090611 - Initiative to repair rundown buildings receives big response from owners

Initiative to repair rundown buildings receives big response from owners

The government's initiative to repair dilapidated residential buildings has received an overwhelming response from building owners. About 1,100 buildings with owners' corporations have applied to take part in Operation Building Bright, more than double the places available, Secretary for Development Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said yesterday. Under the scheme - launched in March - the government will spend HK$1 billion to renovate 1,000 residential buildings that are more than 30 years old - 500 structures with owners' corporations and 500 of those without. At the close of applications yesterday, the Development Bureau had received about 1,100 applications from buildings with owners' corporations, with applications from Yau Tsim Mong district topping the list at 27 per cent of the total, followed by those from Sham Shui Po district at 12 per cent. "Obviously our supply cannot meet the demand," Mrs Lam said. She urged lawmakers to approve an additional HK$1 billion for the programme, a sum the government is seeking as part of handouts announced last month, and which is tabled for Legislative Council discussion next month. The extra billion dollars is expected to benefit a further 1,000 buildings and create 10,000 more jobs. Mrs Lam said the sum should be enough to meet demand. Work will start in the autumn at the soonest. The district councils have nominated 500 buildings without owners' corporations for the scheme. Some of the 500 are among 226 blocks that will receive the subsidy, because they have already been earmarked for repairs by the Buildings Department. Yau Tsim Mong district councillor Hui Tak-leung urged the government to set up a central system to appoint contractors for the repair work to prevent corruption. Funds made available through the scheme will be used to repair common areas related to structural safety and sanitation, including concrete, external walls, windows, vent pipes and underground drainage. The owner of each unit of a building taking part in the scheme can receive - without going through asset or income means testing - a grant amounting to 80 per cent of the repair cost, subject to a ceiling of HK$16,000. Buildings in urban areas with an average rateable value exceeding HK$100,000 a year, and those in other areas with the value exceeding HK$76,000, are not eligible for the programme.

email forum 090611 - Do sales brochures mislead flat buyers?

Do sales brochures mislead flat buyers?

A long time ago, when I was trying to buy a flat in Hong Kong, I got sales brochures from an estate agent in Pok Fu Lam.

When I read the material, I was stunned by what I was looking at. I thought I was not rich enough to buy a flat there, as the pictures resembled the south of France, rather than views of Southern district on Hong Kong Island.

My main point is not just that flat sales brochures are misleading, but that all brochures in Hong Kong are misleading. You see material advertising mobile phones, suggesting they are providing the cheapest services. You think you will only have to pay HK$50 a month for unlimited usage. However, once you read the small print you realise that to qualify for that you have to sign a long-term contract.

There is so much exaggeration in Hong Kong. Too often, people who regard themselves as international citizens will believe what they are told.

We should try to be more sceptical about brochures and the claims that they make.

Johnny Lee Chi-ho, Cheung Sha Wan

forum 090611 - Should schools test pupils for drugs?

Should schools test pupils for drugs?

It has been reported that youth drug abuse is spreading rapidly.

There was the case concerning four girls at Rosaryhill School, in Stubbs Road, who were found to be high on drugs on June 2 ("Bureau to advise schools on drugs", June 8).

There has been some discussion about whether police are doing enough to deal with this problem. Also under debate is whether schools and social workers should be allowed to tackle minor cases before calling the police.

The media has reported that this problem has spread to privileged schools. I would question such labelling. Any suggestion that students who attend privileged schools would not be so easily tempted by drugs creates a false impression.

Perhaps there was a time when elite schools could more successfully shield their students from exposure to narcotics. But this is no longer possible in the internet age. This is a problem that affects all youths.

H. C. Bee, Kowloon Tong

People feel shocked when they read about the latest incident of youngsters abusing drugs. Actually, I think, there are quite a lot of these cases involving youngsters that the public never learns about.

Regarding whether schools should test pupils for drugs, I do think it would affect the relationship between the school and its students. What needs to be done is to increase resources to prevent the influx of drugs.

Our police and customs officials should take the lead. But schools and social workers also need to be responsive to pupils' needs.

I think the most important thing is to increase the punishment for drug-related offences, especially when someone is caught selling drugs to youngsters.

If heavier penalties are imposed, it will act as a deterrent. People will be more reluctant to sell or take drugs if they know they face a heavier punishment. It is up to our legislators to take the initiative here.

We can see this with drink-driving where tougher laws have proved effective.

R. Hau, Kowloon Bay

I am an undergraduate studying education and I am concerned about the drug abuse problems that have attracted a lot of media attention.

I think having schools test pupils for drugs is only a short-term solution. The idea has a number of shortcomings, such as the reliability of test results, their cost, and the labelling effect on students who submit to the tests.

Most of the students will feel offended by the drug-testing process. In those schools where there are confirmed cases of drug abuse, the school should take tough action, and suspend pupils where they feel it is necessary to do so.

Yuen Sung-ying, Sha Tin

forum 090611 - Should developers get extra floor space for adding green features?

Should developers get extra floor space for adding green features?

Floor space is a commercial matter. It all boils down to money in what is a volatile property market. If we grant extra floor space then we are in essence giving developers money to introduce green features.

The problem is that the government does not have comprehensive guidelines for the implementation of such green features, which could present all sorts of problems.

Our government has several professionals such as architects and planners working for it. They should come up with planning and design guidelines that aim to create a green city.

I would hope the administration would come up with ecological sustainable-development standards for all property developments. While they are at it, maybe officials should also implement mandatory carbon-emission assessments and audits for all construction projects. Maybe then, we shall finally play a meaningful role in combating climate change, instead of just dealing with "wall effects" of developments.

