The Correspondent, August - September 2004

THE OFFICIAL PUBLICAIION OF THE FORE,IGN CORRESPONDENTS' CLUB, HONG KONG

The Tang Dynasty Lynne Truss on comm창s, colons and cash

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FromthePresident

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Cover Story

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Media

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Watering Hole

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Music

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Feature

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Afghanistan - The Bounty Hunter

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0pinion

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Number Crunching Crocs

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Speakers

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Awards

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Biography

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Club Activities

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obituary

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Around the

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Professional Contacts

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Out of Context - Phil Whelan

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The Tang Dynasty

- Thailand - The Accidental News Reporter - Cambodia - A Waiting Game

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Dili After Dark

- The FCC JazzÌest2XLh - FCC Jazz Maestro Down Under

- Lynne Truss - Commas, Colons and Cash - Stephen Bradley - Piaying Safe

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l¡rdine House, One Connatrght Place, Hong Kong

Beiiirrg lìcrliu lJrussels Ilrrclapest l)ul>ri Diisscldorl l"r¿r rrkfrr rt Madricl Milan Vloscou' l\4rnrich Ncrr.y<rrk l)adrr¡ Palo Âllo S¿ìo Paulo Slrarrghai Siugl¡>orc 'lt¡klo \\/arsarr Wirslrirrgtorr l).C.

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lrr¡tr¿t.. (,olorr: i¡rrl (,¡r-lr

Inugural ADBI & WSJ media awards

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Mar-vin Farkas's Eastern Saga

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Prisoner at the Bar

Tiziano Terzani

FOC

in Pictures

Main Cover Picture by Tmg Shaoyun

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THE CORRESPONDENT AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2OO4

club activities

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THE FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS' CLUB, HONG KONG

. High Sofety

I

i-owe¡ Albert Road, Central, Hong Kong

lirl: (tì52) 2521 151Ì Fax: (852)

2868 4092

l|nail:

<fcc@fcchk.org> \\/ebsite: <rngv.ftchk org>

. High Privocy

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o Hîgh Efficiency

. High Flexib¡l¡ty

Mattherv Driskill President Ilaria Maria Sala Iii¡st Vice President Keviu Egan Sccond Vice President

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Correspondent Member Governors I'aul Balficìd, I(eith Bradsher, \liLc Gonzalcs, L'rrst Flerb, Barry Kaìb, lirrr t atrric,Joln Rlau, Htrbert van l'.s

Journalist Member Governors Ray Heath, Fralcìs Nloriart¡' Associate Member Governors Ni' lrolas Fr¡lclrer, Dlrtid Calcia. ,\Lrtlrol¡. Nedderman, Steve Ushiyarna

liÌmce Comittee Co¡¿v¿n¿r

Anthony Nedderman

Professional

Comittee

Ileitlt Bradsher

Con ucruer:

House/Futue Premises/Food and Beverage

o High Presfige

Comittee

Conuener: Dave Gat'cta

Membership

Comittee

Conuener: Steve Ushiyarna

Constitution Comittee

Kelin

Cor¿¡r¿¡¿¿r;

Egan

Horue/F&B Comittee ú'o¿¿¿ne¡r

David Garcia

Flecdorrr of tfie Press Comittee Clor¡u¿r¿r Francis NIoriarB, Wall Cpnuetrcr:

Comittee Ilaria NIaria Sala

Gerreral Manager Gilberr Cheng

The Correspondent O 1'ìrc Forcign CorrespondenLs' Club, lloug-. I(ong f ltc Con

cspordelt

is publishecl six times :r ¡car. O¡ritriorrs expressed bv nr ìler s

rì tlrc ììritgtzitìe

.ìt

c uol ne.e5\aril) tlrosc

of dre Club.

It

cer-tainly makes for an interesting starl to one's wolk day lvhen the FCC

the

Independent Comrnission Against Colruption asking for the records of two Club members. An e-mail exchange

action to encour-age more of them to join the Club.

On another journalism-related note,

ICAC was hele and droppecl off a letter for you." And as you know from the email I sent to the membership, the letter

was a polite request from

with Board

members

plus

several ancl solicitors telephone calls to various led to the barlisters arouud town of the I'equest decision to decline tÌre

ICAC and retain counsel should the Commission decide to initiate further action.

I'm pleased to sa¡, ¡þ¿1 no fulther action has been forthcorning, although

that is no gualantee tl.rat

the

Prrblications Colmittee C'oluzner I Parrl Bayfield lîdi¿or: Diane Storrnont P rod t ct i ott :'lerry Duckham

Editorial Hongkougnorr corn ltd

For the recor-d, the Boald's polic¡' is that the recolds of the Club and its membership are private records and the Club is disinclined to release them. As I was quotecl as saying, we value the privacy of our members and we hope to keep it that way.

Tcì: 2521 2814 ll nrail: lccnag@hong-kongnou,.com Production Asiapìx Studios 9544 Fax:2575 8600 Etail: asiapix@ernail.hk,uet

-fel:2572

Printer l{isirrg Offser Prirring Company Ltcl Advertising Enquir.ies Sandra pang

Pr

'Itl:

onto Comtlulicatious

2540 ôiJ72 Fax: 2116 0189 À,Iobite: 9077 7001 Ernail; ach,crrising@fcchk.org Websi te

<urvn,fccìrk org> I I ITì CORRESPONDENT AUGUS'f /SEPTEMBF],R 2OO4

a

rvaitirg list in addition to enhancing the membership application plocess. One slight challenge here is that we are falling behind in Correspondent ancl Journalist mernber-s and are taking

office calls and says, "Mr Driskill, the

Commission will not change its mind in the future. We'll keep you posted âs

r

getting close to a point where the Board

may have to consider initiating

ever'ìls wâil'ant.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the Club remains in good shape financially thanks to the efforts of Michael Ho, our financial conll.oller', and Tt'easurer Tony

Nedderman. Member-ship Convener Steve Ushiyama informs us that we'r-e

I'm pleased to say that Francis Moriarty, Convenel of the Press Freedom Cornmittee, is already in the process of planning next year''s Human

Rights Press Awards - the lOth anlli\¡ersaly of the scheme. We'r'e looking for ways to increase the international awaleness of the awards and I'm sure any and all ideas wiil be much appreciated.

In dining news, our new Executive Chef, Cheng Jo-Ha, has been making some changes and llre ncw menu is norv out. Chef Cheng has been a long-time fixture around Hong Kong, starting with his work at the Peninsula, followed by the Peak Tower Restaurants, Repulse Bay Hotel, the Peninsula Group, the Regent Hong Kong, the Royal Carden Hotel and the Mandarin Oriental Hong I(ong. We're very pleased to have him

on boald at the FCC. Please give us youl feedback on the new menu.

This year's Chality Ball also looks to be a smashing success. Dave Carcia, Co-chairman of tìre Ball Conmittee.

3

your data sheel, please take just the few minutes required to ensure the data is correct and turn it into the office by the

out crowd again.

A few housekeeping items: If you haven't already been contacted, you soon will be regarding the Club Directory for 2005. The directory wiII be slightly different from the last one, but the most important thing is that all members fill in the data sheet so the information is as up

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name of the Albert Room in honour of 'We're in the process of Sandra Burton. inviting the President of the Philippines to help us inaugurate the new room and

to date as possible. When you receive

reports that donations and fund-raising, which all goes to support the education of underprivileged Hong Kong youngsters, is far ahead of last year's impressive total and it looks to be a sell-

hope to be able to secure her attendance

deadline mentioned.

I've noticed that members are being more courteous to others in the judicious

in the near future.

As always, the Board of Governors

and I value Your inPut into the

use of their mobile phones and please

know that the entire

that. Please keep up

appreciates good work.

As I mentioned Th e Corre ry ort

çl¿¡1

operations of the CIub and please let us hear from you.

membershiP the

Matthew Driskill E-mail: president@fcchk.org

in the last issue of ¡, we're changing the

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The Asran Venture CapitalJournal(AVCJ) is looking for a talented and energettc profess¡onal to help expand its global co ference activities. The individualwill be the icey driver in the program development for AVCJ's highly regarded series of ventu re cap¡tal/private equity conferences.

Conference Progra m /Reseafch Manager Requirements:

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To apply: Please e-mail your resume and a cover note to:

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All information received witl be kept in str¡ct conf¡dence and witl be used only for employment-related purposes.

Tonight is a special night at the FCC for me. I have brought my father to the Club to meet musical guru Allen Youngblood. "This is so cool!" Allen throws his arms around Father and gives him numerous bear hugs. Allen does not know he was the subject of a painting by my father, nor does he realise how profoundly his music THE CORRESPONDENT AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2OO4

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THE CORRESPONDENT AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

and the FCC 2OO4

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marked

a turning point in my father's artistic career.

During the evening, my father raves about his recent sojoum in Europe to my friends who join us at our table. As they marvel at his portfolio of pictures, my 63-year-old dad cheer{ully whistles Russian foÌk songs, tells us of singing with a Russian busker he met on the streets of Bonn and recounts

5

cover story

10 countries. Selected by the horv he backpacked around as pafi of a celebration of governments French and Cþinese

On sale ut the FCC Computel bag $165.00 Blue ball Plastic

a solo show'

ball pen $1.50 pen $68.00

Silvcr ball pen

with box $78.00

Document case $110.00

Cap $ 40.00 Grd rvith greeting $35.00

lighter $5.00

helped my father paint huge stage sets. It was my introduction to oil painting, followed by basic training in mural painting when he took me to a remote village in Sichuan. Under the blazing sun, he painted pictures on the walls of a Buddhist pagoda to encourage peasants to cook with methane gas made from night-soil. Father

of Steel Brandon Royal & Paul Strahan Cleaning House

$

Barry Kalb

$150.00

Bars

60.00

Evergreen Tea House Davicl T-K. Wong The Proving Ground G. Bruce Kneclrt

$250.00

$

allowed me to mess around some unimportant parts of the murals. At night, he read to me from Balzac and Chekhov.

