Contents
JULY/AUGUST 2015
COVER STORY Greening of Asia Asia, particularly China, is an environmental disaster. Mark Clifford in his book “The Greening of Asia” – and at a FCC lunch – argues that there is a way out through a combination of business, government and civil society strategies.
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14 How green was my Special Administrative Region 16 Green storybooks
AFP
Cover photo by AFP
Features
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ON THE WALL No one should work this way: preventing the abuse of domestic workers Steve McCurry is a highly respected documentary photographer known for his work in Afghanistan, Beirut, Cambodia, the Philippines, the Gulf War, the conflict in former Yugoslavia and Tibet.
Regulars
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A message from the President
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Editorial
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Membership
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Club News
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F&B: From the north... and the south
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Speakers: What they said...
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Then and now: Hollywood Road, Lyndhurst Terrace and
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CLUB MEETING Your chance to vote on M&A amendments Now that proposed changes to the FCC's Articles of Association have been approved by the Registrar of Companies, a General Meeting will be held on September 8 to ratify those changes.
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Financial crunch from Silver Membership The case for amending the qualifying period for Silver Membership to 30 years, instead of the current 20 years.
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Graham Street 1974-2015 by Bob Davis
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Classifieds
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Last Word: Not a red carpet in sight
REPORTAGE Vietnam vet's view of 40th anniversary Paul Mooney returned to Vietnam to visit places he served in while on two tours with the US Army as well as write about the country's 40th anniversary celebrations. 19 Old journos never die, they become the story 20 Veterans call last round in Phnom Penh 21 Roland Neveu revisits the fall of Phnom Penh
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REPORTAGE Nepal looks to tourism to help disaster recovery While Nepal may still be a disaster zone, the government is keen to encourage tourists to return to help revive the economy. HONG KONG From Tiananmen to Occupy Central… and beyond Michael DeGolyer, who has been a highly accessible source for the Hong Kong media for more than 20 years, shared his thoughts on Hong Kong’s past, present and future. PRESS AWARDS Kevin Lau tells it like it is Kevin Lau, the Ming Pao editor who was attacked by knifewielding assailants last year, spoke at the Human Rights Press Awards. TRAVEL A fast drive in the country Feeling the need to escape work, Hong Kong – and the FCC election – Tim Huxley headed to France for five days in a 50-year-old sports car. ARCHIVES Malta's archived tech teaser Vaudine England and Kees Metselaar discover a hidden trove of archival and technological treasures in Malta. 1
From the President
Thank you to all those who voted in the FCC election. Disappointingly, the turnout was much lower than last year, although the number of correspondents voting was slightly higher, perhaps because there was a rare contest for the presidency. I would like to pay tribute to my opponent, Francis Moriarty, who has served on the Board for two decades and given his time and devotion to the Club. He founded the Human Rights Press Awards, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Francis will continue to play an important role in the awards and in the Club, especially our defence of press freedom. I’m honoured to have been elected and will strive to represent all members during my term as we adapt to meet the challenges ahead. We welcome seven new faces to the Board of Governors this year who will inject fresh energy and ideas, while saying farewell to those who served previously and thanking them for their contributions. We welcome their continued involvement on committees as well as encouraging new volunteers to step forward. Our agenda is a busy one. We’re in the process of renewing 2
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the lease to our current premises and will subsequently embark on important, and costly, capital works necessary to keep the heritage building in tip-top condition. We’ll convene a general meeting in September to vote on important changes proposed to our M&A, the FCC’s constitutional document. This year is the first in a decade that we have budgeted for an operating deficit. Having increased membership by about 7% over the past three years to boost income, we must now call a halt to the expansion to maintain service standards and preserve comfort. We need longer-term solutions to address the revenue crunch – inevitably fuelled by rising costs in staff, food and rent among other factors. One way to tackle this is to change the Silver membership entitlement from 20 years to 30 years. We propose the measure reluctantly, but do so to avoid the Club facing huge deficits within a few years. Other clubs have abolished such privileges or made more drastic changes to cope with demographic change. We must consider other ways to increase revenue, while controlling and trimming costs. I welcome your suggestions on this. The Club’s
overall financial position is healthy, so there’s no need to panic. But we have a duty to think creatively about how we can stay that way in the coming years. Since the FCC is your club, I am initiating a survey to find out what you like and don’t like, and what changes would make us better. It’s a more inclusive approach than responding to the more vociferous members around the bar, welcome though that feedback remains. The questionnaire will hit your inbox in the next couple of months and will provide valuable feedback for committees. Finally, the successful Diplomatic Cocktail that we hosted on June 11– when a record turnout welcomed Song Ru’an, the Deputy Commissioner of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the city – was the result of our endeavours to ensure a strong working relationship between the media and officials from both the Beijing and Hong Kong governments. The FCC is home to many voices and we offer a unique platform on which speakers can engage with an international audience. Neil Western President neil.western@gmail.com
THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS’ CLUB, HONG KONG
2 Lower Albert Road, Central, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2521 1511 Fax: (852) 2868 4092 Email: fcc@fcchk.org Website: www.fcchk.org The Board of Governors 2015-2016 President Neil David Western First Vice President Tara Joseph Second Vice President Kevin Barry H. Egan Correspondent Governors Keith Bradsher, Florence De Changy, Nan-Hie In, Juliana Liu, Angie Lau, Natasha Khan, Carsten Schael, Nicholas Gentle Journalist Governors Clifford Buddle, James Gould Associate Governors Andy Chworowsky, Christopher Dillon, Timothy S. Huxley, Simon Pritchard Goodwill Ambassador Clare Hollingworth Club Secretary Simon Pritchard Professional Committee Co-Conveners: Tara Joseph, Keith Bradsher, Nan-Hie In Finance Committee Co-Conveners: Timothy S. Huxley (Treasurer), Florence De Changy Constitutional Committee Co-Conveners: Kevin Egan, Nicholas Gentle, Clifford Buddle Membership Committee Co-Conveners: Nan-Hie In, James Gould, Simon Pritchard House/ Food and Beverage Committee Co-Conveners: Andy Chworowsky (F&B) Juliana Liu (F&B) Nicholas Gentle (House) Carsten Schael (House) Tim Huxley (House) Press Freedom Committee Co-Conveners: Neil Western, Florence De Changy, Natasha Khan Communications Committee Co-Conveners: Angie Lau, Natasha Khan, Juliana Liu Paul Bayfield (Editor) Wall Committee Co-Conveners: Carsten Schael, James Gould FCC Charity Fund Committee Co-Conveners: Andy Chworowsky, Chris Dillon General Manager Gilbert Cheng Produced by: Asiapix Studios Tel: 9769 0294 Email: asiapix@netvigator.com www.terryduckham-asiapix.com Printing Lautus Print Tel: 2555 1178 Email: cs@lautus.com.hk Advertising Contact FCC Front Office: Tel: 2521 1511 The Correspondent ©2015 The Foreign Correspondents’ Club, Hong Kong The Correspondent is published six times a year. Opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of the club.
Editorial We are all familiar with the image of people wearing face masks in the smog on Tiananmen Square. A strong symbol of the problem with pollution. Back in the build-up to the Olympics in 2008, the authorities managed to largely clean up the air through what you could call involuntary abstinence. Now the air is worse than ever. However, there could be solutions, according to Mark Clifford in his book “The Greening of Asia” and his speech at an FCC lunch. China as usual never does anything by halves: the astonishing public reaction to Chai Jing’s documentary “Under the Dome” (about the devastating consequences of pollution) saw more than 300 million downloads within about two weeks before the government stepped in and took it ‘off the air’. Not surprising I suppose in a country where there are daily public protests against polluting industries. Of course, when the documentary was banned it became instantly viral. China hasn’t learned that lesson yet: ban it and they will come. When talking about the environmental disaster in Asia – and China in particular – Clifford described himself as a glass-half-full-sort-of-guy in his belief that things can get better through a combination of business initiatives, government policies and an active society. Correspondent Paul Mooney, known and honoured for his consistent coverage of human rights issues in China and the region over the years, was also a two-tour Vietnam vet. In the run-up to Vietnam’s 40th anniversary of the end of the war he and two other vets toured the former army camps, battlefields and the boonies that they once knew. He also had an interesting quest to seek old Vietnamese friends he last saw in 1970. Board member Tim Huxley had an interesting car-focused holiday – as he is wont to do – around Tour Auto, a 2,000km motor race through the French countryside that was first run in 1899, but which had its heyday from the late 50s to the early 70s. He was co-driver to fellow FCC member and experienced racer Richard Meins in one of the most iconic racing cars of the 60s – the Ford GT40.
Paul Bayfield
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MEMBERSHIP Who’s joined the Club, who’s leaving and who’s turned silver! This is the column to read. It’s also the column to read to find out about other membership stuff. For instance changing your membership category. If you joined the Club as a Correspondent but are now working in public relations you should change to Associate. Or as a Journalist now reporting for the Financial Times change to Correspondent. You could be an Associate who has changed career to become a full-time journalist so you should be a Correspondent or a Journalist member. To ensure the integrity of our membership categories we ask you to contact us if you get a new job that potentially alters your membership status. Need advice email Marilyn Hood marketing@fcchk.org. Leaving Hong Kong? The question of whether to take out Absent Membership will arise. It’s not expensive at HK$2,000 and it is for life! Correspondents and Journalists remember you may leave Hong Kong working in the profession but return working in the commercial sector, and it may take years to rejoin as an Associate...
Welcome to new members
Correspondents: Ryan Brooks, Producer, Thomson Reuters; Chiara Caratti di Valfrei, Photo Editor, Cosmopolitan Italy Magazine; Choi SungHyun, Correspondent, Deutsche Presse Agentur; Andrew Peaple, Editor, Asia Commodities, The Wall Street Journal; Rachel Rosenthal, Senior News Editor, The Wall Street Journal; Kazumi Sakurada, Staff Writer, Nikkei Quick News Journalists: Michael Hoare, Director, The Blueprint Communications Foundry; Sandra Lam Wai-ka, Producer, RTHK; Georgia McCafferty, Director, Deadline; Paul Ryding, Sports Sub-Editor, South China Morning Post Corporate: Gary Chen Guan-zhan, General Manager, Pridemax; Maria Cheung Yat-sum, General Manager – Corporate Communications, Pridemax; Aldous Chiu Chi-fong, General Manager – Investor Relations, Pridemax Associates: Alan Armitage, CEO, Asia & Emerging Markets, Standard Life (Asia); James Brewer, Student; Joanne Brown, Solicitor, Tanner De Witt; Audrey Campbell-Moffat, Barrister, Central Chambers; Richard Glofcheski, Editor-in-chief, Hong Kong Law Journal; Sonal Hattangdi-Haridas, Homeopathic Practitioner, Integrated Medicine Institute Hong Kong; Saloni Hora, Managing Director, Merton Global Ventures; Alex Ip Chun-leung. Business Development Leader, Genworth Financial Asia; Alicja Lam, Trainee Solicitor, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom; Peter Line, Retired; William Mak Si-chiu, Director, Paragon Properties Limited; Juan-Domingo Maurellet, Doctor, Dr. Vio & Partners; Glenys Newall, Director, Sidley Austin; Christopher Rideout, Head of Business Development, Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing; Justin Robinson, Senior Director, Techtronic Industries; Peter Ross, Architecture Designer, TFP Farrells; Wan Sim, Director, T & F Equities Replacements – Diplomat: Owen Adams, Attaché, British Consulate General Replacements – Corporate: Benjamin Bland, South China Correspondent, Financial Times; Antonie Calendrier, Market Leader & Managing Director, Burson-Marsteller; Christopher King-Sidney, Executive Director – South East, Advisian; Julian Tyson, Director, Halcrow China
On to pastures new
Au revoir to those members leaving Hong Kong who have become Absent Members: Correspondents: Sarah Charlton, Producer, Thomson Reuters; Michael Church, Head of Sport, The Press Association; Philip Clark, Radio Presenter, Australian Broadcasting Corporation; Peter Hutchison, Editor, Agence France-Presse; Arun Mahtani, Global Head of Production, Thomson Reuters; Clement Tan Yong-qiang, Correspondent, Bloomberg News Beijing Bureau Journalists: Graeme Park, Deputy Editor, Bauer Media Associates; David Sharpe, Managing Director, Silver Quest; Lizette Smook, CEO/Founder Innovasians
Farewell also to:
Journalists: Tracey Starr, Editor-in-Chief, Playtimes Parenting Magazine Associates: Palvesin Mani, CEO, State Bank of India
Also resigning
Correspondents: Martin Smith, Freelancer; Graham Uden, Photographer, Graham Uden Photography
Welcome back to
Correspondents: Sky Canaves, Reporter, University of Hong Kong; Goncalo Cesar de Sa, Executive Director, Macau Link; Mrinalini Saran, Correspondent, Reuters Asia Associates: Thomas Kollar, Associate, Clifford Chance; Ghansham Nihalani, Director, US Export Corp, Rudi Spaan, Regional VP – Property, AIG Insurance Hong Kong
Attaining Silver membership
Associates: Fahmy Jowharsha, Executive Director, Financial & Corporate Services; Elizabeth Thomson, President, ICS Trust (Asia); Christopher Young, Barrister, USIL (HK)
Despatched
We are extremely sad to announce the death of Associate: John Hobbs Honorary membership granted to his widow: Margarete Hobbs
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CLUB NEWS
New president, new Board
Still hard to get the news The Foreign Correspondents' Club of China (Beijing) has produced the findings of its annual survey on working conditions for its members. The FCC (Hong Kong) is happy to pass this on as a service to the media community, but any views expressed are not necessarily shared by the FCC (Hong Kong). You can read the full report via the FCC's website. China’s importance in current affairs continues to grow, and foreign journalists’ efforts to chronicle the important events and changes have kept pace, the FCCC's report states. Unfortunately, getting access to the news in China is not getting any easier. Official harassment, obstruction and intimidation of foreign correspondents and
FCC staff
Marty Merz
In the first contested presidential race in some years, Neil Western (below right) emerged the victor. Shortly after the election was declared he got together with Francis Moriarty and shared a glass. Vote counters and scrutineers (right) check the votes from what was a low turnout. For full results check out the FCC's website.
