Helpers Must Get Covid-19 Tested Again

Long lines of helpers waiting to get the Covid-19 test

While Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has backtracked on making vaccinations mandatory for domestic helpers, she today announced they would need to be tested for the coronavirus again, much to the dismay of the top Philippine envoy in Hong Kong.

Only those helpers who have been vaccinated can avoid doing the test again, while the rest of them must stand in line for hours in the heat on their day off.

Lam makes helpers get another round of testing

"It's like we're working in the dark when determining appropriate public health measures," Lam said.

"We have to take precautions before any possible outbreaks, as we had found some infectious Covid-19 variants in the community. Having considered the inconvenience caused to the helpers and the employers [by the previous deadline], we have decided to extend the testing period for the second round."

Wow. How thoughtful of her.

Last time 340,000 helpers were only give nine days to get the tests done, and there were photographs of lines snaking around outside as these women stood in the heat on their day off.

Philippine Consul General Raly Tejada was not pleased on hearing the news of the second round of mandatory testing on Monday from Secretary of Labour Law Chi-kwong.

"I questioned the necessity of another mandatory test, citing the near-perfect compliance of domestic workers to the initial mandatory test," Tejada said. 

Tejada says testing again unfair

"I said that the initial mandatory test was already a success, having caught three cases that were linked to the previous initial case and therefore traceable. I also stated that I find it illogical to not include the employers who are in the same household."

He definitely has a point.

But Law replied saying having to test employers meant testing some 1 million people, which would overstretch testing lab manpower.

What kind of reasoning is that? Three cases were detected among the domestic helper population already. Why the need to test again?

The Indonesian consulate also made a statement, calling the second round of testing an "unfair policy", and that helpers had already been screened.

Lam and her administration should be doing more to encourage more of the local population to get vaccinated instead. 

They continue to have a wait-and-see attitude that makes no sense, as when the vaccines run out, that's it, no more.

Domestic workers want fair treatment

What are they waiting for anyway? For the vaccinated group to sprout green horns and furry paws?

Or for them to suddenly turn into zombies wandering aimlessly around Hong Kong?

Some in their 20s and 30s point out the numbers of people who have died days after getting the jab, but many are seniors who have preexisting health conditions. The chances of young people dying from the vaccine is extremely rare, probably rarer than winning the lottery.

A journalist on Twitter has pointed out that since the take up rate of the vaccine is only 30,000 per day, and the maximum capacity is 50,000, why not allow other people who do not have Hong Kong ID cards take advantage of the jabs, like asylum seekers (about 13,000), and mainland women who are waiting for their residency?

Everyone in the community should be vaccinated regardless of their status if people want Hong Kong to be safer from Covid-19.

We should not waste vaccines -- we should make them available to anyone who wants them. This is a group effort not only for Hong Kong, but the world.

More Shooting Outrage in Hong Kong

Tsang Chi-kin lies on the ground right after he was shot yesterday

Tsang Chi-kin, the 18-year-old student who was shot in the chest yesterday by a police officer will pull through thankfully, and thousands of people demonstrated their anger about the shooting with an impromptu march through Central at lunchtime.

Office workers in the area took over the streets to march from Chater Garden to Sheung Wan, raising their hands with fingers outstretched to show they want all five demands met, and chanted slogans. They literally stopped traffic as they marched, giving a very good indication of how much outrage there is towards the police.

Thousands marched around Central protesting the shooting

Meanwhile, Chinese state media claimed what the police officer did was completely legal, that he was within his rights to defend himself.

"Rioters attacked police officers on a great scale at Tsuen Wan," Xinhua said in a commentary early Wednesday morning. "The life of the officer at the scene was under serious threat and he was forced to shoot at the assailant to protect his own life as well as his colleagues. [His] action was totally legal, legitimate and appropriate," it said.

However, critics have said the officer should have de-escalated the situation rather than use live rounds. In fact yesterday six live rounds were fired around the city. Why so many yesterday? Were they given instructions to use live rounds? They were only further escalating the already tense situation.

