It has Come to This

Hong Kong is now pulled closer to China in "second handover"

The national security law has been gazetted and basically in effect now -- though we only now get to see what's in it (in Chinese).

The media are pouring over it now with precious minutes to point out things before midnight.

Then Governor Chris Patten at the 1997 handover

So it has come to this, which Beijing is promoting as the "second handover", the one with all the bells and whistles sorted out.

I still remember 23 years ago watching the handover on a large screen projected in a cafeteria in Chinese University. It was pouring rain, and Prince Charles stood stoically in the rain, while then Governor Chris Patten received the folded British flag as if it was draped on the coffin of a dead soldier.

There was anxiety about what was about to happen, but for the most part Hongkongers were glad to finally get rid of their colonial masters and feel proud to be Chinese.

That feeling soured in 2003 when some half a million people took to the streets to protest against the enactment of Article 23, and after the Beijing Olympics in 2008, and has gotten worse since then.

Carrie Lam refusing to answer NSL questions

Meanwhile Hong Kong was being governed by Hongkongers, but by leaders completely incapable of doing their job. It wasn't our fault -- Beijing wanted them installed as chief executive, and each successive one has been worse than the previous one.

And now we are stuck with Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, who has been completely sidelined by Beijing and yet still being paid a pretty penny for being the most hated person in Hong Kong by both camps.

Beijing has lost its patience with Hong Kong -- it lost major face last year with the protesters defacing the Legislative Council and in particular the national emblem at the Liaison Office. The nail in the coffin was the district council elections in November, when 17 of the 18 districts became yellow overnight.

While Hongkongers were celebrating, Beijing was plotting its revenge to gain back control of the city with the national security law that was suddenly sprung on us on May 22 and was approved on May 28 and now here we are on the eve of the handover this draconian law is being enacted.

Wong, Law and Chow quitting Demosisto today

We don't know what's in it, but it's enough to scare the leadership of Demosisto -- Joshua Wong Chi-fung, Nathan Law Kwun-chung and Agnes Chow Ting -- to quit the party. People are deleting posts on social media, while some yellow shops are taking down their mini Lennon Walls to avoid attracting attention.

The reign of terror has already begun. One owner of a cafe that was part of the "yellow economic circle" said he was followed by strangers and received threatening messages that his family would be harmed.

With some 200 staff working for him, he decided it was better to formally leave this network than to have any problems.

Some die-hard protesters are sad and upset people are caving in, but can you blame them? Their concerns are very real.

Remember Hong Kong before June 30, 2020. Remember as much as you can because future generations depend on us to tell them what happened pre-NSL. Pre-1997.

Hong Kong will never be the same again.

The Calm Before the Storm

The last hours before the national security law is enacted

There is a sense of uneasiness in the air... the reality that the national security law is coming down on Tuesday and there isn't much we can do about it without the threat of being arrested hanging over our heads.

The heavy-handed nature of how secretively and quickly this law has come about, encompassing any possible scenario shows the Party's determination of not messing about anymore, let alone depending on pro-establishment elites to get the job done.

The fact that even Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and Justice Secretary Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah don't even know the details of the legislation speaks volumes about the role of the Hong Kong government with regards to governing the city; they are just minions on a need-to-know basis.

Meanwhile the everyone else is hatching their plans. On the weekend my relatives bought a flat in Manchester, a place they have never visited before. They said there were a lot of people in the office in Jordan, snapping up whatever unit they could get their hands on.

Jimmy Lai says he is not fleeing Hong Kong

The flats, part of a new development, are being built and expected to be completed in early next year. While buying property doesn't secure citizenship, it is at least a place they can go to if they wish.

Some expatriate families are leaving, seeing the city in disarray and feeling that this is not a good place to raise children. It's understandable if you don't consider Hong Kong your home, but many of us do.

Apparently Chinese dissident Wang Dan has warned Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying and Demosisto's Joshua Wong Chi-fung that the the Communists would get them first. Lai and Wong have stated separately on Twitter they are not going anywhere.

Talk about martyrdom.

