Finding Alternative Solutions

Slim pickings for meat after abattoirs test positive for Covid

After a Covid-19 outbreak at Hong Kong's two abattoirs, the supply of fresh meat has plummeted, affecting supply, and now the government is considering allowing mainland butchers to come in to help out.

The city's largest operator Sheung Shui Slaughterhouse, and its smaller rival in Tsuen Wan would shut down temporarily on Saturday until further notice for disinfection after 183 of 866 samples from the Sheung Shui abattoir tested positive.

Supplies of pork and beef are disrupted

This has resulted in a knock-on effect with retail shops selling beef and pork having to shut temporarily as well due to having no more meat to sell.

Why do we have to bring in mainland butchers? Why not use this opportunity to push people to eat a more vegetarian diet?

Isn't this what people had to do during war time? If you want to eat meat, then you have to pay more for it.

While we are not at war, we are in a pandemic situation where food supplies are not consistent, so we should learn to make do with what we have and eat other protein-rich foods like tofu and legumes. 

Why not eat more tofu products to get protein?

Novel idea?

Meanwhile it has been reported by the Wall Street Journal that Chinese President Xi Jinping summoned Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor to Shenzhen to receive a direct order via Vice Premier Han Zheng that she has to get the fifth wave under control before Xi arrives for the 25th anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong to China on July 1.

Some China watchers are expecting the city to implement even harsher lockdowns... but how is that even logistically possible? Today Hong Kong reported 22,000 positive cases (a mixture of preliminary positive and rapid antigen tests).

By the way now in Hong Kong rapid antigen tests count as a positive test.

How is Lam going to tackle this, when the number of cases are rising exponentially? The current idea of universal testing starting next month is ridiculous and half-baked. Meanwhile we are are trying to prevent ourselves from getting infected so we don't test positive and get hauled into quarantine.

Han warning Lam to get Covid-19 under control

Meanwhile Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee told Bloomberg today that the government had Covid-19 "under control"...

She's saying this while the numbers of cases are rising exponentially everyday.

The deadline is looming, Carrie. How will you emerge victorious in stamping out the virus? 

More importantly -- did she wear a mask during the meeting?

Flying the Flag for National Education

Students to attend flag-raising ceremonies weekly from January

 

National education is being stepped up in Hong Kong starting on January 1, 2022 with schools having to hold the flag-raising ceremony at least once a week during the school term. Previously it was only for special occasions.

The Education Bureau released the circular on Monday though it made no mention of penalties for non-compliance, but that students who did not behave properly during the ceremonies should be stopped or removed from the venue.

It is hoped they will have greater national identity

The entire school must attend the event which is held on special occasions and on a weekly basis. For days like National Day, New Year's Day, and July 1, it's a public holiday -- so are students expected to return to school for the flag-raising ceremony?

Maybe that's why the bureau realized the flag-raising ceremony had to be held on days when students were in school...

There will also be a demand for more flag poles, as schools are asked to display the Hong Kong flag next to the Chinese one.

A bureau spokesman said the move aimed to "promote national education and help students develop a sense of belonging to the country, an affection for the Chinese people and enhance their sense of national identity."

Sounds like he was reading from a script.

International schools may join as well

The spokesman added that cultivating students' sense of national identity was one of the key learning goals of primary and secondary education, and also the educational obligation of schools.

Students are only missing the red scarves around their necks.

Meanwhile international schools are "encouraged" to also hold the flag-raising ceremonies.

"For the international schools in Hong Kong, as most of them have admitted local students, they are encouraged to refer to the requirements specified in the [circular], and display the national flag on each school day and conduct a national flag-raising ceremony weekly based on the actual school circumstances, so as to enhance local students' sense of national identity and deepen foreign students' understanding of the Chinese culture."

If international schools want to be in the government's good books, they know what to do...

 

 

The New Normal on July 1

At noon the police shut down Victoria Park, occupying it

 

Today is the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China.

Well it's really July 23, 1921, but we like to keep things simple so it's July 1 from now on.

Officers check ID and film people's faces

And it's the first anniversary of the national security law implemented in Hong Kong!

To ensure there's no problems today, 10,000 police officers were out on the streets, particularly in Causeway Bay, setting up temporary tents as frisking stations taking up the places where grass roots organizations would have set up street booths to promote their causes.

Not only did the police check people's ID cards, but also asked them to remove their masks in order to video recorded their faces. This is the new reality along with Hong Kong without Apple Daily.