And to further aggravate the frustration, former chief executive Leung Chun-ying wrote a letter to the the Tsuen Wan school Tsang attends, and told the principal to expel the 18-year-old and that the principal should resign immediately.

This evening in Tsuen Wan more people protested

What kind of nonsense is that? How is it the principal's fault his student was out protesting, and how does expelling the boy do any good? Elitists are revealing their true colours...

As if this afternoon's march was not enough support for the student, thousands more gathered tonight in Tsuen Wan. People held signs that read, "Don't shoot our kids". It looks like more and more people are angry at the police and want justice for Tsang...

Speaking of shootings, there was an Indonesian reporter, Veby Indah, who was shot in the eye on Sunday in Wan Chai, and it has now been reported she has permanently lost sight in that eye.

Indonesian journalist Veby Idah right after she was shot

Her legal representative, Michael Vidler wrote in a statement: "the injury she received as a result of being shot by the police, will result in permanent blindness in her right eye. She was informed that the pupil of her eye was ruptured by the force of the impact. The exact percentage of permanent impairment can only be assessed after surgery.

"We can also confirm that we have received evidence from a third party, which indicates that the projectile that blinded Ms Veby was a rubber bullet and not a beanbag round as originally thought."

With lawyers already on the case, Indah will most probably sue the police, while Tsang's family can also exercise that legal option.

On Sunday Indah, like other reporters, was wearing a bright yellow vest and standing on the overpass that links the Wan Chai MTR station with Immigration Tower. She said heard other journalists saying to the police, "Don't shoot, we are journalists." But Indah said the police shot and the next thing she knew, she was down on the ground. 

Doctors say she has permanently lost sight in her right eye

An 18-year-old shot in the chest and is lucky to be alive, and a reporter has become blind in one eye because of the police. Is this the kind of image the Hong Kong police want to project? Or their integrity is already evaporated so it doesn't matter anymore?

Meanwhile the rest of us are wondering when and how this will all end...

Singapore's Burgeoning Art Collection

Inside the National Gallery Singapore there is a lot of space to roam around

After an epic lunch at Odette, the contemporary French fine dining restaurant at the National Gallery Singapore, my friend and I walked around the museum.

I came here over two years ago and was very impressed by the renovation of the Supreme Court Building into a beautiful space that has a lot of room for people to wander and many restaurants and cafes. 

Georgette Cheng's Family Portrait

We checked out one exhibition in particular -- (Re) Collect: The Making of our Art Collection.

The museum went through its collection of over 8,600 pieces and showed almost 130 of them that demonstrate how it has evolved since the 1960s. In it there are works by various Asian artists not only from China like Zao Wou-ki, but also Indonesian, Malaysian and of course Singaporean.

One of the artists that caught my eye in particular was Georgette Chen (nee Chang Li Ying) (1906-1993), originally from Zhejiang province. Her father was an antiques dealer with businesses in Paris, London and New York. He was also a supporter of Dr Sun Yat-sen, which is why Chen and her 11 siblings -- yes a family of 12 children -- were encouraged to speak Mandarin at home and were sometimes taken on trips to China to see the revolutionary effort.

As she was born into a privileged household, she was allowed her to follow her interest in art and even went to Paris and New York to study. She eventually settled on Paris, where she met Eugene Chen, a Chinese diplomat and friend of Dr Sun. Chen was also an art and music lover who encouraged Georgette's art career. They married in 1930.

One of S. Sudjojono's sketches of daily life

However, during the Sino-Japanese war, they were imprisoned and her husband died in 1944 in Shanghai.

She moved to Singapore and her art focused on still lifes, landscapes, and the human figure. In the exhibition there are some of her works, including one called Family Portrait. It features the family of Chen Fa Shin, a long time family friend of the artist.

The description of the work explains the family was close to her as indicated by their relaxed postures. Each family member took turns posing for her, as she sketched them in charcoal and then she painted over the lines with oil.

Chen also became a teacher at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts for many years.

Another interesting artist is Indonesian artist S. Sudjojono (1913-1986). The museum presents a series of ink and watercolour sketches that look like the precursor to infographics. The sketches are so intricate and include some text. They are observations of daily life as well as portraits and urban landscapes.