Previously at the gym some middle-aged members were gleeful about the incoming legislation, that it would finally stop the protests; today there was not a mention of it. Perhaps they now see the implications of implementing such a law on Hong Kong, that it also applies to them?

Some people are sadly counting down the days until "freedom" is gone, others are defiant and won't let the law defeat them.

It's such a strange time to be here now, with a lot of uncertainty, all of us literally in the same boat.

Xinjiang women subjected to birth control

Hong Kong will now be divided into pre-national security law (pre-NSL) and post-NSL.

Heightening the stress levels today is the publication of a story that proves further repression in Xinjiang. Families with many children are punished, while women are forced to take birth control pills,  have IUDs inserted, or if they are pregnant to have abortions, all against their will. Some women have ended up sterile.

Previously the Chinese policy was that Han Chinese could only have one child, whereas ethnic minorities could have more than one. Now the government has twisted it to punish Muslims in Xinjiang for having more than one child, saying it is unfair for Han Chinese to have less children.

As a result the population of Muslims in Xinjiang has plunged significantly in recent years, in a bid to "control" them and possibly dilute them with more Chinese in the region.

Is this what will happen to Hong Kong?

Tonight's stunning sunset colours

This evening, there was the most amazing sunset. The colours were reflected on the clouds and the sky had a soft pink glow like a Monet painting that gave way to the dark blue night.

I had never understood what the phrase "achingly beautiful" meant until watching that sunset.

Sunsets are simple pleasures, but mean so much more when things are about to change forever.

Hong Kong Protest Reads

Thousands gathered in Central for one of the early protest rallies

There are some books out already about the Hong Kong protests. First out of the gate was Jeff Wasserstrom's Vigil: Hong Kong on the Brink, where he weaves different themes and observations together historically between the former British colony and Shanghai, Tiananmen and 2019 in Hong Kong.

Wasserstrom's book takes a big picture approach

Next was lawyer and writer Antony Dapiran's City of Fire: the fight for Hong Kong, a lead up to his first book, City of Protest in 2017 about the Umbrella Movement. In his latest book, he details practically every single event that happened, a good first draft document of 2019 all the way to the district council elections in November, and some analysis in between.

There's also the South China Morning Post's Rebel City, a compilation of news articles that were published during the protests, some have since been updated to include the latest information. There are also colour photographs of the protests at the back of this large tome.

Dapiran documents practically every incident

And then there is Aftershock: Essays from Hong Kong compiled by journalist Holmes Chan. He was on the frontlines of the protest for Hong Kong Free Press and is now a freelance journalist.

He asked other reporters to submit essays about how they felt covering the protests, things they could not write in their reports. And what they wrote is so profound and thoughtful, emotions of anger, frustration, sadness. 

Aftershock gives them an opportunity to deal with their emotions in words on a page, to try to make sense of what has happened professionally and personally in the past year. It's a very slim volume and I only wished there were more essays to read.

A reflection of last year

It is also sold out in numerous bookstores, proving there is a big appetite for this behind-the-scenes book about what it's like to be a journalist covering the biggest story in Hong Kong that has impacted all of us politically, socially, economically and psychologically.

Chan's essay is about him questioning what he saw versus the police's version of events. He was the sole witness to the police roughly treating a protester whose teeth were knocked out, but when Chan asked the police about this brutality in the press conference, the spokesman dismissed it as violent.

So journalists are not only covering the events, but also having to battle the police in getting the "facts", that can mean different things to different people.

Rachel Cheung writes about a fight too, not with the police but with her editor about keeping her story "balanced". Her essay gives an insight into what some reporters go through daily at work to keep what they wrote in tact and not have it massaged to give a different connotation.

Meanwhile Sum Lok-kei talks about the siege at Chinese University of Hong Kong -- where he and his parents live, as they teach there. It was hard for him to fathom how his home had literally become a battleground with protesters trying to prevent the police from storming in, and the tactics used.

News articles about the protests from the SCMP

It has completely changed his perception of the campus, a place where he grew up and now scarred forever by what happened last November.

Hopefully we will see more books about the protests coming out, first hand accounts of what they saw or experienced. We need these so that the Chinese and Hong Kong governments as well as the police cannot whitewash what happened.

