Hong Kong news updates ranging from dark to light!

For better or worse, the sun's still shining 

very brightly in and on Hong Kong

And yes, there still are days when I look out and think

that Hong Kong can be pretty as a picture...

First, some updates about people I mentioned in my previous blog post: Yesterday, People Power's Tam Tak-chi became the first person to be charged with sedition since Hong Kong ceased to be a British colony back on July 1st, 1997, when it was decided that he would be charged under a (rarely-used) colonial-era law.  For those breathing a relief that he wasn't prosecuted under China's national security law for Hong Kong though: note that he's been denied bail until his case comes to court on November 17th, at the minimum.        

Also worrying -- in fact even more so -- is what's happening (or, actually not) with regards to the 12 Hong Kong activists caught in Chinese waters while attempting to flee by boat to Taiwan three Sundays ago now.  For despite repeated efforts having been made to do so, lawyers seeking to represent them have been denied access to this desperate dozen who now are in detention in Mainland China; with other lawyers reportedly having been appointed by the Chinese state to represent them instead.  

Sadly, there appears to be little most of us can do for them beyond continuing to publicize their situation to try to ensure that they don't end up being "disappeared".  And it is totally understandable that the families of these 12 people now detained in Mainland China are very scared and worried about their safety; with it not going to be any comfort if they were told that things have also deteriorated on this side of the Mainland China-Hong Kong border so that one no longer can expect to be treated justly and humanely post arrest by the local constabulary.

In these troubled times, knowing you have the support of others can mean a lot.  So it is heartening to see that Hong Kong bus drivers have come out in support of the colleague of theirs who was arrested on Sunday by the Hong Kong police; with the Bus Industry Union having threatened to go on strike unless the police respond to five demands they're making, including an apology for abusing their authority (by doing such as unjustly arresting and charging their colleague, who has been at least been released on bail but stuck with two different charges).  Also, the employers of the arrested bus driver have come out and stated that records from his vehicle show that he was driving at just 10 to 35 kilometers per hour at the time (and consequently unlikely to be guilty of "dangerous driving" as the police have alleged)! 

In perhaps the best news of the day for the territory, Hong Kong filmmaker Ann Hui was awarded the lifetime achievement award at the Venice Film Festival earlier today.  In her acceptance speech, the first female filmmaker ever to have received this honor said the following: "Thank you, Venice, for giving me this encouragement at this difficult time. You do not know what encouragement you are giving to the people of Hong Kong too."  And she then followed this up by stating that: "Above all I would like to revert this honor back to Hong Kong, the city where I grew up and lived my whole life. It had given me an education, my life experiences and my chances to find fulfillment."

Incidentally, Ann Hui's Our Time Will Come is one of those Hong Kong films I've been thinking a lot lately -- and not just because its title is so, well, inspirational.  Rather, it's a tale of ordinary people's resistance against those who sought to deprive them of their freedom; one which could seem too dangerous to be worth it and sometimes demanding much more sacrifice than one wishes would be required of any person, yet had people -- some more unlikely than others -- volunteering for the tasks.

And while we're on the subject of movies: Wowie re there being so many reasons to boycott the latest film adaptation of the tale of Mulan!  Lead actress Liu Yifei.  Lead actor Donnie Yen.  And now its Xinjiang connection too!  As Foreign Policy's James Palmer Tweeted: "Whoever was stupid enough at Disney to sign off on the filming of a movie *at the site of an ongoing campaign of cultural genocide* needs to be extremely fired."  So, no, it's not just Hong Kong political activists or even "just" Asian activists who are calling for the boycott of this movie -- which hasn't opened in Hong Kong yet, actually, and may never will! -- now!     

On a lighter note: Conan O'Brien's latest video clip has become a "must watch" for Hong Kongers because of the section that begins from minute 5:55.  (To make it easier to view it, just go here!)  There's some debate over whether Conan and Andy know the identity of the woman they made the butt of several jokes.  In any case, it's pretty funny to hear and see them saying things about Carrie Lam like “She doesn’t look like it but she is nuts!"; with the icing on the cake being that the particular image of Carrie Lam that they opted to use is that which identifiably dates to the day that she announced that she'd be withdrawing the controversial extradition bill back on September 4th, 2019!