Picture of the Day: Hong Kong Today

What's wrong with this picture, taken today in the MTR station?

 

This is a picture of a young person reading the Apple Daily newspaper in the Prince Edward MTR station.

The high school student, called David, is doing his own one-person protest, but several police officers came over and cordoned him off with orange tape as if he were at best a performance artist, and at worst, an animal.

Is a teenager not allowed to read the newspaper in the MTR? 

If anyone wanted more proof the police are criminalizing Hong Kong's youth, this is it.

Patriotism is an Obligation, not an Option

City Garden Hotel is celebrating National Day with pride

 

Tomorrow is not only Mid-Autumn Festival, but also the 71st anniversary of the establishment of the People's Republic of China.

Some businesses are trying to show how patriotic they are, with City Garden Hotel plastering two flags, the Hong Kong and Chinese flags to celebrate national day.

Luo said patriotism is a duty, not a choice

There's also another big banner in Admiralty near a flyover for everyone to see.

The campaign to force Hongkongers into submission continued today with Luo Huining, director of the liaison office stressed patriotism is not an option but an obligation.

"As Chinese, loving the country is not a choice, but a duty, and even more so, the correct path," he said.

Stark words for people still reeling from last year's extradition protests, and now the recently implemented national security law.

"The National People's Congress enacted the Hong Kong national security law to end the madness of Hong Kong independence advocacy and the black violence that ran out of control," Luo said, referring to the colour worn by anti-government protesters.

He added civil servants and students should receive more education on national security, the country's situation, Chinese history and culture, the Chinese constitution, and the Basic Law.

Red banners celebrating national day

To demand Hongkongers to be patriotic to China is while not surprising, will not win the hearts and minds of the people. 

This hard line approach will only make people more recalcitrant.

Meanwhile also today the families of the 12 detained in Shenzhen pleaded in front of the liaison office to be able to pass messages and mooncakes to their loved ones.

The People's Procuratorate in Shenzhen's Yantian district said this evening they had approved the arrests of 10 in the group over crossing the national border unlawfully, and two others for planning the offense. 

A woman, who is wanted by Hong Kong police, and Tang Kai-yin, a 30-year-old salesman who was earlier charged with conspiracy to commit arson with intent were both accused of organizing the operation.

Pro-establishment newspaper Sing Tao Daily cited a source saying that Tang was the driver of the speedboat with 11 others on board.

Under China's Criminal Law, people arrested for illegally crossing face one year in jail, but those who are convicted of organizing others to do so can be sentenced to up to seven years in jail.  If someone is found to have a principal role in operating a syndicate for illegal border crossings, or who violently resist law enforcement, the penalty can be life in prison.

To hear the 12 have been formally arrested and charged will be devastating news for the families.  

This year Mid-Autumn Festival will be sombre one with the coronavirus pandemic, social-distancing limited to four in public, and now dramatic weather with thunderstorms and heavy rain... and yes -- love the country -- it's a must!

Pan-Democrats Unite to Fight, while PLA Dock now Official

Pan-democrats have three less members, but ready to fight

 

As the Legislative Council elections in early September were postponed due to pandemic concerns (cough cough), the government somehow wrangled a way to extend the sitting of Legco for another year with Beijing's consent.

That left lawmakers, particular pan-democrats who had planned to leave and those who were going to stay to ponder if they still wanted to keep those positions or change their minds.

That's because Beijing's decision of extended the term goes against the Basic Law, and that the lawmakers' mandate was over when the term ended.

It was such a gut-wrenching decision for them to make that they commissioned a poll conducted by the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute and Chinese University's public opinion survey centre. 

Lam says the bloc has three priorities in Legco

The results were announced today in a press conference, but were hardly definitive. Of the 2,579 respondents, 47.1 percent said the lawmakers should stay, while 45.8 percent said they should leave, and 7 percent had a neutral position.

The "stay" camp didn't have a decisive majority, so the pan-democrats were back at square one to decide for themselves what to do.

Yesterday Raymond Chan Chi-chuen and Eddie Chu Hoi-dick announced they were leaving, and today Civic Party's Tanya Chan announced tearily that she would leave as well.

At the press conference, Democratic Party chairman Wu Chi-wai said the bloc, including all seven incumbents from his party, had made "a very difficult political judgment" to serve out the extended term.

"We believe it is important for us to maintain the battlefront in Legco to fight the tyranny," said Wu, who is now convenor of the new bloc. "We will relentlessly block all evil government policies, in hope of slowing down the erosion of freedom in Hong Kong."

Fellow Democratic Party lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting said the 19 who decided to stay had established three priorities for the extended term: continue to pressure the administration over the plight of the 12 Hongkongers detained in Shenzhen; block amendments to Legco ordinances to investigate supporters of last year's anti-government protests; and to call for an early resumption of legislative elections.