These are our collective history, our collective trauma.

We will not forget.

Proliferation of Protest Art

People leave messages tied together at a shop

In Sham Shui Po there is some gentrification going on, with some old shop spaces turned into hipster cafes, much like the one I wrote about yesterday that houses a photography exhibition on last year's protests.

Carrie Lam as a giant candle

On our way to that show, we saw a few other "yellow" cafes that had other protest art. One in particular had multi-coloured ribbons out in front, like a Lennon Wall with scraps of fabric, where people wrote messages that were tied together.

Inside was a collection of works from artists working in various mediums. There were sculptures of protesters clashing with the police on a platform shaped like an upside down umbrella -- made from wax.

There was even a bust of Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor in red wax, complete with a wick at the top of her head. The protest slogan "If we burn you burn with us" immediately came to mind, inspired by The Hunger Games.

But it was a series of woodblock prints that I liked in particular. They were made by Malaysian artist Tekkhean Lee, who visited Hong Kong during the protests and made these woodcuts that portray the emotions, the drama, and the feelings of last year.

Particularly evocative are protesters surrounded by clouds of tear gas, the turbulent scenes of defending themselves with just umbrellas, and the camaraderie of the protesters helping each other.

Amazing woodcut prints of protests

There are some definitive scenes, of a man with his arms outstretched as a policeman points a gun at him in Tsuen Wan in late August, students in uniform holding a pen together as a human chain of protest, a sea of umbrellas parting ways to allow an ambulance pass through, and a first-aider who lost her right eye allegedly from a rubber bullet in Tsim Sha Tsui.

The amount of protest art that was produced last year has been amazing, some of it satirical, some inspiring, some depicting violence. Will it continue after the national security law is enacted within days?

Time will only tell.

Painful Images of Protest

District councillor Andrew Chiu with his bandaged head

The other day my friend YTSL and I ventured to Sham Shui Po to see an exhibition called "Wounds Of Hong Kong" by photographer Chung Ming-ko, who recently won first prize in the documentary section of the Sony World Photography Awards.

The show was actually housed above a hipster coffee shop that also sold some protest paraphernalia. After we walked through the door, the woman at the desk took our temperature and asked if we were there to see the exhibition.

A massive scar on a protester's leg

When I answered in the affirmative, she told us to go to the back of the store and go up the stairs. "Be careful it's dark up there," she added.

She was right.

We climbed up the steep stairs and the room was very dark, except for Chung's glowing images.

Not all his images were shown, but a handful in the small attic-like space that was completely darkened with black fabric on the ceiling. It was quite stuffy there too (and we were wearing masks).

The dark room made the images even more dramatic, and a reminder that much of the police brutality happened at night.

"While the scars and bruises may fade, we must remember what caused them," says Chung. "The struggle against man and power is the struggle of memory against forgetting."

A protester shows the welts on his back

There's a photograph of a man's leg with a massive scar with the surgical stitching still there; another shows one wound stitched up with blue thread to be removed later.

A man wears a helmet and gas mask while revealing the welts on his back. They look absolutely ghastly and must be so painful.

Another show's a man's leg with the skin that looks like it melted off, possibly from tear gas canisters hitting him. Again you can't help but wince looking at it.

Finally there is Taikoo Shing West district councillor Andrew Chiu Ka-yin in side profile, showing his head bandaged where a man attacked him and bit his ear off, his glasses have nothing to hang onto.

The images are absolutely chilling and a forceful reminder of what happened to numerous well known and nameless people in Hong Kong last year.

Wounds possibly from tear gas canisters

This is our collective memory that is documented for posterity in the city's history.

Wounds of Hong Kong by Chung Ming-ko

June 13-July 4

Openground

198 Tai Nan Street

Sham Shui Po

National Security Law: More Questions Than Answers

Yoho Mall with protesters against the national security law

The clock is ticking as we are expecting the national security law to come down on Hong Kong by June 30, leaving precious little time when people can legally protest. This afternoon some people went to Yoho Mall in Yuen Long and chanted slogans in their bid to express their concerns about the national security law.

