Police Supporters Lash Out

 

Thousands came out with blue signs in support of the Hong Kong police

Today people in support of the Hong Kong police force came out to Tamar for a rally, with organizers saying 165,000 attended. Many were middle-aged and elderly, holding placards that read, "we support HK police" and chanted slogans.

The rally, organized by pro-Beijing lawmaker Junius Ho Kwan-yiu, had some star power attached, with actors Tony Leung Ka-fai, Philip Chan Yan-kin and singer Alan Tam Wing-lun on stage. Guess they have lost some fans for good now.

Tony Leung Ka-fai and Philip Chan Yan-kin at the rally

Also making speeches were former police chief Tang King-shing and Basic Law vice-chairwoman Maria Tam Wai-chu.

Speaking onstage, Tang said he was "disheartened that Hong Kong police, which are the best in Asia, had their efforts completely disregarded".

"Over the past few weeks, Hong Kong police, working in extremely difficult environments and facing investigation, still remain very tolerant," Tang said.

He led the crowds in shouting" "Sir, madam, we support you! Sir, madam, thank you!"

However, this was far from a peaceful rally. Supporters for the police harassed reporters and anyone dressed in black, assuming they were an anti-extradition bill protester. Some people were manhandled and/or had abuse shouted at them. The police had to intervene.

Police supporters seen ripping signs off "Lennon Wall"

Tensions surged higher when police supporters went around, tearing down posters that protesters had put up, ripping up messages of support that were posted on "Lennon Wall", a concrete stairwell area that had been the site of many messages in 2014.

This led to more shouting matches. One Caucasian man confronted a middle-aged woman for desecrating a memorial for one protester who fell to his death on June 15 at Pacific Place. She ignored him and then turned around saying as a Hong Kong person he should speak Cantonese. He replied English is also an official language in the city.

Others desecrate a memorial

Hong Kong seems more divided than ever -- and the government has already picked sides.

If anything today's event has only inspired more people to come out tomorrow for the annual July 1 march. Perhaps this is the government's bizarre way of getting people to do more physical exercise?

Breakfast at The Pen

Scrambled eggs in between thick slices of bread for breakfast at The Peninsula

Ah breakfast. The essential meal to start of the day.

What better place to indulge in breakfast than the Lobby of the Peninsula Hong Kong.

A relative was staying at the Sheraton and I suggested we meet across the street at the iconic hotel with 90 years of history.

The breakfast menu has a lot of choice, but can be expensive, with a full breakfast costing over HK$300! You could also have congee with pork spare ribs and preserved vegetables, granola, instant noodles with meats -- a kind of glorified cha chaan teng dish.

French toast using brioche bread was on the menu -- I should try that next time!

In the end I settled for New Zealand scrambled eggs sandwich. It arrived, with the crusts cut -- please don't! -- and very yellow eggs in between the white bread that had butter slathered on them.

The egg sandwich also came with three slices of cucumber and two of tomato...

This was definitely an indulging egg sandwich -- how many eggs were used to make it?! Nevertheless the bread was soft and buttery, the eggs quite fluffy too. Needless to say with a cup of latte it was a nice breakfast to catch up and enjoy the moment.

However, when we walked outside, it was pouring rain! Luckily I had a small umbrella and escorted my relative across the street to her hotel and then went on my way.

Art on the Go

Just a small section of the long rectangular mural of tiles by Ik-Joong Kang

At the San Francisco International Airport departures area, I spotted this massive mural near the SFMOMA (San Francisco Museum of Modern Art) store.

On closer inspection it's a series of tiles, each made differently, some painted, some having a three-dimensional look with collages or items glued on top of squares. Some had words, some had bold lines, others looked like scenes.

They are the work of Korean-American artist Ik-Joong Kang (born 1960) and it is titled Gateway (2000). There are 5,265 3-inch by 3-inch tiles where Kang used various media, like paint, wood carving, cast acrylic.

A detail of a few tiles, none of them look alike

According to the explanation, Kang began working on these tiles when he was a student and commuted long distances to get to various part-time jobs. These 3-inch tiles were small enough for him to carry in his backpack and paint on the subway.

This explanation speaks volumes about his dedication, persistence and creativity in doing this project. An exercise like that forces Kang to think about art all the time, what is he doing now, and what can or should he be doing next.

The size restriction also forces him to focus what he wants to put on this precious space, what is worth putting on a 3-inch square -- it better be good. At the same time he's playful with the tiles. One has a green statue of Mary sticking out, another has a string of silver beads hanging from it, yet another has two mini scissors split open like butterflies.

