Tai O villagers in reluctant exodus

Officials plead with residents in homes at risk from landslides, floods

A score of residents in four Tai O villages threatened by further landslides left their homes reluctantly yesterday, with some fearing they might never be allowed to return.

The evacuation came as the threat of more heavy rain over the weekend raised fears that weakened slopes above Tai O San Tsuen, Nam Chung, Fan Kwai Tong and Hang Mei could collapse further.

Of the 21 villagers moved out yesterday, 13 people from six families were moved to vacant flats in Lung Tin Estate, Tai O, while the rest went to stay with family and friends.

Home Affairs officers, social workers, police and Civil Aid Service officers visited each of the affected houses in the morning and persuaded the occupants to leave.

Retired teacher Sung Sze-wai, who has lived in Tai O San Tsuen for 25 years, refused to leave when Home Affairs officers approached her on Thursday night. But she reluctantly changed her mind yesterday and left her house amid heavy rain.

"I know how to protect our place but I am not well prepared this time," said Ms Sung, whose neighbours, two teachers at a Tai O school, had also agreed to leave.

She packed some clothes and valuables and took her bicycle as well, but had no time to pick up her pet turtle. "I need an assurance that I will be allowed to come back to pick up more stuff. And actually you don't have to call so many people to help me," she told Byron Lam Saint-kit, the Islands District officer who visited each of the villagers requiring evacuation.

Ms Sung was allocated a flat on the ninth floor of Lung Tin Estate, free from any landslide threat and overlooking the Tai O River. "I hope I won't be here for long," she said.

Furniture, beds, sheets, chairs, cooking utensils and other daily necessity were shipped to Tai O yesterday to help the villagers.

While Ms Sung left, Mrs Luk, 79, refused the offer of safe relocation.

Mr Lam virtually begged her to evacuate yesterday morning, saying: "Think about your children and grandchildren. They also want you to be safe. This is going to be a temporary departure and you can come back whenever the rain stops and sun shines again."

But Mrs Luk told him to leave her alone. "Once I step out of this village, will I be allowed to return?" she asked as she took temporary refuge in a friend's safe home in the village.

Mrs Luk's son, who lives in Tai Po, finally got his mother to come to his home in the afternoon after 30 minutes of pleading. "I had no idea she had been asked to evacuate until I found out this morning," he said, adding that it was the first time in 50 years his mother had left her home.

Many of the evacuees said they regarded their temporary housing as a night shelter for trouble-free sleep.

Chan Hong, who lives in Nam Chung, took a nap at his house yesterday afternoon after promising to leave yesterday morning. "I will only spend the night at the flat, and I will come back to my place during the day. As you can see, there are still people helping clean up the place outside my home."

While he wanted to guard home and property, he believed the chance of theft was minimal.

Another Nam Chung evacuee, Mr Hung, returned to feed his dogs yesterday after getting the keys to his temporary home on Lung Tin Estate. "How can I bring my two dogs with me now? But I think they will be fine," he said.

But Mr Chow, whose rundown village house inside Tai O town was affected by water seepage, hoped for a chance at relocation to a public housing flat. "I hope they can also register me and offer me a safe place to stay," he said.

Meanwhile, Secretary for Transport and Housing Eva Cheng yesterday inspected damaged Keung Shan Road, the only way out of Tai O, which remained closed.

She said the road was being repaired as quickly as possible and a single lane might be reopened once emergency repairs were completed.

It was reported yesterday that the access road linking Tai O and Ngong Ping and Sham Wat Road will reopen today.

With roads still blocked, officers continued to transport food to such remote villages as Keung Shan, Tai Long Wan and Sham Wat.

During yesterday's rainstorm, a vacant brick house collapsed in Tin Shui Wai but no one was injured. Strong winds also toppled a bus stand in Wong Chuk Hang Road, injuring a man. A 20-metre tree on Castle Peak Road also fell over.

SCMP Jun. 14, 2008.