Chan tearfully announced she would leave Legco

Fernando Cheung Chiu-hung of the Labour Party had earlier announced he would leave, but is now staying.  

Currently there are 65 lawmakers in Legco, 41 in the pro-establishment camp and previously 22 pan-democrats, now down to 19, and two independents.

So now what? Political scientist Ivan Choy Chi-keung of Chinese University believes the remaining pan-democrat lawmakers could become more radical in Legco.

"[Pan-democrats] might adopt a more confrontational approach towards the government in the council," he said. "They have to prove that they will not betray the democratic supporters."

They also need to be more coordinated in their efforts which means being united on every issue to have as much of a presence in Legco as possible; divisions within the camp will render them powerless, and so it won't be surprising if the pro-Beijing camp try to divide and conquer them.

Now that this quandary has been dealt with, can we talk about today's low-key announcement?

This is the blocked off PLA dock, an eyesore

At the Central harbourfront, in front of Tamar, is a 150-metre long thin sliver of land that is barricaded with an ugly fence while weeds have grown in the unkempt space.

Meanwhile people walking along the waterfront have to purposely go around it, and for years, activists have campaigned for the dock to be opened up most of the time for public use.

However, the cordoned off area is a military dock for the People's Liberation Army to use, and today it is officially theirs.

As of this morning at 7am it was declared a military restricted zone that will be managed and used by the PLA Hong Kong Garrison from now on.

Does this mean soldiers will be posted at this strip of land? Or will it continue to remain a locked-up eyesore?

These people are not wearing masks or distancing

In any event, during this morning's ceremony, 11 special guests stood shoulder to shoulder and were not wearing masks. They included Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and her deputy Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, and liaison office director Luo Huining.

How is it that they can stand together and police aren't ticketing them for not social distancing or not wearing masks?

Seems like a two-tier system going on... 

Or should we wait what happens in the next two weeks?

Six Years Ago Today

Yellow umbrellas in force at Admiralty six years ago

 

Six years ago today was the start of the Umbrella Movement. I remember that day in Admiralty, seeing people carrying umbrellas and some wearing masks and goggles. What was going to happen? 

I just knew there were students holed up at Civic Square, surrounded by the police and people demanded that they be let go.

Nothing happened, so my friend YTSL and I grabbed a bite to eat in a restaurant in Pacific Place shopping mall and that's when I checked Twitter to discover people had occupied the roads.

When teargas was fired, umbrellas were defense

In disbelief we went back to see a surreal sight of people on the roads, helping each other climb over the highway barriers and wandering around. It was so bizarre we wandered around too and wondered how long this would last.

Later that evening around 6pm the police fired teargas into the crowds, who tried to defend themselves with umbrellas. People watching the scenes unfold on television were in shock and rushed over to Admiralty.

It would be 79 days before the occupation ended, and it was the spark that ignited the passion of fighting for democracy in Hong Kong. The community spirit at Admiralty was warm, friendly, eco-friendly. It had a utopian atmosphere of what people believed Hong Kong should be.

Students set up desks to do their homework and people volunteered to tutor them, people drew posters, encouraged others to write notes on the first Lennon Wall, and others created arts and crafts inspired by the movement.

The famous or infamous televised debate

Meanwhile the government was caught completely off guard and had no idea what to do. They looked worse debating student leaders, who demanded that the election reform should include nominations from local citizens. However, the government claimed this fell outside the framework of the Basic Law and the National People's Congress Standing Committee decision.

The government revealed its impotence though it claimed the talks were "candid and meaningful", while the student leaders expressed disappointment in the lack of concrete results.

The protests revealed the growing divide between pro-establishment and pro-democracy camps, both becoming more entrenched in their positions.

And then on December 15, 2014 the Umbrella Movement ended unceremoniously with people being arrested for refusing to leave the protest sites, and the police cleaning up the roads for traffic to finally resume.

I never thought I would see the roads occupied by people ever again until it happened again five years later with the anti-extradition protests. 

Protesters regrouped in Admiralty last year

All that pent-up frustration and anger exploded again in the city, revealing that people still had the passion inside them to protest what they felt was not good for Hong Kong. 

But alas it has come to this -- a tone-deaf government controlled by the heavy hand of Beijing. The implementation of the national security law in the hours before July 1 came out of the blue for everyone else, but was the plan all along to force Hongkongers into submission.

And with the ongoing pandemic, it makes it even easier for Beijing to do as it pleases, postponing the Legislative Council elections (that should have been earlier this month), and outright banning mass protests all in the name of social distancing.

October 1 will have a loaded meaning this year, as it is China's national day and Mid-Autumn Festival. And the legend has it that over 600 years ago, the Han overthrew the Mongol Yuan dynasty by inserting secret messages inside the mooncakes...

