One Year On

On June 9 an unprecedented 1 million people protested

A year has passed since 1 million people came out onto the streets to protest against the extradition bill.

So much has happened since then it is hard to recount it all.

What started off as peaceful protests in the humid summer heat quickly escalated into violence that shocked many and later became accepted as a means to an end.

They protested against the extradition bill

Over 16,000 rounds of tear gas fired, pepper balls shot, and several live rounds, thousands injured, over 8,000 arrested, over 100 convicted.

In the meantime the protests exposed how the Hong Kong government kowtowed to Beijing, selling out the city and its 7 million residents too.

Beijing had enough, and even though the Legislative Council is stacked with pro-establishment lawmakers, decided not to take any chances and bypassed Legco to pass the national security law which is being drafted, and will only soon be implemented.

Companies and financial institutions are expected to support the new law; if they don't they are shamed into it thanks to former chief executive Leung Chun-ying.

So even though companies may want to remain in Hong Kong to do business, they cannot be neutral at all.

Police treatment of protesters deteriorated quickly

Meanwhile the protesters continue to support their "yellow economic zone", and are trying to figure out what to do next.

There are plans on June 19 to commemorate last year's protests in the hopes of reigniting people's passions. There are plans to have a religious rally at Edinburgh Place in Central, and booths in 12 districts exhibiting photos of the months-long demonstrations.

It was originally planned for June 12, but organizers have decided to wait until after social-distancing measures are apparently lifted on June 18.

"The government has repeatedly extended the restriction on social gathering, but resumed schools and work at the same time. It is obvious that the authorities have suppressed our freedoms to assemble in the name of fighting the virus," rally organizer Ventus Lau Wing-hong said.

"We very much need an assembly to demonstrate our will to the government, to Beijing and to the world. So whenever the government drops the restriction, we will hold the assembly."

Protesters fought with guerilla tactics on the street

The more people are repressed from expressing themselves, the more frustration will build again. But Beijing and the Hong Kong government haven't learned this lesson...

HK Government's "White Terror" Aimed at Educators

Thousands showed up at Edinburgh Place to protest the Education Bureau

The Hong Kong government is now putting pressure on teachers and principals to get into line when it comes to the anti-government protests.

Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung Yun-hung told state media outlet the Shanghai Observer last Saturday that the government had the power to disqualify principals who were deemed unsuitable for their jobs. He also said principals should investigate teachers who are found to be using inappropriate teaching materials, to making hate-inciting or discriminatory remarks online.

Yeung says principals must ensure teachers are investigated

If the principals do not investigate these teachers, then the principals could be stripped of their positions and teachers' qualifications.

The Professional Teachers' Union, which represents 85 percent of teachers in the city, has traded barbs with the Education Bureau since December about how teachers have been treated in cases linked to anti-government protests.

In response to Yeung's latest announcement, the PTU says this amounts to "white terror", though Yeung denies this, saying principals should investigate based on facts.

A massive rally was held in Edinburgh Place in Central on Friday night, with thousands shouting slogans such as "Say no to white terror" and "Educators, unite as one".

One teacher who gave her name as Sugar at the rally said she was angry that many colleagues faced complaints and suspensions in recent months for expressing their personal views on social media.

Another secondary school teacher surnamed Yuen in his 40s has taught science for more than 20 years. He believed the Education Bureau was "threatening principals" when it said they could be removed from their positions if they didn't cooperate with investigations on teachers.

Protesters are angry at the bureau's "white terror" at educators

"When there were previous cases of principals abusing their power, the [bureau] had not said they would use their powers to suspend the principals. But now, when there were no such cases of principals not cooperating with the bureau's investigation, the bureau has mentioned that power," he said.

So far 80 teachers and teaching assistants have been arrested in connection with the protests, and the bureau has received 123 protest-related complaints against educators, with 13 confirmed as wrong-doing cases. Some complaints centered around online comments by teachers.

