China Scene: South
HK takes steps to ease women's prison problem
Overcrowding in Hong Kong's women's prisons has caused the government to exchange a prison for young male offenders for one that had held women.
The Correctional Services Department says the number of male inmates has dropped in the past decade while the number of female inmates has been rising. Women's prisons, designed to hold 2,200 prisoners, are now holding 2,278. The Tai Lam Centre for Women is in the worst situation, holding 80 percent more than its capacity.
The department is also building new prisons to solve the problem.
(Ta Kung Pao)
Four convicted in eye-loss insurance scam in HK
A former Hong Kong insurance agent and three mainlanders pleaded guilty last Thursday to an insurance scam in which the mainlanders had their eyes injured to claim compensation.
Kwok Wah-cheong, the agent and mastermind of the scam, promised mainlanders HK$200,000 ($25,650) if they each would have one eye blinded and come to Hong Kong to file claims with false identity documents.
They filed insurance claims totaling HK$23.68 million ($3.04 million), including HK$8.55 million ($1.1 million) already paid out. Now Kwok will testify against three other organizers of the scam.
(Wen Wei Po)
Lantau Island sky ride more popular
Ngong Ping Skyrail, a 5.7-kilometer cable car journey for people to enjoy the view of Lantau Island in Hong Kong, proved popular despite the glitches, delays and suspensions.
The company said that 720,000 passengers were recorded in the first four months of the operation, about 44 percent above the projection. More than 100,000 took the cable car ride during the Christmas and New Year's Day holidays.
Currently, 75 percent of the passengers are locals, but the company aims to increase mainland and foreign customers to 50 percent.
A trial run for online ticketing will start next month, and the company is planning packages with Hong Kong Disneyland, Ocean Park and the Peak Tram.
(Sing Tao Daily)
Not trapped, just retreating after fight
A driver crawled under his truck to escape a fight, and passers-by, thinking he was trapped, reported a "traffic accident".
Policemen and firemen rushed to the site in Tsim Sha Tsui around 2 pm last Thursday, but found no emergency. The driver under the truck had an argument with people in another truck over a parking spot. The argument evolved into a fight, and he retreated because there were three opponents.
All four were arrested by police.
(Sing Tao Daily)
Guangdong bank seeks more deposits of sperm
The Guangdong Human Sperm Bank, one of China's five, lacks sperm to accommodate the growing number of couples seeking help with having a baby.
More than 1,000 couples are on the bank's waiting list for artificial insemination in Guangzhou, capital of the province.
Doctors at the sperm bank said the list would keep growing unless it can attract more sperm donors soon. The bank attracts fewer than 500 donors annually, far short of the demand.
The increasing number of infertile couples in the southern region has been attributed to growing work pressure and heavy drinking.
(Information Times)
(China Daily 01/16/2007 page6)
