What is happening in, and to, Hong Kong is not normal -- and don't you forget it

 

If we didn't know it before, we sure know it now!

 

Let's start off with some kinda good news: firstly, despite rumors to the contrary (and suggestions by Police Commissioner Raymond Siu that the mass rallies organised by it in recent years may have violated the national security law (that previously was said to not be retroactive)), the Civil Human Rights Front -- which organized the annual July 1st protest rallies, and organized the June 9th and June 16th,2019, anti-extradition bill marches which attracted 1 million and 2 million participants respectively -- has not disbanded as of this time of writing.  Also, again despite rumors to the contrary, The Hong Kong branch of the Falun Gong spiritual movement has not left Hong Kong.    

 

In addition, here's reporting that earlier this week, the Commonwealth Lawyers Association awarded its Rule of Law Awards 2021 to Dennis Kwok "for his sustained and resolute efforts to promote the rule of law within his home jurisdiction of Hong Kong".  Here's the rub though: Dennis Kwok is now in exile in Canada.  This revelation is not meant to besmirch the efforts and person of the former legal sector representative in the Legislative Council though  Rather, that's more an an indictment as to how things now are here: that is, that this individual who has "worked courageously to champion and defend the rule of law" doesn't feel safe here in his hometown anymore. 

 

Another measure of how bad things now are in Hong Kong: not just the fact that The Guardian saw fit to publish yet another article about people leaving Hong Kong in droves in the wake of statistics having been released not only a decline in Hong Kong's population in the past year but, also, a 49% year-on-year increase in Mandatory Provident Fund withdrawals in the first quarter of this year -- and its crediting the piece to just "Guardian reporter" to protect the safety of the presumably Hong Kong-based author of the article  

 

And for those who think this measure smacks of paranoia: consider that the next target of the pro-Beijing media (which has successfully brought down the Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union (HKPTU)) is now confirmed to be the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA), and their actions have included the specific smearing of individual journalists on the HKJA's executive committee, such as Deutsche Welle (DW) News' Hong Kong correspondent, Phoebe Kong.  Also, despite the HKPTU having announced its disbandment, the attacks on it have continued.  Cf. the Xinhua News Agency publlishing a piece alleging "that the HKPTU’s dissolution was a futile attempt to launder itself [which] will not write off its alleged crimes in the past” and suggesting that the city’s law enforcement should investigate the now-defunct group and “serve punishment upon those who acted against the law".    

 

Oh, and remember Apple Daily?  A Hong Kong court today rejected the latest application for bail from its former chief editor, Ryan Law and the national security case against the now-defunct newspaper was adjourned to September 30th -- one and a half months from today.  

I recently came across a post on Twitter by Goose Lee that really spoke to me: "The reality in Hong Kong in 2021 is that every day we feel the boot of authoritarianism on our neck but life, strangely, relentlessly goes on. We take the dog for a walk, go shopping, celebrate birthdays, grab our happiness where we can find it and hope for the best."  What makes it all the more hard-hitting and heart-breaking that it's part of a thread that actually began with its author documenting a leisure walk she took along the harbourfront, only for things to take a dark turn while she was making her way home and saw three cops harassing a teenager.    

When reading the thread, you know that she is yet another individual who f**king loves Hong Kong and is writing from the heart.  So this other Tweet of hers also hits home: "I’m not trying to be a hero and don’t want to be forced to leave Hong Kong but I also can’t walk by a young person being terrorised and pretend it’s not happening. How do you counter authoritarianism? I[']ve no idea but perhaps one way is to refuse to normalise it."

And then they came for Hong Kong's largest teacher's union...

 

Anti-extradition bill protest rally in Victoria Park

two years ago to the day today

 

Hong Kong may be the rare part of the world whose people currently worry less about the Wuhan coronavirus than political repression.  One reason is because -- touch wood -- we've currently on a six day no local infections streak (and recently went for 58 days without a single locally transmitted infection.)  The more negative one is that the political persecution that freedom-loving Hong Konger have been facing has been pretty darn unrelenting for more than a year now (at least) -- with even measures that are ostensibly to deal with the pandemic often coming across as politically motivated.  

