Hello to a Hong Kong that's slipped down to 88th in the Economist Intelligence Unit's Democracy Index

  

Hong Kong is really beautiful -- but is not without its problems;

and, in all honesty, I'm not sure it's currently a place which

many tourists will truly be able to get to know and thoroughly enjoy

 

In a (desperate) bid to attract tourists to Hong Kong, the Hong Kong government announced yesterday that it will offer 500,000 visitors free air tickets to Hong Kong from next month on. "“I will personally carry the promotional messages of our proudest [sic.] as the world's freest economy and China's international financial center when I visit Saudi Arabia and the UAE in the coming week,” Chief Executive John Lee also was reported as saying (in a piece in The Standard).

 

As the official launch of the "Hello Hong Kong" campaign yesterday, unmasked performers danced and a super cringey promotional video featuring John Lee was played (which I will spare you the pain of viewing by NOT linking to it).  The "[a]uthorities also played a promotional video featuring famous celebrities, including Aaron Kwok Fu-shing, Sammi Cheng Sau-man, and Kelly Chen Wai-lam, saying hello to tourists and calling on them to come visit" that some critics have likened to Chinese propaganda videos featuring dancing Uyghurs.

 

Note to people thinking of visiting Hong Kong: many Hong Kongers -- for a number of reasons, including our preferring the city's streets to be relatively uncrowded and unclogged like they have been during the pandemic -- will be less welcoming of tourists than those folks who, let's face it, have been paid to try to lure tourists to the city.  Potential visitors would also do well to realize that it was reported yesterday afternoon too that "Hong Kong has slipped three positions in the Economist Intelligence Unit's Democracy Index, falling to 88th out of 167 countries and territories."  Its ranking and "overall score of 5.28 out of 10 [is] an all-time low since 2006", the first year that the Democracy Index was compiled. 

 

For comparison and context: The continent of Asia has an average score of 5.46; and "[a]cross the region, top scorers include New Zealand (9.61) in second place in the global ranking, Taiwan (10th), Australia (15th), Japan (16th), and South Korea (24th)."  As for (Mainland) China: It occupies a lowly 156th position.  So, yes, Hong Kong still has a ways to go before becoming the same/as bad as its "Motherland"; though God forbid that it ever does do so.

 

As things stand, "Hong Kong's score fell from 5.60 in 2021 to 5.28 [in 2022], reflecting problems with the quality of the civil service and new impediments to organizing independent trade unions, according to the think tank.  The city now ranks lower than Liberia and Tunisia." Yes. In an international Democracy Index whose analysts "described Hong Kong’s democracy as being “in retreat”" and "also cited the Beijing-imposed national security law, as well as a decline in press freedom and academic freedom in the city."

 

So... who will want to respond to the government's "Hello Hong Kong"?  Definitely not those living outside of Hong Kong who (still/nonetheless) really f**king love Hong Kong; this not least because they fear getting arrested upon their arrival/return (or, at the very least, being barred from entering the city -- like has happened to such as Human Rights Watch founder, Kenneth Roth, back in January 2020).

As human rights activist Xun-ling Au Tweeted in response to a suggestion that people consider visiting Hong Kong: "Reminder that the [national security law (NSL)] is both retroactive and extraterritorial.  Sooo nah."   And should anyone need further reminders of how draconian it is, consider the case of the 47 democratic politicians and activists arrested back on February 28th, 2021, for having participated in and/or organised the democratic primaries that took place in July 2020.  

Their national security law trial is set to finally commence on Monday (February 6th), close to two years after their arrest and getting charged with trying to topple the  government.  In these two years, the majority of the defendants (who include Joshua Wong, Gwyneth Ho and Lee Cheuk-yan -- three of the six Hongkongers that the Congressional-Executive Commission on China have nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize) have been denied bail -- and thus been behind bars.

 

As per an AFP report: "The proceedings are expected to last more than four months, and the defendants face sentences of up to life imprisonment if convicted."  Also reported in the article is this: "The defendants say they have been targeted for normal opposition politics, with observers saying the trial illustrates how little room there is left to criticise China's rule since huge pro-democracy protests in 2019 were stamped out".  And this too: "China says the law was needed to curb political unrest, but rights groups and Hong Kong opposition figures say an ensuing crackdown has all but ended the city's autonomy and political freedoms."

 

A couple of other things worth noting: This trial -- like all of the national security trials that have taken place in Hong Kong to date -- is a jury-less trial.  Instead, it will be decided by the judges.  And is noted in the AFP report:  "Judges who sit on national security cases are handpicked by the city's leader and there has not yet been a trial in front of a jury.  In December, Beijing said Hong Kong's leader could also bar foreign lawyers from taking part in national security trials."  

