How much does it cost in HK to slap a police in the face ?

Not too much - just need to have some uncle or uncles - you will walk free. First you slam your car into a bus - you are drunk. Police comes and want to take your breath test - just tell them you need to leave now - and then when police is getting a little bit more insisting you just slap one officer (actually he is quite a good actor - close to italian soccer player - just need 2 - 3 seconds after the slap and then falling down.......). This was in January 2010 - 2 days ago the judge ruled 1 year probation & HKD 8,000 penalty + please consult your shrink. Means lovely Amina Bokhary again went for free after her third offense - all similar actions. Good message to the public - here again we protect the rich and connected ones - whatever crazy they behave !
So we shall try ourselves same ? Be sure you will be in jail - as you dont have that "uncle".
Relax & enjoy the video - and remember: That's Hong Kong justice system.
MULTIPLE VISA FOR SLAPPING THE POLICE HEREWITH GRANTED TO MADAM AMINA BOKHARY. CONGRATULATIONS - SEE YOU NEXT TIME.

UFO over China !

Sorry for slow posting. Very busy here - it is too hot in Hong Kong and now we are waiting for some stormy weather or even a typhoon is coming. But lets hope no UFO is coming here - it seems in China there are a lot of UFO's - please enjoy the clips:

And here some more info from the China TV - this has happened close to Hangzhou Airport - anybody has any idea what this really was ?

And here another one showing more details of this THING - is it a stunt ? Is it some secret service action ? Is it a big destroyer to fight against the bad internet ? Is it GOOGLE leaving China ? Or is it just a street lamp "photo shopped" into the sky with a huge projector ?
Anyhow - it is gone - nobody has seen it again.

New Info regarding Macao: 6 countries banned from visa on arrival

Please read here - info is from Commissioners Office in Hong Kong - 6 countries passportholders are banned for entry upon arrival visa in Macao - full text here:
quote
Pre-arrival Visa Initiative for Nationals of Six Countries
2010-06-10
From 1 July 2010, nationals of Bangladesh, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Vietnam are required to obtain an entry visa before arriving at the Macao Special Administrative Region. Visa-upon-arrival is no longer applicable to these nationals. Nationals of above mentioned six countries who bears a valid Hong Kong ID are NOT subject to the new measure.

Please visit the following webpage of Public Security Police Force, Government of Macau SAR for detail:

http://www.fsm.gov.mo/psp/eng/main.html
unquote

China to ease access for expats to visit relatives in China from June 1

A new law set to go into effect June 1 aims to ease access for foreigners coming to China to visit relatives, according to a notice posted on the Ministry of Public Security's official website.
The notice explains that foreign spouses of Chinese citizens, close family members of foreigners working or studying in China and certain classes of overseas Chinese will all be able to come to China via a much simpler process than before given a newly created residence permit category.
Any foreigner currently seeking to visit family members—parents, children or spouses—will be to apply for a tourist visa valid for up to one year.
The new class of residency permit also lifts restrictions on numbers of entries and raises the duration of each stay up to a maximum of two years.
"The number of foreigners related to Chinese citizens who are coming to China to visit, seek refuge or support their immediate family members has increased in recent years," reads the online announcement.
The notice notes that the Exit-Entry Administration of the Municipal Public Security Bureau would bring the new regulations into effect by "taking into account the actual needs of China."
Initial reaction to the news was greeted warmly on online forums frequently visited by expats in Beijing, though some questioned releasing the information only in Chinese and without explanations of many of the law's key points.
A user named "baiyunma" posting on thebeijinger.com titled a post: "Spouses of Chinese citizens finally fully human."
"After 20 or more years of denial by the government, this is a step forward in admitting that those married to Chinese citizens who also wish to live in China are actually residents and not tourists," wrote baiyunma.
According to Lin Song, press director for the Exit-Entry Administration of the Municipal Public Security Bureau, foreigners wishing to make use of the new law would still be subject to the same health checks required by other residence permit applications, and that only certain applicants would receive visas for a full two years.
"The new law will be applied nationwide on June 1, and applicants should apply once they have arrived in China," Lin told to the Global Times.
Lin said, however, that the new policies were not related to employment, and that those wishing to work in China would still need to follow correct procedures to become officially employed. Lin added that an English-language version of the new law would be available online once experts had finished checking a translation.
Some expats, however, have questioned whether those affected by the new law would actually stand to gain any real benefits.
"As far as I know, [the new law] really doesn't mean much because we're basically talking about a multi-year visa," said an American national living in Beijing. He has been married to a Chinese woman for five years. "This saves me a yearly trip, but when I go now it's pretty automatic, no hassle. It's not a big deal."
Another foreigner, who is also married to a Chinese citizen, also questioned the law's usefulness.
"Personally, [the new law] really doesn't affect me because my company takes care of my visa," said Perceson Chadders, a director of studies at an international school in Beijing. "I don't even have to think about it."
"But I suppose if you were a kept man or woman the new law would be helpful in securing your legal right to be here," Chadders added.
SOURCE: Global Times

EXPO FEVER ?