In response riot police -- some in plain clothes -- rushed at the protesters, who were peacefully demonstrating -- and pepper sprayed them, the media and district councillors who were trying to figure out what was going on.

A riot policeman threatens pepper spray on family

And again -- the national security law has yet to be enacted, but the police are acting as if they already have the law in their back pockets. Is this the new normal for Hong Kong when there is any kind of moderate dissent?

Meanwhile it has been explained why the details of the national security law are being released in a drip drip fashion -- the Chinese leadership believe this will minimize adverse reactions, and gradually ease people into the new normal rather than suddenly springing it on them all at once. 

How thoughtful.

But perhaps even more outrageous is the news report that the bill has "unanimous support" from "all walks of life" -- minus opinions from opposition figures and critics.

Lau has yet to see what's in the new law

Senior mainland officials met with 120 people (who represent over 7 million people) from more than 10 sectors and social groups who gave their "honest views" and support of the legislation.

As for the small group of people who will be targeted, one attendee who asked not to be named, said it would involve situations such as spies from the United States. "The jurisdiction power would be very broad, from law enforcement to the judiciary... and yes, that means arrestees could be tried on the mainland."

How reassuring.

Professor Lau Siu-kai, vice-chairman of the semi-official think tank the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau studies suggested the draft legislation might be amended after they listen to the views in Hong Kong.

Lau's comments hardly assuage the public's concerns. Any major legislation needs the feedback of people, and that opportunity isn't even given before it is released.

Even those 120 people who attended these feedback sessions weren't allowed to read the draft, and yet they still supported the bill. Are they all zombies?

To says there is need for feedback from public

How bizarre.

Veteran Democratic Party lawmaker James To Kun-sun said, "Passing a security bill first before letting the public know its detailed content is something unimaginable in any civilized society."

While To is right, there is no persuading the Chinese otherwise. They are determined to pass the secretive bill and then unleash it on Hong Kong.

And then the mass exit will begin.

How sad.

An Afternoon of Art

A bronze sculpture of Wu Guanzhong by Wu Weishan (2019)

On my day off earlier this week I went to the Hong Kong Museum of Art. Last year the museum finally finished a massive renovation that took over four years and HK$930 million. The refurbishment included adding 3,000 square metres of space, though in general the layout of the museum is the same.

Some exhibitions were fascinating, others I admit to going through quickly. These were some highlights for me.

I started from the top floor down, and there are beautiful drawings and paintings of Hong Kong from decades ago by Kong Kai-ming, who is now in his late 80s. Mostly self-taught in drawing and painting using pencil, fountain pen, watercolours and oil, he has captured scenes of the city, some of them long gone now.

Tonnochy Road, Wan Chai by Kong

These include the ramshackle huts that people lived in in Shek Kip Mei, the old Kowloon-Canton Railway Station by the Star Ferry in Tsim Sha Tsui, and old apartment buildings in Wan Chai.

While the sketches illustrate his passion to capture what is in front of him, Kong is not sentimental.

"Everything has its own lifespan and when it comes to an end, it's time to say goodbye. It's the same with old buildings; when they are no longer suitable for preservation, it is time to let them go," he said in an interview in 2018.

The accomplished artist has also taught at the Hong Kong Academy of Fine Arts, First Institute of Art and Design, School of Continuing Studies at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, School of Continuing Education at Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and the Correctional Services Department, not to mention publishing over 40 art books.

On the same floor is an interesting contemporary work by Koon Wai-bong called Crisp air in a bamboo grove. He creates a "bamboo forest" with long strips of silk hanging from the ceiling and on them are bamboo trees painted in a traditional Chinese style in green ink.

There is a slight wind in the room that moves the strips and the atmosphere is enhanced with birds chirping in the background.

Bamboo trees painted on silk by Koon Wai-bong

One floor down in the hallway is Rosanna Li Wei-han's ceramic figurines that are set in everyday Hong Kong scenes. Her figures are chubby and the faces full of expression, while the miniature settings are recreated in detail. When they are looked at with Victoria Harbour and Hong Kong Island in the background, it really makes these mini dioramas come to life.