 

Take, as an example, yesterday's announcement that by the authorities that several regulations under the Prevention and Control of Disease Ordinance (Cap 599) will be extended to March 31st of next year.  Bearing in mind that Hong Kong currently has very few new daily coronavirus cases (never mind locally transmitted one) and that close to 50% of the eligible populace has received at least one coronavirus vaccine (and over 37% of the eligible populace have been fully vaccinated), it can seem like jumping the gun to decide what regulations need to be in place for a further seven months at this point, right?  

 

Also, when one of those regulations involves restricting public gatherings to no more than four people, it's easy for people to conclude that the reason for maintaining this restriction is political rather than health-related.  For the record: Back on September 15th of last year, Renaud Haccart predicted that "there’s a fair chance that group gathering rules will be the very last to go, as they provide the perfect cover for police to disrupt any public protest of any size or form and make arrests".  Fast forward to less than a week ago and you had another member of the Hong Kong Twitterverse, K, stating that: "It’s almost like a certain government is using the (currently actually subsiding) pandemic as an excuse to stop people from gathering and not for actual public health reasons".

 

Just because you can something bad is predictable, it still doesn't make it less upsetting when it happens though.  And I don't just mean the gathering ban having been extended through to (at least) March 31st of next year -- and thus making it so that there won't be an October 1st protest march this year, just like there wasn't a July 1st protest march and a June 4th candlelight vigil in Victoria Park.  For yesterday afternoon saw Hong Kong's largest union, the close-to-100,000-strong Hong Kong Professional Teachers’ Union (HKPTU), announce that it is disbanding.  

 

The HKPTU's decision came a little over one week after the government severed ties with the union, a move that was seen as a response to the HKPTU having come under attack by Chinese state media.  And even though the union that 90% of Hong Kong's educators belonged to had clearly been threatened by powerful forces, its decision to fold still did shock many people. 

We're talking, after all, about a union that had been in operation for 48 years and had a HK$300 million annual turnover.  The HKPTU (also) ran supermarkets, medical, dental and optical clinics, and a travel agency, and also offered insurance and organized many recreation opportunities for its members.  A reminder: it was Hong Kong's largest union, not just Hong Kong's largest teacher's union by a long chalk.   

 

But as South China Morning Post journalist Jeffie Lam was prompted to observe (evidently with so much shock that she forgot how to use caps and punctuation in her Tweet!): "it took the hk authorities less than a week to have apple daily closing shop and only 11 days for the 95000-strong professional teachers' union to disband[.  T]hings do not appear that fragile until we realise they are".

 

And the HKPTU is "just" the biggest and latest union to fall in recent weeks, not the first by any stretch of the imagination.  As an AFP piece from a couple of weeks ago noted: "Hundreds of elected community leaders in Hong Kong have resigned and dozens of civil society groups have disbanded as China remoulds the finance hub in its own image... and a wave of resignations has swept through the city as community leaders try to avoid receiving a knock on the door from [national security law] police."  In fact, that piece's author, Xinqi Su, pointed out on Twitter yesterday that: the HKPTU is the 33rd in the AFP's tally of Hong Kong political and professional groups disbanded since June 30th, 2020 (i.e., the day that China's security law for Hong Kong came into effect). 

  

More than by the way, here's a reminder that Article 27 of Hong Kong's Basic Law reads as follows: "Hong Kong residents shall have freedom of speech, of the press and of publication; freedom of association, of assembly, of procession and of demonstration; and the right and freedom to form and join trade unions; and to strike." But the problem is that China's security law for Hong Kong looks to now supercede the Basic Law that's often described as Hong Kong's mini constitution.