A mini protest tonight in Pacific Place

Tonight there was a low-key protest at Pacific Place to mark the sixth anniversary of the Umbrella Movement. About two dozen peo

ple turned out to shout anti-government slogans and sing protest songs.

While police watched nearby they didn't arrest anyone, and instead urged people to disperse.

The Civil Human Rights Front had applied for a march to protest the 12 people detained on the mainland on October 1, but that was immediately banned due to social-distancing measures. 

What will happen next?

Press Freedom Under Attack in Hong Kong

Journalists on the frontlines reporting on last year's protests

 

Press freedom in Hong Kong continues to be in a perilous state, with Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung Kin-chung reiterating what the police force said earlier this week, that the force's definition of who a journalist is will make it easier for front-line officers to distinguish between bona fide reporters and those "fake reporters" who blend into the crowd.

In his blog today, Cheung also said that press freedom in the city was protected by the Basic Law, adding more than 200 media organizations, including more than 30 online outlets were registered with the official Government News and Media Information Service.

However, how many of those 200 media organizations does the Hong Kong Police recognize?

Press freedom continues to be eroded by police

On Tuesday the force announced that only those reporters who were registered with the government news service or who work for "well known international media were "journalists".

Previously the definition of journalist included anyone with credentials from a local media organization, along with members of two press unions.

A coalition of eight media groups said on Thursday they were considering a legal challenge to the policy, adding the police had failed to substantiate claims about bogus journalists. In addition journalism instructors from the various universities in Hong Kong blasted the policy, saying it excluded student journalists.

They have been crucial frontline reporters who have courageously recorded incidents police brutality last year.  These include: police beating up passengers in the MTR carriage at Prince Edward station on August 31; an officer shot a protester at point blank range in Sai Wan Ho on November 11; another protester shot on October 1 by police.

The most recent clip by student reporters was on September 6, earlier this month, when several officers pinned down a 12-year-old girl in Mongkok.

After the Foreign Correspondents' Club wrote an open letter firmly opposing the move, the Foreign Ministry office in Hong Kong also weighed in, accusing the FCC of "meddling with Hong Kong affairs on the pretext of press freedom". 

Student reporter captured officer shooting protester

Unbelievable... the job of the FCC to speak out about press freedom the city.

Meanwhile, RTHK has reopened an investigation into reporter, Nabela Qoser, who is known for her blunt questions directed at government officials.

During last year's protests she asked very pointed questions at Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and Secretary for Security Stephen Lo Wai-chung.

After the Yuen Long attacks of white-shirted men on people in the MTR station, Qoser asked Lam in Cantonese, "Where were you all last night?" and demanded that Lam "answer like a human being".

While many people praised her for asking what everyone wanted to know, pro-Beijing media have accused her of being "rude to government officials" and some have even urged RTHK to fire her. 

A staff member at RTHK who spoke on condition of anonymity said it was frustrating to see management assessing staff based on external pressure, and not on the merits of their work.

RTHK's Nabela Qoser known for her blunt style

"We've been fighting on the frontline, but the management are now working with some external force to suppress us," the person said.

The employee added Qoser has passed all six of her appraisals over the past three years.

Press freedom is very vulnerable in Hong Kong now. While there are reporters working hard to get the truth out, at the same time everyone must do whatever they can to protect press freedom from being further eroded.

 

Beijing Demands Hong Kong Patriotism

Last year's protests resulted in this year's national security law

Beijing continues its crusade to win the hearts and minds of Hongkongers albeit in a more forceful way these days.

After last year's protests rocked the city for months, and included attacks on the liaison office, the Chinese authorities lost their patience and implemented the national security law June 30 in a bid to scare people into submission.

Chen says new law won't lead to more patriots

While the new law is meant to prevent people from committing national security crimes against Hong Kong and China, it will not make make them feel more Chinese or Hongkonger. In other words it will not make them feel more patriotic.

Albert Chen Hung-yee who is also a Basic Law Committee member said Saturday the question of collective identity -- whether society considers themselves Hongkongers or Chinese -- won't be easily resolved.

"It is difficult to see how this collective identity problem can be solved in the forseeable future," Chen said. "The National Security law can prohibit people from advocating secession, but it cannot prohibit people from thinking in certain directions."

Chen, who is a constitutional law expert at the University of Hong Kong, said the new law enacted by Beijing -- that bans acts of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces to endanger national security -- will not help resolve this issue.

Xi presses the button to vote on the new law

"It cannot change people's psychology or sense of collective identity as to who they are, whether they are Hongkongers and Chinese, and so on. So I don't think this problem can be resolved in the foreseeable future," he said in an online seminar on the SAR's governance after the implementation of the national security law.

He gave the example of the government introducing the national education scheme in 2012 that was meant to address identity, but was eventually shelved due to protests and backlash because it promoted the Communist Party of China.