Stacks of old medicine bottles by Navin Rawanchaikul

One particularly intriguing work is by Thai artist Navin Rawanchaikul (b. 1971). His art installation, Asking for Nothingness looks like a massive collection of old medical bottles stacked up in several circular shelves.

But when you walk behind the stacks, the bottles aren't empty -- they are filled with black and white photographs of elderly people. You can't really see their faces and you're not meant to. The artist is shining a spotlight on how society neglects the elderly and illiiterate caused by rapid modernization.

This is Rawanchaikul's attempt to preserve the seniors' stories, reaffirming their cultural value in society. It's a pretty eerie piece, but it's provocative and forces you to think of all these people, shoved in the back of a cabinet and forgotten.

The National Gallery Singapore also has amazing views on its top floor. When you emerge from the elevator, the roof actually has water running on the glass ceiling and it creates a beautiful reflection of the urban landscape nearby. 

The bottles have pictures of elderly people in them

The rooftop area also provides great views of Marina Bay Sands, the exhibition centre and a massive grassy area for cricket. Of course there are restaurants and bars there for guests who want to eat and drink while taking in the view.

National Gallery Singapore

1 St Andrew's Road

Singapore

178957

Fact of the Day: Instant Noodle Numbers

China is a big consumer of instant noodles, but not as much as before

When I lived in Beijing 10 years ago, my colleagues would eat fangbian mian (方便麵) or "instant noodles". It was what people loaded up on in supermarkets, buying a dozen at a time -- the same flavour too.

I wondered if they knew these noodles didn't have much nutritional value being deep-fried, but they just thought it was convenient to cook in minutes.

However it seems the Chinese are eating less instant noodles than even three years ago, even though China is still the biggest consumer of the popular food product, according to a 2016 estimate by the World Instant Noodles Association.

Less people eat instant noodles due to healthier food choices

lobally a total of 97.5 billion servings of instant noodles were eaten, with China accounting for nearly 40 percent, while Indonesia was a distant second at 13 billion servings.

However in the past few years, China's consumption of instant noodles has actually dropped by 20 percent. In 2013 the country ate 46.2 billion servings, and 2016 marked the fourth consecutive year of decline, with 38.5 billion servings.

When it comes to per capita consumption, South Korea is number one with 76.1 servings per year for 2016, and China was only 27.7 servings.

There are many reasons for the drop in demand for instant noodles. According to the Straits Times, the rise of the Chinese instant noodle market paralleled "an economic boom that was fueled by the migration of low-cost workers from the countryside."

Others still find instant noodles too convenient not to pass up

But now that the economy has been slowing down these few years, the population of migrant workers has dropped off significantly, many returning to their hometowns. Another reason is the rise of the middle class and they are more health-conscious and can afford better quality food.

The third and probably biggest reason is the rise of online food delivery services that make it so much easier (and cheaper) to order food on their phone than to buy groceries and cook at home.

Mysterious Murder of Kim Jong-nam

Kim Jong-nam traveled between Macau, China and Paris

The news of the murder of Kim Jong-un's half-brother on Monday is shocking news, and now three suspects have been arrested.

One woman carrying a Vietnamese passport was arrested yesterday. She was seen on CCTV footage at Kuala Lumpur International Airport wearing a white long-sleeved shirt with "LOL" on it, and a long skirt.

CCTV footage of one of the women who was arrested

Is she trying to be ironic?

The other two are an Indonesian woman and Malaysian man.

Kim Jong-nam, 45, was attacked at in the shopping area of the airport before he passed through immigration. There are still questions over what exactly happened -- one story is that two women put a sheet over his head that had poisonous chemicals on it, another is that poisonous darts were shot at him.

But many believe North Korea was behind the assassination, demonstrating Kim Jong-un's undisputed power in eliminating any other critics and rivals in his way.

According to Kim Jong-nam's friends in Macau who knew him as "John", he didn't speak much about the regime in North Korea, but knew he was living on borrowed time, as there had been assassination attempts on him before.

