http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2013/07/23/being-an-official-means-almost-never-having-to-say-youre-sorry/

• July 23, 2013, 5:32 PM

Being an Official Means (Almost) Never Having to Say You’re Sorry

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Reuters

Protesters demand an apology outside the Philippine consulate in Hong Kong on May 14, 2013 after a Taiwanese fisherman died in a fatal shooting by the Philippine Coast Guard.

Dolce & Gabbanna has said sorry. Hong Kong’s former leader has said sorry.

And if the city’s ombudsman has its way, a lot more people will be sounding penitent in Hong Kong in the years to come.

In recent months, the city has seen public apologies issued for everything from prohibitions on photography (in the case of Dolce & Gabbanna) to taking luxury trips with local tycoons (in the case of Donald Tsang, the city’s former chief executive). Now, the city’s ombudsman, which investigates complaints about public agencies, is pushing the government to consider legislation that would allow officials to say “I’m sorry” without fear of being sued.

Last year, the city’s ombudsman pursued 2,285 complaints made about public agencies’ conduct, ranging from disputes over the handling of noise ordinances to waste management. Apologies were issued in response to only 15% of the cases. And even when apologies were issued, the agency said, 85% came only after officials were pressed by the ombudsman.

Nadja Alexander, who directs an institute focusing on conflict resolution at Hong Kong Shue Yan University, said apology legislation was an important step for the city.

“We live in a litigious society, not only in Hong Kong, but also in places such as Europe, Australia and the U.S.,” she said. “People are often nervous about apologizing for fear a lawsuit’s going to be slapped on them and someone’s going to say, ‘You said it was your fault.’”

To help combat that fear, at least 36 states in the U.S., numerous Canadian provinces and all of Australia’s states and territories have passed apology legislation. Ms. Alexander said this type of legislation helps make it clear that apologies don’t necessarily constitute an admission of liability and can help reduce legal costs associated with medical mistakes and car accidents.

“When an apology is received as authentic, as really sincere, people who were wronged are less likely to seek revenge. They’re more likely to be able to feel they can forgive and less likely to litigate,” Ms. Alexander said.

Hong Kong knows firsthand about how upsetting it can be to miss out on an apology. Hong Kong’s government has asked more than 20 times for an apology from authorities in the Philippines over the 2010 bus hijacking that left eight Hong Kong tourists dead. Earlier this year, the city’s marine department director was slammed over his refusal to apologize for his department’s oversights, following last fall’s boat crash off of Lamma Island that left dozens dead. More recently, the outgoing American envoy in Hong Kong said the U.S. doesn’t an owe an apology to Hong Kong, or anyone, for allegations made last month by National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden.

On Monday, Hong Kong’s department of justice said it has already set up a task force that’s considering the need for apology legislation.

In the meantime, the ombudsman said it would keep pushing to make apologies part of the city’s official toolkit. “My office will continue to make recommendations that public officials apologize as appropriate,” said ombudsman Alan Lai.

– Te-Ping Chen. Follow her on Twitter @tepingchen.

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/greenslade/2013/jul/22/press-freedom-hong-kong

Hong Kong journalist resigns in controversy over interview

A Hong Kong journalist has resigned in a controversy over her interview with Jack Ma, founder and executive chairman of the Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba Group.

The journalist, Liu Yi, quit after claiming that the interview published by her newspaper, the South China Morning Post, was different from the one she wrote.

Before her resignation, she re-edited the online version of her article to “set the record straight.” The paper later restored the former piece.

She issued a statement on Facebook saying: “Ma never intended to make any comments about politics. I solemnly apologise to Mr Ma Yun [Jack Ma’s Chinese name] and resign from the South China Morning Post.”

The disputed passage in the interview, published on 13 July, concerned remarks Ma is supposed to have made in support of Beijing’s crackdown on Tiananmen Square protesters in 1989.

Ma denies having done so. However, he did describe the Chinese government as “terrific” and downplayed the significance of internet censorship. But his comments on Tiananmen Square provoked public criticism of Ma in Hong Kong.

The Post said in a statement that the reporter had accessed its system and replaced the editor-approved article with an altered version in which Ma’s reference to Tiananmen was removed.

Its statement said that the editor-approved version was restored and that Liu Yi had been suspended. She chose to resign on 19 July before an investigation had been completed.

It added that it stood behind the original published article, in which Ma appeared to endorse Deng Xiaoping in using force to crush the 1989 protests. (See here).

Florence Shih, a spokeswoman for Alibaba, said in an email to Reuters: “This is, at best, rookie journalism and, at worst, is malicious.”