their local staff remain serious problems. Over the past year, foreign leaders and diplomats continued to raise the issue of foreign media press freedoms at the highest levels of the Chinese government, but with no detectable result. China’s Foreign Ministry has for years offered assurances that working conditions are improving and will continue to do so. In the survey, 96% of respondents say working conditions for foreign journalists in China almost never meet international standards; 44% say working conditions are about the same as last year; 33% say they deteriorated. None of the 117 respondents said conditions had improved. This represents a negligible improvement over last year’s survey.
The FCCC’s top concerns include: Interference, harassment and physical violence by authorities against foreign media during the reporting process; attempts by authorities to pre-empt and discourage coverage of sensitive subjects; intimidation and harassment of sources; restrictions on journalists’ movements in border and ethnicminority regions; staged press conferences; pressure directed to editors and managers at headquarters outside of China; and surveillance and censorship. The FCCC conducted a separate survey on visa issues earlier this year and in general found the visa renewal process went more smoothly this year than last, although the Chinese authorities are continuing to abuse the press card and visa renewal process in a political manner. THE CORRESPONDENT
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CLUB NEWS
A tale of two Chinas
FCC staff
Mike Chinoy was again on hand to present the latest episode of “Assignment China”, a multi-part documentary film series on the history of American correspondents in China. This time around, it was the film "A Tale of Two Chinas",
Fine wine from Shanxi While China may be the world’s second-largest grape producer after Italy, Chinese wine is still relatively unknown outside of China. However, that has begun to change with the likes of Judy Chan, (right centre) president of Grace Vineyard, who hosted a FCC wine dinner at the end of May. Grace Vineyard was started by her father CK Chan and a French friend, Sylvain Janvier, in 1997 in Shanxi province. It was four years later, in 2001, the vineyard produced its first vintage. Chan said they work with about 580 families who grow grapes which they buy. Her own operation employs some 40
FCC staff
people covering vineyard management, winemaking and bottling. They visit the farmers regularly to check that everything is done according to the vineyard's standards. The wines presented include: People’s Series Chardonnay 2011; Tasya’s Reserve Chardonnay 2011; People Series Cabernet Merlot 2011; Deep Blue 2011; Grace Vineyard Sonata Series 2012.
It is burger month in July at the FCC. Already home to some of the best burgers in clubland, the FCC will be offering succulent burgers to match everyone's taste.
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CARSTENSCHAEL.COM
The home of burgers
the story of how the American press corps in China covered the critical 1990s. The film, which was produced by the US-China Institute at the University of Southern California, was put together by Chinoy, a senior fellow at the Institute and former CNN Beijing bureau chief.
CLUB NEWS
Dips night
Photos by FCC staff
The annual Diplomatic Cocktail, a popular event since the early 90s, enjoyed a strong turnout of Hong Kong-based diplomats, Board members and our stalwart rank and file members. The guest speaker was from over the border, the urbane Song Ru’an, deputy commissioner of the Commissioner’s Office of China’s Foreign Ministry in Hong Kong.
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CLUB NEWS
Dr Feelgood retires
Photos by FCC staff
Former patients, friends and FCC members got together in the Main Dining Room to celebrate the life and career of Dr Peter Miles, who has just retired. Miles, who became a doctor in 1958, practised medicine in Asia for more than 44 years – first in Vietnam from 1967; then from 1971 in Hong Kong, initially as head of internal medicine at the Nethersole Hospital and then in private practice. Board member Kevin Egan regaled the audience with stories from the early days when he acquired the “Dr Feelgood” moniker. An incredible number of FCC members were his patients at one time or another. “When you walked into his clinic, it was like the FCC in another setting,” said Annie Van Es.
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CLUB NEWS
Gathering of presidents
Terry Duckham/Asiapix Studios
There was a gathering of ex-presidents at the farewell drinks for former FCC presidents Tom Crampton (2002) and Jitendra Joshi (2014). From the left, Paul Bayfield (1990), Philip Bowring (1985, 1993), Crampton, Chris Slaughter (2006, 2007), Ernst Herb (2008), Doug Wong (2012), Jit, Neil Western (2015). Ilaria Maria Sala (2005) left before the photo was taken.
Correction
The image of Benny Tai collapsing during Occupy Central in the May/June issue of The Correspondent on page 12 was by Yu Chun Leung of Ming Pao.
Club News online Those of you who use the FCC website regularly will have noticed that regular updates of club events and activities are now featured and archived on the new Club News page. Click on the Club News link on the website home page or go direct to:
www.fcchk.org/fcclatest/
Harry Harrison
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CLUB NEWS
The committees, the conveners and you If you have some ideas for speakers or other professional events, or are interested in F&B, or finance, or the Wall, or press freedom issues; or The
Correspondent ... then maybe it's time for you to join one of the committees or get in touch with the conveners to present your ideas.
Professional Committee The Professional Committee co-ordinates speakers for Club lunches and dinners; journalist-focused activities are organised, including press conferences. Co-conveners: Tara Anne Joseph, Keith Bradsher and Nan-Hie In Finance Committee The Finance Committee supervises Club accounts and investments as well as members’ accounts. It sets overall financial policy and provides fundraising advice. Co-conveners: Timothy S. Huxley (Treasurer) and Florence De Changy Constitutional Committee The Constitutional Committee deals with issues relating to the Club’s M&As and rules. Co-conveners: Kevin Egan, Nicholas Gentle and Clifford Buddle Membership Committee The Membership Committee oversees membership applications, change
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of membership status, recommends honorary memberships and also puts together membership drives, particularly for local journalists. Co-conveners: Nan-Hie In, James Gould and Simon Pritchard House Committee The House Committee basically looks after the fabric of the Club. Co-conveners: Nicholas Gentle, Carsten Schael and Tim Huxley F&B Committee The F&B Committee – along with the GM and Chef George – looks after all food and beverage issues (prices, menus, special food and wine nights, etc.) Co-conveners: Andy Chworowsky and Juliana Liu Press Freedom Committee The Press Freedom committee monitors press freedom issues and issues statements (via the Board). It is also the co-
organiser of the annual Human Rights Press Awards. Co-conveners: Neil Western, Florence De Changy and Natasha Khan Communications Committee The Communications Committee supervises the bi-monthly production of The Correspondent, the FCC website and online content. Co-conveners: Angie Lau, Natasha Khan and Juliana Liu Wall Committee The Wall Committee selects and co-ordinates photo exhibitions that go on the Wall. Co-conveners: Carsten Schael and James Gould FCC Charity Fund Committee The Charity Fund Committee organises the annual FCC Charity Ball, the proceeds of which fund scholarships and language-training programmes. Co-conveners: Andy Chworowsky and Chris Dillon
COVER STORY
Greening of Asia Asia, particularly China, is an environmental disaster. Mark Clifford in his book “The Greening of Asia” – and at a FCC lunch – argues that there is a way out through a combination of business, government and civil society
AFP PHOTO / Peter Parks
strategies.
Smoke belching from a coal powered power plant on the outskirts of Linfen, in China's Shanxi province, regarded as one of the cities with the worst air pollution in the world.
A
s we all know, Asia has a lot of environmental problems. Mark Clifford, executive director of the Asia Business Council and formerly editor of the South China Morning Post and The Standard, a senior editor for BusinessWeek and the Far Eastern Economic Review, said he was staggered by the research into this book that showed just how bad it is. “I originally thought of calling the book 'The East is Black', first coined by Time correspondent Sandy Burton [of the FCC's Burton Room] more than 10 years ago, which the Chinese authorities didn't take kindly to,” he said. “I don't want to sugar-coat the problems, however the book is unabashedly a glass-half-full kind of book: we have got a disaster, but I think there is a way out.” While Clifford's book looks at all of Asia, his talk focused on China, arguably the most important country that needs to clean up. Coal is at the heart of global environmental and energy problems. China burns more coal than any other country in the world – about half the total every year – and is responsible for more than a third of the greenhouse gases that impact global warming. So, coal is bad on many counts: about 1.2 million people every year die from outdoor air pollution alone mainly through sulphur dioxide, 90% of which comes from coal emissions; 70% of China's carbon emissions are from coal; and although carbon dioxide is not a pollutant, it is a significant greenhouse gas. “In my book I focus on business and what business is doing because I think business day in and day out solves problems and takes challenges and makes opportunities out of them,” he said. “However, business does not operate in a vacuum, but as part of a three-legged stool of government, business and civil society.” Civil society in China, despite the enormous pressure it's under, is increasingly important. “You see a lot of localised protest against chemical and other highly polluting industries – though most of these are what I call not-in-my-backyard protests. “However, all of us saw the reactions to Chai Jing's quite stunning documentary 'Under the Dome', which was downloaded more than 300 million times in that first two-week period. It had an enormous impact. So much so, the government removed it from the Web. “This shows the importance of civil society, even in the Chinese context,” he said. “I think China is now moving towards taking action.” Clifford said that since 2007 the top leadership in China has made increasingly bold and assertive comments regarding climate change and air pollution. Like last November when Xi Jinping announced that THE CORRESPONDENT
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AFP PHOTO/ LIU Jin
AFP PHOTO / LILIAN WU
AFP PHOTO/GOH CHAI HIN
COVER STORY
Clockwise from left, Chai Jing, coal towers, windturbines, and solar panels. Published on Mar 10, 2015 If you censor a pollution documentary, clearly, no one will know China is polluted. The viral Chinese pollution documentary 'Under the Dome' has disappeared behind a wall of, no not smog – censorship. Created by former CCTV anchor and newswoman Chai Jing this documentary has been compared to Al Gore's 'An Inconvenient Truth'. But as China's pollution problem reaches apocalyptic levels, how long can the Chinese government pretend that it doesn't exist?