It is believed Kim's son in his early 20s, daughter and wife all live in Macau.

Kim Jong-nam (right) with his father Kim Jong-il

As the oldest son, Kim was believed to be the potential heir to Kim Jong-il, but after he entered Japan illegally to visit Disneyland in 2001 on a false Dominican Republic passport, his prospects ended.

Kim never contested his younger half brother for the leadership, and instead moved to Macau. According to his friend, Kim traveled between Macau, China and Paris, where he liked French wines and food.

Before moving to Macau, Kim had reportedly held senior posts in the Pyongyang government, working in information technology and domestic intelligence.

"He didn't talk much about his brother or the regime, although sometimes he would crack jokes about it," Kim's friend says. "He was mostly reserved in that regard. He never hid that he had some political aspirations. He did not want to succeed his father and he did not agree with his brother's regime, but I think he hoped one day he could play some political role in his country."

The following days and months will reveal more about the autopsy results of the body and perhaps more on why and how Kim was murdered. And to do the dirty deed in another country raises many diplomatic issues...

Clearing the Issue on Windows

The Philippine consulate wants to ban domestic helpers from cleaning windows

There have been far too many incidents of maids -- oh I mean domestic helpers -- falling to their deaths to clean windows for their employers.

Either the bosses are not giving advice on how to clean the windows safely, or they are expecting every inch of the windows to be clean, which in some cases is absolutely impossible without falling out.

I periodically clean the windows of my flat, but there are some areas I cannot reach at all and just have to leave them as is. Nothing's perfect.

Cleaning windows outside is dangerous at any height

But alas, there have been several cases of maids falling out of windows only to die, and that's not worth it at all.

Despite complaints from the Philippine government through the consulate here, the Hong Kong government up to now has done nothing about it.

It was only when the consulate announced earlier this week that a new contractual clause with Filippino domestic helpers state that cleaning the outside of windows was no longer part of their duties did the Hong Kong government freak out and ask for time to figure out how to solve the matter.

So the fact that several domestic helpers have died because they fell out of windows while working in Hong Kong was not enough of an impetus for the government to look into the matter and perhaps discuss the issue with the Philippine consulate?

It seems civil servants also expect super clean windows even though the view outside is basically smog anyway.

The ban was supposed to take effect on Sunday, but after the Hong Kong government pleaded for time, did the consulate postpone the ban until November 14.

Matthew Cheung needs more time to sort out the issue?

Secretary for Labour and Welfare Matthew Cheung Kin-chung welcomed the delay, saying more time was needed to work out the new measures as well as seek a balance between the interests of employers and domestic helpers.

What's there to sort out? This is a matter of safety; everyone will have to just deal with either cleaning the exterior of windows themselves, figure out a procedure and tools to clean them safely, or leave them as is.

By the same token the Philippine government should have discussed the issue with the Hong Kong authorities before instituting the ban.

In Singapore, domestic helpers there haven't had to clean the exterior of windows since 2012, unless the employer is present to supervise the work and a grille is installed and locked at all times during the process.

If and when this contractual clause comes into effect, it could also lead to other countries to have similar clauses in their domestic helpers' contracts, like Indonesia.

As many of these domestic helpers are the main bread winners back home, making their work more safe would be a win-win for everyone. And anyways, haven't we already developed self-cleaning window technology?

Dragging HK to "Belt and Road"

One Belt, One Road is Xi Jinping's plan to create trade links with 65 countries

Yesterday Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying delivered his last policy address and a good chunk of the two-hour speech was devoted to the "One Belt, One Road" trade strategy that was initiated by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Leung, who has abbreviated it to "Belt and Road", mentioned these two words an unprecedented 48 times. It was much more than "education" (31), "innovation" (30), "sustainable" (12) and "recycling" (0).

What is this "Belt and Road" you ask?

Xi presented this initiative in 2013 and was highlighted in the 13th five-year plan last year. The proposal is to develop two trade routes -- the New Silk Road linking China with Europe, and the Maritime Silk Road linking China with Southeast Asia, Africa and Europe.

