The Correspondent, February - March 2003

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Twisted Justice: The murder of Edgar Damalerio

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From the President

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Club Activitie5

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Sister Club

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Feature

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Cover Story

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Watering Hole

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Media

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Club Speaker

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Around the FCC

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Professional Contacts

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Out of Context

China's TV Scene Hots Up

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Twisted Justice: The Murder of Edgar Damalerio

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FCC Photographer of the Year Awards 2002

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The Wig and Pen

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Voice of America

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Electronics

Digital Cameras Getting Heard

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Russell Spurr

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After Hours

US Consul Ceneral James Keith

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Book Review

0bituary

plls6ner at the Bar

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S¡¡ns Night

-

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Martin Craigs

Main Cover Pho¡ograph THE CORRESPONDENT FEBRUARY/MARCH

2OO3

by

John Stanmeyer

editor's column

Welcome to our new-look magazine. Change always causes controversy at the FCC but it has been nearly six years since the publication was given a thorough facelift by design guru Peter Wong and itwas time to return to the drawing board. With Peter now ensconced in New Zealand, Mitch Davidson generously agreed to risk the brickbats that so often are hurled at the

THE FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS' C.LUB, HONG KONG

2 Lower AÌbert Road, Central, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2521 7577 Fu; (852) 2868 4092 E-mail: <fcc@fcchk.org> \4rebsite: <w.fcchk org>

architects of change, ably

President Thomæ Crmpton Fint Vice President Jim Laurie Kevin Egan Second Vice President-

evenings and weekends.

Correspondent Member Governors Paul Ba;.fìeld, Brett M. Decker (Hon Sec ), Daniel Kubiske, Elaine Kurtenbach, Anthony Lawrence, Tyler MarshaìI, JenniferJanin O'Neil, Ilaria Maria Sala

It was not the best time to embark on such a project. It coincided with the judging of the FCC 2002 Photographer of the Year Awards (POYA), a project that gobbled up a prodigious volume of time and effort. No one has contributed as much to POYA as Terry. It is fair to say that without Terry there would not be a POYA and there would be no POYA travelling exhibition.

Nevertheless, the team managed to squeeze many extra hours of work into an already overcrowded

Journalist Member Governors C P Ho, Francis Moriarty Associate Member Governors David Garcia, Muiþ Hood, Barry Kalb, Arthony Nedderman (Treasurer)

Comittee

Conuenor: Anrl'ony Neddermm

Professional & Entertaiment Comittee Conamor: Brel| M. Decker

Comittee MarilynIIood

Membership Conumor:

Corotitution Comittee Conumor:

d by Terry Duckham and the staff of Asiapix

who performed way beyond and above the call of duty, giving up many

-

Finauce

assiste

Kevit Egan

schedule and produce

Howe/F&B Comittee Conanor: Dzvcl Garcïa

clean, eye-catching redesign

Terry Duckham

that sings. For those interested in the nuts and

Freedom of the Pres Comittee Conu mor: Francis Moriarty Wall Committee Co-convenor:

Ilariz Maria Sala

General Mmager Gilbert Cheng

Mitch Dauidson

The Correspondent O The Foreign Correspondents' CIub,

bolts of the operation, Mitch used Quark Express to revamp the layout. He chose Bodoni as the main body

Hong Kong

typeface and Franklin Gohtic for the headlines in the

The Corre spondent is published six times a year. Opinions expressed by writers in the magazine ile not necessarily those of the Club.

Club Activities section. The red and blue tagsareg0%

Publicatiom Comittee C o nu e n

or : P aul Baytreld.

Editr: Dine Stormonl Prod,u

ction: Terry Duckham

Peter Wong

Editorial Hongkongnow.com ltd

DATE

a

rnnagenta/700% yellow and 700% cyan/80% magenta. Asiapix used Quark Express to lay out the rr'agazirre. Editing was done using a combination of Quark, Adobe Acrobat and an HB pencil.

'îel: 2527 2874 E-mail: fccmag@hongkongnow. com Production Asiapix Print Services

'[el: 2572 9544 ru'.2575

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E-mail: asiapix@hk.linkage.net

Editor

Printer Impress Offset Printing Factory Limited Advertising Enquiries Steve White TellFu: 2987 1177 Mobile: 9326 5884 Email; whitest@pacific com hk Website

<ww.fcchk org>

THE CORRESPONDENT FEBRUARY/MARCH

2OO3

3

club activities

l0 months. I lost count of the number of staff who greeted me: "W'elcome

From Thomas Crampton,

The Spirit of Christmas is truly alive and well at the FCC. A few days before Christmas I lost my wallet, complete with ID card, credit cards, club cards and a rather large amount of

back, Mr Thurston". Must

The Foreign Conespondents' Club remains concerned that freedom of the press and freedom of information will

cash, at the car park near the Star Ferry in Central. I was leaving on

The Club looks better than ever, from top to bottom, although I heard Arthur Hacker was found wandering

From Yéronique Lafon-Vinais # 7198

a frantic afternoon cancelling everything and filing a police report. Back home that evening, somewhat desolate and in a

holiday the next day and spent

rush to pack, I was ecstatic to receive a call from FCC member, Marcus Praetorius, informing me that his wife had found my wallet and that he had managed to trace my telephone number through the FCC. I cannot begin to thank Mr and Mrs Praetorius for their kindness and the FCC for providing the contact. A very Huppy New Year to all!

From David Thurston #4521

What a delight it is to come back to the FCC after, this time, an absence of

have been a

couple of dozen. Most of them remember my number even though I have been an absent member since 1998.

the Main Bar intoning that he had inadvertently walked into Starbucks.

And it appears to be making money, too, thanks to the hard work of (General Manager) Gilbert Cheng, his staff, and the inspired efforts of certain

board members past and present, especially those who have a head for business. It is good to see the best club in the world in such good hands, and by that I mean associate members who know that without a bottom line there is no Club.

More importantly though, without a cheerful, efficient and loyal staff there would also be no CIub. The FCC staff is the best.

I(ung Hey Fat Choi to you all.

FCC

the renovations exposed a swathe of

President

original 2Oth century tiling and proved an instant hit. Wireless Internet and the addition of a magazine rack sporting a wide

be threatened by the government's National Security Bill despite the

variety of glossy magazines have also

Government's attempt to reduce the scope of the proposal. We also regret that these proposals are not contained in a White Bill for public comment, as requested by the Foreign

As lhe controversy subsided, however, members voted with their wallets by spending more money and

been popular.

time in the Club during the months following the opening of the new Main Bar than in the same period a

Correspondents' Club.

The Foreign Correspondents' Club notes that the government has heeded calls from this and other organisations for the scrapping certain provisions, such as Misprision of Treason. But the Government has not seen fit to heed our call for the inclusion of a public interest

year earlier. This increased spending contrasted with devastating slowdowns experienced by other Hong l(ong clubs due to the economic downturn.

Similarly, usage of the gym and sauna has shot up following the

defence for the use of reporlers and others who reveal information that the Government would prefer lo hide. Nor

has the government accepted

danger.

The bill covers a number of important areas that will undergo further scrutiny and study by the Foreign Correspondents' Club Press Freedom Committee.

Ltd.

submissions on Article

In order to understand

Fellow Members,

While working hard to improve the quality of facilities, services and activities under the roof of our colonial-era clubhouse, this year's board of governors has successfully reasserted our Club's role within

Also see Francis Moriarty, Conuenor

, on the to the FCC

goaernment response

23 on p, 31.

long

came

following nearly six months of active lobbying in Hong I(ong and Beijing led by the Club.

As for freedom of expression, the Club enabled - and contributed to debate on the government's proposal for laws regarding Article 23. These proposed changes to laws against

Professional

continue to draw praise. Please send suggestions for menu additions or revisions to the House Committee.

Working to establish rule of law and increase transparency, the Constitution Committee crealed formal club rules for the first time in

the Press Freedom Committee drafted a letter responding to the government's request for comment. The Club

recent memory while

strongly condemned the proposals for

first time, both

also

shepherding through long-overdue changes to the Club's Memorandum and Articles of Association. For the

normal journaìist ic acLivities.

documents will be printed in the Club Directory for your reference. To increase accountability, minutes from board meelings are now

Within the club itself, General Manager Gilbert Cheng and his staff

posted on the club bulletin board with the way in which each governor

have worked extremely hard providing members with the high

voted on every motion.

quality of service they deserve and

vastly reduced the amount of debt owed to the Club while the Wall Committee brought in a series of exhibits that elicited buzz and drew widespread praise. Despite the dire

fear they could open journalists to prosecution for merely undertaking

demand.

Heated discussion and fodder for more than a few newspaper articles preceded renovations to the Club's

The Finance Committee

has

beloved Main Bar. Undertaken to comply with licensing requirements

economy, the Membership Committee

treason, sedition and subversion caused a great deal of concern among

and execuled loìlowing

applications over recent months. The Publications Committee has created

journalists.

2OO3

The Club's food festivals and regular menu prepared by our resident five-star executive chef

expression, the

membership,

The simplified procedures

THE CORRESPONDENT FEBRUARY/MARCH

remains extremely popular.

and the possible impact on free

of China, the Club has

represented the interests of foreign media while also working to promote free expression and open debate.

A major victory in advocacy came with the recent unprecedented easing of visa restrictions placed on Hong

equipment for the workroom while the line-up of live jazz ar Bert's Bar

government's stance on Article 23

correspondents and the government

Hong Kong.

Founded more than half a century

Kong-based foreign correspondents by the People's Republic of China.

-IIRELOCATIONS

the

Committee organised an extended series of events featuring government officials, prominent legal experts as well as supporters and opponents of the proposals. The Club also served as a venue for many other groups to host discussions on the lopic.

Following consultation with our

ago to liaise between foreign

of the Press Freedom Committee

major

renovations and the purchase of new equipment. Similar impact may come with the purchase of new computer

the

suggestion of making greater reference to the Johannesburg Principles, particularly in reference to the need for incitement to be defined in relation to the presence of a clear and present

Dave Garcia, Co-Chair of the FCC Charity Ball Committee, accepts a generous $160,000 donation from Flex Box

recent completion of

THE CORRESPONDENT FEBRUARY/MARCH

2OO3

greater consultation than other recent works,

has overseen a sharp increase in

5

sister club

an all-new directory and brought in a new editor for The Correspondent.

Our Club's Photographer of the

Year Awards and the Human Rights Press Awards each conl"inue lo grow 'Winning

in

prominence and reach.

photographs now also feature

in

Although AOL's Phoenix and News International's Star TV dominate the headlines, Hong Kong-listed Sun claims a higher number of uiewers in, China.

Fons Tuinstra reports on the luncheon address by Sun Media Croup's CEO to the Shønghai FCC.

china's TV scene

a

travelling exhibition.

Holiday musings: Having scorned nail-biting tourists for years I finally joined the club. The nail-biters are the nervous Nellies who fret about changing their holiday plans the minute something untoward hits their intended holiday destination.

An earthquake, drought, typhoon or flood is enough to put a nail-biter off a hotiday resort for years. And nothing quite terrifies them more than a terrorist attack.

Contemptible, I used to think. Now I'm less sure.