China's carbon emissions would peak by around 2030. “This is the first time China has a committed to a date, or even talked about it,” he said. “Although our research shows that it could be earlier than that, what is it going to take to get there?” Toward clean energy Clearly the climate wars are going to be won or lost on what China and the US – by far the two largest producers of energy – are going to do. “If coal use has to peak by the mid-2020s, we will probably need some sort of carbon tax to speed the transition away from fossil fuels. “As part of that transition towards 2030, clean energy will need to take up some 20% of the total – coal now is about 70%, so clean energy has to take some of that. “China is going to need 800-1,000GW of clean energy,” says Clifford. “If China, which now has about 200GW of clean energy, mainly hydro and 12
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some solar, builds the 1,000GW it needs, it's more than any other country other than the US. It’s an enormous amount of power to build. “While I am focusing on solar and wind, I don't want to ignore that clean tech for China includes hydro and nuclear energy.” In fact, China has the most ambitious nuclear energy programme in the world, though it will be a drop in the bucket given that by 2020 it is expecting to add 57-58GW from nuclear power – almost as much as France. So nuclear doesn't really move the needle for China. “Solar and wind are increasingly important,” Clifford said. “Already China is the world's largest solar panel manufacturer. It didn't actually use the solar panels domestically but exported most to Europe and the US until a series of what I would call protectionist moves made it much more difficult to sell into those markets.” In a way, that turned out to be a blessing in disguise, Clifford said, because it put a floor under the pricing for China's solar manufacturers and saved some from bankruptcy, although it has not been a profitable industry. “I say in my book that Suntech, which had been the world's largest solar manufacturer, went bust because it expanded too quickly. Suntech and other individual companies' loss in terms of profitability, has really been to the rest of the world's gain because we have seen
COVER STORY
solar prices fall by more than 80% because of China's manufacturing capability in the past decade,” he said. As the international markets have become more difficult, China has turned to the home market. “In the first quarter this year alone, it has installed 5GW of new solar capacity, which given the fact that Germany is the largest solar producer in the world with 38GW, it’s almost unbelievable.” Wind could be it At the end of 2014, China had, by far, the most wind capacity in the world at 150GW. “Although wind is extremely cost-effective – the second most costeffective after coal – China has some problems here because even though it has all this capacity, the US produces more electric power from the wind because it actually hooks the turbines up to the grid,” Clifford said. “A lot of the problems we see in other parts of the Chinese economy are writ large in the electricity grid sector. It's something that China has to do something about if it wants to reap the benefits of its investment in clean tech.” So, on a theoretical basis at least, the wind potential is almost limitless in China. Some US and Chinese researchers estimate that wind could meet all of China's electricity needs by 2030. “Of course, this is highly theoretical, but the point is the wind is there, it's cost-effective, and at this point
it's a matter of getting the grid and the policies right to make sure that these assets generate electricity.” Ten years ago China had almost no wind capacity domestically and didn't export wind turbines very much – a very different picture from solar. “However, China went through a really aggressive localisation programme where foreign manufacturers' share of the wind-turbine market went from about 78% to about 14% in under a decade as China did everything it could to create a domestic wind-turbine industry. “It's important to remember that though there are a lot of problems – profitability for individual companies and linking turbines to the grid – this is real and not just smoke and mirrors: China spent US$89 billion last year on clean tech (US in the low 50s).” Clifford said that what is also impressive is how the region – Asia ex-China – performed with spending more than US$60 billion on clean tech last year, about the same as the EU. Asia is playing catch-up, but it is putting in the money and resources; and it’s not only government initiatives and policies but a lot of corporate work as well. “What works best is when government, business and civil society work together; and that we are using prices as much as possible to drive change as opposed to super-detailed regulations. “And businesses are really giving the lead and direction to do what they do best, which is to solve this kind of problem,” he said. THE CORRESPONDENT
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COVER STORY
Hong Kong Park
How green was my Special Administrative Region By Gavin Coates
M
ay 6 1982: My first morning in Hong Kong. Desperate to brush my teeth after a night out at the Bull and Bear and Disco Disco, I staggered to the bathroom, turned on the tap and waited in vain. Outside was torrential rain the like of which I had never seen before, but like a latter-day, urban Ancient Mariner I had not a drop to drink. I mention water rationing, because this partly explains why so much of Hong Kong Island and the New Territories was not developed. Not only is it difficult to create construction terraces on mountains, but before Hong Kong could buy water from the Mainland, the water catchment areas and reservoirs were of critical importance and had to be kept free of development. It’s no coincidence that the Country Parks largely overlap with these catchment areas. Like many, I was astonished at the beauty and extent of the Country Parks only fairly recently established thanks to the governor, Sir Murray MacLehose. They and the other undeveloped hillsides, islands and beaches alone, endow Hong Kong with exceptional green credentials in terms of the proportion of protected land area. The New Town Development Programme was instigated in parallel with the establishment of the Country Parks and this really kicked things off for the landscape architecture profession here, with a lot of help from former FCC member Michael 14
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Kirkbride. Entirely new cities like Shatin rose from nothing, starting in the mid-1970s, followed by Tai Po, Fanling, Tuen Mun, Sheung Shui and Yuen Long. The Hong Kong new town programme was to some extent a transplant from the British new town programme, requiring landscape architects to design the open spaces, parks, housing estate landscapes, as well as the greening of the road and land formation infrastructure. Green times From 1982 I worked mainly on Tseung Kwan O New Town (formerly Junk Bay) and various housing
Yuen Long (1990)
COVER STORY
estates. I’m particularly proud of having been involved in the design of Yuen Long Town Park, completed in 1991. Unlike most other Hong Kong parks, which are terribly regimented, it is much freer; people sit on the grass, have picnics, play Frisbee, and relax, like in a real park. In the late 1980s I was involved with the preservation of the big banyan tree at Pacific Place between the Conrad and Island Shangri-la hotels. Around the corner, the waterfall and lake area of Hong Kong Park turned out really well; the main waterfall must feature in countless wedding photographs. Try knocking on the stone face and you’ll find it’s hollow – all artificial but very professionally so. At that time, I also started doing illustration and cartoon work, which became my main line of work until 2004. From 2000 to 2008 I drew the daily editorial cartoon for The Standard newspaper and a weekly cartoon for Hong Kong ComputerWorld from 1987 until 2004. For the past 11 years I’ve worked on a series of Greening Master Plans (GMPs) commissioned by the Civil Engineering and Development Department of the Hong Kong government. Although the scope of the GMPs was mainly restricted to the streets and roadsides, more than 20,000 trees have been planted so far, scattered all over the urban areas of Hong Kong and Kowloon. It really is quite exciting to be able to go around the city and check up on how they’re doing. The GMPs were great as far as they went, but did not change the layout of the city. They did not address circulation or land use issues. If you wanted to green Queen’s Road East, for example, the vehicular lanes would have to be drastically reduced in order to plant trees down the street. Then you are up against entrenched attitudes. When it comes to this topic our policymakers seem to be stuck in the 1950s. The rest of the world is moving on, and urban design is increasingly about pedestrianising, reducing traffic speeds, widening footpaths, and putting in bicycle lanes. In Hong Kong the streets are exactly the same as they were when I first saw them in 1982. There has been little positive progress, and it is a bit frustrating. Another area I would love to get my hands on is the ‘urban fringe’, that is the areas between the Country Parks up on the hillsides and the urban areas themselves. Many of these areas are former squatter areas which are now fenced off. They have tremendous potential to be developed as informal parks and woodlands, easily accessible to the urban population and dramatically improving accessibility – the slopes below Tai Hang Road, for example.
Connaught
Connaught
Luard Road
Luard Road
Road West
Road West
(before)
(after)
(before)
(after)
Yau Ma Tei typhoo waterfront n shelter north (after)
Photos by
Yuen Long (2007)
Gavin Coate
s
Yau Ma Tei typhoo waterfront n shelter north (before)
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COVER STORY
Good and bad Much has been achieved over the years and there is still progress, albeit painfully slow. The opening up of the Central Waterfront Promenade is a huge step in the right direction – after waiting 150 years people will finally be able to walk along the seafront from Central to Wan Chai.
By the way, that whole waterfront is zoned as a park, let’s just hope we don’t have to wait another 20 years or more for it to be built. The West Kowloon Park should finally appear in a few years, two decades after the land reclamation was carried out. Progress in urban planting is of course only one component of being green, and is frankly reduced to window dressing if the government persists with endless highway construction and massive, highly destructive projects like the rubbish incinerator proposed on Shek Kwu Chau island off Lantau. When you go back to your old projects and see people enjoying the environment, you see the trees you planted now mature, that is very exciting. Now, I am teaching landscape architecture at HKU. I hope to encourage students to be bold in their thinking, to develop a passion for plants, design, and to make a positive difference. All we need now is a CE with a green rather than reinforced concrete mindset.
Green story books I
n the grounds of the Eastern and Oriental Hotel in Penang stands, or at least stood, a truly magnificent tree. One that I could not identify, which for someone with an interest in trees, is always frustrating. I showed its impressive fruit to various people to no avail until the Tamil doorman proudly announced it was aptly called a ‘horseball tree’. The herbarium at Singapore later told me it was a Sterculia but somehow the first name was more evocative. The image of the tree and its potential progeny remained with me and when I was confronted with responsibility for my own progeny in the form of my newborn son, a story began to germinate. The result was my first illustrated book “The Last Nut”, dedicated to all children under the age of 125, which I bet includes you. I’ll let you discover the story yourself, and say only that it involves a nut that becomes a mighty tree and that the most important character can be seen in the mirror at the end of the story. The best way to distribute the book turned out to be by visiting schools, reading the story, and asking the schools to send out order forms afterwards. I quickly learned that the majority of children are way ahead of most adults when it comes to curiosity and concern about our environment. A second book “Pinky the Dolphin and The Power That May Be” followed, a story about the
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plight of the pink dolphins that live off Lantau, again ending with the mirror. This was followed by ‘The Search for Earthy’s Best Friend’ featuring a characterisation of our planet, with guess-who at the end of the story. These three books suit the 5 – 10 age group, other titles “Earthy Love” and “Earthy is Nuts About Trees” cater for younger readers or listeners. Other titles include “My Life My Chopstick”, which explores the futility of life as a single, megalomaniac chopstick, but ends with a happy pair. I have read these books to thousands of children and am always amazed by their incisive questions. I wrote and illustrated all the books and if you would like to find out more, please have a look at http://www.earthypublications.com/. FCC members are welcome to order from me directly. Gavin Coates
REPORTAGE
Vietnam vet's view of 40th anniversary Vietnam veteran and correspondent Paul Mooney returned to Vietnam to visit places he served in while on two tours with the US Army. As an award-winning correspondent he also looked at how the Vietnamese were celebrating the 40th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War.