The recent universal testing programme was meant to be another exercise in getting local residents to praise Beijing for helping expand mass coronavirus testing faster, the implementation of the scheme happened as the number of new cases dropped significantly, and it was a shock to find out afterwards that Hong Kong had to foot a HK$530 million bill for the two-week test that only found 42 positive cases out of 1.7 million people who participated; basically the entire exercise was a waste in public funds.

Mass protests against national education in 2012

So Beijing will have to think of other ways to win the hearts and minds of Hongkongers. But without understanding where they come from (families who fled the Communists), the Chinese will never be able to fully convert Hongkongers peacefully; tensions will remain for generations to come.

 

Increasing Threats on Joshua Wong

Joshua Wong says Hongkongers will not easily surrender

 

Day by day the level of absurdity in Hong Kong rises a notch or two higher. Earlier this week it was the Hong Kong police determining who was a real reporter and who was "fake" to ensure smooth operations.

And then yesterday Joshua Wong Chi-fung was arrested for allegedly breaching the anti-mask law last October 5, when people were banned from covering their faces during protests.

The irony is that wearing masks is mandatory these days because of the coronavirus pandemic.

He was also arrested for allegedly taking part in an illegal assembly that day as well.

Koo Sze-yiu is a veteran social activist

The force said the October 5 protest was not authorized under the Public Order Ordinance, hence the charge. The 23-year-old Wong was arrested along with 74-year-old Koo Sze-yiu, a veteran social activist who has was recently diagnosed with cancer and is in hospital, according to fellow activist Nathan Law Kwun-chung.

After Wong was released on bail, he told the media waiting outside the Central Police Station that the timing of his arrest and prosecution were politically motivated.

"The government wants to produce a chilling effect on Hong Kong people to frighten people away from the October 1 march," he said, referring to the planned National Day rally.

"But I can declare that I will continue to resist and we should also let the world know Hong Kong people will not easily surrender. They can't censor our commitment to fight for freedom. The chilling effect will not work and is not the way out -- they cannot force us to surrender."

Many opposition politicians, rights groups and the European Union weighed in on Wong's arrest.

Richardson says authorities want to silence Wong

Alan Leong Kah-kit, chairman of the Civic Party said: "It's so ridiculous for the government to arrest people over participating in an anti-mask law rally when everyone now in Hong Kong has to wear masks in public places [under coronavirus measures]."

Human Rights Watch said the Hong Kong government should stop prosecuting pro-democracy activists.

"The Hong Kong authorities keep dredging up dubious cases against Joshua Wong in a heavy-handed attempt to silence him," said Sophie Richardson, China director. "Hong Kong and Chinese authorities should realize that people in Hong Kong have responded to attacks on pro-democracy voices with ever greater resolve in calling for human rights."

Law, who is currently in exile in London, is concerned that while the authorities have not yet arrested Wong for breaching the national security law, it will only be a matter of time. 

"By arresting him and charging him once more, it sends a strong signal to Joshua that, basically telling Joshua that [he should] not do anything, otherwise we will arrest you under the national security law which is much more draconian and the maximum penalty will be life-long sentencing. I think that kind of intimidation is clear," Law told CBC Radio's current affairs show As It Happens.

Law with former HK governor Chris Patten

The Civil Human Rights Front had applied to the police to hold a rally on October 1 to protest against the mainland authorities for detaining 12 people who allegedly attempted to flee to Taiwan. However, the police rejected the application, citing social-distancing measures where a maximum of four people may gather in public, and that a large crowd could constitute a "grave threat" to public health and public safety.

The front has said it will appeal, and if rejected again, will think of other ways people can protest.

By the way there were only two new coronavirus cases today...

Picture of the Day: Pandemic Sourdough

A delicious sourdough with flax seeds and chia seeds

When the coronavirus pandemic erupted in Hong Kong in late January, supermarkets ran out of toilet paper, cleaning supplies, rice... and flour.

Amateur bakers started making sourdough, a pretty time-consuming recipe that takes around 30 hours as the dough has to be stretched and folded every half hour for a few hours before it is baked in the oven.

A beautiful-looking loaf with heft too!

I'm very lucky to have two friends who have decent-sized ovens at home and each have made a sourdough for me recently.

One is a busy mother of two who bakes when she has time or uses it as an opportunity to de-stress, the other is a hotel general manager, who has a very quiet hotel these days and now has more time to attend to his hobby.

He takes meticulous notes of the process like a methodical scientist and takes pictures. Every person who has received his loaf has praised how delicious it is.

Earlier this week I received an organic cranberry sourdough loaf from him and it was very professional looking, even using a banneton, the ridged clay-pot to get the circular pattern on the top.

When I get bread I slice it up and then put half the loaf in the freezer and the other half to eat in the next few days.

Inside is moist with lots of cranberries

I haven't eaten so much bread till this pandemic, but as a comfort food, these homemade loaves are like a warm hug from thoughtful friends.

