"I Have Good Feelings Towards You"

(The Standard)  Crying Shame.  By Patsy Moy and Beatrice Siu.  October 7, 2009.

Scandal-hit lawmaker Kam Nai-wai was reduced to tears last night as he opened his heart about how he came to sack his attractive political assistant. With talk of a lunge for love swirling about him, 49-year-old Kam, a married man with a teenage daughter, admitted he had used the words "good feeling" when he and one-time ATV newsgirl Kimmie Wong Lai-chu were in a restaurant in June. On air, he apologized to her, his wife and the people who voted for him.

It was a "sentimental moment" in the restaurant, Kam told Commercial Radio listeners, though he insisted he was only being sympathetic to Wong as she was troubled in her love life. Kam also said it was the only occasion he had been alone with Wong outside his office and denied the "good feeling" was an indication of love. "Getting back to reality, I have never acted in any way to indicate love, such as sending her flowers," he said. "I do not lie. I have never indicated any love for her."

After that June get-together, Kam said, he noticed Wong was uncomfortable in his presence and kept her distance, even after he had apologized for any misunderstanding. Kam became emotional several times during the 90 minutes he was on air, especially when describing the impact the scandal was having on his wife and daughter. "My wife has been very nice to me and supportive," he said of the days since he told her about what had happened. "She also gave me some advice."

But Kam said he "could sense my wife was unhappy though she did not say anything." But, according to him, they are weathering the storm. "We have been married for 20-odd years and have been together for more than 30 years. Now, in this troubled time, we are experiencing true love."

Returning to the situation in his office, Kam said it was in early or mid- September that he invited Wong and another assistant for lunch to "ease the tension."  When the other assistant turned down the invitation, Kam said, he asked Wong over the phone whether she was willing to go for lunch. She refused. It was on September 23 that he decided to sack Wong. By Kam's telling, she refused to join a staff meeting, claiming she was tied up on other work. He gave her a letter of dismissal the following day.

"I sacked her because I could not accept her work attitude. She was very unhappy and asked me whether there was any other solution. I said changing her work attitude was the only way." When he returned to the office in the evening, Kam recalled, Wong had packed her personal belongings. He learned later that Wong had lodged a complaint with Democratic Party vice chairwoman Emily Lau Wai- hing the same day. Kam also said he was "ill-tempered" by nature and admitted that he constantly scolded Wong and his other colleagues.

He acknowledged too that he was wrong in trying to "share" Wong's troubles. Kam then told listeners that he intends to hold on to his job as a lawmaker. "I will accept and fully cooperate in any investigation by the party and the Legislative Council," he added. "I will not give up easily as I said in my [electioneering] slogan. I hope the public can give me a chance."

The Legco Secretariat has so far received seven complaints, and Democratic Party lawmaker Fred Li Wah- ming said it would be best for the Legco committee responsible for overseeing members' conduct to handle an investigation.

Most respondents in a snap poll said Wong should appear in public to give a clear account of the case.

(South China Morning Post)  I told my aide of my feelings for her: lawmaker.  Albert Wong and Ambrose Leung.  October 7, 2009.

Under-fire Democratic Party lawmaker Kam Nai-wai last night admitted he once told his former assistant he had feelings for her, but felt that did not amount to making advances to her. Kam is embroiled in a scandal over the sacking of the former aide, Kimmie Wong, which has sparked speculation that he fired her because she rejected his advances.

On a Commercial Radio programme, Kam said he was willing to subject himself to any form of investigation, but hoped to continue serving the public and fighting for democracy. He had no plans to step down.

Kam, who has been married for more than 20 years, held back tears as he described his feelings of guilt for putting his assistant, his family, his party and other supporters under pressure. "For all of this, I have to bear the responsibility," he said.

On Sunday, Kam denied media allegations that he had made advances to Wong, even though he reportedly told Democratic Party members that he had expressed affection for her. Kam stressed yesterday he had not lied, and did not consider that his actions amounted to an act of courtship. "I'm a straight person and I said I had feelings for her, but I did not once, in the whole period she worked for me, act in any way to pursue her."

In June, while Wong was having relationship problems, Kam said he tried to console her in a one-to-one personal discussion away from work. The pair exchanged anecdotes about their relationship experiences, Kam said. He stressed that it was in this context that he voiced his feelings for her. "I cannot say that what I said was confined to just consoling," he said.