 

Put another way: the odds are very much stacked in favour of the prosecutors and it also not a case of "Innocent until proven guilty" in the new Hong Kong that I cannot, in good conscience, tell people is a great place to visit and have a fun time.  This even though I really do think that Hong Kong is very beautiful and I have come to really  f**king love this place so very much. :S

Hong Kong's pandemic nightmare continues, no thanks to continued the authorities' political shenanigans

Long lines outside a vaccination center dispensing Sinovac vaccines

 

Has Hong Kong's fifth coronavirus wave peaked?  There are some suggestions that it has done so since, following three consecutive days of over 50,000 new cases being reported last week, yesterday saw a fall in the number of reported new cases from 37,529 on Saturday to 31,008 -- and ditto today, with the reporting of 25,150 new cases (32 of which are imported ones). 

 

But the more suspicious minded among us wonder whether the fall in the number of reported cases is due more to fewer people being required to undergo Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) testing or and many people not reporting their positive Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) results to the government.  With regards to the latter: there appear to be few incentives for -- and many disincentives against -- reporting one's positive RAT results.  Also, the government's website that allowed people to do so online was only launched today! 

 

Starkly put: How many Hong Kongers do you reckon would want to end up being quarantined in a facility run by the Security Bureau, like has happened to some unfortunates?  And this even before negative reports came out about how terrible they physically are (and, to add to the inconvenience, equipped with Chinese-style sockets that are incompatible with Hong Kong plugs) and badly they are being run.  

 

And while a man admitted to the Security Bureau facility at Tsing Yi appeared to have reacted in an overly dramatic way to not having provided with a single meal for a whole day (by threatening to kill himself!), I must admit to having reacted with quite a bit horror too upon reading that the Security Bureau also will have a hand in deciding who is sent to the Community Isolation Facilities that are ostensibly for Covid patients but look too much like prisons (complete with bars on their windows) for my liking!  This particularly since that piece of information came in the wake of the news that the Hong Kong government is going to deploy some 4,000 riot police officers "to assist in the city’s upcoming mass Covid-19 testing" and "escort [Covid] patients to the hospital or community isolation facilities and enforce building lockdowns"!     

 

As Bloomberg editor Matthew Brooker Tweeted in the wake of this news: "Everything is a security issue in Hong Kong."  Alternatively, here's Hong Kong-based history professor Noah Shusterman's Tweeted reaction to the news of the Hong Kong riot police going to be "assisting" in transporting Covid patients: "When your only tool is a hammer, every problem looks like a skull."

 

All in all, the Hong Kong government has certainly not covered itself in glory with regards to its handling of the pandemic.  Among the people showing a lack of confidence in the authorities: expats, including bankers, who have decided to leave Hong Kong in droves (along with those Hongkongers upset with not just Hong Kong's Covid situation, and whose exodus began months earlier).  And for the record: "A total of 5,082 people departed Hong Kong on Sunday, the most since the city was hit with its most severe and far-reaching wave of Covid"; and "[n]et departures from Hong Kong reached 22,965 in [the] week ending March 6, [making it the] third record in a row".  

 

And then there are the deaths. 280 Covid deaths were reported in Hong Kong today; and 1,438 in the past week.  And while the elderly (especially the unvaccinated among them) continue to be the most likely to succumb to Covid, two of today's deaths involved young children: one 8 years of age; the other of whom was just four years old.  

 

A comparison of Hong Kong vis a vis three other Asia-Pacific territories also currently experiencing severe Omicron waves is eye-opening, particularly with regards to the number of Covid deaths in Hong Kong vis a vis Singapore, Taiwan and New Zealand.  To be clear: only Hong Kong has "an extremely high death toll" -- because of the low vaccination levels among Hong Kong's elderly and more of Hong Kong's vaccinated having been vaccinated with the less protective/effective Sinovac as opposed to, say, BioNTech/Pfizer or Moderna.  Something else which Hong Kong-based microbiologist Siddharth Sridhar has pointed out as contributing to this disaster: "overwhelmed healthcare".        

 

Another Hong Kong-based medical expert, David Owens, sums up Hong Kong's current pandemic situation as follows: "This is what happens when public health policy ignores science [.]  Predictable, preventable and political".  Speaking of political: The Hong Kong police today re-arrested Winnie Yu, the nurse-activist who was the founder and chairwoman of the Hospital Authority Employees Alliance (HAEA), a labour union representing Hospital Authority staff.  

 

Yu had been arrested on February 28th of last year along with 46 others who organized and/or took part in the July 2020 democratic camp primaries that may well be the last time Hong Kongers got to vote for political candidates they actually liked, respected and wanted to represent them but was one of the minority of individuals let out on bail ahead of the arrestees' national security law trial which still has yet to properly get underway.  