 

A quick recap as to what Hong Kong has lost since the national security law (NSL) came into effect less than 13 and a half months ago: "• freedom of speech • freedom of assembly • a political opposition camp • representation in district councils • free elections • a major newspaper • prominent editorial voices • an independent public broadcaster • the largest union in town".  Pretty breathtakingly comprehensive, right?  And the scary thing is that I don't think Beijing, and those in Hong Kong who are taking their orders from it, are anywhere near finished yet with regards to their dismantling of Hong Kong civil society.

Already, there's speculation as to which pro-democracy group will be the next one that will be fall.  Some have suggested the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions; others the Hong Kong Journalists Association.  Representatives of both organizations are on the record as stressing that they will remain dedicated to serving their sectors "for as long as possible" -- but that could mean just a matter of days, never minds weeks or months.  There also is a report out that the Civil Human Rights Front, the umbrella group that organized massive 2019 rallies, will be disbanding shortly.  And whither the Bar Association?  In any case, ask yourself this: what kind of state is Hong Kong in when teachers, trade unionists, journalists, non-violent rally organizers and barristers are being considered enemies of the state (along with speech therapists, lest we forget)?           

Thank you for the memories, Olympic and otherwise, Japan! (Photo-essay)

The Tokyo Olympics which many people (including a number of my Japanese friends) didn't want to go ahead -- at least not during a pandemic -- came to a close yesterday.  By the time it did, I had gone from feeling pretty apathetic about it to being grateful for the Olympics at least having given Hong Kongers a number of positive moments to cheer about -- including on the final day of the games which saw cyclist Sarah Lee Wai-sze win the women’s track cycling sprint competition's bronze medal race -- and in so doing, became the first Hong Kong athlete to win medals in two separate Olympic Games. (Her medal also brought Hong Kong's Tokyo Olympics total medal haul to six -- double the number of medals Team Hong Kong had won in the Summer Olympics between 1952 up to 2016!) 

 

There's a joke going around that Hong Kong did so extraordinarily well at the Tokyo Olympics because Japan is like the second home of many Hong Kongers!  At the very least, I get the definite sense that it's the country many Hong Kongers love to visit most -- and yes, it's definitely my favorite country to visit.  As it so happens, Japan was indeed the last country I visited before the still on-going pandemic put a stop to my travels.  And since I still have photos to share from that last visit (back in October 2019!), here's going ahead and (finally) sharing some of my photos from my visit to Yamaguchi Prefecture's Akiyoshidai plateau and Akiyoshido caves!

 

Misty day view of Akiyoshidai Plateau, 

Japan's largest karst plateau

 

It's underground, in Akiyoshido cave though, that 

the geology gets really visually interesting, spectacular even!

 

The rock formation known as Gankutso --

King of the Cave :b

 

A point in Akiyoshido where a stalactite might one day

join together with the stalagmite

 

I hope this photo gives a sense of how large 

this limestone cave system is!

 

 Is it just me or does it look like there's a roaring lion head

next to the raging underground river there?

Puppet Ponyo posing in front of Hyakumaizara --

the geological formation known as One Hundred Plates

which visually resembles a terraced rice field

 

Truly, if I didn't have to make sure that I'd catch the last bus

of the day out of the area, I'd have stayed way longer

to explore this incredible cave system!

Hong Kongers who have gone into exile, and one who has opted to stay against the odds

Which road to take?  Is one better than the other?

 

Democratic Party vice-chairman Lee Wing-tat has left Hong Kong -- joining an ever-growing list of former pro-democratic camp legislative councillors who have gone into exile  It's not just Nathan Law (currently based in Britain) and Ted Hui (in Australia) but also the likes of former legal sector representative Dennis Kwok (in Canada) and "Oathgate"'s Baggio Leung (in the U.S.A.).  When you consider that the likes of Glacier Kwong and Ray Wong also out of Hong Kong, there really is quite a sizeable contingent of (former) politicians and (still active) activists out there now, many of whom are continuing to make their voices heard and seeking to tell the world about Hong Kong's plight.