Missing the Music

Yo-Yo Ma performing one of his #songsofcomfort

I can't remember the last time I attended a live classical music concert -- sometime last year, but who the artist was and when it is all a distant memory.

But good news -- from October 1, people can attend live performances, though at half capacity, and a maximum of two seats together, and probably everyone wearing masks.

Back in March, YTSL and I were going to attend a series of concerts during the Hong Kong Arts Festival, but the entire event had to be scrapped at the last minute. And now over six months later we can finally get a dose of culture in our lives.

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Ironically in times like these music is a very good way to comfort others, but with this pandemic we cannot gather.

While musicians like Yo-Yo Ma played pieces of music with the hashtag #songsofcomfort, tried to give some levity to people on social media, German pianist Igor Levit began streaming his performances every night from his home to fans around the world, and violinist Itzak Perlman, who tells a terrible joke and then about a minute of music. Wonder if this is going to be his new act?

Violinist Itzak Perlman tells some corny jokes

In any event, one musician who has flown to Hong Kong and is now counting down the days in hotel quarantine is the young German pianist Alexander Krichel. He is here to perform with the

 

 

Hong Kong Sinfonietta on September 26 -- but there won't be anyone in the audience, though the concert will be recorded.

While stuck in his hotel room, Krichel has been admiring the city from his window in Wan Chai, and reports playing a lot of piano; he brought several books (The Gambler by Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov, and A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking), but he hasn't touched them at all.

"I don't have to go anywhere or attend appointments. It's my best excuse ever to be with my piano for two weeks. It's amazing," said the 31-year-old, who has recorded a quarantine video diary on Facebook.

"By the third day, I wasn't jet lagged anymore and once I even practiced till 4.30 in the morning. With this

view of Hong Kong, it's very intimate, romantic moment with the piano. It's only us and it's so beautiful."

He added the experience in quarantine has reaffirmed his love for music and his profession.

Alexander Krichel in his hotel room in Hong Kong

Krichel has come up with creative ways to still draw audiences during the pandemic. In May he staged a drive-in piano recital in Iserlohn, Germany, playing to about 200 people in 90 cars. 

As of yesterday Krichel completed his quarantine and celebrated with a visit to the Peak! Too bad we won't get to watch him live after the two weeks of hotel prison he has gone through. 

But hopefully we can catch a concert of two, before the fourth wave hits...

Lam Claims Govt Battling Misconceptions

A top judge quits and police redefine reporting in HK

 

It was shocking news to hear that an Australian judge had resigned from the Court of Final Appeal back on September 2, but it was only disclosed a few days ago, after the announcement was gazetted. The other concern was why.

Apparently he did not explain why in his resignation letter, but Justice James Spigelman later told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation it was because of the new national security law, but would not elaborate further. He is quitting two years ahead of schedule as a non-permanent judge in Hong Kong's highest court.

Today in her regular press briefing, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor insisted the judicial system remained intact despite Spigelman's imminent departure, and she would not speculate on why he was leaving even though he had briefly explained to the ABC.

Carrie Lam claims judiciary still in tact

"In his resignation to me, he did not mention at all any reason or any consideration in his decision. So I cannot speculate on his rationale for doing so, except to stress under the Basic Law, we welcome judges from other common law jurisdictions to sit on the Court of Final Appeal," she said.

"And right now, we have 13 very eminent judges from common law jurisdictions, and I'm sure Hong Kong will benefit from their wise counsel and expertise in adjudicating cases."

Should we be comforted by this? There are concerns other judges may quit as well, though one, Justice Robert French told the ABC he would stay on.

"I have the greatest admiration for the chief justice and other permanent justices of that court and for their commitment to maintaining its judicial independence," he said.

"My continuance in office is a reflection of my support for their commitment and my belief in their capacity to give effect to it. I would not continue if I believed otherwise."

Nevertheless, Lam admitted today the government was battling perceptions about the new national security law internationally, that it was opaque in its definition and appeared to repress people's freedoms.

But she felt those concerns were misplaced.

Justice James Spigelman has quit top court

"Whether it is the constitutional arrangement or the enactment of the national security law, they will not affect judicial independence or the rule of law," she said.

"The legal system is as robust as ever under the national security law."

Lam said the government and China's foreign ministry have been countering what she claim

ed were misrepresentations, and that they were explaining to the international community that the new law aimed at restoring law and order in Hong Kong and make the city a more attractive business hub.

Law and order is being restored according to the police's own definition and not according to the Basic Law. Today the police announced it will limit only reporters from news outlets recognized by the government to attend press briefings and restricted areas.

Starting from tomorrow, the force will stop recognizing press accreditation issued by local media groups or journalist associations, unless they are registered with the Information Services Department. Internationally recognized media outlets will not be affected.