He had quickly apologised when he realised the impropriety of his expression. Kam said Wong may have felt he was making advances to her last month when he offered to take her and another staff member across the border for a meal and a massage. However, because the other staff member could not make the trip, "she may have felt I was planning a date with her alone", he said.

But having denied he was a sexual predator, Kam admitted to being a bad employer, losing his temper and firing her on the spot because of her attitude over a particular incident. "As a responsible employer, I will never do this again. For all of this, I want to say to her again, I'm sorry."

Former lawmaker Mandy Tam Heung-man, Wong's former employer, said: "Justice has been served."  She said the public was now able to judge whether Kam's expression was an act of pursuit.

(China Daily)  HK legislator Kam admits to 'fondness' for assistant   October 7, 2009.

Beleaguered legislator Kam Nai-wai declares he will not resign over an alleged sexual scandal involving a female assistant. He admitted he abruptly fired her, although during a phone-in radio program he said that he was "fond of" the woman. The Democratic Party lawmaker insisted he did not "express his love" for the assistant, did not court her, and did not send her flowers. He said the assistant declined to attend a meeting, so he fired her, which prompted her complaint to the Democratic Party.

Since the scandal broke over the weekend, Kam has steadfastly refused to admit that any emotional entanglements were involved in the termination of his former assistant. During the radio phone-in program, Kam revealed that he has had difficulties in his marital relationship with his wife, and he apologized to her and to his former assistant. Kam said he has told the truth about the affair and that he hopes people will give him a chance.

The Legislative Council (LegCo) has received an official complaint over the matter, which was initially handled internally by the Democratic Party. But that process has been widely criticized for lacking transparency. Some party members were now calling for an independent inquiry. Kam has been absent from LegCo meetings since the scandal broke out.

Earlier, former legislator Mandy Tam Heung-man denied it was she who leaked the identity of the woman involved in the alleged sex scandal. Speaking to Cable Television by telephone, Tam said reporters guessed the name of Wang Lai-chu, who allegedly was fired by Kam after she rejected his sexual advances. "Reporters called to ask if it was she. What can I say? Deny it? Can I lie and say it's not her?" she said.

The saga of the 49-year-old married legislator and the attractive former political aide has became the talk of the town since it was reported over the weekend. Tam, a former employer and a friend of Wong's, has proven an important source of information. That has brought her under criticism, some charging Tam caused more hurt to the victim than the alleged sexual harassment. Tam admitted that Wong had asked her to stop talking to media on Monday. She felt obligated to defend the young woman against "smear" attempts, Tam said.

Some newspapers quoting unnamed sources as saying Wong had mistaken Kam's efforts to comfort her during a painful breakup to be sexual advances. Tam again insisted she was not politically motivated in exposing the scandal. "I'm not trying to gain publicity or keep myself in the media spotlight. I will not run for election," she said, before hurriedly adding, "in Hong Kong Island (geographical constituency)".

Now independent, Tam is a former member of the Civic Party. She was elected to the legislator for the Accountancy Functional Constituency in 2004 by a thin margin, but was defeated four years later. Wong, a former ATV anchor, had worked for Tam when Tam ran for the Legislative Council (LegCo) seat. Tam helped Wong to acquire the political aide's post in Kam's office after Tam's defeat.

Tam said Kam expressed affection for Wong on at least two occasions. She said that Wong, a devout Christian, rejected the married man's advances.

Wong was fired September 24. Wong had complained to the Democratic Party and the Equal Opportunity Commission without apparent effect. The Democratic Party refused further comment pending its Central Committee meeting on Thursday.

Public complaints had been made to the Legislative Council and the Equal Opportunity Committee. Chan Mo-po, a member of LegCo's Committee on Member's Interests, said the incident can be investigated by his committee or an independent committee if that approach is deemed to be more appropriate. The Equal Opportunity Committee said it does not comment on individual cases.

(The Standard)  One-sided story is half truth.  By Mary Ma.  October 7, 2009.

The "Kam fire" is spreading quickly.

Last night, Democratic Party lawmaker Kam Nai-wai took to the airwaves to give for the first time an account of what happened between him and his former female assistant in the months before her summary dismissal.

