(星島日報    報道)新地主席兼行政總裁郭炳湘被暫停職務，轟動財經界，本報獲悉，事件疑涉權力鬥爭，郭炳湘早前圖推行「改革」，遇到不少阻力，最近他得紅顏知己唐錦馨幫助，力圖游說前副警務處    長黃燦光加入集團，終觸發強烈反彈，找來郭老太出手調解。

　　掀起「宮廷巨變」的觸發點，與奇女子Ida唐錦馨有關。唐錦馨昨接到本報記者來電時，一度保持沉默，直至記者連問兩聲是否「Ida Tong」後，她始肯承認身分，但拒絕回應事件，說：「我唔方便講！」隨即掛。她的聲較低沉，背景寧靜。

　　消息人士形容唐錦馨個子雖小，但做事果斷沉實，多年來在地產商界長袖善舞，名下曾持有至少十家公司，其中六家仍未解散。她人脈甚廣，港大前校長鄭耀宗也跟她合作，於九四年開設一家公司，維持夥伴關係至今。

　　與鄭耀宗開設公司

　　該名消息人士又透露，郭炳湘最近一年覺得新地內部行政及保安方面有改善空間，有人出謀獻策，建議招攬前警隊高層加入集團工作，以借助對方的經驗，提出改善計畫。

　　其實警隊不少高層人員退休後即被大機構羅致，出任行政及保安等工作，至於新地聘請前警隊高官，亦有先例可尋，東九龍總區前指揮官陳鐵堅總警司，就被招攬出任新地保安顧問，但他近期事務繁忙，工作時間減少。有指郭炳湘本已鎖定多名合適人選，包括有意招攬於七年前退休的警務處前副處長（行動）黃燦光。

　　消息又指出，新地向以主席兼行政總裁郭炳湘為首，管理集團所有大小事務，並由炳江及炳聯兩名胞弟協助打理，分別負責地產業務及行政與科技發展，雖說是三分天下，但以郭炳湘的意向仍受尊重。然而，近期這種局面有變，郭炳湘推行的各項提議，在高層障礙重重。

　　不時茶 游說入新地

　　據悉，有人不斷插手新地事務，惹起郭家成員不滿，成為事件的導火，矛頭直指郭炳湘的紅顏知己唐錦馨。消息續稱，郭家成員獲悉郭炳湘有意改革行政及保安部門後，恐有外人干預郭家內政，於是研究如何應變，終由郭炳湘母親郭鄺肖卿在權衡整體形勢後，決定要長子郭炳湘休假，穩定局面。

　　服務警界三十七年的黃燦光（六十二歲），屢破大案，退休後獲邀任澳門    賽馬會    行政總裁一職，但被港府否決其申請。有人近月目睹唐錦馨多次與黃燦光等前警隊高層人員會面及茶敘，席間不時游說各人加入新地。

　　黃回應指無興趣

　　記者昨日在半山堅道豐樂閣，向從外返家的黃燦光求證是否加盟新地時，他一邊拿手機傾談，一邊向記者耍手否認，然後急步走入大廈。其後，記者再致電向他查問，黃燦光一聽聞「新鴻基    」，即表示：「我唔想講，無興趣！」語畢匆匆掛。

`HK's Camilla' keeps mum
Thursday, February 21, 2008

Walter Kwok Ping-sheung's relationship with Ida Tong Kam-hing, who is five years his senior, is being likened to Prince Charles' secret romance with Camilla Parker-Bowles before his marriage to Lady Diana.

Though Tong, a lawyer, is keeping a low profile over her involvement with Kwok that has led to his "temporary" removal from the Sun Hung Kai chairmanship, sources familiar with Tong yesterday painted a picture of a plain- looking, aggressive woman, who had frequent spats with the wives of his two brothers, who are on the SHKP board.

And Tong's ex-husband told The Standard yesterday there was even an argument on their wedding day that left them bereft of photographs of the event.

"We did not take any picture of our wedding since we had an argument with the photographer," said Alan Lau Kwok-lam, 62.

Lau said he did not have any picture of his former wife as she took away everything when they broke up. They divorced more than 20 years ago.

He said his three children by Tong, who are now in their 30s, have been shocked by the news of her relationship with Kwok. He said they were "frustrated and unhappy."

He added: "They got to know about the scandal from newspapers and from friends. They called me to ask what was happening.

"Undoubtedly, they were upset. But i

The Standard contacted Ida Tong by phone last night, but she declined to comment. "I can't talk right now," was all she would say.

However, sources said they understood 57-year-old Walter Kwok wanted to give Tong a seat on the board, and that this was the final straw for the family, prompting matriarch Kwong Siu- hing to step in and relieve him of his duties.

"Ida had been meeting Walter before he married, but the relationship ended as his father objected," one source said. This was some 30 years ago, before Walter Kwok married Wendy. The source added that Kwok Tak-seng, co-founder of the blue-chip property developer, did not want Ida to have any involvement in the business through his eldest son.

However, Tong started to meet Walter again about nine years ago, after he was reportedly kidnapped by "Big Spender" Cheung Sze-keung in 1996.

It was reported that Kwok had been beaten and locked up for five days, and became reserved and quiet after the family paid some HK$600 million in ransom for his release.

According to those who have met Tong, she is not beautiful. "She is not tall, her skin is very dark," a source said. But she was a very aggressive woman, and sometimes attended company meetings.

A source close to one of the deals said: "Last year, someone agreed to buy residential units aggressively on SHKP's behalf, while addressing herself as `Mrs Kwok.' That woman said she is Mrs Kwok and can make decisions. She even said Mr Kwok would sign the contract afterwards."

Tong is also said to have frequently had run-ins with the wives of Walter's brothers, Thomas Kwok Ping-kwong and Raymond Kwok Ping-luen.

Recently, when Walter planned to give Tong a seat on the board of SHKP, the Kwok family decided that Tong should be barred from decision-making, a source said. It has been suggested that a minor shake-up will follow, and that during Kwok's leave of absence, the management will clear out staff close to Tong.

Tong's former husband, Lau, is chairman of the Hong Kong Private Hospitals Association.

The veteran doctor claimed he and his ex-wife had little contact since their divorce.

"We don't even talk to each other, not even to say `hi' when we bump into each other in public places - just like strangers," he said.

Lau said he met Tong when he was 18 and studying medicine at the University of Hong Kong.

He recalled it was not love at first sight.

"I had dated a few girls before her. She was a very intelligent and independent woman. Of course, I found her pretty at the time."

They married five years later but the marriage lasted only 12 years.

The gynecologist-obstetrician said he had expected to be hounded by paparazzi after news broke of Tong's relationship with Walter Kwok.

"All these years I have been speaking in public about many controversial issues involving medicine. However, I don't like this [to be chased after for topics surrounding my personal life] though I understand the press has its work to do," he said.

Lau insisted he did not know any member of the Kwok family nor did he know when or how Tong became acquainted with Kwok.

"I have been practising my profession and they are developers. Probably she came to know Kwok after the divorce. In fact, I was surprised to find out from the newspaper that she knew him," he said.