Hong Kong remains far more threatened by political repression than the Wuhan coronavirus or nature in general

 

A closed-off playground last week

 

Playgrounds have been reopened for use this week (but have 

children gotten out of the habit of visiting them after so long?)

A rare tornado was spotted near Hong Kong International Airport yesterday afternoon.  Also, a wild boar family decided to head to Central and were recorded swimming in the pond of the Bank of China Tower.  It used to be that such events (along with, less amusingly, hiker deaths) would be the biggest news of the day when they occured in Hong Kong.  And in some ways, it's kind of quaint and assuring that they still can make the news these days.

 

But of course, these days, what tends to grab more attention is news concerning the Wuhan coronavirus or something political (which can range from political arrests to the enactment of a draconian law).  Re the former: at a time when things are looking really bad again on the pandemic front in many parts of the world (including Europe and Indonesia rather than just the U.S.A.), it can make for a nice surprise that Hong Kong has managed to bring its third wave under control; with there having been just two new cases yesterday and one today.      

As an added bonus: today's single new daily Wuhan coronavirus case was an import rather than local transmission; the second time this month that Hong Kong has reported no local cases.  For good measure: it's also the case that Hong Kong has only had one day this past week with an unsourced case.  All things considering then, there's actually plenty to feel good about on the pandemic combatting front here at this point in time.  So it surely is understandable that there are calls to reopen the still-closed-off beaches and to ease the gathering bans (the latter of which is impossible to not think are just an excuse to ban political vigils, rallies and marches -- like the one that usually takes place on October 1st); this particularly when it's allowed and normal again for such as MTR carriages to be super packed!

 

On the political front: there may have been more security law arrests -- this time involving a mother and her son accused of selling weapons online.  Upon further examination though, there are aspects of the case that appear questionable.  For one thing, the mentioned weapons are things like air guns, a bulletproof vest and respirators.  For another, whether the case actually falls under the security law is something that the police appear uncertain apart; this not least because the offensive materials (i.e., materials calling for Hong Kong independence) were found in the suspects' home (rather than, say, displayed in public by them)!      

As things presently stand, the man arrested has been charged and denied bail but his mother was not charged and released on bail.  I haven't seen any explanation for their unequal treatment.  What I have read though is that the man's lawyer has alleged that his client was intimidated by the police into making making incriminatory statements against himself.  So it's entirely possible that when the case finally gets to court, the judge will dismiss it or acquit the accused due to faulty evidence or such like once more.  (Though, of course, the possibility also exists that one will encounter a judge more willing to take the side of the government -- for they do very much exist.)   

 

Looking beyond Hong Kong: some signs are appearing that the international community may belatedly be waking up to the China threat; in view of its actions in and towards Hong Kong and Taiwan as well as Tibet and Xinjiang.  With regards to Hong Kong: I found the following statements attributed to Miles Yu, a member of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's policy planning staff, in a recent Voice of America article to be pretty spot on:     

Hong Kong has provided the world with a measuring stick to assess Beijing's behavior since 1984, when a deal was struck to return the territory to Chinese sovereignty on the condition that it enjoy a high degree of autonomy for 50 years. The actual handover took place in 1997. 

Hong Kong is "first and foremost a promise... It's a promise of a high degree of autonomy for 50 years — judicial independence, free press, individual liberty, rule of law." 

What the world has witnessed... is a promise made and a promise broken. 

"You might say it has been broken in a very brutal and semi-fascist way."

And I do hope that he's right when he said more countries are coming to recognize that China poses a threat to everyone; this not least since the deadly coronavirus unleashed in Wuhan less than a year ago has gone on to cause so many deaths in the world already, with many more expected to come.