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bout 18 months ago, George Fowler, Mike I was so obsessed with the poor strategy used Clatterbuck, and I – all three Vietnam veterans by the US that after I completed my first tour, I who met after the war – sitting in Berkeley, California, volunteered for a second one, anxious to serve as a decided to make a visit to Vietnam in 2015 for the military adviser to a Vietnamese unit, in the incredibly 40th anniversary of the fall naive hope of a 19-year-old of Saigon in April. that one young man could I was the first to arrive somehow have an impact and in the evening I went over the war. to the roof-top bar of the I met my friends the famous Caravelle Hotel following day to begin a to have a drink. Looking trip that would take us from down on the streets and the south to north, via Can buildings below, I recalled Tho, Tay Ninh, Da Lat, Hoi at the age of 18 exploring An, Hue, Dong Ha, Hanoi that part of the city on the and Dien Bien Phu. few occasions when I was It was to be expected that able to sneak in there from after close to a half century the field. The area is now everything we remembered unrecognisable. would be gone, but the This was where it all visit was still a rewarding began for me some 47 years one for us, although a bit ago. Vietnam changed my melancholy. life, although I would never With great difficulty have imagined where this and a lot of luck, I tracked Mooney as a soldier in Vietnam in 1968. experience would take me. down the home of a former I first became interested in journalism while Vietnamese friend in Ho Nai Village, Bien Hoa, who serving in Vietnam in 1968. I’d gone to Vietnam I hadn’t seen in 45 years. The only information I had feeling quite gung-ho about the war, so much so that was a tattered wedding invitation from 1970 which I dropped out of high school at the age of 17 to enlist included her name and the name of the church. We in the US Army, afraid the war would end before I spent close to two hours searching for it, without got there. luck. Just as I was about to give up, our driver found My unit, the 199th Light Infantry Brigade, had a an elderly woman outside a church and when she small trailer library in the base camp, with a large saw the invitation, she immediately pointed at the collection of books on the war. I read my way name and said, “I know her. I’ll take you to her through the library and found that these journalistic home.” accounts provided a more accurate picture of the We got there only to find out she was away. Dong situation in Vietnam than I’d gotten during my Thi Hong Phuc, also known by her Catholic name military training. Anna, was one of the many Vietnamese who came THE CORRESPONDENT
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to work at our rear base camp every day. I promised tended to the many Vietnamese and French who to return at the end of my trip, very happy that I’d were wounded during the fierce battle at Dien Bien found her family. Phu that led to the French surrender in 1954. He On the way to Bien Hoa, we passed through a welcomed us into his home, where he seemed happy place called Xuan Loc, where I’d to recall his days as a surgeon. spent many a night. George told We were amazed that these me that the final battle of the war veterans of the war were able to was fought here in April 1975, forgive and forget, but after all, and that a South Vietnamese they were the victors. unit had put up a fierce defence. On May 1, Mike and George When I got back to my hotel, I departed Hanoi for the US and looked this up on Wikipedia and I went back to Ho Nai Village, was saddened to learn that the about an hour’s drive from unit was the 18th ARVN (Army Ho Chi Minh City. I was a bit of the Republic of Vietnam) apprehensive because I wasn’t Division where I had spent my sure if Anna would remember me final months in Vietnam working – after all, 45 years had passed. as an adviser. We greeted each other, feeling a After I left Vietnam, I never bit awkward by the long years heard about the unit again. that had passed. Now I learned they had fought We posed for photos with heroically in the last battle of her family in the courtyard of the war and it was heartbreaking her sister’s house. And then to know that these men had we moved inside to take some performed so bravely, suffering photos together with Anna’s huge casualties, apparently mother, who was sitting on holding out hope that the her bed. Already 95, she is still US would at the last minute quite beautiful and elegant. somehow save them. Her mother held my arm and We visited Dong Ha, where smiled sweetly as we posed for Mike and I had both served, photographs. to find that the once sprawling Anna invited us to her house Dong Ha Combat Base had been for lunch, but we asked if completely erased except for one we could first look for Camp small aircraft hangar, where we Frenzell-Jones, our old rear area posed for photos. This was where base camp, named after the first Mooney with a North Vietnamese I landed in 1969 when I arrived in Top, two men of the unit who were veteran; below, Mooney with old friend Anna. the country for my second tour. killed in Vietnam. The entire area One of the highlights of the trip to Dong Ha was a has been commercialized, and all traces of the camp dinner with veteran correspondent Ray Wilkinson, a have disappeared. British citizen who emigrated to the US in the 1960s Anna’s daughters prepared large bowls of as a young man, and who enlisted in the US Marine Vietnamese noodle soup for us and we chatted Corps shortly after arriving. Ray was in Khe Sanh happily as we ate lunch. Her children asked to see during the major siege and also in Hue during Tet of my old photos. They were especially excited to see 1968. He left the Marines in Vietnam and immediately the scan of the tattered wedding invitation – the took up a job in Saigon with former employer UPI. family’s original had been lost in a fire. I promised to We had a wonderful dinner in a restaurant floating make a better scan for them. over the Cua Viet River, reminiscing about our time in I was relieved to be told that the family did not Vietnam during the war. suffer when the Communists arrived. All the people In Tay Ninh we bumped into be-medalled senior of Ho Nai were Catholics who poured across the Vietnamese Army officers who must have been our border into the south in 1954, afraid they would be adversaries in those days. Despite knowing that we’d persecuted in the Communist north. Many in the served in the US military, they insisted on posing for village had sons and husbands who served with the smiling photos together with us. And in Dong Ha, ARVN, and many also worked on Camp Frenzellwhere we stopped at a cemetery for Vietnamese who Jones. In Tet of 1968, Ho Nai was the site of major had lost their lives along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, old fighting. soldiers holding a memorial service, also insisted on Ho Nai remains a strong centre of Catholicism shaking hands and taking photos with us. (continued on page 34) In Hanoi, we met a Vietnamese Army surgeon who 18
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REPORTAGE
Old journos never die, they become the story By Marianne Harris
Marianne Harris
hey are still known as the most famous press corps in the world. The men and women who covered the Vietnam War for over a decade, their words and images creating a benchmark in reportage that is still recognised today. Back then they were called Bao Chi, today they call themselves the Peter Arnett (ex-AP), Stuart Dalby (ex-Financial Times), Loren Jenkins (ex-Newsweek), Vietnam Old Hacks and they stay Mathew Naythons (ex-SIPA), Tony Clifton (ex-Newsweek), Tim Page (ex-Time-Life) meet connected via their blog site, cat with government officials in Hanoi. herded by Carl Robinson (ex-AP). It was clear from the first night at the rooftop bar of for their reporting during the war; that got an the Huong Sen hotel, that during this week of 40th immediate response: “we just reported what we saw”. anniversary celebrations of the end of First on the agenda was a meeting with the the war, the Old Hacks would become the biggest Vietnam Veterans Association of HCMC. Hosted show in town. by Admiral Tran Thanh Huyen and a group of army The rooftop was bathed in TV lights, cameras officers, the room struggled to accommodate the Old catching every hug and handshake as they ambled Hacks and all the media crews. After long speeches in, arriving from all over the world. They have been and translations about that last day in Saigon, it was gathering here in Ho’ville every five years since 1995 opened up to a Q&A session. holding their own reunions, reconnecting with old They might be Old Hacks but they’ve lost none mates, reliving old memories and most importantly, of their edge – Jimmy Pringle (ex-Reuters) asked remembering absent friends. This was the first a question about the Spratley and Paracel Islands time the Vietnamese government had invited them and Tim Page enquired if they could help with the as special guests, all expenses paid and they were missing former media colleagues in Cambodia and treated like old friends with VIP status. (Also invited could he have access to a particular file that he had were fraternal media from Cuba, Hungary, Russia and learnt about. Algeria). At the official welcome they were thanked “I thought I am never going to get this opportunity again, we’re all getting old and would just like to resolve their fates,” Page said. The admiral and the generals conferred and gave Page what seemed a genuine promise to help. Pringle’s Q&A was sort of lost in translation. At the Palace, there were more interviews on the steps and the unexpected arrival of many old veterans, men and women representing every unit that took part in the war, for their own photo opportunity. They were delighted to find themselves there with the Old Hacks. A staple at all the reunions is a visit to the “REQUIEM/HOI NHIEM” exhibition at the War Remnants Museum to honour their old mates. Realising who they were, tourists tagged along Al Rockoff, Tim Page, Michael Ebert (representing Horst Faas), Nick Ut behind the camera crews creating a logjam inside the and Doan Cong Tinh meet on the steps of the War Remnants Museum.
Marianne Harris
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THE CORRESPONDENT
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Marianne Harris
REPORTAGE
Former FCC president John Giannini shoots Peter Arnett and Tim Page talking about Operation Starlite. Mathew Naythons & Barry Fox (ex-ABC) look on, at the palace.
exhibition. They had all lost friends whose photos were hanging on the walls. This is the only place that “REQUIEM” now hangs in perpetuity, albeit without the images from Cambodia. After a week of visits to the people’s achievements that included the Cu Chi tunnels, the Hi-Tech Agricultural Farm but not the promised container port or milk factory, the parade with over 600 accredited media on their own podiums, was almost an anti-climax. The Old Hacks were herded into the scrum of iPhone coverage mirroring the true liberation of today’s Vietnam – the new gods of capitalism, Honda and Apple. Ho Chi Minh beaming down on the event might have been squirming in his mausoleum while the fourth estate, über interviewed, held the high ground.
Veterans call last round in Phnom Penh By Max Kolbe
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arathon commemorations marking the 40th anniversary of the communist annexation of Indochina took their final bow at a party unlikely to win the approval of the patriarchs in Hanoi with survivors of a long march to the bar gathering at the home of Michael Hayes, founder of The Phnom Penh Post. Hayes noted the very intelligent and charming Denise Hruby, of The Edge Review, “brought a fantastic hors d'oeuvre platter, including hummus, baba ghannouj and diced carrots. Almost everyone else brought beer, which I don't usually drink.” Donations were liberally delivered by a host of war correspondents, old and younger, including Lindsay Murdoch of The Age in Melbourneand former AFP staffer and editor of the PPPost Seth Meixner. “And the ever thoughtful Jimmy Pringle brought a bottle of Cuban rum, which disappeared licketysplit,” Hayes, whose three-storey home once served as the PPPost’s newsroom, added. “People told me they had a lot of fun and good chatter. I don't know. I was too busy making sure the supplies didn't run out and the beer was cold. Nothing worse than whingeing old hacks.” The ageless Pringle arrived with his wife Millie and backed the convivial host: “I recall Michael, before he was really in his cups, with a white piece of cloth over his arm like a professional waiter, serving food and drinks, including lethal Havana Club rum. “He was also clearly imbibing the heavy stuff at the same time, because of the noted slur in his speech after a while,” he said. Like the photographers Tim Page and Al Rockoff, 20
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Pringle had travelled overland for commemorations in Ho Chi Minh City and Phnom Penh with the ranks of veterans thinning at each event. This included the likes of Hugh Van Es and Kate Webb. “An unusual observation was that there was very little pot being smoked, as it always had been a mainstay of old, with haze everywhere. Tim Page, the most famous of all the potheads in the old days, informed me he was not smoking pot on doctor’s orders. Is old age even creeping up on the hitherto ever-young Tim?” Perhaps, freelance journalist and academic Luke Hunt is a shining example of spotless behaviour, Pringle said. “But when you see Luke getting stuck into his second big plate of Michael’s home-made speciality, spaghetti bolognese; every one realised they would have to move fast to beat the ever starving Luke.”” “Our former Southeast Asia hand, Nick Cumming-Bruce, was on leave from France and Switzerland, and told us tales of derring-do in Geneva,” Pringle said with his tongue embedded in his cheek. “He was obviously pining to be back with his family in Southeast Asia. We were all grateful we still had a sanctuary in Southeast Asia, Chinese sabrerattling and all.” But for many, like Doyle, the amount consumed had its own issues. “I can't remember anything from the night. There were some great laughs -- about what I can't identify – and some great conversation, which I can't remember. All proof that it was a great night by a great host – Mike Hayes,” he said.
REPORTAGE
Roland Neveu revisits the fall of Phnom Penh Celebrated French photographer Roland Neveu marked the 40th anniversary of the communist takeover in Indochina by releasing a second edition of his book “The Fall of Phnom Penh”. Neveu was one of just a few reporters who remained in the Cambodian capital as the Khmer Rouge entered the city. He spoke with Luke Hunt.
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hat are the major differences between the first and second editions of your book? In short: New pictures, redeveloped text. I could check some facts and more information has become available from different forums. When going for that new edition, I wanted to bring a book with more text and more images and in fact it now has 216 pages which is kind of decent in regards to this story. There were some pictures I could add, but I still wanted to stay within a reasonable cost of production for the book as well as keeping the price tag under $40… it’s not easy today to produce a book when you go for just 2,000 copies in a print run. The pictures I added were an extension from the main take on the 17th of April… and it seems that I have exploited all from the films I took that day, which was only seven rolls of 35mm. About 250 pictures constitute the core of the book. Needless to say that in those days we were not blasting away on the shutter as it is done today. There was a big crowd by Cambodian standards for the launch, more than 150 perhaps, how has the crowd reaction been, there and elsewhere? In Bangkok, at the opening at the Soy Sauce Factory gallery, we had 600 people. This certainly shows there is interest in historical events. In fact I’m quite surprised by the number of people who turned out to the openings of the three exhibitions… I really thought that
the story could not bring that many people in anymore. But obviously I was wrong as, for example, at the Soy Sauce Factory, which is normally used for exhibitions of more modern, young photography, they had their biggest turnout ever with a mainly Facebook invitation base to which over 1,000 people responded. It was the same with the Alliance Française of Bangkok. I showed the most pictures there and filled up the mezzanine gallery. What is your advice to younger journalists covering conflicts today? Now, as it has always been, one must understand the story as much as possible from the start. The leadership from Cambodia is still on trial before a UN-backed war crimes tribunal while Laos and Vietnam still do not enjoy the same freedoms as they did 40 years ago. How successful has the experience with communism been? I don’t really see much success in achievement from wars! Back then you were among the younger breed of conflict correspondents. How difficult was that and what were relations like within the press corps? Well I think this is still valid today, that young reporters reach for the older guys for the sake of learning. I (continued on page 42) THE CORRESPONDENT
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CLUB MEETING
Your chance to vote on Articles' amendments
Now that proposed changes to the FCC's Articles of Association have been approved by the Registrar of Companies, a General Meeting will be held on September 8 to ratify those changes.