The eclectic nature of these tiles makes for endless viewing -- if you have time... there's so much to see in each small square! It's pretty amazing and definitely a good use of time while commuting! Hope that inspires others to find ways to pass the time more constructively...

The Word is Out

Protesters send an urgent message to the UK

The protesters against the extradition bill have raised over HK$6.7 million to spend on advertisements in national newspapers of countries participating in the G20 tomorrow and Saturday.

The ads began appearing today in The Guardian, The Globe and Mail and Süddeutsche Zeitung, a German paper.

This time the protesters are spreading the word internationally, and urging world leaders to say something about Hong Kong at the G20 in Osaka. The campaign, swiftly organized, is  unprecedented, and will be interesting to see how the advertisements are received.

Earlier today about 100 protesters descended on Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah's office, demanding she withdraw the extradition bill and not prosecute the protesters that have been arrested. They blocked the roads and entrances, so Cheng's staff had to leave early in the afternoon.

This weekend will be interesting. Apparently on Sunday there will be a march supporting the Hong Kong police force...

And Monday, the July 1 anniversary of the handover will surely be a tense one -- organizers of the annual flag raising ceremony next to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai will be scaled back significantly, while the march in the afternoon is expected to be a big one....

Never a dull moment in Hong Kong these days...

The Gatherings Continue

An Apple Daily image of tonight's rally at Edinburgh Place in Central

This evening there was a "G20 Free Hong Kong" rally at Edinburgh Place in Central, where the old Star Ferry used to be, but is now reclaimed land.

I went to check it out after work and even at 8.20pm there were hundreds of people wearing black still streaming from the MTR to go to Edinburgh Place. However they needed to cross Connaught Road Central, which doesn't allow pedestrians to cross because there is an underpass next to the Mandarin Oriental.

People just made their way across Connaught Road Central

However there was strength in numbers as a large group of them decided to stop rush hour traffic and cross the street en masse -- even nonchalantly crossing the barrier between the opposing traffic to get across. It was very impressive to watch but I didn't follow and instead went through the underpass.

It was getting crowded on the other side, and I could hear a voice speaking but couldn't hear what they were saying. It was also very hot and humid with hardly any breeze. But everyone still stood there, with friends, or some held signs, including an elderly woman with a sign demanding Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor step down.

Some people shouted slogans like "Democracy now!" "Hongkongers add oil!"... and then a Japanese man was given the microphone and no one knew what he was saying but politely listened...

Earlier this morning around 1,500 people gathered at Chater Garden and then split up into smaller groups to march to various consulates of countries that will be attending the G20 on Friday and Saturday, including the United States, Canada, Germany, UK, Japan, Mexico, Australia and South Korea.

Thousands gathered tonight to rally for Hong Kong

A crowd-funding initiative raised HK$6.7 million (US$858,000) in 11 hours to buy advertisements in foreign newspapers to take Hong Kong's cause to the international community. There are plans to buy ads in the Financial Times, The New York Times and other papers in Europe, Asia, Australia and North America in the next few days.

In the meantime Lam has not appeared publicly and intends to lay low before and during the G20. Perhaps she might say something on Sunday, on the eve of the July 1 march? Interestingly Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah has been invited to the Canada Day celebrations tomorrow at the JW Marriott in Admiralty...

Takashi Murakami Versus Himself

Murakami's caricature of himself vomiting with happy flowers behind him

Last week my colleagues and I had a chance to see the latest Takashi Murakami show being held at Tai Kwun Contemporary that runs until September 1 minus the hordes of crowds. I saw his show last year at the Vancouver Art Gallery called The Octopus Eats Its Own Leg, and none of the pieces in there were in this exhibition in Hong Kong.

Entitled Murakami vs Murakami, this show gives another side of the artist that are on a more personal level, as well as site-specific pieces, sculptures, animation, costumes and even carpet! Visitors had to wear shoe covers in order to tour the exhibition as there are two rooms covered with Murakami carpet!

The curious The Birth of a Universe sculpture in gold

We were advised to go to the third floor then walk down and the first room had carpet covered in colourful skulls. In the middle of the large room is a giant gold leaf sculpture called The Birth Cry of a Universe after Murakami worked on it for 10 years.

It's several layers of creatures with nasty spiky teeth, collapsing on top of each other. Why one would make it in gold... is it meant to be ironic? Bling bling? Grotesque yet grand? We don't quite know what to make of it.