Sources: Reuters/Wall Street Journal

Source URL (retrieved on Jul 23rd 2013, 9:53pm): http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1288645/plan-make-it-easier-say-sorry

Only in America ………………………………..

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2367172/Kennedy-brothers-rescue-sea-turtle-violated-federal-law-environment-agency-claims.html

Kennedy brothers told they ‘violated federal law’ when they rescued distressed 500lb leatherback turtle tangled in fishing line

• Protected species status bars public from touching turtles
• Agency warns of drowning danger as large species can drag people under

By Jessica Jerreat

PUBLISHED: 17:23 GMT, 17 July 2013 | UPDATED: 11:34 GMT, 18 July 2013

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When Max and Robert Kennedy Jr. dived into the sea off Nantucket to free a large leatherback turtle tangled in fishing line, they had the best interests of the endangered animal at heart.

However, their ‘good deed’ violated a law that protects the endangered animals from being interfered with by people, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The Kennedys had been sailing off Nantucket on July 6 when they spotted the 500lb turtle in distress and decided to help.

Sea rescue: The Kennedy brothers dived into the sea off Nantucket to help a distressed leatherback turtle

A video filmed by passengers on their yacht, shows the men struggle to calm the turtle as they cut away the buoy line that was wrapped around its head and fin.

John Bullard, of the NOAA, said: ‘We’ve explained what they’ve done is a violation of the Endangered Species Act and we discourage people from doing it.’

He explained that it can be dangerous trying to help the large turtles, and said there was a risk of rescuers becoming entangled and dragged down.

There was also a risk of being pulled under by a turtle, which can weigh up to 700lb and hold its breath a lot longer than a human can, he told the Huffington Post.

‘You can get entangled, go under and it can turn into a tragedy,’ Mr Bullard added.

Distressed: The Kennedys cut the line wrapped around the turtle, but were later told their actions violated environmental laws

Since being alerted to the dangers of the rescue mission, Robert Kennedy Jr released a statement, according to the Cape Cod Times.

‘When we spotted a sea turtle in trouble over the 4th of July weekend, our first impulse was to do what we could to help free the animal,’ he said.

‘But we realize that the action we took was pretty risky, these are large, powerful animals.’

The brothers, the sons of the late Senator Robert Kennedy, are both licensed wildlife rehabilitators.

Max Kennedy spotted the distressed turtle first, signalling what would become a 35-minute rescue operation.

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‘It was clearly gonna die, so we went in, and we cut the rope off it,’ Robert Kennedy said a few days after the successful rescue.

However, wildlife officials recommend members of the public call for help, because it is illegal to handle the protected species.

People who approach endangered species can face a written warning and fines starting at $1,000 and rising to $23,000 depending on the level of interaction and intention, according to the NOAA.

Only the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies is certified to handle turtles in the region, and an environmental officer would also have been able to tag the turtle and collect vital information about the species.

Scott Landry, director of marine animal entanglement response for the Provincetown Center, told the Cape Cod Times: ‘We urge people not to do this. We understand that people are very well-intentioned.’

Mission: Robert Kennedy Jr, left, and his brother Max, spotted the leatherback while sailing in Nantucket

Protected: The leatherback turtle is so endangered is it against the law for the public to touch them

The Kennedys were able to help the center however, by supplying pictures and evidence of the type of line wrapped around the turtle.

Since being given protected species status in the U.S. numbers of leatherback sea turtles, which can hold their breath for up to 85 minutes, have started to stabilize in the Atlantic.

The number of reports of tangled turtles has increased to 22 in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New York this year, up from eight in the same period last year.

www.iswa.org/uploads/tx_iswaknowledgebase/Kalogirou.pdf‎

Study states Fly ash residues 5-20%

Yet the EIA for Shek Kwu Chau uses only 4%

Download PDF : Kalogirou_pdf

I suppose the trip adds to Edward Yau’s frequent flyer points. During his 60 months at ENB he went overseas 59 times hence the state of our air and lack of constructive action against polluting ocean shipping, failure to ban hi sulfur bunker fuel , no Emissions Control Area mandated and other pollution sources left rampant. Failure to legislate source separation of waste etc and Yau still has a highly paid office manager job instead of being charged with Misconduct in Public Office.

Since the CE met Mayor Bloomberg hopefully he learned something, such as the fact that New York City has specifically excluded incineration from its proposed waste treatment plans and New York City has the highest tobacco tax in America. Obviously Mayor Bloomberg cares about New Yorkers’ health, a constructive hint that needs to pass to CY Leung.

Links:
[1] http://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1261617/limits-chinese-parochialism

ECHELON_Prism just another form of (electronic 007 ) pollution

Download PDF : ECHELON_Prism

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