 

And I sincerely hope that those of her former colleagues at the Hospital Authority who recently spoke out against the Hong Kong government's zealous pursuit of  the "Covid Zero" strategy (dynamic or not) do not suffer her fate.  If only the authorities would listen to the frontliners rather than threaten and/or overload them.  Frankly, it doesn't sound like they need medical experts, especially those from Mainland China, to tell them what's happening and what should be done.  

 

A few sample quotes from the Hong Kong Free Press article yesterday about them should well illustrate this: "As public hospitals become increasingly overcrowded, frustration has grown among frontline medics who said the government continues to stand by the same Covid-19 policy as two years ago, when little was known about the virus and vaccines were not available"; "Resources and manpower are being deployed from hospitals to isolation facilities for patients with minimal symptoms, while inconsistent government messaging has sent healthy Covid-positive patients rushing to emergency units, causing days-long waits for those needing urgent attention"; and "It was always a very stupid idea to think we could have zero Covid forever".   

Still trying to stand up for one's rights and against injustice even when it's against the odds because it's the right thing to do

Seen in Hong Kong back in November 2019

 

Also from late 2019: Don't say those protestors don't have a point!

 

I went to Yuen Long for the first time in more than two years yesterday.  It used to be that this northwestern New Territories town was a place I liked to go post-hike (because of the good eats to be had there).  But after what happened on the night of July 21st, 2019, there, I've come to associate it with tragedy, violence and police-Triad collusion rather than good things.  

 

Happily, I had a pleasant time yesterday.  I even discovered that there are a good number of yellow shops in the town -- and that many of them have no or few qualms displaying their colors.  In addition, my observation was that the yellow shops are -- like is the case in many neighborhoods, including mine -- better patronized than those which are not.  Indeed, the first yellow eatery I tried to have dinner didn't have a table available and its yellow neighbor only had a place for me because a couple had just paid the bill seconds before I went inside it!

 

So I'm sure that there are many residents in Yuen Long as disappointed as I am -- or maybe more so -- upon learning today that ex-legislative councillor Lam Cheuk-ting and eight other victims of the Yuen Long mob attack of July 21st, 2019, have decided to drop their civil suit against Police Commissioner Chris Tang.  Lest it be thought otherwise, it's not because they've now decided that he's not in the wrong.  Rather, Lam Cheuk-ting explained that the case has become “too expensive” to fight and that resources could be better utilised to help other pro-democracy activists facing prosecution.  

 

In the words of his lawyer, Albert Ho: "“It seems that it would take a very long time for the case to end… we think it is time to stop, in order to save further costs.. The opponent on the other side [i.e., Chris Tang] is not only formidable, but they [the Department of Justice, which is backing him] have unlimited resources. And they are crazy! They would use every method, every possible avenue to try to delay the matter, try to complicate the matter, and to exhaust all our financial resources.”  

 

And I'm sure plenty of Yuen Long residents would have applauded journalist Bao Choy's announcement today that she has filed an appeal against a magistrate’s decision to convict her after she accessed public records to investigate police behaviour during the “7.21” mob attack.  No doubt she will face a costly and lengthy process like that which Lam Cheuk-ting had imagined for the case he had sought to pursue.  But, for now, she has decided to try and fight.  As she explained in a statement: "I have struggled with whether I should be more selfish and let the case and myself go... But, after much reflection, I know that if I give up the pursuit of justice now, I will lose sleep and regret it for the rest of my life."

 

From time to time, I get asked by friends living abroad whether the Hong Kong protests are over.  I tell them that Hong Kong has not seen protests on the streets for some time but this does not mean that the protests are over.  And while, if truth be told, Hong Kongers think the chances of the pro-democracy movement having any success these days are low to non-existent, people still protest to support one another and, also, because they sincerely believe that it is the right thing to do.

 

Take, as an example, what is currently being done to former Democratic Party chairman Wu Chi-wai -- whose courageous actions on June 12th, 2019, few Hong Kongers are going to ever forget.   Currently in detention despite not having been found guilty of any charges (including the sedition that has seen him and dozens of others who took part in the democratic primaries last July been put behind bars ahead of their trial scheduled for later this month), he had sought to attend the funeral of his father that's scheduled for later this week, only to see his request rejected by the government's Correctional Services Department.

 

In a statement issued today, the authorities maintained that it's "too risky" for the long-time moderate politician to be allowed to do so; this not least because "the date, time and location of the funeral have been extensively reported on social media platforms recently, and there were calls on the Internet for showing support at the scene on the day of the funeral."  In other words: Wu Chi-wai has supporters who had wanted to be with him to pay their respects to him and his late father -- and this is something which threatens the authorities.     