I'm not sure how much difference it can make for Hong Kong but one can't say that their voices are being completely ignored.  Just this week, we've seen: American president Joe Biden blocking the removal of Hong Kong residents from the U.S.A. for 18 months, citing Chinese repression; Canada officially issuing a warning to its citizens that the authorities in Hong Kong can prevent people leaving the city under a new law that has raised fears of Mainland China-style exit bans; and a Washington Post editorial warning of 'white terror' sweeping through Hong Kong and pointing out that President Biden has talked of a global contest intensifying between democracy and dictatorship, "and right now the despots are taking over Hong Kong." 

 

That Washington Post editorial about Hong Kong also referenced Steve Vines and Kacey Wong having decided to leave Hong Kong.  Meanwhile, the veteran journalist has also a piece out today in the Hong Kong Free Press about why he decided the time finally came to leave his home of 35 years old, a few choice excerpts of which I quote here:   

Killing the spirit of Hong Kong was never going to be easy but the Chinese Communist Party has set about this task with a vigour and determination that is quite breathtaking...

There is a real fear of the knock on the door in the early hours of the morning by National Security police. The almost daily arrests confirm that this is so. The idea that the rule of law has not been undermined is hard to sustain following the introduction of a slew of new legislation clearly signalling that Hong Kong citizens can no longer look to the law to protect them from injustice. I could go on, but the litany of body blows to liberty is sufficiently well known..

...loving Hong Kong has become a suspect activity. The Quislings now running Hong Kong and their mini-me supporters revel in their disdain for everything that makes this place distinctive. Most of all they hate the people, the millions who poured onto the streets calling for democracy and even those who chose to stay at home but cherished all the things that made Hong Kong so distinctive. They even hate the Cantonese language and the free-wheeling culture.

At the same time, as Vines also noted in his piece: "Yet other people – including those considerably more exposed than I have been – have opted not to leave. Some have no choice, while others could go yet have decided to stay."  Among these are filmmaker Kiwi Chow, whose protest documentary, Revolution of Our Times, recently had its world premiere at Cannes. 

As it so happens, there's an interview with Kiwi Chow in the Hong Kong Free Press today too.  Some excerpts from that piece:

His film was [an] outlet for the emotions Hongkongers could not express. Many now fear that discussing the pro-democracy movement publicly or showing support for the protests may breach the sweeping security law.

“The year of 2019 was traumatising. But when people cannot even talk about this distress, it is like being traumatised for the second time,” Chow said...

Hong Kong has seen an exodus of families since the national security law was implemented last year. While Chow’s anxious friends urged him to quit the city in pursuit of a safer future with his family, he is adamant that he will stay.

Chow said there was no need for him to leave, as he wanted to “follow Jesus Christ” and “bear witness” to what happens in his home city.

(For those who didn't realize: Hong Kong is home to a not insubstantial number of Christians.  For the record: Carrie Lam is a practicing Catholic; as is Hong Kong's second Chief Executive (and now also ex-jailbird), Donald Tsang.  And on the other side of the political equation: there's Cardinal Zen, Martin Lee, Reverend Chu Yiu-ming and Joshua Wong, among others.)

Wins today that feel golden -- both in the legal arena and at the Tokyo Olympics

 

Olympic fever in Hong Kong! (Note, though,

that this photo actually is from 2008 :D )

 

Let's start with the more serious stuff: I got back from dinner with a friend last night to find Hong Kong Twitter abuzz about the latest move to neuter public broadcaster Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK).  Some context (provided in a Hong Kong Free Press report): "The broadcaster has faced a barrage of criticism from pro-Beijing figures and groups for “biased reporting” against the government and police, and was ordered by the authorities in February to tackle “deficiencies” in editorial management. In March, it sought to withdraw its entries from journalism awards. In May, RTHK deleted most of its video archive from the internet."  And yesterday evening, it deleted all of its English-language Twitter archive and sought to prevent readers from “replying” to its tweets citing resource constraints. 

