School Starts September 23

Hong Kong students can finally start the academic year in late September

The Hong Kong government has finally announced that schools will resume face-to-face classes in phases starting on September 23.

In a press conference today, Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung Yun-hung said students entering Primary Five, Primary Six, Form Five and Form Six, as well as those starting primary or secondary school, and final-year kindergarten pupils, will be the first to return to class.

Yeung said the pandemic situation was improving

Then on September 29, those pupils in Form Two to Form Four, Primary Two to Primary Four, and kindergarten children in K1 and K2 will return to the classroom.

He said this as Hong Kong recorded nine new coronavirus cases today to a total of 4,810.

Yeung said students who needed make-up classes could do so from September 15-22, provided the number of students did not exceed one-sixth of the student population.

"As the local pandemic situation improved recently, we believe it is now suitable to allow schools to start preparing to resume face-to-face classes in phases from late September," he said.

International schools will follow a similar schedule.

If teachers or students are infected with the virus, individual schools may close, following consultation with the Centre for Health Protection.

Will this be what a classroom looks like next month?

Again like other government officials, Yeung used the opportunity to encourage everyone to participate in the community-wide testing that starts tomorrow and over 500,000 people have registered online.

But if students are allowed to go back to school on September 23, why can't Hongkongers vote in the Legislative Council election? Even Yeung admits the pandemic situation has improved.

It is more and more obvious why the election was "postponed"...

We Will Not Forget Prince Edward 831

Police with batons indiscriminately attacked passengers on the train last year

Tomorrow is a contentious anniversary, when on August 31 last year, police stormed the Prince Edward MTR station and beat people indiscriminately. The images of people cowering in the train carriages and pleading for their lives are indelible from our minds.

Meanwhile the police prevented voluntary paramedics from helping the wounded for several hours, while reporters were not allowed in either to see what was going on.

People in the station were terrified by police's excessive force

It started when a dispute started in the train between protesters and some passengers on board. It escalated to the point where a man wielding a hammer started attacking the protesters. They in turn used the fire extinguisher in the train carriage to defend themselves.

Then the police entered the train platform and began attacking people with batons and pepper spray.  The chaos that ensued resulted in what some protesters believe that some people died, while the emergency services say everyone was accounted for and miscounted at the time.

For months afterwards people would go to the MTR station entrance and leave flowers and burn incense, believing people died there; however no one has come forward to say their loved one died in the incident. The police said no one filed a missing persons report, but by this point the force's credibility had been shot.

For months there were rumours people died in the station

There have been calls for the MTR to release CCTV footage of that night to see what was going on, while an independent investigation would have helped set the record straight, but the police have not allowed this.

Instead many were injured and 52 were arrested. The police weren't punished for excessive violence.

So this afternoon there were calls to commemorate the anniversary by marching from Langham Place shopping mall to Prince Edward MTR station, but that did not materialize.

Instead people gathered at Moko mall and shouted protest slogans, like "Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times" and later at Langham Place. Police in riot gear stood by and fined more than a dozen people for breaching the two-person limit when gathering in the public place.

#HK protesters shout “Liberate #HK, Revolution of our time” in Moko mall to mark the 1 yr anniversary of #831 crackdown at Prince Edward #MTR station. Slogans echo thru the atrium as over 200 police patrol. Other chant “death to black police and their families” #HongKongProtests pic.twitter.com/A5Xbq5vB8q

— James Pomfret (@jamespomfret) August 30, 2020

 

People will not forget what happened last year. It was shocking, violent, outrageous and traumatizing.

And we will never know the truth of what happened either at this rate with the police and the MTR unwilling to cooperate.

So the protests will continue in one form or another.

Get Ready for the Fourth Coronavirus Wave

Hongkongers' test samples will be analyzed in these temporary labs

Today Hong Kong recorded 18 new coronavirus cases, and residents being able to dine in restaurants until 9pm got a slow start. It seems people are not as eager to eat out again, or don't have the financial means to do so.

It must be a struggle for restaurants to stay in business, though many did not expect staying open another three hours would have a dramatic effect on their revenues.

Yuen warns people to prepare for the fourth wave in the fall

As if that wasn't enough bad news, an infectious diseases expert who advises the government on the pandemic, says we should be prepared for a fourth wave coming in the fall, because the cool, dry weather makes it easier to spread respiratory diseases.