Gun safety video shows how not to fire a gun

iPhone 3G set for HK launch

Apple lines up 22 key markets for new-generation phone

The wait is nearly over. Apple will first release a faster and cheaper iPhone 3G, with Chinese-language support and a slew of software applications, in Hong Kong and 21 other selected markets worldwide on July 11. “We're launching the new iPhone 3G that is twice as fast at half the price,” Apple chief executive Steve Jobs said late on Monday (California time) to kick-start the company's five-day Worldwide Developer Conference. On July 11, Hutchison Telecommunications' 3 network will join Japan's Softbank Mobile as the first batch of operators in Asia to release Apple's new and advanced iPhone 3G. Apple will initially introduce its latest smartphone to 22 markets and later this year, to a total of about 70 markets worldwide. Unlike the first model released to the consumer market on June 29 last year, the iPhone 3G will also be targeted at corporate users – a direct challenge to current worldwide business smartphone market leader BlackBerry from Canada-based Research In Motion. The iPhone 3G supports Global Positioning System location-based services, Microsoft Exchange and third-party software applications that can be downloaded, either with charge or free, from Apple's App Market, which is available from July 11. Apple did not provide its monthly unit shipment targets per market, but noted that the suggested maximum price will be US$199 for the 8-gigabyte model and US$299 for the 16GB model. The device is the cheapest touch-screen, 3.5G network-supported smartphone in the global market. “We've made it more affordable and faster in our desire to reinvent the mobile phone market worldwide,” said Bob Borchers, senior director for Apple's worldwide product marketing for the iPhone. The phone will also run on High-Speed Downlink Packet Access Data (HSDPA) - also known as 3.5G - mobile networks, which can achieve data transmission speed of up to 14.4 megabits per second. Hutchison Telecom International, which runs mobile phone network services in Hong Kong and Macau under the “3” brand, currently runs HSDPA services capable of 3.6Mbps data transfer speed. The company is the first cellular network operator in Greater China to partner with Apple and release the iPhone 3G. “Our customers are keen users of multimedia mobile Internet content, and we are confident that they will benefit greatly from the unsurpassed communications and infotainment experience that this revolutionary phone will bring to them,” said Dennis Lui Pok-man, chief executive of Hutchison Telecommunications. Hutchison's 3 will first offer the iPhone 3G in Hong Kong on July 11 and in Macau shortly thereafter. “We're thrilled to be working with Hutchison Telecom to bring iPhone 3G to millions of mobile customers in Hong Kong and Macau,” said Tim Cook, Apple's chief operating officer. “We can't wait to get this revolutionary mobile device in the hands even more people around the world.” The device would be the cheapest touch-screen 3.5G smartphone not only in Hong Kong, but also around the world. Mr Borchers said the service pricing plan, terms and conditions of using the iPhone 3G in a market would vary from market to market. “Obviously some markets, operators are obligated to sell ‘unlocked' phones while others do not,” Mr Borchers said. The case of “locked” iPhone units – which prevent a non-subscriber with Apple's partner-operator to use the handset using another operator - had led to a thriving worldwide grey market for hacked iPhones. China Mobile has reported it had about 400,000 Edge cellular network-based iPhone units on its network last year. Hacking the device immediately voids its original warranty, so users of hacked iPhones cannot ask Apple for support. There is apparently no technical restriction for a mainland phone subscriber to use a new iPhone 3G purchased in Hong Kong, Macau or other launch sites in their home market. “From a technical standpoint, there is absolutely no reason they can't use the device inside China,” Mr Borchers said. “The iPhone 3G operates in four bands of GSM and three bands of HSDPA (high speed download packet access).” Despite the increased competition from Apple's iPhone, Finnish firm Nokia, the world's largest mobile phone supplier, is unfazed. In a statement, Nokia said: “It's great to see this latest innovation. As we have said before, we welcome Apple in this very opportunistic market segment.” A spokeswoman from Nokia in Hong Kong noted the company has made available an HSDPA smartphone with 5-megapixel camera, GPS, Wi-fi and Bluetooth support and up to 8GB of memory since last year. This is the company's N95 model, which has so far sold 10 million units worldwide. Nokia, unlike Apple, has a broad portfolio of mobile phones released every year, covering most price points. According to research firm Gartner, Nokia sold 14.588 million smartphones in the first quarter this year to secure a dominant 45.2 per cent share of this market segment. RIM sold 4.312 million in the same quarter to hold a 13.4 per cent global share and the No 2 spot behind Nokia. Apple shipped 1.725 million units in the same period to clinch the No 3 ranking and a 5.3 per cent global market share in smartphones. The supposed iPhone 3G rival, the recently released Touch Diamond from Taiwanese smartphone maker High Tech Computer, costs more than HK$5,000. Other markets that will first receive the iPhone 3G include Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Britain and the United States. Mr Jobs said the iPhone 3G would ultimately be available in more than 70 countries later this year. Apple expected to sell as many as 10 million iPhone units this year. To date, there have been more than six million iPhone units sold since it was introduced last year. The new and improved model has built-in Global Positioning System support, for expanded location-based services, and iPhone 2.0 software, which supports Microsoft Exchange and runs hundreds of third-party applications built with the recently released iPhone software development kit (SDK). Those features extend the use of the iPhone 3G to enterprise deployments, which would let Apple challenge the current global business smartphone market share leader, the BlackBerry from Canadian firm Research In Motion. Market research firm Strategy Analytics projected the iPhone would account for 17.4 per cent of 3G handsets sold worldwide this year. iPhone 3G gives users faster access to the internet and e-mail over their cellular network with quad-band Global System for Mobile and tri-band HSDPA connections for voice and data. The device automatically switches between those network links and Wi-fi to ensure the fastest possible download speeds. It delivers an amazing 10 hours of talk time on 2G networks and 5 hours using 3G, with up to 5 to 6 hours of web browsing, as many as seven hours for video playback and up to 24 hours for audio playback. Multi-tasking has been made easier, with users capable of simultaneous voice and data communications. So with iPhone 3G a user can browse the web, get map directions, or check e-mail while on a call. The new iPhone 2.0 software's support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync technology will allow provision of over-the-air push e-mail, contact and calendar syncing. Support for Cisco Systems' IPsec virtual private network technology allows encrypted access to corporate networks and ability to remotely wipe out all data in the device in case it is lost or stolen. The iPhone SDK allows developers to create applications that make use of the iPhone's groundbreaking Multi-Touch user interface, animation technology and GPS technology. iPhone 3G includes the new App Store, providing iPhone users with native applications in a variety of categories including games, business, news, sports, health, reference and travel. The App Store on iPhone works is available over mobile networks and Wi-Fi, which means it is accessible from just about anywhere, so users can purchase and download applications wirelessly and start using them instantly. Some applications are even free and the App Store notifies a user when application updates are available. The App Store will be available in 62 countries. Additional features available with the iPhone 2.0 software include the ability to mass-move and delete multiple e-mail messages, search for contacts, access a new scientific calculator, turn on parental control restrictions for specified content, save images directly from a web page or e-mail them to the iPhone and easily transfer them back to a photo library on a user's Macintosh or Windows-based personal computer. SCMP. Jun. 10, 2008.

