DDB and Government round on HK 4As

<p>HONG KONG: DDB and the Government have rounded up on the 4As, which </p><p>has been widely condemned for the racially-derogatory entry kit it </p><p>developed for the Creative Awards. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>DDB, Hong Kong's second-largest agency, threatened to pull out of the </p><p>4As unless it offered a public apology on the matter. At the same time, </p><p>the Home Affairs Bureau took the association to task, saying the </p><p>incident could not have happened at a worse time. Hong Kong is due to </p><p>send a delegation to Geneva next week to discuss human rights and racial </p><p>discrimination issues with the UN. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>DDB's Greater China president and CEO Aaron Lau kept up the pressure: </p><p>"We are proud of our diversity and we won't tolerate any gesture that </p><p>sets one group against another." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The controversy erupted when the 4As sent out its entries pack under the </p><p>headline, "Exorcise the Gwei. Let the Chinese light shine." Gwei or </p><p>ghost is an insulting term for westerner. The 4As pulled the kits but </p><p>added fuel to the fire when it accused its critics of lacking a sense of </p><p>humour. Its chairman Jeffrey Yu of Bates Asia also stopped short of an </p><p>apology. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Craig Davis, Saatchi & Saatchi regional ECD, who handled the creative, </p><p>added: "It could never be construed as racist; everything was so over </p><p>the top." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>See leader, p17. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>