Meanwhile the union has accused the bureau of not giving teachers a chance to defend themselves against the charges before being notified that their cases have been substantiated.

Union president Fung Wai-wah has said the bureau was "spreading white terror" and the government was blaming teachers for encouraging students to go on the streets to protest.

However the bureau accused the union of loss of professionalism...

This threat by Yeung is unprecedented and it's the government's attempt to stop young people from going on the streets.

But what if the child's parents are the ones taking them to the protests? How is it the fault of the teachers?

Beijing has also hinted the need to revisit national education again, and for sure Hong Kong parents and educators will put up a fight on that front too...

Escalated Violence by Hong Kong Police

Hundreds gathered in Victoria Park for a rally that soon became a corral

The police gave a no-objection letter to a rally in Victoria Park for candidates running in the upcoming district council elections in November 24. Hundreds of people showed up, many in black, some bundled up prepared to battle the police later.

People had been encouraged to make their way to Central, either Edinburgh Place or Chater Garden, and many were keen to start marching. However, the police were already surrounding the area. In fact many riot police were already inside the Tin Hau and Causeway Bay MTR stations before 3pm, watching people going to Victoria Park.

Pepe the Frog defies the face mask ban in Victoria Park

Once the people started marching, then it would be an excuse for the police to arrest them for unlawful assembly, and for wearing face masks. So this was a police tactic to corral people into one space.

We managed to get out at the north side of the park and went out through a small playground called Tung Lo Wan Park. There were kids playing on the sides and play area and next to them? A group of riot police. No one said a word while passing by them.

However, as we got out roads were blocked here and there which made it harder for people to move westward towards Central. At one point we had no choice but to go into World Trade Center mall and the security staff let people in and we walked out the other way.

As we walked we bumped into a couple who were tourists and looked very worried. We strongly advised them to go back to their hotel and walked with them to the MTR station.

Many people were arrested in Wan Chai

A middle-aged woman walking in front of us had said tear gas had been fired in Causeway Bay and soon I could see a block away on Hennessy Road, a number of riot police running down the street and could hear tear gas fired in the distance. For me that was the queue to leave the area.

Soon after as people headed westward to Wan Chai, there was more tear gas and people were cornered in Southern Playground by the police and forced to crouch with their hands up, or kneel with their hands up, much like what happened to other people in Tuen Mun on Halloween night. These people -- who filled four large coaches -- were sent to the police station.

Other horrific events tonight so far?

A candidate running for the district council elections in Tai Po, Richard Chan, was trying to make sure people were safe while in Victoria Park when he was pepper sprayed by police and then violently tackled to the ground and arrested.

He is known as "Airport Uncle" for standing his ground between the police and activists at Hong Kong International Airport in August. He is running for office for the first time and will surely get more sympathy after how he was treated.

A first aider seriously burned when hit by a tear gas canister

Also in Causeway Bay, a first aider was hit in the back by a tear gas canister. He fell to the ground and his fellow first aiders and a journalist quickly carried him to a safe place. However, when they examined him, they found the skin on his back was seriously burned from the hot tear gas canister and his body went into shock.

Other tear gas canisters were found later to have lodged themselves into the road, they were so hot. It is believed these are made in China and much more dangerous...

Another was a fireman who was angry that a tear gas canister had hit his truck and complained to the police, who then ganged up on him and roughed him up. Reporters on the scene who were trying to film the incident, were pepper sprayed by other police officers and told to go away. No one knows what happened to the fireman.

The same video https://t.co/CKlCBVzC6I pic.twitter.com/U450Pziist

— Damon Pang (@damon_pang) November 2, 2019

 

May we add that today is the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists? Seems like the Hong Kong Police didn't get that memo, and if they did they didn't care.

There are many student journalists covering the protests and have managed to get some incredible footage. However, one young student journalist was interrogated by police, telling him he didn't belong there because he was a student and they demanded he take off his gas mask.

