<img align=left hspace=10 width=315 src="http://www.compunicate.com/Lamma/Blog/Keren-visit/!DSC_9072.jpg">Even if you rarely ever read the Lamma-zine, there's a new story that might interest you:

Beauty and the Piggy


ATV presenter Lee Ho Ying making a new friend -- The govt. wants to break up this happy family above and kill both pet pigs, Sumo & Peggy.

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How goes mein schwine kampf by the way? Are they still here or did the rotten authorities cart them off? I'd like to meet them.

Oh, I'm talking about Sumo and Peggy, not Fortune Chan and Casanova, just to avoid confusion.

Well, the Environmental Protection Dept. has finally found the two pet piggies at their new home and is now trying to sue Keren severely and get permission for removing them and selling them for slaughter.

She'd welcome visitors to see the piggies before the authorities will kill them and welcomes any and all support from Lammaites to help to save their lives.
Email me at info@Lamma.com.hk or send me a Private Message if you'd like her contacts.

The piggy story has been shown on ATV Home a few weeks ago. My own two Lamma-zine piggy stories and photos will be republished in the English magazine of the Economic Times, distributed to almost 100,000 students and English readers in HK next month.

She's also doing small but beautiful rooftop gardens these days; another Lamma-zine story will be coming up soon.

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That is INFURIATING. But what can you expect from a country (yes, this IS Red China) whose employees beat flower sellers to death for not having a license, and only object to the enslavement of children in brick factories once the story comes out publicly? Green Olympics, my ass. Makes me wanna go frickin' Rambo. Let's not let those piggies go without a damn good fight. What else can be done? Does anyone have any contacts at the SCMP? It would make a great feature story.

Toddy,

the one lying down looks like you

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6 down, keep 280 metres !

Darn it all! I was trying to stay anonymous. Thanks for blowing my cover sista.
Oh well, now you know why I need the regular services of a beauty parlour.

ccnmm wrote: time running out... pls tell us how we can help sumo & peggy??

Call Keren at 9010 7970 (she's made her phone number public now, due to the emergency) and find out directly how to help.

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Do you think if enough Lamma residents signed a petition in support of the piggy presence, it might have any effect at all at the next hearing? This is supposed to be a pseudo-democratic society. If so, volunteers could take turns collecting signatures at the ferry pier. If nothing else, it would be a good PR strategy, because if any significant number of signatures were collected, it would make an excellent news story. We could put together a press release and send it to all HK media outlets. Thoughts?

Where did you hear that? You're really new to Hong Kong, toddy.

But press releases might work if they get published in the right paper as news stories shame the govt. and they hate to lose face more than almost anything else. But even the recent Chinese TV feature and the story in the biggest Chinese newspaper in HK haven't helped so far, the Environmental Protection Dept. is relentless and merciless in this matter, it seems.

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let's be civil here... on what ground the envirnomental department is taking the piggies away... and sell them to slaughter? (sorry! i can't read your lamma-zine posting, the words are too small)

i wonder if press releases / protest alone can do much, as they are very used to it by now. let's see from their point of view then we find ways to deal with it... just sms keren, awaiting her reply now.

You're right -- a document outlining the history of the case with some facts and figures, along with the statutes supposedly being contravened and the purpose of those statutes, would be very helpful. Protest in and of itself won't achieve diddly squat. But media coverage would. It is a powerful political tool. We need prime time TV news coverage and major newspaper coverage -- not as a human interest story -- as a news story, portraying the relevant authorities as dogmatic, unreasonable, heartless bastards whose approach to this situation reflects badly on HK. It's supposed to be "one country, two systems". We might as well be in the mother f'er land for the way they're dealing with this.

I'm willing to spend some time collecting signatures on the pier under a big banner saying "SOS: Save Our Swine". The only problem with that is that people will think it's about Casanova and Fortune Chan and will refuse to sign the petition. We'll have to phrase it differently.

I agree persuasion is the best way. If we could get some idea of the identity of the operatives assigned to this evil pig-culling mission, maybe we could head them off at the pier and have a quiet talk with them.

guys - we need to understand the staff coming to carry out the mission is merely doing his job and no decision maker. pls understand AFCD has to be very careful and even reluctant with giving exemption, as this may be tricky and creates problem for them in future... now, i'm trying to think like them and no need to be hostile with the government or even chinese... please!

i studied few more articles in other websites on this issue and found that there may be some grey area... it says lamma is not a district licensed to keep livestock, however, no more than one livestock in one household is qualified for exemption (correct me if i got it wrong)... how about we have 2 different owners for the 2 piggies but continue to let them live together... is there law to forbid piggy to hv a piggysitter who happens to own a piggy aswell?? if so, can one of keren's neighbours (who lives either upstairs/downstairs or next door) be the "someone" and so the two kids can just play together in their backyard like we used to do as a kid??

Well, you're right that in most of HK you're allowed to keep a single pig, but not on Lamma where ALL pigs were outlawed a decade or so ago because of a disease outbreak.

But the idea about two owners for the pair is a good one and I'll discuss it with Keren this afternoon when we'll meet up anyway. She's donated to LAWC the $100 I split with her from my piggy stories and pictures that were republished in "English Street" newspaper.

I'll also try to get a full update on the current situation of her two beloved pets.

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The emotional English Street story, A tale of two pigs, generated a lot of positive feedback, according to Keren!
Several more interviews are coming up for her pretty soon.

The idea above about keeping the pigs together on another island - but having two owners - would not be permitted, according to Keren. Also, she hasn't found anybody yet who'd adopt a close-to-100-kg pig yet.

Anyway, she'd prefer to keep the pair together and with her...

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TVB Pearl Report on Sunday, Oct 14, 7pm:

English interview and story about Keren and her two pigs, recorded just a few weeks ago in their new home.

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Put around a rumour that they're booby trapped, ag and fish would be too scared.

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Update from Doctor John about Keren's on-going struggle with the Environmental Protection Dept:

"She got a letter from EPD dropping the prosecution BUT saying that they would renew prosecution if she was still offending in another three months.

So somehow she has to make the pigs legal by the end of March. We have no idea how to do this. Our best hope is that EPD will quietly let the matter go."

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