Japan Earthquake & Pacific Tsunami

[gunsnroses]

I was scheduled for a holiday in Tokyo two weeks ago but changed it to Malaysia instead purely because of the travel agent's concerns about the transportation delays and water supply issues. If that wasn't a problem I'd happily go to help pump some tourist dollars into the Jap economy.
It seems that my holiday timing is always crap. I was scheduled to go to NYC on 13 Sept 2001 . Had my holiday to Cairo scheduled the week the riots went ape shit.

Pls inform in advance if you plan any other vacation, we might want to tip off that country's govt about some onslaught.

[Football16]

SCMP top story Sunday was "Hong Kong snaps up top-ranking professionals in aftermath of quake - Fast track visas for fleeing Japanese executives"

Apparently HK gave out 270 work visas in with each taking just 2 days to process. Apparently these highly capable but fearful execs were eying other places for a quick retreat. Most were "senior managers of multi-national companies, mainly in the financial sector" with titles of "chief executive officer, vice-president, senior investment manager, analyst, and strategist."

"The 270 applications were received and approved between March 17 and Thursday" (Mar. 31).

Hong Kong News Headlines | Hong Kong's premier newspaper online | SCMP.com



Their salaries are all between HK$100 000 and 200 000 a month. The Donald can stick it to Beijing and Shanghai as their desire for SH to be the financial capital.

[MovingIn07]

Yes - that was the story I saw yesterday. I was quite appalled by it actually. Given we spend a lot of time on here talking about how long visas take to process, and the rules etc, and with one hand they just wave it away and rush them through with no checks. Just because they are RICH. What a terrible message to the community. You poor people have to demonstrate your skills, but the rich can just buy their way in. Makes a mockery of the whole visa system.

And why would HK want people who've shown such a low level of loyalty to their adopted homes? Surely, these are exactly the ones who will run first if another SARS or similar hits HK? What does that say about their character or the character of Donald to let them in!

[PDLM]

I suspect the reasoning actually went: either we give these people visas or we throw them out, since they can't legally be employed in Hong Kong without one. Better, I suppose, to fast track applications than to turn a blind eye to illegal immigrants.

[Loz_2]

Yes - that was the story I saw yesterday. I was quite appalled by it actually. Given we spend a lot of time on here talking about how long visas take to process, and the rules etc, and with one hand they just wave it away and rush them through with no checks. Just because they are RICH. What a terrible message to the community. You poor people have to demonstrate your skills, but the rich can just buy their way in. Makes a mockery of the whole visa system.

And why would HK want people who've shown such a low level of loyalty to their adopted homes? Surely, these are exactly the ones who will run first if another SARS or similar hits HK? What does that say about their character or the character of Donald to let them in!

But you can already get a visa if you dump a load of $ can't you? These incoming expats aren't coming on the investment visa but in any event g tiing in because your're "rich" isn't a new phenomenon.

[Claire ex-ax]

We (humans) easily forget...

Japan's tsunami-ravaged towns forgot wisdom left by their ancestors centuries ago

But I won't forget this in a hurry:

Photos reveal tsunami desperation/

... survivors cling to an antenna tower and handrails on the roof of the Minamisanriku Government Disaster Readiness Center in Minamisanriku, north-eastern Japan.

About 30 people fled to the roof of the three-storey building and climbed higher as the tsunami rushed in.

Only nine people survived and about 20 were swept to their deaths.

[gunsnroses]

Latest update ... One more earthquake hits Japan Magnitude 7.4 earthquake hits off Japan coast - Boston.com