 

But thanks to Twitter users being able to still screenshot RTHK's old Tweets or use the “quote” function to comment on them, the Tweets produced by the RTHK staffer(s) who won many fans are still there for people to see.  Consequently, infamous RTHK Tweets such as "The SAR government announces its later rubbish plans" (this about the government's plans to rely less on landfills) and "#ALERT: As Carrie Lam explains why #HongKong can't closer the border because it would stigmatize mainlanders, Singapore bans all arrivals from China" (this relating to anti-pandemic measures) have been saved for posterity. 

 

Speaking of saved for posterity -- or, at least for now: Hong Kong's June 4th Museum which closed a couple of months ago has reopened, this time in online form!  Created with the help of donations of over HK$1.6 million (~US$205,700), the website is presently only in Traditional Chinese, there are plans afoot to have information be translated into other languages.  And while, of course, the ideal is for it to exist in physical as well as digital form, it's most definitely better than it not existing at all, right?

 

Similarly, while the ideal would have been for pro-democracy personalities Anthony Wong Yiu-ming and Au Nok-hin to not be accused of election corruption by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in the first place, it was a good to see government "prosecutors change their tune over Anthony Wong's songs" -- hmmm, are the folks who ran RTHK's English Twitter account now writing the headlines for their English language articles?! -- this afternoon and drop their case against the pair in favor of a "bind over" order.  (Also, how nice was it that he was in court three days after being charged -- unlike so many others who have to wait for months (like the Democracy 47) or close to a year (like the first person convicted under China's security law for Hong Kong, Tong Ying-kit) being going on trial, and while stuck behind bars during that time?)   

 

Standing outside the court afterwards, Wong sent out a defiant message: "“Hong Kongers will continue to sing. Hong Kongers will continue to resist.”  He also broke into song while making clear that "I'm not entertaining you, it's to express a feeling."  What the feeling is can be discerned from a perusal of Ask Me, Wong's choice of Canto-pop song's lyrics (translated into English as follows): "No matter if I am by all means correct, or if I am by all means wrong, I whole heartedly accept the consequences. To face everything in the world, no matter how it will be, I will preserve the real me.”      

 

Another court decision today that is being taken as a victory of sorts involves Tiananmen Square vigil organizer Chow Hang-tung being granted bail ahead of her trial scheduled to finally begin on November 1st.  And for the record: she was arrested and charged back on June 30th for allegedly publicising and calling on people to join a banned rally on July 1st; so has spent a month or so behind bars.  Still, we'll take what breaks we get and call them victories, eh?

 

Speaking of which: Hong Kong won two more medals at the Tokyo Olympics today -- by way of the women's table tennis team and karateka Grace Lau Mo-sheung.  And yes, they're both bronze medals but, for many Hong Kongers, they might as well be gold -- that's how happy the Olympians' achievements have made people feel!  

 

What makes it all feel really special is that, until the Tokyo Olympics, Hong Kong had never won more than a single medal at a single Summer Olympic Games  before, let alone in a single day of Olympic competition.  And now, when one adds today's two bronze medals to swimmer Siobhan Haughey's two silver medals and fencer Edgar Cheung Ka-lung's gold medal, it means that Hong Kong has garnered five Olympic medals, not one less, in Tokyo alone!  How great is that? :)        

The exodus from Hong Kong continues

 

Hong Kong blues

 

In my previous post, I wrote about singer-activist Anthony Wong Yiu-ming having been arrested and charged with voting corruption (along with pro-democrat politician Au Nok-hin).   As The Wall Street Journal's Fan Wenxin observed over on Twitter, "It's rare for celebrities to get arrested for political reasons."  

