Economist.com Cities Guide: Hong Kong Briefing - April 2006

News this month

Customs exercised

Strange things can turn up at Hong Kong's container port, one of the busiest in the world. On April 3rd local customs officials announced they had confiscated a military aircraft on its way through the port. Following an investigation, customs officials reported that the aircraft—the guns and engine of which had been dismantled prior to shipment—had arrived from Ukraine and was bound for America. There was no evidence of smuggling or other criminal activity, but the plane lacked a proper import licence. RTHK, a government-owned broadcaster, reported that the plane was a Russian-built MIG-29, a formidable cold war-era fighter jet flown by many countries.

The discovery has raised questions about Hong Kong’s port security, even though the port is fully compliant with stringent procedures enforced by America after September 11th 2001. This was not the first time officials have come upon military hardware at the city's Kwai Chung port. In the early hours of March 30th 2000, customs officers literally stumbled across five Soviet-built armoured personnel carriers unloaded on the docks, which may have been en route to North Korea via mainland China. These vehicles then became playground equipment at some of the city's drug rehabilitation and training centres. But what the city will do with the fighter jet is anyone's guess.

Less of a good thing

As Hong Kong's air quality continues to decline, so too does its appeal to expatriates, apparently. In a list of the world's most desirable places for foreigners to move to, compiled by ECA International, a human-resources consultancy, air quality was the main reason for the city's slide from 20th to 32nd place. The 2006 survey found the second-greatest contributor to the city's declining appeal was concern about Hong Kong's proximity to China, the likely epicentre of the next flu pandemic. This year Singapore came out as the best city for foreigners in Asia.

So dramatic was the city's fall in rank that ECA is now recommending that Hong Kong-based companies pay a hardship allowance to attract top talent. That the city must work harder to tackle its environmental problems is hardly news, but the advice about the allowance is sure to lift eyebrows.

Insider dealing

In a city where gun crime is rare, news of a shoot-out between police officers in a Kowloon underpass on March 17th came as a shock. The deaths of Tsang Kwok-hang and Tsui Po-ko (who was off-duty), and the hospitalisation of Sin Ka-keung, who was shot in the face, have sent ripples through the Hong Kong police force. An investigation revealed that Mr Tsui apparently ambushed Messrs Tsang and Sin; he was then shot dead by Mr Tsang, who was himself choking to death on his own blood. Making matters more intriguing, the police revolver Mr Tsui carried was stolen from a murdered officer in 2001 and then used to kill a bank security guard later that year.

Mr Tsang was buried in Galant Garden, the resting place for the city's heroes, on April 4th. But it is still unclear what the three officers were doing in the pedestrian tunnel that evening. While police officials are keen to paint Mr Tsui as a rogue cop who merely wanted to steal the weapons of fellow officers, others suspect that the shoot-out was connected to an illegal football betting ring operating within the force. The Legislative Council, the city's quasi-parliament, is set to investigate the matter.

Busted

A Hong Kong court sentenced three young Australians to lengthy jail terms on April 3rd for heroin smuggling. Rachel Diaz, 18, Chris Vo, 16, and Hutchison Tran, 22, were arrested in April 2005 for trying to smuggle about 700 grams of heroin into Hong Kong. All three pleaded guilty and said they had been recruited in Sydney by an Asian drug syndicate as a way to pay off their debts. Because of the amount of drugs, they each faced up to 20 years behind bars, but the sentences were commuted to between nine and 13 years. Hong Kong does not have the death penalty. Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has been monitoring the case and has offered consular assistance to the accused, but they have not made any formal protests about the severity of the sentences.

The city's role as a leading international transport hub makes it an ideal transfer point for the drug-trade. Local laws do not distinguish between adults and juveniles in drug smuggling cases, though Hong Kong's highest court has suggested that extreme youth might be a mitigating factor.

Cardinal Zen

Archbishop Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, the leader of the Catholic church in Hong Kong, was elevated by Pope Benedict XV to the position of cardinal in March. Many see this as Cardinal Zen’s reward for his constant campaign for greater religious freedom on the mainland. It had long been rumoured that Cardinal Zen was a “secret cardinal” appointed by Pope John Paul II, Benedict's predecessor. Cardinals are kept “secret” (that is, not officially named) when they work in parts of the world where the church is oppressed.

The cardinal is an outspoken critic of the mainland's human-rights record, and his demand for democratic reform in Hong Kong has angered some in Beijing. Religious freedom is guaranteed in Hong Kong—which has a Catholic population of about 300,000—by the Basic Law, the city's mini-constitution. Cardinal Zen's elevation is seen as a signal that the Vatican, which diplomatically recognises Taiwan but not the People's Republic, is looking for greater dialogue with the mainland.

Catch if you can

April 2006

Sailing West: Admiral Zheng He's Voyages

Until May 15th 2006

Zheng He has climbed history’s rankings of great explorers since the 2003 publication of “1421: The Year China Discovered America”, by Gavin Menzies. Whether or not this 15th-century admiral travelled to America remains the subject of bitter debate, but Zheng He’s other achievements are undeniable. During seven voyages, he helped open much of the world to Chinese trade.

This exhibition sheds light on this enigmatic figure—a Muslim eunuch from the landlocked Yunan province—and the technology that made his journeys possible. The exhibition features artefacts and documents from the era of his voyages, and photographs of various places and sights he may have encountered.

Special Exhibition Gallery, Hong Kong Museum of History, Chatham Road South, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. Open: Mon, Weds-Sat, 10am-6pm; Sun, 10am-7pm. Admission: HK$10. Tel: +852 2724 9042. For more information visit the exhibit’s website.

More from the Hong Kong cultural calendar