"Summarizing Hong Kong's anti-epidemic experience over the last seven months can help us to prepare for the fourth wave of infections in the autumn-winter season this year," Professor Yuen Kwok-yung of the University of Hong Kong said on a radio program today.

He said even if the pandemic eased after two more weeks, it could only be called a "pyrrhic victory".

This latest wave, Yuen said, showed in the gene sequencing that the strain came from southeast Asia and was likely spread in the city by taxi drivers and restaurants.

"So, our border control must be almost 'watertight', and the number of people exempted from quarantine should be minimized as far as possible. All exempted persons should have virus tests in Hong Kong after arrival," he said.

Hui is hoping 5 million people will get tested these two weeks

Yuen also advised residents to minimize the time they spent taking their masks off to dine or chatting in a group, noting over half of the infection clusters were related to restaurants, bars, karaoke lounges and the like.

There were also clusters in wet markets, elderly care homes, construction sites, dormitories for domestic helpers, and the city's port.

To speed up contact tracing, Yuen suggested people take down the license plate numbers of transport that they take, as well as the addresses and phone numbers of restaurants and shops where they spend more than 15 minutes.

It sounds tedious but a good tip to help investigators track down possible close contacts as quickly as possible.

Meanwhile, today is the first day people can register online for universal virus testing that starts on Tuesday. So far 220,00 people have signed up. The government says there is no expected number of participants, though it is strongly urging people to take advantage of the free test, and even took full front page ads of all the Chinese-language newspapers -- except Apple Daily -- to promote the testing.

Chuang is now towing the line, advising people to get tested

Another adviser to the government, Dr David Hui Shu-cheong is hoping 5 million people will get tested during the two-week period.

Will his wish come true?

When it was first reported that the central government would send manpower and fund the universal testing scheme in Hong Kong, the Centre for Health Protection's Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan didn't even know about it.

But this afternoon she recommended that people get tested...

Officials are finally falling into line. But will they take the test themselves?

That's the real test.

Lam's Excuse for Lack of Leadership

Carrie Lam gets to defend her leadership during a Phoenix TV interview

It is absolutely appalling that Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor claims she is an administrator, not a politician, and was caught unawares that her extradition bill would result on the months-long protests last year.

In an interview with pro-Beijing Phoenix TV, Lam said she could not have predicted the turmoil that erupted in weekly and sometimes daily skirmishes between the protesters and police.

"I really did not expect it, because I don't consider myself to be a person who understands politics very well, I am an administrator," she said, when asked if she ever expected Hong Kong politics to be so complex in her role as chief executive.

June 9, 2019 when 1 million people protested extradition bill

"But as of now, Hong Kong needs to have good governance, which is inseparable from politics," she told Sally Wu Xiaoli, anchor and deputy director at Phoenix Satellite Television.

Lam said that since the national security law was enacted on June 30, calm was restored.

"It brought back the Hong Kong we were once familiar with," she said.

Excuse me? Hong Kong has not been the same since last year, and the national security law has created another new normal for the city, one of fear and frustration. People are being arrested for actions that were retroactive, which goes against the promises before the new law was in effect.

Carrie Lam with Phoenix TV anchor Sally Wu Xiaoli

Perhaps she has forgotten that the coronavirus pandemic has also not made Hong Kong back to what it was before either.

And how could she not know that the extradition bill would lead to millions of people marching in the streets?

She either has terrible intelligence or is in denial. Besides, after 1 million people turn out to march peacefully, and you ignore them, so double the number of protesters come out the week after, and you ignore them as well, then that's your fault for completely misreading the situation.

Lam has no excuse because five years earlier she was the one who spoke on behalf of the government during the Umbrella Movement.

That 2014 debate between the students (left) and government

That now famous televised debate in October 2014 between the student leaders and the government led by Lam who was then Chief Secretary, revealed the latter didn't have much room for maneovuering, whereas the student leaders like Lester Shum, Nathan Law and Yvonne Leung stuck to their demands of universal suffrage and changes to the election law, such as abolishing the functional constituencies, much to the delight of viewers watching in the protest site.

