Tuesday, May 12, 2020

What passes for "normal" these days in Hong Kong

 
 There are visible scars in the landscape in Hong Kong these days

One shudders to think of the fiery horror that ensued
on these steps and overhead pedestrian walkway
 
I have to be honest: I am still trying to process what ensued this past weekend; especially on Sunday.  For as if the events of Saturday were not bad enough, Sunday saw horrifying scenes play out in shopping malls where people had gathered to chant and sing in protest -- and, in one case, play the violin -- and the streets of Mongkok after the police turned up to turn Mother's Day into a nightmare (a la Halloween last year).


Ironically, yesterday saw me venturing into the part of Hong Kong which had seen quite a bit of police along with protest action -- for an appointment with my dentist, whose clinic is located in Mongkok.  Not even 24 hours after scenes like this and this had occured in the area, Mongkok was sort of back to normal -- in that shops were open for business (including well-supported yellow eateries), there were vehicles going about on the street and pedestrians on the sidewalks.  

Except that, if you really look around, you can see the physical scars of encounters between police and protestors on its very physical landscape.  And when you talk to people in Hong Kong these days, many of them will admit to feeling more worried or downright fearful for their own personal safety but also Hong Kong's too (and this without even taking into account the ongoing Wuhan coronavirus pandemic!). 


Here's the thing though: I really can't see Hong Kongers accepting all this without a fight.  Even while the Chinese communist regime has tried so hard, via its enablers in the ranks of the Hong Kong government and police, to clamp down on free-thinking Hong Kongers, people are still seeing through their lies and determinedly making a case for their five demands.  

In case it's needed, here's a reminder of what this movement's five demands are: 1) Withdraw the Extradition Bill (the only one thus far that has been acceded to); 2) Revoke claims that protestors are rioters (If singing and chanting are rioting...); 3) Amnesty for those arrested (This epecially since so many of the arrests look to be made to instill fear in people rather than for genuine reasons); 4) Independent investigation of police conduct (Do I need to even justify this?!); and 5) Genuine Universal Suffrage (Ditto!).

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