Leung wants Hong Kong to take join One Belt, One Road

As a result it will span 65 countries, including Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Russia, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.

With links so expansive, Leung thinks Hong Kong should get in on the game. Or rather because he hopes to be re-elected next year, he wants to be in Xi's good books.

As a result, Leung is establishing a "Belt and Road" office with a committee of which he will be chairman in order to determine strategies on how Hong Kong can take advantage of these new trade links.

He has allocated HK$200 million for the professional service sector to build ties and cooperation with One Belt, One Road countries, and there will be tax incentives for those companies that set up treasury units in Hong Kong.

Not only are Leung's plans business-oriented, but education-related too. He wants students from these countries to come to Hong Kong to study, while educating local students about One Belt, One Road through study and cultural exchanges.

Is this the best Leung and his team can think of in terms of taking advantage of the One Belt, One Road strategy?

There are already stories from entrepreneurs trying to break into central Asia and having a lot of trouble doing business there.

Tom Lee, a product engineer for an electronics company, travelled to Kazakhstan in 2014 in a trip organized by the Trade Development Council. He was hoping to explore opportunities there and reached a US$30,000 deal with a local company, only to find it failed to pay up.

"Its business model is hard for Hong Kong companies to understand, and the customs system is extremely complicated," he said. Language is also a barrier. As a result Lee said his company was more focused on traditional markets like Europe and North America.

So how will Leung be able to help companies overcome these hurdles? And the committee is going to spend how many months and how much money to figure this out?

And educationally, what can students get out of this strategy? What is there for them in central Asia and Southeast Asia? Does Leung mean universities here will start providing courses on learning these languages or will there be lessons on Islam?

One parent commented, "I don't understand why the government is so generous to others but not willing to change the quality of our own education."

Point taken.

In the end it all sounds really vague, and one wonders how much he can really achieve on this initiative in one year.

Even more ironic is that people in Hong Kong aren't enthusiastic about this project, and yet Leung insists on dragging us into this plan.

While it makes sense for Hong Kong to try to find some way to benefit from these potentially big trade links, who's got an appetite for some adventure?

As Hong Kong goes through rocky economic times, most people are too scared of risking too much and would rather be close to home and bet on a sure thing.

Leung just might be biting off much more than he can chew.

Cruel Intentions

Indonesian domestic helpers protesting against violent mistreatment

This week we read about the shocking plight of Indonesian domestic helpers in Hong Kong. One is now recovering in hospital back in Indonesia after suffering injuries to her legs as well as cuts and burns all over her body she claims were inflicted by her employer.

Erwiana Sulistyaningsih is 23 years old and she came to Hong Kong last May to work for her employer in Tseung Kwan O. When she returned to Indonesia on January 10, a friend had to help her walk through the airport because she was in so much pain, according to the Association of Indonesian Migrant Workers' Hong Kong branch.

It also said her employer gave her HK$100 and told her not to speak to any Indonesians before she boarded the plane.

Indonesian consulate staff tried to contact her employer but he refused to open the door; only when police arrived did he comply, but even then gave very few details.

And now a second Indonesian woman has come out to say she was also suffered similar injuries to Erwiana back in 2010. Yesterday 28-year-old Bunga said she suffered 10 months of beatings and even death threats.

"One time the employer got so angry she dragged me onto the balcony and threatened to throw me off it. She made me beg for my life," Bunga said. "I told her that she could beat me as much as she wanted, but I went on my knees and begged her not to kill me because I had a son."

She also said she was not allowed out of the Tsueng Kwan O flat and was locked inside when the family went out.

Bunga also told of how her employer threatened to pay the Indonesian police to kill her family back home if she told anyone about the mistreatment.

What is going on here? Isn't Hong Kong supposed to be a civilized society?

We are seeing more cases of maids being violently mistreated by the employers. Why is this happening? Are these employers sick people who take pleasure in inflicting pain on others?

Worst of all there are no proper checks and balances when women from the Philippines, Indonesia and now Bangladesh come to Hong Kong to work as domestic helpers.

First there are some unscrupulous employment agencies that demand extremely high service fees particularly from Indonesian maids who think they can make back the money working in Hong Kong.