In1979, Father was reunited with us in Chengdu. The years of political campaigns wele over. His job at the

9s.00

Non-Fiction ABC

Fleece smock

Keyholder &

$280.00

Arthur Hacker

-

Hall was to paint

educational

$ 4s.00

Cartoons

of Hong Kong Artlur Hacker' - Cartoons Âsia's Finest Marchs 0n Kevin Sinclair & Nelson Cheung

ring $30.00

Gold Zippo lighrer $150.00

$

4s.00

$200.00

Building Democracy Christine l¡h & Civic Bxchange Captain if Captured Clare Hollingrvorth - Biography

tag $60.00

Name card

Sichuan Exhibition

Dogs

ABC

Plated keyholder' $30.00

Luggage

of

toilets and delivering rice and coal for his work unit, he produced revolutionary paintings. As a class enemy, he was

I

Fiction

FffCard blank $35.00 Disposable

His big chance came when the parly moved his reeducation camp back to Mianyang. Between cleaning public

not allowed to enter any official exhibition so he let fellow painters sign their names to his works.

I visited him once a year as a child. During each visit,

BOOKS

pen $15.00

Sllver ball

FCC

t¡e friendship between the two countries, he has just completed a three-month fellowship in Paris where he staged

Painting was forbidden.

holder $65.00

$

9s.00

$299.00

City Voices FCC

pin $75.00

Xu Xi & Mike Ingharn füoking up a Dragon

Reporter's notebook $10.00 Polo

Sharon Leece

shirt $115.00

Stonervashed shorts

$2s0.00

Cookery

Custom Maid for New World Diso¡der Peter de Krassel

shirt $140.00

Stonewashed

-

$r95.00

Getting Heard Christine I¡h & Civic Exchange Hong Kong: China's New fülony Stephen Vines

$Ì10.00

T-shirt $110.00

$rss.00

$

90.00

$

7s.oo

Horv Asia Got Rich FCC

tie (B&R) $80.00

$200.00

Eclith Teny

Umbrclla

(golf) $200.00

New Umbrella New Umbrella

(rcgular) $68.00

(golÐ $f65.00

Wallct - gold printed $f25.00 Wallei - hot stamped $125.00 New windbreaker

$195.00

Windbreaker $250.00 Pierre Quioc Stole $280.00 Pierre Quioc Scarf $95.00 FCf Video

Stephen Vines lmpossible Dreams

$230.00

Sandra Burton

$rs0.00

I

was Misquoted

Ted Thomas

$

Living with it Marcus Oleniuk Polar Porver - ßilingual version

$3s0.00

Rebecca Iæe

-

ke -

eg.oo

$r50.oo

Photography

The Poles Declaration Rebecca

- Bilingual

Yersion

$170.00

Photography

The Quest of Noel C¡oucher Vaudine England - Biography The Years of Living Dangerously Stephen Vines

$rBs.00 $I35.00

- NTSC $3Ì0.00

PÁt $280.00

FCC

Video -

FCC

lithograph $800.00

FCC

posteard $3.00

CDs

I I

6

Love HK postcard $13.50 Love HK poster

Wolker-s' Regiment, at Mianyang, a military-industrial city hundleds of miles away from Chengdu where I lived with my rnothel and sister. It wasn't until two decades later that Mother revealed to me that my fun moments were my father's clarkest tirnes.

Markel Panic

Umbrella (folding) $100.00

The Ìast time I was so proud of my father was when I was I used to perch on bags of rice and coal on his rvheelbanow as he made deliveries to his work unit's canteen.

He 'was rvolking with a dance and drama troupe, the Cultural

just two.

Allen Youngblood Allen Youngblood

CI)

$110.00

Digital Cutup Lounge vs ,Allen Youngblood

Allen Youngblood

$r10.00

$250.00 THE CORRESPONDENT.IUNE4ULY 2004

My parents were both leaders of the Communist Youth l,eague at their art school

in Chongqing. Father's graduation

a

county cadre washing feet with peasants after a halrl day's rvork was featured ín People's Daily and other prominent national papers. The media hailed him as China's rising artistic star.

That was inI964,two years before the Cultural Revolution began. The rising star was to be consigned to hell for l5 long yeals. Even his oil painting became a "capitalist crime" along u'ith Western music, according to Chairman Mao. 'When Mao's Cultural Revolution kicked off in 1966, my pat'ents' study group was branded a counter-revolutionary otganisation. The parly seized my father's diaries in which he harl recorded his doubts about Mao. In 1968, a few months before I rvas born, he was sent to the countryside to do hard lallour'. A friend smuggled my baby photo into his reetltrcation camp. He cried for the first time in his life. "I felt vet'y sad that my kid came to this world of sadness at such a rrliselaltle time," he later told me.

In a rvindorvless dormitory shared with other persecuted piece of

inlellectuals, my father sketched from memory on scrap paper.

I'I

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I.],

(JORRESPONDENT

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2OO4

pictures for the masses. Revolution remained the major theme,

but with a new focus: socialist modernisation. My

ghost-

painter father could finally sign his own name on the canvas.

When the Cang of Four was denounced, stories about

I didn't understand what was All I knew was that socialist modelnisation was

persecutions surfaced. happening.

going well and bad things would never return. "Who knows?"

Father would sigh. He never said anything about what really happened to him during those years.

After a long day ofwork and house chores, my father would draw illustrations for children's books till the crack of dawn.

"We need money," he said. On other nights he would

be

agonising over how he could entel art shows organised by the

The krreakthrough came when I brought him and my mother to the FCC two years ago. They had never been inside a bar before. And I was reluctant to show them the other side of me.

government. Every painting had to have a political theme.

There were no private galleries then.

Father taught me drawing and water-colour.

In

1983,

I

passed my exams and went to the same art school that he and my mother had attended. While teachers imposed rigid Soviet

socialist realism training, we looked up to the auant garde.

My father stuck to his Impressionism and Soviet socialist realism, painting Premier Zhou Enlai and revolutionaries.

Occasionally he strayed to mundane things such as cows' horses and mountains.

As numerous Chinese artists made their names by going post-modern and copying Andy Warhol to poke fun at Mao, I asked my father why he was reluctant to join the trend. He would be able to rant about the Cultural Revolution on his canvas. "That would be political," Father would smile. He was free at last noú to paint about politics.

But I became fascinated by politics. In the mid-1980s, liberal intellectuals were readìng Nietzsche, Sartre and Freud.

Forums about democracy were everywhere. I bought the books and pretended I understood what I was reading. I, however, was too busy drinking, smoking, dancing disco and dating boys to take any notice. That was my liberation.

One year before my graduation, my father forced me to drop out ofart school. He said he wanted me to have a decent career. I said goodbye to afi and enrolled in English studies in a university in Beijing. A year later, I was swept up in real politics - the Tiananmen massacre. I survived and went to

Australia to study journalism, dreaming of bringing press

freedom and democracy to China.

China today has undergone a sea-change but politics remains moribund. I become jaded by writing about the socalled facts. I could barely scratch the surface and I still do not understand why China has evolved as it has' So almost 17 years after bidding farewell to art, I picked up my brushes

again. Most of my pictures are about my nightmares. I desperately needed an outlet to unleash my a.ngst but I had never told my father how much I loathed him for forcing me oul of art. I thought his art was going nowhere and he had been brainwashed into always needing to attach themes to paintings.

The breakthrough came when I brought him and my mother to the FCC two years ago. They had never been inside a bar before. And I was reluctant to show them the other side of me. But it tumed out well. In Bert's, I drank and my mother

chatted to my friends. Allen Youngblood was playing solo piano. Father did not say a word. He sipped his wine and took out his sketchbook.

Those few intoxicating moments spawned TIrc Piano, a dreamlike piece in bold red, black and green. My father painted two more pictures from sketches he made that night at the FCC, including a scene of me chatting up guys. I asked him what the theme was. He told me there was none. "I was just moved lry the jazz and the ambience. 'We were told for years that bars are decadent. I was surprised to see the FCC was just a relaxing place like a tea house for people to socialise," he said.

During that visit to Hong Kong he went on to paint bars in La¡ Kwai Fong, street scenes in Soho, the skyscrapers of Central, Victoria Harbour and the boats, trees and rocks THE CORRT,SPONDENT AUGUST,/SEPTEMBER

2OO4

around my Sai Kung

"Oh no, old man, \ry.e can never house. The ay to him, describirg s about my nightmares: as eaten uP a fgw A few months later. my rather was serected b|, generations in China. Even my ll"i'T"Hl'.""'il#'il children \\¡ill have to digest the J:;lll;,'iffJ:",':,#: pain I've been going through." pictures

and took him bar-hopping in Washington and New York. Those outings resulted in another series of paintíngs: Mernories of America.

On his second visit to the FCC, while listening to Youngblood's band, Father tells me no matter how free he felt while travelling outside China, there were times when he was awoken by nightmares about the Cultural Revolution. He runs his fingers through his grey hair and describes how "they" grabbed him by the hair in those countless struggle meetings.

THE CORRESPONDENT AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2OO4

"It

was too painful, all of us mass

should have a forgetting about

those years," he sighs.

"Oh no, old man, we can never forget," I say to him,

describing my paintings

about my

nightmares.

"Politics has eaten up a few generations in China. Even

my children will have to digest the pain I've been going through."

And so he agrees. His next series will be about his nightmares, without any themes to impress anyone. Not until he offloads the Cultural Revolution baggage can he really liberate himself. J Rose Tang is a Senior Writer forThe Standard. ,FIe¡

father, Tang Shaoyun, is a professor of Fine Atæ at Xiatnen University.

feature or join the shindig? I settle for a compromise.

We do the interview but the earþ morning pictures of the rubber-tapping will have to wait. We head off to the mosque. I figure it gives us a chance to get generic shots of the army and police at work and besides, Ratty tells me, the siege will be causing a hold-up on the main road back into Pattani, so we'd have problems keeping our

The

Accidental

appointments there in any case.

Travelling north we soon reach the expected road'We're diveted down a back road but the driver block. turns off down an even smaller road, putting ourselves back on the highway again the other side of the barricade. We continue on. Eventually we come across lines of parked vehicles and groups of by-standers craning to get a view. We proceed on foot. Soon we'te passing by-standers crouching behind walls and cars.

such tricks were required. Smoke shells, rocketpropelled grenades and automatic gunfire. A sunny afternoon on a highway in Southern Thailand, and briefly we are on the sidelines of a war zone.

When the dust and smoke clears, I make out a group of soldiers at one corrrer of the mosque. I zoom in tight and curse myseH for not bringing with me the doubling adapter that gives my puny 12x lens at least a fighting

"You want to take the body armour'?" programme producer Stephanie Scawen asked as I left the office to pack for my trip to Thailand. As a lone-operating video journalist already burdened by camera, sound and lighting equipment, tripod

and more, the last thing

I

wanted was additional stuff.

Besides, body arrnour?

