A Legal Solution to Hong Kong's Problems (int'l edition)

''Tung should leave Hong Kong's courts alone'' (Asian Business, May 31) contains a number of errors. First, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government is seeking an interpretation of the Basic Law from the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, which is empowered to carry out this function. It is because the HKSAR government respects the rule of law that it is seeking a legal solution to its present dilemma. The proposed interpretation is a lawful way of resolving the current problems under our new constitutional order.

Second, the possibility of an amendment to the Basic Law was considered by the HKSAR government. But it is more appropriate to seek an interpretation because what is at issue is the true legislative intent of the Basic Law. An amendment of the Basic Law is needed only if it is proposed to change the legislative intent of a provision.

Third, the ultimate power to determine the meaning of the Basic Law is vested in the Standing Committee of the NPC, and not the Court of Final Appeal. This power has been expressly recognized by the CFA itself and has been apparent since April, 1990, when the Basic Law was promulgated.

Fourth, any interpretation by the Standing Committee can not ''nullify'' previous court judgments. The rights of the parties to the CFA cases will be unaffected by any interpretation the Standing Committee may make. The CFA's judgments are final in this respect, and no appeal lies against them.


R. Allcock
Deputy Law Officer
Justice Dept.
Hong Kong

All Kyoto Needs Is Entrepreneurs (int'l edition)

I agree with ''Japan's high-tech hope'' (Asian Edition Cover Story, May 31) that Kyoto has become a hotbed of startups with can-do spirit. We have venture capital, lawyers, CPAs, and research park facilities to incubate ventures. The Venture Business Laboratory, newly established in the universities, will hopefully hatch entrepreneurs in the future.

Takashi Masaki
Kyoto, Japan

Europe's Red Tape Is a Big Bore (int'l edition)

Hooray for ''No more excuses for dodging reform'' (European Business, Apr. 26). So many of Karen Lowry Miller's points are so obvious that I can't help but laugh at the politicians.

Lack of economic freedom in Europe has stunted growth. Stores are less likely to stay open for longer hours because owners are forced to pay more taxes, leaving little room for citizens to work and shop, but lots of room for boredom. The daily lives of citizens begin to look eerily similar. And it appears that citizens are stuck with this boredom because they are not allowed to work more if they desire more money. Therefore, citizens aren't able to save money for activities such as travel and personal investment, which further keeps a lid on economic expansion.

More problems arise in the service sector, in which many workers, especially in government, can never be fired once hired. This has led to impolite workers who lack the desire to perform at their highest potential because they know they will never lose their jobs.

On the adjacent page is ''Look who's bowing to Japan Inc. now'' (European Business, Apr. 26). It surprises me that the hardworking Japanese chose France, where the unions are overbearing and government taxes are sky-high. Although the French government may have bent over backwards to accommodate Toyota Motor Corp., wait until the unions sink their teeth in. Should someone warn the Toyodas?

Amy Claire Hazelwood
Barcelona

Double-Cooking Is Not a Belgian Secret (int'l edition)

Congratulations for ''French fries? Non! Frites? Oui!'' (Letter From Belgium, May 31). Belgian frites are very often excellent, but there is no need to spread false information about french fries. Good French and Belgian frites are both prepared using the double-cooking method--first cooked by poaching them in oil at approximately 260F and then fried in oil at 350F to give them their crispy, golden exterior.

You quote Pierre Wynants, the chef and owner of Comme Chez Soi in Brussels, as saying that French cookbooks don't mention such a second cooking. Paul Bocuse (Lyons) and the late Raymond Oliver (chef and owner of Le Grand Vefour in Paris) would not have been pleased. Books of those fabled three-star chefs describe in detail the advantages of the second cooking. Please let us not start a culinary war on a subject best left to be enjoyed.

Francois Brocard
London

Foreign Technology Funneled to U.S. Companies? (int'l edition)

I was not surprised at Echelon's capacity to monitor international communications (phones, fax, E-mail, etc.), and I appreciated very much your bringing up this troubling issue (''They're listening to your calls,'' Science & Technology, May 31). What I found lacking, however, was mention of the controversy around accusations that NASA is funneling others' technology to the U.S. private sector. Such controversies were brought to light in Germany, concerning technologies that had filtered out, and German companies had the bitter surprise to find them patented in the U.S.

Khalid Benhamou
Casablanca, Morocco