The bar bombings in Bali were a little too close to home. Some of the victims were known to me, many were friends of friends, and even if they hadn't been it was so diabolical a crime that I began to re-examine my own holiday plans.

People in the know had told me that l(orea offered the best skiing in Asia. Then

the North Koreans went nuts and announced to the world that they intended to restart their nuclear programme.

Over in the Philippines it's open season on kidnapping gweilos, and when toughas-oÌd-boots Australia decide to close their embassy you know it's time to reconsider

your vacation plans.

Indonesia? Forget

it!

Japan? No thank you, not the place where nut-cases

seeking to right the world's wrongs take it into their heads to release nerve gas in the subways.

China? Been there, done that, and until air-conditioners become standard fittings

in hotels, and the plumbing is tuned up to 20th century standards, I won't bother again.

.Wrigley's

Double Singapore? Fine if you don't fancy chewing a stick or two of Mint now and again - or contemplate any haircut more daring than a shorl back and sides.

Burma? No thank you. Not until the generals relinquish control and the same for Pakistan and almost everywhere in the Middle East.

So what does that leave us?

Malaysia, that's where. Beautiful, friendly, welcoming Malaysia. Malaysia is

goes

lush, tropical and safe.

Charitable thoughts: You meet all sorts at the bar of the FCC. One such, a widely respected, but no longer young, journalist and editor, was snorting with disgust when he heard about the hundreds of thousands of dollars that had been handed over to a charity following the FCC ball last year.

"There are a great many newsmen of advanced age but undiminished ability who could do with a few extra dollars every month, having fallen victim to the current and ongoing recession."

I'll drink

to that. Charit¡ as they sa¡ begins at home.

Uncharitable thoughts: The time has come for straight talking, and with rumours rife in the marketplace that Al Qaeda is hungrily eyeing the FCC as a target, we must look at how best to look after ourselves and to hell with everybody else.

'What makes the FCC such a mouth-watering target is the preponderance of Americans* among the membership -- and especially on the Board, some mutinous dogs might add.

A sacrifice is called for and that should take the form ofwholesale resignation on the part of our American cousins if we the innocents in this unholy row are going to be allowed to enjoy our drinking and brawling uninterrupted by some looney terrorist heaving a bomb through the window as he speeds down Ice House Street.

* Dave Garcia is Mexican --Ted Thomas < corpcom@hk.linkage.net >

I

For many in Hong

Kong,

however, the most significant shift in perception about our Club came with this board's establishment of an annual charity ball. Intended to

highlight the Club's role as a contributor to the local community, the ball turned into a wildly successful sell-out party raising $800,000 to establish the Foreign Correspondents' Club Scholarship

Cococabana

Fund.

Al fresco dining in Mo Tat Wan

Thanks to the generosity of our

members and sponsors,

the

scholarship fund's inaugural class will include three talented students from the Po Leung Kuk orphanage

who would otherwise have been unable to pursue higher education due to financial constraints. Tutoring programmes associated with the FCC

will also help educate more than 100 l(uk Scholarship Fund children.

Our goal of giving the impossible

dream of higher education

to

talented but disadvantaged children has been accomplished for this year, but plans are already under way for a

greatly expanded charity ball in September 2003. Reserve your

tickets early and please give generously.

All Committee Members

"We are doing better than both Phoenix and Star TV," Bruno Wu Zheng said. With only 30 million viewers on

the mainland so far, even the largest

non-state broadcaster in China has only a tiny segment of the total TV market. But with the expected opening up of the mainland media market, competitors are battling hard to increase their share.

Insurance salesman-turned-media tycoon Wu, who flew from Taiwan to his home town Shanghai to address the SFCC meeting, ranks Tlst in the Forbes list of the 100 richest business people in China. Wu's fortune is estimated at about US$f t0 million.

Sun may be a listed company but it remains a strictly family business. Wu runs the channel with wife Yang Lan,

the Oprah Winfrey of China, and the station's star.

Broadcasting in Mandarin, Sun also covers Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Launched

in 2000, Sun now holds the controlling

C'ome to \10 Tat \\'an on Lamma Island and discoler

and

stake in the largest Chinese Internet portal, sina.com, and

Flong Kong's most bcautiful r enue for al frcsco dining

Club Governors generously volunteer their time to improve your Club. We

is actively seeking new acquisitions, Wu said. Its

and grcat partics.

welcome input and actively seek increased participation. Please join us. You can reach me directly on mY

mobile phone, 9272-1617, but the

efficient manner of communication is to send an email to fcc@fcchk.org. most

lu--- C*: Thomas Crampton

ambitions to take over the Hong l(ong-based Sing Pao group, however, failed when negotiations broke down

recentl¡ he said.

Sun concentrates on broadcasting uncontroversial documentaries and avoiding problems with the censors on the news. "I do not have any problems anyway with the censorship in China," Wu said. "Singapore is much more troublesome for the media and you would call that a free country?" His comments raised a few eyebrows in the audience.

'Wu was the third medþ representative speaking to the SFCC in the past year, following Theo Sommer, former

publisher of the weekly Die Zeit, and Chen Zhenpíng, deputy-chief editor of Liberation Daily, the Shanghai Communist Party's daily

THE CORRESPONDENT FEBRUARY/MARCH

2OO3

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THE CORRESPONDENT FEBRUARY/MARCH

2OO3

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The lawlessness in this city, a centre for hired killers and the virtual fiefdom of powerful politicians, is so great that when the CPJ asked me to go to Pagadian City, I first sought advice from a senior official of the Department of the Interior, which oversees the national police force.

I was worried about kidnappings by the Abu Sayyaf gang that operates not far from here, further south on the island of Mindanao. You should only travel in the area with trusted police escorts, I was told, but not because of Abu

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) asked A' Lin Neumann to examine the events purrounding the death of Philippine journalist Edgar Damalerio.

rhisishisrePort

Tals ted Justice:

Sayyaf: you need protection against rogue cops. As a result, two undercover officers from another jurisdiction were assigned to act as my bodyguards during my visit in August. The bodyguards insisted that no one be told of our plans in advance; they kept watch outside the hotel and

urged that the investigation be limited to three days in Pagadian, to minimise the risk.

"Is this really necess ary?" I asked one of the minders, Sergeant Jake. "Yes sir," was the reply. "Even we do not know who is who here. It is a dangerous place. We are

and talk to police. The shooting took place across the street from the local

police station. The murder

drew

condemnation from the Philippines and abroad. Authorities in Manila say they are also lrying to move the case along.

In the Philippines, however, justice can be elusive. In the countryside, far from the capital, where warlord politics, official corruption, and a breakdown in the justice system are a way o{ life, 39

journalists have been murdered since democracy was restored in 1986 and all those cases remain officially unsolved.

Damalerio's murder, number 38 on that grisly list, fits into this all too familiar pattern.

list was also killed in Pagadian City. Olimpio Number 35 on the

Edgar Damalerio told his wife, Gemma, by cell phone as he was leaving a press conference: "I'll be home soon." It was the last time they would speak to each other. It was 7:30 pm on May 13. Thirty minutes later Damalerio was dead.

A gunman riding tandem on the back of a motorcycle hit Damalerio, 32, with a single bullet as he drove his jeep home on a crowded street in this tumble-down port city 490 miles south of Manila on the island of Mindanao, killing him instantly. T*o friends riding with Damalerio recognised the attacker as a local policeman, a man investigators now say is a notorious local character' "He circled the block and came back a second time, just to make sure Edgar was dead," said Edgar Amoro, one of the witnesses. "This time he was riding alone on the same motorcycle. He slowed down and looked carefully' We had a clear view of him."

In another place and another time, this might be a relatively easy crime to solve. The victim was well known locally as a fiery radio commentator and

newspaper

reporter. There were two witnesses eager to come forward

Jalapit, a radio personality and perhaps the city's best known j ournalist, was killed in eerily similar circumstances in November 2000 by a drive-by gunman on a motorcycle following a series of death threats. Jalapit frequently criticised the most powerful political family in the area, the Ceriles clan, especially Antonio Ceriles, who was then a cabinet secretary under former President Joseph Estrada, and his wife, Aurora, now the governor of the province of Zamboanga del Sur of which Pagadian is the capital. The political furore raised by that crime was so intense that Antonio Ceriles publicly denied involvement in the murder The Jalapit case, like so many others, languishes. The sole witness went into hiding after he was confronted by a stranger during the victim's funeral and told: "You're next." As a result, family members told me, they have

given up hope of ever finding the killer. "Nothing has happened. Nothing," said Jalapit's brother, Albin, as we spoke in hushed tones in a local restaurant' "We are also

afraid and we cannot rely on law enforcern€nt

or

government to help us."

THE CORRESPONDENT FEBRUARY/MÄRCH

2OO3

being watched."

In Damalerio's case, all fingers point toward the police.

Piecing together the incident, it is clear that something was afoul from the outset of the investigation. Within minutes of the crime, local police arrived on the scene, cleaned the area thoroughly, removed the body and impounded Damalerio's jeep, according to witnesses. No photographs were taken of the crime scene. Any physical evidence that might have been part of the investigation was destroyed in the initial police investigation. The local coroner refused to order an autopsy and Damalerio was buried without his corpse being examined.

Damalerio's family and friends feared a police cover-up so they turned for help to the local office of a competing

agency, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), roughly the equivalent of the FBI in the United States.

Friolo lcao, the lead NBI investigator in Pagadian, said that the witnesses were credible. They had identified the

swore out a complaint during the same period against

a

man named Ronnie Kilme, another local criminal, insisting he was the murderer.

"I know that Kilme was not even in Pagadian at the time," said Icao. "All of these other cases are just obstruction. I have every reason to believe that the police are only trying to complicate the case."

The result of the charges and counter-charges was predictable. The case stood still. Gemma Damalerio went into hiding with her late husband's family in another province, fearing threats against her and the couple's five-

month-old son. The two witnesses, in a feat of extraordinary courage, stood their ground, swearing out

a warrant of

affidavits and insisting they were ready to testify.

The pair were holed up in Amoro's house, reached through a hillside path between the crypts of the local ceûìetery within sight of their friend's grave. "I live among

arrest for Patrolman Guillermo Wapili, the alleged

The

assailant from

a photo array and that the NBI

recommended that local prosecutors issue

had

the dead," joked Amoro, "so I am not afraid."

witnesses established a network of local residents to keep gunman, as far back as May 17. watch on the house and report suspicious : ^ movements.

"Eueru we utho here.