Sarcastic talking photo booth

A stunning sunset on Mars

Sunset on Mars

On May 19, 2005, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit captured this stunning view as the Sun sank below the rim of Gusev crater on Mars. This Panoramic Camera mosaic was taken around 6:07 in the evening of the rover's 489th Martian day, or sol.

Sunset and twilight images are occasionally acquired by the science team to determine how high into the atmosphere the Martian dust extends, and to look for dust or ice clouds. Other images have shown that the twilight glow remains visible, but increasingly fainter, for up to two hours before sunrise or after sunset. The long Martian twilight (compared to Earth's) is caused by sunlight scattered around to the night side of the planet by abundant high altitude dust. Similar long twilights or extra-colorful sunrises and sunsets sometimes occur on Earth when tiny dust grains that are erupted from powerful volcanoes scatter light high in the atmosphere.

NASA.

Beware! Mobile phones can be really useful.

Do you still want to talk on your mobile now?

Nokia's N78 unboxing photos and hands-on video

People with Nokia's N73 are eager to replace their handset with a "cooler" N78. Although it has not been released in Hong Kong, the much-hyped N78 has started appearing in different countries. Engadget has just got it and has a gallery of unboxing photos. You can click this link to explore.

The following video is a brief demonstration of the functions of N78. Enjoy!

Lou Reed- Satellie of Love

"Dai Pai Dongs" and hawkers may be back on the streets

Ease rules on dai pai dongs and hawkers, says bureau

Legco to debate proposal to issue more licences

Hawkers have welcomed a change in policy that would see more of them - and dai pai dongs - back on the streets.

They say hawking is not only a part of Hong Kong culture but also offers job opportunities for unskilled workers.

In a paper to Legco, the Food and Health Bureau has suggested the government relax its controls on licences for food stalls, which would amount to a reversal of policy of the past 30 years.

Tsang Kam-ming, chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong, Kowloon New Territories Hawkers Association, said yesterday the policy reversal came late but "better late than never".