In addition, how can she excuse her leadership performance by claiming she is more of an administrator than a politician? While she has spent 40 years of her life dedicated to the civil service, she saw how her predecessor, Leung Chun-ying politicized the position of chief executive and surely she should have known inheriting that job would require political deftness?

Weak excuses really.

Or did she do it for the money? She earned HK$5.21 million by the end of the first quarter this year, with a HK$120,000 increase.

Lawmakers Released, but Activist Captured

A crowd of supporters cheered as Hui and Lam emerged after paying bail

A couple of hours ago, Democratic Party lawmakers Ted Hui Chi-fung and Lam Cheuk-ting were released on bail, though they surrendered their passports. They walked out of the West Kowloon Magistrates Courts, both pumping their fists in the air to cheers of supporters.

Lam wore a black T-shirt with the word "Justice", and called for Hongkongers to remain united and keep resisting Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and authoritarianism, and continue to support protesters who are facing trial.

Thundering reception for Lam Cheuk-ting and Ted Hui as they step out of the West Kowloon courts, bailed on $15,000 and $5,000 respectively and having surrendered their passports. pic.twitter.com/xKpweP27zc

— Ryan Ho Kilpatrick 何松濤 (@rhokilpatrick) August 27, 2020

 

Meanwhile Hui, wore the same clothes as yesterday, posted a message on Facebook:

"Many of us might feel afraid, disappointed and helpless, some may also start to worry whether I will give up the things I'm doing, the belief I hold, or even my determination to pursue democracy. I can tell you all with certainty that I am not afraid. There is no room to yield and thus I will not back down. Mediating at scenes of confrontation is our duty as Legislative Councillors. It is my responsibility to protect citizens from violence and harm," he wrote.

Guangdong Coast Guard intercepted a boat from Hong Kong

"Legislative Councillors act as citizens' shield. If our shield is compromised, large-scale score settling will follow. Localists, Democrats or even ordinary citizens will not be spared."

Earlier in the day the Guangdong Coast Guard posted on its social media that it had intercepted a boat on August 23 with 12 people on board, all from Hong Kong.

Why the coast guard did not reveal this information sooner was not explained, but it is now revealed that the Hongkongers were allegedly fleeing to Taiwan for political asylum, and one of them on board is Andy Li, who was recently arrested under the new national security law.

It is not clear on what law they will be charged of violating, but if confirmed, it would be a rare instance of Chinese authorities arresting people from Hong Kong trying to leave the city.

Andy Li was one of those arrested trying to go to Taiwan

Li was arrested on August 10 for alleged collusion with foreign forces and money laundering. That was the same day that Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying and activist Agnes Chow Ting were arrested too for allegedly violating the national security law, and fraud.

Police sources have accused Li of being a suspected key member of an online group called "Fight for Freedom, Stand with Hong Kong" (SWHK), which they said had continued to call for international sanctions after the new law took effect.

When asked about the news of the people arrested by the Guangdong coast guard, police chief Chris Tang Ping-keung said he had no details about it as it was not a joint operation. Under mainland law, illegal immigrants can be detained for up to a year before being expatriated.

Police Chief Tang has no further details on the arrest

Why did Li decide to flee this way? Did he know the risks of what he was doing?

It may be difficult to find out more about his case now that Li and the others are in Chinese custody...

HK Police's Absurdist Alternative Reality

How can the police say this was not an indiscriminate attack in Yuen Long?

This morning two Democratic Party lawmakers were arrested, Ted Hui Chi-fung, whose two private prosecutions were dismissed by Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah the other day, and Lam Cheuk-ting.

When Lam opened the door and saw a group of police officers there, he asked them what the charge was. They said it was for rioting during the July 21 Yuen Long attacks in the MTR station last year.

"Me? Taking part in a riot? The July 21 riot?" he said in apparent disbelief. "It's utter absurdity in Hong Kong. 

Lam Cheuk-ting after he was attacked on July 21 last year

"Corrupt police have become the authorities' tools to suppress dissidents, and now they even blur the lines of right and wrong, and maliciously accuse the victim as defendant," he said before the officers came in to search his flat.

Welcome to the new alternative reality, where the Hong Kong Police are now claiming they have to "restore the truth".