When nothing happened to advance the 'J dangerous place.We being utatched" case in the weeks following the murder, Gemma and Amoro traveled to Manila in June to appeal to national authorities for help. They in gallery," Icao said of the accused "He is my rogue's called on a relative of Gemma's who is a retired Air Force policeman, taking a heavily creased inch-thick folder from officer. He helped them reach into the bureaucracy for a dusty filing cabinet in his cramped office. "Here he is," assistance. The Justice Department transferred he said, opening the page to a photograph of WapiÌi and a jurisdiction for the case from the local prosecutor to a record ofprevious allegations for car theft and kidnapping, regional office. all of which were dismissed by the local court. "He is a 'We Secretary of the Interior Joey Lina, who also chairs the notorious character in this place. do not understand National Police Commission, told me that he personally why he is still in uniform as a policeman." ordered the reassignment of the Pagadian police chief, After the NBI recommendation, Wapili was briefly Asuri Hawani, because of the murder. "I ordered that detained but released a few days later. Following the fellow relieved," Lina said in his office in Manila, allegations against him, Wapili's lawyer, a local politician "because he was covering up the crimes of his men." for whom he once served as a bodyguard, according to the Behind the scenes, additional pressure was being NBI, swore out a competing complaint, claiming that brought to bear. A senior army general with long Damalerio's friends, the witnesses to the murder, Amoro experience in Pagadian is now on the personal staff of and Edgar Ongue, were in fact accomplices to the crime.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. He knew Damalerio Local police muddied the waters even further when they

a

do not ltnow who is are

THE CORRESPONDENT FEBRUARY/MARCH

2OO3

It

nervous about our own security. We left right after the personally and made phone calls trying to move the case

along. He provided a uniformed army soldier as a bodyguard for Hernan de Ia Cruz, the editor of the Zamboanga Scribe, a local tabloid to which Damalerio contributed regularly. "Just after the murder, we received four calls at the office," said de 7a Cntz, "warning that I might be the next one."

"I pity my profession in Pagadian," said de la Cruz,

a

should be a clean job," the note quotes an officer Nonoy

Lapinig as telling him. The note says that T,ovitaño turned down the job.

According to lcao, befor-e he was killed Lovitaño had turned the information in the note over to NBI authorities in Manila. The bureau, believing him to be credible, was attempting to locate him to swear out an official affidavit.

Before that could happen, Lovitaño was murdered, and it

is now unlikely that any eventual court will introduce the note into

devout Christian and father of three young children as we ate dinner in a local restaurant, watched over by our bodyguards. "I want to divulge these

anomalies in

this place,

evidence. The police officer who made the alÌeged approach was also

murdered shortly before

the

the

corruption. But I think to myself what will happen to my family if I do?"

Damalerio killing, according to the NBI.

De la Crtz and other local journalists say that with both Damalerio and Jalapit dead, the

Hawani, who has been reassigned

to a desk job at local

police headquarters, could not be found for comment on the allegations in the note. His immediate superior, Police Chief Superintendent Pedrito Reyes, the commander for the police in the

air-waves here no longer resonate with

or

probing journalism. Damalerio was known for stinging but well documented exposés of the local mayor and former police chief Hawani, among others. He made

outspoken commentary

entire province, cancelled two scheduled interviews in Pagadian and failed to return phone calls.

"It is really difficult ever to know who is the mastermind of these

a lot of enemies.

"He was soft spoken and he talked

sense," said Decca Judilla, the

killings," said Icao. "The transaction is between the gunman and the

general manager of the local electric co-operative. "Edgar spoke the truth and he was not afraid. He went forward without fear." Judilla was so

mastermind so unless someone tells us, how will we know?"

Gemma and son impressed with Damalerio that she hired him to help edit the co-operative's newsletter, Power Bulletin.

"There are so many killings here," she told me in her

office at the co-operative. "They are done

very

professionally and they never find the real culprits. The freedom of expression is really at risk here. It is really not safe for the journalists and it curtails our freedoms."

It isn't getting any safer. On August 10, a possible third witness in the case, a local civilian militia member and military intelligence "asset" named Juvy Lovitaño, was kilted in an ambush in a village neighbouring Pagadian

City. Local investigators found a note on his body, addressed to a military handler but never delivered, in which he outlined an approach from a Pagadian City policeman looking to take out a contract on the life of T)amalerio.

The father of the slain third witness, however, also sought refuge with the two original witnesses to the crime, staying at the home of Edgar Amoro above the cemetery, saying that he, too, felt threatened by the escalating violence related to the murder.

The witnesses, meanwhile, are seeking access to a witness protection programme run by the Department of Justice but that, too, is slow in coming because as yet there is no warrant of arrest for anyone in the crime' About all that the pressure, publicity and courage of the witnesses have accomplished so far is to just barely set the wheels of justice creaking into motion. The lead prosecutor in the case, Attorney Ricardo Cabaron, from the regional prosecutor's office in Zamboanga City to the south, travelled with a colleague to Pagadian on August 22 to conduct a preliminary hearing on the case. During the proceeding, the witnesses confronted Wapili in court, identifying him as the gunman.

Cabaron explained, however, that he needed ctt risk' more time to consider the counter charges filed by the police, naming a different gunman. "That

"The freedom of expression is really here. It is really not saJe for the journalists atld it curtails our freedorns."

Agent Icao of the NBI in Pagadian gave me a copy of the "spot report" found on the body. In the handwritten note, written in the local Visayan dialect, Lovitaño writes that he was offered 50,000. pesos (about US$1,000) to kill Damalerio on behalf of then police chief Hawani.

"Make sure that Damalerio will be killed and that it TO

case is also still active," the prosecutor said.

"The police are still insisting that their case be pushed." The witness protection programme? It is also still being considered. Will there be an arrest?

Maybe in 30 days, Cabaron said, maybe longer. As of this

writing, Wapili is still free, living in the local police

headquarters camp and moving freely around the city.

And how did the prosecutor feel about trying the case

in

Pagadian City. "To be honest," he said, "we were THE CORRI,SPONDENT FEBRUARY/MARCH

2OO3

hearing because it is not safe to stay there."

By this time, I wondered if any justice could ever come of this labyrinth of charges and cases and counter-cases. I wondered what would become of a murder case that did not have pressure from abroad and powerful intelcession from

Manila. Is this a country with journalists can be gunned down

a truly free press if

there was no insurance, no pension, nothing but memories of a young man who believed in what he was doing. "Of course I worried about him, I really wanted him to stop," Gemma Damalerio said over lunch at the Damalerio family home on the island of Bohol where she has been staying to avoid threats back home in Pagadian. "Now we just want to know who killed him."

with impunity time after time?

The

Congresswoman

representing Pagadian, Nenette San Juan, a politicaÌ opponent of the powerful Ceriles family, said she was also pursuing the cases of Damalelio and Jalapit. But she also said she feels powerless to do

much, given the system of secret allegiances and hidden pressures that exist in the area. She has

brought her concerns to the President and asked for changes

in the local police.

"These powerful people have been around for so long and they can file any case, they use any power at their disposal. These journalists were the only ones to challenge them but we all have to be careful if we are going to survive."

Since the latest killing, San Juan says that she has stopped meeting local journalists in her district for fear that they might be harrned by talking to her and reporting her comments. Instead, she now buys time on a local radio station to speak to her constituents directly. "All of these killings and they are just to try and control people," she told me. "It is just so unfair."

Both Edgar Damalerio and Olimpio Jalapit were killed probably because they could not be controlled. Damalerio, a computer science major in college, seemed driven to journalism and he was passionate about it. He started in 1998 by writing for a weekly paper in Pagadian, left after a conflict with the publisher, and went on to carve a niche out for himseÌf in a pair of newspapers, the Zamboanga Scribe and the Mindanao Cold Sta,r Da,ily. He landed a radio show on dxKP, an AM station, and started the first

After the visit to Pagadian, I returned to Manila to

see

Joey Lina, the Secretary of the Interior. He assured me he

was aware of the case, concerned, and doing what he could. Lina sent me to one of his assistants, a retired

I had met on several occasions. The Interior Secretary wrote a personal note

general, whom

"Edgar u)as aery hard-worlting and careful. He always had sources arLd he

instructing the general to investigate the

case

cable television news programme, Encuentro, in Pagadian City in which he and a colleague discussed local news and

independently of normal channels and to see that the witnesses rvould not be harmed and that charges would eventually be filed.

When I went to see that general, he listened to the details of the case with a kind of sadness in his eyes. It was very familiar to him, he said. These things happen too often in our country. We will do what we can

events.

but there are powerful people beyond our

inuestigøted what was happeruing

"Edgar was very hard-working and careful. He always had sources and he investigated what was happening, said Romy Francisco, his editor at Minda,nao Gold Star Daily, echoing comments made by several of Damalerio's colleagues. On the national level, in December 2001, the respected Association of Filipino Broadcasters (I(BP) gave

Damalerio the prestigious Golden Dove Award fol best provincial public affairs programme.

According to his widow, he never made more than US$200 a month from his journalism but that was enough to sustain the couple and their infant son. When he died THE CORRESPONDENT FEBRUARY/MARCH

2OO3

sometimes.

It is complicated. "The

control

good people," he said,

"sometimes they just don't stand a chance."

The story does not quite end here, of course, because the killings never seem to stop. On the day I flew to

Pagadian, August 22, 2002, newspaper editor Sonny Alcantara was gunned down in the town of San Pablo, 50 miles south of Manila, becoming the 39th name on the list of dead journalists in the democratic Philippines. I still had time before leaving Manila to attend his funeral and talk to local police. We are looking into the case, I was told. But no arrest is expected soon. !

1I

cover story

FCC photographer of the year awards 2OO2 winnerc¡

Professional divisions. The winning

FGC Photographer of the Year

entries in of each ol those categories were then presented to the judging

his year we

Professional and

Winner: John Stanmeyer, Time Magazine

panel

First lunner-up: Christian Keenan, Freelance FCG Photograph of the Year Winner: Manifesto -- Bishop Zenby Virgile Simon Bertrand, Red Desert Ltd

tions Ltd

Ltd; Oliver TsanS SCMP; Ricky Chung, SCMP

Yirgi

Winner: Julian De Brackinghe Yuen-tao First runner-up: Sarah Wong Man-hing Four Seas Electrical Appliances Ltd

Intemational

School

Honourable mention: Irene Jackson, Cathay Camera Club; Dominic Naht, German Swiss International School.' Brice

Hong Kong Winner

Portrait of a Traveller

Second runner-up: Dominic Nahr, German Swiss

Desert Ltd

onornic Digest First runnerPublications Ltd Second runner-up: WeiJeng Tay, Time Magazine Honourable meition: Paul Hu, Assignment Asia Ltd; Peter Parks, Agence France-Presse

Minnigh, Basis Point Publishing Ltd

SCMP.com Digital Photography & Computer lmaging

School Second runner-up: Tony IGlleen, Walt Disney Imagineering Honourable mention: Carole Lotter Killeen, Freelance

ht Winner: Paul Hu, Assignment Asia Ltd First runner-up.' Marcus Oleniuk, First Light

Asia News Winner: Christian I(eenan, Freelance

isha Pete

a News Presse

Asia Magazine Features Winner: John Stanmeyer, Time Magazine F ir st runn er- up: Grischa Rusc hendor{ As si g nment

up.'Paul Jan Hilton, Tiger Productions ¿¿ion.'

Chlistian l(eenan, Freelance;

Wing Shya, Shya I'o. La Workshop Ltd

Hong Kong Perspective - Beyond the H¡ghr¡se Winner: David Wong Chi-kin, SCMP First runner-up; Kai-chung Sing, Apple Daily Second, runner-up: Wing-tin Fu, Economic Digest PubLicatiorc Ltd Honourable mention: Paul Hu, Assignment Asia Ltd

Hong Kong Perspective - Wotld CitY Wínner: Ricky ChunS SCI4P First nmner-up: Ricky Chwg, SCMP Honourable mention: Yu-shing Luk, Economic Digest Publicatiotu Lld; Weng-kun Kuan, Economic Digest Publications Ltd; Andrew Moore, Freelance; Kok-yin Cheng SCMP; Paul Hu, Assignment Asia Ltd

12

Landscape in Time

Last year we saw a very high standard of entry at the top end, which

made

final judging quite difficult.