The next room is filled with mannequins all looking uniform in orange jumpsuits, and there are pieces from Murakami's own personal art collection. There are photographs of Larry Gagosian, prints of illustrations by Andy Warhol, some strange pieces of sushi that have images of women on them...

After walking down the spiral staircase we were immediately taken by the several costumes the Japanese artist designed -- with him as the mannequin in white complete with glasses, white beard and white hair. He is making fun of himself wearing them in various poses and they're hilarious.

Murakami being eaten by Mr DOB

He's dressed in a giant ball covered in his famous smiling flowers and he's even wearing a sunflower headdress complete with green leggings and even sneakers covered in his signature sunflowers. In another one he has a hot pink octopus on his head and a colourful suit with octopus arms on the blazer. Maybe Murakami should design his own line of clothing...

Even better he is being eaten by one his own creatures Mr DOB, actually Murakami's alter ego, or wearing what looks like a massive kimono but really it's a humungous polo shirt of his happy flowers, funky pants and giant slippers. His creativity really knows no bounds.

Another room features the superflat flowers. Murakami's theory of superflat refers to not only the perspectival flatness on the picture plane in Japanese art, but also the rejection of hierarchical divisions between high and low art, and of society itself.

This room is also covered in carpet featuring every possible shade of his flowers from red, green, blue and yellow that are all coded with numbers... it's really nerdy! There are giant sunflower cushions to sit on and watch a Murakami animation that is so absurd I burst out laughing when a creature that was terrorizing a city spewed out a giant piece of turd... thank goodness we couldn't smell it!

Cute (but expensive) flower cushions on the flower carpet

I also love the way Murakami is very willing to make fun of himself and the way he looks. There's a caricature of him vomiting some colourful stuff from his mouth, his eyes looking glazed. The walls were covered in the flower wallpaper and one of my colleagues thinks superfan Murakami collectors probably have the same wallpaper on their walls... how crazy is that?

The final room is a serene departure from the previous one, though it's completely covered in gold. In a way it harks back to Warhol's Silver Factory, but up several notches with the wow factor. There's a giant gold sculpture called Flower Parent and Child, a caricature of Murakami raising his right hand in salute with his dog Pom, the first creature with whom he could really express his love -- even though he is married...

Murakami vs Murakami is such a curious exhibition that reveals so many facets of the artist and his evolution of work. His mind must be going non-stop with so many ideas that he has to have a giant team of people to execute them all -- brilliantly too.

A gold sculpture of Murakami and dog Pom

He and Jeff Koons are the two artists who don't physically have a hand in every single piece of work they produce, and yet they claim them as their own. However it's no different from artists from other periods in history who relied on apprentices to help them too.

Nevertheless the size, scale and various mediums Murakami produces is staggering and doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon.

Murakami vs Murakami
June 1-September 1, 2019
Tai Kwun Contemporary
10 Hollywood Road
Central
www.taikwun.hk
Tai Kwun Contemporary

The Same Mind-Numbing Refrain

Perhaps China can't explain why 2 million people came out to protest?

The G20 Summit will be held in Osaka, Japan later this week on June 28-29 and already the Chinese government has warned that the subject of Hong Kong is off-limits.

"I can tell you for sure that the G20 will not discuss the affairs of Hong Kong. We will not allow the G20 to talk about Hong Kong matters," said China's assistant minister of foreign affairs Zhang Jun today (Monday).

Zhang Jun warns not to talk about Hong Kong at the G20

"Hong Kong is China's special administrative region. Hong Kong matters are purely an internal affair to China. No foreign country has the right to interfere," Zhang said.

Why does China get to decide what can and cannot be talked about at the G20?

The proposed extradition law affects EVERYONE who passes through or lives or does business in Hong Kong. This is not an internal affair. It's EVERYONE'S affair.

This is why almost 2 million people marched on the streets and are prepared to clash with police because it is a serious issue that affects everyone's livelihoods.

But perhaps China is trying to prevent others from talking about it because if criticized about it, the government doesn't have any good reasons to explain why the extradition bill should be passed. But why should it worry anyway? It was initiated by the Hong Kong government anyway... right?

Protesters are prepared to clash wit police if necessary

For sure this will entice reporters covering the G20 Summit to be more daring and ask not only China but other countries about Hong Kong after Jun warned: "No matter at what venue, using any method, we will not permit any country or person to interfere in China's internal affairs."

How can China stop free speech in Japan at an international event? Everyone has a right to say whatever they want. They are not on Chinese soil.