Also on the same floor is Kwok Mang-ho, otherwise known as Frog King, an eccentric artist who dresses up in mostly black and red outfits with frog motifs and funny glasses. Quite the character. In the museum he has his own corner, and even a small studio space; if you're lucky you might see him there.

His work is colourful (in Chinese ink and a splash of red) and funny too. A strange character for sure.

On the first floor is contemporary Chinese artist Xu Bing's seminal work, A book from the sky, that took him four years to complete.

Winslow Street scene by Rosanna Li

It takes up an entire room, with three long sheets of paper hung from the ceiling, along with several giant sheets on opposite walls, and then on the floor dozens of traditional Chinese calligraphy books opened at certain pages, others are closed.

What is most ironic about this is that Xu made up some 4,000 Chinese characters that are printed on all this paper all over the room. He managed to persuade printers to not only make the over 4,000 characters, but print them too.

Is Xu a genius for creating a roomful of gibberish? Or is the museum a fool for purchasing such a piece of "art" that either pays homage or satirizes the Chinese literary tradition, where scholars were highly regarded.

Seems like viewers could have numerous interpretations and opinions about this piece.

The exhibition I enjoyed the most was of Chinese painter Wu Guanzhong, celebrating the 100th anniversary of his birth. He died 10 years ago, and since then his pieces have fetched astronomical prices at auction, but thankfully he gifted many of his works to museums, including the Hong Kong Museum of Art.

Xu's work features over 4,000 made-up characters

Wu was born in 1919 but while he was studying art at the National Arts Academy of Hangzhou, the Sino-Japanese War broke out and he left Hangzhou, continuing his studies while moving with the academy to places like Jiangxi, Hunan and Sichuan provinces.

In 1947 he won a national scholarship from the government to study in France; his exam paper -- a copy of it in the museum -- was rated so highly because he demonstrated his knowledge of art and the history of art so well.

During his three years in Paris, Wu was drawn to the works of Camille Pissaro, Paul Cezanne and in particular was touched by Vincent van Gogh's work. Wu was impressed by van Gogh's decision of not staying in dazzling Paris, but instead the countryside that inspired his art.

The Dutch painter's life inspired Wu to return to China in 1950, but he found he and his work did not match the revolutionary style of portraying heroic workers, farmers and soldiers.

Wu's The Malan Village in pen and ink

When the Cultural Revolution began in 1966, Wu destroyed many of his oil paintings, worried the Red Guards would find them. He was later denounced as a "bourgeois formalist" and banned from painting for seven years. Then Wu was sent down to the countryside, away from his wife and family.

Later in the 1970s he was finally allowed to paint -- once a week. He used that precious time to paint on cardboard and he used a basket as his easel, which was typically for collecting animal dung. Like van Gogh, he painted rural scenes.

He eventually developed his definitive style, moving from realism to beautiful line drawings in ink, meticulously drawn, that later became more and more abstract to dots on the paper.

One particular painting was very interesting, called Leaving youth behind (2009). It's an ink brush painting of lotus leaves and stems that are limp and dying.

Leaving youth behind reflects Wu himself

Wu once said: "Lotus is a popular subject matter in traditional Chinese painting, but those conventional lotus paintings cannot move me emotionally. The interlaced leaves of all sizes in the lotus pond is an intricate maze of straight and curved lines. Even their shadows are engulfed in the leaves, it is difficult to tell whether the leaves are above or under the water. I seem to be an insect under the leaf, being lost in this labyrinth of flowers and leaves."

For this particular painting, Wu recalled while the Gang of Four was in power, he went to Beihai Park in Beijing during the winter and the lake was frozen, but the withered lotus leaves and stalks were not cleared away.

"High and low they stood, their bodies all black and bruised, like a bunch of mummies standing. Qi Baishi has drawn many paintings of withered lotus, but never was there this powerful touch of tragedy. They reminded me of Rodin's The Burghers of Calais. I was driven by a strong urge to draw these frozen lotus carcasses... I even thought for a time that the frozen lotus carcasses were in fact a reflection of me."