Many of last year's entrants were back

Kong Perspective section.

Paul

the Sony Corporation and the SCMP as

this year. Entries were better thought

Buckland's series "From Dusk to Dawn" won the Beyond the Highrise

principal sponsors this year. Hutchison Telecom joined Fuji Film, Nikon, Canon, Pentax, HeliHong Kong and Polaroid to provide a great line-up of prizes. Media sponsors RTHK, I'l¿e Standard and Apple DaiLy mad.e swe that the awards received the exposure they deserved and a special thanks

out overall and a similar high standard of work made judging a formidable task

in

selecting

the major awards.

Winner: Brìce Minnigh, Bosis Point Publishing Ltd First runner-up: Dominic Nah4 German Swiss International

Hong Kong Perspective - Beyond the H¡ghr¡se

Time pholographer and Pulitzer prize nominee, John Slanmyer, was last year's Ist Runner Up. This year his poignant series, "Nuclear Neighbours", was the winner of the Asia Magazine Features category and earned John the Photographer of the Year title.

In an interesting twist, last year's

category in the Non-Professional division of the Hong l(ong Perspective and there was no winning award made in the World City category.

FCC member and winner of the last year's Non-Professional travel category Brice Minnigh, was back with another winning series, "Elements - Sculpting

Asia", in the Non-Professional Landscape in Time category. Julian

winner, Chris l(eenan, was awarded 1st

Yuen Tao won the Portrait of a Traveller category in the same division with her

Resources

Runner up for his winning entry "Shanghai Money Boys" in the Asia

entry'Thai Monk". In the new category Digital Photography and Computer

Hong Kong Perspective - Wotld City

News category. He again confirmed his mastery of the black and white medium

Imaging, Wing Shya's

Runner-up: Healthy Tam Kin-hong, Artcom Computer Project

Hu,

the

disciplines of the category.

once again, particularÌy

Winner: Paul Geoffrey Buckland, Dragonair First ruruner-up.' Bill Condon, MBC and Associates Second runner-up: Lauralynn Goetz, Scholastic Aesthetic

The Standard Gorporate Hong Kong

for the final selection of

the photographer. An important and difficult criterion is the photographer's mastery of and innovation within the

Non-Professional Division

SGMP.com Hong Kong News

Non-

The Photographer of the Year 2002

Photographer of the Year and the new Photograph of the Year Awards. These awards are not just made for the impact of the images or the technical skill of

Second runner-up: Virgile Simon Bertrand, Red Desert Ltd

Professional Division

expanded the

Awards to include a total of thirteen categories in both the

Co. Ltd

Honourable Mention: I(enny Cheung Yu-kau, Freelance

SCMP.com Digital Photography & Gomputer lmag¡ng Winner: Desmond Crofton, Cathay Camera Club

SCMP Young Post Hong Kong Perspective - Beyond

the H¡ghr¡se Winner: Darren Siu, Island School F irst runner- up.' Shingo Shirasaw4 I nternational

Christian

SchooI SeconrJ runner-up:

Edwin Yim, German Swiss International

School

Honourable mention: Phillip Bak, German Swiss International School; Joey Ma, German Swiss International School; Elizabeth Fung, German Suiss International School; Theodora Ho, German Swiss InternationaL School

I(ong Magazine Features category and

the 2nd Runner Up Award.

His

photograph. "Bishop Zen", taken from Virgile's "Manifesto" series, aÌso won the newly introduced Photograph of the Year award.

Paul Hu won the Hong l(ong Corporate category with a dynamic series from his 2002 MTRC Annual Report portfolio. Wai Hing Chan's entry "'The Last" won the SCMP.com Hong l(ong News category. David Wong Chi-IGn and Ricky Chung, both South China Mornng Pos¿ staff photographers won the HKTB sponsored Beyond the

SCMP Young Post Hong Kong Perspect¡ve - World

City Winner: Benjamin Marshal| King George V School Fírst, runner-up: William Laq King George V School , Second runner-up: Phyllis Chan, King George V School THE CORRESPONDENT FEBRUARY/MARCH

with this voyeuristic glimpse into Shanghai's shadows. Virgile Simon Betrand's "Manifesto", a series of strong portraits of prominent Hong I(ong personalities, won the Hong

Highrise and World City respectively 2OO3

in the

categories

Professional Hong

THE CORRESPONDENT FEBRUARY/MARCH

2OO3

CD

cover "Crossover" won the Professional I)ivision while Desmond Crofton's "Ancestors" won the Non-Professional.

Hong l(ong's school students made their presence felt this year and last year's awardee Darren Siu shared the

honours with Benjamin Marshall for the SCMP Young Post Hong Kong Perspective division.

The response to the second FCC Photographer of the Year Awards once again demonstrates the very important role lhese awards can play in promoting and developing photographic standards in Hong l(ong. We expect these awards to continue to grow each year and with that growth comes a greater responsibility to give photographers and their work the recognition they have earned. This will not be possible without strong sponsor suppofi.

The Hong l(ong Tourism Board and Cathay Pacific Airuays were joined by

goes

lo

Crown Pacific Moving and for their

Corporate Communications work behind the scenes.

An important part of the FCC Photographer of the Year Awards is the POYA Travelling Exhibition. Last year the POYA 2001 winning entries were exhibited at the Hong I(ong Airport, Times Square, Harbour City, Peak Galleria, the British Council, Kornhill Galleria and Exchange Square. This yeal we hope to add Hong l(ong Station, the Cultural Centre and the Shatin Town Hall to our exhibition venues. Sponsors are currently being invited to support this year's Travelling

Exhibition. While the POYA committee is hard at work chasing corporate sponsorships times are tough

is tight. The travelling exhibition is currently relying on cash and money

donations from members to get it under way. The front office is accepting these donations and your small contribution can make a real difference to the success of the POYA

2002-3 Travelling Exhibition. Please

make an effort to support these important awards.

An exhibition of the POYA 2002 winners will be held in the FCC Main Bar from February 20 to April 4.

!

13

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FCC Photographer of the Year - fohn Stanmeyer Winner: Asia Magazine Features Category - Professional Division "Nuclear Neighbours"

FCC Photograph of the Year

Virgile Simon Berthard "Manifesto -- Bishop Zen"

14

I

s.

THE CORRESPONDENT FEßRUARY/MARCH

2OO3

THE CORRESPONDENT FEBRUARY/MARCH

2OO3

15

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FCC Photographer of the Year 2nd Runner Up - Virgile Simon Bertrand Winner: Hong Kong Magazine Features Category- Professional Division

lst

Runner Up - Christian Keenan Winner: Asia News Category- Professional Division "shanghai Money Boys (Cay Prostitutes)"

FCC Photographer of the Year

16

THE CORRESPONDENT FEBRUARY/MARCH

"Manifesto" 2OO3

THE CORRESPONDENT FEBRUARY/MARCH

2OO3

I7

Winner: SCMP.com HK News - Professional Division Wai Hing Chan, "The Last"

Winner: The Standard Hong Kong Corporate - Professional Division Paul Hu, 'MTRC Annual Report" 18

THE CORRESPONDENT FEßRUARY/MARCH

2OO3

THE CORRESPONDENT FEBRUARY/MARCH

2OO3

19

Winner: Hong Kong Perspective - Beyond the Highrise - Professional Division David Wong Chi-Kin, "Hover Craft'

Winner: Hong Kong Perspective - Beyond the Highrise - Non-Professional Division Paul Ceoffrey Buckland, "From Dawn to Dusk"

Winner: Hong Kong Perspective - World City- Non-Professional Division Ricky Chung, "Merry-Co-Round" 20

THE CORRESPONDENT FEBRUARY/MARCH

2OO3

THE CORRESPONDENT FEBRUARY/MARCH

2OO3

21

Winner: Portrait of a Traveller Non-Professional Division De Brackinghe Yuen-Iao , "Thai Monk" Julian

l

Winner: SCMP.com Digital Photography and Computer lmaging Professional Division Wing Shya, "Crossover"

I I

Winner: Digital Photography and Computer lmaging Non-Professional Division Desmond Crofton, "Ancestors"

Winner: Landscape in Time - Non-Professional Division Brice Minnigh, "Elements -- Sculpting Asia" 22

THE CORRESPONDENT FEBRUARY/MARCH

2OO3

THE CORRESPONDENT FEBRUARY/MARCH

2OO3

23

FCC Photographer of the Year 2OO2 Sponsors

The venerable Wig and Pen Club is

as

charming as ever, Ken Jacltson reporls, so next time you're visiting London drop in.

eb HONG KONG -TOURISM BOARD

ã)Ëfifti8ËåFE

CATHAYPACIFIC

C¡THAYPACIFIC

SOI\TY South QhinaMorning Post

oLyMPlrs' ll lI

9lFUJIFILM

South China Ìlorning Post

scmp.com

It's "Zoo Night" in London's Wig and Pen Club on the Strand. As I walk in, the scene is charged with animated

will immediately overcome this obstacle.

discourse between two long-time members who seem vaguely attached to the legal profession. The topic is either who owns

you find a finely preserved relic of the glory years. The Club

the North Sea oil or what was the capital of British Guiana.

The participants have just finished a second bottle of Champagne and in an imbibing error of biblical dimensions

Hutchison Telecom

they switch to

)'

now occupies the old meeting rooms of the London Press Club. Its walls are filled with caricatures of early members, original Vanity Fair legal prints, remarkable memorabilia of pasl visitors, classic newspaper headlines and some quirky

British

double

documents. There

dispute:

signed photos of three US

Canoil

ã:ì,Ëi IAIRPORT

That settled, I

lninonl

presenting awards

ease

away with my own double

The usual framed front

pages announce such lhings as VE Day, the

topic ferments at the bar.

PENTAX

HeliHongl(ong

Since Fleet

Queen's coronation, Prince Charles' birth, and the

Street's

evacuation and the more recent departure of many

City law firms to

olaroid

wffiÉ^î+ffi

election and assassination of JFK. But there are also more obscure issues, such as the African Standard's

the

Docklands and Barbican, the venerable Wig and Pen

It¡i¡¡r ßt¡tar¡r¡rt

n

Club is lately a memory of its former self. But it is a

COBPONAN COMMUNICATIONS TTD

CROVìINçþ

grand memory. The Wig and Pen occupies a striking 1625 Tudor building with thick black timbers and huge leaded glass windows that somehow managed to survive the Great Fire. The ground floor is now a public restaurant. However, if you venture toward the narrow staircase to the left of the main entrance without an obvious requirement for the loo, you will indeed be challenged for your membership credentials. I can happily report that a Hong l(ong FCC card

RELOCATIONS

Special thanks to:

Patricia, Tiacy & Andrew Windebank, Mr. Ian Dallas, Mr. Karl

Wilson',

Mr. Dauid Garcia and the staff of Asiøpix Studios 24

THE CORRESPONDENT FEBRUARY/MARCH

2OO3

THE CORRESPONDENT FEBRUARY/MARCH

to

members.

to survey the rest of the Club while a new Scotch

tx¡eæ#'Ë I â8li'lt.J"

are

Presidents and one US Chief Justice and at least three of Earl Mountbatten

owns

the North Sea oil, Bigod."