The big question is -- does this mean Apple Daily -- will be allowed behind restricted lines?

The police claims this new move will prevent political activists and "fake reporters" from attending these press briefings, while local media organizations, including the Foreign Correspondents' Club have blasted this latest development, accusing it of suppressing press freedom.

Police now decides who is media and who isn't

"Journalist associations have been calling on us to give a clear definition of 'the press'. The new measures provide an objective and transparent definition, which helps facilitate real members of the press to do their job," said a senior officer involved in formulating the new policy.

However, leading journalist groups said the definition had been changed without them being consulted.

Previously, media representatives were defined as news workers in possession of identity proof issued by individual newspapers, news agencies, or television and radio outlets, as well as those with membership cards provided by the Hong Kong Journalists Association or the Hong Kong Press Photographers Association.

But apparently now the police won't recognize the above definition anymore -- meaning media outlets and journalism associations don't mean anything to the force, real or fake.

HKJA chairman Chris Yeung Kin-hing said the change was "very sudden and regrettable", as the existing arrangement had been agreed after discussion with the police and government.

"It's damaging to our working relationship with the police as they changed it without consulting us," he said. "There has been no proven case that the HKJA or the photographers association's membership cards caused any problem. The force just used the public impression that there are 'fake reporters' as the basis to make this change."

Reporters routinely tear gassed by police last year

The police are using this latest move to control the narrative after the negative reporting on their tactics against protesters during last year's protests. This does not bode well for media organizations, as well as young student reporters, many of whom have been fearless in their front-line reporting. 

One of the latest by student reporters was the video clip of the 12-year-old girl who was pinned down by police on September 6 in Mongkok during a protest; the girl claims she was in the area buying art supplies.

Hong Kong is changing rapidly, its authorities spinning its own revisionist history, and no

w proactively moving towards controlling the narrative despite claims that free press and free speech are alive and well.

Sadly the city's band of journalists who believe "the pen is mightier than the sword" are waging a political battle of not only getting the truth out, but also proving their own integrity.

A Reminder to Pay for One's Sins

Chan on his release day with Reverend Koon last October

Local media outlet Stand News published a three-part interview with the mother of Poon Hiu-wing, who was murdered by Chan Tong-kai in February 2018. That gruesome crime sparked the Hong Kong government's decision to push through the extradition bill that led to last year's months'-long protests.

Chan, 20, and Poon, then 19, went on holiday to Taiwan over two years ago and the night before they were supposed to return to Hong Kong, they had an argument that escalated to Chan killing her, stuffing her body into a suitcase and dumping it before coming back alone.

Poon's mother reported her missing, at which point Chan was arrested for four counts of money laundering, as he withdrew money from his victim's account. He admitted killing Poon and disclosed where he dumped the body, which was later found.

Poon's mother says Chan should go to Taiwan

In Hong Kong he was convicted and sentenced to 29 months in prison, and was released on October 23 last year. The media covered his release, where he publicly apologized to Poon's family, and added he was willing to surrender himself to Taiwan.

But since then he hasn't been seen in public and it has almost been a year since he left prison.

Which is probably why Poon's mother wanted to remind Chan about his promise.

She talked about her daughter who she described as a sweet, filial child who was academically minded, and the mother and daughter would go shopping and watch movies like sisters.

However, she knew her daughter was in a relationship with Chan and didn't approve. 

Since the murder, Poon's mother has suffered bouts of depression. She recalls going to the spot where her daughter's body was found, and she couldn't bear to see the badly decomposed body before cremation.

The hotel Chan and Poon stayed at in Taipei

She had a message for Chan: "God is watching what people do. You can only do yourself and our daughter justice if you deliver on your promise as soon as possible." 

The mother also said that as a victim and an ordinary resident, she felt "very sad" that her daughter's death triggered the social unrest last year. "We didn't know that this would cause a series of social events, we felt very regretful."

Nevertheless, Chan seems to be under the control of Reverend Peter Koon Ho-ming, who had visited the young man when he was in prison and orchestrated his departure from prison, where he was whisked away to a safe house.

Interestingly the pro-Beijing Koon, who is acting as Chan's spokesman, said the man would hand himself over to the Taiwanese authorities when the borders between the two jurisdictions have reopened. Koon added he would travel ahead to Taiwan to lay the groundwork for Chan's surrender.

He also directly replied to Poon's mother's demand:

"Tong-kai has never thought of escaping from this matter. Otherwise he would have denied this when he returned to Hong Kong, and there wouldn't have been an extradition bill."

The priest added: "As I discussed the matter with him and his family, I believe that he will eventually return to Taiwan to turn himself in. I hope that Hong Kong and Taiwan's border will be reopened as soon as possible, so that I can go to Taiwan to arrange for him to turn himself in."

