Stand with Ukraine but please also consider the plight of the political prisoners in Covid-ravaged Hong Kong!

A place in Hong Kong for people who stand with 

Ukraine and Hong Kong

 

I usually focus on Hong Kong matters these days but it's impossible to ignore what's happening in Ukraine.  The member of the Hong Kong Twitterati who goes by K spoke for many of us when he Tweeted the following: "Look, as a HKer living in relative tranquility compared to what's happening in Ukraine right now, we are by no means well versed in war or much of anything else. What we are well versed in however, is recognizing and living under psychotic tyrants ruining everything."  Which is why it's makes sense that many Hong Kongers inevitably will side and stand with Ukraine.   

 

Also, as per a statement by Bleak House Books (a yellow book store previously located in San Po Kong before its owners decided that Hong Kong was no longer a safe place to raise their family) on Twitter (hours before the Russians invaded their neighbor yesterday): "Stand with Ukraine[.]  If you don’t know what to stand on[:] Stand on principle[.]  Don’t wait[.]  If you wait you give hope to all the bad actors out there[.]  Who are lurking, scheming, waiting for the right moment[.]  Today it is Ukraine, tomorrow it will be your country[.]  Don’t wait".

 

Speaking of not waiting: it's not only time that waits for no man but also the Wuhan coronavirus.  And for all of the likes of Carrie Lam talking about Hong Kong being currently being in a war footing against the coronavirus, the Hong Kong government has been waging a battle against Covid in a way that clearly shows it to have been ill prepared as well as ill equipped to deal with this fifth wave.  

 

Thus it is that Covid is clearly running rampant and spreading all over Hong Kong.  And today has been another record breaking day: with today's number of new confirmed cases soaring past the 10,000 mark and the overall number of new cases (which covers both preliminary positive and confirmed cases) being a whopping 21,979!  And if that weren't already bad, throw in the fact that Hong Kong reported 59 Covid deaths (47 new; 12 backlogged) today.  Also, in view of there being 51 people infected with Covid who were in a critical condition and 48 in seriously ill condition as of last night: I hate to say this but it's pretty much guaranteed that there will be more deaths to report tomorrow and a number of days afterwards.

 

Among the sections of Hong Kong that Covid is now raging in: the prisons, where more than 7,200 people are currently detained; among whom are hundreds of political prisoners.  As per an AFP report: "As of Thursday [i.e. yesterday], there were 202 confirmed infections and 135 preliminary positive prisoners within the system — a caseload that has grown by more than 20 times in about a week."  And in the words of prisons official: "It is anticipated that more cases of infection will be found in the coming week". 

 

So much for the measures the government sought to take to stop Covid from enterting the system; including ones that involved the suspension of visits by family and friends of prisoners that were just one more pleasure and contact with the outside world denied to prisoners (who, lest we forget, include the likes of Jimmy Lai, Joshua Wong, Chow Hang-tung, Lee Cheuk-yan, Claudia Mo, Gwyneth Ho, Jimmy Sham and so many more; many of whom haven't even been convicted of crimes but already behind bars for many months after being denied bail after being arrested and charged with National Security Law crimes).  

On a "thank goodness for small mercies" note: Fernando Cheung is no longer among Hong Kong's political prisoners as the pro-democrat was released from prison yesterday morning.  Compared to so many of his political allies and ex-Legislative Council colleagues (like, say, Claudia Mo and also Wu Chi-wai, Lam Cheuk-ting and Jeremy Tam), Cheung's three weeks behind bars (for contempt in connection with a protest he staged with fellow democrats in the Legislative Council chamber in May 2020) can seem like a breeze.

But on his release from jail, the 65 year old told reporters that "his life behind bars was “tough,” as he was separated from his family".  Still, rather than put the focus on himself, "Cheung called on the authorities to make arrangements for inmates who saw their time in custody being extended after the Covid-19 pandemic delayed their court appearances. He also urged people not to forget his “friends” and other Hongkongers who are still in detention."  And I, for one, would like to echo and do what I can to amplify his call.