But the truth is that Lam did contact the police earlier that evening, saying there were people being beaten up in Yuen Long and for them to investigate. He even got a letter from the police commissioner dated August 3 that commends him for his response to the attacks.

"You've fulfilled your civic responsibility by reporting this serious crime to the police," said the letter.

Then why was he being arrested for rioting?

Lam himself was beaten up that day, sustaining a bone fracture in his right arm and needed 18 stitches near his mouth.

Ted Hui was arrested and handcuffed this morning

But this afternoon, New Territories (North) Senior Superintendent Chan Tin-chu claimed the public had relied on "lopsided, twisted, misleading and flawed" online footage to form an incorrect view of the incident.

Then he gave his alternative view of events to reporters, some of whom were there that night.

As for why 16 people were arrested today, Chan explained they did not need to be involved in committing any assault in order to be deemed to be "rioting"; they only need to be among three or more people whose conduct is either disorderly, threatening, abusive, or provocative in a manner likely to breach the peace.

What?

When it comes to the July 21 attacks in Yuen Long, people were coming home after protesting on Hong Kong Island. they were not "rioting".

And what about those white-shirted men, many of them with triad connections, who brandished rods and bamboo sticks and beat people with them?

Chan claims police were pushing white-shirted men away

Chan even had the gall to say the Yuen Long attack involved two evenly-matched parties with different views, denying it was an indiscriminate attack by those in white shirts who numbered around 100.

How can it be evenly matched? One group had weapons while the other only had umbrellas!

The absurdity would only continue.

In explaining the video clip of what looked like police patting the shoulder of white shirted men -- holding rods, that many saw as collusion between the white shirts and the police, Chan explained it was actually the police pushing them away.

"The act of pushing them was an order for them to leave. But it was distorted by ill-intended people who slandered the force as colluding with the triads."

Why weren't those people arrested for possession of a weapon?

Footage shows more of a pat than a push, and no arrest?

When reporters challenged Chan, asking why the police did not take down the personal details of the white-shirted men, he refused to answer the question and instead referred to the earlier demonstrations in Sheung Wan.

Gaslighting at its best.

Chan even changed the force's earlier admission that it took officers 39 minutes to arrive at the Yuen Long MTR station following emergency calls and claimed that the officers actually responded in 18 minutes. He said officers had called for reinforcements at 10.57pm and they arrived at 11.15pm.

What about explaining why the police didn't respond earlier?

Meanwhile former Stand News reporter, Gwyneth Ho Kwai-lam, who was one of the first on the scene and was attacked during the incident, said her hour-long live video captured the men in white shirts and passengers being attacked but there were no officers in sight.

Attacks continued in the train, terrorizing innocent victims

"Even if the police arrest all the victims of the July 21 incident, you can never rewrite history," she said. "That was an indiscriminate attack and I believe anyone who watched my video would come to that conclusion."

The pan-democrats held an angry press conference in response to Chan's alternative reality. The lawmakers were incredulous to the police's version of events and accused the force of whitewashing history, while calling the arrests of the victims of the attacks as an affront to people's conscience and common sense.

"They just issued a political statement: 'we are very correct. We are the law! If we think you are criminal, we will arrest you... We don't need any particularly good reasons at all. We just do what we need to do and we can say what we want to say because we are the law.' What sort of muddy, dire situation are you trying to land the whole Hong Kong into?" Council Front lawmaker Claudia Mo asked.

Democratic Party chairman Wu Chi-wai condemned police for taking "revenge" and accused the government of crushing dissent instead of trying to heal the rifts in society.

"We can see they are utilizing all power and legal tools to turn black into white," Wu said. "The government is turning themselves into enemies of the people. It is just outrageous."

Pan-democrats are incredulous at police's version of events

Well yes, this contempt already began last year when Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor ignored the peaceful protests by 1 million, then 2 million people to rescind the extradition law.

And now any kind of dissent can be easily crushed thanks to the new national security law.

This has put pan-democratic lawmakers in a bind, wondering if they should even bother to try to hold the government accountable but then be accused of being disloyal to Hong Kong.

Labour Party lawmaker Fernando Cheung Chiu-hung said the government as effectively "declared war" on the people of Hong Kong, and communication may no longer be possible.

