Hong Kong probing why SARS concerts tanked

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Last Updated Fri, 12 Dec 2003 16:35:00

HONG KONG - Hong Kong's leader has set up an independent panel to review how officials handled a problem-plagued concert series that featured the Rolling Stones and was aimed at reviving the territory after the SARS outbreak.

The series scheduled for October and November, which promoters hoped would help pull back tourists after the territory's outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, was marred by poor ticket sales and flip-flops over the lineup. It ended up costing taxpayers millions of dollars.

The government was criticized for paying the money up front to the organizer, the American Chamber of Commerce.

Adding to the controversy, the funds were handled by a holding company owned by the chamber's chairman, James Thompson, and his wife. Organizers said the holding company received no fees and that the Thompsons did not profit.

The two-member panel will investigate whether anyone should be held responsible for the failure of the concerts.

SARS infected 1,755 people in Hong Kong and killed 299. The Hong Kong economy was hit hard in April as the World Health Organization warned people against unnecessary travel to the area.

Written by CBC News Online staff

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