WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1993
CLARIFICATION SOUGHT ON REPORTER'S CASE
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THE BRITISH EMBASSY IN PEKING HAS, AT THE REQUEST OF THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT, ASKED THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES ΤΟ CLARIFY THE OFFENCES WITH WHICH THE MING PAO REPORTER, MR XI YANG, IS BEING CHARGED.
SUEN,
THIS WAS STATED BY THE SECRETARY FOR HOME AFFAIRS, MR MICHAEL IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL THIS (WEDNESDAY) AFTERNOON.
IN A WRITTEN REPLY то A QUESTION BY THE HON EMILY LAU WAI-HING, MR SUEN SAID THE EMBASSY AND THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT HAD ALSO URGED THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES TO ALLOW MR XI TO RECEIVE VISITS FROM HIS MING PAO COLLEAGUES AT MING PAO, FROM ANY LAWYER HE APPOINTS TO REPRESENT HIM, AND FROM HIS FAMILY MEMBER.
"IN ADDITION, WE HAVE DRAWN THE ATTENTION OF THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES TO THE WIDER CONCERNS RAISED IN HONG KONG BY THIS CASE, IN PARTICULAR THE DIFFICULTIES FACED BY HONG KONG JOURNALISTS OPERATING IN CHINA IN UNDERSTANDING WHAT IS LEGAL AND WHAT IS NOT.
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TYPHOON SURCHARGE FOR TAXI BEING CONSIDERED
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THE GOVERNMENT IS AWARE OF PUBLIC CONCERN ABOUT OVERCHARGING BY TAXI DRIVERS, IN PARTICULAR DURING TYPHOONS, AND IS EXAMINING VARIOUS OPTIONS TO TACKLE THE PROBLEM, THE SECRETARY FOR TRANSPORT, MR HAIDER BARMA, TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY),
IN A WRITTEN REPLY TO A QUESTION BY THE HON LAU CHIN-SHEK, MR BARMA SAID OPTIONS UNDER EXAMINATION INCLUDED THE PROPOSAL PUT FORWARD BY SOME TAXI ASSOCIATIONS FOR A SURCHARGE TO BE IMPOSED WHEN TYPHOON SIGNAL NUMBER EIGHT OR HIGHER IS HOISTED.
THE LEVEL AND FORM OF THE PROPOSED SURCHARGE, FOR EXAMPLE, A FLAT OR DISTANCE-RELATED CHARGE, ITS RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER SURCHARGE, THE QUESTION OF ENFORCEMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION AS WELL AS PUBLIC ACCEPTABILITY ARE ALL ASPECTS THAT HAVE TO BE EXAMINED.
THE ADVICE OF THE TRANSPORT ADVISORY COMMITTEE WILL THEN HAVE TO BE SOUGHT ON THE RECOMMENDED COURSE OF ACTION, MR BARMA ADDED.
THERE WERE 494 ACTIONABLE COMPLAINTS RECEIVED BY THE TRANSPORT COMPLAINTS UNIT AND THE POLICE AGAINST OVERCHARGING BY TAXI DRIVERS AND 52 PROSECUTIONS IN THE FIRST EIGHT MONTHS THIS YEAR.
MR BARMA SAID THE POLICE WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR TAKING ACTION AGAINST TAXI MALPRACTICES UNDER ROAD TRAFFIC ORDINANCE AND ENFORCEMENT ACTION HAD BEEN INTENSIFIED OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS FOLLOWING RECENT REPORTS OF INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF MALPRACTICES BY TAXI DRIVERS.
/"SINCE SEPTEMBER