airline custom was excellent, to judge by our flights. While each

of ont flights,

domestic and international, had full frrrst and business classes, economy was half emPtY, allowing extra seats for all. The downturn creates bargains for those who want to travel both United and Northwest were offering flights ex-Hong Kong to the US for under HK$5,000 and from the US to Hong Kong for under

US$400. Domestic bargains

were plentiful' but the Thanksgiving traditional weekend triPs bY air

in the

were down 30-40Vo bY

all

accounts.

OI( The securitY checks have

immigration at Chek Lap Kok (CLK) gave the

impression of being more thorough, but it wasn't. I had to take my laptop out to be x-rayed, but it was never that is opened and turned on as it was checked during the security scares in the 1990s (when United and Northwest check-ins were segregated at the old Kai Tak Airport). This was true all the way through the US. Clustered around the security checks leading to the

type

Chicago. The American government is

unnerved by the lack of post-Nine Eleven security, in

spite

of the hoopla, that they have created a new ¿¡6¿¡sd by Republicans who "too much government" elected on the usual

security force of 28,000

were

Will the new Federal force make any qualitative difference to airport security? Let's hope so. Will that relieve or increase the THF for the average traveller, front or back? That's a key question and my guess is it slogan.

will only get worse. For their part, the airlines are responding to the THF with versions of passenger profrling. Top frequent flyers are reportedly being offered separate and speedier security checks. The airlines have reportedly proposed the Federal government create an E-ZPass, a "bio-card" which verihes a person's identity, something the Administration is loath to do. Another plan calls for credit card companies to create a bio-card under the auspices of the new aviation security offitials. Osama

bin Laden et al

succeeded where all

American politicians since World War II have failed. he united. the counrry which was divided politically due to the presidential election. The country has faced an

combat camouflage.

tweezers from her hand luggage to an ever-alert security

Changes

gates at American airports were armed soldiers in

The lines were long at American airports and you really did need 2-3 hours to process. Photo ID checks, including the crew, were frequent, and that is one posilive improvement. Electronic ticket holders, which

alance that with Remembrance Sunday poppies being confiscated in Vancouver, according to a visiting journalist who passed through the FCC. Evidently you could stab someone with the stem. Our daughter lost a pair of

that terminal were stoPPed' 2002 THE CORRESPONDENT DECEMBER 2001-JANUARY

extraordinary challenge with a firm resolve, often expressed in overt patriotism. Our family felt the World Trade Center tragedy personally. My cousin, a nationally known economist

THE coRRESpoNDENT DECEMBER 2001-JANUARv 2002

who lives in Pittsburgh, was conducting

international conference on the tenth floor of the Marriott Hotel in the WTC. His wife was in their room on the 19th floor. The 150 economists felt the first plane impact and fled. My cousin stood across the street and watched the second plane hit, all the while trying to contact his wife by mobile. As it collapsed, he ran for his life. Meanwhile his wife fled too, helped by a total stranger. This story has a happy ending, unlike many of the other WTC stories they eventually linked up after hours of anxiety. As any Hong Kong visitor to American shores can attest, the US is free and open. Once you are in, there are few restrictions for non-Americans living or working or studying in the country. In spite of the country's racism, past and present, most Americans are usually tolerant of other nationalities living there or becoming citizens. That tolerance changed overnight. How many civil liberties will be curtailed in the name of the War on Terrorism? I do not know, but the changes are accepted because these are "extraordinary times". I can accept that reasoning, not only in the context of the war in Afghanistan, but also with the very visible heightened security throughout the US in normal - at dams, ofhce buildings in ordinary cities and towns, reservoirs and pipelines, and the combat air patrols over major American cities by US Air Force fighters tasked with shooting down wal.r,vard commercial airliners. I just wonder how long these "extraordinary times" will be with us, and hope it is not forever. Americans feel they are on a war footing, yet they are being exhorted to be normal, go about their daily lives. Normalcy has taken on a new meaning, one that includes new terms like "patriotic shopping and patriotic dining". No less than Secretary of the

AnotherNYFDfuneralFiremenwaitfortheserviceinStPatrick's Cathedral to finish

increase in sales

first day of the statement came ernent from the stating that the Research Economic of Bureau National US "had entered a recession in March"' As for restaurant sales, they are down too' Way

approach the site, but you can get enough of a vista from side streets. The smoke and grit are still in the air, a constant irritant. The police and firemen and construction workers all wear respirators. When they leave the site, grimy and sad, they pass through the rubberneckers and a hush falls. Among the visitors are you can tell by the off duty firemen from other cities are covering for many of whom patches shoulder Zero d.uly in the fìre Ground on firefighters NYFD the city. around stations We toured the area with an old friend whose 25and is year old son was caught up in the disaster and horrors the to terms with come trying to still most terrifying His son's saw. he that death description was of the suction after the huge dust cloud from the second tower's collapse shot b¡ sucking survivors out of the wrecked lobby where he was sheltering behind a pillar.

(Clockwise from top /eft) George W and Margot Russell, Asa and

David Porter and Doug and Slella Moeller

down. My cousin

an interesting P salad bar again," infect the food." Of direct interest to journalists is a statement. from Society of pages for ionals who with and magazines newspapers the of pages frll the will more publications means it ptrotograptis, .opy unå area cutbacks in every face will survivors the clóse and from budgets and staff to fewer pages' That malaise has spread to"Hottg Kong, with Asiaweek being closed'

Polluted air The aìr

Ground Zero

Director of Public Relations in The Peninsula Hotel New York. In a very soft, non-PR voice, she recalled the events from the hotel's point of view: "It took three days before we could get deliveries of food and linen. Our guests were stranded, but gradually we managed to move them out of the city. At the same time, those stranded in the city arrived on our doorstep, some in a terrible condition." Staring into the fine porcelain coffee cup, Delaney was lost in thought. 'We dropped our room rates immediately to a single, heavily discounted one, regardless of the accommodation," she added quietly. Regaining her composure, she ruefully admitted that their advance bookings for the Autumn took a beating in the immediate aftermath, "dropping Êrom700% to just I0-20Vo. The number of cancelled events was staggering. Now we're about 85% occupancy for the year end." We all travelled safely and are back home. But the experience, particularly as an American, albeit an expatriate one, was, for me, frightening. That the country is forever changed, I accept. But I worry the American heritage itself is threatened. I

My brother was very upset when I told him his beloved city had a new tourist attraction - Ç¡611nd Zero. As macabre as that sounds, thousands of visitors foreign visitors

work

New Yorkers, out of Staters, -their way to the bottom of Manhattan daily' You-cannot

call Chaplains are on site to help relieve the strain of the recovery On

Japan N¡ght

around Ground Zero is still heavy with grit and

lndian Food Promotion

smoke

Coping with the disaster and its aftermath tests both people and companies. "The city was locked down for the first few days," explained Teresa Delaney, the

THE CORRT,SPONDENT DECEMBER

200 I-JANUARY 2002

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Peter Berry with Alexi Wedderburn who was visitlng from London,

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