"I wanted to try my best to squeeze any room there is in this Legco to continue to help the needy. But I think it has gone far too much that I don't know how I can face this government, who would try to rewrite anything as they wish and completely subdue themselves under the command of the mainland officials," he said.

The pan-democrats have encouraged the public to wear black tomorrow as a sign of protest against "the police's lie". 

Never forget what you saw July 21 last year. No one has a right to change that reality.

Politically-Motivated Messaging

Lam accuses those not willing to be tested as smearing the central government

Today Hong Kong recorded 19 new cases, more than double the count yesterday, and interestingly the government decided today to announce a slight easing of social-distancing measures.

From Friday people will be able to eat dinner in restaurants until 9pm though only two per table, and people don't have to wear masks while exercising, as well as when in country parks. Non-contact sports like golf and tennis will be restarted and cinemas will open too though no eating or drinking during the screening.

Chan announces relaxation in social-distancing measures

It seems strange the government is relaxing these measures before the start of the free mass two-week coronavirus testing on September 1.

When this was pointed out to the Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee at a press conference early this afternoon, she just parroted the same line that it was important to use the universal testing as a way to find asymptomatic carriers in the community and that it was good for everyone to take the test.

Chan did not answer the question, and it's a valid concern.

She also seemed to blame the public for having pandemic fatigue as another reason to loosen the restrictions, perhaps a hint that if there is another uptick in cases, local residents should be blamed.

Yesterday two infectious disease experts, Dr Ho Pak-leung, a University of Hong Kong microbiologist, and Dr Leung Chi-chiu, a respiratory medicine specialist, publicly stated they would not get tested for the voluntary testing program.

People can dine in restaurants until 9pm starting Friday

When Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor was asked by an RTHK reporter what she thought of "well-known people" not taking the test, her tone turned angry.

"I will make a strong plea, that well-known people, especially in the relevant professional areas, should really express their view in a more responsible way, since this is about public health, let's focus on public health," she said.

"Why should some people refuse to do the test?" she asked. "This question should not be answered by me. It should be answered by those who smear the scheme since it was launched, and by those so-called experts and doctors who ask the public not to join by using excuses.

"There's only one reason. It's because of political consideration and calculations -- to find another issue to smear the central government."

Dr Ho Pak-leung said he would not take the free virus test

Ouch.

Someone was getting very touchy and tried to link some experts' reluctance to take the test as a way to tarnish the central government -- who by the way is footing the bill and manpower to conduct the coronavirus tests.

These two experts just said they were not going to take the test. Others have privacy concerns, that the mainland companies conducting the tests, maybe collecting biometric data of Hongkongers that could be used to develop a health code similar to what China has at present.

Meanwhile the same RTHK reporter asked why the government was organizing this mass testing, when it could have arranged for the Legislative Council elections to take place, but instead postponed it for a year, blaming it on the pandemic.

Lam was not happy to have this question and pointed out that it was inappropriate and unreasonable to compare the two.

Dr Leung Chi-chiu publicly said he would not take the test

"I think there are a lot of differences between the two arrangements," she said. "As far as universal communal testing is concerned, we are not cramming it into a single day. We have allowed ourselves up to two weeks to invite members of the community to come forward for the testing.

"Secondly, we are going to do an online booking system. So preferably we won't be seeing crowds or long queues in front of the swabbing stations to have the test done," Lam said.

But others still could not understand why an election could not be organized in say two or three days and have an online booking system of when to vote and line up at the appointed time to avoid the long queues Lam is so concerned about.

And even better, people who are voting will not take their masks off, whereas those conducting virus tests could have a chance of being exposed to Covid-19, and must wear full personal protective equipment.

But alas we must be grateful to the central government for footing the bill for these tests and not allowing us to exercise our right to vote.

Lam's combativeness with the media only reveals her short temper as well as her inability to understand why others don't have the same views as her...

Yes, You can be Reinfected With Covid-19

We may be wearing masks for a long time with the possibility of reinfection

Hong Kong recorded nine new coronavirus cases today, the first time in single digits since July 3.

While this was good news, Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection cautioned it was too early to tell if restrictions on social distancing should be lifted, such as allowing customers to eat dinner in restaurants.