The extradition bill sparked massive protests

But even during the pandemic, there have been flights operating between Hong Kong and Taiwan, and the Taiwanese authorities have even relaxed quarantine measures for business travelers from Hong Kong to only one week, when it was previously two weeks.

In addition, Taiwan's police department have set up a working group on an ad hoc basis to handle Chan's case. It even created a special "single window" mechanism to process Chan's visa application, his expected arrival and other arrangements.

So what's the hold up for Chan?

"I also very much want to resolve this matter as soon as possible," said Koon. "As Poon's mother said, 'God is watching'. I believe that God will put an end to this matter, and I will do everything to arrange for Tong-kai to turn himself in... Let's pray to God about this," he said.

It is very strange for Koon to speak on behalf of Chan, who is an adult and can speak for himself. Why is Koon orchestrating everything? And as flights have not been disrupted by the pandemic, surely there is no more excuse for Chan not to go to Taiwan?

Chan must face the murder charge and the eventually sentencing. 

In fact the earlier he does this the better. Delaying it any further would raise more suspicions. It's the least he can do for Poon's family.

Families Continue Fight for Justice

Families of the 12 detained appealed to the police for help

 

The families of the 12 people who were captured at sea by the mainland authorities are not giving up on having some kind of contact with their loved ones, who were labelled as "separatists" by Beijing.

Today they held a press conference in front of the police headquarters in Wan Chai, saying they want the police to speak to their mainland counterparts and push to get the marine radar data from that day.

Andy Li is one of the 12 detained last month

In addition they want Hong Kong officials to get directly in touch with the 12 and find out why mainland authorities have refused to allow family-appointed lawyers to meet with them at the detention centre in Shenzhen's Yantian district.

The 11 men and one woman were trying to flee to Taiwan last month before the Chinese coast guard intercepted them. They are linked to protest cases from last year, and one, Andy Li was previously arrested under the new national security law. It is believed they were hoping to gain asylum in Taiwan.

"Up till now, the lawyers appointed by the families have not been allowed to meet with the detainees. In other words, the conditions of the arrested persons are still known only to the Chinese authorities," said a statement from the families that was read out by local activist Owen Chow Ka-shing, who has been assisting them.

"The Hong Kong government has only used official information from China, becoming a willing mouthpiece of the Chinese government, and has never provided any details of sent anyone there to clarify doubts."

Lee claims 12 are in good health with no proof

On Saturday, Hong Kong Secretary for Security John Lee Ka-chiu told TVB that the fugitives had "selected lawyers" from a list approved by the mainland authorities, prompting a backlash from the families, who said the city authorities were failing to ensure their loved ones' basic rights.

Even though no local officials have visited them, Lee claimed all the detainees were in good health, and that the Hong Kong government was notified about the arrests five days later.

But family members of the 12 want the government to do more, such as meet with them face-to-face or at least by phone, and to ensure their appointed lawyers can get access to their relatives.

They also urged the Marine Department to disclose key data, including radar records of the speedboat in question. Knowing the marine police's patrol routes that day could help in getting a clearer picture of what happened.

The families also want the Hong Kong police to ask their Chinese counterparts the exact time, location and process of arrest, and if any of them were injured.

Chinese coast guard arrested the 12 last month

During the press conference, the father of Li Tsz-yin, the 29-year-old surveyor, said: "I hop

e the Hong Kong government can hep me get back my son and ensure he has the least of his rights guaranteed."

Even if he cannot visit his son in Shenzhen, he hoped to receive photos verifying he was being detained. in Yantian.

It is absolutely gut-wrenching to watch the families of the 12 detained be met with silence from the mainland, and the reassurances from Lee are hardly reassuring, and only demonstrate his blind faith.

The least the Hong Kong government can do is visit these dozen people in person to reassure their families that they are still alive. But no, officials don't seem interested at all in assisting the families and just parrot what they've been told by the mainland.

While Beijing may call them "separatists", the 12 still deserve equal justice under the law, and a good start would be allowing their lawyers to see them...

 

Raining Down our Walk

Kowloon side (left) was raining, while HK Island was sunny

I have been doing weekly walks with a colleague and we decided to head off late this morning. However, about 15 minutes after I started walking eastwards, I could see dark clouds ahead and didn't have an umbrella with me.

Undaunted, I kept going and we met halfway at Tamar in Admiralty before continuing to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and then turned around and made our way back towards Kennedy Town.

However when we were at Admiralty, we could see dark clouds hovering over the Peak and felt it was going to rain soon. We jogged (with masks on) to the Central ferry piers and made it just in time under the covered walkway before the wet onslaught began.

 

We retreated to nearby Jardine House, where in the basement there is a glorified food court and had an early lunch of laksa and chicken lemak washed down with fresh coconut.