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our participation is encouraged so that important amendments that affect the future well-being of the Club can be debated and voted on,” said President Neil Western. “We also very much appreciate all the views and advice offered by members during the consultation process.” The proposed changes to the Articles followed a lengthy review period by Board members and a consultative meeting on March 11 which gave the Board a clear mandate to submit the proposed changes to the Registrar of Companies for approval. The bulk of the changes are non-controversial and ensure that we are compliant with the government’s new Companies Ordinance. However, there are also two Club-specific changes: amending the qualifying
period for Silver Membership to 30 years (instead of 20) proposed by the Board; and a motion initially proposed by a group of members to limit the terms of individual Board members to six consecutive terms on the Board. A majority of members representing at least 75% of voting rights of total votes cast is needed for final ratification at the General meeting. Members can vote by postal ballot, attending the meeting or by an approved proxy. Proxy forms can be obtained from the front office. To ensure that members are fully informed before the debate and vote on September 8, the issues of term limits for Board members and amendments to the Silver membership category are discussed below:
The case for term limits Why is it that governing boards of the world’s bestrun organisations impose term limits on board members? The answers are simple but apparently problematic in our beloved FCC where this debate drags on, Steve Vines said. “Let’s quickly run 22
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through why global experience shows the value of imposing term limits. First up is the obvious notion of avoiding stultification. Any organisation that is run by the same people for very long periods slips into the bad habit of accepting the less-than-satisfactory and being resistant to new ideas. This leads to the second point in favour of change which is that term limits allow governing boards to be replenished with people bringing a new eye to an organisation’s affairs. This in turn offers the possibility of exploiting
CLUB MEETING
a wider range of talent and expertise among an organisation’s members. The opponents of change say that new people are welcome to stand for election, but many “outsiders” are reluctant to put their names forward because they assume, rightly or wrongly, that incumbents will always prevail. Fourth, without term limits elections themselves become less and less relevant. At the FCC we are seeing a consistent decline in the number of people who bother to vote and thus participate in the governance of our Club. When asked, non-voters generally say something on the lines of, “I can’t be bothered because all we get is the same people”. In the last election the lack of interest in Board membership resulted in contests for only two sectors, an all-time low and a reflection of how stultifying our system has become. The opponents of change argue, with some justification, that term limits not only shows a lack of gratitude for long service but deprives the Board of experience and continuity. However, long service is no guarantee of best service. Moreover the changes under discussion, stipulating a six-year limit on membership, are hardly unreasonable and offer the possibility for long-serving Board members to take a break and come back, hopefully somewhat refreshed from a period of absence. There is no perfect governance system for organisations such as the FCC, but as a Club that
strives to be first class, it seems odd that we tolerate a second-class governance system that ignores the widely followed “best practice” of adopting term limits. Meanwhile, there are plenty of examples of what happens in organisations where there is no such thing as term limits. FIFA comes to mind in this context, an extreme example but one that follows the logic of an unchanging small circle running things.” Forty years of experience in journalism has shown Eric Wishart that it is desirable to regularly rotate positions to avoid people becoming stale or complacent and to bring in fresh blood with new ideas and a different perspective. “I’ve certainly benefited from that policy as I have moved forward in my career over the years. It helps creates a dynamic environment where established figures know they are on limited time and have to stay on top of their game before their next move, while the others know that opportunities will regularly open up. The same goes for the FCC, a dynamic Club with a constantly changing membership. Board membership should be a realistic goal for all who wish to contribute to the life of the Club, but the sight of the same faces being re-elected year after year can be a serious disincentive to becoming involved. Nobody is indispensable, and the Club can only benefit from a policy that guarantees a regular flow of new ideas.”
The case against term limits Kevin Egan recommends that you reject the proposal to limit the number of terms that a member of the Board of Governors may consecutively serve. “The FCC, as well as being a club, is also a company duly incorporated under the Companies Ordinance and each member of the Board is thereby a director of that company. The Club was incorporated in 1952 under the old (1931) Ordinance with its 367 sections and 24 schedules. The old Ordinance was replaced in 2014 by the new Ordinance with its 921 sections and 10 schedules, truly bringing Hong Kong’s corporate governance into the 21st century. Of note, however, is that in neither version of the Ordinance is there any term-limit requirements
imposed upon directors. Time limits are not, and never have been, the norm – they are the exception. Companies, like people, come in all shapes and sizes and it is critically important that we only compare like with like. On the one hand you have mega-corporations like Cheung Kong, New World, Hopewell and China Light and Power. Directorships in these types of companies are highly prized, actively sought after and well remunerated and it is in this type of company that one is more likely to find term limits imposed – to prevent directors from creating personal fiefdoms. On the other hand you have “tin-pot” little companies like the FCC. We, like the other Hong Kong clubs, are incorporated for sporting, professional or recreational purposes. We are not run by captains of industry. By law directors of the FCC are not entitled to receive any remuneration. There are no shares or shareholders. We do not pay any dividends. We are limited by guarantee only. What then is the level of interest in serving as an THE CORRESPONDENT
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FCC director? At the recent Board elections two members contested the presidency, four members vied for the two Journalist positions and nine Correspondents (only) contested the eight available vacancies. The 1st Vice-President, the 2nd VicePresident and the four Associate positions were all filled without contest because all were unopposed. To now seek to further reduce the available pool of talent by imposing term-limits when there is such a demonstrable lack of interest in serving, simply shows how out of touch the small cabal is that is advocating this change. The current system has served us well for 63 years and as the Americans say – “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it”! At the last Board elections only one in eight members
bothered to vote. This is an important issue. We need to do better than that. Please ensure that you attend the General Meeting in person to cast your vote, vote by proxy or by postal ballot.” At the March 11 special meeting, Tim Bruce suggested that there were already term limits of one year in place as each Board member has to be elected, or re-elected, by the membership at the annual elections. He also noted that the any member in good standing is eligble to stand for the Board. Irene O'Shea said that Board members were volunteers who worked hard for the Club and should not be asked to step aside just because they had served for six years.
Financial crunch from Silver Membership
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he Club faces a financial crunch arising from our Silver Membership scheme, which allows any member of 20 years standing an exemption from monthly dues on turning 65. This generous retirement perk was adopted in an era when life expectancy for the typical member was about 70; happily that has risen to around 82, and we have many members pushing into their 90s and beyond. As people work for longer and choose to stay in Hong Kong permanently, it has become clear to the
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Board that the scheme needs reform if the Club is to stay solvent. The result of an ageing population is that governments around the world are raising the qualifying age for pensions and other senior citizen benefits. In our own backyard, members’ clubs have chosen to revise or simply cancel programmes that exempt older members from paying monthly dues. Earlier this year, we conducted an actuarial modelling exercise to see how many members will
EGM
be eligible for Silver Membership and the financial implications that arise: (See chart) The next chart shows the revenue effect in the event that all eligible members took up the scheme. The black horizontal line shows the average net operating surplus of the Club in the past three years of HK$1.19m. The figures shown above each cluster of bar charts shows the total revenue that may be forgone as a result of the scheme. By 2018, our projection is that the “structural” operating surplus of the Club could be erased (our Treasurer actually thinks we will run a deficit in Fiscal 2015). The Board recognises the hazards of making any long-term forecast, but is convinced that the Club faces a genuine threat to its financial future unless action is taken. For this reason it is proposed that the scheme be amended so that eligibility rises to 30 years cumulative membership. Members would still remain eligible at age 65. The Board feels this is a fair proposal that addresses the financial implication in a decisive way, while allowing members the reasonable expectation that they may still benefit from the scheme. The Board recognises that some members may have genuine need of this scheme in their retirement years. As such, a discretionary approach will be applied to those who qualified under the 20 year rule and can show real need. Such provision will be made using the Life Membership programme as outlined in the Club’s articles. Simon Pritchard, Club Secretary, Co-Convener of the Membership Committee
From the Treasurer With monthly membership dues representing close to 45% of the FCC’s revenues, any significant decline in them will have a massive impact on the Club’s financial position. We only have three sources of revenue: F&B income, membership dues and joining fees from new members. With the Club now having pretty much reached capacity in terms of number of members, we cannot rely on the one revenue source that has allowed us to peg monthly subscriptions and F&B prices at current levels for so long. Inflation and the cost of running our premises are already putting strains on our finances. Losing the significant portion of subscription income which would arise from maintaining the current criteria for Silver Membership would see us having to either increase monthly subscriptions very significantly for non-Silver members or introduce much higher F&B prices which would impact all members, including those qualifying for Silver Membership. Tim Huxley, Club Treasurer
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ON THE WALL
No one should work this way: preventing the abuse of domestic workers Images by Steve McCurry
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teve McCurry is a highly respected documentary photographer known for his work in Afghanistan, Beirut, Cambodia, the Philippines, during the Gulf War, the conflict in former Yugoslavia and Tibet. During the past two years he has worked with Bangkok-based journalist Karen Emmons to document and expose the abuses experienced by migrant domestic workers. They photographed and recorded interviews with workers in Indonesia, the Philippines, Nepal and Hong Kong. They found cases of physical and mental abuse, child labour, forced labour, trafficking, rape and starvation. Some had been abused in their own countries, others had travelled elsewhere in Asia or to the Gulf states. The victims were male and female, young and old, educated and illiterate. What united them all was a toxic combination of desperation, poverty, and a lack of legal protection. The project was funded by the International Labour Organization (ILO) following a number of recent, high-profile cases that have brought attention to the scandal of domestic worker abuse. These include the Indonesian domestic worker, Erwiana Sulistyaningsih, who was abused in Hong Kong, and her fellow national, Isti Komariyah, who was starved to death by her Malaysian employers. In most countries domestic workers are not covered by basic workers’ rights legislation or protection systems. In 2011 a new International Labour Organization Convention specifically covering the rights of domestic workers came into force but it has only been ratified by 16 countries, and only by the Philippines in the Asia– Pacific region. 26
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ON THE WALL
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REPORTAGE
Nepal looks to tourism to help disaster recovery While Nepal may still be a disaster zone, the government is keen to encourage tourists to return to help revive the economy, reports Ingrid Piper .
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Photo by: Ingrid Piper
our days after being sworn into office on May 22, need remittances to keep coming, we need aid and and just one month after the massive earthquakes, assistance, but we need tourists to keep coming so Nepal’s new Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil our economy can revive,” he said. Aviation, Kripa Sur Sherpa, appealed for tourists to Flying through the dusty pre-monsoon haze return to Nepal. “Nepal is alive, 85% of our destinations are still open,” Sherpa said. Sherpa is the third tourism minister in less than 12 months, and despite the shortness of his tenure, he’d already toured Kathmandu’s heritage sites and started consultations to assist in their recovery. “We still have plenty of cultural heritage and adventure tourism. Adventure tourism can recover very fast,” Sherpa said. At first consideration, asking tourists to holiday in a disaster zone still experiencing aftershocks from the April 25 and May 12 quakes seems the last thing this nation needs on its road to recovery. As of June 5, the official death toll stood at more than 8,700, with 22,493 injured. Add to this the urgent need to house 3 Nepal Army bulldozer clearing rubble of a pagoda in Durbar Square destroyed by million displaced people before overdue April 25 earthquake in Kathmandu. monsoon rains arrive bringing with them the threat of even more landslides. hanging over Kathmandu, the Nepali capital looks But Nepal is a surprisingly resilient country. remarkably unscathed. On closer inspection, its maze While the world saw images of widespread of streets and ad hoc urban development sprawling destruction, according to Sherpa, the Dolpo, across the valley floor are dotted with bright flashes Humla, Manang, Mustang, Annapurna, Makalu, of orange and blue – tarpaulins housing those left Kanchenjunga, Chitwan, Khaptad and Lumbini homeless. On the ground, these tent cities cluster regions are safe and secure destinations, open and in open spaces in the city centre, on vacant land, in ready to welcome intrepid travellers. parks or where houses have collapsed. Anil Shah, CEO of Mega Bank Nepal, is confident Kathmandu’s hotels are operational, shops and adventure tourists will return quickly. “Most tourists businesses are open and roads are as chaotic as ever. who come to Nepal are young. They are high-risk Apart from a greater police and army presence, it takers from Europe, Israel, America and Australia. does appear that business and life go on. They came through the 10 years of insurgency and Journey into the UNESCO World Heritage-listed come September, they will come again. Next year, Durbar Square area – and Nepal’s cultural loss is people will be summiting Everest,” he said. breathtaking. The towering twin pagodas in the “Our economy is dependent on remittances, and square have crumbled and army bulldozers clear remittances are still coming from people overseas. We away the debris. The square used to be filled with
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THE CORRESPONDENT
Photo by: Ingrid Piper
REPORTAGE
Monks reciting mantras in the garden of the Maya Devi temple; recognised as the birthplace of Buddha in Lumbini.
thousands of fluttering pigeons, they too have gone. While Sherpa put the nation’s cultural heritage lossat 10%, it’s unclear where funding will be found for restoration. “The government of Nepal is bringing in a new budget, and that includes the rebuilding and reconstruction budget and the Nepali government is expecting more [money] from international donors for reconstruction of national sites,” Shah said. West of Kathmandu, the flat rural backwater of Lumbini was unaffected. The World Heritage listed site is revered as the birthplace of Buddha and the Maya Devi Temple, believed to be the site of Buddha’s birth, sits surrounded by grassy wetlands, monasteries and meditation centres. Lumbini is about to become home to Nepal’s second international airport – the Gautam Buddha Airport – following the signing of a US$60 million contract with the Northwest Civil Aviation Airport Construction Group of China. A sign at the airport entrance optimistically states that the first stage of the project will be finished in 2017. It’s anticipated the airport will then be capable
of handling 760,000 passengers, rising to six million a year in a decade. Plans are also in place to build two five-star hotels. Recognising the potential of promoting a site as significant as Mecca, Jerusalem or Bethlehem, the Nepal government recently granted Shyalpa Tenzin Rinpoche, a Buddhist lama of the Dzogchen tradition, a parcel of land in the Secret Garden to build a non-denominational peace centre, the Mahasiddha Sanctuary for Universal Peace. The Rinpoche plans to unveil designs for the sanctuary by German architect Professor Stephan Braunfels, renowned for his multi-award winning designs for the German parliament offices in Berlin, on November 1, in Lumbini. “I want to build this sanctuary in the name of all humanity. I’m here to build a refuge so everyone can feel this is a birthplace of peace,” he said. “My idea is to really build something that is universally recognisable as a symbol of peace not just for Buddhists, not just for Nepalese and not just for any country – something that can inspire. It will be not just a destination for Buddhists but a destination for all peace lovers.” Now that the tourist dollars have ground to a halt, Sherpa is keen to support the Rimpoche’s ambitious undertaking. “We hope that November 1 will be the rebirth of Nepal. We are a country that believes in rebirth. Our effort is to rebirth it into a better nation,” Sherpa said. After years of turbulence, Sherpa’s hopes for a better nation appear to have struck a cord within the country’s political factions. On June 8, after years of deadlock, the major political parties finally agreed to a new constitution creating eight provinces – a Photo by: Ingrid Piper
(continued on page 42)
Temple lion in Durbar Square in Kathmandu surrounded by debris from the earthquake (above). Collapsed home near Durbar Square one month after the earthquake, deemed unsafe to re-enter (right). THE CORRESPONDENT
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F&B
From the north... and the south
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t’s going to be a feast of food from both hemispheres over the next few months. From the north, Chef George has put together a range of Italian dishes to be served during August. However, come September the southern hemisphere steps in with a superb collection of dishes from Chile. As always there will be a fine selection of wines from both countries from the FCC’s cellar. The dishes pictured include, from Italy: Beef Carpaccio with shaved Parmesan & Rocket Salad (top right). Little Neck Clams & Fresh Shrimps with Linguine, Garlic, Herbs, Mushrooms and White Wine (top left). And from Chile: Herbs & Spices Marinated Lamb Rack with Charred Vegetables & Roasted Pine Nuts.