Thailand? It just didn't

Narathiwat. The static of the mosque and

scan.

Buddhist temple sideby-side. When I got

,,' been planned for a while. Stories about random killings and arson attacks in The assignment had

Southern

Thailand emerged almost daily without ever quite

the texting had started.

Further still and they're now scurrying on all-fours. We

Ratty was

news from colleagues

know we're close.

We get ourselves into a position where we can see the

of several

front of the mosque and

attacks overnight, with up to 20

dead. Interesting, but

reaching the front

they were a long way

pages. Just the kind of story thal we on STAR TV's weekly magazine programme, Focus

north and we had a scheduÌe to keep in the

Asia, thrived upon. A

was texting again and her clicking speed was increasing. Now up to 40 dead. At the first village we visited, TV images of the wounded in the backs of pick-up tmcks were now being shown. Certainly it was going to be a big story in Thailand today, but the deadline I'm working towards is three weeks away. Then, as I'm setting irp for an important interview, Ratty hears about a mosque where some of the

rubber plantations.

Off we went. Ratty

drawn-out, simmering conflict touching upon

issues of a wider universal importance.

Furthermore, it would make great feature material with a long shelflife, unlikely to be overtaken by big newsy events. It was

4pn126,2004.

From Hong l(ong I changed planes in Bangkok and met up with ace fixer Ratchada "Ratty" Chitrada for the flight down to Hat

Yai. Having worked with

us before, Ratty had lined up

all the boxes ready to be ticked off. Interviews with 10

what the soldiers would do next.

From my position, the mosque looked fal bigger than it was and I presumed the men were at some outer wall.

Then I saw them gradually take up firing positions at a

back down to the lobby,

getting

the

militants are still holed up.

Damn this news malarkey. Decision

time.

Stay with the

THE CORRESPONDENT AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2OO4

A

year before, I'd given a video journalism course with STAR News in India where I'd ordered the students to ignore the digital zoom capability as a mere consumer gimmick. Now I found myself zooming to my camera's full 4Bx digital capacity in all its grainy, pixelated glory. But at least it meant I could make out

chance.

victims, thought-provoking anaþsis from all sides and all of it strung together with those carefully crafted picture sequences - the stuff of the current affairs feature.

At first liþht on the 28th, we were already up and getting those shots. Misty morning pans from the roof of the hotel in

I

start shooting. By now, it's

become a lot more than a Thai story and I do the first live cross Q&A with Sky News in London, holding the mobile phone under my chin while my fingers operate the camera.

Oh, the joys of multi-tasking! Then there's a lull in the shooting and my thoughts start turning towards features once again.

I've got a few minutes of pictures and some "bang bang". This siege could drag on for days and we have other elements to shoot. No one will remember this three weeks from now, and in any case we can always pick it up from the agencies if something happens, I rationalise. I make one of the more stupid suggestions of the day. "Ratty," I venture, "what do you reckon we break away from this?" She looks at me as though maybe she's misunderstood. Before we can do anything so rash, the final attack starts.

I have to admit, dear readers, sometimes in television a Iittle editing trickery is employed when cutting together "bang bang" - overlaying and relaying the same cracks and booms to make it all seem far more explosive. With this assault, no THE CORRESPONDENT AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2OO4

window and fire, several times, inside. The gunfire was calculated and deliberate, taking a shot and then peering for-ward to see the

result. They were aiming downwards into continued. on page 73 11

=T

designe d to overthrow his new government. King Norodom Sihanouk, in self-imposed exile in

forming armed militias

Pyongyang, joined the melee and warned that democracy in his homeland was in peril and that worse was to come in the months ahead.

There is still no end in sight but lhroughout Cox has kept his cool, and when he goes, he can walk away with some rather apt observations.

"It has been a steep learning

Cox said, despite assurances from party boss Prince Norodom Ranariddh that the documentary-maker could follow him on the campaign trail and enjoy a free rein.

"I rarely

got any meaningful access at all with Funcinpec.

I'm not sure if this was due to

"On the campaign trail

curve while shooting. For insrance, ar my first violent in femOte VillAgese demo. as two rocks zipped past r. . my head, I asked -r."irlî'ürî, realising as a harange

d

royalist Funcinpec party and the opposition Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) in the July 27 ,2003, polls. But the CPP failed to garner the constitutionally required two-thirds majority to govern outright.

That failure set in train a political process that staggered even the most patient of Cambodian political observers. As a result there was no functional government for nearly 12 months as politicians bickered over their party's slice of the

political pie. .When

a coalition government was formed in mid-July 2004, Hun Sen announced a bloated cabinet of 186 ministers and 146 under-secretaries of state - all political appointees.

There are only I23 seats in the National Assembly.

You

command m o re att entio n than the candidate, you how loud a machine-gun actually try tO keep a IOW pfOfile is. There was even more surnrise when I realised the soldier ìring but this is difficult when, it was actually pointing it at r . someone. rhen there ï"'',Jy during the speechr you ilI"iiiåî fül'ïîilÏl îffi lean asainst a tree and eenerarrr suddenly discover your ;*ffi"HnïJffi" "on the campaign trail in eA1. iS fUll f ants and the remo[e villages, realising as barang, you oor" whOle audi nce bursts "o--u,rd" attention than the candidale, you r into hysterics. " try to keep a tow prorile il;il Jti",;::'" å*:""-,ïiå:: and police?" ._: over .. _ "There was my surprrse Lî01"

a

is difficult

when, during the speech, you lean against a tree

non-communication,

incompetence, pettiness or the whole grovelling, royalty thing by his aides. Of course, this could have been the plan all along, but I don't give them that much credit."

Cox found American secret service agents more convivial than Hun Sen's bodyguards, who tend to thump and punch while carryingout random body checks.

The most memorable quotes could prove to be an epiphany.

When Hun Sen won the election,

Prince Ranariddh a future coalition partner and a leading candidate for Sihanouk's throne stammered: "Hun Sen is the real King of Cambodia." The King now

wants

to abdicate. He's said

so

several times this year. And when the Thai embassy was re-opened after being gutted during anti-Thai

riots in January 2003,

its

ambassador looked at the sparkling

new building and quipped: "No wall is ever high enough."

"For what it's worth, coming from the U.S. where the whole idea

of voting is looked upon with

a

and suddenly discover your ear is full of ants and the whole audience bursts into hysterics."

The CPP, born out of the former Cambodian Communist Party and widely viewed as the most secretive of the country's political outfits, proved to be the most open and easiest to deal with. Funcinpec was, however, disappointing,

healthy dose of apathy, I was surprised and slightly humbled by the desire and earnestness of all Cambodians to see everything done exactly right and according to the rules. They put a lot offaith and hope into this election and really, really wanted it to work. It's too bad their politicians don't feel the same way," Cox said. i

continued Írotn page 11...The Accidental Reporter

they had announced from the mosque's PA system. But they came up against a force of men only too willing to oblige them.

The SRP then boycotted parliament, claiming the new CPP-Funcinpec coalition was forced through by breaching the

constitution. Hun Sen accused SRP chief Sam Rainsy of

Cox made his prediction in May 2003. Some 16 months later he remains in Phnom Penh with 350 hours of film in the can needing to be edited down to 90 minutes - and with no end in sight. Then lhe editor called and said the documentary's length had been whittled back to one hour.

Cox's response to that call was unprintable.

"I am new to journalism, new to Asia. In short: a dumb-ass barang fwesterner]. I thought a documentary on the election would be interesting, short and sweet, but nothing is short and sweet here and my employers are getting impatient and they want the film now," the 40-something American said.

"I say:'But it has no ending'. They say: 'We don't cate'."

The people of Cambodia, however, have no choice but to wait it out. And they face a drawn-out process. Prime Minister Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party (CPP) trounced the

12

When a coalition goYernfnent .was formed in

mid-July 2OO4, Hun Sen annollnced a bloated eabinet of I 86 ministers and 146 under-secretaries of state all political appointees. There are only I23 seats in the Nlational Assembly.

THE CORRESPONDENT AUGUST/SEPTEN,IBER

2OO4

can only report what we saw.

Was it a massacre?

Certainly, by the time the soldiers were aiming and firing through the windows, you would have to say they were in control ofthe building. But still they continued to fire and lob grenades inside. For several minutes after troops had apparently entered the building itseH, we could hear the rhythmic "double tap" of gunfire - the kind that military types tell you makes sure someone who is down, stays down. Yes, at

That night at the main hotel in Pattani, the pack was arriving - among them the agencies. It was a timely reminder that very often what we pick up from them, they in turn have gathered from the local stations and the occasionaf wandering feature man, inadvertently caught up in a big news story. And with that truth, a seH-rebuke. "Break away and pick it up later from the agencies? You were the agencies, stupid!"

The amount of kit being wheeled through the lobby told how big a story it had become. Among the usual equipment cases - suit bags. American networks, I decided. But then under the suit bags, I spotted the kits of body armour. No, Japanese TV. With or without the Kevlar vest, my news excursion was just about over. Another Q&A from the hotel room and then bed. Tomorrow an early call. A postponed

least some of those inside were determined to die as martyrs as

rubber-tapping sequence to shoot.

what I assumed was a crypt or basement, possibly attempting to flush out an unseen enemy. It was only when I entered the mosque next day that I realized the mosque consisted of one small room with no basement. These soldiers were firing at people just a few feet from them on the floor ofthe mosque.

'We

THE CORRESPONDENT AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2OO4

J

13

---T

Post-\Vor

advertised that drinking there was better than talking to a volleyball named'Wilson, 'WelÌ, I've spent a lot of time in as Tom Hanks did in the film of the same name.

Aussie bars, and I'm not prepared to accept that sort of claim at face value.

I was able to do thorough research because the rugby match didn't kick offuntil 10 pm. The local cuisine at both pubs was similar: chips and pizzas atthe Dili Club and chips and burgers at Castaways. The critical difference was Dili Club was a sports bar, whereas Castaways tripled as a bar, a dive shop and a tattoo parlour.

D¡II

While the Dili Club crowd was screaming "On you Aussies," Castaway's clientele were narrating a video of undersea

After Dork

footage from the

Discovery Channel: "Blow

me! That

shark

just swallowed that angler fish whole?

Yeah, seen that once off Irian Jaya, mate!"

--_

I left

before

they ran the tattoo videos and anyway the chips were better at the Dili Club. When I returned, I found

'What

passes for Dili's downtown looks, not surprisingly, like it was a war zone five years ago. Rusted car skeletons lean against the char-red roofless walls of former shops,

government buildings and colonial villas. Reminders of the savagery of the Indonesian militias are everywhere.