 

In his Twitter thread about Anthony Wong Yiu-ming, Fan noted that the entertainer also was a mentor to many: specifically, "Other than his own music, he created People Mountain People Sea, an indie music brand and performance camps."  Also, that "Some of his former trainees grew up to be new generation pop stars or documentary movie directors, winning Golden Horse [awards] and at Cannes. They'll be watching how [the Independent Commission Against Corruption] and the court handle Mr. Wong's case."  In other words, they will be keeping a watch to do such as figure out whether to stay or leave Hong Kong themselves. 

 

A number of other local personalities have decided not to wait any longer and have left Hong Kong already.  Among them are film director Jevons Au and actor Anthony Wong Chau-sang (no relation to Anthony Wong Yiu-ming but also a well known pro-democracy supporter).  And yesterday, two more joined that growing list (that doesn't just include people explicitly wanted by the Hong Kong police such as Nathan Law, Simon Cheng and Ted Hui).    

 

Actually, both veteran political commentator Stephen Vines and artist Kacey Wong left Hong Kong before yesterday.  But the day after Anthony Wong Yiu-mings arrest was when they made their departures public.  In an email to friends and colleagues, Vines specifically cited the national security law crackdown as the reason that he left the city he had called home for 35 years.  "The white terror sweeping through Hong Kong is far from over and the near-term prospects of things getting better are simply non-existent", he wrote.   

 

In his farewell message posted on social media, Kacey Wong let people know that "When you received this letter, I have already left. Leaving is not easy, staying is also difficult. We have known each other for 51 years, I will not forget you. Let’s treasure each other, goodbye Hong Kong".  Like with Vines, the national security law crackdown compelled him to pack his bags and flee.  And the last straw for him, "the critical moment for the decision to leave was the [arrest of the] 47" pro-democracy activists and politicians in one fell swoop back in late February.  

 

How quickly things can change can be seen in Wong having expressed his optimism for Hong Kong as late as June 2020, days before China's security law for Hong Kong came into effect.  "You can’t stop people from laughing, it’s like stopping them from breathing. They’ll laugh more," he said then.  Sadly, I get the feeling he's not laughing much anymore and, instead, shedding bitter tears instead.

And, for the record, the following are the lines which Vines' most recent book, Defying the Dragon: Hong Kong and the World's Largest Dictatorship, published earlier this year, ended with and on:  "Defying the dragon of the Chinese regime involves sacrfice and determination.  Both are qualities that have characterised the Hong Kong spirit and its incredible history of overcoming adversity.  As Lester Shum said: "The city is definitely not dead.""  I hope he still thinks this, and that he will -- and Wong -- will continue to keep on standing up for Hong Kong even though they are now in exile along with what must now be tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of other Hong Kongers.

Another week begins -- badly -- in Hong Kong

Singer-activist Anthony Wong Yiu-ming (in the center 

of the picture) with Ray Chan and Claudia Mo in happier times

at Chater Garden back on December 10th, 2016

 

I sincerely hope this will not be yet another terrible week for Hong Kong.  What I do know is that it's begun pretty badly -- with the shock arrest this morning of singer-activist Anthony Wong Yiu-ming and democratic politician Au Nok-hin by the International Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), an organization that looks to not only have belated stirred back to life but also been transformed from being one mainly focused on rooting out systemic corruption in government institutions to yet another government body that targets democratic politicians and their supporters.  

The pair's purported crime?  “[Engaging] in corrupt conduct at the 2018 [Legislative Council (LegCo)] By-election for Hong Kong Island Geographical Constituency by providing entertainment, namely a singing performance, for another person for the purpose of inducing the other person to vote for Au at the election."  Yes, the Canto-pop singing icon sang two songs at an election rally for then electoral candidate Au attended by a few hundred people back on March 3rd, 2018 (as opposed to, say, gave out gift bags and free meals to sway voters like certain others have been known to do).  