We shall see which countries' leaders are courageous enough to speak out as well. How many will be squirming? We will be counting.

Review: Central Airport THF

Ibrahim Al Hussein (left) and Qutaiba Nafer (right) are refugees in Berlin

Thursday was World Refugee Day and I should have posted this review of a documentary I saw on the plane back to Hong Kong.

It's called Central Airport THF (Zentralflughafen THF in German) and it was released last year. When refugees first arrive in Berlin, they are processed and live at Tempelhof Airport, and the documentary follows an 18-year-old Syrian teen Ibrahim Al Hussein and aspiring doctor Qutaiba Nafer from Iraq.



The airport was originally commissioned by Adolf Hitler and opened in 1923 and it was supposed to be the world's biggest airport. But it wasn't quite big enough and closed in 2008. However since 2015 it is a temporary home to thousands of refugees who want to have a new life in Germany.

The film follows them through most of the year, with Ibrahim narrating most of the time. We follow him through his daily rituals, eating in the canteen that he says serves terrible food, learning German, running outside, and smoking. Lots of smoking.

The refugees live in cubicles with open ceilings in a hangar

Meanwhile Qutaiba volunteers his services as a translator to help medical staff process the refugees in terms of their healthcare needs. He is fluent in English and we see him helping not only translate but empathizing with the refugees, and even acting as a psychologist to two boys, asking them to draw out their memories of their homelands.

The pacing is slow -- but it's a deliberate move by filmmaker Karim Ainouz to show how life in the hangars can be, that the wait for refugees to be processed can take a long time especially when there isn't much for you to do.

Everyone lives in a small space with an open ceiling that has very basic beds and no "door", except for a sheet. A couple with children complains about this, but they are told the sheet is fireproof for their safety. They have no choice but to get used to this arrangement.

Ibrahim talks about whatever memories he has left of his home in northern Syria, his family. He wants to try to remember them as much as he can, and recalls his most terrifying night when he got onto a boat and didn't know if he would still be alive the next day.

They try to find ways to pass the time everyday

This contrasts with the predictable, safe, relatively clean and monotonous life he lives in the hangar, though he has a few friends (smokers) who he hangs out with. At Christmas, there's a party complete with several Santa Clauses and presents for the children, but Ibrahim scoffs the party is hardly festive and that it's for the kids, not for people his age.

On New Year's Eve, fireworks are set off, though for Ibrahim and probably many of the refugees, the sounds remind them of bombs and shooting...

What's also bizarre is that near the hangars for the refugees are large spaces for Berliners to ride Segways, bicycles or even do beekeeping. At night security men in a car spot several foxes in the area who aren't scared of humans.

Director Karim Ainouz wanted to humanize the refugee plight

Nevertheless, viewers take a liking to Ibrahim and want to root for him. He is a thoughtful teen, and anxious to get on with his life. It's hard to imagine what it's like to be by himself day after day, being far from his family and Syria, and trying to integrate into this new country, but Central Airport THF gives a good idea.

Central Airport THF (2018)
Directed by Karim Ainouz
1hr 40 mins

Tried: Cashew Ice Cream

Strawberry ice cream made from cashew milk!

Back in San Francisco, my cousin took us to a food court in Emeryville, and told us about a cashew ice cream place. I was so intrigued I had to try it.

It's called Mr. Dewie's Cashew Creamery that has ice cream that is dairy-free, gluten-free and soy-free. The shop was started by two Berkeley-native brothers, Ari and Andrew Cohen in 2011. They wanted to create an ice cream to meet their dietary requirements of having no dairy, soy or gluten, only use organic ingredients and not have any preservatives either.

The shop is in a converted shipping container

Sounds like a tall order, but they did it. The cashews are ground into a fine powder then mixed with water to create "milk" and then the other ingredients are added to create the flavour, then it is put in the freezer to set.

Mr. Dewie's Cashew Creamery have three locations and the shop we visited in the food court is actually in a repurposed shipping container which is cool. It has a refrigerator, the ice creams on display, and even marble countertops.

On display were many different flavours, like tumeric spice, roasted cashew, coffee, chocolate orange chip. What to try?

In the end I had the strawberry flavour, but the strawberry and cashew taste seemed to fight each other and so I mostly tasted a thick, dense ice cream with a hint of strawberry.

Meanwhile my mom had the tropical trio -- pineapple, mango and coconut -- and it worked very well, tasting very refreshing.

There are several interesting flavours including tumeric spice

Nevertheless it was fun and interesting to try ice cream made from cashews!