And to make sure no one gathered in nearby Victoria Park, the police shut it down, shooing everyone away, from young footballers to domestic helpers. This is the second time the force has closed the park down, since June 4. In other years people would have filled the pitches for the annual July 1 protest march, but it seems there will be no more peaceful demonstrations of any kind.

Grandma Wong carrying UK flag was arrested

Even Alexandra Wong Fung-yiu or "Grandma Wong" waving the British flag was surrounded by cops and arrested. 

One boy was chased down in a shopping mall by police and was terrified, the media pack following behind, reminiscent of the 2019 protests to ensure they documented everything. Thank goodness the boy was let go and led away by concerned bystanders.

What is Hong Kong turning into?

By the way Civil Service Secretary Patrick Nip Tak-yuen said it would be an "overstatement" that the city has turned into a police state, with John Lee Ka-chiu moving from the security portfolio to Chief Secretary, while police chief Chris Tang Ping-keung becomes the new Secretary for Security.

"It is an overstatement. We have a team of political appointees in different bureaus. we have clerical staff and officers in the disciplinary forces in the civil service. We have different backgrounds and experiences. So comments like this are basically incorrect," he said.

Wong says he's speaking out before going to jail

So how does he explain the 10,000 cops on the streets then?

Meanwhile the League of Social Democrats managed to setup a booth under a flyover in Causeway Bay, though the police were standing by. Raphael Wong told the media: "I can't say what will happen tomorrow, and I will be in jail next month... but as long as there is an available platform, the League of Social Democrats will continue to speak out."

Brave man.

Hong Kong has changed so much in the last two years and now everyday seems to be a "new normal"...

10K Officers on Patrol July 1

A previous July 1 flag-raising ceremony in Wan Chai

 

July 1 is going to be very quiet this year.

And the whole city is going to be crawling with blue uniforms.

The Hong Kong police have announced that 10,000 officers -- up from 7,000 earlier -- will be patrolling the street to ensure the city is secure and there are no signs of dissent.

Police may shut down Victoria Park like June 4

The force has even mulled shutting down Victoria Park, the usual site of where marches start from. 

"It depends on if there are online appeals for people to turn up at the Causeway Bay park to kick off the march despite the ban," a senior police source told one news outlet.

Speaking of marches, as expected the three groups that appealed to the police to re-consider their application for a protest march on July 1 was rejected.

Eddie Tse Sai-kit, a spokesperson for the League of Social Democrats, Tin Shui Wai Connection, and Save Lantau Alliance, was disappointed by the outcome.

"The government has not done well enough to contain Covid-19 and now it is making use of it as an excuse to suppress our civil rights," he said. 

The groups said they would urge people to wear black on July 1 to show their discontent with political oppression.

Some 10K officers will be working on July 1

Meanwhile another police source said the unprecedented number of officers was needed from daybreak to late at night, and would include road closures near the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre for the flag-raising ceremony in the morning.

"We have to prepare for the worst regardless of whether any intelligence has been received."

John Lee Ka-chiu who will be acting Chief Executive, does not want any trouble on his watch that day. No expenses or man power spared.

July 1 March Cancelled for Second Year

The July 1, 2019 march is the last of the annual marches in HK

The annual July 1 march will be cancelled for a second year, with the police force citing the ongoing coronavirus pandemic as the reason.

Up until last year it was the Civil Human Rights Front that had organized the marches since 2003, but this year announced it had disbanded as several of its prominent members, including its convenor, Figo Chan Ho-wun were in jail, and the police investigating the legality of its existence.

As a result, three civic groups decided to carry on the mantle and apply for police approval for the march that was scheduled for Thursday.

The League of Social Democrats, Tin Shui Wai Connection, and Save Lantau Alliance applied to hold the march that would coincide with the 24th anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong to China. As expected their application was not approved.

The national security law is one year old in HK

"The police have reasons to believe that holding the activities would not just increase the risk of participants and other citizens getting infected, it would also pose grave threats to the lives and health of all citizens, endangering public safety and affecting the rights of others," the force said in its rejection letter.

The police added that officers had discussed the proposed arrangements for the march with the organizers, but believe that adding certain restrictions "would not help to ensure public order, public safety and protecting other people's rights and freedoms".

Perhaps what the force is alluding to is that Beijing doesn't want any kind of dissent on display that day.

That's because July 1 marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. It's actually on July 23, 1921, but it's the same month...

And it will also mark the first anniversary of the implementation of the national security law, so lots to celebrate this year.

The Communist Party celebrates 100 years

However Eddie Tse Sai-kit of Save Lantau Alliance is not convinced of the force's explanation.

"The government has already relaxed the number of people allowed to gather indoors. Why not outdoors?"

