Jimmy Lai and 7 Others Jailed for Banned Tiananmen Vigil

The unauthorised gathering on June 4, 2020 in Victoria Park

Today Apple Daily founder and chairman Jimmy Lai Chee-ying and seven others were sentenced from 4.5 months to 14 months for their roles in last year's banned Tiananmen candlelight vigil.

District Judge Amanda Woodcock called for stiff sentences as the defendants defied a police ban and the law, and did not seem to care about the pandemic when gathering for an unauthorised assembly.

People were told to commemorate their own way

She also dismissed suggestions the strict social-distancing measures were tools of political repression meant to prevent people from gathering, saying they were in place to protect the community.

"So to defy and incite others to defy those restrictions under these circumstances is serious," Woodcock said. "The defendants wrongly and arrogantly believed their right to commemorate was more important than a serious health risk."

The Judge said instead of gathering in football pitches, the organisers should have held an interactive online vigil.

Lai was handed a 13-month sentence, which will run concurrently with a 20-month sentence he is currently serving for three other unauthorised assemblies.

Lai (left) at the unauthorised assembly

Barrister Chow Hang-tung, formerly a vice-chairwoman of the alliance, was jailed for a year after she was found guilty of incitement and participation, while activist Gwyneth Ho Kwai-lam received six months after being convicted of the latter charge in the same trial.

Lee Cheuk-yan, the alliance's ex-chairman, who is already serving a 20-month sentence for unauthorised assemblies, was handed a 14-month sentence to be served concurrently.

Other committee members of the alliance -- Richard Tsoi Yiu-cheong, Leung Yiu-chung, and Simon Leung Kam-wai were jailed for between nine and 12 months for incitement and participation.

Ex-chairman of the Democratic Party and former lawmaker Wu Chi-wai, who is serving a 10-month sentence over another unauthorised assembly and is also being remanded on a national security law case, saw his prison term extended by four months and two weeks for participation.

The seven were the last group of a total of 24 opposition activists and former politicians arraigned over the annual commemoration of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown that was banned after 30 years, citing pandemic social-distancing measures.

Chow was jailed for 12 months today

During his mitigation, Lai's defense counsel, Robert Pang Yiu-hung SC read out his client's handwritten letter. It said in whole:

"I did not join the June 4th vigil in Victoria Park. I lit a candle light in front of reporters to remind the world to remember and commemorate those young men and women, who 31 years ago in Tiananmen Square, put truth, just and goodness above their lives and died for them.

If commemorate those who died because of injustice is a crime, then inflict on me that crime and let me stuffer the punishment of the crime, so I may share the burden and glory of those young men and women who shed their blood on June 4th to proclaim truth, justice and goodness.

Lord, remember those who shed their blood, but do not remember their cruelty. Remember the fruits of those young men and women have borne, because of what they did. And grant, Lord, that the fruits of these young men and women have borne may be their redemption. May the power of love of the meek prevail over the power of destruction of the strong."

Lai's handwritten statement

Meanwhile Chow, who had discharged her defence team, read out her own statement for the record.

"Let us not delude ourselves that this is all about Covid-19," Chow said from the dock. "While the court sees fit to take judicial notice of the situation of a health crisis, it acts as if the parallel political crisis does not exist... It refuses to see the wider context under which this case happened, in the name of focusing only on relevant and admissible evidence.

"In closing its eyes to the obvious, the court risks making itself irrelevant to the ailments of our times," she continued. "In purporting to maintain political neutrality, the court is in effect affirming the unequal power wielded by the government in instituting political charges against its opponents, emboldening the authorities to take ever more restrictive action that squeezes out the rights of the citizens.

"The sentence on me, however legally sound, will be seen by Hongkongers and the world as a sentence on every Hongkonger in Victoria Park on June 4, 2020."

Defiance Continues as Police Gain New Powers

Protesters with blank sheets of paper at apm mall tonight

Tonight at least 13 people were arrested at apm mall in Kwun Tong for protesting. Over 100 people were in the shopping mall shouted slogans, and held up blank pieces of paper, since they cannot be in possession of the offending slogan in printed form.

Riot police warned them to leave immediately, as these people were participating in an illegal assembly; when they didn't, officers then closed the mall and started searching people in the crowd.

It's quite remarkable to see people continue to show up and protest despite knowing they could be arrested based on the new national security law that is barely a week old.

