What is happening in, and to, Hong Kong is not normal -- and don't you forget it

 

If we didn't know it before, we sure know it now!

 

Let's start off with some kinda good news: firstly, despite rumors to the contrary (and suggestions by Police Commissioner Raymond Siu that the mass rallies organised by it in recent years may have violated the national security law (that previously was said to not be retroactive)), the Civil Human Rights Front -- which organized the annual July 1st protest rallies, and organized the June 9th and June 16th,2019, anti-extradition bill marches which attracted 1 million and 2 million participants respectively -- has not disbanded as of this time of writing.  Also, again despite rumors to the contrary, The Hong Kong branch of the Falun Gong spiritual movement has not left Hong Kong.    

 

In addition, here's reporting that earlier this week, the Commonwealth Lawyers Association awarded its Rule of Law Awards 2021 to Dennis Kwok "for his sustained and resolute efforts to promote the rule of law within his home jurisdiction of Hong Kong".  Here's the rub though: Dennis Kwok is now in exile in Canada.  This revelation is not meant to besmirch the efforts and person of the former legal sector representative in the Legislative Council though  Rather, that's more an an indictment as to how things now are here: that is, that this individual who has "worked courageously to champion and defend the rule of law" doesn't feel safe here in his hometown anymore. 

 

Another measure of how bad things now are in Hong Kong: not just the fact that The Guardian saw fit to publish yet another article about people leaving Hong Kong in droves in the wake of statistics having been released not only a decline in Hong Kong's population in the past year but, also, a 49% year-on-year increase in Mandatory Provident Fund withdrawals in the first quarter of this year -- and its crediting the piece to just "Guardian reporter" to protect the safety of the presumably Hong Kong-based author of the article  

 

And for those who think this measure smacks of paranoia: consider that the next target of the pro-Beijing media (which has successfully brought down the Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union (HKPTU)) is now confirmed to be the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA), and their actions have included the specific smearing of individual journalists on the HKJA's executive committee, such as Deutsche Welle (DW) News' Hong Kong correspondent, Phoebe Kong.  Also, despite the HKPTU having announced its disbandment, the attacks on it have continued.  Cf. the Xinhua News Agency publlishing a piece alleging "that the HKPTU’s dissolution was a futile attempt to launder itself [which] will not write off its alleged crimes in the past” and suggesting that the city’s law enforcement should investigate the now-defunct group and “serve punishment upon those who acted against the law".    

 

Oh, and remember Apple Daily?  A Hong Kong court today rejected the latest application for bail from its former chief editor, Ryan Law and the national security case against the now-defunct newspaper was adjourned to September 30th -- one and a half months from today.  

I recently came across a post on Twitter by Goose Lee that really spoke to me: "The reality in Hong Kong in 2021 is that every day we feel the boot of authoritarianism on our neck but life, strangely, relentlessly goes on. We take the dog for a walk, go shopping, celebrate birthdays, grab our happiness where we can find it and hope for the best."  What makes it all the more hard-hitting and heart-breaking that it's part of a thread that actually began with its author documenting a leisure walk she took along the harbourfront, only for things to take a dark turn while she was making her way home and saw three cops harassing a teenager.    

When reading the thread, you know that she is yet another individual who f**king loves Hong Kong and is writing from the heart.  So this other Tweet of hers also hits home: "I’m not trying to be a hero and don’t want to be forced to leave Hong Kong but I also can’t walk by a young person being terrorised and pretend it’s not happening. How do you counter authoritarianism? I[']ve no idea but perhaps one way is to refuse to normalise it."