Hong Kong Chronicles — 5th May 2023
MY WEEK THAT WAS.
CROC ALERT.
A crocodile was found in Pat Heung in the New Territories on Sunday and is now under the care of Ocean Park. The croc is female and measures just short of 2 metres.
Victor Wong Long-yin, a member of the HK Society of Herpetology Foundation’s animal adoption committee, said that crocodiles are often brought into the city via the black market. Ocean Park has appealed to the public not to illegally purchase or raise protected wild animals, for safety reasons. Apparently, we DO need to be told.
DISTRICT COUNCILS TO BE OVERHAULED.
CE John Lee said the government’s plan to change the way district council seats are filled will strengthen governance. In two newspaper interviews, he stated that the overhaul will restore the councils’ function as non-political consultative bodies, and will exclude those who betray the city’s interests.
Less than a fifth of councillors will be chosen by the public, with the rest appointed by the government or picked by government-appointed committee members.
HONG KONG SHAKES OFF RECESSION.
Hong Kong emerged from recession in the first quarter as the economy expanded by 2.7% from a year ago after the reopening of its borders revived spending — hurray!
This ends four consecutive quarters of contraction. The government believes the city’s economy in Q2 will be even better, supported by faster economic growth in the Mainland and more airline capacity. About 625,000 Mainland tourists visited during the Labour Day Golden Week, which ended on Wednesday. This is a good number, but still around 60% of pre-pandemic levels.
BENNY WHO?
My final days on vacation in Australia are being spent in Cairns, and I’ve stumbled on the perfect HK/Australian story to share.
Hong Kong businessman, Benny Wu (Chinese name unknown) bought three properties in Cairns in 2012/13 — the 19 hectare Double Island, Acacia Court Hotel, and a house in the Cairns suburbs.
Double Island, a secluded island off the coast north of Cairns, was once a favourite luxury destination for Hollywood stars. However, since buying Double Island, Mr Wu has done nothing to the buildings and allowed the resort to fall into ruin. The island is in such a state of disrepair that, last year, the Queensland Government set a deadline of end March for Mr Wu to clean up the island or forfeit his lease.
The deadline passed at the end of March 2023, and no work has been carried out. In fact, no one can find Benny Wu or anyone at his Australian company, Fortune Island Holdings.
Mr Wu’s story does no favours for Hong Kong’s reputation in Australia. I’ve tried to find out who he is, but can only see the registration of his company and, without his Chinese name, have no leads.
If anyone knows Mr Wu, you might alert him that he’s about to lose a gazillion-dollars’ worth of prime real estate …
Until next week …
#crocodile #districtcouncil #recession #doubleisland #bennywu
