A Wander Around Tai O

Tai O is a quiet, quaint place, but housing is dilapidated

 

Yesterday I took advantage of a day off to wander around Tai O, a small fishing village on Lantau Island. I have visited two or three times previously for work assignments, one on making the famous shrimp paste that has a very strong smell, and one on solar panels used as a pilot project by WWF. But after spending a good part of the day conducting interviews and shoots, we were tired and wanted to go home so I never really got a chance to see the place.

The night before I did some research on places to visit and especially where to eat and noted the names and addresses.

On the way to Fu Shan Viewing Pt

Then I took the MTR to Tung Chung, and then the No. 11 bus to Tai O. I was surprised to see a long line of people at the bus stop, but luckily I got one of the last few seats. I remembered it takes about 45 minutes to get to Tai O, and on the bus it made scheduled stops in places including Tong Fuk Correctional Institute (former lawmaker Nathan Law Kwun-chung served two months there), and another, Shek Pik Prison where pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong Chi-fung is, and independence activist Edward Leung Tin-kei spent some time there previously.

Finally we arrived around lunchtime and I tried to find the shops that sell some snacks, but was disappointed to find they were all closed because it was a weekday! There's Tai O Bakery that apparently sells freshly made doughnuts sprinkled with sugar, and another stall that makes savoury pancakes called jianbing.

The only places open were cha chaan teng or a few western-style cafes selling cheesecake and coffee.

I decided to find the hill called Fu Shan Viewing Point, but not before I saw a woman selling pandan egg waffles. It turns out she had literally just opened her shop and so her waffle iron was not even heated up yet when I asked for an egg waffle.

The woman in her 70s was on the surly side, chastising a trio of middle-aged women who were lured by some palm-sized puddings to snack on. Luckily the three women were in a good mood and didn't let her criticisms get in the way of them having a good time.

The bridge in the distance and a plane overhead

Finally I got my egg waffles that had a tiny hint of pandan, but it was sustenance to keep me going for the mini hike.

The stairs are clean and wide, but I was already huffing and puffing and sweating -- I didn't realize until later it was because it was so humid. Walking along the ridge of the hill, down on one side are hundreds of large Chinese-style graves, and then further down is Tai O village itself.

On the other side is the South China Sea and in the distance is the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge that had no traffic on it. Above it every few minutes a plane took off from the nearby airport, making it an ideal spot for plane spotters.

I continued along the stone path until it abruptly ended, but saw others ahead still continuing along a rugged path and followed them.

The place is a scenic spot for pictures too

It wasn't too hard to climb and soon I was at the top, admiring the view, but then what? Turn back or continue down a dirt path? I decided to be a bit adventurous and thankfully with the help of ropes strung along the way, I managed to get down easier than my experience on Mount Johnston! 

When I got to the bottom, I checked out another scenic pavilion before encountering a temple and then walked back towards the Tai O village.

By now more visitors arrived and I'd pretty much gone through all the main thoroughfares in the village

While it's quaint and some like to call it "The Venice of Hong Kong", it really isn't, surrounded by dirty water, homes on stilts, others on the ground have very basic furnishings. One has to wonder if the government knows about people's living conditions here and will they be upgraded? 

Nevertheless, life here is slow, people ride bikes or walk along the paths, while cats and dogs laze around wherever they feel comfortable. 

Large fish that have been salted are left to dry out

This morning I woke up to heavy rain and was glad that I made the effort to go to Tai O yesterday, though I missed trying those doughnuts!

HK Govt Blames Protests for High Poverty Rate

Law Chi-kwong says the poverty rate is lower than reported

 

Yesterday the government said Hong Kong's poverty rate reached a record high last year, and the protesters were to blame.

In its annual poverty report, the government said 21.4 percent of residents were considered poor last year, up one percentage point from the year before. It said 1.49 million of Hong Kong's total population of 7.52 million were under the poverty line -- which is calculated at 50 percent of the median monthly household income before government allowances and subsidies.