The raging fire has become so big that it has not only caught the Democratic Party in a political mire, but also baffled the public, which has been forced to rely on second- and third-hand information in trying to understand the case.

Even a day can be too long in politics, and the Democratic Party must act speedily to sort out the matter.

The public is concerned about the Kam scandal because it involves an ethical issue of a very high level. The stakes are no longer confined to Kam's political future. If party chairman Albert Ho Chun-yan is seen as failing to handle the complaint properly, he would also risk getting burned and his political career badly affected.

Up to now, Kam has denied the accusation that he sacked his assistant Kimmie Wong Lai-chu after the woman rebuffed his romantic advances.

The party insists it cannot reveal too much of the incident at the aggrieved party's request, while former legislator Mandy Tam Heung-man goes around making like she is the complainant's spokesperson on the matter.

Perhaps it was improper for Tam to speak on Wong's behalf without her consent. But what matters most at the end of the day is what the people at the crux of the issue say, regardless of what others may have said.

So far, Wong has neither appeared in public nor spoken a word about the case. The absence of her version is evidently giving rise to rumor and innuendo. Of all the messages heard so far, some are factual and others hearsay or speculation. Without hearing first- hand from Wong, the matter will never be clarified. Maybe it is time for her to consider stepping forward to give her account of the events. This will require courage, but it will also help the public understand the truth in the face of so much rhetoric.

The Standard was the first media outlet to identify the complainant in its coverage. Careful consideration had been given to many factors before a decision was made to publish her name. Respect for the complainant was one, but not the only factor. I believe the stories - without casting any negative light on Wong - provided more attributed, rather than unattributed, information for the public.

So far, the scandal has not risen to the level of sexual harassment. But at stake, as I previously mentioned, is the moral integrity of a directly elected politician and a major political party. This is all about public interest.

The fire is spreading rapidly, and it now looks like the Legislative Council will take up the investigation, as Democratic Party veteran Cheung Man- kwong declared his party lawmakers will recuse themselves to avoid potential conflicts of interest.

But how can the independent investigation proceed without Wong's input?

(South China Morning Post)  Legco set to probe Democrat 'sexual harassment' case  Ambrose Leung, Albert Wong and Fanny W.Y. Fung   October 9, 2009.

The legislature is set to investigate the alleged sexual harassment case involving Democratic Party lawmaker Kam Nai-wai, who is accused of sacking his assistant after she rejected his advances. But the proposal to empower the Legislative Council Committee on Members' Interests to investigate, which will be discussed today, was questioned by the Civic Party. This was despite support from most of the major political groups, including the Democratic Party.

At a meeting of the Legco complaints division, which has received more than a dozen complaints on the matter, lawmakers recommended that the Legco House Committee should empower the members' committee to investigate, on the grounds that Kam was allegedly involved in "sexual harassment", "improper use of public funds" in compensating his sacked assistant Kimmie Wong, and for having an integrity problem "arising from the way he provided different versions of his explanation".

"We have decided there is a basis for follow-up of the complaint raised," independent lawmaker Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, the meeting's convenor, said.

Despite mounting pressure for him to resign or at least quit the Democrats, Kam said he would not quit. "But I am willing to co-operate fully with any investigations." He resumed attending public functions yesterday after keeping a low profile for several days.

After the scandal broke on Sunday, Kam has repeatedly denied making any advances towards Wong, despite later admitting he had told her of his "feelings for her". Wong, who has never publicly commented other than filing a complaint to the Democrats after being sacked on September 24, had allegedly rejected Kam's advances in June.

The party's central committee last night convened a hearing to question Kam, during which it decided to hand the investigation to the Human Rights Monitor. Democrats chairman Albert Ho Chun-yan said his party would also support a Legco investigation, although Wong was still considering whether to take part in any inquiries. But he dismissed calls for Kam to quit. "There was no call for him to resign. It was only rumour spread to the media."

Both the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong and the Liberal Party said they supported a full Legco investigation. But Civic Party lawmakers expressed reservations. "Compelling her [Wong] to attend an investigation when she was not willing to do so could do more harm than good," said party leader Audrey Eu Yuet-mee who believed a full investigation based on complaints by a third party could set a bad precedent.