The Great Wall has dynamic brushstrokes

His painting The Great Wall (1988) is so dynamic, showing the Great Wall winding its way over mountains and hills like snakes. One can't help but be drawn into the painting and feel the energy of his brushstrokes.

Hong Kong is very lucky to have many of Wu's works for everyone to see and appreciate his life and passion for art.

Picture of the Day: The Lion Rock Spirit Persists!

A new banner appeared on Lion Rock this morning

Life in Hong Kong is getting tougher by the day. We had the protests for seven months last year, then after a very short respite, the coronavirus pandemic spread to the city, and then if that wasn't enough stress, the draconian national security law (of which we don't know the contents of) could be passed this weekend.

But perhaps all is not lost?

This morning this banner was placed on Lion's Rock: "Go protest on July 1! Resist the evil law"!

However, despite being a week away, the police still have yet to decide whether the annual march can go ahead this year.

With schools reopened, religious institutions having services, restaurants back to full capacity, and the book fair going ahead next month, it will be a political decision if the police ban the July 1 march...

National Security Law Alarming by the Day

China says new security law will drive HK

Jitters surrounding news about the national security law continue. Everyday there's one bombshell after another and Hongkongers don't have time to even absorb what is going on and the implications, only knowing the situation is getting worse and worse.

Today we found out we will only see the full draft of the law AFTER it is passed by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, possibly this weekend, and just before the 23rd anniversary of the July 1 handover.

Opaque posters showing up in MTR stations

"Beijing is determined to endorse the law as soon as possible. It wants to slash the time for public discussion to reduce the dissenting voices regarding the law," said a source familiar with the central government's line of thinking.

Tam Yiu-chung is Hong Kong's only delegate to the standing committee and he admitted it was unusual not to disclose full details of the law before it was promulgated. Typically some national laws are subject to a 30-day consultation period.

"We had to return the draft after the meeting. I don't have the draft with me either," Tam said, revealing how Beijing was keeping a tight lid on the information.

Tam Yiu-chung won't reveal any details of new law

In the next few days senior government officials related to the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office will speak to some stakeholders, but probably not ones related to the legal profession; they have a lot of questions concerning how this national security law will be implemented and how it will interface with the existing Basic Law.

Pro-democracy lawmakers aren't invited to these meetings either, and even some moderate pro-Beijing politicians too. That's another worrying sign that those who want to defend Hong Kong cannot be at the table.

The new law covers crimes of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign and external forces that threaten national security. As far as we know, Hong Kong will enforce the law, but a mainland commissioner's office will be set up to supervise and guide the local government.

So does this mean this new office will oversee the office of the chief executive? And we thought a small circle of 1,200 people voting for Hong Kong's leader was hardly democratic.

Dennis Kwok continues to question new law

There is still no information about the penalties involved with these serious charges and it is said that when it comes to cases involving national security, the chief executive will appoint judges to rule on the matter.

How is that even impartial?

Opposition lawmaker Dennis Kwok Wing-hang, who also represents the legal sector, says: "One important element of judicial independence is that the judiciary can decide on its own which judge should be assigned to handle a case," he said. "There is no law in Hong Kong that allows the chief executive to assign an individual judge to handle a specific case."

Hongkongers' fears are growing by the day -- it's like a frog put in water on a stove that's turned on. But it's not a slow boil, but instead it's been ratcheted up to high heat.

Security Bill Destroying Hongkongers' Trust

Lam and her administration support the national security law

The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress will meet next weekend, and it is believed the national security law will be up for discussion and possibly promulgation, as if it couldn't happen fast enough.

While some believe the passage of this law will put an end to protests, this may be true, but the reality is that it will be the end of Hong Kong as we know it. The city is rapidly changing into a mainland city whether we like it or not, and our government officials and elites trying to one up themselves on telling the public how the national security law is a good thing when they haven't even seen the wording of such an important document.

Kwok says Beijing has lost the trust of HKers

There is a media report that when Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor was meeting with the senior leadership in Beijing, she tried to get a copy of the draft but was told it was highly confidential.

So even the leader of Hong Kong has no idea what's in there and not even allowed to have a sneak peek.

That's what loyalty to Beijing gets you these days -- nothing.