But afterwards it was still raining and we grabbed a drink at Starbucks. I suggested we continue by power walking in the mall, and thanks to the developer Hong Kong Land, we were able to make it to the IFC mall by a covered walkway completely dry and then did loops around practically every floor of the shopping mall.

We even walked the covered walkway to Shun Tak in Sheung Wan, but when we got there, it was pouring again and we retreated back to IFC mall. 

Eventually we went back to Sheung Wan again and as it was still raining we abandoned our walk and took the MTR home.

But by the time I emerged from the Kennedy Town station, the rain had stopped for the rest of the day!

Wonder what tomorrow's weather will be like...!

HK Bars Reopen, Hotels Frantically Keep Up

 

Many people were happy to be back in a bar to have drinks

 

Tonight bars and karaoke lounges are open for the first time in over two months since the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic hit. There were reports business was brisk in Lan Kwai Fong, above it on Wyndham Street, and along Soho, near the Mid-Levels escalator.

For the most part people complied to social-distancing measures of two per table and businesses including restaurants will have to close at midnight, two hours later than before.

It's just the latest loosening of restrictions that the city is adjusting to, and there are hopes the catering industry will be able re-coup some of its losses, though one wonders if things will ever get back to pre-pandemic levels.

Some people, like my friend YTSL have gotten used to not going to bars and wasn't particularly keen on going back right away. As research has proven, if you do something for at least three weeks straight, it becomes a habit, and for some, there is no need to visit their drinking hole anymore.

Long line for afternoon tea at the Grand Hyatt

Meanwhile hotels may have been quiet for months because they have had hardly any visitors, but behind the scenes staff have been very busy. 

One public relations person who works in a hotel on Hong Kong island told me how these days it feels like they are waging a war everyday, as in having to be extremely agile and constantly adapting to the latest government regulations.

Another hotel person told me of having to constantly update the hotel signage, messages to guests in rooms, websites and social media of the latest changes in dining hours, or the number of people allowed, and so on. 

All the hotels have been suffering terribly since the pandemic hit in late January, and at one point the occupancy rate was at single digits, when pre-pandemic it was in the 80 to 90 percent range. This compares to hotels in say New York, that consider 65 percent occupancy a very good day. So you can see hotels in Hong Kong have been spoiled for a long time.

These days a decent occupancy rate in the city is in the 20 percent range, and more recently it can climb up to 35 percent on weekends with staycations.

As a result, hotel staff, particularly those in sales and marketing are under the gun to come up with interesting packages and promotions to lure local residents in to dine and stay.

Some have offers of unbeatable prices, while others have staycation packages that include dining credits, or even all three meals sorted during their stay, like The Peninsula. After all, it's a way for guests to sample more restaurant outlets in the hotel, and for the kitchen staff to keep occupied.

In particular the pastry departments in several top hotels have been frantically busy with afternoon tea takeaway sets. Why nibble on finger sandwiches and eat scones in the hotel when you can do it in the safety of your own home?  

Granted you have to go to the hotel and pick them up, but that hasn't deterred hundreds of people from doing that. A few weeks ago there was a picture on social media of a massive line of people at the Grand Hyatt waiting to collect their afternoon tea sets for takeaway. 

Some hotels even specifically designed a special multi-tiered cardboard box that can easily be carried by the handle. 

Assembling afternoon tea sets at Four Seasons

But again back to the pastry chefs. Typically they may make 30, 50, at most 100 afternoon tea sets a day. These days they are making up to 300 tea sets a day.

They commandeer a function room because they aren't being used anyway, and there they set up tables with afternoon tea sets being assembled like a factory. 

The hotels aren't making that much money off these sets -- the prices have to be competitive, but at the same time taste good and have good packaging otherwise people will be disappointed if things have fallen apart by the time they get home.

While staycations keep rooms occupied, guests are only staying one night, whereas previously visitors would stay three to four nights. So everyone from the reception desk is busy checking in and checking out people everyday, and the housekeeping staff are constantly cleaning rooms after a night's stay.

And then there are guests who get wild and trash the room, like what happened at The Peninsula last week. A video was posted on social media of a room that was celebrating someone's birthday, but it was a complete mess. Someone's going to get a big bill for that.

 <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Video doing the social media rounds from The Peninsula Hong Kong of how guests trashed the room.<br><br>Staycations are getting a bit out of hand. <a href="https://t.co/peYgMhGzbr">pic.twitter.com/peYgMhGzbr</a></p>&mdash; Aaron 🇦🇺🇮🇩🇻🇳🇹🇭🇭🇰 (@tripperhead) <a href="https://twitter.com/tripperhead/status/1304751607356166144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 12, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Now that swimming pools are open, hotels immediately got inquiries if their pool would be open too? Many changed their reservations as soon as they heard pools would open today. But how do you (politely) control the number of people who go in and out of the pool without upsetting guests as the government has mandated it should be at half capacity.

Yet another dilemma hotels have to deal with...