The median monthly household income in 2019 was HK$28,900, which is difficult for a family to live on, and half that at HK$14,450, even worse.

Govt report says 1.49m are below the poverty line

Nevertheless, the government had the gall to blame the situation of the poor on the anti-government protests last year and the trade war between China and the United States, saying the "double whammy" caused the SAR's first economic recession in a decade.

"The unrest caused severe disruptions and battered sectors related to consumption and tourism that involved substantial lower-skilled jobs. Grassroots families were particularly hard-hit," it said, adding that the labour market worsened in the second half of 2019.

How can the government blame poverty on the protesters, when it was the government that came up with the extradition bill in the first place and refused to listen to 2 million people protesting against it that caused the months-long protests that rocked the city? 

And in any event, why does the government even allow employers to pay its workers such low wages to start with? It is the government itself that does not value these grassroots families to start with.

Perhaps after receiving a lot of heat for this weak explanation of why there are so many people in Hong Kong, the Secretary for Labour and Welfare Law Chi-kwong hit back, and began interpreting the numbers differently.

On a radio show today he claimed it was wrong to extrapolate there were 21.4 percent of people living below the poverty line in Hong Kong, based on the report his administration published.

Critics say report only tells half the story

"It doesn't tell us how many people are actually living below the poverty line. It tells us how many people would be living in poverty if the government does nothing at all," Law said.

He explained that after factoring in various social security allowances and government relief subsidies, the poverty rate was only 9.2 percent, or 640,000 people. That meant the so-called post-intervention poverty rate marginally improved by 0.1 percentage points from 9.3 percent in 2018, he said.

Law added the efficiency of the government's social welfare programs helped 850,000 residents out of poverty through Comprehensive Social Security Assistance, and Old Age Living Allowance.

However, in many cases the government makes it very difficult to be eligible for CSSA, and the allowance for seniors is a very small sum each month, less than HK$1,500.

Ng Wai-tung, community organizer for the Society for Community Organization, said the welfare chief's analysis also did not reflect the whole picture.

"It's only half correct," Ng said. "On the one hand, it reflects the scale of low-income groups before any government assistance, but on the other hand, it underestimates the harsh reality that so many people are not even earning enough to make ends meet."

White elephant projects like Kai Tak waste money

Perhaps one thing Law and Ng can agree on is that the poverty rate could climb higher next year due to the coronavirus pandemic that greatly impacted areas such as tourism, hospitality, retail and construction.

Law said the government has already rolled out multiple poverty-alleviation schemes this year.

While the effort is appreciated, the government's investment in the poor is pittance compared to how much it throws into white elephant projects like the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, and Disneyland.

If the government put more effort into really helping the poor, it would benefit Hong Kong's economy even more. Social mobility is what makes an economy stronger and gives hope to people.

But it seems the Lam administration is keen on blaming others for high poverty rates, when it is those in the position in power who have caused this problem of inequality in the first place.

 

Pets Can Be Infected by You

The next item to buy are masks for dogs now that they can catch COVID-19

OK folks -- no more French-kissing your dog. It could catch the coronavirus from you.

This is the latest finding from the Hong Kong health authorities is that a dog owned by a woman who was infected with the coronavirus, passed on the virus to her pet.

This Pomeranian was found to be infected by its owner

A spokesman from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said today that a dog repeated tested weak positive for the COVID-19 virus, a low-level of infection.

But that still means the dog is infected. And various local health and veterinary experts agree it is likely a case of human to dog infection.

The Pomeranian's owner had visited various places around town for several days -- including a wedding -- before she had flu symptoms. She visited her doctor five times before finally being admitted into hospital.

Here's a cat wearing a mask. Cute, no?

Now the dog is under quarantine at an animal-keeping facility at the Hong Kong Port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge.

While pet owners are told not to panic and wash their hands right after handling their dogs, their pooches may wonder why their daddy or mommy don't want to kiss them anymore...