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THE CORRESPONDENT
HONG KONG
From Tiananmen to Occupy Central… and beyond Professor Michael DeGolyer has been an invaluable and highly accessible source of wisdom and analysis for the Hong Kong media for more than two decades. He came once again to the FCC to share his thoughts on Hong Kong’s past, present and future before returning to his native US. Jonathan Sharp reports.
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hen Michael studies at Hong Kong DeGolyer arrived Baptist University, has in Hong Kong in 1988, been director of the there was a widespread Hong Kong Transition perception that the city’s Project – a multi-national people cared little and team whose survey knew less about politics. research first pinpointed They were simply the city’s dangerous intent on chasing the “wealth gap”, “age gap” buck and looking after and the deep sense of themselves and their unfairness afflicting families. DeGolyer told Hong Kong people, a packed FCC Dining particularly the young. Room that he found The Project’s that notion extremely authoritative and puzzling. And that was voluminous research Golyer: Hong Kong people care about politics. before he witnessed has won an admiring the extraordinary reaction of many hundreds of audience far beyond Hong Kong’s borders, recently thousands of Hong Kong people hitting the streets being quoted, for example, in The New York Times. It following the June 4, 1989, crackdown on prohas also infuriated some, in particular the pro-Beijing democracy activists in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. “I newspaper Ta Kung Pao which, as DeGolyer pointed saw literally an ocean of people all over Hong Kong, out drily, has charged that because his Project was so not just in Central.” prescient in forecasting the Occupy Central action, it In fact, Hong Kong has continued to show over must have been plotting it. and over, with street marches and last year’s Occupy The people who should have paid more attention Central movement that its people know and care a to the Project’s work, in particular its clear warnings great deal about politics. They react in political ways ahead of last year’s outburst of protests and anger, when other methods fail to achieve policy changes. are the Hong Kong government. “What is driving DeGolyer made the eye-opening point that relative these demonstrations? It is certainly not a sign of to its size of population, Hong Kong has the world’s good government.” largest demonstrations. Proportional to population, He was also scathing about elements in Hong Kong the half million or so that turned out here on July 1, who, he said, have the greatest power but have the 2003, would equal 21 million in the US and about least real interest and concern in Hong Kong itself. 100 million in China. “In fact you may argue that, “They don’t see what is going on under their feet.” in terms of demonstrations, which are political acts, “Our research showed very clearly that there was Hong Kong is probably the most intensely political a very strong element of highly dissatisfied younger place on the planet.” people in Hong Kong that needed a mere spark DeGolyer, professor of government and international to explode.” THE CORRESPONDENT
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HONG KONG
He added: “So if Hong Kong was ever politically apathetic – and I don’t believe that – it sure as hell is not now.” One of the many issues he listed that were not being handled well was what he called intergenerational transfer, meaning that it used to be the case that older people transferred wealth to younger people in terms of health care, educational facilities and so forth. “But what we see today is a shift where it’s the young people who are increasingly being called on to provide for their parents and grandparents. Our problem today is not parents with children, but children with parents.” His research has found that there are even retired people in their 60s who are having to help their parents.
He castigated the government over its latest consultation document on political reform for failing to mention, not even once, the pluralist values and international standards which his Project showed were most highly valued in Hong Kong. “If you wanted to provoke people, and certainly younger people, it would be very difficult to craft a more provocative consultation report.” So can Hong Kong be repaired? DeGolyer cited fundamental problems that needed to be fixed, starting off with the corporate voting system in the nomination committee that decides candidates for chief executive. He said the current system was “really weird”. DeGolyer also called for a much faster rate of integration with the rest of the Pearl River Delta region, and an end to cronycapitalism. “We can’t be called the capital of crony capitalism.” On the subject of Hong Kong facing the risk of being overtaken by its mainland neighbours, a teacher in the lunchtime audience noted that eight years ago the mainland students in his classes were the worst performers. Now they are the most industrious, the hungriest to learn. DeGolyer commented: “We have no choice but to raise our competitive capacity, or we are going to be left behind. Shenzhen is leaving us behind. It’s not Shanghai or Singapore we have to worry about, it’s Shenzhen.” DeGolyer: If Hong Kong was ever politically apathetic, it sure as hell is not now. Is Hong Kong facing a violent summer? DeGolyer thought probably Above all, DeGolyer stressed, there is a profound not, “unless CY Leung does something stupid, and sense of unfairness, especially among younger people, you can’t discount that”. not just over the lack of genuine democracy but also Where now? the wealth gap, government-business collusion and DeGolyer said he was returning to the US to farm corruption. Most Hong Kong government officials (organically) in Washington State just south of the “sound clueless” and when they are informed about Canadian border. But he will keep his Hong Kong what’s really going on in Hong Kong “they don’t really Permanent Resident status. (Throughout his FCC talk strike you as caring very much”. he spoke very much like any Hong Konger, saying Looking ahead, DeGolyer painted a pretty what “we” people in Hong Kong should be doing and bleak picture. He said everybody is talking about what is happening to “us”.) reform, both in Hong Kong and China. “But if you In his new home he will be a short drive from are a person living in a situation that you feel is where he and his wife can enjoy excellent Chinese increasingly intolerable, all this talk about reform cuisine. And there’s a big mall not too far away only makes you more frustrated.” where announcements are made in Mandarin and The reforms that do occur seem to benefit only Cantonese as well as English. “That is where we go certain groups of people. “So you have a booming any time we feel homesick. It even has the crowds.” stock market and booming housing prices, and you The Hong Kong Transition Project will continue its find out that the only thing you can afford is an research although, after the barrage of denunciation efficiency apartment for a little over a million dollars. from Ta Kung Pao and others, DeGolyer said some of And if you are over six feet tall you can’t even lie his colleagues feel that “maybe we need to continue down in it.” our work under a different rubric”. 32
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SPEAKERS
What they said... It's been another busy period for speakers at FCC lunches, covering topics from reporting on China in the 1990s, Nepal's earthquake aftermath, press freedom in the UK and trouble in the Spratlys.
A tale of two Chinas diplomats who handled Chinese affairs, and contains China in the 1990s was a paradox. In the wake of fascinating footage of China from that time. the 1989 crackdown in Tiananmen Square, political repression intensified. At the same time, however, Rebuilding Nepal following Deng Xiaoping’s “Southern Tour” in 1992, On April 25, 2015, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake the country’s economy took off, triggering dramatic ripped through Nepal, destroying a half million social, economic, and even political changes. It was homes, killing over 8,500 people and injuring over a decade marked by the emergence of China’s first 16,000. stock markets, the massive migration of millions Binod Chaudhary, who spoke at an FCC lunch on of people from the countryside to the booming June 15, and his family are spearheading a campaign industrial centres on the coast, the rise of Shanghai through his charitable CG Foundation to rebuild as a new financial centre, and the development Nepal. Chaudhary is a leading philanthropist and top of a vibrant youth culture. It was also a period of industrialist in Nepal, heading the Chaudhary Group political transition and tension, with the death of which operates over 40 businesses employing 6,000 Deng Xiaoping, the Hong Kong handover, a thaw in people. Sino-American relations, and the emergence of the Chaudhary, who has been rallying support from Falungong. the international community, said the most urgent The film, “A Tale of Two Chinas”, presented at an need lies not just in raising money but in building FCC dinner on June 1 by Mike Chinoy, is the story a reliable support system that brings together of how the American press corps in China covered transport, housing, food and medical support for this critical decade. The film is the latest episode of the local population. He provided an update on “Assignment China”, a multi-part documentary film the latest from the ground, discussed how people series on the history of American correspondents in can help and spread the word, and reviewed the China being produced by the US-China Institute at actions he was taking to stem the crisis, rebuild the the University of Southern California. nation and bring back business and the trekking The lead reporter is Mike community. A passionate trekker Chinoy, a senior fellow at the himself, Chaudhary was worried Institute and former CNN Beijing that the global media was forgetting bureau chief and Senior Asia his country after the initial headlines Correspondent. following the earthquake. The film features interviews with journalists who covered Press freedom and the UK China during those years, experience including such well-known Journalism has never been more correspondents as Nicholas dangerous. Turbulent events Kristof, James McGregor, around the world have made press Lena Sun, Kathy Chen, Jaime freedom a battleground in the FlorCruz, Joseph Kahn, Marcus broader struggles for the rule of law Brauchli, Keith Richburg, Ian and democracy. Whether in Hong Johnson, John Pomfret, Rebecca Kong, Russia, the Middle East or MacKinnon, Craig Smith, the UK, journalists are in the firing Melinda Liu, Andrew Browne, line whenever state power clashes Horsley: dangerous for journalists Elisabeth Rosenthal, and many with pressures for accountable others. It also includes interviews with American government and people’s right to know. William THE CORRESPONDENT
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SPEAKERS
Horsley, former BBC correspondent and international director of the Centre for Freedom of the Media, University of Sheffield, argued at an FCC lunch on June 12, that the odds have shifted against press freedom as states have armed themselves with extra powers in the name of fighting terrorism and rising nationalism. Horsley said there were lessons that may be learned from the UK, where revelations about the government’s mass surveillance programmes had prompted alarms about the death of investigative journalism – even though Britain’s Freedom of Information law is seen as a model for others. The struggle for press freedom – the ‘mother of all freedoms’ – would depend, Horsley feels, not just on the wisdom of governments but on the courage of civil society and on the animal spirits of the Fourth Estate itself.
Pavin (centre):voters are increasingly alienated.
Thailand: coup, king and crisis The military coup on May 22 2014 overturned the elected government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, said Pavin Chachavalpongpun, associate
professor at Kyoto University, at an FCC lunch on May 27. For decades, the traditional elites, of which the military is a part, have long dominated Thai politics. This changed with the arrival of the Shinawatras who set huge socioeconomic changes in motion as well as empowering themselves politically which shook the old political structure. This started a power struggle between the old and new political forces, which was now reaching its peak because the era of King Bhumibol Adulyadej is ending. Haunted by anxiety over a future without the charismatic King, the traditional elites are vying to manage the royal succession and maintain their power position. Pavin looked at the motives behind the coup and the elite’s plot to ensure that the monarchy continues to be at the centre of power in the post-Bhumibol days. He said voters are becoming increasingly alienated by the military-led political process and expects large-scale violent protests. Pavin was forced to seek refuge from the Japanese government after the Thai military junta issued a warrant for his arrest for speaking out about the coup fallout. Most unpredictable election in living memory The failure of either Labour or the Conservatives to open up a clear lead, the likely severe losses of the Liberal Democrats, the unprecedentedly high levels of support for the SNP in Scotland, and the prominence of UKIP made the 2015 UK General Election the most unpredictable in living memory. Professor Charlie Jeffery, at an FCC lunch on May 21, explained this unpredictability and discussed what it means for the policies – and the stability – of the UK
Vietnam vet's view... (continued from page 18)
as it was back when I lived there – maybe it’s even stronger these days. Having been raised a Catholic, this was one of the reasons I became friends with so many from the village. As I was leaving, Anna asked me to bring my family back for a visit, and I promised that I would do that. I climbed into the car as the entire family stood waving. I was somewhat reluctant to have the visit come to an end. As the car was about to pull out, Anna motioned to me, and so I rolled down the car window. “It made me so happy to see you again,” she said suddenly, with a warmth that caught me off guard. Up until then, she’d seemed quite shy. I’d been conflicted about whether or not I should try to find a friend from so many years ago. But her kind words 34
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made me realise the trip had been worth the effort. My friends George, Mike and myself felt very sad that this epic trip had come to an end and we continue to chat about it, almost reluctant to let it slip away. But there is also a feeling that this experience has marked a cathartic end to a period of our lives that was to change us forever. Paul Mooney, who has received a number of Human Rights Press Awards, has reported on China and the region since 1985 for Reuters, Newsweek, the Far Eastern Economic Review, Eastern Express, and the South China Morning Post. He was based in Beijing from 1994-2012 and received 11 journalist awards for his writing on China. In 2013, the government refused to renew his journalist visa, ending his 18 consecutive years as a journalist in China.