But now rebuilding is somewhat under way. A few places have been rebuilt from scratch with concrete blocks, pre-form

casts and more traditional materials. Other places have achieved a patchwork reconstruction effect due to the fixing of corrugated steel roofs and plastic sheeting to buildings that retained four walls. However, many buildings, hopelessly damaged, still stand derelict on rubble-strewn grounds Even beyond the effects of the horor, though, there was probably never too much to Dili. Today, it stretches for about five miles around a bay wedged between a range of scrubby, red-dirt hills crawling with skinny goats, and the placid Flores

Sea. A

sand and gravel strand runs along the entire shorefront. A small central waterfront area shaded by banyans and lined with concrete benches and drinks vendors makes an

early evening refuge for much of the population. But you would never call Dili a beach resort, especially ifyou had just de-planed from Bali.

It's a little difficult to understand why the Portuguese stayed here for so many centuries. Maybe no one cared enough to throw them out as the Dutch did in Malacca, Ceylon and the Spice Islands. Compared with other Southeast Asian capitals, even Vientiane seems frenetic. Dili's streets are 14

in a Continental European-style grid.

Cars drive at about 20 mph and the only horns bÌowing are from taxis soliciting business from pedestrians.

During the hot afternoons most activity stops, but things wide and organised

dark. Several of Dili's Portuguese restaurants, recently opened to rejuvenate dedicated UN workers weary from a full day of driving around town, rival perk up a little after

those in Macau.

But what about nightlife? The local tourist magazine Discovet Dili (the April edition of which was on sale when I visited in August) rather overstates the potential: "Nightlife in Dili offers a great variety of choices." Umm, sure. You can choose Aussie expats clobbered on VB, or Portuguese government officials who have lingered over lunch until after dark, or self-important American aid workers waxing ridiculous about global political trends over a níce uinho verde and grilled sea-trout.

I chose the Aussies. It's easier to understand what they're talking about, their world view is more compatible with my own and on that particular Saturday, the Tri-Nations match against South Africa was on TV. In order to get a full picture of the scene, I decided to divide my time between two carefully selected spots: The Dili Club and Castaways. The Dili Club deserves special mention because it claims to have been founded ]n 1999. This would approximate to starting up a vodka and caviar bistro during the Battle of Stalingrad. I chose Castaways because it THE CORRESPONDENT AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2()O4

a mob of exuberant soldiers and a couple of curious Jesuits who got vaguely giddy when I pressed for specifics about what they did out in the bush. They all shared the agony of a South African win and I somehow remembered the name of my hotel when I found a taxi at 2 am.

Not satisfied that I had done a full survey, however, I went out again on Sunday afternoon. Sunday afternoon is beach day for the multinational set in Dili. The UN boys and girls descend on Dili's only white sand beach, Areia Branca, and the neatly named Caz Bar (owned by Caz). Bamboo walls, thatched roof, beach front, cold beer, barbecued prawns and a parking lot that looks like a Land Rover showroom, pretty much sums up Caz's. But at least the conversation focused on sports rather than world peace, so there must not have been many American aid workers about.

Outside of Caz's, the international helpers who preferred beach picnics to the bar scene spread out their goodies. Unfortunately, the "Customers Only" parking lot rule meant these holidaymakers had to park against a beach wall on a road that is only about l.I times the width of their Land Rovers. That left plenty of room for Timorese motorbikes, but everyone else was pretty much stuck for the duration of the picnic baskets. Luckily that was well before Caz called for last orders.

Concluding this frivolous article on a sombre note, I spent Monday morning wandering through Santa Cruz cemetery, the site of the infamous massacre. It is difficult to picture what the cemetery looked like in November 1991, when Max Stahl's images alerled the outside world to East Timor's plight, because a large proportion of the graves contain the remains of Timorese who died after 1991.

Worse still, an extraordinary number of infants were buried there in 1999.

I don't know how many of the remaining UN staff still focus on that grim history, but I expect their next leave and their next posting get more conversation at the pub these days. In my view, the international military contingent needs to remain in East Timor until there is no possibility of a recurrence of the atrocities here. With Jakarta's current official attitude toward the principal suspects in these crimes, that may mean forever. But I wonder how soon the Land Rover- and beach bar-crew will have finally achieved all their notable goals and Kofi Annan can send the road rally home and let the East Timorese get on with life. O THE CORRESPONDENT AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2OO4

15

H Phaxx by Teny Dur*Ìp," und HWh mn Es

The second FCC Jazz Festival firmly established

the FCC,as Hong l(ong's l"udi"; venue. This yeals þs.1¡r"t

j; .,'ã;il.

f""*l;d pilirrrî"" ih""-joffirj;;

vocalist Rowena Mi"hu"h, Republic's chris Polanco and

his Latina

band,

Azucar, Hong Kong's own jazz virtuoso guitarist pao, accomp¿¡l"a ly r"a paris-based Saxophonist

Eugene

i^;;; ü;;';;

.',þ

sako Hamamura and the e trumpeter, Ken Matsuu

Hong Kong's finest and regular adists included paul ^the _FCC's Candelaria, Larry Hammond. Guv Le Claire. S[;^ I

Nunan, perer Schen,

fi;ö' ffi*;:iifftt'ffntffi%iåî

Youngblood.

"It was a great event, bringing.togeths¡ the very best of resident musicians and visiting ar1ists," said You¡g¡rlood Director.

the FCC Musical

" This is the onþ event of its ki camaraderie of Lhe musicians was various bands and per{ormers on all both the audience and musicians to s certainly made for some hot jammin

eaù hours".

The FCC Jazz Festival has gro

by Bert's, the FCC basement jazz an aficionados and visiting musicians. sat in at Berl's have included Ne members of the cast of Mama Mia, running hit show to treat guests per{ormance. London's rising you Mulligan, US vocalists. Cherryl trumpeter Melissa Escobar and Van

'l

THE CORRESPONDENT AUGUST/SEPTITIBIR

2OO.I

ll!:

(:ORRLTSp()NDENT

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2004

-l-

I

:II

It is not hard to understand Allen's

excitement since his profession usually takes him to the basements of clubs and pubs throughout the world. Rarely does he get to tinkle the ivories in such a spectacular place as Darling Harbour off downtown Sydney.

The Allen Youngblood Sextet was the third group to open the Darling Harbour JazzFesLivaI at the most spectacular of the

Photos by Saul Lochhnrt

"Fantastic." That was Allen Youngblood's response as he looked out from the Aquashell, moored about a quarter of a football field offshore in Sydney's Cockle Bay. Across the shorl expanse of water was assembled the late-afternoon audience, several hundred strong, bundled up against winter temperatures while sitting on the curved bleacher-like cement

three venues, the Aquashell,

of what is modestly called "sydney's biggest celebration of jazz,funk and blues." This is a free, three-day music festival presented by the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority, a municipal body.

Sydney Opera House), specifically

with "shell-like"

Monday afternoon at the festival with Allen on piano making up the foulth member of the quartet.

a moored

seats that formed the end of the bay.

Sydneysiders jostled with tourists for seats at this opening

stage

familiar to FCC jazz afĂ­cionados, saxophonist Blaine Whittaker. Blaine's band, The Groovebag, played on the

covering (think

designed for outdoor public concerts.

Still in shock as we caught the view of

the main Darling Harbour from backstage, Allen tlied to let the impressions settle in, and at the same time answer questions from his band members, talk to the stage director, take note of stage assislant's time warning. prepare himself mentally for his gig, and talk to me.

Allen, resident pianist in Bert's

and

the FCC musical director, was the third "'What an introduction to Australia," Allen exclaimed - he had been in country for only a day and here he was viewing a pdme vista in one of the world's most beautiful cities. To say nothing of making music in one of the most extraordinary venues' THE CORRESPONDENT AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2OO4

band up on the opening day of the festival.

His music started in daylight and ended after nightfall. But the shortened days and chill of a Down Under winter did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm --- when Allen announced Duke Ellington's famous Caravan, the dancers took to the adjacent cement dance floor and jitterbugged away.

Playing with Youngblood's Sextet was another musician THE CORRESPONDENT AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2OO4

On the Saturday night, Youngblood's sextet became

a

septet with the addition of a trombonist as the group played a gig at one of the city's best-known jazz spots, the Side-on.

And before you know it, the festival was over and Allen was back on a plane to organise and play in the FCC Jazz Festival. ll

19

Photos by Richard' S. Ehrlich

Afghanistan alongside U'S' threatening to kill enjoyed i"";;;-f";"es in 2001' about Afghanistan' if vou tell love I *lrut ;"ffi;il,r.:õhut', gotng fucking believe they them' kill to someone you are exclusive interviews in ;ii:ï';;",'u said durìng several and Jun'utY 2oo2 in Kabul' 'o;"t;;2ool "" I'm going to kill "fl; io N"* York and I tell someone Well' I'm going to kill tn"-ltt "y ,uy, 'Yeah mother{ucker? thev believe vou'" ;;;JilJ' S,t,,,o'Afghanistan' Here two other Americans '""ó;"lt;t;r- 16,2ó04' Idema and Idema, who arrived

in

tortured Afghans euiltv to allegations that they jail' Idema told the court he hunted of the U'S' terrorìsts with the knowledge denied ldema Pentagon "iiJ*"¿' the and ]ou"'.nrn"n,' Washington

-r"^"*iì"-,

their hands

and waving a big

hunting

at

them,

laughing manically all the while.

In one truly terrifying display, Idema threatened to murder an American reporter representing bhe Stars and Stripes newspaper after the journalist revealed that Idema had served time in a U.S. jail several years earlier "for a white-collar crime".

"I just might have to fucking kill you!" an irate Idema shouted at the reporter during a party in December 2001. The other foreign correspondents quickly exited the dining room.

"You don't believe me? Test me. Just test me. But get the fuck

ffiiät;if.iuut"

out of here now before I do."

The shaken journalist was hosting the party in a house he rented, and politely reminded Idema that this was his house.

i;; them when he was arrested in JuJv' Idema liked i;;; " "'f" shofi' stocky-

"You think this house is yours?" Idema yelled at him, showering him with more expletives and threats until the

if't.

*i*

er

ol 200I-2002'

the

brandish his pistol .ult-u"d-p"pper hair black and occasionally fired he which rifle assault

. d;;;t Kalashnikov "rJîi.¡utl"tt capable of piercing """ii" ".;nn

body armour'

*ith u handful of young, armed Afghan men wads of cash into """"¡.i *h;;;; ordered about' often shoving 20

journalist left the room.

