On the third anniverary of China imposing a national security law on Hong Kong

  

Armored police vehicle parked in the center of one of

Hong Kong's major shopping and dining area today

Today is the third anniversary of China's imposition of a national security law on Hong Kong.  This, along with tomorrow being the 26th anniversary of Hong Kong's handover by the British to China, looks to have prompted the international media to focus more on Hong Kong than it is generally wont to do.  

 

If truth be told, I'm not that up for reading that many of these "the state of Hong Kong" or even "what's happened to Hong Kong since the passing of the national security law" pieces -- because, well, I'm living it and it's not a very happy tale!  Reminders of Hong Kong not being what it used to be pre June 30th, 2020 -- or even February 28th, 2021, never mind June 12th, 2019, etc. -- abound and can be quite "in one's face".

 

Take this afternoon, when my stroll along the harborfront got punctuated by sightings of a number of police officers in stab-proof vests and such patrolling the area, I got confronted by the sight of a police armored vehicle smack dab in the middle of a shopping and dining area and I found a public urban park to be surrounded by other police vehicles, and filled with police officers, including representatives of the Counter Terrorism Response Unit!  And I faced the reality that today, yet another "yellow" shop that I like (the last branch of Chickeeduck, for the record) is permanently shuttering when I saw the long line of people trying to get in there and make purchases one last time.

 

Nonetheless, I have read a few pieces in the international media on Hong Kong (and Hong Kong pro-democracy figures) in recent days.  Among those which I've found really good and would like to recommend are a Nikkei Asia extended piece on Albert Ho, "Hong Kong's persecuted patriot" (subtitled "Rights lawyer Albert Ho has loved China for decades. Now he may die in jail for it").  And Samuel Bickett is spot on in pointing out that the article also invaluably covering "the wide ranging (and sometimes conflicting) interpretations of Chinese/Hongkong identity within the big tent Hong Kong human rights movement—nuances that are often missed by those following along abroad." 

 

 There's also an opinion piece by the Washington Post Editorial Board on Chow Hang-tung (who "resisted [and] kept the flame alive — literally, by helping organize candlelight vigils commemorating the violent attack on pro-democracy student protesters", and "is wrongly imprisoned and should be freed.").  More than incidentally, Chow's also in the news today as it's emerged that she has lodged an objection to the government's planned "Glory to Hong Kong" injunction, and appears to be the only person to have done so thus far.  Pretty incredible not just in terms of her courage (as more than one person has joked that doing so is a guaranteed path to prison) but, also, since, as the Washington Post piece points out, she is currently in "prison, where she has no internet access, no computer and limited access to books."

 

In addition, there's this -- not so much an article as a report/statement by Reporters Without Borders entitled "Amid shrinking press freedom, Hong Kong journalists in need of more international support".  It begins thus: "Three years after the enactment of the National Security Law in Hong Kong, a Reporters Without Borders (RSF) delegation undertook a mission to the territory to assess journalists’ safety needs and strengthen the organisation’s capacity-building and emergency assistance programmes."

 

Among its findings: "Over the past three years, in line with Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s crusade against journalism, the Hong Kong government has prosecuted at least 28 media workers and press freedom defenders, 13 of whom remain in detention. The government also forcibly shut down independent daily newspapers Apple Daily and Stand News, while six other media outlets had no other choice but disband due to pressure."  Still: "Despite the government’s severe moves to restrict press freedom, Hong Kong still counts thousands of journalists who strive to provide news to the world. This mission allowed us to better understand the new threats they face, namely intimidation and legal harassment, which will enable us to provide them with more comprehensive support."

 

Speaking of intimidation and legal harrasment of journalists, there's this piece today by The Japan Times about Yoshiaki Ogawa, a Japanese journalist who has been "actively following Hong Kong issues since 2014", having been denied entry into Hong Kong yesterday evening.  "I’ve worked to convey things about Hong Kong to Japan, but it was not like I was going to do any (suspicious) activities in the city,” Ogawa said shortly after arriving at the airport. “(This incident) has truly made me feel how Hong Kong has changed … this would have been unthinkable before.”"  Indeed.  

 

Something else pointed out in the report: "In December, Michiko Kiseki, a photographer, was reportedly denied entry to Hong Kong and deported to Japan. Earlier this month, a Japanese street performer who calls himself Mr. Wally was also denied entry into the city."  But this is the first case of a Japanese journalist being denied entry into Hong Kong.  Hello Hong Kong?  Proof, actually, that Hong Kong is not back (to normal)!