SPEAKERS
government in the coming years. Jeffery, senior vice-principal of the University of Edinburgh, held a number of public advisory and consultancy roles. He had been an advisor to the House of Commons Jeffery (right): unpredictable election select committee on the office of the deputy prime minister and the committee on standards in public life. He was formerly a member of the UK’s Economic and Social Research Council (2005-11), chairing its research committee which looked at the future of Scotland. Sailing through troubled waters “Sailing Through Troubled Waters”, a 22-minute film by Emmy winning documentary filmmaker Tomas Etzler that focuses on a 12-day journey through the disputed Spratly Islands, was shown after an FCC dinner on May 20. Etzler, who has covered territorial disputes in East China and South China Seas for years, looked at the territorial tensions in East Asia as well as the challenges journalists face when reporting on these disputes. He gained rare access to the islands of Lawak, Parola, Pagasa and Ayunging Shoal. The video examines the territorial disputes between the Philippines and China, and features interviews with Philippine Marines stationed in the Spratlys, civilians living there as well as Philippine government officials. This documentary was accompanied by two short videos: “Chase on High Seas” filmed at Senkaku/Diaoyu Etzler: territorial tensions. Islands, which were at the centre of a territorial quarrel between Japan and China in the East China Sea; and “Trip to Scarborough Shoal”, which showed the devastating impact the territorial disagreement between the Philippines and China has on local fishing communities. Etzler, a freelance news correspondent, producer and a documentary filmmaker, joined CNN in 1999 and covered wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and other
major events in more than 60 countries, including the assassination of Osama bin Laden. Between 2007 and 2013, Etzler was based in China as a CNN freelance producer and a correspondent for the Czech National Television. How money is laundered in Hong Kong After over 25 years at the global forefront of money laundering and financial crimes, Bill Majcher shared his observations on the prevalence and ease by which illicit capital flows and financial crimes were carried out in Hong Kong at an FCC lunch on May 14. He discussed specific money laundering and financial crime techniques he personally utilised during his covert career and drew parallels to current activities taking place in Hong Kong and China. Majcher has survived an adventurous and successful career working with Canada's Royal Canadian Mounted Police and various other foreign agencies – including the FBI – in undercover capacities to Majcher: crime techniques. investigate drugs, homicides and money laundering. He was also a former Eurobond and futures plus options trader and broker. The secret agenda of Xi Jinping Veteran Sinologist Willy Lam, who has just published “Chinese Politics in the Era of Xi Jinping”, spoke about the career, ideology and statecraft of the fifthgeneration leader Xi at an FCC lunch on May 15. Lam looked at Xi’s bold strategy to perpetuate the Chinese Communist Party’s “perennial ruling party” status – and how the 61-year-old princeling could emerge as the “Mao Zedong of the 21st Century.” He also talked about the Xi administration’s game plan for displacing the US as the ultimate arbiter of the Asia-Pacific region in the coming decade or two; the charismatic strongman’s anti-corruption campaign; his efforts to erect a personality cult around himself; and the Xi team’s ambitious global power-projection policies such as the “One Belt, One Road” gambit. Lam, senior fellow at the Jamestown Foundation, a foreign-policy think tank in Washington, taught Chinese politics and foreign policy at the Center for China Studies at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He is a former China writer and editor at the South China Morning Post and CNN. THE CORRESPONDENT
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THEN and NOW
Hollywood Road, Lyndhurst Terrace and Graham Street 1974-2015 Images by Bob Davis In the 1970s the corners of Hollywood Road, Lyndhurst Terrace and Graham Street were an eclectic and colourful buffer of family-owned dry goods and sundry stores, market stalls and popular local restaurants, squeezed between the antique stores on Hollywood Road, the encroaching Central CBD and the 150 year old Graham Street Central Market. This was the original location of the Xing Yan Lou Western Restaurant, the historical meeting place of Dr. Sun Yat-sen when he was studying at the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese and a refuge for fellow Chinese revolutionaries. It was also the location of the popular Tai Cheong Bakery, made famous by Governor Chris Patten for the “best egg tarts in the world” over three generations from 1954 to 2005. Today, high rents and urban development have forced the old shops, stalls and traditional restaurants out, to be replaced by the glitzy, cosmopolitan restaurants, bars and boutiques of the ever-expanding Soho and Lan Kwai Fong entertainment hubs. Central Market has been closed for a controversial redevelopment by the Urban Planning Authority and old, historical buildings torn down to make way for modern high-rises and even higher rents.
© Bob Davis. www.bobdavisphotographer.com
1974: A family-owned dry goods and sundry store on Hollywood Road, typical of the area in the 1970s. The shop front and godown were located on the ground floor with the family living above on the upper two or three floors.
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2015: Today, redevelopment, commercial high-rises, coffee shops, travel agents, trendy restaurants, bars and boutiques have replaced the historic family owned homes and businesses.
THE CORRESPONDENT
PRESS AWARDS
Kevin Lau tells it like it is K
evin Lau, the Ming Pao editor who was attacked by knife-wielding assailants last year, slowly climbed up the curved staircase to the FCC’s Hughes Room the morning of May 9, before delivering the keynote speech at the Human Rights Press Awards. Lau was assaulted in February 2014, soon after he had been removed as chief editor of Ming Pao. The paper under his leadership had covered topics like patriotic education and Hong Kong’s democratic development. Ming Pao also worked with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists to look into the offshore assets of China’s leaders – a highly sensitive issue with Beijing. The night before Lau’s FCC talk, he spoke at the Hong Kong Journalists’ Association’s fundraising ball, where he detailed his long and painful recovery. Lau, who has not given one-on-one interviews with any media since his attack, spoke frankly at the Club about why now was both the “best and worst time to be a journalist in Hong Kong”. “How often do you see a veteran journalist who had been the chief editor of an influential newspaper being brutally attacked with a chopper outside a public park in broad daylight?” said Lau, who has worked in Hong Kong journalism for 25 years. He listed other major incidents from the past year and a half: mainland Chinese corporations withholding ads from politically critical media; a news website closing down for fear of reprisal; a highly popular and outspoken radio host being fired; and more than 100 journalists from a major broadcaster criticising their channel’s decision making. “Do you think it is pure coincidence?” he asked. His last point referred obliquely to TVB, which broadcast one of Occupy Central’s viral videos. The blurry, dark footage showed Hong Kong police officers dragging an unarmed protester – later identified as Civic Party member Ken Tsang – into a dark corner and beating him. TVB was widely criticised for changing the voice-over and captions to take out references to the beating. Eric Poon, a veteran RTHK producer and Chinese University associate professor, commented on the TVB video in his capacity as a HRPA judge in Chinese-language broadcasting. “One of the most
Kevin Dharmawan
By Joyce Lau
important works this past year was not actually entered in the Human Rights Press Awards,” he said, explaining why the judging panel could not give it the Award they wanted to. “These TVB journalists used the medium of television to show to the public what was hidden in the shadows. I would like all of us to give those individuals recognition. “I hope these Awards will encourage journalists to continue producing good news reporting,” he said. “This is the only way to preserve the Hong Kong we know.” Lau was also frank about the political and financial pressures that critical journalists have increasingly faced over the past decade. “The alarm bell has been rung again and again,” he said. Standing beside the stage were about a dozen volunteer interns from local journalism schools. They watched with rapt attention as Lau addressed the question of whether they should join the profession: “The sad reality is that in many respects now is probably the worst time to be a journalist in Hong Kong,” Lau said. “But, nonetheless, I advised them to go ahead and become journalists if they are really interested in news reporting. Why? Because in other respects now is also the best time to become a journalist in Hong Kong with an eye on the future. “Hong Kong will maintain its role as an international financial centre,” he added. “As we all know, a truly international financial centre must maintain an environment where there is a free flow of information. You cannot shut Bloomberg down. You cannot ban Facebook or Twitter or YouTube. Last year when the Apple Daily’s highly popular news website was paralyzed by hackers, apparently coming from the north, they decided to upload all their digital news onto Facebook and YouTube. Unless you could shut down the entire Internet, you could not stop them from publishing their stories.” “Digital news is a totally new ball game,” he concluded. “Young journalists have nothing to lose if they dive into this trend right now. So, in this respect, now is the best time to be a journalist of the new media in Hong Kong.” Joyce Lau is the HRPA’s coordinator. For more information and a full winners’ list, go to HumanRightsPressAwards.org THE CORRESPONDENT
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TRAVEL
A fast drive in the country Needing to escape work, Hong Kong – and the FCC election – Tim Huxley headed to France for five days in a 50-year-old sportscar.
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t’s like going into a sauna wearing a duvet, putting on a pair of headphones and listening to two-dozen ball bearings in a liquidiser. For five days.” That was how one competitor described to his wife what it was like to take part in the Tour Auto, a 2,000km motor race through the French countryside which takes place each April. The event pays homage to the original Tour de France Automobile, first run in 1899, but which in its heyday from the late 50s to the early 70s was unique and one of the most prestigious motor sport events in Europe, combining road sections, races and special stages. The modern ‘retro’ edition, now in its 24th year, saw 230 cars from the late 50s to early 70s compete in a route from Paris to Biarritz on the Atlantic coast. I was acting as co-driver to fellow FCC member and experienced racer Richard Meins in one of the most iconic racing cars of the 60s – the Ford GT40. Our competitors on this adventure included many leading lights of European historic motor sport, a few former Formula One drivers and even a sprinkling of showbiz stardust in the form of 80s pop idol Simon Le Bon. The co-driver’s primary job was to give navigation instructions to the driver from the detailed road book
we were handed on the eve of the event. The noise in the cockpit is such that intercoms are required to hear each other and with no creature comforts such as air conditioning and a five-litre engine barking just inches behind our heads, comfort was in short supply, especially as we headed to the sunnier climes of the South of France. Negotiating the Paris rush hour after the 6.30am start was always going to be fraught, and when I made the wrong call on directions, necessitating a three-point turn, we not only discovered reverse gear didn’t work, but also that we had a problem with the battery, which was going to make starting the engine a real difficulty. Having sorted out a temporary fix which involved lashing a spare battery between my legs and with no more navigational screw ups from me, we had climbed as high as third place towards the end of the first day, but on the run to the overnight stop in Vichy, we were sidelined by a suspension failure. Again, roadside repairs got us going, but penalties incurred for arriving late at the check in had dropped us to the bottom of the top 50. After a snatched five-hour sleep, we were back on the road, intent on an epic fightback. With Richard winning the second day’s race at Clermont Ferrand and with top 10 times on the special stages, we had clawed our way back into the top 20 by the end of day two.
Huxley (right) with co-driver Richard Meins in their Ford GT40. 38
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Photos by Julien Michels and Chris Lillingston-Price
TRAVEL
Game on As we headed south at the mid-point of the event, our aim of a top-10 finish seemed easily achievable, but at the next race held near the city of Albi, Richard was streaking away in the lead when a puff of smoke indicated something major had failed – the gearbox had broken and lost all its oil. Luckily, our service team had a spare, but the four hours required to change it meant another heavy penalty had been incurred by the time we eased into Toulouse at 1:30 am, so we were back in 39th place. With not much chance of improving over the remaining two days, our ambition was now to see the Atlantic at the end of the event – something I had failed to do on my previous two attempts at this race. While the crowds lining the course suggested this was a hugely popular event (as well as suggesting people in France get a lot of time off work), it was evident that there were probably just as many people who didn’t embrace the spectacle and maybe events such as this are close to their sell-by date. Three years ago, the Presidential gendarmerie motor cycle squad escorted us through the countryside at high speed as they made a recruitment film. This year a dozen competitors were thrown out for excessive speed on the road sections. Perhaps having close to US$250 million worth of exotic motor cars, co-sponsored by a Swiss private bank, pounding through the countryside is not quite in keeping with austerity France.