Lam Closes More Borders, Healthcare Workers Want More

A few thousand public healthcare workers went on strike today, more tomorrow

True to their word, some 2,400 public hospital workers went on strike in Hong Kong today and they have plans to increase the number of strikers tomorrow following Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor's response of closing some borders but not all.

At 5pm today, Lam and her senior officials gave a press conference where she announced closures of the Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau border crossings as well as the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal.

Carrie Lam announced more border closures this afternoon

However, the border check point at Shenzhen Bay remains open, as well as at Hong Kong International Airport and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge.

This was not what the Hospital Authority Employees Alliance demanded -- they wanted a complete shutdown of all border points with the mainland in order to stem or slowdown the flow of the coronavirus into Hong Kong. Even top infectious disease expert Dr Ho Pak-leung of the University of Hong Kong agreed with their demand.

At the press conference, reporters demanded Lam to explain why she still kept the three border points open, which constitute 60 percent of passenger traffic.

Lam -- who was not wearing a mask -- explained that six other checkpoints had closed earlier, reducing the number of mainlanders coming into the city. But because more than 100,000 people were still crossing the border on a daily basis, the government had to close Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau, which are easily accessible by rail.

The union says Lam's latest measures don't meet its demands

She hoped that now with only three remaining border points that they would make it less convenient for travelers and they would think twice about going to the mainland.

When reporters asked why not completely close the borders, Lam said China and Hong Kong had a special relationship, that it would be impossible to completely close off the border because children may have right of abode in Hong Kong while the parent didn't, people working on the mainland were commuting or living on the mainland and going to the city to work, and the need for food and other products to come here.

"These measures are consistent with the initiatives rolled out earlier," Lam said. "They are completely irrelevant to the strike."

However one cannot deny Lam was under immense pressure by not only the 15,000-strong union, but also the public, whose fears about the coronavirus are growing by the day, mostly thanks to the proliferation of news on social media, some of which are overblown or false.

Lam claims she did not bow to pressure from the union

The union also had concerns about having enough protective equipment to do their work properly and Lam said she would make sure healthcare workers were the first to receive these products.

"I completely understand that medical professionals have been on the forefront. I respect them, and we will do our utmost to supply them with protective gear. We agree with them on the need to reduce the cross-border flow... but at this critical juncture, I could not agree with the use of extreme means [such as going on strike]."

But following her press conference, the union members chanted slogans to continue their threat of more people striking tomorrow to put more pressure on the government to do more not only for them, but for the people of Hong Kong to feel safer from the threat of the coronavirus.

If the union manages to persuade Lam to completely shut the borders, that could be the impetus it needs to inspire a city-wide strike, something that was unsuccessful a few months ago during the anti-government protests.

Practically everyone is united in their wrath against their leader... maybe this time around, a city-wide strike may actually happen in the near future.

Stay tuned!

Nervous Trip to Macau

Chefs awarded three stars have their pictures taken in the Grand Hyatt Macau

Today was pretty nerve-wracking for me -- I had to go to Macau to cover the Michelin Guide announcement on who got stars and how many in Hong Kong and Macau. However, with President Xi Jinping coming over tomorrow to mark the 20th anniversary of Macau's handover to China, security measures have stepped up significantly these few days.

And on top of that last Friday a man was detained while trying to go to Macau via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge. It turns out he was arrested on charges of phone smuggling in 2012... and they caught him now?

On the way to Macau with Lamma Island in the distance

There were also reports of people being turned away from the border to Macau too for not carrying their passport with a China visa in it. Chinese security insist these measures are temporary, but why should we be carrying our China visa with us if we're going to Macau?

Whatever happened to "one country, two systems"?

I took the 10.30am ferry to allow for enough time to get prepared for the 2pm announcement and already at Shun Tak ferry terminal. As soon as we passed immigration, we were subjected to a security check. Several booths were set up for our bags to be manually checked, while each passenger got wanded over.

Then we were allowed to go to our ferry.