In a few days the SHANGHAI WORLD EXPO will start. From May 1st until October 31st 70 Million visitors are expected. Since weeks the "Shanghai Expo excuses"are wonderful:
1)
HK trucking from China to HK is disrupted heavily because some Beijing customs officials are at Lok Ma Chau border crossing to check the procedures of customs clearance to HK - because of the Expo. What has this to do with the event more than 2,000 kilometers away ?
2)
Suppliers trying to use Expo as an excuse for late shipments - no idea why.
3)
Lets see how the CHINA VISA situation will work out during the EXPO.

Here some useful seminar will be hold in Shanghai by the AMCHAM:

Shanghai Exit-Entry Administration Bureau Briefing on Up-to date Visa and Residence Permits
May 06, Thursday, 15:00-17:00. Grand Hyatt Shanghai
The Shanghai 2010 World Expo is expected to draw 70 million visitors to Shanghai, creating concerns about entry and exit access for AmCham Shanghai members and member companies. AmCham Shanghai is pleased to invite you on Thursday, May 6 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, to a Chinese government briefing on exit-entry visa resolutions.
Mr. Cai Baodi of Shanghai’s Exit-Entry Administration Bureau (Shanghai Municipal Public Security Bureau) will share up-to-date policies and procedures for visa service and residence permit applications. Mr. Cai will also share and answer your questions on how the Exit-Entry Administration Bureau will implement its management plans for the 2010 World Expo.
We hope you join us for this timely and informative session.
About the Speaker:

Mr. Cai Baodi is deputy director of the Visa and Residence Permit Division of Shanghai’s Exit-Entry Administration Bureau. He has more than 10 years of experience with exit-entry management and an in-depth understanding of exit and entry policies.
Agenda:

15:00 Check-in and networking
15:30 Speech and Q&A
17:00 Event ends
May 06, Thursday, 15:00-17:00

Grand Hyatt Shanghai
88 Century Boulevard
上海金茂君悦大酒店
世纪大道88号

Member (RMB): 180.00
Non-Member (RMB): 280.00

________________________________________
RSVP: All AmCham events require confirmation of attendance (RSVP). If you attend an event without prior notification you will be charged a RMB 50 "walk in" fee.

RSVP Cancellation: If you need to cancel your RSVP please notify AmCham Shanghai's Events Department at (86 21) 6279-7119 no less than 12 hours in advance.
________________________________________

Shanghai Centre, Suite 568 1376 Nanjing Road West Shanghai, China 200040
Phone: (8621) 6279-7119 Fax: (8621) 6279-7643
E-mail: amcham@amcham-shanghai.org Website: www.amcham-shanghai.org

One more on Bob Dylan

Please read this link - maybe this time it wasn't the CULTURAL DEPARTMENT - but nobody knows:
http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2010/04/07/mystery-surrounds-cancellation-of-dylan-tour/

AND HERE A TRIBUTE TO MR BOB DYLAN !

Hope as many people can see this - esp on the MAINLAND - enjoy some Bob Dylan here (including 2x Hendrix version of "All along the Watchtower" - I am afraid Hendrix also would have been banned to perform in China. Millions of Bob Dylan Fans feelings are hurt by the decision of the China Government (isn't this the standard reply of China officials .......?):

BOB DYLAN IS NOT WELCOME IN CHINA !

What a shame - the so-called CULTURAL department decided not Mr Bob Dylan have the 2 concerts in China. How dangerous it seems Bob Dylan is ? Like this you can never be GREAT. Upfront the WORLD EXPO in Shanghai - your cadres are doing something like this ? What is your WORLD you have in mind ?
Please see below link for further info:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/apr/04/china-blocks-bob-dylan-gigs

KUNG HEI FAT CHOY !

HERE SOME STUFF PERFECTLY MATCHING WITH ALL THE JOY AND HAPPINESS EVERYBODY IS LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEXT FEW DAYS - ISN'T IT ? THE BIG AND POWERFUL ECONOMIC SUCCESS AND RECOVER FROM THE "FINANCIAL TSUNAMI" - PRAISE THE GOVERNMENT - PRAISE THE CORRUPT OFFICIALS WHO ARE COMING BACK AGAIN AND AGAIN JUST IN DIFFERNT POSITION. HAPPY NEW YEAR MR. HU - HAPPY NEW YEAR MR. WEN !


CHINA: What Price Young Lives?
By Ma Guihua and Jiang Guibin*
HEZHOU, China, Dec 29, 2009 (IPS) - As more and more rural Chinese bid farewell to their impoverished home villages in their pursuit of a better life in bigger cities, leaving behind their young children in the care of relatives or aging parents seems only a small price to pay, especially in times of financial crisis.

But for some, the price is simply too high.

When a three-story brick building in Yanghui Village in Hezhou, in south China’s Guangxi Autonomous Region, was gutted by fire in November, the majority of the victims turned out to be children.

Yang Chunfeng still vividly recalls what happened on that fateful morning. Awakened by the sound of a blast, he rushed out of his house and saw a huge chunk of the building next door had been blown off while flames were raging high. Villagers coming to the rescue were soon carrying out soot-blackened children while others were screaming and running for their lives.