"Aye, lad. Correct again."

+FR

historical

Scotch and resolve the

"British Guiana

trffi

Once you enter the sanctum at the top of the creaky stairs,

2OO3

report on India's invasion of Goa and a 1992 Daily Telegraph cover explaining that an IRA bomb explosion in front of their premises had affected collation of the paper that duy.

The clubrooms are appointed in the "Gentlemen's Style." Well-worn crimson carpets, deep leather chairs and dark wood panelling adorn a compact two-stool bar area tended by a friendly bar maid. The bar maid has gleaned a

trove of information on the Club's history from returning

25

members which can make for engaging conversation once

Society held on a bit longer, but finally awarded its last silver

you've sorted out the North Sea oil problem.

Off the bar is a small lounge with a TV set and a few

salver in 1996 before the CIub closed down briefly.

Since re-opening under new management, the Wig and

scattered newspapers and journals, including The Correspond,enú. Leaving the lounge on the way to the restaurant or lavatories, you find, incongruously, an original death warrant for Mary Queen of Scots and a facsimile of the death warrant for Charles I, along with a partial suit of armour, and an enormous Swiss alphorn flanked by an oar from a British women's Olympic rowing effort. (If someone actually planned the decoration of that area with a theme in mind, he is in desperate need of analysis.) A sign over the Ladies apologising for the lack of a lift, which would have required the demolition of the oldest wooden staircase in the City of London, completes the sightseeing circuit back to the bar.

The bar has a fine view across the Strand to the Royal Courts of Justice, with its regular parade of barristers, robes draped over their arms, shouting instructions at sprinting clerks. A few centuries before, the view would

Pen is now mostly an adjunct to the downstairs restaurant.

But it still has a secretary a membership roster, a posted dress code and an offering of ties and sweaters emblazoned with its goblet-crested coat of arms. The secretary is

have included traitors'heads on pikes.

The decline of the Wig and Pen Club can be dated by the

wall plaques commemorating the winners of its

annual

awards. For example the award for the most promising law clerk was last given ín 1992. FCC Golf Society Convenoq Julian Walsh, will be gratified to learn that the Club's Golf

reportedly having difficulty reconciling historical membership records with historical members at present. If he had witnessed the debate on British Guiana's petroleum holdings, he may have abandoned the effort.

The restaurant is also chock full of photos and souvenirs

from the Club's past. It has a fine Continental menu and a reasonably priced wine list and they can get you in and out 'West End theatre curtains...unless, of course' in time for you stroll up for Zoo Night.

Unfortunatel¡ lhe future of this great institution depends on increased patronage. As the bar maid retorted to an old member who complained of the changes since his last visit I0 years before: "If you had come in more than once a decade it might not have needed to change." True enough.

So, next time you're in London....

To reach the Wig and Pen, either turn right after leaving The George or turn left from Ye Olde Cock. If you mistakenly stumble into the Twinings Tea Room instead, you should stay there and wait for help. I

Sun Tzu counselled against waging war on more than one front. But should a Middle East war break out, experience indicates that the Voice of America, now under the stewardship of a former Hong l(ongbased Time coffespondent, can expect to battle on two fronts: against the difficulties of reporting a modern armed conflict and against enemies of free speech back home. Dan Kubiske looks at how the agency has handled the challenge in the past.

Formed in the heat of a world at war the Voice of

for these private broadcasters to send over privately run

America (VOA) has been a source of news to listeners

frequencies

around the world. It has also been controversial for almost

as long. And

it

had to face down power{ul

Service.

Sherwood set up shop in New York City with the

enemies at home.

intention of transmitting

Europe to counter VOA staff infrorut of the US

Capitol, next door to its headquarters

America's message out, too. Earlier efforts

by

some

congressional leaders to institute a national broadcasting unit beginning ín1937 never panned out despite support from the White House. The idea flew in the face of the isolationism and frugal nature of the time. Critics were also concerned that

the establishment of a government-run broadcasting unit would not just influence opinion on the world stage but could also be used to try to influence the American people at home, too. A concern that extends into today.

To be sure there were private American short-wave international broadcasters operating at the time. In mid-1941 the U.S. government leased some of those stations to the U.S. Co-ordinator for Inter-American Affairs. Roosevelt, shortcutting Congress as he often did, followed up on that by creating the Foreign Information Service to produce material 2OO3

the

THE CORRESPONDENT FEBRUARY/MARCH

York was chosen because it

was already the site

their views across the global airwaves. The U.S. was the only powerful country at the time without a government-sponsored broadcast operation to tell its story around the world.

Then President Franklin Roosevelt was anxious to put

THE CORRESPONDENT FEBRUARY/MARCH

to

German propaganda. New

Britain, France, and the Soviet Union were all broadcasting

26

Europe. He

who was also a speechwriter for Roosevelt, as the director ol the Foreign lnformaIion

has been in times of war that the VOA has

Back in 1939, while Europe and Asia \{ere engaged in the opening rounds of World War II and the United States sought refuge behind the oceans, Japan, Germany, Great

to

named playwright Robert Sherwood, who had earlier argued for the service and

2OO3

of

a

number of other groups set up to help Britain in its war effort and it was home to a huge pool of artistic and journalistic talent.

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor the U.S. government gave the broadcast plan high priority. Within days broadcasts to Asia were made from studios in San Francisco using leased

facilities. To help organise the stable of journalists

and

writers in New York Sher-wood brought in actor, producer, and director John Houseman to serve as director.

By February 1942 the European broadcasting cenlre was launched using the BBC's short and medium wave

transmitters to broadcast. The opening lines of the first German-language broadcast by William Harlan Hale eventually gave the organisation its name: "Here speaks a voice from America."

For the first month the broadcast day was only six and a quarter hours. By AprlI 1942 VOA had moved to 2$-hotr broadcasting.

The new Voice of America reflected John Houseman's view of truth winning out over propaganda. "We had littÌe

27

choice...As Japanese invasions

a consistently reliable

followed one another with sickening

authoritative source of news. VOA news will be accurate, objective

regularity and Nazi armies moved ever deeper into Russia and the

and

and comprehensive."

The reporters,

Near East, we would have to report

producers,

directors and all other members of the news teams also live under a

our reverses without weaselling.

Only thus could we establish a reputation for honesty, which we

strict code ol ethics written especially for the VOA. For

hoped would pay off on that distant but inevitable day when we would report our own invasions and

example, sourcing requirements for stories are stringent. The code

also clearly states dramatising news events, even if it makes the news more interesting, is to be

victories."

The Voice of America - as it was now being called - was run from the

avoided. In reporting news from America the VOA reporters are to draw from all sectors of society in order to present an accurate and balanced view of American

Office of War Information in Washington, D.C. By the time Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt met

Casablanca, VOA was broadcasting ín 27 langtages with 23 transmitters. Even with its

in

society.

Even though the VOA

editorial policy being directed from the'War Department, Houseman and

his successors held to the principle that the truth must always be told even if it was unfavourable to the United States.

With the closing of the war VOA no longer seemed important. Its language services and broadcast times were cut. Congress was no longer in the mood to finance an organisation it saw as primarily a wartime tool. Even though the VOA did survive the massive cutbacks that occurred, it did so with a much-reduced service in 1946 and 1947 .

By Ì948 Congress put VOA in with international cultural and exchange programmes under the Smith-Mundt Act. The State Department was given control of these activities under its Office of International Information.

Even though the VOA was under the titular command of a policy-making agency, it remained true to the principles set out by Houseman. The unwillingness of the VOA news teams to slant the news often ran them afoul ofpoliticians who were making names for themselves by launching searches for communists under every bed and around every corner.

In the Cold War the VOA came out of the McCarthy period bloodied but unbowed. Congress cut the broadcasting budget from US$21 million to US$16 million in Ì953. That same year Congress created the U.S. Information Service

is

a

reporters at the State Department, Boucher said, "We don't think the head of the Taleban belongs on this radio station. "

Within 24 hours of Boucher's statement journalist organisations around the world rallied to support VOA.

Soon after that fight a new director was named. Robert Reilly originally entered government service as a political

good and the bad fairly and accurately. By then the VOA charler was in place and

continued

to report the

provided a protective shield for the news division.

The VOA coverage of the Watergate scandals and ensuing resignation of Richard Nixon drew high praise from journalists around the world.

The strength of VOAs journalism and programming is evident in the number of affiliates it has around the world.

Commercial and publicly-owned radio and television stations take VOA stories and use VOA correspondents for analysis of

American-related issues. Here in Hong Kong RTHK regularly uses VOA feeds and, of course, every Monday morning we get to hear the economic anaÌysis of VOA

in

28

Presid,ent Gerald Ford.

Bush

Administration's self-declared war on terrorism.

Once conservative commentators in the U.S. got word Mullah Omar would be interviewed on the VOA they began accusing the acting VOA director, Myrna Whitworth, of being irresponsible and thinking like a "bench warming bureaucrat" instead of a loyal American.

The State Department joined the chorus with department spokesman Richard Boucher, who in a previous incarnation was U.S. Consul-General in Hong Kong, confirming his agency had attempted to stop the interview from being aired. At a regular briefing for

government employees.

By the time the Vietnam'War was in full swing the VOA was pressured to play up the positive in reporting the news from the front. The directors at the time -- including veteran newsman John Chancellor -- refused to slant the news and

America was the largest component of the new USIS. It was during the late 1950s when the idea of a charter to codify the principles of the agency was first floated. A charter, proponents argued, would put in writing the basic principle of fair and accurate reporting as the basis for all VOA news reports.

is straightforward and point one makes clear the first and will serve as

U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan and the

Newspapers in the States editorialised against the apparent efforts by the Bush Administration to stifle VOA coverage of an rmportant story.

In the end the VOA ran the interview and remained unbowed in its efforts to report the news from Afghanistan as

correspondent Barry Wood.

When the U.S. foreign policy machinery was reorganised

foremost mandate is fair news reporling: "VOA

protect the integrity of VOA programm.ing and, d,efi.ne the organization's mission, the VOA Charter was drafted in 1960 and, later signed into Law on July 12, 1976, by

U.S.-run agency, its employees do not travel with diplomatic passports nor are they allowed to seek special treatment fÏom U.S. embassies and consulates. Anyone hired by the VOA full or part time - is also prohibited from working for other U.S. government agencies. The ban also applies to spouses of

(USIS) within the State Department to co-ordinate international cultural exchange programmes. The Voice of

Work began on the charter in 1958, was approved in 1960 but not enacted into law until 1976. Support for the charter spanned the political and ideological spectrum. The charter

When the VOA had the opportunity to air an exclusive interview with Taleban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar the producers and reporters jumped at the chance. The Mullah himself had requested the interview following the

1998 the VOA was moved out of the USIS, which was subsumed by the State Department. The legislation was designed to make sure that the VOA did not come under direct control of any policy-making body.

Controlling the VOA is the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which has oversight control ofall U.S. government civilian broadcasting. More importantly for the journalists at VOA the BBG serves as a firewall between the government and the VOA. A test of the new system came and once again it.was a war-like situation that produced the confrontation.