And that's what Civic Party lawmaker Kwok Ka-ki has said on RTHK's Letter to Hong Kong today. He accused Beijing of destroying people's trust in the city.

As a result of Beijing making "one country, two systems" null and void, Hongkongers are frantically looking into emigration, applying for British National (Overseas) passports, and businesses moving out of the Central business district.

But what upset him the most is how some pro-establishment figures have chosen to give away Hong Kong's rights and freedoms so easily.

Beijing crushed dissidents like Liu

"Beyond the mainland government's infringement on our city's founding principles, it is even more disappointing to see how local elites and government officials have turned their backs on Hong Kong people," he said.

"Members of the Executive Council and many prominent business owners voiced their support for the legislation. Perhaps fearing backlash from China, top executives from companies like HSBC have also stood by the draconian law."

He said the mainland authorities use the national security law to intimidate political opponents and suppress dissent, citing the examples of Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo, recently released Wang Quanzhang, and just sentenced Yu Wensheng.

"With the passing of the national security law, Hong Kong may follow the same dark path of political oppression," Kwok said.

In addition, he accused the SAR government of already using intimidating language towards those who opposed the impending bill.

"To intimidate voices of opposition, Chief Executive Carrie Lam has even called critics of the National Security Act 'enemies of the people'," he said.

Cohen has many questions about the new law

"Anyone who is publicly opposing the national security bill will very likely face prosecution and other consequences. Just this week, Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Erick Tsang Kwok-wai (who has a painted plate of Xi Jinping in his office) said that critics of the legislation may be barred from running in the upcoming Legislative Council elections."

Therefore, Kwok said, people who call Hong Kong home are left with no choice but to stand firm and fight against what he calls "this intrusion into our city's autonomy".

Esteemed law professor and China expert Jerome Cohen of New York University School of Law has been blogging non stop about the national security law. He puts it pretty succinctly in his June 20 blog post:

"The Handover has clearly become the Takeover".

Word of the Day: Die Wei

Die wei can be applied to many different situations

I recently came across this Chinese word die(1) wei(4) 爹味, which is literally "daddy flavour" or slang for "mansplaining".

Many young people use this term now to describe anyone -- male or female -- who claim unwarranted authority and give unsolicited advice.

According to Lu Pin, a feminist activist, the term's popularity shows growing resistance from young people -- mostly women -- to patriarchal culture.

But she adds the term is mostly used online, as hierarchy in reality is not going to change anytime soon.

What a great word that can be applied in so many situations!

Repression Forces Satirical Show off Air

Headliner poked fun at politics and social trends every week

A few hours ago Radio Television Hong Kong broadcast its last episode of Headliner, a satirical show based on current events. The show has been running since 1989, poking fun at government officials, policies and social trends.

One episode poked fun at the police hoarding PPE

However, the show was rebuked by the police force and its supporters, for Headliner's February 14 show that had a comedy sketch where the Hong Kong police were hoarding all the personal protective equipment during the coronavirus outbreak.

The Communications Authority later declared that episode "denigrated and insulted" the police force.

RTHK apologized then decided to suspended the show after the season ended, which is today. A review will be conducted to see how the show can be developed "in an ever changing social environment", but it is believed the show is gone for good.

I caught it a few times, and many of the running gags was a man dressed up as an empress dowager, meant to be Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, and another man is her minister. They poke fun at the latest policy announcement or how she is blindly obeying Beijing.

The show has been on the air since 1989

Many worry this show is the canary in the coal mine, closing down because the impending national security law could impact the show, thus threatening Hong Kong's freedom of speech and expression.

There is more repression in the form of the shop owner of a children's clothing store in Tsuen Wan, who has placed a statue honouring Hong Kong protesters in his store, which is in a shopping mall owned by New World conglomerate, which is supporting the national security law.

The landlord has ordered Chickeeduck founder Herbert Chow Siu-lung to take down the statue, saying in the contract the landlord has to approve decoration inside the shop, but Chow doesn't agree.

"I support democracy for sure," Chow said. "I thought it was quite a nice art piece. It will be a meaningful in-store display and that's how it all started. For me, it's how I would all love it to end, but instead, it's been blown all out of proportion.