"All the children being taken out of the building were burned bare, with no hair or clothes left," recalled Yang, who is in his 50s. An explosion at an illegal firecracker workshop (employing children) inside the building triggered the massive fire.

Thirteen of the 14 victims, all students of Zhiyang Primary School, were aged 7 and 15. Two of them died of severe burns. All of them either had one or two parents working in cities away from home.

Yanghui Village is about two hours’ drive from Hezhou City, located east of the picturesque city of Guilin and bordering Hunan and Guangdong provinces. With a population of 3,000, half of them children under 14, the village is home to only 4,000 mu (231 acres) of arable land for tobacco and paddy rice. Per capita annual income from farming is a pitiable 600 yuan (about 85 U.S. dollars), hardly enough to feed a family.

Unable to make ends meet, villagers choose to work in other cities in Guangxi, including Guilin, Wuzhou and Liuzhou, or the neighbouring Guangdong Province, where labor-intensive jobs from export-oriented factories had propped up the local economy.

According to Yang Youji, the village chief, over 1,000 villagers leave to work in construction, textile or brick-making factories, making an average of 18,000 yuan (2,572 dollars) a year each—way beyond their farm earnings. They are forced, however, to part with their children, totaling 1,050 within the entire village.

Statistics indicate that some 130 million farmers left their home villages in 2007—when the global financial crisis began—to join the ranks of migrant workers in cities across China and become the main labour force in construction, manufacturing, textile, processing and tertiary sectors. As a result, over 58 million children were left in their rural homes, where their kin, usually grandparents, looked after them. Children under 14 accounted for more than 40 million of these young people.

Since the economy took a sweeping downturn, triggered by the collapse of financial giants in the United States, many small factories catering exclusively to foreign markets have gone bankrupt. Well-paid jobs are scarce and reduced earnings could only cover some basic family needs.

In Dongguan City, Guangdong Province, alone, 909 foreign-owned enterprises had to close down in 2007. By mid-2008, revealed the National Development and Reform Commission, 67,000 small and medium-size enterprises had gone bust.

Some of the children left behind by their parents have had to assume part of the ensuing financial burden by trying to earn their own keep to help defray the costs of their education, including their daily allowances. Working at the firecracker factory helped them achieve this goal. After all, all they needed to do was to insert fuses into the 1,000-plus beehive-like, powder-filled, little tubes coiled up to resemble a big plate.

Yang Xiaoli, a six-grader from Zhiyang Primary School, felt proud of what she could earn in the firecracker workshop. "For every coil I finished, I got 3 jiao (about 4 U.S. cents)," she said, adding that within two to three hours before school started in the morning, she could insert 3,000 fuses into firecrackers, making around one yuan (14 cents). During school breaks, she could generate about 3 yuan (42 cents) a day. "But if I work too long, my eyes hurt."

To her knowledge, many children in her neighbourhood had been doing the same, providing cheap labour and using their earnings to buy snacks and school supplies. The older ones used their money for more personal items. "I heard that some children, maybe due to their adolescence, felt uneasy about asking money from their grandparents for their personal stuff," explained Chen Xiaojie, the head teacher.

On hearing that his son, Yang Ke, was hurt in the fire, Yang Qisheng rushed to the hospital. After the blast, his face swollen and his skin blackened, he scurried back home crying.

"As a parent, who wouldn’t like to bring his children along so he personally could look after them? But my earnings could not afford his school fees and the cost of living in a city, so I had no choice but leave him with my parents," said Yang, who is separated from his wife. He also provides for the medical needs of his parents by sending them part of his income from Guangdong.

"I am the only one that the whole family could count on," he sighed. His son lives in a room next to the house of the grandparents, some 300 metres from the workshop.

Feng Lan’s nine-year-old daughter was killed on the spot. "I only hope my eldest daughter [also one of the victims] could make it. Otherwise, I don’t know how I could live on," said Feng, as she awaited news about the condition of her other daughter, who was lying unconscious in a hospital. Days later, she finally received word about her daughter, and it was not what she had hoped to hear.

Feng and her husband have been working in Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province, for years, leaving the girls with their grandparents. Today, they are left only with the photos of their daughters, stored in an aunt’s mobile phone.

Yang Qishao and his brother had no idea that their sister, a six-grader at Zhiyang, had been working. "She bought us shoes, socks, sometimes snacks. We didn’t know where the money came from," said Yang. "If I had money, I would buy my sister some clothes. Hers had been burned to rags," said Yang, oblivious to what happened to her sister.

Most of the guardians, as well as the teachers, said they knew nothing about the children’s money-making activity until the deadly blast.

The city government had allocated one million yuan (140,000 dollars) for the blast victims’ treatment. But given the severity of the injuries, the children will take a long time to recover. Many will carry their burn scars for life

(*This feature was produced by IPS Asia-Pacific under a series on the impact of the global economic crisis on children and young people, in partnership with UNICEF East Asia and the Pacific.)

(*The authors also write for China Features.)

(END)