THE CORRESPONDENT FEBRUARY/MARCH

2OO3

it

sees

To

The long-range interests of the United States are served by communicating directly with the peoples of the world by radio. To be effective, the Voice of America must win the attention and respect of listeners. These principles

will therefore govern Voice of America (VOA) broadcasts.

I. VOA will serve as a

consistently reliable and

authoritative source of news. VOA news will be accurate, objective, and comprehensive.

2. VOA will represent America, not any single segment

of American

will

therefore present a balanced and comprehensive projection of significant society, and

American thought and institutions.

3. VOA will present the policies of the United

States

clearly and effectivel¡ and will also present responsible discussions and opinion on these policies.

fit.

appointee in the Reagan Administration. He stayed with VOA through the Clinton and first Bush presidencies as a

talk show host.

Soon after taking office

in October 2001 Reilly

(Public Law 94-350)

ftau To

Hair & Beauty Studio

announced he would be reorganising the VOA bureaux and initiating new programmes aimed at young people in lraq and

Swedish beautician offers you the best service for

Iran. Included in the plan as announced to an informal meeting of the BBG was the closure of all but two VOA bureaux around the world. On the hit list was the Hong Kong office.

Again journalists from around the world criticised the move. Joining the journalists were American businessmen living overseas and a large number of congressmen.

Officially Reilly resigned in August of last year but many of his critics said he was quietly and quickly shown the door and "told to do the honourable thing." The Bush White House immediately named veteran journalist David S. Jackson to take over the VOA reins.

Jackson, who worked in Hong l(ong for Time magazine,

later designed and ran the Pentagon's web news pages following the September 11 attacks in New York and Washington. he stand firm against demands to slant coverage? He has vowed to do so. In his first address to VOA employees

Will

Jackson said he would enforce the charter and defend the journalists to do their jobs without interference from outside political forces. The FCC's Professional and Press Freedom committees have issued an invitation to Jackson to return to Hong l(ong to speak. !

THE CORRTSPONDENT FEBRUARY/MARCH

2OO3

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29

Article ZSzAmericaT Advice

One of the more interesting aspects of the gouernment's

HE FCC made its objections to the proposed

Article 23 internal security laws clea¡

says

approach to the consultation summary is that d,uring her

at the FCC, Mrs Ip, replying to a

the Club's Press Freedom Committee

appearance

Chairman, Francis Moriarty, but the

from Apple Daily's Liu Kin-ming, saidflatly that resporces

government didn't

see

from people who símply

it that way.

cheched,

question

off boxes on neuspaper

forms would not be counted, in the consultation tally.

Yet the Bureau chose

When the Security Bureau fi.nally published its muhi-

uolume compendium

of

responses

to' the

híghly

it

(B) d,on't want legislation, and (3) caru't d,ecid,e --

inexplicably classffied the FCC's submission was

for or against

as

the Article

understood by both sides in the debate, "what needs to happen

now is for people to be able understand those details that everyone has focused on as being critical to whether the government hits the target of doing the minimal necessary to meet the demands of the Basic Law or exceeds those bounds."

And if anyone was left in doubt about where the U.S. government stood, I(eith urged the government to release the small print ofthe planned law "as soon as practicable".

Stepping a little deeper into Hong Kong's political waters Keith said there were better ways to express dissatisfaction than

spilling tens of thousands of people on to the

streets.

Demonstrations "ought to be a supplement to a democratic process ùat allows people to exercise their voice at the ballot box".

To this end he said the best way to win trust in the government's ability to implement new legislation was to

30

THE CORRESPONDENT FEBRUARY/MARCH

2OO3

d,ecid,ed, --

ino,ppropriately as it turned out in a number of cases.

Mrs Ip apologisedfurtherfor replies that had been left

web

out ahogether. Among them was one from the Society of

site organised. by the Hon. Cyd Ho, a Frontier legíslaton

Professional Journalists, prepared, with the assistance of

The thousancJs of e-mail signatures collecterl on-line by

FCC Boctrd member Dan Kubßke, who is also an SPJ

the site's organisers and included in its submission wíll not

fficer.

far frorn alone. Also listed as "tlnclear"

for example, the submissionfrom the Anti-Article 23

Americans were at an advantage, he said, because if they were completely dissatisfied with government decisions taken, for example, after the September 1l attacks, "we can simply vote the bums out".

As well as exhorting the Hong Kong government, I(eith was obliged to defend his government's post-September ll actions against charges that they could hardly be reconciled with the values of the Bill of Rights. One questioner asked how the United States government could preach human rights, and inveigh against cruel and unusual punishment, when it held Afghan prisoners without representation, with little access to their loved ones, whose only apparent crime was to defend their homeland against external attack.

Keith replied to this and similar queries by asserting that a balance had to be struck between safeguarding the basic freedoms enshrined in the U.S. constitution while protecting the nation against further terrorist attacks. He added later: "...W'e are at war. It is not peace time in the United States."

Earlier in his speech, I(eith said that in these turbulent times it was hard to find a reason to maintain a positive outlook. But he pointed to rays of hope. For example he cited the columnist Thomas Friedman as noting that the chants in Iran had morphed from the familiar "Death to America" to "Death to Dictatorship" in the post-9/11 world. "I believe (Friedman) rightly ascribes significance to the home-grown perception that tme democracy is the way around the obstacles to development and evolution in the Arab MosÌem world. It becomes increasingly difficult to carry off 'the big lie' when people are lhinking for themselves, are armed with information from outside sources, and are able to express their heartfelt views. This is the legacy that the Bill of Rights has bequeathed to the 2Ist century." !

then assigned them to whateuer box it

and,

was,

We were

make further progress towards the democratisation that's called for in the Basic Law.

It

created a three-category chechlist -- (A) want legislation,

23 legislation.

question-and-answer session aJter his lunch-time address, the top American diplomat in Hong Kong welcomed the opportunity to elaborate on his government's sland on Hong l(ong's prime political topic of the day -- the planned anti-sedition legislation under Article 23 of the Basic Law. Speaking days after a march against the proposed laws drew the largest political demonstration in Hong Kong for years, Keith said not just once but several times that the government should unveil full details of the proposed law instead of the outline "consultation document".

While noting that the current debate had been vigorous, unfettered and uncensored, he said there v¡ere concerns about the fundamental issues being raised. "Unfortunately it's hard to go into much more detail than that because there isn't much more detail on which to comment. Ideally we would not be talking about a consultation document but about the law itself. I think until we have the law itself it will be hard to either confirm or discuss the worst-case scenarios."

He added that while the principles of the issue were well

approach to analysing the nearLy 100,000 submissions.

controuersial and, predictably diuisiue consultation paper,

"unclear" whether the Club

In a

to adopt a sim,ilar, simplistic,

in the consuhation summary report because the

Along with the summary report, which was quicltly

Bureau says it has no w(ry to ltnow whether they're simply

attacked by some critics as appearing to lack. sincerity, the

names obtainedfrom a mailing list.

Burea,u released a list of "improuernents"-- contained in a

be countecl

Securíty,

fold-out brochure complete with happy little cartoon

the classffication. She

characters -- that it pointed,ly refines to call "concessions."

told the Legislatiue Council (Legco) that following an

This refusal to accept any notion of concession may

internal reuiew, a,t least four submissions would be mouerl

well be correct: It is an open question whether the

from the "unclear" to

gouernm,ent euer intended to include a number of the more

Tb our relief, howeuer, the Secretary Regina Ip, publicly apologisecl

iru:lurl,e submissions

"oppose

for

for

legislation" category. They

frorn the Hong Kong Bar Association,

egregious proposals

put forward in the original

the international jurists' group JUSTICE and, the

consultation paper. Many suspect they were placed there

Democratic Party (ts well as the FCC.

simply as items to be sacrfficed

The Democratic Party's submission had at the top a

bold head,line read,ing: "Opposed to Article

23

(rs

part of a strategy

aim,ed,

mainly at mahing the unelected, increasingly unpopular goaernment a,ppear to be responsiue to public concerns.

Legislation." In her apology, Mrs Ip told lngco's Security At tlrc tìmc ofurìtìng, tIrc gøuemment had.izat rebased

Panel that the Democrats' response probably woukJ haae been

properly itemised if the headline had been read. She

gaue índiuiduals and groups who

felt their

submissions

ìas

Bfuc BílI connining thc proposals inlcgallangnge. As

thc dørìls are

vtcly to be fowd in thc dctaìlß, thc

had been wrongly itemised, until February 20 to request a

Freedam

change. She said, the alterations would be included in a

corrcemcd, mcmberc mny be dÌrectþ e+naìlcd

corrigend,um.

ønrìarty@nenþamncom>.

THE CORRESPONDENT FEBRUARY/MARCH

2OO3

C onvnince

wíll satdy it carefiilIy.

C omments

Press

from

to ne

d.t

I

31

I

d,igital,

RE YOI.] BT]Y

which camera

It is one thing to compare a series of dry specifications. It is quite another to pick up the expensive gizmo and experience its heft, dimensions and, most importantly in this world of increasing miniaturisation, whether the bells, whistles and buttons are accessible to clumsy adult-sized fingers. Checking whether the instruction manual is comprehensible to those without an advanced degree in electronic engineering and./or without access

In the days before digital technology descended upon us it was hard enough to answer this question. Now, it's hard enough to keep up with new jargon. In these heady days of mass-marketed electronic wizardry and the exponential spawning of new products every other

da¡ it is all

to an average lO-year-old seemingly hardwired from birth

Lrllllil* *ÞigÉñ

very

confusing.

Thank the gods for the Internet. The ultimate icon of electronic wizardry has the answers for everything. So rather rhan dazzle you with digital technicalities I have tried to deliver a quick summary of the major choices as painlessly as possible, share a few personal prejudices and then direct you to several excellent websites on the topic. All of them are up

FEATUí{ED

to date and many have discussion forums and reviews 'rvritten by people who know what they are talking about.

Digital cameras make taking pictures easier and cheaper than ever before. Your up-front cost is more expensive than a Box Brownie or a simple point and shoot film camera, but a couple of hundred frames down the road you start saving big money on film and processing.

You can edit out all your mislakes before anyone sees them -- or charges for processing them. They download directly into your computer and automatically correct things like colour balance, contrast and ISO selection - something that filmjust can't do. They also provide instant feedback and in doing so 'teach' all but the dumbest of us how to avoid obvious mistakes.

You still get what you pay for, but you do get more for less.

Both low and high-end cameras share many of the same sophisticated features. The big differences are in effective pixels, speed of capture, memory storage and lens range. If you use a camera for family and holiday snapshots you don't need to look further than the lower end of any of the wellknown brands. Two million pixels, or a little less, will take care of album size prints, mantlepiece portraits and photos suitable for e-mailing to friends and family. Your local came a store can now download your picture directly from your camera or flash card and wiÌl make nice glossy prints for you as well as burn the digital files on a CD.

If you are a little

more serious about your photograph¡ use it in your work or want to hang your successes on the wall, you will need to move up a million pixels or two and a thousand

Hong I(ong dollars or two. More and more 3.0 and 4.0 megapixel digital cameras are being introduced to the market and they come in all shapes and sizes with an impressive array of features. These include 3D, video and sound, short

burst capabilit¡ multiple modes and formats, and

some degree ofmanual control. Selection really does come down to

very specific needs or personal preference. I'm a little oldfashioned and like a camera to look and feel like a camera,

32

to

operate just about anything the Sony Corporation can invent is just too embarrassing for many of us -- even those hardboiled enough to stand in the middle of a busy shop and skim it.