Chuang says it's too early to lift social-distancing restrictions

She hinted there were already 10 preliminary positive cases for tomorrow.

Nevertheless, there was one curious case -- the world's first -- that shows even if someone has recovered from Covid-19, they can be reinfected again.

Case #564 is a 33-year-old IT worker who was infected with the coronavirus in April but only had mild symptoms and then recovered.

In early August he flew to Spain for a trip and when the man returned to Hong Kong he had no symptoms but tested positive for the virus again.

Researchers from the University of Hong Kong wanted to find out if he was a "persistent carrier" from his previous infection. But it turns out from gene sequencing that the second strain was markedly different from the first. The second strain matched those found in Europe during July and August.

"Many believe that recovered Covid-19 patients have immunity against re-infection because most developed a serum neutralizing antibody response. However, there is evidence that some patients have waning antibody level after a few months," the researchers said in their study that was accepted by the Clinical Infectious Diseases journal.

A HK man was reinfected with Covid-19 while in Spain

"Our findings suggest that the SARS-CoV-2 may persist in the global human population as is the case for other common cold-associated human coronaviruses, even if the patients have acquired immunity via natural infection," they said.

The researchers suggested recovered patients should continue wearing masks and should also consider getting vaccinated.

This new development puts a damper on hope that once this was all over we'd all be fine. Nope. The possibility of re-infection is real and possible.

Get used to wearing masks, folks. This virus is in it for the long haul.

I just got an update that Thailand will be open to visitors in October, but they would still have to quarantine for two weeks before being let loose in the Kingdom of Smiles... how many visitors are actually going to go?

Pandemic Hits Poor the Hardest

There are more unemployed among the working poor than other Hongkongers

It is devastating how the coronavirus pandemic has severely impacted the worldwide economy, and Hong Kong is no exception.

Today there was a news report on the exhibitions industry, that 50 exhibitions and conferences were cancelled this year so far that would have drawn 54,000 exhibitors and 3.4 million visitors.

Last year some 1.69 million people came to Hong Kong for MICE events (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions), which made up of 55 percent of the total business visitors according to the Hong Kong Tourism Board.

SoCO released its survey on low-income workers today

That has a knock-on effect on hotels, restaurants and shops in the city.

There are about 600 firms related to exhibitions in Hong Kong, all paying rent on warehouse space, and staff, and many sitting on lots of product that they need to sell, not to mention the hundreds of casual staff without work.

Others being hit very hard by the pandemic are the working poor. Their unemployment rate is eight times higher than the city's unemployment rate, and more than one-third do not get government subsidies because they find it too cumbersome to get through all the bureaucratic red tape.

The Society for Community Organization (SoCO) conducted a survey of more than 330 low-income residents and found 31.5 percent had lost their jobs between May and July, and 28 percent had not worked for an entire year.

Seventy-five percent of those surveyed had been unemployed for those three months, and 10 percent were behind on rent. 

Many found it too troublesome to apply for subsidies

Hong Kong's unemployment rate for the same period was 6.1 percent.

"The city's low-income residents are living in a disaster zone compared to other people," said SoCO community organizer Sze Lai-shan. "For those who have been unemployed for months, they are having to eat less or even take out loans.

"The government has been giving out subsidies, but the poorest among us are not getting a single cent."

Some of those interviewed complained they weren't able to reach officials from the social welfare department for help because many government staff are working from home during the pandemic.

Things are getting really desperate for these people who wonder how they are going to survive the next few days let alone the next month.

Has the government forgotten about them?

Or are they expected to follow Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung Kin-chung's advice to get a job washing dishes?

Chief Secretary Advises Youth to Wash Dishes

Matthew Cheung says young people should lower their job expectations

Senior government officials think they understand the lives of average Hongkongers, but they really do live in an ivory tower. Career bureaucrats are the worst people to dispense career advice to the next generation.

At a virtual meeting held by the Youth Development Commission yesterday, Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung Kin-chung tried to assuage young people's fears about their job prospects in the current economic climate.

The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in Hong Kong's unemployment rate at 6.1 percent, but for young people aged 15-29 it is as high as 22.1 percent, while for those aged 20-24 it is 16.2 percent.