Tear gas canisters melted into the asphalt, they were so hot

For a scrawny kid, he stood his ground and refused, even shouting back at the police. He has quickly learned how to be a tough cookie.

An outrageous incident was when a guy in a Porsche was playing "Glory to Hong Kong", the anthem of the protests in his car. The police found this offensive -- is there no freedom of expression anymore? And literally opened the door and yanked him out of the car, sat on top of him on the ground then arrested him.

The media pack also witnessed some police officers dressed as protesters getting into police vans and strangely the police didn't prevent the reporters from filming this. Guess it's an open secret now...

While the police's performance today has been shocking again, they had their own missteps.

In Wan Chai on Johnston Road by Southern Playground, the police misfired a tear gas canister that landed behind at their colleagues. They were not prepared and there are images of some of them on their knees bent over in pain.

People nearby clapped and hollered.

But there are concerns the Hong Kong government will use the vandalism and violence on the streets to justify postponing the district council elections on November 24, just when people are keen to show where they stand politically...

The Gatherings Continue

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

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

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

People just made their way across Connaught Road Central

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

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

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

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

Thousands gathered tonight to rally for Hong Kong

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

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

Plans to Resurrect Queen's Pier?

Remember this? Queen's Pier in Central before it was dismantled in 2008

I still miss Queen's Pier in Central. It used to be so convenient to take the Star Ferry from there to Tsim Sha Tsui and back.

But when I happened to visit Hong Kong in 2008, there were signs all over the pier area, and people protesting its demolition. It was surprising the government would move such an important landmark.

When I moved back two years later, the pier was long gone and you now have to schlep across a long blue walkway all the way to where all the outlying island ferries are just to catch a short Star Ferry ride to Tsim Sha Tsui.

People passionately protested the demolition but to no avail

You really do weigh if it's worth going all the way and take the MTR instead, and so it's not surprising why the Star Ferry keeps losing money. The government seems to want to make it more difficult for people to take cheap transportation that is a part of the local culture.

But wait -- the government hasn't completely killed it -- there are plans to resurrect Queen's Pier and place it somewhere around where piers 9 and 10 are now, which currently aren't being used for anything, except by photographers and anglers.

Yes -- it will not be an actual functioning pier, but a shrine to its former existence.

Why dredge up the past? It wasn't even a nice-looking structure. And more importantly why waste up to HK$305 million taxpayer dollars doing this when the money could be used elsewhere like helping the poor?

Several activists opposed the proposed plan and are calling for the pier to be restored in its original spot, though that could be costly too.

A drawing to show where Queen's Pier would be relocated

"If you put it closer to the original location, it has a much higher heritage value because Edinburgh Place will be complete. And, you have it closer to the old waterfront for tourists, students and children to come back here and realize the waterfront used to be here," says Southern District Councillor and co-founder of Designing Hong Kong's Paul Zimmerman.

Queen's Pier was opened in 1953 as a public pier, and the ceremonial location where Hong Kong governors would arrive and depart before 1997.

And now the structure is being stored in a warehouse...

First of all, why didn't the government listen to the people? And then second, why does it think that everything will be rectified by reassembling the structure for no good reason?

The Star Ferry Terminal has moved a much further distance

The government seems so completely out of touch with what is going on in the city, and thinks that it can spend taxpayer money on frivolous projects, when one in five people in Hong Kong are living below the poverty line and so many people are in need?

Even worse is that we residents have no recourse to vote them out.

After having watched Ten Years, I now see why the movie resonates with people so much. It really does capture the pessimistic mood, the sense of helplessness and frustration people have. Just like in the film, people feel the government is in cahoots with Beijing, and no one is looking out for them, so they have to defend themselves.

That's just a movie, but that's the sentiment people have in reality.

Reassembling Queen's Pier is the most absurd proposal I've heard since Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah's suggestion to bring in food trucks to Hong Kong.

Do they not care about the future of this city and what its residents want it to be?