At least 13 people arrested for illegal assembly

And to make things seem even harsher, the Hong Kong government has further extended police powers when it comes to online communications and social media.

Anyone publishing electronic messages on social media deemed to be endangering national security could be asked by the police to remove them or stop disseminating them. Failure to do so immediately could lead to the police getting warrants to seize the electronic equipment, and demand service providers hand over records about anyone's identity or help in decoding or de-encrypting.

The police and Secretary for Justice could apply for a court order to require a person to answer questions or produce certain materials.

If someone fails to comply, they could be fined up to HK$100,000 and jailed for a year, while service providers could face the same amount of fine, and six months in prison.

In addition, a political organization of a foreign country or outside the mainland, including Taiwan, could be asked for information on their activities, personal particulars and assets without court approval.

Over 100 people turned out for the protest

Those that fail to comply could face a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a HK$100,000 fine if convicted. Those found guilty of providing inaccurate or incomplete information could be jailed for two years and fined HK$100,000.

In these instances, the police could also authorize searches at the premises without a warrant under exceptional circumstances.

It basically means that now intercepting communications no longer needs a court warrant with regards to national security cases; the chief executive has give them police the powers to do this.

So if you haven't cleaned out your social media accounts, now's the time... censorship is alive and well in Hong Kong...

Yellow Back in Force

Chan Kin-man waves to well wishers as he leaves Pik Uk prison in Sai Kung

Amid the crisis of the coronavirus spreading to over 100 countries in the world, at least there was a bit of good news on the political front in Hong Kong today.

Occupy co-founder Chan Kin-man was released on good behaviour after serving 11 months of his 16-month sentence for inciting and conspiring with others to cause substantial obstruction in 2014.

A crowd of well-wishers, including Benny Tai Yiu-ting, Reverend Chu Yiu-ming, Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, former Civic Party leader Alan Leong Kah-kit, and Democratic party lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting, waited for Chan, 61, to come out of Pik Uk Prison in Sai Kung at 9am.

Benny Tai (left) and Reverend Chu Yiu-ming flanked Chan

He rushed to his wife and they hugged before she gave him a bouquet of flowers. Chan then hugged Reverend Chu, who was suitably attired in a yellow sweater and wearing a yellow mask.

"I have been in jail for months, and time in jail must be hard. But I have no regrets because that's the price one has to pay for democracy," said Chan, adding he was happy to see his family and friends. They held a banner with Chinese calligraphy on it that read: "Noble spirits trot thousand mountains", that means with integrity, one could go a long way.

Interestingly the former sociology professor was holding a book by Alice Munro, Canadian and Nobel Prize-winning laureate in literature, whose short stories are set in small towns, and about the complexities life.

He believed the recent anti-government protests were a result of the 2014 disobedience movement, and accused the government of lacking openness, transparency and impartiality. Chan also said he was aware of young people becoming more radical over the past several months, but said the government was responsible for this.

Chan was jailed for his part in the 2014 Occupy movement

After Hong Kong has finished dealing with the coronavirus, protesters will be back on the streets again... will Chan & co be there actively participating or on the sidelines? Given how badly the economy has been battered by the protests and now the coronavirus, protesters may have new tactics on how to get their message across to the government.

The city can't afford to take much more of an economic hit, but at the same time it could be an opportune time to press the reset button in how Hong Kong's economy is run. Maybe protesters will take the lead?

Four of Nine Occupy Leaders Jailed

Dr Chan Kin Man (left) and Benny Tai (centre) were jailed for 16 months

Today nine people who were found guilty on public nuisance charges related to the 2014 Occupy protests found out their fate.

In the end four of them were sent to jail -- two of the founders of "Occupy Love and Peace", Benny Tai Yiu-ting, and Dr Chan Kin-man were both sentenced to 16 months, while legislator Shiu Ka-chun, and League of Social Democrats vice-chairman Raphael Wong Ho-ming were handed eight-month sentences.

The judge, Johnny Chan Jong-herng considered Reverend Chu Yiu-ming's poor health and had his 16-month sentence suspended for two years.

Tanya Chan revealed she a brain tumour diagnosis

Then lawmaker Tanya Chan Suk-chong's lawyer revealed shocking news in the court, that his client was suffering from a life-threatening brain tumour the size of a ping pong ball and needed to undergo surgery in two weeks. As a result then judge adjourned her sentence.