Several days later, when asked about the confrontation, the ïepofier said: "Look his name up on Internet, and the story of him in jail will come up. His name is spelt I-D-E-M-A."

As a result of his menacing behaviour, most foreign THE CORRESPONDENT AUGUST/SEPTEMBI,R

2OO4

ìi

journalists avoided Idema and told each other he was an unreliable trouble-maker who liked to brandish weapons and

for the U.S. AID Diplomatic Protection Guard during the

"play soldier" amid the anarchy ofwar.

It went on. In 1984, he was apparently "chief tactics and firearms instructor for Ron Reagan Jr" - the son of the former U.S. president. In 1986, he was "director of training for the United States National Park Ser.¿ice and Park Police for the Statue of Liberty re-dedication ceremonies [including] SWAT, counter-terrorism and explosives training".

Idema named a slew of courses he completed at Fort Dix in New Jersey, Fort Benning in Georgia, Fort Bragg in North

Idema, however, insisted he was acting to protect innocent Afghans from being exploited and abused by all sides, so they would not suffer either from the U.S. invasion nor from the ousted Taliban and Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network.

When asked whom he really worked for, Idema grinned and told me: "I work for God and country."

After much coaxing, he displayed a resume that he kept on his laptop which listed military badges he said he had earned, .Wings", including "El Salvadoran Master Pa¡achute "Royal

Thai Army Combat Parachute Wings", "Kuwaiti Police Commander Badge", "German Senior Parachute Wings" and "Nicaraguan Senior Parachute Wings".

His C.V. also listed: "I1 years in the United States Army

Special Forces, 18 years in Special Operations"; "military adviser in Nicaragua and South Africa in 1978"; and "primary SWAT instructor for New York State Police Olympic SWAT Team, Lake Placid", in 1979.

He claimed he was "primary weapons and tactics instructor for British S.A.S. commandos during operation Honeygift" in 1980, and, in 1984, "Chief Instructor/Adviser THE CORRESPONDENT AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2OO4

Haitian coup attempt'r.

Carolina, Fort Dmm

in

New York and Fort Devens in

Massachusetts.

But his biography stopped abruptly in 1991. When asked about the I990s, Idema replied: "For over 10 years, I've been 'black'," - implying secret missions he could not divulge.

In Afghanistan, he called himself "a civilian adviser to the Northern Alliance" of Afghans who were helping America topple the Taliban and their al Qaeda allies.

"I am a fformer] Green Beret," no Ìonger on active military service, he said. "My original purpose here was to help humanitarian aid efforts to both the Northern Alliance and the Afghan people."

He claimed to have sent a repod to the U.S.

Defense

21

op¡n¡on

Deparlment which, he said, Secretary of State Coìin Powell had read, describing problems with U.S. food aid during the first months of the war.

He boasted that armed Afghans recently threatened him on a road near the eastern city of Jalalabad until he shouted that he was an American and bluffed that if anyone hurt him, a retaliatory U.S. air strike would obliterate the place.

Laughing as he re-told the lale, Idema said the Afghans suddenly became gracious and allowed him to

continue his journeY'

In January 2002, he said, his personal Norlhern

onto the roof as hostages while other terrorists emerged from their sleeper positions.

"When the hostage thing started, he [the janitor] went and pulled out a hand-gun," Idema explained during the tour ofthe training camp. Re-creating a scene on the tapes, Idema produced a black pistol and charged forward, as if pushing a bunch of hostages.

In other scenes videotaped at the school, dozens of men

of various races and ethnic origins fired Kalashnikov assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades while attacking a fake audience of VIPs at a mock golf tournament and a

Alliance "intelligence assets" had discovered

convoy of vehicles.

videotapes showing

Afghans, who viewed the tapes were able to identify the different dialects

foreign fighters how

and we know for a fact there were Kuwaiti, Iranian, Iraqi and Libyan

al teaching Qaeda operatives

kidnap, bomb

to and

assassinate PeoPle. The techniques aPPeared

to

be

derived from U.S., British

and Israeli

commando

tacttcs.

Idema said the Pentagon tried to block his attemPts to sell copies of the seven hour-long videotaPes, but he

eventually managed to sell the tapes and PhotograPhs from them for thousands of dollars to television

networks and

an

intemational Photo agencY. After watching the

videotapes

in Kabul,

T

asked Idema to take me to the lormer al Qaeda lraining

camp where theY were

filmed. He initiallY demanded I P"Y him US$l-00 fol access to the secret site, but he eventuallY provided me with a free tour

of the bomb-littered al Qaeda comPound in Mir

Bacheh Kowt village, 15 miles north of Kabul.

The heavily damaged buildings, formerly a school, were

littered with unused rockets, land mines, bullets and other ammunition scattered on the floor in dangerous heaps.

The videotapes showed foreign men at the compound, disguised as janitors and golfers, acting out strategies to seize and kill hostages. A fake janitor, for example, was filmed srveeping in front of a building while fake office workers entered and exited. After a while, he moved his broom cart into lhe foyer and, sweeping and keeping his head down, slowly climbed the stairs to sweep an upper hallway. moment, the janitor dropped his broom and pulled weapons out of his broom cart, blasting pre-selected targets and chasing people into groups so they could he taken

At a key

22

^

"Arabic interpreters, and

also

guys here," Idema said.

He was proud about getting the videotapes and delighted to cash in on the TV and photo rights. "It just goes

to prove a point: one guy,

operating by himself independently with the indigenous population can gain more intelligence than 5,000 guys in a room watching satellites," he said.

Idema's infamous mood swings, meanwhile, continued.

ë6

o ùtl <l ol

sl

Irl LI sl 11r

At a party in Kabul's Intelcontinental Hotel, Idema heard a CNN employee belittle his analysis

of the Afghan war

Iñ

-9

\'lo\{!

and

denounce Idema as "some old guy" who knew nothing.

"I will break your fucking legs, I

a)

will break your fucking arms, and then I will... " Idema raged, escalating his threats as he moved in on the CNN employee who became wide-eyed and distressed in the face of such fury.

After venting and

receiving

nervous apologies from the CNN man, their confrontation dissolved into jokes, but ldema's per{ormance proved he could easily intimidate people.

His real goal, he said, was to "build a security force (in Kabul) with a whole bunch of (U.S.) former special forces

guys", to help the Afghan government train Afghans in "professional soldiers' skills" so they could be bodyguards and commandos in a new, democratic Afghanistan. "'We will start with 100 (Afghan trainees) and we'll try to get it up to 500," he said. "It will be to protect journalists, protect aid workers, protect foreign dignitaries and protect their own (Afghan) dignitaries. It won't be private. It will be Afghan govemment. It wilÌ be partially under the control of the Ministry of Defence and partly under the control of the Ministry of the Interior." J THE CORRESPONDENT AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2OO4

Just when you thought you'd heard enough about Pui Pui, the croc late of the Yuen Long creek, let us pause for a moment to consider the implications of having the beastie in captivity.

It appears that Vietnam's higher GDP growth rates may be responsible for some petty jealousies in Beijing, as has been

seen

in

comments describing some

of Vietnam's

export initiatives as "verging on the obsessive". Hanoi has hatched a THE CORRESPONDENT AUGUST/SEPTEIVIBER

2OO4

plan to revive the local economy by breeding crocodiles on a huge scale for export to China and Europe.

Why has the Hong Kong Govemment not leapt into this fray? I await an announcement of a grandiose initiative to build crocodile farm on the site of what is now just wasted as a "sitting-out" area somewhere, declaring that Yuen Long will become a world leader in reptilian husbandry. a 4O-storey

23

construction of an This alone would justify the all th: way lrom

elevated six-lane highway

not? to Hainan Island' Why almost unhealthy an Farmers ofien seem to have the reProductive of obsession with the management

i.j^th**t

I

functions of their livestock'

wonder

if

crocodile

Crocodile breecling is, I believe, best left to crocodiles of opposite sexes. Cows, bY comparison' âr"ê more docile creatures \Ã'ith B',

ofnfnâs,

obiectr but poking foreign obiects

probak¡lV a crococliles is probak¡lv rent proposition altogether. with lewer oblecuons ltr are more docile creatures objects t"t: îi* r"ï "r ,r""g, but poking foreign ]: rs an rmage l[ :ro:"olÎ allogether' probably a dilferent proposition about' but one I thought merits

ffiffi";;;;;"*

'i'lni'l"g

moLe research.

the average salaries offered for I was merely curious to know actually involve the use of does ,¡'iril.¿ *"rk, or ir.,de"d if it "i cue' an exceptional[y long snooker might "" ír'*gl" that bv now' the Govemment but crocodile of -questions' tu-itiu, *ittt the intricacies b" questions' reasonable per{ectlv i;;nsidered were {ailure' i""iån"",ft caused a major sense-of-humour out on the be mav it -uv, Ho"g Ko"g can't we Why salvation! oppo*,rnity that offàrs ou'""tono-i"

i;"";;;ili*" ;;;; ;dr';;; ";;-;";â.

Cococabana Al lresco dining in Mo Tat Wan

Såoo

ús

eayes

Ti':'*f

W'e must have.' heard just stake our futule on crocodiles? feasible' unfe'asible or just about every other suggestion' in Lower

aã*tli*rt, íil*ious Albert '.'"öï"Road.

"*

neighbours from our leaders and

crocodile in Vietnam for t understand' buy a 15kg

kilo

u"i ttil it it'

China for twice that'

nrJ::,:;,,2

"b;;'ïS$ó-a handbags will beat a path to your Manufacturels of shoes and of course' is for cr"codile meat' but the primary market' door, -" -. is b est fresh'

"ïi"

"t,""îï:ï,i1"ï:,t#:t1.,:ïtå:

",'

7

L

sight of someone trying lo ablY attract an interesting

if

least until the Jockey Club gets the licence.

