Roaming gangs of Mainlanders stealing children from Hong Kong shopping malls

[Raccon]

Or on TVB news programs or ATV news programs or wherever else.

Are you invoking CNN for any particular reason?

Yes, I did indeed - because it's one of the most well-known and famous news channel. I don't watch local news so I don't know what local channels are popular.

Is it supposed to be CNN = Americans = evil?

Oh dear giant, don't be so sensitive; CNN might be American but that was not part of my thought at the time.
If you read carefully you may spot the 'HLN' suffix in my statement (just after 'CNN') - nothing evil about it, just tabloid-style rubbish, which I thought fitted your request for parading the family around in front of everyone so that the public gets "informed".

[dear giant]

If you read carefully you may spot the 'HLN' suffix in my statement (just after 'CNN') - nothing evil about it, just tabloid-style rubbish, which I thought fitted your request for parading the family around in front of everyone so that the public gets "informed".

You, like some others, are setting up a false dichotomy.

Either we have to be satisfied with a terse, practically information-free police statement or the family has to be dragged through the mud and "paraded around in front of everyone" and their "tabloid-style" interview will be aired every few minutes over and over again.

There is a middle ground. Real investigative journalism, well-researched, with good questions and pertinent follow-up questions.

We see precious little of that in HK but this society would benefit tremendously from it.

[Raccon]

There is a middle ground. Real investigative journalism, well-researched, with good questions and pertinent follow-up questions.

We see precious little of that in HK but this society would benefit tremendously from it.

I entirely agree with that, but not that it needs to be applied to the case at hand; putting that family in front of the cameras (hidden or not) doesn't make journalism real investigative or well researched, it just intrudes on their privacy and it won't convince those that believe the rumors anyway - they don't want to hear the truth regardless who speaks it.

[100LL]

I know a Swedish guy who lives in some estate very close to a great small hiking spot with great views and lots of green. He is married to a local woman early 40s who works as senior manager for one of the big property developers (I met her on several occasions and I suppose she is what you call an educated woman).

He never strayed off course from the bus stations to his estate, even though the entrance to the hiking trail is right behind the bus station. His wife told him for the past 8 years that he should never ever go in there, because dangerous illegal Chinese immigrants are living in our woods and they are known to murder people for their mobile phone. As foreigner, he would be in double danger.

She probably thinks that's true. She may have been brought up that way. And maybe at one point something really happened a long time ago. The thing is, they live nowhere near the Chinese border, they live near Mei Foo. When I took him up there, showed him the family walk, sign boards, nice fellow hikers on the track, it was an eye opener for him. He also said his wife is not gonna change her opinion about this, even if he tells her.

You really can't be the mainlanders-angst of local Hong Kong people. They are just too stubborn.

[Satay Sue]

Is "stubborn" really the right word for THAT kind of attitude?

[MovingIn07]

Is "stubborn" really the right word for THAT kind of attitude?

I'd go for another word beginning with s......

[Satay Sue]

I'd go for another word beginning with s......

Ha, exactly

[Char Siu King]

Smart guy. Always avoid the woods.

[FerrisC]

Now Ferris, see what you've started?

Oops!

It's not like I have anything personal against the statement. I just find it provocative and asked out of curiosity.

In fact I'd like to consider myself a bit of an Anglophile (if claiming to be one implies that you know a lot about the country then I'll take it back).