China Scene: South

Inflation takes hold within Hong Kong prisons

Prisons in the Hong Kong special administrative region increased wages for inmates by about 12 percent on April 12.

The wages were adjusted in the face of sharp price hikes in Hong Kong over the past months. The prices of daily use articles and food in the retail stores and supermarkets inside the prisons have also increased significantly.

At the moment, the monthly maximum wage for an inmate is 475.20 Hong Kong dollars ($61).

Hong Kong now has 11,170 inmates. Their wages are in 10 different grades.

(www.orientalnet.com)

Father falls for prostitution phone message sting

A resident surnamed Xian was overcome with regret when he realized he had lost 3,000 yuan ($430) to a fraudster on Thursday in Haikou, capital of Hainan province.

Xian received a short mobile phone message from a local cell phone number, from someone claiming to be his daughter. The sender asked Xian to immediately send her money because she had been arrested for prostitution.

Xian was eager to help his daughter and sent money to the account listed.

However, when he phoned his daughter to say he had sent the money, she said nothing of the sort had happened.

Police are investigating.

(Nanguo Metropolis Daily)

Workers stay up protecting lost boa constrictor

Workers in Haikou, capital of Hainan province, looked after a little lost boa constrictor on Thursday.

They spotted the 40-cm-long snake on the lawn of an automobile parts factory in the Haikou free trade zone at about 10 pm.

Two workers sat with the snake all night after learning that boa constrictors are under State protection.

The boa was later sent to a local wild animal rescue center.

(Hainan Special Zone Daily)

(China Daily 05/06/2008 page6)