--'Th"r"

in Vietnam kindly take would Pacific ,ft"^äãln"", I don't think Cathay ". the idea oí bringing a live one back in your luggage' but I to this' r haven't phoned to confirm ^"î;tï;PJo available for sale are some 37'000 crocs

"l-li

the desire to pursue Club -"toberwho feels to keep a straight ability the is ,Llr, pi'""." ¿" so. All you need The best one posterity' fol face and to record the conversation what we in is which .*¡f reptile' It's an investment -

**

Hong

"Kong know

most about'

the technology So, we have one crocodile'

to.fyed it' Ìots of

can build crocodile construction companles lvho new investment boom in u.,dìh" makings of a

""""lnln"¿*¡r, fulules. crocodile "'"

il; dl ;;

holding

24

J" they do along

Offices at the Central Government

C"-"'""f Whä wiil it us uP? J

be announcerl? What's

rNNE

Conlc' to ì!lo Tat Watl oll Lalnttla lsland and discor cr

Hong Kotrg's rnost bcautilt¡l t c'tlttc fot al iLcsco dining and grcat pafiics.

[-ocatcd irlnrost

ol

thc bcaclr, Cococabarla offcrs a laid

hack i\4cditcrtirlrcan stylc ['uistnc alìd atln0sphcrc. Errjoy 0ur c\otic sullsct cocktails and halcollt' dining sct agaillst thc soft soì.lnd of wa\ cs.

Before Lynne Truss came along, the person who made

Fot tcscttations plcasc call Ii2u-2i3Í{ Timctablcs. Iloat IIire. lrr

re

serve onlillc

oL

nlore inf0.

Borge's hilarious routine Phonetic Punctuation, in which he used wacky sounds to indicate commas, semicolons and the rest.

Chcck out: \y\\'w.toptablcs.cotìl.hk [JaL Picantc

2l't69-9631 Cubana 2t169-l2l

a lot of people laugh about punctuation was the Danish classical pianist-comedian Victor Borge. And that was decades ago. You are probably getting on a bit ifyou know

I

And Borge merely entertained. Truss, in her stylish THE CORRESPONDENT JUNE/JULY

2OO4

THE CORRESPONDENT AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2OO4

and witty Eats, Shoots and Lea,aes, has not only put comedy into commas, made hyphens a hoot and apostrophes amusing, she has given us a valuable body of

inlormation on a subject about which, as her sensational sales figures testify, a huge number of people harbour strong feelings. The book entertains a¿d educates.

Truss filled the FCC's Main Dining Room to the rafters not once, but twice in one day with audiences who

25

the Star Ferry. "The person couldn't believe

I

I

was with

was so moved' But that's

the sort of sad life Ihave"' In more serious vein, she bemoans the

Britain?s top diplomat in Hoog Kong, stephen Bradl"y, weighs his words, fonathan Sharp reports.

impact of e-mails says the written wor to the sPoken word

onlv interested in a Phc the words they say, the result being

"a very

frightening thing for writing generally"'.For example, kids are turning up at unrversrtres to be able to wri[e "2morrow" for

"*p""ring Lhå word lor the next

daY'

While understandably proud of her book's success, she evidently believes that she and

her fellow sticklers are fighting a losing battle in their efforts to Preserve the proper use of That's all the more reason to

punctuation.

ielebrate the system now before it disappears' "It's a bit like seeing Venice just before it soes beneath the waves'"

"

Mort of us maY have thought that the oanda ioke in lhe book's title was original' ilut qulstioner Philip Bowring pointed out

T-shirt that úe had once owned an Australian

with a somewhat earthier version involving

Leaves' koala bears - Eats, Shoots, Roots and was given consideration that responded Truss

included "sensitive sticklers" like herself as well

as

doubtless a sprinkling of scribblers wondering why on earth they haven't come up with an idea that shifts two million books and weighs down best-selling lists both in Britain and the United States.

The author, who has told the panda joke behind her book's title about 25,000 times and still manages to keep cheerful, says she was amazed at the success of her slim volume, which first appeared last November and is already into at least its 3Ist reprinting.

The subject matter she chose was so nerdy and uncool, even her mother suggested that the book's cover should carry a sticker saying "For the Select Few,'.

At first, Truss said, "I had enormous fear when the book started to take off because I just thought the book trade had gone a bit mad."

Then she thought there some sort ofconspiracy to make her believe the book was a success. "Finally I came to a

bit more logical, rational conclusion, which is that I'm dead, and it's just something that's going on in my brain after death."

Truss regaled us with some of the more entertaining punctuation howlers she has come across in street signs lacking an apostrophe oï comma, including Residents refuse to go in the bins - "they would, wouldn't they?" and No dogs please - "dogs do please. That's what they do in life." Hong Kong came in for some unexpected and rare praise for a perfectly grammatical sign she sighted on

26

probably

briefly to changing the title but then stuck with Eats, Shoots and Leaves "because people who knew the other version would ì1" fact that they did' So we have the

"n¡'oy

tl"urr"dlup version of the joke.'' on a subject Anyon" who sets up as an authority and Ms errors' out point to eager p"opl" in"uituUty attracts Yorker' New The including critics, Truss has had some point she which called her a'orandom punctuator"' 9t" The Zero sub-title' book's the that was

did

concede is a hyphen short of Tolerance Approach to Punctuatio-n' perfection' an audience Gratified as she is that the book reached has a stack she dreams' her in expected far wider than she for campaigners fellow and she what to show British "I""""¿"t"t to the taxi by way her On literacy are up against' ii;;õ, ,h" iolJ the driver she was to give a talk on

p"""r"",i"". "Well, I'd

Stephen Bradley's lunchtime audience may hav anticipated that the nearly-new British Consul-General woul stir up a few more ripples in the already stormy Hong Kon political scene. After all, his government's latest six-monthly report on Hong Kong affairs, expressing concern over Beijing's intervention in the SAR's constitutional development, had succeeded in eliciting a fairly thunderous response from the central government.

Indeed, Bradley's listeners may have been encouraged by his disclosure that since taking up his post in December last year he had swapped his predecessor's imposing RollsRoyce for a lighter, faster Jaguar, ,'a case of cars, like dogs, resembling their masters, possibly."

So do we have a sportier model of British ConsulGeneral, one with a racier approach than his genial

Hong Kong. Bradley said the actions of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress appeared to erode the degree of autonomy in Hong Kong. ,,That's a very different thing.

"W-e've never made

a

prescription on the detail of

democracy, how many seats (in Legco) elected or whatever.

That's not our business."

He declined to theorise about what Britain might say in its

Questioners made a stab at drawing Bradley, formerly a deputy political adviser to the eolonial government, into saying something on the threat to press freedom or the SARrs lack of pace towards demo eracy that might provoke another Beijing counter-blast. But he parrÍed such attempts.

better gel you there on time'

then," was his rePlY. noticed that her ô1o.", to hei home in Brighton' she "Can you spare Ìocal charity shop had posted a sign saying mark' Feeling question requisite the CDs" without nonetheless ""y "fa was she error' this about

nt ir" ,oo"gly be told to "bugger off reluctant to!áirrt it out as she might in the book' and the it about wrote she a lifå". But ""Jg", runs the shop did eventually change the sign -unïho but a {ull stop as not just the desired question.mark "Jai"gõoncluded Truss: "So we still have a long way to go'" weil. be known (Editor's note: Jonathan Sharp wanls it to in this punctuation-errors out points who

that anyone urti"I" .horrld bugger off and get a life')

J

THE CORRESPONDENT AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2OO4

predecessor, FCC regular Sir James Hodge? If so, it was not apparent on this occasion.

Questioners made a stab at drawing Bradley, formerly a

deputy political adviser to the colonial government, into saying something on the threat to press freedom or the SAR,s lack of pace towards democracy that might provoke another Beijing counter-blast. But he parried such attempts.

"I don't think there's any question of either democracy or indeed press freedom - although you might argue with that _ being quashed in Hong Kong."

He corrected the premise of a questioner who said that Britain has criticised China for holding back democracy in THE CORRESPONDENT AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2OO4

next repod. "'We may take a quite different view at the end of the current six months. Clearly we hope that there will be no further erosion of Hong Kong's autonomy."

However he said he was gratified by the attention paid to the new six-monlhly report. "There is really nothing like a bit of intemperate criticism from a certain quader to boost press coverage,"

Asked about his reaction to the departure of Teacup in a Storm talk-show host Albert Cheng, Bradley professed that he

continued on page 29

27

Developing Asia

Journalism Awards:

The Wirurers: .Sustainable economic growth: Winner Ma Guihua (China); lst runner-up Afshan Subohi Hyder (Pakistan); 2nd runner-up Hu yifan (China). Honourable mentions: Irina Boyko

(Uzbekistan), Abdullah Jameel Ahmed (Maldives)

.Inclusive soeial development: Lalitha Sridhar (India), lst runner-up Zofeen Ebrahim

Asia's

(Pakistan), 2nd runner-up Miriam Grace Go (Philippines)

homegro\,yn talent takes a bow

'Good governance and anti-corruption:

By Graham Dwyer

Winner Massoud Ansari (Pakistan), lst runnerup Supara Janchitfah (Thailand), 2nd runner up Aries Rufo (Philippines).

'Role of the

priv ate sec tor in development: Winner Gajendra Budhathoki

(Nepal), Ist runner-up Jofelle

Tesorio

(Philippines), 2nd runner-up Hoang Tu Giang (Vietnam).

Inaugural WalI Street fournal Journalism in Asia Fellowship Awarcled to Indian Reporter The lìrst Wall Street JournaL Journalism in Asia Fellorvship has been awarded to Shefali Anand of India. The felìorvship, r4rich the Journal launched in association with Nerv York Univelsity (NYU) in December 2004, aims to

provirle the recipient with a solid foundation in business, as

well as joullalism,

to cover world events and

business

developrnents. It will provide most tuition fees as well as a stipend fòr Anand to undertake a graduate programme in business arr,l economic leporl ing.

Ananrl, 26, rvho currently works for The Intlian Express Mumbai, l.ill start her first semester at N yU this autumn.

'Regional cooperation and integration for The Tokyo-based Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI)'s first Developing Asia Journalism Awards honoured plint joulnalists fi'om more than 10 cour.rtries around the

development: Winner Tran Le Thuy (Vietnam), lst runner-up Lin Gu (China), 2nd

couldn't make head or tail of the affair. .,I don,t really know what's going on.,'

wele organised to publicly recognise the Asian and Pacific plint journalists from by made efforts countlies who provide high-quality coverage of developing growth and development," said Peter affecting issues

'Environmental sustainability:

ADBI, at the awards ceremony held at the Foreign Correspondent's Club of Japan in April.

up Yasmin Arquiza (Philippines). Honourable

McCawley, Dean of

After a promising start, the awards will continue annuaÌly. Application forms are available from ADBI and

Wang Ya (China),

lst runner-up Anne Poorna

Swarnamalie Rodrigo (Sri Lanka), 2nd runner-

mention: Loh Foon Fong (Malaysia). rvho has livecl

Ï*Ol".t'-, re?g,.ui,ií," I

HL

CORRESPON DENT AUC UST/SEPTEI\'IBER

2OO4

Hong Kong off on ;;.;;;ä;:in "iäi#,:J,i,y,,".,*,,,

THf coRRuspoNDENT

golden age is ahead, not past. I believe that Hong l(ong is not, and will not be, just another city in China."

