MOBILE PHONES

Everyone who has ever visited Hong Kong will know that everyone in the place is obsessed with their mobile phone. It has the highest market penetration rate in the world with 102 phones for every 100 members of the population (including babies). Your mobile will work in tunnels, on the MTR (Tube, Subway, Metro or MRT depending on where you come from), on top of mountains, at sea and anywhere else you can think of. Some people change their phones monthly or more to be sure they always have the latest model. In short no Hong Konger would ever knowingly be without their phone, and without a signal - mainly, I should add, so they can stop suddenly when I'm walking behind them to shout "WEI?" loudly into it the instant it rings and then look surprised when a large gweilo knocks them flying, but I digress.

I think however, that the obsession has gone too far...

HONG KONG, March 29 (Reuters) - A 14-year-old Hong Kong girl flew into a rage and chased her mother around their flat with a knife and wooden pole after she confiscated the teenager's mobile phone, a police spokeswoman said on Monday.
The terrified mother locked herself in the bedroom and police arrived at the scene on Saturday to see the girl in a frenzy, hacking at the door with the knife.
"They had to use pepper spray to subdue the girl before they could rescue the mother," the spokeswoman said.
The mother sustained slight injury to her arm, but no charges were made. Social workers are now handling the case.