Tributes sound for `renowned patriot'

Tributes sound for `renowned patriot'
Jonathan Cheng
Monday, October 30, 2006 A who's who of Hong Kong's political power players has stepped forward to pay tribute to Henry Fok Ying-tung, one of the territory's most important ties to the mainland and a local symbol of loyalty to China and rags-to-riches prosperity.Fok, who for more than a decade served as one of Hong Kong's highest ranking representatives in Beijing, died Saturday night at Peking Union Medical College, where he was being treated for cancer. He was 83.
His body is expected to be returned to Hong Kong as early as tomorrow, and the stature of the committee overseeing Fok's funeral arrangements - rumored to be headed by high-level state leader Wang Zhongyu - suggests Fok's farewell will be on a par with that of Ann Tse-kai. Like Fok, Ann served as a vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
At his funeral in 2000, Ann's coffin was draped in the national flag and was surrounded by wreaths from Beijing's top brass, including then-leader Jiang Zemin.
The mainland's state media organization Sunday called Fok "a renowned patriot" and "a close friend of the Communist Party of China."
News of Fok's death sent ripples through the upper tiers of Hong Kong's political class and left many observers with a sense that an important era in Hong Kong's relations with Beijing had ended.
One of Hong Kong's most powerful men, Fok first made his name as a businessman in the 1950s and 1960s, staking his claim in the local real-estate boom and in Macau's blossoming casino industry before turning his gaze northward to the mainland.
As he broke ground in the 1970s with investments in the mainland, his political influence grew.
He was named a member of the CPPCC in 1980, and was elevated to vice chairman in 1993 - a position he held until his death.
Timothy Fok Tsun-ting, Fok's eldest son, appeared shaken during brief interviews with the press in Beijing Sunday.
"It all happened rather suddenly," said Fok, a legislator who, like his father, is also a member of the CPPCC.
He added that many friends and national leaders had come to visit his father over the past month.
"Those visits brought him comfort," said Fok, wearing sunglasses and visibly restraining his emotions.
Family members, he added, were at his father's side during his last moments.
Both Timothy Fok and second son Ian Fok Chun-wan were in Beijing to be with their father.
Timothy Fok said the original intention had been to conduct a simple ceremony in Beijing - where his father had built many friendships. But plans for that memorial have since been scrapped to return the body to Hong Kong as soon as possible.
Ian Fok said a service would likely be held at the Hong Kong Funeral Home in North Point.
Henry Fok's last public appearance came in March when he appeared at a meeting of the National People's Congress. His cancer, which was first diagnosed in 1984 and recurred again in 2003, had dogged him for many years, forcing him to resort to some rather unusual cures - like immersing himself in a tub of ice water before jumping into a tub of hot water.
He was a close friend of former state leader Deng Xiaoping, and nurtured close relationships in Beijing even as his business interests departed from the party's ideologies.
Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen expressed sadness at Fok's death, praising him for his contributions to mainland economic reforms.
"The passing away of Mr Fok is a sad loss to the country and to Hong Kong," Tsang said. "We all owe him a debt of gratitude for his invaluable contribution to Hong Kong's reunification with the motherland." Tsang is rumored to be a member of the committee overseeing Fok's funeral arrangements, together with former chief executive Tung Chee-hwa and Liao Hui, director of the State Council's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office.
Tsang Hin-chi, a businessman and local deputy to the National People's Congress Standing Committee, said he felt "paralyzed" on hearing news of Fok's death.
He added that he felt a certain emptiness descend on him, and did not really know what to say, except that he was "extremely grieved" for a man he called a friend and mentor.
CPPCC member and legislative councilor Tam Yiu-chung of the pro- Beijing Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong said Fok had won the respect of the central leadership, and made sure Hong Kong's views reached Beijing ears.
"It won't be easy to replace someone of his stature," Tam said.
Professor Joseph Cheng Yu-shek, chair of political science at City University of Hong Kong, called Fok a central pillar of the "pro-China" camp, noting his contributions to infrastructure and sports in the mainland.
Secretary for Home Affairs Patrick Ho Chi-ping also expressed sadness at the news of Fok's death, saying the tycoon had contributed to a stable transition in Hong Kong.
Throughout the day, Fok was roundly praised as a bridge of communication between Hong Kong and the mainland - as well as between Beijing loyalists and democratic-leaning activists.
Democratic Party founder and lawmaker Martin Lee Chu-ming said he felt deep regret at Fok's passing. He described Fok as modest, unassuming and self-effacing - the antithesis of the free-spending magnate.
Lee acknowledged holding different political opinions from Fok, but noted that Fok managed to win the respect of even those on the other side of the political spectrum.
"He never criticized anyone in the democratic movement, or in the Democratic Party," Lee said.