Hong I(ong, he said, was still a lot more exciting than the

"For instance, since my arrival last December, there have been no less than three attempts on my life," he said - with tongue firmly in cheek.

"All three were employees of the Citybus company, as each of my would-be assassins tried to reduce me to a smear of raspberry jam against an anonymous wall. I scrabbled for my notebook to take their numbers, with the puerile idea of making a complaint.

"But as I looked at the back of each murderous juggernaut, the word 'Leyland'leapt out at me." ll average metropolis.

Winner

online at http/Ä,r'ww.adbi.orgljournalism/FinalRules.pdf

28

am among those who prefer to believe that Hong Kong,s

runner-up, Afshan Subohi Hyder (Pakistan)

ìe$on.

"The arvards

t:ontinut:d from page 27...playing SaÍe

AUGUST,/sEprErvrBER

ancl

2004

since

In this second extract from Maruin Fatkas's memoirs, our

hero falls afoul of the most powerful foreigner in all China.

come over. The police didn't know who he was but he was a

a commanding tone of voice and that was enough. By this time a crowd was following us and the

foreigner with

reporters had a story they hadn't figured on.

"I

demand that you take this man into custody," he

blustered.

"Oh yeah? On what charge?" I asked.

"Invading the privacy of person."

"What kind of

a

without their permission," he replied

"Seize that man," he shouted.

The crisis over,

were

The whole party made its way

they

toward the Peninsula Hotel

figured he was imporlant

a hero to the Chinese community of Toronto.

When Sun Yat Sen was due to make a fund-raising tour of

Canada and the United States, Cohen was asked to be his bodyguard. He impressed Sun so much that Sun offered him a job as his bodyguard back in China].

"Many are the stories that are told about his daring exploits," Bobby said. "Once in Canton he defended Sun's compound against attackers [by] lying on his belly and firing two guns at the same time. From that time on he was known as 'Two-Gun Cohen'. They say that his aim was so accurate he could keep a coin in the air for a whole minute by firing at it

30

who knows?

When Sun Yat Sen died in 1925 he left a provision in his will for Two-Gun, and Cohen travelled to China every year to

collect his stipend. He was received with honour by government bigwigs. He was also honoured in Taiwan by high-ups there as the close friend and protector of Sun Yat Sen.

At 1l o'clock we went to meet Two-Gun's train. He wasn't very tall but he was beefy and tough-looking and his scarred face bore mementos of his prizefighting days. Nattily dressed in a grey suit, he wore a felt hat with part of the bdm turned down. A monocle on a silver chain hung round his neck and he carried a bÌack lacquer cane with a silver ball at the top' He gave all his attention to his friends who had accompanied him and acted as though the press wasn't there at all, though our ranks had swelled from four to about 16. We followed him into the street but the reporters were a bit squeamish with their questions as he had the reputation of being an old curmudgeon. I started shooting from the minute he came off the train.

"What are you doing?" he said angrily.

"Just getting some shots of you, Two-Cun." "Well stop it this moment."

"Aw, come on Two-Gun!" I cajoled and kept right on shooting.

"I said stop shooting." His cane was raised menacingly in my direction. He was really angry. "And give me your film'" "Nothing doing," I said and kept shooting.

"Don't let this grey hair fool you, son," he said, doffing his hat and pointing to his rather sparse silver tresses. "Now give me your film." He kept his cane with the solid silver top raised.

Noticing a couple of gendarmes, he shouted to them to THE CORRESPONDENT AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2OO4

with all the

where Two-Gun was staying "Mr. Cohen, would it be

pïess

photographers around

all right for me to film

him and in any case I was

just a

cameraman.

So

"Certainly," he replied magnanimously.

What an asshole

shouted to P.C. Lee the

Standatd photoglapher.

He got what became an

When I sent the story with all its comic ramifications to UP

historic photograph of one policemen grabbing me by the collar and the other with a steel grip on my arms. Holding on to me firmly they marched il€, with the crowd

hill

Movietone, they sent back kudos for my quick thinking

in preserving the film. They asked me

to get a

sound

interview with him telling a bit about his colour{ul career

to

the marine police station 'We

all crowded around the desk of the sergeant. There was me, Two-Gun and his friends, the two police constables, all

the 16 reporters and a small crowd of spectators that happened to be passing by. Everyone was shouting at the same

time but Two-Gun raised his hand and took control of the situation.

With all attention on him as he explained his charges to the desk sergeant, no one noticed me. So I removed the film from the camera, put in a fresh roll and huniedly put the roll I had shot into my camera bag.

"I understand your circumstances very well, sir," the sergeant said sympathetically

I

asked most respectfulÌy.

"P.C.! Get the shot,"

following, up the

you

walking down this street?"

they seized me.

I

we

walked down the hill and back onto Salisbury Road.

perplexed. Two-Gun's loud voice intimidated

with both of his guns." Some of the tales are too fantastic to believe; but it was true that Cohen became the first European general in the Chinese army. It was also rumoured that he was the only gwei 1o to belong to the notorious Tsing Chung-Hui triad gang. But they are by definition "secret societies", so

pretended resignation and then, when I finally finished piling the new roll of film with no pictures into the rubbish bin, my look turned to one of sad condescension.

"So you win," I told TwoGun, hanging my head.

You don't have the right to invade a person's privacy

he was really mad.

The Hong Kong of 1954 hadn't changed much from the place I knew back inl946. The Star Ferry pier, the railway station with its unforgettable clock tower; the ubiquitous rickshaws and the last two sedan chairs waiting for customers at the bottom of the hill on Wyndham Street. There were buildings dating back to the turn of the century. The city had an ageless quality that I hoped'r,vould never change. It gave me a sense of stepping back into the past. Sadly, I realised it must fall victim one day, as we all do, to the relentless passage of time, but recording it with my camera was exciting and I felt that I had finally found my niche in life.

One of the stops in my search for stories [Marvin was freelancing as a cameïaman] was my daily visit to the railway station coffee shop and as usual I found a group of local newsmen waiting for the train from China. I asked Bobby Liu of the South China Morning Postwhat was happening.

"Did you ever hear ofTwo-Gun Cohen?"

It sounded like a joke.

"I'm serious," he said. "Two-Gun is the only gweì lowho is welcome in Red China as well as Taiwan." fMorris Cohen was a prize fighter back in Liverpool, who gave it up before his brain got too addled and moved to Toronto. There he lived by his wits. He ate his meals in a Chinese take-out and one night, while he was talking with the owner, two rough-looking guys came in toting pistols. Without a second thought, Cohen jumped up, cracked the heads of the robbers together and knocked them out cold. Cohen became

I opened up the camera, took out the film I had just loaded and ran the whole 100 feet into a trash can, first with a look of

wanted to teach you a lesson.

right on shooting. Now

them. I guess

will destroy the film in

"No hald feelings. I just

cockamamie charge is that?" I said and kept

The policemen

am a good sport and to end this farce I

front ol everybody. Will thaL satisfy you?"

to Two-Gun. Then

he

addressed me. "What right have you to take pictures of a person that does not want to be photographed?"

"We were in a public place and the law says that I can shoot anything that comes into public view," I replied. If TwoGun could make up his own rules, then I could make up a few, too.

"I want his film," Two-Gun said.

"I'll tell you what." I became conciliatorv.

THE CORRESPONDENT AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

2OO4

.,Just

to show

I

and some of his adventures protecting Sun Yat Sen. With the help of Harry Odell, who was an old Shanghai friend of his, I located Two-Gun at a reception at the Jewish CIub. He remembered me well and was very friendly but he was not going to granL me an inter-view.

"I've given the 'X' (meaning 'exclusive') to NBC. It's a shame but in the future, watch your manners. Remember, you can get more flies with honey than with vinegar. Now let's have a drink and put our unpleasant experience behind us.,' I hung around Two-Gun for a good part ofthe evening but he wouldn't bend to my pleas for an interview. Harry OdeÌl even put in a few words for me. "You really ought to help out this nice Jewish boy," he urged Cohen.

Trvo-Gun replied: "He's Jewish is he? That accounts for his being so anogant." He wouldn't change his mind and kept repeating that he had given the 'X'to NBC. I wonder. Harry Odell told me later that Two-Gun had told him confidentially that he plomised the Chinese authorities that he wouldn't talk to anybodyabout his experiences with Sun Yat Sen.

- Extracted front Chapter 37 - Two Cun Cohen J 31

LOCKERS

AUAILABLE

i

The following Health Corner lockers are available for rent:

F-irst

Person

Two lockers in the ladies' changing room

Four lockers in the exercise area One cue locker

Philip Bowring remenìbers 'l-iziano Terzani, rvho died

Contact Chan Hoi-lo at the Main Office

Old, and I mean really old, will remember the name of Ken Moss with great affection. Ken was the General Manager- of the Hong I(ong Hilton when it reigned as the most mediamembers of the FCC

friendly hotel in Hong Kong.

Ken, who visited Hong Kong this summer, was invited along with a

number of his fr.iends and excolleagues, including his former PR

I

dilector, Nancy Nash, to a lunch at the FCC to celebrate his eighty-something bithday. W'e took a trip down memory lane.

I

where the shoes of the feminine gender were never allowed to set foot.

Both Arthur and I felt thar this injustice should be remedied. We encouraged one Linda Siddall, then of the South China Morning Post, and her co-activist, Barbara Djeng, to mount an attack on the restaurant that would effectively crack the embargo.

TV station RTV, now ATV, got word of the attempt and sent a camera crew to record this historic confrontation.

The presence ofthe camera crew in the lobby of the hotel alerted the management that something was up, and it soon emerged that a monstrous

The FCC's debt to I(en is a major one. V/ithout l(en Moss's decision to give the FCC a home in the Hilton in

regiment of women was scheduled to

1964 when it was about to collapse due to a lack of members and by extension,

Ken's forces formed a cordon of hefty waiters with linked arms barring

a lack of money, the Club may well have folded for good.

The FCC gratefully moved in and enjoyed a three-year stay, marred only

by an unfortunate

occasion when

a

member leapt from the 23r-d floor Clubroom balcony.