"The government tends to regard hawking as a source of hygiene concerns or noise nuisance. But hawking is also a kind of economic activity," Mr Tsang said.

"Grass-roots workers sometimes need to hawk on streets to make extra money to support themselves."

Referring to dai pai dongs, or open-air roadside food stalls, Mr Tsang added: "They are icons of Hong Kong and many tourists like to eat there."

Street hawkers and food stalls could be found across the city in the 1960s. Streets were lined with itinerant hawkers selling daily groceries at affordable prices.

Dai pai tongs were packed during dining hours. A highlight on their menu is yin yeung - a mix of milk tea and coffee. But by the early 1970s, the now defunct Urban Council tightened its policies and stopped issuing hawker licences.

Ice-cream hawker Chan Po-cheung, 73, said the policy reversal could revive the industry. "Although the businesses cannot make a lot of money, at least I can support myself and do not need to depend on welfare," he said.

According to the Food and Health Bureau, the government should explore "the feasibility of re-issuing new hawker licences and relaxing the requirements for succession and transfer of hawker licences".

Licences would be issued to new operators in some open-air bazaars like the Ladies' Market in Mong Kok, where vacant spots are available. On dai pai dongs, the bureau says district councils should be given a bigger say in deciding whether a stall should be closed or allowed to continue to operate after the expiry of a licence.

The 80-year-old Man Yuen noodle shop in Elgin Street in Central was forced to close in 2005 after its licence lapsed with the death of the licensee, Wong Kwong-hing. His partners were not allowed to continue the business.

The bureau also backs re-issuing licences to small ice cream vendors and ice cream vans, although it is against easing the policy on itinerant hawkers because of hygiene and environmental concerns. There are 6,513 fixed-pitch hawker licences, including 28 dai pai dongs and 79 cooked food bazaars.

Legislators on the food safety and environmental hygiene panel are expected to discuss the matter next Tuesday. Panellist Wong Kwok-hing, welcomed the policy review, saying: "It can help ease the poverty problem too if people are allowed to hawk to make more money."

SCMP. Jun 6, 2008.

Vigil pays glowing tribute to June 4 and earthquake victims

Thousands of people who turned up last night for the annual vigil marking the 19th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown also mourned the dead in the massive earthquake that hit Sichuan three weeks ago.

Despite earlier suggestions that June 4 remembrance activities should be scaled down in light of the disaster that left at least 69,000 dead, organisers instead turned the vigil into a remembrance of both tragic events.

They said more than 48,000 took part, compared with 55,000 last year. Police estimated the figure to be 15,700. Activists said the turnout showed that Hong Kong people had not forgotten June 4.

Echoing above the sea of candles that illuminated the faces of the crowd, which covered seven soccer pitches in Victoria Park, were calls for the central government to reverse its verdict on the 1989 pro-democracy movement, release jailed dissidents and introduce democracy by ending the one-party leadership by the Communist Party.

"Through the candlelight, we shall see the bloodbath and the bodies in disarray 19 years ago," the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China said in its declaration for the vigil. "We shall also see the countless dead and injured under debris in the Sichuan earthquake."

Singing the pro-democracy songs that were sung by students and workers making their last stand before the advancing soldiers and tanks in Beijing's Tiananmen Square 19 years ago, activists laid wreaths and bowed in front of a makeshift memorial.

Paying tribute to the dead, alliance chairman Szeto Wah praised the central government's earthquake relief efforts, which he hoped represented a breakthrough that would lead to greater openness and freedom on the mainland.

"We cannot escape natural disasters like earthquakes, but man-made ones like the bloody crackdown are not inevitable ... Our dear countrymen, who lost your lives in the massacre and the earthquake, may you rest in peace," he said.

To show solidarity with the earthquake victims, all donations collected last night in support of the pro- democracy movement will be sent to the Red Cross for quake relief.

In a prayer session of Christian groups before they joined the vigil, Catholic Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun said he was hopeful the state leadership would vindicate the hundreds killed in the Tiananmen tragedy before its 20th anniversary.

He drew a parallel between the visit to the quake site by Premier Wen Jiabao and that of late party secretary Zhao Ziyang to the students in Tiananmen Square.

"Despite the hopelessness, Premier Wen has shown the face of a loving parent in the rescue efforts ... Perhaps it is also the hope of Premier Wen to rectify the June 4 verdict and vindicate the Tiananmen martyrs."

SCMP. June 5, 2008