But there is a middle way. Check out the web site http://w'lvw.livemanuals.com >. This is useful from two points of view. It offers interactive simulations of the product -- everything from digital cameras to home appliances -- as well as downloads of entire manuals for many products -- very useful if you want to buy on the grey or second hand markets.

In Hong Kong, the grey market is often the only route available for obtaining certain goods, especially from Japan, that

,^-^

either haven't been launched

in

Hong l(ong by the official

importer or are parallel imporls -- not strictly legal but generally cheaper than the officially imported product. The problem is the

accompanying instruction manuals are generally written in -- no problem for those who read these languages, but not ten'ibly useful for those who don't.

ügFiigdËÄ

bfi

but that doesn't mean that it will take a better piciure than any of its more esoteric cousins. Serious digital cameras now

Japanese and./or Arabic

Livemanuals.com can solve the

come in credit card, audio cassette and cigarette pack sizes, ergonomic designer shapes and can boast integral MP3 players.

There is a growing selection of cameras that bridge the Ë

gap between consumer and expensive professional system models. These 5.0 megapixel cameras offer, among a wealth of other features, manual control, high speed lenses, a wide selection of ISO settings, short burst capabilit¡ external flash capacity and, in some models, a range of adaptor lenses from

fisheye to telephoto. They do the job very effectively and almost as well as their professional big brothers for a lot less money.

For all you ever want to know about digital photography and cameras check http:i/www.dpreview.com/. This is one of the most comprehensive sites of its kind on the web and

offers detailed technical reviews, camera comparisons and user reviews. If you think you know what you are looking for then go to http://www.activebuyersguide.com/.

Fill out the wish list and see what the site recommends. Two

vrsrtrng worth http://www.cameras.co.uk/html/digital-cameras-world. more

sites

are

cfm and http://www.pcphotoreview.com/Homecrx. aspx.

It is best to stay with the well-known brands and check around to see which one will offer the best after sales service.

I would recommend a camera with an angle of view at least comparable to 35mm in the 35mm format. Also look for a 3X optical zoom, a range of ISO settings up to 400 or more' interchangeable data storage, at least three resolution settings and a high capacity Info-Lithium battery. There is a world of choice - check the websites above before you buy. !

THE CORRESPONDENT FEBRUARY/MARCH

2OO3

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33

I

The purpose,

it argues, is to provide ways and means for

club activities

FCC Pool Players Society

the

public to be heard in an ongoing manner rather than in

a

sporadic and uncoordinated manner.

Hong l(ong has never been short on people wanting to It has been short, however, in the development of organised pressure groups. The attitude seems to have been as long as everyone was making money, why rock the boat, and get involved in politics. The British administration encouraged such thoughts and so does the cunent administration.

The book is written for the political nai{ with local attitudes in mind. It introduces people who never had a thought of becoming politically involved until something affected them directly. The cases are as heart-wrenching as a mother trying to get proper medical care for her child and as quiet as a person wanting to preserve a heritage site. It talks about how these - and other - individuals saw a need and were willing to put in the time and energy to help not only themselves but also the community as a whole.

Basically what Getting Heard, is attempting to do is create a culture of rational political debate. Declaring your opposition to be hateful or deliberately express their complaints.

By Døn l(ubiske Getting Heard: A Handbookfor Hong Kong Citizens is the latest contribution to Hong l(ong's political debate by the Civic Exchange. It works on a number of levels.

I lt's a handbook of sources and contacts I lt's a guide to the Hong I(ong government ) It's a source for story ideas, and

) It's an introduction to

misleading does little to develop that culture.

Getting Heard, addresses directly the anger that some people feel about not being able to be taken seriously by a government agency or cor?oratron.

It is not stated explicitly in the book but what Civic Exchange is doing in this book is the same thing that has been done by organisations around the world.

Before apartheid fell, before the Iron Curtain fell, and before Generalissimo Franco fell, the

community and

political organising Let's start with the needs of journalists and work back to front.

It is in the appendices that most journalists will find the good stuff.

Getting Heard d.edícates about 40 pages to

basic information on who's who and what's

it is easy to find the telephone number and address of any member of the Legislative and Executive what. For the first time

Councils. The back section also includes: I A copy of the Public Order Ordinance useful when covering demonstrations, always I Contact names and information for the political parties L Government bodies L District Council contacts ) An organisation chart of the Hong I(ong government, and

I

A media contact list

Yes you can gel most of

this information at the Hong l(ong

government's web site but it takes a lot less time to flip to the back of the book than it does to click through pages on the

Internet.

Peppered throughout the book are stories of people who

took up

a

cause and made

a fuss. These are not

the

flamboyant demonstrators who make it into the news reports.

They are folks trying to improve the way people in Hong I(ong

live and how Hong l(ong itself works. These are ideas for future stories. They are also additional contacts when covering similar stories.

Now let's look at the other I07 pages of the book.

Gettirug Heard ís really a guide to starting a campaign, getting it known, recruiting members, and keeping it going.

Throughout the book tolerance of opposing views, conflict resolution and consideration of others is stressed as important to starting a rational debate.

This is a primer for civic involvement. Civic Exchange describes the emphasis of the book on "Sustainability Tools."

34

Feng Chi-shun,

Club

champion in 2000 and 200I, regained his FCC Pool title by defeating Jimmy Yung in the finals on December 9.

This year the FCC held two pool

tournaments within calendar 2002, allowing Chi to avenge his defeat at

the hands of Andy Morton last spïrng.

Peter Ho, the runner-up in the 2002 Hong l(ong Pro-Amateur B-

ball championships, officiated

at

the finals. Video tapes of the event

are available from the

FCC

Poolplayers Society (FPS). E-mail fccpoolplayerssociety@hotmail. com

for

details.

I

FCC Golf:

Derek Curr¡e

groundwork for the democracies that later emerged was laid by non-governmental organisations. The most obvious players were the Black trade unions of South Africa, the Solidarity movement of Poland. The list of pro-democracy groups that worked in exile or under government edicts is endless.

These groups developed a culture of rational political debate within their own structures, which was inculcated into their members and leaders. When the time came that finally allowed them to work legally and in the full light of day, they already had the intellectual tools to build new societies based on political tolerance and reasonable debate.

Getting Heard. is about building a culture in Hong I(ong that looks at political debate as something that is positive for

the growth and stability of the city.

Those who say politics is divisive and a de-stabilising influence should read this book to learn the folly of their posltlon.

People who want to know whom to contact and how, should read this book for a step-by-step plan.

Journalists who need a quick and easy reference for the govemment and private sector should buy this book. ¡ Getting Heard: A Handboolt.for Hong Kong Citizens by Chrßtine

h¡h

ISBN 962209614X

160pp

HK 90

THE CORRESPONDENT FEBRUARY/T4,{RCH

is the player who gets

2OO3

Annual Club Championship on December l7 , 2002.I thought it was about time my name went on the silver-ware so I tried to create some advantages, such as changing the rules during the

game and changing the order of

play yet forgetting to tell

Malcolm Bentley and nearest the pin to Akioka-san. Special

everyone so they'd miss their tee-off times. It didn't work. In fact, I came last (again) by quite

mention must go to Tony Dueno

who had broken a finger quite badly just three weeks earlier

a long way.

and had to play the whole round with his digits strapped up. He still managed to beat

The eventual and welldeserved winner with 36 Stableford points was Derek Currie. He has long wanted to have his name on the trophy and was proud to join a long list of former golf society legends

THE CORRESPONDENT FEBRUARY/MARCH

the

lowest score based on his net score less ãBë, I(en Bridgewater triumphed with an unassailable net score of one.

Peter Barrett was also second in that competition.

Longest drive went to guest

me. We had a few dollars left in the account so we did our best

to dispose of them later that evening in the bar.

such as Ross Way, Charlie Smith and David Gilhooley. In second place was Peter Barrett with 34 points

Hong Kong Uniuersity Press Pb

competition, where the winner

Twenty-four of us pitched up at l(au Sai Chau for our

2OO3

and then a number of others bunched

Julian Walsh < jpwalsh@jpwalshco.com >

together at 32. In the seniors'

FCC Golf Society Convenor

I 35

obituary

SS

UTT

nature to make him an imrnensely likeable person. His Laugh was normally as enormous as his impressive girth,

On one occasion, the government plar-rnecl to list birth

control pills on the poisons registry, which would make them almost irnpossible for nonnal women to get. Spurr invited the late Dr Gerald Choa, then Medical Director, to appear on Viewpoint, a government-sponsored sl'row broadcast on RTV (now ATV). When Choa, a devout

Catholic, refused to appear and explain the decision, Russell conducted an entire interview with an ernpty chair. It was a graphic performance which vividly showed the weak official case. The public sniggered. The

1922-2002

aclministration exploded in rage; Spurr was banned fi'om

By Keuin SincLair

the show for eternity, a decision that served only to make the government look even more ridiculous.

"I've been banned for good because

I

am considered

Russell Spurl was a nevrrspaperman in the golden era of

1971, he came back to Hong I(ong to head the television

anti-government and biased," he said later. Typically, he

the Fleet Streei foreign correspondent. He strode inquisitively across Asia in the 1950s, coveling a

agency, Visnews. He was for a time Chief Correspondent,

spoke with a laugh.

"I simply refuse to be someone's glove puppet. When I dislike a thing, I say so."In 1983. the sociable and gregarious Spurr turned suddenly into a hermit. He was not seen at the Foreign Conespondents' Club or any of the usual lunches with cronies.

continent in turrnoil. From the

and then Deputy Editor, of the Far Eastern Economic Review. That ended with a

front line in l(orea and in the

legendary row between Spulr

eclgy atmosphere of Sukarno's

and the Review's editor, the

Jakarta, fi'om a Sir.rgapore striving to gain self-rule and

late Derek Davies,

algument so fierce that the

included a fair roster of olcl-style colonial civil servants

unit¡. to the potential flashpoint of the Taiwan

ensuing feud was never

whom he despised for their arrogance and ponposity.

book. Over the next 15 years there were a str-ing of titles.

resolved.

Born in 1922 in Essex -- which he loathed as flat and suburban -- he joined a local newspaper, The Brentwood

A Clorious 'Way to Die, The l(amikaze Mission of the Battleship Yamato, was a fascinating analysis of the

CazetIe, aged 15. His career was interrupted; at lB he joinecl the army. He recalled hilariouslv for the rest of his

suicidal last mission of the largest warship ever afloat.

life how he managed to talk himseÌf into the Royal Indian

airmen, international historians and politicians to write

Navy; he would chuckle as he explained it was the only military unit which could take a refrigerator into battle.

book that won vast critical acclaim and

an

he

One Iasting friendship Russell forged was with repoÌter Wilfred Burchett, who covered China, the

and his wife, Rosernary, lived

I(orean War and Vietnam from

Straits, Spurr was The Daily Express man on the spot.