 

As journalist Lok Sum-kei observed in a Tweet: "Wu Chi-wai is being held before trial. He has not yet been convicted of a crime. As the only son in his family, he was not allowed to attend his father's funeral. Instead, the govt offers to livestream the funeral via zoom - something Wu said was disrespectful and rejected."  And yes, I can see some people thinking: witnessing the funeral via zoom is better than nothing.  But I, for one, support Wu in rejecting that lame offer and continuing to object to his unjust treatment by the authorities -- because, like in so many other instances, what is offered is unacceptable and makes a mockery of the actual request and situation.   

 

Speaking of pushback against what's unacceptable: The European Union (EU) yesterday suspended efforts to ratify a controversial investment deal with China because of tensions between Brussels and Beijing.  It didn't use the language that Philippines foreign affairs secretary, Teddy Locsin Jr., employed in a Tweet asking China to steer clear off its waters but its message still was clear enough.  And if not, check out this speech by MEP Hannah Neumann about how human rights, and the EU's “solidarity with the Uyghurs and the democratic movement in Hong Kong has to be more important than any potential… economic benefit market access could have.”  (Hear that, New Zealand, and those delusional Hong Kong-based expat business executives who think the press threatens their freedom more than the Hong Kong government, among others?) 

Another eventful day in a Hong Kong being too quickly destroyed by Beijing

Spotted on a storefront last week (but one of those posters 

had been removed before I passed by there again yesterday)

 

Also spotted in Hong Kong last week,

and hopefully still around this week
 

In his latest piece for EJ Insight, Michael Chugani listed some of the things that have happened in Hong Kong over the past year.  I've written about many of them at various points but to see them all mentioned in a single short article was quite breathtaking -- and showed how much Hong Kong has been transformed in just 12 months; enough for the veteran political commentator to conclude that "This time is for real: The Hong Kong we know is dying".    

 

To be sure, there were some victories in court for lovers of freedom in Hong Kong today and late yesterday.  Even then, as journalist-educator Yuen Chan, was moved to Tweet in the wake of what should have been unmitigated welcome news: "That sad feeling when instead of just applauding the court's ruling, you worry about what it portends for the future of the courts." <https://twitter.com/xinwenxiaojie/status/1329348865611411457>  And, as a matter of fact, there has been some not so positive news along with the positive ones over the course of what has been quite the news packed day.

 

To see what I mean, I'm hereby listing just some of what's been reported by Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) over the past 24 hours or so:-  

- The police have dropped the fine issued to a 12-year-old girl who had been out shopping for crayons with her brother when she was tackled by a riot police officer in September amid protests against the postponement of the Legco elections.  But as the blogger behind The Fragrant Harbour wrote, "Good luck getting an apology from [Police Commissioner Chris] Tang" for what the police put the girl and her family through!

- High Court judge Anderson Chow ruled earlier today that the existing mechanism to handle police complaints is in breach of the Bill of Rights on torture and cruel treatment.  He further ruled that the failure by the local constabulary to require riot police officers to display their identification numbers in the anti-extradition bill turned anti-government and pro-democracy protests violated the Bill of Rights governing torture and cruel treatment.  Upon hearing this, the Hong Kong Journalists Association has demanded that police officers start displaying their identification numbers immediately.  (But I think it'd be foolish for us to assume that the police are going to start complying with this legal ruling any time soon.)

 

- Today also happened to be graduation day at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK).  Over the course of it, people wearing black graduation gowns and face masks marched on campus chanting anti-government protest slogans and holding up protest banners and flags. In response, university administrators reported their newly minted alumni to the police -- so much for academic freedom and freedom of expression on campus! -- and the police's national security department have launched an investigation into the protesters having displayed Hong Kong independence banners and chanted slogans calling for independence, and therefore being suspected of breaching the national security law!

 

 - According to more than one report, among the slogans chanted by the new CUHK graduates were “Save the 12,” referring to the 12 Hong Kongers who have been detained in Mainland China since their failed attempt to flee by boat to Taiwan this past August.  More than incidentally, more news came of that detained dozen today.  Specifically, seven of their families received letters from them hailing the conditions in the Shenzhen detention centre where they are being held as well their treatment by the Mainland Chinese authorities.  But even while the letters are recognizably in their relatives' handwritings, there is suspicion as to their content since, among other things, all the letters have similar content and "suspicious wording", including simplified Chinese characters and phrases not usually used by Hong Kongers.