We sat at a communal table by the store and for the next few hours watched a steady trickle of customers, and at times a crowd waiting to buy the cashew-based ice cream (after dinner). It shows that this kind of ice cream appeals to men, women and children regardless of it being dairy free.

While we do have a brand of dairy-free ice cream in Hong Kong called Happy Cow, it would be good for pastry chefs and even entrepreneurs to come up with non-dairy ice creams as a healthy alternative.

Mr. Dewie's Cashew Creamery
Emeryville Public Market
5959 Shellmount Street
Emeryville, CA 94608
(510) 350 8171

Protesting into the Night

Thousands gathered at the police headquarters in Wan Chai tonight

Around 5.30pm a friend asked me if I would like to join her and her husband to listen to a concert of experimental music.

I replied that I had to do a civic duty -- visit the protests as I had missed all of them while I was away.

All day today I was watching news reports and a colleague said even by 6am there were some protesters who already arrived at the Legislative Council in Admiralty for their "picnic", and the crowd continued to grow throughout the day.

A poster of Carrie Lam at Pacific Place

As I watched the television coverage, it seemed very fluid -- crowds were moving to the police headquarters in Wan Chai, to Harcourt Road in Admiralty, to the Legislative Council and Pacific Place.

Seeing Harcourt Road covered with people again was a sight I never thought I would see again after the 2014 Occupy protests. I had assumed the Hong Kong government would never allow this to happen again, but it has.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor didn't respond to the four demands made by a group of student protesters by the deadline yesterday at 5pm, and since then she has been completely out of the picture, as well as the police, who were trying to be restrained following a barrage of criticism for their heavy-handedness in dealing with protesters last Wednesday.

As a result, the protesters were pretty much left to their own devices, and they chose to take the high road and be civil.

I didn't start taking part in my civic duties until around 7.30pm after finishing a quick dinner with a friend in Causeway Bay. I decided to take the bus over to Wan Chai, but when I got on, the driver said he was only going as far as Southern Playground.

People mourning the death of a man surnamed Leung

So after a few minutes' bus ride, we all got off and started walking towards the police headquarters in Wan Chai. Hennessy Road going eastbound was already blocked off, though vehicles could keep going westbound.

When I arrived, the atmosphere was calm, people standing around, some prepared with masks, goggles and umbrellas, some stared at their phones, others chatted with their friends. Some wore black T-shirts, others in office wear from being at work all day.

Periodically they shouted slogans like "Release them!", referring to some protesters who were arrested, or "Hongkongers add oil!", or they would periodically raise their middle finger at the police station.

At one point the police set up a video camera on an elevated walkway, and down below protesters gave sounds of loud disapproval. A few people were prepared and shone green laser lights at the cameraman or his video camera. Good to know those pointing lasers are also useful at protests.

"Pass them over!" someone shouted, and giant boxes of plastic wrap rolls were passed over through the crowd, while a box of small pizza was being passed the opposite direction to anyone who was hungry. Two young women came by with a white plastic bag, saying, "Garbage! Garbage!" in case anyone wanted to throw something away. Which other protest in the world has such systems in place?

Harcourt Road occupied five years after the Occupy protests

After a while I left the area, but not without taking a shot from the overhead pass and realized there were way more people on the onramp onto Harcourt Road. The police station was completely surrounded by protesters.

Then I walked across Queensway to Pacific Place and there were many people paying their respects to the man surnamed Leung, who fell to his death last week. Bouquets of flowers were placed in boxes, and there were hundreds of yellow Post-It notes plastered all over, telling the man that they would finish his wishes, that he rest in peace.

In the mall I had a quick bathroom break and then bought a small bottle of water at Great supermarket before heading to the Legislative Council at Tamar. By now there weren't that many people on Harcourt Road, but they were still occupying the roads. It was still 31 degrees outside and hot and humid. It's not easy conditions, but everyone out there was willing to be out there in the warm weather.

Finally I made it to the Legislative Council, and there were clusters of people discussing the controversy over the extradition bill through Christianity, or singing Hallelujah, or sitting around with their picnic blanket. It was a random group of people, but everyone seemed very civil and courteous.

What is Lam going to do next?

To blame the protesters for the roads being blocked and causing traffic disruptions is disingenuous. It is actually her administration that has not effectively thought through the consequences of this bill. She thought an apology was enough, and didn't make a pro-active gesture to engage with young people.

In the meantime it looks like tonight's protests will continue throughout the weekend, or until Lam makes the next move. For her sake, it better be the right one.