The Committee on Members Interests, which has Legco's special power to summon witnesses, only deals with declarations of interest and misuse of public funds, while the setting up of a select committee to investigate such matters would be "simply wrong," said Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee. Select committees and summonsing powers could only be used for public policy matters, and not disciplinary matters, she said.

(South China Morning Post)  Lawmaker's fired aide ready to help with probe   By Fanny W.Y. Fung.  October 17, 2009.

The former political assistant sacked by Democratic Party lawmaker Kam Nai-wai has agreed to help the legislature draft the accusations for an investigation of his conduct.

Speaking through her lawyer, Kimmie Wong told the chairwoman of the Legislative Council's House Committee, Miriam Lau Kin-yee, that she was willing to assist in the wording of the charges against Kam, which would be used for a motion to disqualify him from office. But Wong did not say whether she was also willing to assist in the subsequent investigation.

Wong complained to Democratic Party leaders on September 24 about her dismissal. Kam, who is married, initially denied media reports that he had made advances to her. He later admitted telling her he had feelings for her, but denied that meant he had made advances.  There has been speculation of a link with her dismissal.

At yesterday's House Committee meeting, legislators Ip Kwok-him, of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, independent Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, and Philip Wong Yu-hong, of the commercial sector, volunteered to sponsor the motion to disqualify Kam from office, which would be tabled by Lau. But Ip Kwok-him said later that he might withdraw because he thought there should be a pan-democrat among the three.

Paul Tse Wai-chun, of the tourism sector, said he would seek to halt the censure process by bringing a motion against it. "Without a promise by the plaintiff to give evidence, the whole process will just be a waste of the Legco's time," he said. "It's a farce. It's a joke. I find the whole investigation is just a result of pressure from the media." But no one supported his comments at the meeting.

Ahead of the first meeting of a working group for the preparation motion, legislators found that their previous understanding of its functions contravened Legco's rules of procedures. The group was set up to help Lau draft the charges against Kam, but after reading a paper prepared by the Legco secretariat, lawmakers realised it should be the job of the four members bringing and sponsoring the motion. Lau and independent Lam Tai-fai quit the group. Its first meeting ended with no progress because it had to be adjourned for another round of membership enrolment.

(South China Morning Post)  Kam's former aide breaks silence    Fanny W. Y. Fung and Kobi Chan    December 4, 2009.

Democratic Party lawmaker Kam Nai-wai's former aide Kimmie Wong Lai-chu yesterday gave her first public account of how her former boss had made advances to her. The statement came six days before the Legislative Council debate on a motion to censure Kam.

Some of Wong's claims were immediately disputed by the party. In response to her "one-sided accusations", Kam said he had paid Wong HK$150,000 compensation after sacking her, and made public a letter of apology he wrote to her after the dismissal.

In a statement issued through her lawyer, Wong said Kam had expressed affection for her in a top restaurant in Central on June 15. "I immediately rejected him and repeatedly expressed my wish to resign," she said. "Kam Nai-wai did not want me to resign, but asked me to rethink our relationship. I had always treated Kam Nai-wai as my supervisor and had never liked him. Since he was a married man, I would not have accepted him."

Wong said Kam had then repeatedly asked to meet her alone but she had rejected all appointments not related to work. To avoid being alone with him she had arranged a summer intern to accompany her. Wong said Kam asked her out for lunch again on September 23, but she declined. "Then in the afternoon he asked to meet me alone in the office," she said. "I refused to close the office door since it was about business."

She was fired two days later.

After she complained to the party about the dismissal, she met party chairman Albert Ho Chun-yan and vice-chairwoman Emily Lau Wai-hing on September 30.

Wong said Ho then pledged that all Democrat legislators would together condemn Kam, a statement disputed by Ho. "It was impossible," he said. "There had not been any investigation and we hadn't even Kam Nai-wai's explanation. How would I promise to condemn him?"

Since accusations against Kam were reported in October, the party has declined to give details of the dismissal, saying it had agreed to keep Wong's complaint confidential. But Wong said yesterday "there was no confidentiality agreement" between her and the party.

Both Ho and Lau said the ex-aide had requested the party keep her case secret. "Is she saying that I was lying?" Ho asked. "Now that she is making her side of the story public, we no longer have a responsibility to keep secrets for her. She has given up her rights."