 

-  And over on the international front, we have foreign ministers from the nations in the Five Eyes intelligence sharing group (i.e., the USA, Britain, Australia, Canada and New Zealand) having issued a joint statement that China's imposition of new rules to disqualify elected legislators in Hong Kong appeared to be part of a campaign to silence critics and called on Beijing to reverse course. The Hong Kong government promptly responded by condemning the Five Eyes group's governments for making comments "irresponsible to the point of malice, [and] vivid proof of blatant interference in Hong Kong matters which are squarely internal affairs of the People's Republic of China."    

 

Quite a bit has already been written about those Legislative Council disqualifications (and the resulting resignations by the rest of the elected members of the pro-democracy camp), including on this blog.  Still, Holmes Chan' piece out this past Monday is worth bringing to attention, including by way of quoting the following passages:-   

For more than two decades, Hong Kong’s pro-democracy lawmakers played a game rigged against them. On 11 November, they had finally had enough.

“We are facing a totally new paradigm,” said Wu Chi-wai, head of the Democratic Party and convenor of the opposition camp. “We choose to stand with our colleagues who were disqualified. We will collectively resign.”...

Wu paints the mass resignation by 15 democrats as a gesture of solidarity and protest. But it was also, undeniably, an admission of defeat. Hong Kong’s old-school opposition (known as the pan-democrats) has conceded that changing the system from within – a mindset ingrained since the city’s return to Chinese rule in 1997 – was no longer possible.

Finally, here's Michael Chugani with the last say in this post.  In the article I referenced at the beginning of it, he noted the following:-

Now that all opposition members have resigned, we have a [Legislative Council] with only pro-Beijing members who received far less votes than the opposition in 2016. This, in essence, means the legislature does not have a mandate from the people.

Yet they will rubber-stamp laws such as allowing loyalist Hongkongers in the Greater Bay Area to vote even though our election laws state only those ordinarily resident in Hong Kong can vote. Their aim is to create a new voter base which supports them.

It is heartbreaking to watch these supine surrogates obediently knife Hong Kong’s soul. They are Hongkongers too. Why are they so willing to change the DNA of their own home? Do they really believe in their hearts that killing off the opposition, dismantling the city’s core values, and making the judicial system more compliant is good for Hong Kong?

As I have said before, Hong Kong will not die in the way Fortune Magazine predicted. It will remain a thriving city. What will die is the Hong Kong we know.

Hong Kong continues to struggle against political oppression in the wake and shadow of the American presidential election

Demands made at the first protest march I participated in

in Hong Kong (back on July 1st, 2012) included (for) "1 person, 1 vote"

 

A reminder that the anti-extradition bill protestors' five demands

include (genuine) universal suffrage for Hong Kong

 

Despite spending the afternoon hiking on Saturday, I ended up staying awake until around 3 o'clock the next morning because very late that night (Hong Kong time), Joe Biden was announced as the winner of this year's American Presidential election; whereby my American Democrat friends promptly lit up my Facebook feed and rushed to share their joy with the world.  

 

Witnessing their sheer relief that good had finally triumphed along with ecstacy that their side had won, I thought back to the euphoria I had felt when seeing the results go in favor of the pro-democrat camp at the District Council elections last November 24th.  And I must admit to feeling rather jealous that they were able to vote this year -- unlike those of us in Hong Kong who were denied the chance to do so this year after the postponement of the Legislative Council elections which many sensed would see the pro-democrat camp capture an unprecedented majority of seats.

 

Even though they could not vote in the U.S. elections, many people in Hong Kong cared about how it would go because they look to that far away country's government to stand up to China -- for Hong Kong along with the Uighurs and Taiwan as well as the American people.  But while there were Hong Kongers who wanted to Trump to win a second term because they believe Joe Biden will be less tough on China, many foreign political analysts think the American government will continue to work to counter China's aggression -- and probably be more effectively doing so under the Biden administration.

 

For the record: I've long been anti-Trump.  (Yes, his administration has imposed sanctions against Hong Kong officials in recent months, and even today -- but it's worth recognizing that the likes of Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act had (rare) bi-partisan support.  And, honestly, there's so much wrong about him that I can't even bother to go into it.)  So the result of this American presidential election has gone the way I wanted.  

 

Actually, since last November 24th, every major election I've had an interest in has been won by the candidate I was rooting for!  And I really did experience joy from seeing Tsai Ing Wen be re-elected as President of Taiwan this past January and New Zealand's Jacinda Ardern prevail at the polls this past October -- more so than this past weekend, in no large part because their victories were so much more emphatic.

 

All of which adds to my regret that Hong Kong was not able to go to the polls on September 6th; and this all the more so since we would have then been spared the whole fiasco that has included Chu Hoi-dick, Ray Chan and Tanya Chan having decided that they did not want to stay Legislative Councillors in the wake of there being no election this year, and now the entire pan-democrat contingent threatening to resign enmasse if Beijing (via its Hong Kong government lackeys) moves to have any more of them disqualified.