Macau and China flags decorate the city for Xi Jinping's visit

On the other side, as soon as we walked into the Cotai ferry terminal we had to wait in line, first to have our bags screened by an X-ray machine while we went through a metal detector, and then my handbag was manually searched again. If people had luggage, they had to be checked over in the customs declaration area before they left the terminal.

It turns out I was lucky to be allowed in without an incident.

At least three reporters were barred from entering Macau today to cover Xi's visit. One from the SCMP who took the ferry was detained for three hours, and then asked to fill out a form including not only his personal details, but that of his parents, marital status and the purpose of his visit, even though he had received accreditation for the visit before he came to Macau.

This reporter had also been detained last week while on assignment, questioned in the same room, but let go after two hours.

A lot of people were on hand for the Michelin announcement

On today's occasion, they sent him back to Hong Kong with a written statement that there were "strong signs" he was trying to engage in activities that would "jeopardize the public safety and public order" in Macau.

Separately two reporters from Now TV who took the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge were also detained and were not given an explanation why they were not allowed to enter Macau.

Why were these reporters not allowed into Macau? They are only doing their jobs, to cover Xi's trip to the city.

Meanwhile for me, leaving Macau was no problem and I even managed to catch an earlier ferry, and get to Sang Kee in Sheung Wan for the last bowl of fish congee before it closed at 8.30pm.

What a day.

A Disappearance on the Bridge

A Hongkonger disappeared Friday while at a checkpoint on the bridge

Chinese President Xi Jinping is visiting Macau on Wednesday to mark the 20th anniversary of the handover of the the city from Portugal back to China. And as with all state visits, security has been stepped up. Way up.

Friday marks the 20th anniversary of Macau's handover

So much so that a middle-aged Hong Kong man has been reported to have disappeared when he was traveling by coach on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge when he was stopped at a security check point manned by mainland officials on Friday afternoon.

The checkpoint is on an artificial island on the bridge, which is the world's longest sea crossing.

The man's son received a text message from him saying he had been arrested at a new checkpoint set up by the Zhuhai Public Security Bureau. His family lost contact with him after he sent this message.

His son went to Macau to look for his father, but was told by local police there was no record of him entering the city. As a result the son returned to Hong Kong and reported his father's disappearance to the police.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Macau this week

The Hong Kong Immigration Department has confirmed it had been contacted by the family and is offering support.

"The Immigration Department is following up the case through the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Guangdong," a spokeswoman said. "We're also offering advice and assistance in line with the family's wishes."

The Zhuhai public security bureau revealed the temporary new security arrangements earlier this month to "maintain the order of the bridge and create a good social environment" for the 20th anniversary celebrations.

"From December 10-22, 2019, the public security bureau will set up a security checkpoint at the eastern artificial island to undertake security checks on people and vehicles from Hong Kong to Macau and Zhuhai via the bridge," the notice said.

The Immigration Department is following the case closely

Needless to say this yet another reason for Hongkongers to not take the bridge.

We hope this man will be returned to his family soon... another disappearance is another reason why people are protesting against China's encroachment onto Hong Kong freedoms...

Hardly Bridging the Chaos

The bridge is keeping bus operators busy 24 hours a day ferrying tourists

Since it opened last October, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge is being used a lot, though there are still a lot of logistical problems that need to be ironed out.

Yesterday my aunt and uncle were late coming from Zhuhai to meet us for dim sum in Tuen Mun.

They thought it would be easier to cross the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge, but the reality is, thousands of others were planning to do the same too.

There is a lot of chaos in running the shuttle service

According to my relatives, even if you arrive at 8am, there are hordes of people already there waiting for shuttle buses to take them across to Hong Kong or Macau -- you have to get there an hour earlier.

And then the drivers are not properly instructed on which bay they should stop at to pick up passengers -- it is complete chaos and passengers have to rush to the bus instead of the bus being directed to where they should go.

The next challenge is going through immigration. Once you leave one jurisdiction, taking your luggage with you, then you have to get back onto the shuttle to drive for a bit before entering another jurisdiction and going through its immigration section. Why can't you go through one immigration counter and then the other within walking distance so that you only have to go on and off the shuttle once?