 

As journalist Matthew Brooker was moved to Tweet: "You’d laugh, if it wasn’t so tragic. Asia’s world city - where performing a song can get you arrested by anti-corruption police".  Truly, upon hearing this news, one is moved to ask if this is is such a serious offence and, also, if it's an offence at all?  Furthermore, if it's serious enough to result in the actual arrests of two high profile individuals, why did it take so long for the ICAC to finally act?  I mean: the alleged offence did take place more than three years ago, after all.  

All this makes one wonder: three years or more from now, will we learn that the ICAC has investigated and arrested those three senior government officials who went hobnobbing with millionaires over hot pot earlier this year?  To be sure, until now, the trio have only been slapped with HK$5,000 fines for violating social distancing rules as a result of having more than four to a table at a restaurant that evening.  But it's not inconceivable that it might be belatedly decided that those government officials had been indulging in corrupt activities on that occasion; this not least since one of their fellow diners' moral character has come into question as a result of his having been charged with raping a woman (who also had been at that now infamous dinner!).     

Or might it take five years for the ICAC to take action -- as they did with its charging of former University of Hong Kong law professor Benny Tai and two others for violating the Elections (Corrupt and Illegal Conduct) Ordinance (ECICO) back in September 2016 only last week?  Put another way: why has the ICAC been so slow to bring about the charges if the alleged violators' crimes were serious enough to see them arrested -- this even with at least two of them (Au Nok-hin and Benny Tai) currently being behind bars already and all five of the accused not exactly being known for their criminal activity?  

 

In the "thank goodness for small mercies" department: at least Anthony Wong Yiu-ming has been released on bail -- something that no longer can be taken for granted, even for charges that can seem quite trivial, if not outright laughable.  And it really can feel like a relief that the long-time activist and vocal extradition bill opponent has not been charged under the draconian and often seemingly all-encompassing national security law as with the likes of Ray Chan and Claudia Mo (who currently are behind bars while awaiting trial after arrested in late February and denied bail since March). 

 

It's hard though to see the silver lining in the cloud that has enveloped the Hong Kong Professional Teachers’ Union (HKPTU) in recent days though.  I'm speaking of course of the Education Bureau having seen fit, just hours after articles came out in the Chinese state-run People’s Daily newspaper and on news wire Xinhua slamming the union as a “poisonous tumour” that must be “eradicated”, to sever ties with what's not only the largest teachers' union in Hong Kong but the largest union in the city period (with some 95,000 members).  

 

The Education Bureau's action prompted Chris Yeung, the head of another professional union (in his case, that of journalists), to declare that: "Beijing’s promise of “Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong” has already become the subject of ridicule, if not an item of collective memory, in recent years.  The era of “Western ruling Hong Kong,” referring to the central government’s Liaison Office based in Western district, has already begun in earnest."   

 

The chairman of the Hong Kong Journalists Association also was moved to recall that, in his final policy address in 1996, the last governor of Hong Kong, Chris Patten, voiced his worry that "My anxiety is this: not that this community’s autonomy would be usurped by Peking, but that it could be given away bit by bit by some people in Hong Kong."   After which, Yeung was moved to deliver the following verdict on Patten's statement:

He was diplomatic in his prediction, or indeed kind to the Chinese Communist Party giving them the benefit of doubt, only to be trashed by the party leadership since the handover.

In that sense, he was proved wrong: Beijing did usurp the autonomy they promised to Hong Kong in managing the city’s internal affairs.

Lord Patten was proved right, however, in his prediction that autonomy was being given away by some people in Hong Kong.

He might have thought the suspects were the pro-Beijing circle and loyalists.

The last governor might feel surprised and disappointed that people like Carrie Lam and Kevin Yeung, who were among the elites groomed under the British Hong Kong government, have joined hands with Beijing to take away the vital part of the city’s autonomy in running the city’s internal affairs.