There are people who, to this day, believe that the pan-democrats will be playing into Beijing's hands if they do in fact leave the Legislative Council.  Back in September, I agreed with Stephen Vines that it was of benefit to Hong Kong to have opposition members in the Legislative Council to do such as officially calling the government to account.  Also, as he pointed out in his Apple Daily article, "the system has long been rigged and has dubious democratic credentials."  So it wasn't as though fighting against the odds in that legislative chamber would be anything new.

At the same time though, the circumstances really are being made harder and harder for those who value democracy and freedom to stand one's ground here in Hong Kong.  In the case of the pan-democrats still serving in the Legislative Council, the removal of their ability to filibuster really could make them weaponless.   

Yet, it's not like Hong Kongers have entirely given up their fight and are now just waiting for such as the American goverment to come and save them.  On the education front: even as the government seeks more power to punish teachers, many school principals say they are pushing back against attempts by pro-establishment figures to name and shame teachers accused of misconduct and other wrongdoing.  

 

And after appearing in court for her hearing this morning, RTHK journalist Bao Choy Yuk-ling reiterated her feeling that "I truly believe I will not walk alone" as well as that "this incident is no longer a personal matter but a matter related to public interest and press freedom in Hong Kong".  In other words: even while we wish for the world with Hong Kong, Hong Kongers are continuing to stand with one another -- against political oppression, and for freedom and democracy.   

Eyes in Hong Kong turn outwards even while Hong Kong pro-democracy protestors inspire others

 

Out of sight but not out of mind

 

Yes, the world is interconnected...

 

I went out to what turned out to be quite the marathon dinner -- one which went on for around four hours (and featured way more courses than I'm normally used to) -- with friends yesterday.  There was much chatting while we ate, and the conversation subjects ranged quite a bit in terms of topics but also geography.  Inevitably, we talked about the Wuhan coronavirus (which is ranging far less now in Hong Kong -- which had just four new cases today, two of them imported -- than much of the rest of the world but still continues to prey on our minds).  In contrast to other recent meetups with friends though, security law fears and pro-democracy protests were not touched on much at all.          

It's not that the people in the party were not apolitical.  I know at least two of my friends present have long been regular June 4th vigil attendees and also that one of them regularly attended July 1st protest marches (at least prior to this year).  

 

I also don't think that we're experiencing the protest version of quarantine fatigue.  Even so, I must admit that even I spent more time yesterday following the New Zealand elections -- and having a bout of leader envy as a result of seeing New Zealand being blessed with having a leader like Jacinda Ardern -- than checking Hong Kong political news.  (And yes, seeing her win big yesterday made me happy, the way that seeing another popular leader known for right by her people, Tsai Ing Wen, prevail in the Taiwan elections earlier this year did.)         

Earlier in the day, I also felt good upon seeing yet another foreign national leader look to do the right thing in the person of Canada's Justin Trudeau pledging to continue to defend human rights in China (including Hong Kong) after China's ambassador to Ottawa issued a threat regarding the “health and security” of the 300,000 Canadians living in Hong Kong earlier this week.  At the same time, it was sad to see Hong Kong referred to in The Guardian's article on the matter as "the theoretically autonomous Chinese territory": quite a far cry from Special Administrative Region (as per its official designation) or even "semi-autonomous region" (as I've seen it referred to more to recently); and a sure sign that much of the world has indeed finally awakened to its plight and altered state/status.

 

It also felt bittersweet to see Greta Thunberg Tweet her support in recent days for the 12 Hong Kongers who were apprehended by the Mainland Chinese authorities eight weeks ago now and have remained incommunicado with their loved ones as well as in Mainland Chinese custody all this time.  (As in: it's great to have yet another high profile personality's support of Hong Kong's pro-democracy protestors, their plight and their cause -- and, specifically, the ongoing international campaign to save the 12 Hong Kong youths -- but I wish there wasn't that need in the first place, you know?) 

 

Of course, in recent days, the protests that appear to be catching the most attention is not Hong Kong's but Thailand's.  And while some might think that Hong Kong pro-democracy advocates already have a lot on their hands with regards to the battles to be fought in their home territory, many are actually standing up and declaring their support of their Thai counterparts.  On Twitter (which, as a reminder, the new version of Blogger very annoyingly won't let me link to), one can see not only individual "Stand with Thailand" messages from Hong Kongers but also videos and photos showing such a small "Stand with Thailand" display erected in Kennedy Town and "Stand with Thailand" graffiti in Tai Koo Shing. 

