NEWS - Burma at an INT'L Conference

[Rangoonp@xxxxxxx]

Subject: NEWS - Burma at an INT'L Conference Against Corruption Opens in HK ??

NOTE: This doesn't make sense.  How can you control or prevent
corruption when the highlest levels of the government are already
corrupt ??  

INT'L Conference Against Corruption Opens in HK

               Xinhua
               22-MAR-99

               HONG KONG (March 22) XINHUA - A three-day
               international conference on fighting corruption into the
21st
               century opened at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition
               Center here Monday morning. 

               Some 700 local, inland and overseas delegates from 383
               agencies in 52 jurisdictions attended the meeting. 

               The conference hosted by the Hong Kong Independent
               Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) is designed to
               explore anti-corruption strategies to meet the challenges
in
               law enforcement and administration in the next
millennium. 

               It is also expected to strengthen cooperation among
different
               jurisdictions in fighting corruption. 

               Tung Chee Hwa, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special
               Administrative Region, said that in the last quarter of a
               century, the ICAC has substantially reduced corruption in
               Hong Kong and kept it under control. 

               Its investigative ability has turned corruption into a
high- risk
               crime, its education effort has ensured that Hong Kong
               community cannot regard it as a way of life. 

               Hong Kong now prides itself as one of the best places to
do
               business, with a clean and efficient civil service,
accountable
               and transparent procedures, and fair and open commercial
               practices, he said. 

               "In spite of our success in the past," he said,
"corruption in its
               various forms will continue to test our resolve." 

               With the ease of travel, the increasing liberalization
and
               globalization of financial markets and rapid
technological
               development, there is even greater need for the world
               community to join hands in keeping this heinous crime at
               bay, he said. 


               Delivering a keynote speech at the opening ceremony,
               Andrew Li Kwok-nang, chief justice of the HK Court of
Final
               Appeal, explained that corruption commonly involves the
               dishonest or preferential use of power or position which
has
               the result of one person or organization being advantaged
               over another. 

               Corruption motivated by human greed distorts values and
               standards and creates injustice, he said. 

               Li reviewed the unswerving work that the ICAC has done in
               the past 25 years and briefed the participants on Hong
               Kong's experience in combating corruption and challenges
               that it is confronted with. 

               He said the mission of fighting corruption will never
cease.
               There must always be concerted efforts to combat
corruption
               which may come in new forms and in circumstances which
               are harder to detect. 

               "Sound legislative framework, innovative investigatory
skills
               and continuing public education programs are essential,"
he
               stressed. 

               During the conference, the delegates will exchange views
on
               their perceptions of the world corruption scene and
discuss
               different approaches and investigation techniques to
combat
               transnational corruption. 

               Chinese mainland, Australia, Singapore, the Philippines,
the
               United States and Britain have sizable delegations to the
               conference. 

               Other participating jurisdictions include Canada, Chile,
               Egypt, France, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Malaysia,
Mongolia,
               Mozambique, Myanmar, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal,
               South Africa, the Netherlands and Macao.