The suspension and oppression of schoolboys dominates the news in Hong Kong on Joshua Wong's 26th birthday

Birthday boy Joshua Wong still looked pretty baby-faced

back on October 1st, 2018...
 

Joshua Wong turned 26 today.  A reminder: he's one of Hong Kong's many political prisoners -- and already has spent some 22 months behind bars this time around.  Something that was well nigh unthinkable just four years ago -- when Hong Kongers did not have genuine universal suffrage but did have a lot more rights and freedoms than is the case now. 

 

As a Nikkei Asia piece from a few days ago observed: "The once-freewheeling Hong Kong has undergone a jarring transformation in the past few years.  The unprecedented mass democracy protests of 2019 were followed by a relentless crackdown on civil liberties and dissent.  Many say these developments, coupled with restrictive and unpredictable COVID-19 policies, have eroded confidence and tarnished the city's appeal as a place to live and do business.

 

"Population figures released in August did nothing to dispel that belief, showing a record 1.6% decline over the past year, largely due to a net outflow of people.  Scores of foreign companies have also pulled their regional headquarters out, with Western business groups vacating roughly 3.1 million square feet of floor space between 2019 and 2021.

 

"Hong Kong officials seem aware there is a problem, even as they doggedly defend the political system.  "Even though we are noble people, there are many nasty people in the world," [Chief Executive John] Lee, a former security official, told patriotic lawmakers on July 6. "That's why we have to do our best to explain [ourselves]."

 

So far, the explaining has not gone well.  And actions continue to speak louder than words for many.  Actions like putting teenagers and speech therapists, never mind political opposition ranging in age from 20-something year olds (like Joshua Wong) to 70-something year olds (like Jimmy Lai), behind bars because they are considered national security threats. 

 

And the latest action that's been causing quite a stir around town: the suspension of schoolboys for disrespecting the Chinese national flag.  As in they were not present at a flag raising ceremony at their school due to their (still) eating their breakfast! (Shame on the school, more than by the way -- a Catholic one at that, as can be discerned from its name: St Francis Xavier's School, Tsuen Wan!)

 

The incident has turned into quite a saga -- with a report on it in today's The Standard being listed as "top news"!   The following are some quotes from the piece: "Many angry students at St Francis Xavier's College [sic.] are demanding the resignation of their vice principal after she suspended 14 students who failed to attend a flag-raising ceremony and "disrespected the national anthem.

 

"The Standard was told last night that a meeting was held on Tuesday between the teachers and vice principal Law Chui-lin" and that "[t]he vice principal broke down in tears at the meeting and she did not turn up in school yesterday morning, though she was spotted by students in the library in the afternoon."

 

A note: The Standard's not a particularly reputable newspaper -- as can be seen by it getting even the name of the school not exactly right.  But... let's continue reading away, shall we? Including about another strand in the tale -- this time involving the notoriously thin-skinned Hong Kong police.   As in: "Police, meanwhile, expressed "strong concerns" over a sarcastic cartoon in local Chinese newspaper Ming Pao, saying it could mislead readers and form a wrong impression of the force .

 

"The cartoon depicts a fully geared riot police at a school to help the principal who seems complaining about students speaking foul language and contradicting teachers. Some students are seen to have laser pens in their backpacks."  And Hong Kong being what it now is (i.e., a place where seemingly trivial matters can result in arrests and incarceration), the cartoonist concerned, known as Zunzi (but whose real name is commonly known to be Wong Kei-kwan) felt obliged to issue a denial that the cartoon was anti-police.  Instead, "It was an expression of how schools should teach students patience instead of high-handed method... [and] a "common" cartoon expressing his views on social affairs."

 

Creditably, "The Ming Pao editorial department said it would continue to professionally provide accurate and credible news content while supporting columnists."  And in a normal place, that would be case closed. But not in national security law-era Hong Kong. 

 

Instead, "Education veterans called on authorities to revise guidelines for students who fail to respect the national flag and anthem."  For example, "Tang Fei, Election Committee lawmaker and a secondary school principal, said according to the school's statement, it had followed the full procedures, including notifying parents and the Education Bureau.  He said that eating during morning assembly is a violation of school rules even if there is no flag-raising ceremony, since there is a schedule and students should be aware of it."

 

And "Priscilla Leung Mei-fun, Election Committee lawmaker and chairman of the Legislative Council panel on education, said students not attending the flag-raising ceremony are violating the National Flag and National Emblem Ordinance, but not the national security law."  Oooooo, thank goodness for small mercies, right? NOT!

 

Returning to the Nikkei Asia piece: ""I think the [international] perceptions [of Hong Kong] have gone from good to bad, and maybe even bad to worse," said Kenneth Chan, associate professor of political science at Hong Kong's Baptist University. "Of course, it has a lot to do with Hong Kong's political environment."  And in view of this kind of "incidents", surely it's understandable?

 

"Looking ahead," the good professor continued, "Very few people will have that kind of confidence or hopeful prospects with respect to the future of Hong Kong under the current state of affairs, under the current kind of government and leadership."  Hell, even some local, pro-Beijing politicians are finding it difficult to have good things to say about Hong Kong.  

 

""Praising Hong Kong? What is there to praise about when there's no substance," one lawmaker said, asking not to be named. "The government needs to actually do something so that we can champion the city.""  Indeed.