#Newspaper
Hong Kong Ocean Park gave no explanation when requests for funding; Animal protection groups denounce the Park using animal welfare as a threat for the 5.4.billion grant
(Independent media special report)
Hong Kong amusement park Ocean Park has recorded a severe deficit in the past four years. The loss was as high as 560 million HK dollars last year which put the Park in possible bankruptcy. It requested the Finance Committee of the Hong Kong Legislative Council to approve 5.4 billion dollars for "salvation". As the Park has not publicly explained the animal placement plan, several animal protection groups denounce the Park's board of directors using Park's animal welfare as a threat. The animal protection groups urged the park to explain animal placement plan and the use of the funds as soon as possible.
Legislative Council member, Claudia Mo Man-ching denounced the mismanagement of Ocean Park as a long term problem and questioned that Ocean Park keeps more animals than the claimed 7,500. She asked, "for the unclaimed animal, is the Park sending them for Animal euthanasia?" Mao also criticized the Director of the Environment Bureau Wong Kam-sing has never expressed his stance on this incident.
Roni Wong, Administrative Secretary of Dolphin Family, criticized Ocean Park for "emotional blackmailing", using the animal welfare to threaten the legislative council for 5.4 billion dollars for funding. Wong also stated that he had written to Ocean Park multiple times to inquire about the quality of animal lives in the park, the quality of meals, hours of practice completed, the medical benefits provided to them, etc. However, no reply was provided by the Park. He urged Ocean Park to explain how much of the funding will be spent on animals. He continued to point out that one of the zoos in Germany was faced with the same situation of poor management. The park created a “slaughter list” for the animals. Some animals were executed to feed other animals. Wong worried that the same situation would happen in Ocean Park and questioned how the Park would settle the animals.
A spokesman for the Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society, Viena Mak, said that she has repeatedly called on Ocean Park to reference the foreign experience and study the possibility of setting up a beach shelter. This will allow the animals in the park to enjoy their “retirement”. Mak also added that the animals in the park have been kept in captivity for many years and are not suitable for wild nature. Ocean Park, as a party that imported dolphins, needs to take care of the animals' life until death.
Excerpt: Inmediahk, (14-May)
https://www.inmediahk.net/node/1073405
#OceanPark #Funding #LegislativeCouncil #FailedState #PublicMoney
Hong Kong Ocean Park gave no explanation when requests for funding; Animal protection groups denounce the Park using animal welfare as a threat for the 5.4.billion grant
(Independent media special report)
Hong Kong amusement park Ocean Park has recorded a severe deficit in the past four years. The loss was as high as 560 million HK dollars last year which put the Park in possible bankruptcy. It requested the Finance Committee of the Hong Kong Legislative Council to approve 5.4 billion dollars for "salvation". As the Park has not publicly explained the animal placement plan, several animal protection groups denounce the Park's board of directors using Park's animal welfare as a threat. The animal protection groups urged the park to explain animal placement plan and the use of the funds as soon as possible.
Legislative Council member, Claudia Mo Man-ching denounced the mismanagement of Ocean Park as a long term problem and questioned that Ocean Park keeps more animals than the claimed 7,500. She asked, "for the unclaimed animal, is the Park sending them for Animal euthanasia?" Mao also criticized the Director of the Environment Bureau Wong Kam-sing has never expressed his stance on this incident.
Roni Wong, Administrative Secretary of Dolphin Family, criticized Ocean Park for "emotional blackmailing", using the animal welfare to threaten the legislative council for 5.4 billion dollars for funding. Wong also stated that he had written to Ocean Park multiple times to inquire about the quality of animal lives in the park, the quality of meals, hours of practice completed, the medical benefits provided to them, etc. However, no reply was provided by the Park. He urged Ocean Park to explain how much of the funding will be spent on animals. He continued to point out that one of the zoos in Germany was faced with the same situation of poor management. The park created a “slaughter list” for the animals. Some animals were executed to feed other animals. Wong worried that the same situation would happen in Ocean Park and questioned how the Park would settle the animals.
A spokesman for the Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society, Viena Mak, said that she has repeatedly called on Ocean Park to reference the foreign experience and study the possibility of setting up a beach shelter. This will allow the animals in the park to enjoy their “retirement”. Mak also added that the animals in the park have been kept in captivity for many years and are not suitable for wild nature. Ocean Park, as a party that imported dolphins, needs to take care of the animals' life until death.
Excerpt: Inmediahk, (14-May)
https://www.inmediahk.net/node/1073405
#OceanPark #Funding #LegislativeCouncil #FailedState #PublicMoney
Columbia Failed to Disclose $1 Million in CCP Funding
Columbia University failed to disclose at least $1 million in Chinese government funding that went toward hosting a Confucius Institute, which the State Department has described as a part of Beijing's propaganda effort targeting U.S. students.
The New York-based university is the only Ivy League institution to host a Confucius Institute, a controversial Chinese government-funded program that at its height operated in more than 100 U.S. colleges. Hanban, the Beijing-controlled entity that manages the Confucius Institute, pledged at least $1 million in donations to Columbia University, according to a Chinese state media report. Department of Education records show that Columbia never disclosed any such donations to the federal government.
Source: Washington Free Beacon #Dec07
https://freebeacon.com/campus/columbia-failed-to-disclose-1-million-in-ccp-funding/
#ColumbiaUniversity #Funding #Chinese #Confucius #Beijing
Columbia University failed to disclose at least $1 million in Chinese government funding that went toward hosting a Confucius Institute, which the State Department has described as a part of Beijing's propaganda effort targeting U.S. students.
The New York-based university is the only Ivy League institution to host a Confucius Institute, a controversial Chinese government-funded program that at its height operated in more than 100 U.S. colleges. Hanban, the Beijing-controlled entity that manages the Confucius Institute, pledged at least $1 million in donations to Columbia University, according to a Chinese state media report. Department of Education records show that Columbia never disclosed any such donations to the federal government.
Source: Washington Free Beacon #Dec07
https://freebeacon.com/campus/columbia-failed-to-disclose-1-million-in-ccp-funding/
#ColumbiaUniversity #Funding #Chinese #Confucius #Beijing