Chickeeduck has a statue of a protester

"The artist has given us two months to play with it and move it from store to store and see which landlords will embrace it. then we'll go to the next mall."

While Chow declines to say he is supportive of the protesters, he wants children who come to the store to learn more about democracy.

One Hongkonger purposely traveled from his home in Ma On Shan to Tsuen Wan to see the shop, take pictures and show his support.

"The store is one of the businesses that have the courage to clearly state their political stance. It deserves support and encouragement," he said. "Many businesses have said they are 'yellow', but not all of them have the courage to do the same."

Owner Chow has yet to meet the landlord

Chow has yet to meet the landlord and seems mentally prepared for what may happen if he doesn't comply and take down the statue.

Meanwhile late this afternoon I went to Sheung Wan to the small shop that sells nuts, candies, cigarettes and Chinese spirits, but I was shocked to find it was already shuttered. I had no idea when it had closed and there was no sign indicating where they had moved.

It has been my go-to place for nuts for almost 10 years, and in the last year or so, I asked how the shop owner was doing in terms of profits. He gave me the analogy that at first he was eating OK, just enough to be full, and then now it was down to congee. He was eeking out a living with his wife, and at one point last year he was ill and closed the shop for a few months while his wife took care of him.

My nut shop is next to this property agency

The shops next to it were also closed, probably forced out by a developer who has taken over the site.

More and more shop spaces are vacated and it's hard to remember what was there before.

Before the pandemic, we used to joke that we would starve because all the shops were all rented to luxury fashion brands, watches and jewellery.

However, now they too are disappearing with no mainland customers and not enough locals buying frivolous items.

At this rate we're going to resort to eating congee too...

National Security Law Sparks Press Freedom Worries

Hong Kong's National Security Law closer to promulgation

The dreaded national security law has been drafted, but "collusion" has been added to the wording that created more fear for democracy activists and lawmakers.

According to Xinhua, the law outlines crimes of secession, subversion of state power, terrorist activities, and collusion with foreign and external forces to endanger national security, as well as lays out their penalties, but no details were given.

Originally collusion was not included in the resolution passed last month by the National People's Congress, but legal experts claim this brings the national security law in line with China's criminal laws.

Kwok worries lawmakers could be caught in law

However, pan-democrats and democracy activists are concerned how collusion will be applied in Hong Kong.

Civic Party lawmaker Dennis Kwok Wing-hang and legal sector representative says: "We frequently come across consuls general, foreign legislators, officials, academics, and journalists. We would talk to them about Hong Kong and they would talk to us about international affairs that are of interest to them. Are they saying that all those would be deemed as colluding with foreign forces, hence [it] would become a criminal activity going forward? That is ridiculous."

Joshua Wong Chi-fung of Demosisto says the collusion charge could force Hong Kong to further cut ties with the rest of the world and punish "all those who urge the government to uphold the city's freedoms and human rights to international standards."

It is not clear when the law will be passed, as it seems very early to pass it this weekend. The next convening of the Standing Committee is in August, but there is talk they may possibly hold a special meeting next month to pass it.

Wong (left) Hong Kong will cut ties with law

Meanwhile, journalists are extremely worried about the upcoming implementation of the law, with 98 percent of 150 surveyed are against the legislation, as they are concerned how the law will impact press freedom and their own welfare.

About 87 percent believed the new law would "seriously affect" press freedom in Hong Kong, and 92 percent were worried about their personal safety.

Chris Yeung, chairman of the Hong Kong Journalists Association warned that journalists could fall into the scope of the national security law.

"Reporters or editors could be liable to those crimes, so those threats to us are not just psychological, but substantive in the sense that they might face those charges," he said.

Yeung also said there were concerns journalists would be worried about covering sensitive topics, comparing it to stepping on landmines.

Yeung says journalists are very worried about law

Nevertheless, despite the pessimistic outlook, only 13 percent of those surveyed said they would leave the industry when the new law came into effect.

Many are probably waiting to see what the law actually says before making up their minds.

Any way you look at it, the national security law is not reassuring...