 

Some of this was undoubtedly sparked by many Thai protest images (e.g., this and this) bringing to mind Hong Kong ones for many Hong Kongers (as has been the case with many of those from Belarus and the USA in recent months -- and no, it's not a coincidence).  But it's also the case that there's been solidarity among Hong Kong, Thai and Taiwanese pro-democracy advocates for some time now -- with the Milk Tea Alliance being what it's become popularly known as for months now!        

 

Those who think that Hong Kong's pro-democracy protestors have lost might wonder how come their tactics are being adopted by others in far flung parts of the world.  My argument, of course, is that the Hong Kong fight is not yet over.  Yes, the situation in Hong Kong can look pretty bleak, on some days more than others.  But as long as we resist, there's hope.  Ditto when we have the support of others -- abroad as well as at home -- and know we are not alone, and even have the power to inspire (others in the world).  

Still more questionable actions by the powers that be in Hong Kong

After the news on Thursday about Hong Kongers trying to flee in boats, 

I will never look at speedboats in quite the same way again :S

And, frankly, I wouldn't want to be out on a small boat

in Victoria Harbour in them, let alone the high seas!

Let's start off with the good news: there are sure signs of the third wave of the Wuhan coronavirus has peaked in Hong Kong: with the number of new cases reported today, yesterday and Friday being 15, 18 and 13 respectively compared to the peak of 149 on July 30th (exactly one month ago today).  So I think the authorities are indeed justified in their decision to ease certain social distancing and masking restrictions beginning this past Friday: with such in-restaurant dining now allowed up until 9pm (as opposed to the previous limit of 6pm), cinemas being allowed to re-open and masks no longer required for strenuous exercise outdoors and in the country parks.

Alternatively, it's hard to medically justify the government sticking with their decision, announced back on July 31st when Hong Kong reported 121 new cases, to postpone the Legislative Council election -- and by at least a year (rather than, say, New Zealand's one month postponement).  And, of course, Hong Kong looks particularly bad when compared to the likes of Singapore and South Korea, who held general elections when their daily coronavirus numbers were higher (i.e., Singapore had 191 new cases back on July 10th while South Korea had 27 on April 15th) than what Hong Kong currently has -- and, to judge by current trends, should have on the originally scheduled Legislative Council election date of September 6th  (i.e., exactly one week from today). 

Also hard to justify on purely medical terms is the planned Wuhan coronavirus mass testing that is scheduled to begin on September 1st and last for at least one week.  To be sure, the government has moved to try to censor and censure critics of this scheme.  But there still are many voices speaking out against it, including the the chairwoman and vice-chairman of the Hospital Authority Employees Alliance earlier today -- and, in honesty, no one I know is planning to take the tests for a variety of pretty sound reasons.   

One big problem affecting decisions regarding whether to take these tests or not is the deep distrust  the majority of Hong Kongers now have of the Hong Kong government.  Of course all this already happened way before the Wuhan coronavirus came into the picture but 2020 has really not seen an improvement of relations between Hong Kongers and the local authorities.  Almost needless to say, this is especially the case with regards to the Hong Kong police force, whose attempts at gaslighting earlier this week just only result in further contempt for them, not least because they often end up contradicting themselves.

Take, as an example, the story surrounding the now-known-to-be 12 Hong Kongers who tried to flee by boat to Taiwan which has been making waves in recent days.  Since my last blog post before today, further details have come to light about these desperate individuals: including the vessel they were in being a speedboat and none of them being over 30 years of age, and the youngest being just 16 years old.  

Also uncovered is that, even though Police Commissioner Chris Tang had stated on Thursday that he had no information about the arrest of Andy Li and the 11 others who had sought to flee Hong Kong by boat because this had not been a Hong Kong police operation, it has since been revealed that it was the Hong Kong police who had tipped off Mainland Chinese officials about the group having set off for Taiwan.  Put another way: these 12 Hong Kongers are now languishing in Mainland Chinese captivity because  the Hong Kong police enlisted the aid of their Mainland Chinese compatriots to intercept their attempt to leave Hong Kong.           

Something else that's even harder to mentally unpack is that this was not the first escape  attempt by Hong Kongers to Taiwan by boat across open seas.  Heck, the very thought that it's even happened once should be unimaginable -- but, sadly, no longer is since China's custom security law for Hong Kong came into effect and we're seeing how intent Carrie Lam is on ruling not just by fear but also threats.  