And former lawmaker Lee Wing-tat had his eight-month sentence suspended for two years as the judge considered his years of public service.

Meanwhile former student leaders Tommy Cheung Sau-yin and Eason Chung Yiu-wa, were sentenced to 200 hours of community service, and eight months' of jail respectively, but Chung also had his jail sentence suspended, with their ages (25 and 26 respectively) taken into consideration.

Although the judge criticized the nine for putting their political demands before the lives of others, he also noted the protests were non-violent, and the goal was not motivated by "greed, lust, anger, or monetary reward", though the obstruction was serious and its duration extensive.

Reverend Chu Yiu-ming wept as he left court

"The nine defendants just looked up to their aspirations... but they failed to notice the ordinary folks who needed to use the carriageways," the judge said, describing their would-be "martyrdom" as "contorted".

He added the group never apologized to the public for causing such an inconvenience for 79 days.

After he walked out of the dock, Chu burst into tears without his friends, Tai and Chan.

 "In the past five years, we have never been apart," the reverend said, before leaving court. "Today, they were sentenced to jail. I'm in immense sorrow. I am truly willing to go with them."

The relatively light sentences show the judge felt the defendants were honest about their motivations, though he said they were "naive".

The unforgettable protest in 2014 that lasted 79 days

This was a relief, because if the sentences had been harsh, tensions would have continued to rise. Can we finally move forward? That depends on Carrie Lam administration -- or shall we say Beijing? This case has dragged on too long and today it has finally ended.

It's a sad day for the fight for democracy in Hong Kong, though some might say it's just a blip in the long term...

Word of the Day: Bei Luyou

A dissident hanging out at the beach... with minders makes for a bei luyou trip

I just finished reading an article in The New Yorker by Zha Jianying who wrote about her brother, Zha Jianguo, a political dissident in China.

He has gotten into trouble with the government for helping to found a small opposition group called the Democracy Party of China. For this he has been in and out of jail a few times but nowadays, his sister writes that he gets 被旅游 bei luyou, or "to be touristed", with bei meaning something that is involuntarily passive.

There are other uses of bei -- bei loushui (to be tax-evaded), bei zisha (to be suicided), bei shenjingbing (to be mentally-illed).

For Zha's brother, bei luyou is ironic and sad at the same time. During sensitive periods, like the June 4 anniversary, or National Day on October 1 or a foreign leader visiting Beijing, he and other dissidents are taken "to be touristed" by his minders.

They completely arrange his travel schedule, where he will be going, where he will be staying, how he will be getting there -- and these minders get to accompany him too -- which is why they like these free trips that are work-related.

She describes them fussing over him, making sure Zha Jianguo is OK by giving him extra food and soup, and when they are on bus tours, fellow tour participants wonder if he's a big boss, or their father, as there's always three young men looking after a man in his 60s.

Her brother doesn't get a moment of privacy -- he even has to share his hotel room with one of his minders.

So while Zha Jianguo gets to travel around China at taxpayers' expense, his minders get a 美差meichai, or "beautiful duty". 

Despite such forced trips that Zha is forced to go along with, he continues to criticize the one-party state and refuses to stop writing and then post them online on social media.

His minders try to suggest that he didn't mean to write these incendiary pieces, perhaps he copied them from somewhere else, but Zha insists that he did, resulting in his minders having to scold him politely for causing more trouble for them.

Zha is prepared to go to jail again if his minders have received the signal from above; he believes his cause is too important not to give up on.

But in the meantime with this year having a number of sensitive anniversaries, he will continues to bei luyou, a burgeoning cottage industry that so far can only be found in China...

A Quick Visit to Tai Kwun

One of the two courtyards in Tai Kwun that gives a wonderful spacious area

The other day I had a bit of time and was near the newest landmark in Hong Kong -- Tai Kwun (大馆), or the former Central Police Station and had a quick look around.

The beautiful staircase that everyone has photographed

Many people have posted pictures on social media already, particularly the spiral staircase and the stairs where it says "Mind the Step" at each step... a bit tedious one might say.

Tai Kwun has been a long time coming. It was closed in 2006 and then the public got a chance to look at it before it was renovated in 2008 in a partnership between the Hong Kong Jockey Club and the Hong Kong government, but nothing happened for a long time; perhaps behind the scenes there was a lot of assessment that had to be done in terms of the buildings' stability and condition.

