Madam, - Having noted the press reports of the meeting between the Minister for Health, Mr Martin and Dr Yeoh Eng-kiong, Hong Kong's Secretary for Health, I would like to support Dr Yeoh's request that the Government allow the team of athletes from Hong Kong to attend the Special Olympics to be held shortly in Ireland.
As rapporteur for Hong Kong in the European Parliament since 1997, I have visited Hong Kong several times, including earlier this year. I recently produced a report on Hong Kong which referred to the recent SARS outbreak and the measures taken by the Hong Kong authorities. The report welcomed the "actions of the Hong Kong healthcare professional and scientists in responding to the SARS outbreak". It also expressed concern at the "lack of transparency, lack of information-sharing and unnecessary delays by the authorities of the People's Republic of China in responding to the discovery of the deadly respiratory disease".
However, it is clear that the Hong Kong government reacted swiftly and put tough measures in place to contain SARS. Its government has been completely transparent in sharing information and has worked in full co-operation with the WHO and other international organisations.
To my mind, and according to scientific experts in the WHO, there is no reason why these young athletes, if they have been symptom-free and have had no contact with the disease, should not be allowed to enter Ireland to participate in the Special Olympics. They should not be punished because of the inadequacies of the Beijing government at the beginning of the SARS outbreak. - Yours etc.,
JOHN CUSHNAHAN, MEP for Munster,
European Parliament Offices, Brussels, Belgium.