Man through Penang Wall

The old colonial buildings and Chinese shophouses in George Town on the Malaysian island of Penang are often mouldy and softly rotting away. Great abstract images are materialising. This wall looks like somebody walked straight through it. More in this gallery.

© Kees Metselaar 2010

Li & Fung buys into Saville Row

William K. Fung, Group managing Director of Li & Fung Limited. He and his brother Victor Fung control the company and got in the news this week for buying the Royal Saville Row based tailor Gieves & Hawkes in London. Or as the Independent calls it:
"Gieves & Hawkes bows to Chinese buyer". More William Fung and other HK business people here.

© Kees Metselaar 2011

Spy Poeteray

One of the hottest stories in the Netherlands is about the spy Raymond Poeteray. He was arrested on 24th of March on suspicion of spying for Russia. He was apparently part of a spying ring of an Austrian couple who were arrested last year. Poeteray is also suspected of money laundering, taking bribes and possession of illegal weapons.

He was vice-consul of the Netherlands in Hong Kong until 2008. This photo was taken in 2007 during the so called Holland Village Fair in Central Hong Kong. On the left of Poeteray the Consul Jan Revis and on the right the HK Secretary for Home Affairs Tsang Tak Sing. The Poeterays left the territory under a cloud after they returned their eight year old adopted daughter from Korea in the care of Hong Kong's Social Welfare Department claiming they could no longer care for her because of the girl's emotional remoteness.

© Kees Metselaar 2007

Anti CY Leung Demo

Yesterday's pro-democracy demonstration of thousands against the March 25 election of Leung Chun-ying, 57 by a 1,200-strong pro-Beijing election committee as the new Hong Kong Chief Executive. Some were dressed up in little red riding hoods as innocent victims as CY's nickname is the Wolf. Others dressed up as a mainland Chinese tanks in a reference to his reported commentts advocating a crackdown on Tiananmen pro-democracy supporters. More on my website here.