However, they end up being indentured slaves because to pay for the employment fees, the agencies lend the women money with high interest and so they can hardly ever pay back the entire amount.

Also not all these agencies are looking out for the maids' best interests and aren't there when they need help. In Indonesian cases, sometimes the consulate isn't available either.

Some employers may not have the patience to deal with Indonesian domestic helpers because of their lack of English skills and the need to completely train them to do housekeeping and cooking.

And then the Hong Kong government seems to turn a blind eye to the conflicts between domestic helpers and their employers. To avoid having too many maids without jobs hanging around the city, the domestic helpers have only two weeks to find another job otherwise they have to leave.

It seems like the government doesn't want to interfere in what goes on in people's homes, but surely it should be aware of how its residents are treating foreign workers -- as they would other human beings.

There are stories of maids living in very cramped quarters -- because the government has not legislated the requirements of the space -- some even sleeping on kitchen and bathroom floors.

How many more incidents of badly beaten domestic helpers does it take before the government steps in and lays down the rules?

We should add there are many families who treat their domestic helpers very well, not quite to the extent of a family member, but some are paid more than the mandated salary, or given extra pay for working overtime.

This latest incident has made Hong Kong look like a place filled with evil employers so why would anyone want to come here to work as a domestic helper?

Just End to a Two-Year Nightmare

Justice was served today for an Indonesian domestic helper who suffered horrific torture and slave-like conditions by her employers.

Tai Chi-wai, 42 was sentenced to three years and three months in jail, while his wife Catherine Au Yuk-shan, 41, was handed a five and a half year jail sentence.

The trial which lasted several days gripped the city as the domestic helper Kartika Puspitasari, 30, testified about how she was beaten and forced to do undignified things for two years.

Kartika told of when she first arrived in October 2010, Au threw away all her clothes and forced her to wear over sized old clothes, but no underwear or bras. She also told of how Au cut off all her hair and brandished a box cutter, threatening to kill her if she let her hair grow back. Then the employer slashed her forearm and wrist with the blade, the scars still visible.

The domestic helper testified she worked seven days a week with no holiday or pay, and was forced to sleep in the kitchen. And then Au beat her often, using wire hangers, shoes, and a bicycle chain, and even scalded her face with a hot iron.

That's not all -- Kartika said in court that from June 27 to July 1 last year, before the family went on holiday to Thailand, Tai tied her legs to a chair and her hands behind her back. She testified that he left no food or water for her and literally sat there for five days until her employers came back.

The couple's defense? They claimed Kartika's injuries were self inflicted and that her claims were "ridiculous".

In giving his verdict, Judge So Wai-tak described the couple as "cruel" and "vicious", and that they had damaged Hong Kong's reputation as a safe place to work. He said that a doctor's testimony showed that Kartika could not have intentionally hurt herself because of where the marks were on her body.

According to media reports, Au and Tai were calm when the sentence was read out, and apparently were prepared for jail; they already contacted the Social Welfare Department to look after their three children ranging in age from five to 11.

Hong Kong started importing domestic helpers in the late 1970s which made it easier for women to go to work in order to contribute to a two-income household. They first came from the Philippines and more now from Indonesia.

While the monthly income they earn here is good compared to what they can earn back in their home countries, doing domestic work and looking after children and the elderly is physically demanding, and for many it's demeaning, as some have university degrees.

The majority seem get along with their employers, some have very happy relationships with their families, while Kartika's case is the other extreme as a two-year brutal physical and psychological nightmare.

This case shows how few checks and balances there are when it comes to Hong Kong families hiring domestic helpers. Since she lives with the family, the domestic helper has no choice but to live with the family and try to tolerate the situation.

Domestic helper support groups are now calling for the government to allow option of domestic helpers living with their employers so that they are not on call 24 hours a day, and also it will make it easier for them to report abuses to the police.

It will be interesting to see how the government reacts to this case and if it leads to further guidelines on how domestic helpers should be treated in Hong Kong. It cannot turn a deaf ear to these workers who make a significant contribution to the city's economy and community.