The probability is high now that attempts to flee Hong Kong by boat will cease in the immediate future.  Sadly though, that's not due to people feeling less of a need to flee Hong Kong but, rather, because the maritime escape routes connecting Hong Kong and Taiwan, plied by asylum seekers since July, have been effectively “plugged up” since China’s coastguard strengthened its presence in the waters around Hong Kong in order to intercept fleeing dissidents. :(

Commenting on one more political disturbance which took place late last night/month

The kind of view that makes many of us f**king love Hong Kong

I sincerely hope that those Hong Kongers who have felt obliged

to go into political exile in recent years can return some day to

enjoy views like this, along with the peace they evoke

Soon after I posted yesterday's blog entry, I discovered that more political ructions had taken place in what really had proved to be a pretty tumultous 24 hours for Hong Kong.  For after Carrie Lam announced the postponement of the Legislative Council elections for (at least) a year, the Hong Kong police competed for attention by issuing arrest warrants for six pro-democracy activists currently living in exile. (That state-controlled Mainland Chinese media first broke the news should tell you who's behind the decision to seek the arrest of these individuals accused of breaching the city's new national security law.)

Hong Kongers have focused on 27-year-old disqualified legislative councillor Nathan Law being among the six.  It stands to reason, since he's the best known of the sextet.  (As an aside: I may be a political junkie in the eyes of many but even I had not previously been all that familiar with Wayne Chan -- or, for that matter, the Hong Kong Independence Union party that he was the convenor of -- and Honcques Lau, whose lack of fame can be seen by the RTHK report I've linked to above misspelling his surname).

It's well noting though that others include Simon Cheng -- the former UK consulate worker abducted, detained and tortured by Chinese security forces on a work trip to Shenzhen -- and Samuel Chu, an American citizen of 25 years who currently lives in the US.  With regards to the latter: I wonder how much his being the son of Reverend Chu Yiu-ming (of Occupy Central with Love and Peace fame) is a factor in his being on this "wanted" list.  

As the Hong Kong police's actions have shown, the now more than a month old Chinese security legislation for Hong Kong really is intended to cover everyone, regardless of their citizenship and place of residence.  A lawyer, Michael Vidler, has since come out and asserted though that being on a wanted list created by them -- as opposed to, say, Interpol -- doesn't really mean much unless the person in question is in Hong Kong.  Which is fine if the people concerned never want to return to this part of the world -- but, given their obvious love for it, it surely would be a big torture and sacrifice to feel that they have to permanently stay away from here.   

Understandably then, as Simon Cheng made clear in an interview he gave to RTHK today, these actions are having a "chilling effect" on a lot of ordinary people who have a network or connection to Hong Kong.  And make no mistake: quoting Antony Dapiran, "This is the beginning of a series of moves intended to cut them off from their support base, friends and family in [Hong Kong], with the ultimate aim of isolating them and rendering them impotent (the same playbook China has followed to deal with all of its exiled dissidents)."     
 
At the same time, I wouldn't be surprised if these further attempts at repression result in more pushback from the international community (and, already, there's been more in recent weeks than I think the likes of Xi Jinping as well as his Hong Kong underlings anticipated).  Just today, it was announced that Germany -- where, one of the individuals on this new "wanted" list, Ray Wong, resides after being granted asylum there -- has finally joined the ranks of the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and others in suspending its extradition treaty with Hong Kong. (For the record: these countries do not have extradition treaties with China; yet another reminder of how different Hong Kong used to be from Mainland China as well as how it's becoming/become no different in the eyes of much of the world.)

While we're on the subject of activists in the Hong Kong police's bad books: Teen activist Tony Chung, whose late night arrest on Thursday -- along with three similarly youthful others -- turned out to be just one of a number of shocking "developments" this week, has been released on bail -- and ordered to remove certain social media posts within 72 hrs following his security law arrest earlier this week. The problem is that he and others had consistently stated that the new pro-independence account in question was started by overseas Hong Kongers. So, as journalist-law student Elson Tong chillingly pointed out in a Tweet: "By making it a bail condition that Chung "remove" the post, Beijing effectively demands overseas activists... cease action using friends in HK as hostages."

As we approach the end of the first day of this new month of August, the agitators have appeared to pause for a bit.  Maybe they've decided they've done enough this week and thus have earned a weekend's rest.  In any case, it's allowed the rest of us to catch our breaths and at least one good summary to appear as a reminder of how much Hong Kong has been transformed (read: shackled) in just one month. 

In the "thank goodness for small mercies" department: The Typhoon Warning Signal Number 3 which was raised last night has now been lowered .  So yes, Hong Kong still has been spared by typhoons thus far this year.  And on the Wuhan coronavirus front: the daily case numbers appear to be holding steady rather than exponentially increasing -- with 125 new cases reported today (more than ideal but not a record!); though, sadly, there have been another three, maybe four, deaths too.  (Update: the death toll is now up to 33; which means there were a record five deaths on the first day of this new month. :( )