Kam stopped short of discussing the details in Wong's statement, but repeated that Wong had been dismissed because of mistakes she made in her work. "As a former employer, I don't want to list all the mistakes she made. I'll give details in the Legco investigation," he said.

After laying out her account of the row, Wong, who has refused to help with the Legco probe, wrote at the end of her statement: "With the blessing of Jesus Christ, I am willing to end this incident with a forgiving heart."

Ho urged her to co-operate with the Legco inquiry. "If she just issues a statement, doesn't help with the Legco investigation and wants to put a full-stop to this, this is unfair to the accused," he said.

Legco House Committee chairwoman Miriam Lau Kin-yee said she would table the censure motion on Wednesday as scheduled and would circulate Wong's statement to all lawmakers for their consideration.

(The Standard)  No Love Lost.  Scarlett Chiang.  December 4, 2009.

Kimmie Wong Lai-chu, the political assistant caught in a sexual harassment squabble, has finally broken her silence to talk about what she claims went on with legislator Kam Nai-wai. According to Wong, she was sacked because she spurned advances from the Democratic Party legislator. Wong told her side of the story two weeks after Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor which had been asked by the party to look into the issue to avoid a conflict of interest dropped an investigation because of her failure to testify. She believes in the sanctity of marriage, Wong said, as she explained that she would neither love Kam nor accept his love as he was married and had a daughter. Saying she was breaking her silence in the hope it would end speculation and bring closure to the case, Wong produced a statement with her story.

It read: On June 15, Kam Nai-wai suddenly asked me to talk to him alone outside. In a high-end restaurant in Central, Kam Nai-wai confessed and said he had good feelings toward me. I was very surprised. I immediately rejected him and said several times I would resign. Kam Nai-wai said he did not want me to resign and asked me to go home and to reconsider our relationship. Despite avoiding Kam after the incident, Wong claimed, he kept inviting her to business meetings. On September 24, Kam and other colleagues were having a staff meeting and I was writing a press release. Kam was dissatisfied and asked the staff to meet in another room The next day Kam said he could not work with me and fired me immediately.

Wong said she asked a former employer, Mandy Tam Heung-man, to set up a meeting with Democratic Party chairman Albert Ho Chun-yan and his deputy, Emily Lau Wai-hing. By her telling, they promised at a meeting on September 30 to ask Kam to send her a letter of apology and agreed the sacking had been unreasonable. She said there was no agreement on secrecy and Lau had told her she had the right to handle the incident in my own way, including informing the media. Wongs statement continued: I am serious about love. I strongly believe in eternal love and the life commitment of marriage. From the beginning, I have done only one thing which was to reject my superior Kam Nai-wai, a politician who has a standing under the constitutional system. Besides, he also has a wife and a daughter. She concluded: In the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ, I am willing to end this incident with forgiveness. Forgiveness can cure hurt feelings and dissolve disputes. It is also a way for me to ease my burden and to release myself.

But Kam, Ho and Lau responded to Wongs statement by saying her account was only partly true. Kam admitted he had sent Wong a letter of explanation on October 3 but insisted he did not make advances. I must emphasize that I did not fire anyone because of failed advances, Kam added. He also said Wong received HK$150,000 in compensation because he fired her in a fit of bad temper. By Ho's account, Wong stated clearly that she wanted the incident hushed up, though there was no written agreement. I must make it quite clear Ms Wong did make a request that she did not want this incident to become news, Ho said. The three urged Wong to be a witness in a Legislative Council investigation.

Legco is to vote next Wednesday on a motion to censure Kam for misbehavior, making inconsistent remarks to the media and for unfairly dismissing his female assistant after his expression of affection was rejected.

(South China Morning Post)  Lawmakers to probe Kam Nai-wai's conduct after rejecting motion to drop inquiry   By Albert Wong.  December 10, 2009.

Legislators are to launch an investigation into the conduct of Democratic Party lawmaker Kam Nai-wai in sacking his assistant Kimmie Wong.

They took the decision after rejecting a motion calling for the investigation to be dropped and hearing a list of complaints by Kam against Wong - including one that she refused to communicate with him on MSN.