Unemployment among young people is as high as 22 percent

He said the government will hire 10,000 civil servants this year, with most of them being junior positions, and that there were 5,000 internships with the government and HK$6 billion for youth entrepreneurship and employment.

Given that younger cohorts of the civil service now have to swear allegiance to the SAR and uphold the Basic Law, and will probably have their social media accounts carefully scrutinized for their political leanings, not many of them may be eligible for these posts.

And how can one even start a business without any previous work experience? Isn't that even more daunting and riskier than finding a job?

During the meeting, one young woman named Chloe introduced herself as a recent history graduate at Chinese University. She said she sent out some 70 CVs but didn't get much of a response, or the position that was previously advertised was not available because companies were cutting costs.

Would a university graduate like to get a job washing dishes?

Cheung replied he didn't think it would be harder for someone with a liberal arts degree to find a job, and that the most important thing employers were looking for was the right attitude.

"You should lower your expectations," he said. "Dish washing is also work experience. So is sweeping the floor."

How is that advice even aspirational?

When this quote was circulated on Twitter, Cheung got a virtual drubbing. Many tweeted that there were fewer dishes to wash these days because more people were ordering takeaway because of the dining ban in the evenings.

Others criticized him for dismissing young people's valid concerns about job prospects, and instead frames it as their own fault that their expectations are too high.

It just goes to show how the government perceives the next generation of Hong Kong, and doesn't give them any hope except to literally start from the bottom despite working hard to get a tertiary education.

Free Coronavirus Test, Anyone?

The Hong Kong government's latest slogan on fighting the coronavirus

As Hong Kong reported 27 new cases today, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor held a press conference and gave more details about the mass testing for the coronavirus that is set to begin on September 1 for two weeks.

Even though the number of new cases has significantly dropped in the last two days, the government is strongly encouraging everyone to take the free test sponsored by Beijing.

Anyone over the age of six can register online for the test, giving their name, HKID number, contact details, and preferred time and testing station to ensure social distancing.

Lam urged all Hongkongers to participate in the free test

When people arrive at the testing station, their details will be checked and then given a barcode on their test bottle. That way on the Department of Health knows the people's identities.

Then a trained doctor, nurse or dentist will administer the test, taking nose and throat swabs and then put them in the test bottle.

If the person tests negative for the virus they will get an SMS message; if they are positive, then arrangements will be made for them to get medical treatment as soon as possible.

The 150 swab stations will be open from 8am to 8pm everyday for two weeks. After the samples are tested they will be destroyed in Hong Kong.

While Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee hopes 5 million people will take advantage of the one-time free test, it is uncertain whether that many people will actually take part.

Handing out testing kits to residents in Tsz Wan Shan earlier

"The more tests we do to identify more cases, the less we have to worry about," she said.

Secretary for Civil Service Patrick Nip Tak-kuen says those who take the test will have their privacy respected.

"The tests will only be carried out in the city, and neither the personal details or the specimen bottles will be sent outside the city," he said.

"We know the program is voluntary, but we hope the public can participate actively... so that we can identify more hidden cases, and cut off the transmission chain earlier," Nip continued. "For yourself, for your loved ones, and for those medical workers, please participate."

Sounds like they are practically begging people to take the test.

Lam even pleaded with the media to report on the test "objectively" and encourage the public to take the test.

But Hong Kong's top infectious disease experts question the effectiveness of mass testing if only a few people participate.

Dr Ho said today that mass testing is like "wasting bullets"

University of Hong Kong microbiologist Ho Pak-leung said the government would be "wasting bullets" if the tests are not targeted at people with higher risk of infection.

He cited the case of Tsz Wan Shan, a Covid-19 hotspot, where 40,000 free tests were given out to public housing residents there; of the 29,000 samples collected, only a few tested positive.

Ho said it would be better to focus more on patients in hospitals and frontline workers in hospitals and elderly care homes. He also added the mainland brought the disease under control from early diagnosis and isolation.

"You have to aim at some targets, otherwise you are just wasting bullets."

Touche.

Justice Secretary Halts Two Private Prosecutions

Teresa Cheng has intervened in two private prosecutions this week

In Hong Kong, most prosecutions are brought on by the Department of Justice, though the common law system allows for residents to pursue charges under the Magistrates Ordinance.