More Protests Coming Tomorrow

Parents will be out protesting with their children at Tamar in Admiralty

After embattled Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor gave her apology on Tuesday, not everyone was satisfied and six student unions demanded she meet four of their stipulations by 5pm on Thursday otherwise things would escalate to the next level.

The demands were to withdraw the extradition bill, withdraw their characterization of last Wednesday's clashes as  a "riot", drop all charges against protesters and investigate cases of alleged police brutality.

Civil Human Rights Front holding a press conference today

However, the deadline of 5pm today came and went so now people are mobilizing for a silent and peaceful protest surrounding government headquarters at Tamar starting at 7am tomorrow.

Not only the students will be descending on Tamar, but also parents, the organizer of the previous mass protests, Civil Human Rights Front, lawmakers and the public.

There are also plans for actions of non-cooperation, such as picnicking outside the Legislative Council complex, the Chief Executive's Office, the police headquarters, or Government House, Lam's residence.

Protesters can also choose to strike, boycott classes or "pay attention to road safety when using public transport or driving", or those in the judiciary can follow up on filing cases of police brutality.

Meanwhile, some 20 members from 11 social groups and two lawmakers, Dr Kwok Ka-ki of the Civic Party and Labour Party's Dr Fernando Chung Chiu-hung, stood in the heat outside of the Chief Executive's Office and called on Lam to meet with the young protesters and answer to their demands.

Students gathered at Tamar at an earlier protest

They also urged her to prevent further clashes between the police and protesters.

Tomorrow may be another day filled with tension, frustration and hope. As one colleague pointed out, the system is broken, and the only way we can voice our opinion is by going out into the streets. The government has no choice but to listen to the people... right?

Hong Kong Security Chief Shows No Remorse

Security Chief John Lee would not resign over handling the June 12 protests

While Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor apologized yesterday but would not resign, Secretary for Security John Lee Ka-chiu also apologized for the government's mishandling of the extradition bill, and also refused to step down.

Members of the public were so angry at the police in how they fired 150 rounds of tear gas, twice as  much as was fired in the 2014 Occupy protests, and also used rubber bullets and beanbag rounds which shot at close range can result in serious injuries.

There were many cases of excessive police brutality

The antagonism towards the police has gotten so bad that some officers were identified online, their names and pictures circulated on the internet and on forums there were suggestions of finding out their family members and putting pressure on them.

Lee, who was a high-ranking police officer before joining the cabinet, acknowledged the public backlash and anxiety, but said any discontent with the government should not be directed at the police force.

"They were also treated violently [by protesters]... officers' lives were threatened," Lee said. He added police defense barriers were rushed by protesters, some of whom threw bricks and metal bars at officers after 3pm on Wednesday.

He says as a result the police had no choice but to use tear gas and rubber bullets to defend themselves.

The police force has also come under fire because officers from the Special Tactical Squad did not have their numbers displayed on their uniforms, making it difficult for anyone to lodge a complaint.

Lee claims the police officers had to defend themselves

At the Legislative Council, Lee explained the reason why these officers did not have numerical identification because there was not enough room on their uniforms.

Excuse me? Seriously?

What kind of an excuse is this?

It's just another indication of how out of touch the Lam administration and by extension the police force are and they seem to show no intention of trying to heal the rifts between them and the public.

Looks like plans for protests on Friday will probably go ahead...

Lam's Insincerity Shines Through

A pale-looking Carrie Lam personally apologizes to Hong Kong people

This afternoon was the main event -- Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor was going to apologize to the Hong Kong people.

Reporters noticed her lectern had boxes of tissues ready. Would she be really sincere and cry?

At 4pm she appeared in a cream-coloured suit in front of a light blue screen. Right off the bat she apologized for her short-comings and said she had heard the voices of the people.

But then for the rest of the 51 minutes, Lam refused to withdraw the extradition bill, refused to resign, and refused to hold an independent inquiry into allegations the police were too heavy handed when they clashed with protesters and the media on June 12.

She did say the bill was shelved as long as there were "conflicts in society", so does that mean forever? Or until her term is over?

Some 2 million people took over the streets on Sunday

Lam admitted she would have a difficult three years ahead in governing Hong Kong, though protesters outside the Legislative Council were unimpressed by her speech and booed.

Many people in Hong Kong feel she has lost the mandate to lead the city, as evidenced by the 2 million people who came out to protest two days ago. She totally mishandled the campaign to have the extradition law passed, and then refused to take responsibility for the excessive force the police used.