With the driver, co-driver and car having a combined age of over 150 years, it was inevitable that some things would creak a bit, but we did finally make it to Biarritz on the fifth day with no additional dramas, other than having to jostle with a herd of goats on one section. With Richard having notched up another win at the final race and with a high attrition rate across the rest of the field, we had climbed to 35th place by the finish. Forgetting about the frustrations of our mechanical gremlins, without which we would have been a top-six contender, it was a magical way to see France, and with concentration being required every step of the way, it was a much better way to forget about Hong Kong than lying on a beach. THE CORRESPONDENT
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Kees Metselaar
ARCHIVES
Malta's archived tech teaser Vaudine England and Kees Metselaar discover a hidden trove of archival and technological treasures in Malta.
L
ike Hong Kong, Malta’s multiple pasts and presents have been determined by its astounding waters. The deep harbours and protective cliffs attracted settlers from neolithic times, through the Roman empire, to French invasion and the long residence of the Knights of St John. Also like Hong Kong, the global trade routes of the early 19th century brought Malta into the British empire (in 1800). Malta straddles the narrow middle of the Mediterranean, with north Africa on one side and southern Italy on the other, making it a crucial junction in networks of international trade and migration. Its most dramatic recent role was as a vital allied base during World War Two; post-war self-rule became independence in 1964 and membership of the European Union in 2004. Living reminders of these many ages of Malta are everywhere on its islands, alongside its beaches and windswept ruins, cake-rich cafes and island life. With its history as a British colony too, little wonder that Hong Kong people have long seen it as a potential second home. Another treat is found deep underground that shows how this tiny territory coped with extreme adversity: the Lascaris War Rooms.
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----------------Cold air whistling past her ankles for which silk stockings are but a distant memory, the telephone operator listens carefully to the hisses and shrieks coming down the line. She has hardworn headphones on her head and faces a panel of knobs and wires, into which she is plunging plugs on leads. Engulfing her is the noise of reconditioned fans, rescued from a sunken warship in the harbour, now pressed into new service to avert suffocation in dungeons lying 40 metres underground. Two years of digging by hand and pickaxe made these rooms, with chains of people working at night to dump the excavated limestone within the ruins of the island’s cliff face. Now, in 1943, it’s a combined operations room for the allied war effort in the Mediterranean. At last, she has the information, gleaned for her from the radar stations around the shores of Malta’s main island, and neighbouring Gozo. Last year, the message might have been about a stray ship from a convoy surviving the Italian-German barrage, soon to limp under the golden cliffs of Valetta harbour. But now the push is on – it’s the Sicilian job. Generals Eisenhower and his Supreme Commanders Admiral
ARCHIVES
Kees Metselaar
Cunningham, Field Marshal Montgomery and board ships to the desert war forces, readying them Air Marshal Tedder are in the next room, plotting for their next moves. Once the ships dock, perhaps Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily that will start near Alexandria or further along the coast, the courier the retaking of Europe from the Axis powers. riders kick their bikes into gear and ride off urgently to Shifts hours are long, the noise exhausting, and hand-deliver their messages to other generals deep in either the heat or cold intense. It really matters that this desert encampments or on the move. young woman gets the facts down correctly. Scribbled ----------------on a sheet of paper are the salient points – this column Those desks, the wooden file trays, cranky old there, that flight there. Then she leaves the hissing telephones and swivel chairs are still there. So are the knobs of the telephone panel and moves to the louvred generals’ arm chairs up in their mezzanine cock-loft, window panes that divide her cubicle from the Lascaris and the basic bunks on which telephone girls can War Room – the hub of this vital war effort. rest between shifts if it’s too dangerous to go home. Not for her the instant ping of a message, or the The telephone exchanges and the louvred metal inputting of data onto a screen which the generals panels which carry the coloured metal tags are still next door can immediately access. No. She picks up there. So too are the huge maps. a series of bent pieces of metal, each with its own Astoundingly, this trove of past technology, this colour code to indicate ship, plane, tank or column story-through-objects of how a war was fought and of fighting men. The won, was long thought louvred window, of yet lost. As Malta recovered more recycled metal, is from some of World like a permanently halfWar Two’s biggest open Venetian blind. bombardments and When she slots a metal excruciating sieges little tag over the ‘blind’, thought was given to the generals across the saving or displaying this next room can see the tiny part of the territory’s colour codes. No words long, rich past. are necessary, which is 1945 was soon just as well, as the noise followed by the onset of from the ventilation the Cold War, a conflict fans, the sirens, in which Malta was sometimes the muffled destined, yet again, to crump of a hit above play a vital part. It was ground, the press of these rooms that served The underground Lascaris War Rooms. people rushing through as a key surveillance these rooms, would risk base following Soviet all manner of miscommunication. Those in the next submarines through Europe’s waters. It was on these room can read the story told by the coded metal tags. walls that NATO commanders pasted up their own Here is a mezzanine floor where the big men are maps of a new phase of military technology, feeding crouched in their deep armchairs. Below them is information to allies in new ways. a vast table on which an outline of this part of the Then, and only then, when the NATO maps were Mediterranean is painted. Another clutch of young torn down did the physical history of this earlier men and women are manipulating long sticks with World War Two emerge – to the great surprise of miniature shovels on the end of them, interpreting the Maltese custodians. With NATO gone, those those colour-coded metal tags up there on the coloured metal tags were found, the louvred windows into the movement of ships, planes and windows reinstated and, best of all, the mouldy people on the islands and seas of southern Italy and walls uncovered to reveal those vast painted maps on north Africa. which the retaking of Europe was planned. Completing the picture, long before 3D screens Out of a disused storage room came the old were invented, is another vast map from floor to desks and telephones, the armchairs and telephone ceiling on the wall to the left of the generals. Here cables. Now visitors can wander around these maps is the big sweep of events in a perspective which and imagine the lives of those at war. Soon too, a cannot fail to show the generals their strengths and separate display will recreate the NATO life of these weaknesses. Along the wall opposite the big map underground chambers. are solid old wooden desks where commanders of Those archiving today’s technologies face greater air, navy and army feed into, and off, the feverishly challenges in finding ways to hold on to each new humming information machine. stage in the information revolution. As the war rooms A fleet of motorcycle riders awaits slips of orders in Malta show, that revolution goes back much which they will carry, along with their bikes, on further than our lifetime. THE CORRESPONDENT
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Nepal looks to tourism... (continued from page 29)
significant step forward made reality because of the need to rebuild in a planned and strategic manner. Communist Party (UML) General Secretary Ishwar Pokhrel sees the disaster as an opportunity for large-scale land reform looking at zoning residential, industrial and farming areas and planned integrated resettlement. “Nepal is united, Nepalese political parties are united and the Nepalese people are united. If you want to help our country, please visit Nepal,” Pokhrel said. Anil Shah is another who sees the quake as presenting an opportunity for significant social change. “We need to build modern communities with hospitals, schools, water and sewage to withstand another earthquake. We may have another earthquake down the line.” Worldwide response to the disastrous earthquake was swift; India and China were among the first nations to participate in rescue operations. Not all aid has been well received – soiled used clothing and the odd combination of food aid in the form of peanut butter and mayonnaise (prompting great laughter –
what is this? Is it dessert? Do we put it in rice?) has also reignited nationalist feelings. “What you must realise about the Nepali people is that our nation has never been conquered. We have never been colonised, we’re a proud people, it is very hard for us to put out our hand and say we will sit back and take your assistance,” Shah said. That being the case, tourism and the steady flow of money back into local households from remittances (25% of the country’s GDP) will become even more essential as families left homeless seek to pay back their low interest housing loans. On the midnight flight, one month after the first quake struck Kathmandu, dozens of reed-thin men, wearing freshly ironed shirts so crisp the sleeves still had knife-edge pleats in them, crowded the departure lounge at Tribhuvan International Airport. Clutching brand new passports they looked disorientated and apprehensive. Although they probably don’t realise it, these young men are the backbone of Nepal’s economic recovery. But like Nepal, they face an uncertain future.
Roland Neveu revisits... (continued from page 21)
was not afraid of going to people like Don McCullin and P. J. Griffiths for advice. When I met Don on my first trip to Cambodia in the summer of 73, in the fields beyond Samrong, and at a cafe in PP… he didn’t give much advice, only that one has to understand the story to be able to bring images and be courageous enough to hang around the madness of war! I understood that he was very dedicated to his work… I also met him later in Beirut as we were both working for Time (magazine). I liked the man even as he painted the world as very bleak. What was the most memorable moment for you on the day the Khmer Rouge entered Phnom Penh? Being there and first of all witnessing the end of a war.
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Will you be back for the 45th and 50th anniversaries? I think so, but I still have to finish my book in the Khmer language for a real reach into a younger Cambodian audience. Well, this is my next goal in short… I’ve got to reach the Khmers of the young post-KR generation and bring them this bit of visual history… but it’s not that simple to have a project funded, as this is what I would like. The book is already translated into the Khmer language, but now I have to find a way to produce at least 4,000 copies to put in every school in Cambodia (about 3,600 of them). I have the promise of help from Youk Chhang of The Documentation Center of Cambodia, but there is a lot of work to do to achieve that project!
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LAST WORD
Not a red carpet in sight By Gloria Cheung
I
believe I have a healthy obsession with cinema. Every year I like to watch all the Oscar nominees for Best Picture and make my own bet. I wouldn’t mind queuing up at the Hong Kong Film Archive for a glimpse of the restored classics by Alfred Hitchcock. But I had never been to a film festival. So when I was given the opportunity to attend the Far East Film Festival (FEFF) in Italy this April as the student essay Gloria Cheung (second from the right) and fellow FEFF Campus participants. winner from the Human Rights films such as “Spirited Away” and “Departures”. His Press Awards, I couldn’t have been more excited. music was elegant and melancholy. To hear it live was Thanks to the generous FCC sponsor, I got to a true privilege. participate in the FEFF Campus programme, which Naturally, Hisaishi was surrounded by eager was designed to host nine young journalists from journalists in his press conference. To my own Europe and Asia. Besides partaking in workshops surprise, I worked up the nerve to raise my hand. And about journalism and filmmaking, our mission was even more miraculously, the moderator picked me. to publish a newsletter about special events and “Since you’ve received the life achievement award, screenings during the festival. how would you want the world to remember your I have always wondered what it’s like to cover a film music in 50 or 100 years time?” I asked, while festival. Naively, my idea of it was constructed upon trying to look calm. Hisaishi listened to the Japanese red-carpet images taken from Cannes with the press translation closely, then chuckled and nodded. elbowing each other for interviews. And whenever And the answer? He said he never looked back. He I told friends and family about my adventure to the actually felt weird performing all the old songs again. Italian film fest, they would immediately associate it There was also Jackie Chan, whose blockbuster with the glamorous one in Venice. “Dragon Blade” was the opening film for the festival. ‘No, it’s in Udine, a town two hours away from Accompanied by two bodyguards, he emerged Venice,’ I would say. Not knowing what to expect, I wearing a pair of large sunglasses and a lime-green arrived at Venice Marco Polo Airport at midnight on shirt. The Italian crowd clearly adored the action April 22. A yellow hybrid car with the logo of “Far superstar and rushed up for photos and autographs. East Film Festival” greeted me at the car park. That was the closest to a media frenzy I saw at FEFF. It turned out the Far East Film Festival was The rest of the festival was great exposure neither about red carpets or lavish couture. It was an for young journalists. The Campus programme authentic yet vibrant gathering of people who share encouraged us to interview filmmakers and actors a passion for Asian cinema. More than 100 movies while giving us real access to do it. For example, I’ve picked from Hong Kong, China, Japan, Korea and had sit-down conversations with legendary Hong other Asian countries were shown in the course of Kong producer Nansun Shi and Japanese indie star two weeks. Most of them were either commercially Sakura Ando. Another interesting experience was successful or critically acclaimed in their home going to an industry event “Ties that Bind” where countries. Between screenings and talks, you would investors, producers and directors got together to find filmmakers, actors and audience sitting side by discuss potential film projects. side to chat about films over cups of cappuccino. Like most cinéphiles, I never feel like I’ve watched Nonetheless, the festival was not short of renowned enough movies. This opportunity not only treated guests. Japanese music master Joe Hisaishi was me to a feast of Asian films, it also gave me close presented a Life Achievement Award by FEFF. And I encounters with people behind the scenes and taught got to attend the gala concert conducted by Hisaishi me how to report in unexpected circumstances. which showcased the music he had composed for
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