China Scene: South

Stateless man's life on HK's streets rough justice

A man who says he is from the Golden Triangle, an opium-producing area on the borders of Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand, has filed a lawsuit against the Hong Kong government for keeping him in the city for eight years without allowing him to work or claiming welfare.

The 37-year-old, Salimuchai Todd, can only speak in the local dialect of Hazen, a village in the Golden Triangle. A patrolling policeman detained him in 1997. He said he was smuggled into the city to collect debts for drug dealers in his village, but he was unable to find the debtors. The Immigration Department contacted 17 countries to confirm his identity, all to no avail. In 2000, Todd made a desperate attempt to hijack a plane to go home, but was jailed for five years as a result. When he has not been in prison, Todd has lived on handouts from friends or charities.

Todd's lawyers said he should be recognized as a stateless person and his rights, as stipulated by the Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons, had not been safeguarded.

(Ming Pao)

Hongkongers near bottom of world's exercise table

Only 35 percent of Hongkongers exercise more than 150 minutes a week, according to a study by the University of Sydney, which did research in 20 countries around the world.

New Zealanders get the most exercise, about 63 percent worked out enough, while the Japanese are bottom, with only 16 percent getting enough exercise. Hong Kong ranks 15th. The University of Hong Kong, which assisted in the study, is planning further research to examine how public facilities, such as roads, malls and community centers affect the level of exercise.

(Ming Pao)

(China Daily 12/04/2007 page6)