She only clarified that the protest march last Sunday was not considered a riot, echoing Police Commissioner Stephen Lo wai-chung's position as he yesterday backed down from his original declaration that the protesters were rioters. This came after there was an outcry when police began going into hospitals and arresting rioters, and even in dormitories on university campuses.

In total 32 people were arrested since last Wednesday.

There was no admission by Lam that the police's firing of 150 rounds of tear gas (87 were fired in the 2014 Occupy protests), "several" rounds of rubber bullets, and 20 bean bag shots that can easily injure someone was too much force against protesters who didn't have much protection let alone "weapons" to confront the police.

Protesters booed while Lam spoke in the press conference

So how can Lam say she has listened to the people and pledged to do a better job for the next three years when she has not acceded to any of the protesters' demands?

This was what was most disappointing to the 2 million people who flooded into the streets on Sunday. She really didn't listen to them. By extension, Beijing didn't listen to them.

But by the same token, Lam is between a rock and a hard place.

Even if she wanted to resign, Beijing may not let her. According to a Reuters report, a senior Hong Kong official close to Lam said [if she resigned] that would "create more problems than it solves, at all sorts of levels".

Hmmm let me guess? Because there is no one else suitable to take over this thankless job, though the best part is that the chief executive is paid more than the president of the United States?

Already before the press conference, Bloomberg was speculating who would be waiting in the wings. Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee is one candidate, so is former chief executive Leung Chun-ying, former CE candidate John Tsang Chun-wah, and even Jasper Tsang Yok-sing, the former Legco president.

Would you like any of these four to take over from Lam?

When Lam took questions from reporters, none of them asked her how she felt when the Chinese ambassador to the UK, Liu Xiaoming said last week that Beijing never instructed the Hong Kong government to pass the extradition bill.

"As a matter of fact, [the] Beijing central government gave no instruction, no order about making [the] amendment. This amendment was initiated by the Hong Kong government, it was prompted by a murder case in Taiwan," he told the BBC.

Talk about throwing Lam under the bus. China really wanted to be perceived to have any connection with the extradition bill, but why would she suddenly want to ram it through?

Regardless, the public will not stand for Lam to continue leading Hong Kong, which means there are going to be more protests in the coming days and weeks.

Hope Lam's ready for more images of people on the streets. They have had enough of the insincerity and lack of integrity.

2 Million Hongkongers Hit the Streets in Black

Admiralty was completely clogged with protesters late last night

Hours before I boarded my plane to fly back to Vancouver, three of my friends asked me if I would be participating in the protest march on Sunday.

I was disappointed to again miss an historic march -- on June 9 when 1.03 million people came out onto the streets demanding the withdrawal of the extradition bill, and then this past Sunday, June 16, when an unprecedented 2 million marched from Causeway Bay to government headquarters in Tamar, Admiralty.

Although Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor had announced the day before that the extradition bill was suspended indefinitely, two in seven Hongkongers demanded that she step down. They were also protesting the excessive force by the police in handling protesters on June 12.

Practically everyone was dressed in black for the march

At the airport gate just before embarking on the plane, I was constantly checking social media and was stunned by the images of so many people wearing black T-shirts and clogging up MTR stations to get to the starting point.

It was only after I landed over 12 hours later did I find out 2 million people had participated in the march, and that entire streets were flooded with people protesting. Some even stayed behind to occupy the thoroughfare in Admiralty overnight, though the numbers were quite sparse. The die-hard protesters were disappointed more people didn't show up, and eventually they had to give up the roads to traffic.

What's next? The ball is firmly in the government's court, though the pro-Beijing side isn't united in what Lam should do. Some think she should scrap the bill completely, while others are suggesting she should continue to push it through, with more explanation to the public.

However, it's too late to try to explain what the bill really is about. Lam missed her opportunity, and should have been more transparent about the reasons why the bill had to be passed.

Some people in the pro-Beijing camp feel Lam has completely lost her credibility from this most recent march, and her apologies hardly sound empathetic.

So if nothing drastic is done before Sunday (in other words Lam stepping down), people will probably be out protesting again this coming weekend, and the next weekend, and the weekend after....

.

Vancouverites Protest Extradition

Hundreds of people on Granville Street in front of the Chinese consulate

Early this afternoon there was quite a sight along Granville Street in Vancouver between Angus Drive and Marpole Avenue -- several hundred people wearing black T-shirts and carrying yellow umbrellas stood in front (or as close as they could get) of the Chinese consulate.