And then in May 2016 one of the retaining walls suddenly collapsed that set back the project another year or so. Meanwhile as a passerby, the construction site was wrapped up in white and for a long time we couldn't see any progress.

The second courtyard with a Herzog & de Meuron building

But finally a few months ago Tai Kwun opened its doors. Much of the original buildings have been retained, and there are two modern additions to the compound, futuristic buildings designed by Herzog & de Meuron, who you may remember designed the Bird's Nest in Beijing.

The Central Police Station was first built in 1841, and it's a huge complex that has two giant courtyards with trees, making it quite a nice setting. However the jail cells -- you can see some of them -- seem quite tiny, and prisoners were physically tortured. They couldn't even use the toilet -- only a bucket, and another bucket of fresh water.

You can access Tai Kwun from the Mid-Levels escalator

Some of the spaces in the buildings have been converted into cafes and restaurants, while the larger spaces are for art exhibitions by local artists. However we prefer admiring the architecture. There's a lot of concrete but also wood, and the compound is pretty much in tact, leaving the massive courtyards free for people to wander and feel enveloped by the space.

I have yet to try the restaurants and bars here, but it would be quite neat to dine here and see what the atmosphere is like in the evening.

Meanwhile I have heard from people who live and work in the area are so glad Tai Kwun is open because the scaffolding around it made the area congested and now there are more options for pedestrians to get around Wyndham Street.

One of the tiny jail cells in Tai Kwun

I will have to come back another time to look at Tai Kwun again more closely, but it's a nice way to spend even 20 minutes wandering around and admiring our latest landmark in the city.

Tibetan Let Down by Rule of Law

Tashi Wangchuk is concerned about losing the Tibetan culture

A few days ago, a Tibetan who was hoping to petition the Chinese government to have better teaching of the Tibetan language, was thrown in jail for five years, convicted for "inciting separatism".

The thing is, Tashi Wangchuk doesn't want to have anything to do with independence. He just wants to preserve the Tibetan language and culture.

To that end he tried to file a lawsuit against local officials for going against China's constitution that says all ethnicities in China "have the freedom to use and develop their own spoken and written languages".

However he couldn't do that, so he traveled to Beijing in the hopes of getting China Central Television (CCTV) to shine a spotlight on the issue of how the quality of teaching Tibetan has fallen and how he wants to protect the language from being sidelined by Mandarin.

Beijing seems intent on more Chinese spoken than Tibetan

But when he tries to approach the CCTV building in Beijing, he sees security guards asking visitors for their ID cards and he worries he will be taken in by the police. In a touch of naivety, he thought state media was open and was always searching the truth.

Then he tries to find lawyers to take on his case, but many of them say the Chinese government has done good things for Tibet, particularly economic development. Either they are pro-Beijing or they just don't want to get involved.

His attempt to petition the government and expose his story led to him being detained in 2016 after appearing in a New York Times video chronicling his journey. Most recently that video was used as evidence against him in a four-hour trial in January, saying he was deliberately inciting separatism and trying to discredit the government's international image and treatment of ethnic minorities.

Tashi was previously a shopkeeper and learned Tibetan from his brother, who had studied with a monk. In 2015 Tashi tried to find a Tibetan teacher for his niece, traveling through several provinces but couldn't find any.

In the video by the New York Times, Tashi says: "The local government is controlling the actual Tibetan culture, such as the spoken and written language. It looks like development or help on the surface, but actually the goal is to eliminate our culture."

Did he not make his argument clear, using the Chinese law to push China to preserve Tibetan language and culture?

Apparently Beijing was not pleased by this tactic and turned the tables on Tashi. He is a young man who has thought long and hard about how to bring change to his people. Tashi tried, but in the end sacrificed himself for the cause.

In the video he talks about how over 100 Tibetans have committed self-immolation. He observes they didn't do it because of a family dispute, but because they feel so strongly about the Tibet they know disappearing that they have lost hope that things will get better.

He doesn't think he would do that, but he can now see how desperate some people are, that they practically have no choice left but to accept the inevitable -- that Beijing controls Tibet, despite it being called an "autonomous region".

For now Tashi will appeal, but trying to silence him with jail is only going to create more resentment against the Han Chinese...

Strength in Numbers

Thousands of people at Johnston and Luard roads waiting for march to start

It turns out there weren't only a few people outraged about the jailing of the three Occupy leaders, Joshua Wong Chi-fung Nathan Law Kwun-chung and Alex Chow Yong-kang -- there were tens of thousands of them.