However, doubts about the fairness of the investigation remained, because Wong - who says she was sacked after rejecting Kam's advances - has not said yet that she will help with the inquiry.

The effort by tourism-sector legislator Paul Tse Wai-chun to stop the investigation was supported by directly elected legislators but failed under the split-voting system after it was voted down in the functional constituencies. Moving the motion, Tse said the inquiry was being abused for political motives. It would be impossible to conduct a fair hearing as Wong was unwilling to attend.

Tse said the power to investigate a democratically elected member, with the possibility of evicting him from the legislature, should be used only in the gravest of circumstances, not because of personal grievances.

Many of the pan-democrats who supported Tse's motion said the current process had already exceeded what was envisioned by the Basic Law, because if Kam could be investigated with the possibility of disqualification then the floodgates would open for investigations into a number of trivial matters.

Tse's motion was backed 10-7 in the geographical constituencies but opposed 15-4 in the functional constituencies.

Ahead of the vote, Kam presented a statement to all legislators, detailing his dissatisfaction over Wong's performance in the three months before she was sacked. He also said he had sent her nine e-mails about her performance. They included one saying that her sudden request for a day off ahead of a function she was in charge of would affect the work.

Just two weeks before she was sacked, Kam sent another e-mail asking her to appear online on MSN during office hours so that he could reach her, but she did not do so.

Unionist lawmaker Wong Kwok-kin said it would have been harsh to sack Wong based on the incidents.

He also asked why they were recorded only after Kam had expressed his affection for Wong, souring the working relationship. But he also noted that any accusations of unfair dismissal had been resolved by Kam's payment of HK$150,000 in compensation.

The failure of Tse's motion means that an investigation committee will be set up after further discussion in the House Committee tomorrow. Following the report by this committee, the motion of censure, which charges Kam with unfair dismissal, and "inconsistent remarks" to the media over the circumstances of the dismissal, will be put to a vote.

In October, Kam told the media he had never made advances to Wong but said two days later he had expressed affection for her.

Under Article 79 of the Basic law, the passing of a motion of censure by a two-thirds majority shall result in the disqualification of a lawmaker. However, individual pan-democrats yesterday indicated they were inclined to shun an investigation committee they feared was being abused for political motives. Should the committee be filled with only pro-establishment lawmakers, fears over the impartiality of the investigation may be heightened. The League of Social Democrats, the Civic Party and the Democratic Party have indicated they will not take part in the committee, although they stressed this was not a co-ordinated boycott.

However, House Committee chairwoman Miriam Lau Kin-yee, also the sponsor of the motion of censure, urged representatives from all parties and political groups to take part in the investigation. "If they are so concerned about being fair and impartial, then they should become a member of the committee and ensure it is conducted with due process," she said.

Despite abstaining from supporting Tse, Democratic Party chairman Albert Ho Chun-yan said the investigation was not in line with principles of due process for a fair inquiry.

"There will only be a defendant but no plaintiff if she [Wong] keeps refusing to assist the inquiry," he said.

Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee of the Civic Party said: "Even if the charges are proven, they are not so serious as to disqualify a lawmaker."

Lau Kong-wah, deputy chairman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, which opposed suspension of the investigation, said it was unacceptable to jump to conclusions.

Tse said the result was a blow to the integrity of Legco. "I cannot see how this investigation can avoid being perceived as being a political persecution," he said.

In Kam's words

• Wong refused to accompany Kam to meeting with Monetary Authority to help investors who suffered losses
• Kam sent e-mail during European trip criticising Wong for failing to correct mistakes in his work report
• Wong refused to issue press release on licensing shoeshiners in Central when Kam instructed her to do so during European trip
• Wong demanded day off although a tree conservation forum she was responsible for was to be held next day. Kam expressed discontent via e-mail
• Wong did not open MSN messenger at work even though it was a way of communicating in Kam's office

(The Standard)  Facing the Music.  By Scarlett Chiang and Diana Lee.  December 10, 2009.

Legislator Kam Nai-wai is ready to come out fighting after the stage was set yesterday for a no-holds-barred scrap about his alleged unfair dismissal of a female assistant in his office.

The Legislative Council took an unprecedented action with a vote to set up a panel to look into alleged misconduct by Democratic Party member Kam.