Lawmaker Ted Hui Chi-fung was exercising that right, trying to privately prosecute over two incidents that happened during the protests last year. One was when a policeman shot 21-year-old protester Chow Pak-kwan at point blank range during a confrontation in Sai Wan Ho last November.

Ted Hui wants to get justice for the victims

The other was when a 59-year-old taxi driver, Henry Cheng Kwok-chuen, drove into some people in Sham Shui Po protesting over the government ban on using masks to hide identities last October.

However with the space of three days this week, Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah has intervened to halt both these prosecutions.

While the Department of Justice does have the final say in criminal prosecutions "free from interference", but both of them? In less than a week?

Hui accused Cheng of putting politics above the rule of law, saying: "Teresa Cheng has adopted improper means to terminate the private prosecution without providing any reasonable grounds."

He continued by saying her action jeopardized the right of the DoJ to have complete control over prosecutions "free from interference".

"This, in turn, becomes a support for violence used by the police and government supporters, upending rights and wrongs and seriously harming residents' right to bring private prosecutions under the common law," he said, vowing to lodge a judicial review to challenge the decision.

The moment when Chow was shot by a police officer

In her blog post in June, Cheng wrote private prosecutions "which are groundless or frivolous or brought out of improper motives or political considerations should not be condoned".

Do these two cases fit her above descriptions of those that should not be prosecuted?

In the case of Chow the student, he was shot in the abdomen and had to have one of his kidneys and half his liver removed because of the damage caused by the bullet. Chow has had to quit studying because he has trouble concentrating and needs psychological counselling. He was charged with attempting to steal a Hong Kong policeman's gun. Hui was trying to prosecute the police officer.

Meanwhile Hui also wanted to prosecute taxi driver Cheng, though he claims to have no idea how he lost control of his car. A 23-year-old woman suffered serious fractures to both legs when the vehicle mounted the pavement outside Cheung Sha Wan government offices before smashing a store front.

Cheng's taxi crashed into protesters last November

Right after, witnesses dragged Cheng out of the taxi and beat him up, leaving him with fractured ribs and had to have four stitches in his head. But he was never charged in the incident, though two other men at the scene were charged with rioting and later released on bail.

Hui will meet the justice secretary in about 15 days' time to discuss the latter case; maybe then she will reveal the real reason behind halting the prosecutions, which has only been done twice in 51 cases from 1996 to 2013...

Camping in a Typhoon

Typhoon Higos (the giant white swirl) was over Hong Kong last night

Typhoon Higos paid Hong Kong a visit last night, coming closest to the city around 2am when the local observatory raised the typhoon signal from T8 to T9. It went back down to T8 at 7.40am and then T3 just after 11am.

Usually we can see typhoons coming days away leaving much speculation about what time it will come closest to Hong Kong and more importantly, will we have a day off.

Tap Mun, or Grass Island in perfect conditions for camping

But this time Typhoon Higos developed quite quickly and in the afternoon the observatory raised the signal to T3 at around 2.30pm, then warned it would go up to T8 by 10.40pm.

As a result most people were safely indoors -- except for a 38-year-old man and his 70-year-old mother -- who were out camping!

They were on a remote islet called Tap Mun (Grass Island) when they called at 7am on Friday morning while T9 was in force, asking to be rescued after all their belongings had blown away.

Both were uninjured, but the mother was diagnosed with hypothermia.

At first the police sought help from the Government Flying Service to airlift the woman to hospital, but the helicopter could not be deployed because of bad weather. Therefore a rescue team had to hike in typhoon conditions to find them.

The 70-year-old woman who was rescued had hypothermia

They were then taken down to a marine launch, which ferried the pair to Sai Kung.

The man apparently went camping on Friday and had no mobile signal so he was completely unaware of the typhoon coming, while his mother joined him on Tuesday, though it is not clear at what time.

The wind gusts overnight in Tap Mun ranged from 71km/h to as high as 101km/h.

What was that man doing camping when the weather was turning bad? And for his mother to join him? Unbelievable.

We can only hope she recovers and her son learns a lesson not to drag her out camping during a typhoon! Hope he paid for the rescue because people literally risked their lives to get them to safety when they should not have been out at all.