Another issue is having mainlanders trying to jump the queue at immigration, but it's not a new problem...

More work needs to be done to run the services smoothly

Meanwhile the shuttle bus companies are making a killing, ferrying people across to the three destinations, each bus completely full and charging between HK$120-HK$170 depending on where you are going. And the bridge is open 24 hours a days so you can imagine these bus companies have no qualms working day and night.

The unpredictability of the the bridge situation has resulted in many paying more to take the ferry instead -- if you can get a ticket. And with Chinese New Year, ferry tickets were hard to come by, which meant having to try your luck at the bridge.

In terms of tourism, it has meant a lot more day trippers coming to Hong Kong and shopping up a storm and eating quick bites, but not staying overnight to save on hotels.

For Hong Kong's economy that is dependent on tourism this isn't a good thing -- we still have lots of people visiting but not spending more of their money here.

It'll be interesting to see what the long-term effects of this will be -- does this mean fewer hotels in Hong Kong and more shops? I'm more interested in these visitors' perceptions of the city since their impressions will be very superficial and not very meaningful in terms of experiences.

Wonder how the Hong Kong Tourism Board will persuade them to stay a bit longer...

Hong Kong Minister Caught Flat-Footed

So when is the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge opening?

Now that the High-Speed Rail is open, there was a lot of expectation that the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge would open by the end of this month.

However, Hong Kong's Secretary for Transport and Housing, Frank Chan Fan today poured cold water on the anticipation.

"[On the] Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge [opening] by the end of this month, I must say this is news to me. Personally I don't have any idea when the bridge is going to open," he said after he was interviewed in a radio program.

Transport minister Frank Chan has no idea when it will open

Excuse me? How can you not know!

He said the three cities were still waiting for the green light from Beijing.

At the end of September the three cities held a three-day drill on the 55km-long bridge and then sent the results to Beijing, which could determine the opening date.

Is Beijing looking for the most auspicious date to open or just keeping everyone on their toes for no particular reason except to show who's in charge?

We will try to wait patiently for any news on the bridge front...

Can Bridge Take On Super Typhoon?

Super Typhoon Mangkhut is over Luzon now, on the way to Hong Kong

The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge is almost done -- but before it opens the mega infrastructure project will face its first severe test -- Super Typhoon Mangkhut on Sunday.

It's expected to pack up winds of up to 205km/h and be within 100km of Hong Kong -- but can the 55km bridge handle it?

Structural and geotechnical engineer Ngai Hok-yan has his doubts. He says the artificial islands in mainland waters and on the Macau side would face a greater risk from Mangkhut than the one at Hong Kong's Chek Lap Kok, which is partly protected by Lantau Island.

Can the bridge sustain winds of over 200km/h?

"Whether the bridge can withstand the destructive force of Super Typhoon Mangkhut depends on the height of the waves at the artificial island," he said.

Currently the dolosse or protective blocks there can withstand waves as high as four metres, but beyond that there is a chance the protective blocks could wash away very quickly, Ngai said, adding American forecasts have predicted waves could be as high as six metres.

"Without the protection of the dolosse, the worst case scenario would see the undersea tunnel detach from the artificial island and float above the sea, and also the collapse of the island."

He also said the Macau artificial island was exposed to more risk because it faced the sea.

Hmmm! Seems like none of the higher-ups in Hong Kong, Beijing or Macau considered the possibility of natural disasters when they were thinking about building this bridge that connects Macau and Hong Kong with the mainland.

Can the dolosse sustain waves over four metres high?

Aside from adverse weather conditions, one friend said she refused to go on the bridge once it was completed because what if someone's car broke down? Would there be a massive traffic jam? Who would help tow the car away? Or what if there was an accident? And the chances of that happening are very high, considering drivers in Hong Kong and Macau have the steering wheel on the right side of the car, China on the left.

And now this ominous warning from an engineer saying the bridge may not withstand a super typhoon...

All we can do now is wait and see what happens.