Police estimated there were about 22,000 people who started the march at Southern Playground in Wan Chai -- which probably means there were many, many more people willing to be outside in the hot sun, pouring with sweat.

We were stuck on Luard Road for an hour --  in the shade!

I took the MTR from Admiralty to Wan Chai and there were so many people getting on the train that I knew already that lots of protesters would show up. That was the biggest concern of my friend YTSL who worried that only a few people would show up like on July 1.

One would think the 20th anniversary of the handover would be enough to spur people to get out into the streets, but it was this hot button issue of jailing what the foreign media are calling "Hong Kong's first prisoners of conscience" that got people out.

YTSL and I managed to find each other and then headed out the to the Johnston Road exit where it seemed everyone else was heading, but after we got out of Southern Playground, we barely moved for an hour.

Some confused tram riders refused to get off...

We speculate the police underestimated how many people would show up and so the march was halted from starting in order to get enough manpower to close the streets and stand along the march path.

Or they were trying to make protesters annoyed enough that they would leave before it began. A few elderly people did -- it really was quite hot -- but other than that the rest of us stayed put and shouted "hoi lo!" or "let us march!"

At around 4.15pm we finally made our way up Luard Road and then turned left onto Hennessy Road. A few people tried to pump up the crowd with slogans, but for the most part we just wanted to show our presence.

Many yellow umbrellas reminiscent of the Occupy protests

One elderly protester seemed keen to pick fights with anyone, police officers in particular with verbal slurs, but his friends dragged him away or told him to calm down. We're just here to march, mister! No need to start a fight!

From Hennessy Road onwards to the Court of Final Appeal in Central, it was pretty smooth sailing and we could walk at a decent pace. Tons of buses going west were stopped in their tracks, along with trams going in each direction. We wondered why people would stay in the trams because they wouldn't be moving for quite a while...

It was kind of bizarre how we had to wait for an hour at the starting point, but it took less than an hour to march to Central. When we got to the end, volunteers were soliciting donations for the three pro-democracy groups that organized the march: League of Social Democrats, Demosisto and Civil Human Rights Front.

Afterwards people rallied at the Court of Final Appeal

They asked for a minimum of HK$10 but I saw several people put HK$100 and even HK$500 bills in the boxes.

We didn't stay behind for the rally, as there were thousands of people behind us who had yet to arrive, but we were just pleased to voice our opinion with our feet!

Lesson Learned?

Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai was at the Admiralty protest site every day

When the Occupy protests were in full swing in November 2014, Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying visited the Admiralty site everyday -- and even had his own tent to hold court.

But on November 12, around 4.30pm, just as Lai, 67, was about to leave the area, two men shouted his name along with some swear words and hurled plastic bags filled with animal entrails at him.

Today the two men, kitchen employee Chan Kwok-hung, 31 and restaurant owner Yip Wing-chi, 44 were convicted of common assault and will face jail time.

Their co-defendant businessman Li Siu-lung, 46, denied the charge of common assault of throwing entrails at Lai.

One of the men arrested at the scene; the animal organs

Yip and Chan were further convicted of assault when two Occupy marshals tried to stop the trio from getting away.

In court, the defense said Yip was not a man of strong political views.

"But he absolutely hated the umbrella movement because, ironically, his son had participated with enthusiasm. [Yip] felt the entire incident was instigated by [Lai]."

The defense tried to suggest his client was at the protest site to look for his son, but the magistrate didn't buy it, because why would he be walking around with bags of animal entrails then?

The irony in all of this is that while Yip wanted to get back at Lai for supposedly influencing his son to join the umbrella movement, Yip himself will be behind bars for a while...

All three have had previous convictions for violence.

They will find out their fate on May 3.

Jackie Chan's Son In Jail

Jaycee Chan in a Beijing court today and pleaded guilty to drug charges

The saga of entertainer Jackie Chan's son Jaycee is over for now, with the conviction of the 32-year-old today for a drug offense that will see him jailed for six months and fined 2,000 yuan ($322).

He has already served five months in jail, so the younger Chan will be out on February 13, days before Chinese New Year.

In a Beijing court, Chan pleaded guilty for "sheltering others to use drugs", a charge that could result in up to three years in prison. The court agreed with the prosecutors' recommendation that Chan be given a lighter sentence because he volunteered information about his drug use to the police, and that he behaved well in detention.