Nigel Lam, Kowloon Tong

forum 090611 - On other matters

On other matters...

I refer to the report "Pedestrian safety push as elderly deaths rise", (June 6).

You report that police are to "launch a campaign this month to promote pedestrian road safety". It appears that the campaign will last for two weeks and that "stringent enforcement action will also be taken against careless drivers in the second week".

Why is this action not being taken during both weeks? Other questions then arise. Shouldn't the police be doing this all the time? Isn't it part of their job? Why does it take five months to compile statistics on 88 road deaths?

Also, isn't the peak time for these accidents, 5am to 7am, also a time when few drivers bother to switch on their lights?

These and other questions will, I have no doubt, go unanswered, as have all the other questions that I have expressed or implied in recent letters. All, that is, except one, relating to the number of prosecutions for drinking and driving arising from the campaign earlier this year.

Are the others too hard, too embarrassing or not worthy of a reply?

One does not have to drive very far or very often in Hong Kong to realise that pedestrians put themselves at risk by, for example, crossing roads irresponsibly, walking on the road instead of on the pavement, walking across the paths of reversing vehicles, and stepping into the road without warning and their backs towards oncoming traffic.

Improving road safety in general requires more than the occasional short-lived campaign, token radio and television promotions, and meaningless slogans. It requires radical thinking.

A booklet on the lines of the British Highway Code, issued free to all households, would be a good start.

Police officers could help by issuing warnings or prosecutions to offending road users on a regular basis instead of only when specifically instructed to do so. A programme of training for all police drivers would be valuable - covering correct signalling; when to use lights; which lane to use, particularly at roundabouts; and why the zig-zag lines at the approach to pedestrian crossings are there.

A brief but prominent paragraph on the front page of every daily newspaper in Hong Kong covering one aspect of driving each day could also help. Many things could be done.

Please, let's do something.

Peter Robertson, Sai Kung

in brief 20090611

南華早報 CITY4 |  CITY	2009-06-11 標示關鍵字
In Brief
Couple arrested after boy found home alone A couple were arrested yesterday over suspected neglect of their five-year-old son after leaving him at home in the Lok Ma Chau district. An initial investigation showed they left their son alone at their Kwu Tung home at about 9.45pm on Tuesday. They returned at about 12.15am and later left. The alleged neglect was discovered at 4.20am, when the pair had a row in Fu Hing Street, Sheung Shui. The woman called police, who escorted the couple to their flat and found the boy alone. HK$2.9m haul of illegal cigarettes Customs officers arrested a 20-year-old driver and seized HK$2.9 million worth of illicit cigarettes after intercepting trucks in Yuen Long and Tai Po at 10.45am and 11.15am, respectively. The other driver fled when his truck was stopped on its way to Tai Po. Officers said the 125 boxes of cigarettes were smuggled from Shenzhen and unloaded at the Shan Pui River, Yuen Long. Items torched outside flats Discarded items such as papers, a carpet and a folding table were torched outside two units in a residential block in Lok Shan Road, Ho Man Tin, at 4.45am. Tenants doused the flames. 2 officers, 3 girls hurt in crash Two policemen and three sisters aged seven, nine and 11, were injured when a police van and a car collided in Cape D'Aguilar Road, Shek O, at about 3.30pm. They were treated at Eastern Hospital. Help sought to find missing teen Police appealed for help to find 15-year-old Yam Shuk-han who went missing after she left her home at Lung Tsai Tsuen on Cheung Chau on May 11. Contact police on 2986 0231 or 2986 0211. Taxi driver, passenger trapped A taxi driver and his passenger were trapped, and had to be freed by firemen after he lost control of his car, which crashed into a ditch and overturned off the San Tin Highway, Lok Ma Chau, at about 5am. The men were treated in hospital.

Ruling frees pair who had sex with girl, 13

南華早報 CITY4 |  CITY |  By Joyce Man	2009-06-11 標示關鍵字
Ruling frees pair who had sex with girl, 13
Two men yesterday received jail terms shorter than time served in detention for having sex with a 13-year-old girl during a night of drinking. Air-conditioner maintenance workers Pang Chi-fai, 30, and So Ka-chun, 19, were sentenced to 14 and 10 months in jail, respectively, when they appeared for sentence in the Court of First Instance. Mrs Justice Judianna Barnes Wai-ling said there was a need to protect those who could not protect themselves. The girl had low self-esteem and could not deal with the psychological wounds she had incurred during the incident, the judge said. A psychologist said work would be required for the girl to recover. The two, having already been jailed for the length of their sentences while on remand, are preparing to leave custody. In August last year, the girl was drinking with a group, including So, at Wo Hing playground in Fanling. Pang, whom the girl did not know, later arrived with a man surnamed Wong. Pang and Wong drove the girl to On Kwok Villa in Sheung Shui. Wong got out of the car while Pang had sex with her in the vehicle. The trio drove back to meet So, who took the girl to a basketball court and had sex with her. The girl told her friends and a relative about the incident, and the men were arrested.   Although the two had drunk alcohol before they had sex with the girl, it was not a mitigating factor, Mrs Justice Barnes said. The judge said that having seen the girl during trial, she accepted that the teenager looked mature beyond her years. She accepted that Pang did not know the girl's age, even though it was his responsibility to know. Given that So was at the gathering with the girl, Pang could have believed that the girl was similar in age to So, she said. Reports showed that Pang had no psychological or cognitive problems or unusual sexual tendencies, but that he and So cared little about anything and that So was impulsive. Pang has a one-year-old with his girlfriend on the mainland.