'1991-01-21
18:01
To: All Overseas Offices
INFORMATION SERVICES DEPT
852 521 7725 P.01/10
From: GIS (Shirley Wong)
January 21, 1991
(-15 1.24m)
Stock Market for Jan 18
Log: OPRS/L/993
Hang Seng Index 3072. 17 (-15.66) Turnover $773.74m
Pages: 10
ENGLISH MEDIA
GULF WAR
Both the SCM Post and the HK Standard continued to devote prominent and extensive coverage to news relating to the war in the Gulf region.
The Post in its front-page lead reported that a swarm of US Air Force fighters and navy fighter bombers were reported to have found and destroyed six of 11 Iraqi mobile Scud missile launchers: used against Israel and Saudi Arabia yesterday. The quick American response to hunt down the launchers to the west and south of Baghdad was designed to prevent Israel from entering the war in retaliation. In the front-page lead, HKS reported that the world was last night waiting anxiously to
night waiting anxiously to see whether Israel would unleash its forces on Iraqi targets in retaliation for Baghdad's missile attacks on Tel Aviv and Haifa.
HKS reported that news of the Iraqi missile attack on Israel caused panic among HK's Jewish community. The Post quoted the acting Israeli Consul-General, Ruth Kahanoff, as saying that young Israeli men have been calling their HK Consulate volunteering to return home to serve in the army. Ms Kahanoff said that all local Israelis were very sad and hoped the whole crisis could be resolved speedily.
SCMP noted that HK and British citizens had been warned against visiting the Philippines and 22 other countries because of an increased threat of terrorism from groups supporting Iraq. The Foreign Office yesterday issued a list of mostly Middle Eastern countries which it said might be dangerous for visiting British and HK nationals. HKS reported that consular officials of the Philippines were shocked yesterday at their nation being on the list.
The Post reported that CS Sir David Ford told legislators in the Finance Committee that HK was not responsible for the cost for Gurkhas deployed to the Middle East and the coat was met by the British Government.
In its business front-page, the Post noted that HK failed to ride: the second wave of strong improvement on Asian markets yesterday, with trade simmering after Thursday's powerful 104-point jump. The second day of the Gulf War saw the Hang Seng Index finish 15.66 points lower at 3,072.17. HKS quoted the chairman of the Hang Seng Bank, Siz Q.W. Lee, as saying that he believed the impact of the war on HK would not be too bad as HK did not need too much oil-generated energy.
LOUDHAILER CHARGE
Both English dailies gave a good run to the verdict of CJ Six T.L. Yang that five democracy activists convicted of using a loudhailer and collecting money without permission had their convictions quashed. Sir T.L. ruled yesterday that the prosecution of them amounted to an abuse of the court process and the appeal of the five members of the United Democrats of HK was
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