Although earlier this morning Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor made an announcement saying the controversial extradition bill would be postponed until a later date, Vancouver media say some 1,500 people still came out to voice their protest.

They were also condemned the Hong Kong police's use of excessive force against the protesters on June 12 at Tamar in Admiralty.

As they gathered on the narrow sidewalk along the very busy thoroughfare, the protesters sang, "Do You Hear the People Sing?" from Les Miserables and some cars honked their horns in support as they drove by.

They protested the extradition bill and excessive police force

The protesters in Vancouver say the extradition bill should be withdrawn.

"Even though she came out to announce she will defer on this bill, we can see this evil bill will be sitting there and waiting for (an) opportunity to suppress Hong Kong, to threaten Hong Kong people," said Ken Tung, of the Civic Education Society in Vancouver who gave a speech to the crowd.

"Right now we have some people wounded by the excessive police force. These people were arrested in the hospital, totally against the freedom of speech and assembly in Hong Kong. We are here to protest."

Natalie Woo also expressed her concerns about how the Hong Kong police reacted to the protesters on June 12.

"Our police forces have been eroding for the past couple of years, in the sense that they have been acting very violently against protesters. We're not satisfied with Carrie Lam's answer to suspend the bill, because we don't trust the government enough to act in good faith."

Woo says rallying in Vancouver sends a message to the Chinese government and people of Hong Kong that there is a global solidarity for those who protest the bill and violence.

Pretty impressive turnout this afternoon and people will be out in force later today in Hong Kong for yet another march, this time calling for Lam to step down.

San Francisco's Chicago-Style Pizza

My very stringy slice of spinach and mushroom pizza at Zachary's

On our last full day in San Francisco, my cousin took us to the botanical garden there, and for lunch we stopped at a nearby pizza place called Zachary's Chicago Pizza.

I was told this is no ordinary pizza joint and it's an institution since 1983 with several locations in San Francisco.

It serves Chicago-style pizza, which is a deep-dish pizza so that there is a very high crust, and this allows for even more toppings to be put on the pizza (more like a pie) and then it is smothered in a chunky tomato sauce.

Check out how thick this pizza is! It's more like a pie!

We didn't really know what we were getting ourselves into until my cousin highly suggested one large pizza would be good for five of us. It took 30 minutes for the pizza to arrive so we had a large plate of Caesar salad to start and my cousin and I sipped on Moroccan mint iced teas.

When the pizza arrived, it was placed on the wooden stool next to our table and the server immediately started serving the slices which were very thick!

We ordered two flavours, spinach and mushroom with three cheeses blended together, and Zachary's Special, featuring Italian sausage, green peppers, onion, mushroom and Mozzarella cheese.

Needless it's really difficult to pick up the pizza slice -- you really have to eat it with a knife and fork! And after one slice, you're practically full!

Zachary's Chicago Pizza
1853 Solano Avenue
Berkeley, CA
(510) 525 5950
zacharys.com

Extradition Protest Aftermath

When police fired teargas into the crowd yesterday afternoon in Admiralty

I was glued to my phone watching the video clips and Twitter updates of the violent clashes yesterday in Admiralty and Central that I couldn't stop watching until 2am Pacific Time.

The one thing the protesters achieved was the Legislative Council postponing the reading of the extradition bill. It was postponed again today without a new date set... yesterday pro-Beijing lawmakers were not spotted at all near Legco -- probably too terrified to be confronted by angry protesters.

A lone protester is water cannoned and tear gassed by police

Perhaps this contentious bill will make them too scared to be associated in passing it. Or will they be willing to take the risk for the love of Beijing?

The Hong Kong Police should be ashamed of themselves for their excessive force exerted on the protesters. One video showed a man carrying a box of water bottles only to be attacked by several policemen who beat him up. Another was of a middle-aged woman trying to talk sense into the police, asking them why they were beating up young people in their teens who have not done anything wrong. What did the police do? Attack her.

It's the return of the yellow versus blue... did they not learn anything from 2014?

Meanwhile the protesters left Admiralty and Central in a mess -- but some of them came back today and CLEANED UP the debris on the streets. Where in the world have you seen angry protesters return and clean up the mess they made?

Tens of thousands showed up near government headquarters

Only in Hong Kong.

The ball is now in Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor's court. She has made the world terrified of what is happening in Hong Kong and will be scared of visiting the city or think twice about doing business there, with images of what look like a police state being implemented. Is this the impression she wants the rest of the world to have of Hong Kong?