He and his father Jackie Chan in happier times...

Wait a minute -- the prosecution recommended a lighter sentence?!

When police busted his apartment in Beijing on August 14, the authorities found more than 100 grams of marijuana. Taiwanese actor Ko Chen-tung was detained at the time, and gave a tearful confession on CCTV and was given 14 days' administrative detention, while Chinese actress Li Xiaonan was also busted, but not charged. All three tested positive for weed.

Chan admitted he made his home available for drug use to Ko three times, and Li once between 2012 and last year.

"I broke the law and I should be punished," Chan said in the court. "When I'm back in the community, I won't repeat the offense because I have hurt too many people, including my family, friends, and teachers."

Teachers? Is this a school reprimand?

Taiwanese actor Ko Chen-tung gives a tearful confession

Nevertheless it's quite obvious Chan was just following the script and one has to wonder how much his father tried to intervene in the legal process or if he did at all.

Jaycee's drug bust and conviction is a big blow to Jackie Chan's reputation, because not only is he considered a clean superstar who spends a lot of time on the mainland, he was also named an anti-narcotics ambassador in China in 2009.

Jackie Chan and his wife Lin Fengjiao did not attend the hearing, probably to avoid further media coverage.

Thus ends the soap opera of Jaycee and his drug antics. His career is probably over now -- who wants to risk casting someone whose drug bust was broadcast on TV? Hardly upstanding citizen material.

However, daddy surely has made more than enough money to keep his son covered for a long time... no?

Just End to a Two-Year Nightmare

Justice was served today for an Indonesian domestic helper who suffered horrific torture and slave-like conditions by her employers.

Tai Chi-wai, 42 was sentenced to three years and three months in jail, while his wife Catherine Au Yuk-shan, 41, was handed a five and a half year jail sentence.

The trial which lasted several days gripped the city as the domestic helper Kartika Puspitasari, 30, testified about how she was beaten and forced to do undignified things for two years.

Kartika told of when she first arrived in October 2010, Au threw away all her clothes and forced her to wear over sized old clothes, but no underwear or bras. She also told of how Au cut off all her hair and brandished a box cutter, threatening to kill her if she let her hair grow back. Then the employer slashed her forearm and wrist with the blade, the scars still visible.

The domestic helper testified she worked seven days a week with no holiday or pay, and was forced to sleep in the kitchen. And then Au beat her often, using wire hangers, shoes, and a bicycle chain, and even scalded her face with a hot iron.

That's not all -- Kartika said in court that from June 27 to July 1 last year, before the family went on holiday to Thailand, Tai tied her legs to a chair and her hands behind her back. She testified that he left no food or water for her and literally sat there for five days until her employers came back.

The couple's defense? They claimed Kartika's injuries were self inflicted and that her claims were "ridiculous".

In giving his verdict, Judge So Wai-tak described the couple as "cruel" and "vicious", and that they had damaged Hong Kong's reputation as a safe place to work. He said that a doctor's testimony showed that Kartika could not have intentionally hurt herself because of where the marks were on her body.

According to media reports, Au and Tai were calm when the sentence was read out, and apparently were prepared for jail; they already contacted the Social Welfare Department to look after their three children ranging in age from five to 11.

Hong Kong started importing domestic helpers in the late 1970s which made it easier for women to go to work in order to contribute to a two-income household. They first came from the Philippines and more now from Indonesia.

While the monthly income they earn here is good compared to what they can earn back in their home countries, doing domestic work and looking after children and the elderly is physically demanding, and for many it's demeaning, as some have university degrees.

The majority seem get along with their employers, some have very happy relationships with their families, while Kartika's case is the other extreme as a two-year brutal physical and psychological nightmare.

This case shows how few checks and balances there are when it comes to Hong Kong families hiring domestic helpers. Since she lives with the family, the domestic helper has no choice but to live with the family and try to tolerate the situation.

Domestic helper support groups are now calling for the government to allow option of domestic helpers living with their employers so that they are not on call 24 hours a day, and also it will make it easier for them to report abuses to the police.

It will be interesting to see how the government reacts to this case and if it leads to further guidelines on how domestic helpers should be treated in Hong Kong. It cannot turn a deaf ear to these workers who make a significant contribution to the city's economy and community.