Ken's time as El Supremo at the Hilton was not without travail and I hate to admit it, but I, along with Arthur Hacker, was responsible for at least some of his problems.

In

those days

Arthur and I lunched splendidly every Thursday at the old Hilton Grill, a

bastion

32

of male chauvinist

piggery

storm the hallowed halls.

entrance to all human beings not of the female persuasion. When the ladies

charged, the line held firm, until Linda, an enterprising lass, dived between the legs of the tallest waiter in the chain and broke through.

Ken gave in with good grace, served the ladies champagne, and from

that day on the Hilton Grill became co-ed, so to speak. Dick Hughes, the doyen of the FCC who held court at the Grill every Friday lunchtime, never forgave us.

Tel:2521

¿rged

l5ll

or e-mail fcc@fcchk.org for details.

65 in July.

I, like rnost people, have a biased opinion of Tiziano. He of my eldest son, a role which he acquir.ed over a dlink at the FCC in Hong Kong shortly after he had been booterl out of China in 1984. But my first memories of him go rvas the godfather

aaaaaaoaaoaaaaaaaa

b¿ck nrole than a decade before that, to Singapore

Advertise in

in 1973. It

The

Correspondent and reach Hong Kong's most discerning readers.

slringer' [or the þ-ar Eastet'n Ecomtnic Reuiew made him an object of official r,vrath. Arun was subsequently jailed then -But driven fL'om journalism by the authorities t-here.

Tiziano,s friendship and support for Arun never faded.

At l.oot rvas and more

socie l

about tìre West of l'hich

lated to a was ofien social

led to er and Mentor'ìes are

Contact Sandra Pang for details.

too numerous to detail. He was

always

, different, more imaginative.

0 with only the second group of sit, it was Tiziano who escaped

encounters with our Xinhua

TeI:2540 6872

en event - a sky burial. rtle House in Bangkok, a Thai-

Fax:2116 0IB9

idst offast high-rising Bangkok ious old turlle and a meeting politicians from all over Asia. d fortune was to be expressed a, his wife, added to both the r¡rversrt), of the visitor.s and the aura of easy hospitality.

Mobile: 9077 700I E-mail: advertising@fcchk.o€

Email: ted@corpcom.com.h THE CORRESPONDENT AUGUST/SEPTEì\,IBER

2OO4

ll I ooRrìrìspoND[,NT

Not that Tiziano wasn't ill at ease with much of modern Asia. Vietnam eroded many of his hopes, four years in China showed him the brutality of power and of Communist absolutism in particular. The Forhidden Dr¡or was his vivid account of that society's oppressions even in the relatively more liberal climate under Deng Xiaoping.

Wary of Western materialism he was troubled by Asia's embrace of it and destruction of much of the old. perhaps for this reason to me he never seemed quite at home in Japan.

His last years saw him battling both cancer and the West,s most recent attempt to impose its will on Asia. His Letters Against the Whr in Afghanisran and his baules against Islamophobia in his native Iraly rvon him a bigger following than ever.

But his intemational public legacy will probably be two books which were the outcome of a yen to tlavel and a desire to find out what really moved societies. The best known is ,l

þ-ortune Teller Told LIe but my personal favourite is Goodnight Miste,r Lenin, an account of a l99l journey through the Soviet Asian republics just at the point when that empire was falling apart.

For those lucky enough to know him, whether as

the

flamboyant war correspondent of 7973 or the white-bearded, kurta-clad guru in Delhi 2003, he was the friend who never changed his personal loyalties however much his idealism was contradicted by his experience as a journalist. He, for one, did not lapse into cynicism but always used his talents in pursuit of a better world for all. J 'l'izi¿rno'l'elz¿¡¡ri lr¿s lror.rr on Se¡rterrlrer. 14, tlietl on JL¡ll 2{ì. 200',1.

lgllij.

He

I

AUGUST/sEpr[,MBER 2004

33

Heqrd ql the FCC

Meet this year's FCC Charity Ball Scholarship winners as they pose with members of the ball committee (below).

The individual winners, pictured right, and reading from the top, left to right, comprise: Wong Yin-shan, Leung Sze Nga, Chan Sui Wing, Mo Ying Fan, Lam IGt Ting, Chan Hing Lin, Lam Ho Yin, Lau So Ling, Yuen Wai Ying, Mak Siu Po, Man I(a Ming and

Former Chief Secretary Sir David AkersJones discussed his memoirs Past Et,ents

Wan Nga Lee

þ-onvard: Feeling the

and the Vav

Sbnes to Ctoss the lln,er Roy Anderson, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at Imperial College London, spoke about emeïgent infectious diseases and the role of governments

Lee Cheuk-yan,

vice chairman of the Alliance in Support of the

Patriotic

Sirlnel,Rittelburg, who was imprisoned in China 1968 as an Arneilcan spy and spent 16 years in solitary confinement, s¡roke about the nation's tumultuous development in a speech titled "From Mao Suits to Levi Js¿¡s".

34

'I'HT, CORRESPONDENT AUGUST,/SEPTEJ\'IBE Iì'

2OO'I

TH ti (ìoRRESpoNDENT

AUGL,s r./slr,prEtr,tBER 2004

:. mT ,"ïî r. lc i.

:i

. #;i r:?r

Democratic Movement in

China, spoke about the legacy of the Tiananmen massact'e.

'

35

êrtts

* Absent FCC members at the annual ex-Cheung Chau garden party at the home of Gavin and Julia Greenwood in Brighton, England, on July 24. From left: V/alter Hirsch' Derek Davies' Bar:rie and Franca Deegan' Angie Thurston' Julia Greenwood' Sumi Davies, Basil Pao, Gavin Greenwood and Bill Barker' Pltotr¡:

l)at iel lItttrsntt.

r<_L*v

{

.&

3e:

:.) , :E!:

\:.

æ g¡

rt

Keith Statham celebrated his 70th birthday with a group of FCC and former FCC stalwarts. From left: Mike O'Palmer, Neil Farrin, Peter Doughty, Peter'Wong, Sam Jackman, Don Ferguson, Andrew Statham, Megan W'ong, Steve Ellis, Irvin Rudd, Russell Kelly and Keith and Flora Statham'

Farewell to Mind Your Head. The band, which held its last per{ormance in Bert's, lvill be missed.

Plloto: Bob l)avis

New Members'Cockloils

FCC stalwarts, Saul and Alison Lockhafi, having taken up residence in Australia, recentþ joined a family gatheling at the Duckham residence in Sydney to welcome Terry Duckham and wife Aira home during a flying visit back to Oz. Pictured are

Terry's mum, Val Duckham, cousins Keith and Faye Johnston, Saul and Alison with Terry and Aira.

1,

The FCC bids farewell to Pulitzer prize-winner and former Board Member Tyler Marshall of the LA Times

Marty Merz displays his Completion Medal, one of 48,000 awar-ded run il to thåse who crãssed the line in the recent 14 km City2sur{ runner FCC John by Photo Sydney. Marty came in 18'605th' Dot-u (who came in the first few hundred places last year but decidecl to be backup for the FCC team of one)'

36

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THE CORRESPONDENT AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

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39

Andy Chworowsky talks to...

Phil Photograph by Terry Duckham/ Asiapíx,

Toward the end of a long, liquid Sunday at the Rugby Sevens the inevitable streaker dashed naked across the Hong

Kong Stadium pitch. As rhe security guards obligingly paid homage to the Keystone l(ops, the tannoy boomed: "Ladies

the BBC, the producer would walk in holding a cup of coffee, a cigarette dangling from his mouth and a newspaper under his arm, and say, "Yeah. that's OK." "That's the guy I wanted to be," says Whelan.

and Gentlemen, Mr

He soon found he

Dick Wiggly!"

"oI(,

couldn't get to be that guy unless he was willing to go or1

oK,,,

admits Phil Whelan,

the baritone on

the

pointy end of the PA

system.

"That really me. If you

"I knew I

wasn't supposed

scaled

to

screw up playing in a

reward or encourage

band, you can hide

this sort of behaviour. But after

somewhat. On the radio, it's just you

three days in the announcing booth, I just couldn't resist

and the

it. Ir had ro be done." It wouldn't

something

you

accomplish on your

be the first time the 37-year-old from the southern English town of Ramsgate in

own.

I(ent did something because "it just had to be ,lo¡s" ¿ philosophy that has propelled him from professional musician to one of Hong I(ong's best-known broadcast voices.

Whelan, for example, jettisoned a sought-after position as a clarinet player for the West End production of Pltarttom of the Operainfavou'- of an uncertain freelance position with the Hong l(ong Philharmonic. " Phatttotnwas a Holy Grail sot of job for a working musician, and I was sitting next to some of the best working musicians in Britain," he says.

But he had caught the Hong Kong bug during a stint with Graham Dalby and the Grahamophones as part of the 1989 Hong Kong Arts Festival. Like so many who visit Hong Kong, he, there and then, started to plot his return.

Whelan had always wanted to get into broadcasting and when a right-place, right-time opportunity arose he

bid farewell to the Phil and joined the

audience.

But on the othel sicle of that coin, it's

Classical

Department at RTHK's Radio 4. Back in the 1980s, when the Grahamophones would record sessions at the Hippodrome for

That's

satisfying."

Whelan norv cohosts the Morning Brew programme on Radio 3 and has also made a name for himseH as pretty much the resident Musical Director for The Hong Kong Singers. Its production of Kiss X4e Kate goes up in November in the City Hall theatre and features a l3-piece olchestra that V/'helan couldn't be happier- with. "People always denigrate the musical talent pool in Hong Kong, but ... there is so much talent here, and amazing people have appeared as if out of the woodwork whenever I've put one of these shows together."

So, with RTHK, The Hong Kong Singers and The Rugby 'Whelan Sevens all regular gigs, where does see himself next?

"Are you kidding? I love this stuff. I've got

a

big concelt

project for Radio 3 in the winter, I've got stacks of prograrnmes I'm editing - and I love that - and I've got even biggel ancl more challenging plojects I'd like to do with the Hong Kong

Singers.

I think I'll

stay put for a 'rvhile." He pauses ancl

For enquiries, please

emai I : ppapartments@swireproperties.cotn

website: www. pacificp ace.com. h k I

shrugs. "Unless... you know ... something really excitilg comes along... that just has to be

done." J

THE CORRESPONDENT AUGUST/SEPTEù,IBER

2OO4

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