Maids find champion

HONG KONG - Governor Chris Patten has come to the defence of Hong Kong's Filipino maids, saying the British colony should do more to make their days off enjoyable.

'I've been thinking about them recently,' Mr Patten said, referring to a long-running controversy over where the maids should gather on Sundays and public holidays.

Many of the 100,000 foreign maids in Hong Kong, most of whom are from the Philippines, congregate in a public square in Central, Hong Kong's business district.

This provokes complaints that they obstruct traffic and, curiously, leave piles of rubbish. But efforts to find them an alternative meeting place have been blocked by residents.

The maids 'make a considerable contribution to our community', and the people of Hong Kong should try 'more imaginatively' to solve the problem, Mr Patten said on Friday, at a lunch with 350 of the colony's business leaders.

'I sometimes wonder why those who are perfectly willing to let Filipinos look after their children seem more reluctant to provide somewhere for them to go on their days off,' the Governor added. AP