For much of the clecades after V/orld War

in Hong I(ong, raising

four

II,

the other side.

lhree

Burchett

Russell ancl Rosemarl'were marrierJfor 53 yea,rs.

his humour as big as his talent. But he could hone a razorsharp phrase to describe those he disliked, which usuall¡'

One had to keep the beer cold...

sons. That was the age when

became an icon of hatred for

The Express wâs a newspaper

many wester-n r-eporters. But

He served on sea and land along the Arakan Coast of

of great stature and influence,

Russell always spoke highly

Burma. Like many who had served at the iime and dreaded

wielded to

of

reflect

the

the

controversial

prejudices and eccentricities of its mighty proprietor, Lord

Australian who was publicly

Beaverbrook.

it was simple. Burchett was a friencl. In addition, Russell admired Burchett for his

branded a traitor. To Russell,

He also spent time in Montreal for Weekend magazine. in lnrìia. a nalion

the cost in human terms of an invasion of Japan,

he

remembered the use of nuclear weapons to end the war

'With peace came with a mixture of horror and gratitude. sweeping change in Asia. Because he had served in the area and presumably had a basic knowledge, The Daily Express sent him to cover the region.

Was he sick?

No, he was englossed

in

researching and writing

a

Russell interviewed Japanese sailors, American a

huge

readership.Enter the Dragon; China's Undeclared War Against the U.S. in l(orea, 1950-51, cletailecl how and wl.r-v Beijing swept over the Yalu River and into that bloody conllict. It, too, was hugel¡, successful.

Other books included Excellency: The Governors of 'War, Hong I(ong and Let the Tiger Turn Tail: Spurr's his personal recollections of life in the Royal Indian Navy.

TI.re Spurrs left Hong l(ong to live in Sydney in 1986.

Despite growing infirmities, some causecl by a stroke four years ago, he kept writing. His work appealed in

that constantly intrigued him,

revolutionary

causes,

Many of his experiences were recounted many years later in columns in the Sunday Morning Post. The agony of

and in Britain where he was

although he did not agree with

the fall of Dien Bien Phu and the French flag coming down

Sydney and went

them.

for the last time in Hanoi made particularly poignant

Deputy Editor of the Far Eastern Economic Review. "We

reading. Russell often spoke to friends over a drink about

conflict in Vietnam. He went to China before Richard

He was a contemporary and friend with such great journalistic names as Donald Wise (Daily Mirror), Richard

Nixon and when the American president made his famous visit, Russell Spurr was there again. He later directed BBC

Hughes of The Times, Glaeme Jenkins of Reuters and the BBC's Tony Lawrence.

Both during and after his stint at the Review, he appeared

had a clrink and a talk." Bowring recalled. "He was in a wheelchair but his mind was fine. He rvas his usual vitriolic self, particularly about George Bush."

unwavering lo¡'alty

a

reporter on television's This Week current affairs show. He was a producer/director on World

In Action covering

the

documentaries.

But Asia was his beacon and news was his

36

In

to

Russell Spurr had a strength of character" that with his naturally generous and gregarious

combined

THE CORRESPONDENT FEBRUAR\TMARCH

2OO3

how fortunate he had been to be an eyewitness io history.

regularly on local television. Some of his shows caused enorrìous rows with govelnment officials demanding tl-rat the contentious, combative reporter be reined in.

THE CORRIiSPONDENT FEBRUARY/ìVTARCH

2OO3

newspapers and magazines around the worÌcl.A few weeks

before his death, former colleague Philip Bowring was in

to see the man whom he replaced

as

The funeral in Sydney lvas a major party. said Russell's

eldest son, Stephan."This was as he woulcl have wanted.

All we missed at the pariy was the man himself." !

t/

around the fcc

iยก

fi rst

p

degree

Live at Berts Left: Guy Le Claire, Top & right:'Cheryl Hayes

I' Burns Suppers are a great

by the church, and Scotland has a

Scottish institution. They give Scots an excuse to go out and party; not that any of them have ever actually

great Calvinist tradition, of course, the essential tenet of which is the religious belief that we are not here to enjoy ourselves. It seriously frowned on Burns' contribution to

needed an excuse, but

it is not

often that they are

actually

encouraged to have a sing-song. In

the illegitimate birilr rate.

in terms of a cheap laugh, few things match the

In those days, when the Kirk Session heard of any pre-marital pregnancy, the elders went to inordinate lengths to identify the father. Not for any religious reason.

They just wanted to make damn

any event,

childish appeal of inviting along a

girl built like Anna Nicole Smith just to hear her join in the chorus of "These are my Mountains".

Robert Burns himself was fond of good company and licensed premises and his prowess in indoor sporting activities is the stuff of legend. There are people who question why Scots insist on celebrating his birth by getting roaring drunk. I can only say that, given this man had a dozen kids and more women than you could shake a stick at, what would you have us do instead?

He was very fond of female in some of his frnest poetry, the aphrodisiac company and resulting

properties of which contributed to

a minor population explosion in l8th century Ayrshire. In fairness,

sure the kid became a financial burden on him and not on the parish! An important element in the population control policยก this policy was so successful that in many parts of Scotland the population has remained constant

for several hundred

years.

Whenever a baby was born, one of the local men would run away.

In fairness, howeveยก and to put

matters in context, it may have been coincidental but Dumfries had the highest number of pubs per head of the population, it boasted the highest illegitimate birth rate in Scotland, and, even when I was a boy, the last bus to

it should be pointed out that this was a long time ago and things have changed in Scotland

What I found particularly interesting was the amount of

since the introduction of

research that had gone

television.

subject.

Before that, the only approved public entertainment was provided

that in rural areas, the smaller the average size of the farms, the

however,

38

anywhere leaves at 8 o'clock.

.

..

into the It was, for example, noted

greater the number of illegitimate births. This may be a function of how far you have to walk...

Concentrating on the various

women in Burns' life distracts attention from some of his other poetic gems. Despite being employed in what is now Customs and Excise, there was a seditious streak to him. Some of his more radical works would have been

The fGG

considered actionable had he been so foolish as to publish them in his own name when he was still alive.

$uERGf

His political sympathies lay with the Jacobite cause rather than the

A faste

"One Country, Two Systems" of the Westminster Parliament. The collective noun for a plurality of bastards may be a shower, but in Scotland, and perhaps elsewhere, rogues - particularly of the parliamentary variety - come in

parcels.

What

of lbailand

I

force or guile could, not

subd,u,e

Through many warlike ages Is wrought now by a cowardfew

For hireling traitor's wages The English steel we could d,isdain Secure in ualour's slation

But Engli^sh gold has been our barรฆ Such a parcel o' rogues in a naยกion

THE CORRESPONDENT FEBRUARY/MARCH

2OO3

THE CORRESPONDENT FEBRUARY/MARCH

2OO3

39

at the

@

û U 3.

FCC

â 4

,À

ùIitch Dauidson, 50 at Last!

j

Í

t

'+-

l!

Wine tasting with. Robin

/

lynam

{';

t' +_.;'

\'

t

_t 'ALLI

rE-

Bett¡, l5"nf with Anthon,r Lawrence a,nd Fred Frederichs

ñ

Top: Mitch Dauidson taught Queensland golf pro Ket:in lnu, to hit a,n extreme hoolt.

Left: Ra1, Cranbourne or is it a touri.st in

QueensLand?

t

Bottom: Altsent memlters lGith Statham and, Peter Doughty cliscttssing tlrc merits of Au.ssie beer.

The

HIJS Choir pe,rþrms at the FCC

3a

¡\ ,10

THE CORRESPONDIINT FEBRUARY/N,L{RCI]

2OO3

THF, CORRI.]SPONDF,NT

FF,RRI

IAR\7I\fARCH

2OO3

41

TRX,EIÁNCE WRITERS ROBIN LYNAM - Features and humour pieces on travel, food, wine and spirits, music ánd literature. TeL (852) 2827 2873 Fax: (852) 2827 2902 E-mail Robinl¡mam@compuserve.com

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INFORMATION Ph

oto g ra ph s-Vi deos- Featu res- Literatu re- B oo ks-

Sfatisfícs on all aspects of tourism industry

We continue our series on what Members get up to away from the Club.

For this issu e .lonathan Sharp talks to . . ..

Martin Cro,ígs, his wife Sherwin, pLus a bottle of Bushmills, with afriend...

Martin Craigs first visited Hong l(ong in 1980 for aircraft manufacturer Short Brothers of Belfast. As he says, his mission was to sell square aircraft made in Ireland to China.

There have been many other missions in a colour{ul career Martin has doubtless been called many things but folrner President Bill Clinton may have been closest to the mark during a chance encounter between the two at the China Club.

Spotting Clinton, Martin acquired a bottle of Bushmill's Irish whiskey and presented it to Clinton "in appreciation of his peace work in Ireland" (Martin is Northern Ireland-based).

Clinton, duly appreciative, responded: "You're a piece of

work."

Among the many pieces of work that Martin has devoted his energies to have been as Executive Vice President, Asia, for BAE SYSTEMS. After BAE closed its Hong Kong office at the end of 2001, Martin opened his consultancy company Asian Aerospace Associates and he is a managing partner of Transnational Management Associates, a specialist corporate coaching company that trains people to blend into new environments.

As if that wasn't enough Martin is president of Aerospace Forum Asia, a non-profit association of industry professionals established 17 years ago in Hong Kong but now with a pan-

Asian reach. The Forum, which has no other equivalent in Asia, holds its regular Industry Leader lunches at the FCC because, as Craigs says, "W'e count this as our spiritual home because of a sense of history and because the FCC is symbolic

for exchanging information."

Martin and the Forum are tireless fund-raisers for charit¡ particularly for Orbis, an organisation with an appropriate aerospace link. Orbis, which is headquartered in New York but counts Hong l(ong as its main fund-raising centre, flies a DC-10 around the world fitted out with surgical equipment

44

pose

and doctors to per{orm a multitude of eye operations to give sight back to people with curable bÌindness. China has had the highest number of visits.

"W'e are happy to suppod other charities and we are looking

at Dreamflights, another charity with a clear aerospace connection. Dreamflights organises trips for terminally ill children, typically taking a couple of kids from Hong I(ong to Disneyland in Florida."

After years in which the Forum raised only nominal sums for charit¡ the decision was taken at the turn of the millennium to get aerospace companies to donate memorabilia and experiences that can be auctioned, typically to people outside the industry. They would value those items more highly than those in the industry Martin says: "The Forum became a bridge in terms of knowing who to ask for

items

in the industry and then placing

them before the

attention of the general public. The best known way we did that was to make an arrangement to use the big screen at the Rugby Sevens."

The result: US$200,000 has been raised since January 2000. The highest single donation was a HI($250,000 bid by a bond trader whose poor eyesight prevented him from becoming a fighter pilot. His prize: a flight on a BAE Hawk and a day with Britain's Red Arrows aerobatic team.

Martin says the Forum had set a fund-raising target of US$250,000. "Ideally we would like to go past the target this year - the centenary of powered flight. But given the current economic environment it's more of a challenge than we'd imagined. Before 9lII a lot of things were more possible.

We are still optimistic that we can reach it, but it naturally depends on the generosity of the donors and the bidders."

And also on the boundless energy of the FCCt very, own

"piece

ofwork". !

THE CORRESPONDENT FEBRUARY/MARCH

2OO3

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