He has been accused of sacking political assistant Kimmie Wong Lai-chu because she rejected his advances.

Kam hoped the seven-member committee would conduct an open and fair investigation after a motion to stop the investigation was voted down.

I will try my best to help the committee by providing detailed and true information, said Kam. I also hope Ms Wong will testify.

Wong had been silent about the claimed advances her side of the story was pushed by third parties until last Friday. That was when she appeared with a long statement containing claims about Wong propositioning her and how she was fired when she turned him down.

Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor had dropped an investigation sought by the Democratic Party two weeks earlier because Wong failed to testify.

Yesterday, Kam said he will submit at least 10 e-mails between him and Wong to show her dismissal had nothing to do with his supposed affection. He will also reveal some SMS messages from Wong at a later stage.

In a letter to legislators, Kam briefly ran through the e-mails, which suggested Wong refused to attend a meeting with him, would not write press releases at his

request, and that she did not even log on to MSN Messenger in August and September when he was using it to communicate with staff. The earliest of the 10 e-mails was dated June 18. According to Wong, that was three days after Kam had told her he had feelings for her.

Democratic Party chairman Albert Ho Chun-yan said his reading of the e-mails was that many things have happened since June and that Kam did not sack Wong because of any rejection.

But, Ho added, the e-mails did not show a justification for Kam sacking with immediate effect on September 25. Kam should have at least given her a written warning before her dismissal.

The motion to halt the investigation was moved by independent Paul Tse Wai-chun, who represents the tourism sector. He said it is an abuse of Legcos powers and a waste of taxpayer money.

The investigation committee did not have a right to summon witnesses and to conduct cross-examinations, he added, and there is no clear definition of misconduct. If the investigation is started, it will be a very bad precedent.

Kam, who is married and has a daughter, could lose his seat if legislators censure him.

Tse also chided the Democratic Party, accusing it of trying to obtain the moral high ground by abstaining on the motion.

The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong and Liberal Party voted against Tses move to halt the probe.

Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee of the Civic Party also said the investigation should be dropped because the accusation was not serious enough to disqualify a legislator.

If a legislator is proven to have littered, will you disqualify him? Ng asked.

But Lau Kong-wah, vice president of the DAB, said it was unfair to talk about an outcome before the panel began its work. And the Liberal Partys Miriam Lau Kin-yee said Legcos House Committee had voted to start the investigation and so legislators should allow it to proceed.

Legislators Sophie Leung Lau Yau- fun, Lam Tai-fai, Lau Kong-wah and Priscilla Leung Mei-fun, all members of the pro-Beijing camp, have expressed an interest in being on the inquiry panel.

(Apple Daily) 

Kam Nai-wai's record of supervising the work of Kimmie Wong:

• On June 18, Kimmie Wong refused to accompany Kam Nai-wai to attend a meeting on mini-bonds
• On June 22, Kam Nai-wai sent an email to Kimmie Wong asking for attention to work
• On August 10, Kam Nai-wai sent an email from Europe to ask for a timely revision of the many errors in <Kam Nai-wai's Work Report>
• On August 13, Kam Nai-wai called Kimmie Wong from Europe at 5pm HKT to ask her about the latest progress of the press release on affair over the cobblers in Central, but Kimmie refused.  Kam then sent an email to Kimmie Wong to remind her that writing press releases is her basic duty.
• On August 25, Kam Nai-wai sent an email to Kimmie Wong to ask for promotion on the Tree Forum.
• On August 27, Kimmie Wong suddenly asked for a day on August 28.  Since the Tree Forum was to be held the next day, Kam Nai-wai sent her an email to tell her that an unscheduled day off will affect work.
• On August 28, Kam Nai-wai send an email to Kimmie Wong about his dissatisfaction with her promotion of the Tree Forum.
• On September 11, Kam Nai-wai send her email to tell her to stay on MSN Messenger during office hours in order to stay in contact with other workers.  Kimmie Wong had not been doing so in August and September.
• On September 20, Kam Nai-wai was dissatisfied with the progress of the Air Pollution Forum that Kimmie Wong was in chrage of.  Kam sent email to four workers to hold a meeting.

According to the previously released open letter from Kimmie Wong, Kam Nai-wai first expressed his love for her on June 15.  This record of work supervision was dated after that.