Hong Kong remains far from free -- of Covid regulations and restrictions, and political persecution too

On Yim Tin Tsai earlier today

 

I went on an excursion to the previously -- but seemingly no longer -- abandoned island of Yim Tin Tsai with a friend this afternoon.  If I hadn't, I probably would have spent much of today hunkered in front of my computer checking the news -- because it's been quite the news-packed day for Hong Kong. 

 

Actually, before I headed out of my apartment, news broke about the government dropping the requirement to use the hated LeaveHomeSafe app and also scrapping the amber code of the vaccine pass for visitors/returning Hong Kongers.  Cue not so much celebrations as crowing about health secretary Lo Chung-mau (of collapsing and knee-clutching meme infamy) having to make a u-turn from statements he made just four days ago about how, among other things, "We will not just hastily follow the Mainland" (which has been scrapping the use of their equivalent trac(k)ing apps)!    

 

A note: some journalists and media outlets appear to have not read the fine print but the fact of the matter is that a good number of -- and I'd go so far as to say most -- of Hong Kong's pandemic rules and restrictions will remain in place even after a few are lifted come midnight tomorrow. As the city's "go to" pandemic news person Aaron Busch Tweeted: "An abridged list of what COVID-19 rules still remain in [Hong Kong]: • Vaccine Pass for scheduled premises • Indoor & outdoor mask mandates • Inbound testing on arrival & Day 2 • 5 day isolation/quarantine orders for confirmed cases/close contacts • Compulsory Testing Notices".  And note the "abridged" in the Tweet as there are a fair few other requirements and restrictions remaining place: ranging from Rapid Antigen Tests still being required (along with a vaccine pass) to enter bars to the limit on public group gatherings of more than 12 people.  

 

Another piece of news I heard before I left my apartment earlier today: Former Stand News chief editor Chung Pui-kuen has been granted bail one month after his co-defendent in the sedition case, Patrick Lam. Also that: "The defence last month applied to terminate the case after a significant amount of new evidence came to light."  New evidence which, I hope, will help the defendants.  

 

A reminder from the Hong Kong Free Press report: "Sedition is not covered by the Beijing-imposed national security law, which targets secession, subversion, collusion with foreign forces and terrorist acts and mandates up to life imprisonment. Those convicted under the sedition law – last amended in the 1970s when Hong Kong was still a British colony – face a maximum penalty of two years in prison."  To this, consider that Chung and Lam had already spent almost a year in custody pending trial and prior to their being released on bail today for Chung and last month for Lam, and one should be able to see how ridiculous the denial of bail for them is.

Even more ridiculous is what Jimmy Lai is being subject to.  And I'm not talking only about his being jailed for five and half years for the kind of "fraud" that in most cases would not be prosecuted.  In the latest twist involving his national security trial: it's now been adjourned to September 25th, 2023, "as the city awaits a decision from Beijing on whether to interpret the national security law", as requested by the Hong Kong government, over the matter of whether Jimmy Lai can have a British lawyer Tim Owen represent him in a national security law trial.   

As the member of the Twitterati who goes by John deFrog noted in the wake of this latest "development": "Now that they just added over 5 years to his jail time from the fraud case, I guess there's no hurry for GovHK to rig the next trial. Lai is right where they want him until at least 2027."  Even sadder is the conclusion that a number of people have already reached: that is, that Jimmy Lai is probably not only to be found guilty as charged by the government appointed judges in his national security trial (which, remember, is jury-less) but that he'll die in prison.

 

Speaking of prison: former pro-democrat legislative councillors Lam Cheuk-ting, Andrew Wan and Helena Wong were sentenced today to between three and seven weeks of jail for disrupting controversial Legislative Council meetings in 2018 and 2020.  And for the record: like Jimmy Lai, they also are facing national security law charges and possible life imprisonment -- in their case, they are among the 47 politicians and political activists accused of breaking the national security law by having organised or otherwise taken part in democratic primaries (something that would not be considered a crime in many parts of the world) and arrested back in February 28th of last year; the bulk of whom have been behind bars all this time despite their national security trial also not yet having taken place!

Also among the 47 is Carol Ng, the former chairperson of the now-defunct Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions that was Hong Kong's largest pro-democracy trade union.  The Hong Kong Labour Rights Monitor Tweeted today that: "The temperature in [Hong Kong] will drop to 9 [degrees Celsus] this weekend. This is how Carol Ng plans to beat the cold in a prison without #heating. "Fold a blanket into a sleeping bag and pile newspapers on top."   FREE ALL HK TRADE UNIONISTS.  Carol has been detained since 28 Feb 2021 for 640+ days". :(