He also noted the promotions of John Lee Ka-chiu to Chief Secretary and Chris Tang Ping-keung to Secretary of Security as being hardliners.

"Why is the government so scared of letting people voice their concerns on the streets?"

While these are good points, security trumps all in times of big anniversaries for China. 

Even though the three groups plan to appeal the ban on Tuesday evening, they are probably going to be rejected again.

These groups deserve kudos for trying to do their bit for civil society, but it seems this year was not to be...

Thai-American Artist on Hong Kong

Rirkrit Tiranvaija's latest work at Art Basel

Art Basel has come and gone in Hong Kong, and it was good to have it finally held after it was cancelled last year because of the pandemic, albeit in a hybrid format with some physical booths showing art work set up at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, while galleries from overseas had online viewing rooms.

Admittedly I did not go to this year's fair, but did go on the website to look at some of the works on show.

One artist whose work I continue to follow is Thai-American artist Rirkrit Tiravanija. A few years ago he did a piece in 2016 titled "Freedom Cannot Be Simulated", the words written in black and red on the Hong Kong English-language newspaper, the South China Morning Post.

Under the blue vinyl is a message on newsprint

He has done this on a few other newspapers around the world. Tiravanija requests a specific back-dated copy of the newspaper and then paints a slogan on it.

Other slogans he has painted include "Same But Not Equal", "Fear Eats The Soul", and "The Days Of This Society is Numbered".

One of his latest works on show by the gallery neugerriemschneider in Berlin. Named "untitled 2018 (this revolution will not be televised, South China Morning Post, July 2, 2014).

It features a blue vinyl cloth, and when the viewer lifts it up, the newspaper is revealed to have the words "This Revolution Will Not Be Televised" in large white letters. 

Based on the July 1, 2014 protest march coverage

What was happening at that time? On June 10, 2014, the State Council in Beijing issued a white paper called "The Practice of the 'One Country, Two Systems' Policy in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

It claimed "comprehensive jurisdiction" over the city, saying: "The high degree of autonomy of the HKSAR is not full autonomy, nor a centralized power. It is the power to run local affairs as authorized by the central leadership".

This was the first Hongkongers had heard of this, having believed China would not interfere with Hong Kong affairs for 50 years until 2047, but now it looked like Beijing would have more of a say on how the city would be governed.

That led to a massive march on the annual July 1 protest, with organizers claiming over 500,000 people came out to show their discontent. Reports about the protest march, which included some 500 arrests, were covered in the newspaper the following day, and that is the edition Tiravanija has chosen to paint "This Revolution Will Not Be Televised".

Tiravanija's 2016 piece using the SCMP

On September 26, 2014, the streets were occupied in what was later known as the Umbrella Revolution or Umbrella Movement that paralyzed parts of Hong Kong for 79 days.

That later led to Tiravanija making "Freedom Cannot Be Simulated", using pages from the South China Morning Post from September 26-30, 2014.

To have an internationally known artist capture these moments happening in Hong Kong is fascinating, and proves the world is watching... 

March Organizer Faces Possible Ban

Civil Human Rights Front has organized marches since 2003

The Civil Human Rights Front was formed in 2002 and has been organizing the July 1 marches that in 2003 drew half a million people onto the streets, causing the Hong Kong government to shelve its plans to enact Article 23, a national security bill, and the several peaceful protest marches in 2019.

But now the group is at the centre of a police probe, with the authorities scrutinizing Civil Human Rights Front's finances and its failure to register with the government under the Societies Ordinance.

Even CY Leung praised the group in 2013

Last Monday the police demanded 15 years' of financial documents including funding, expenses and related bank accounts that were due by Wednesday, but the Civil Human Rights Front said it will not comply with the order, which could result in an outright ban of the group.

Civil Human Rights Front convenor Figo Chan Ho-wun said previously the police had communicated with members of the group without raising any issues.

"Following the July 1 march in 2013, then chief executive Leung Chun-ying even referred to the Civil Human Rights Front as 'friends'," Chan pointed out.

He added the group was a lawful entity because the city's Basic Law guaranteed freedom of assembly.

Chan said the organization disagreed with the Societies Ordinance because it allowed the police to investigate the group and possibly ban it.

He said the front was only give nine days to answer questions and comply with the documents requested for the past 15 years which will be difficult to dig up since the standard time to keep documents for tax investigation purposes is only eight years.

Chan says he may be the last convenor of group

However Chan said the group did not intend to hand over those details to the police even if they still had them. "It's a matter of principle," he said.

The police probe came a month after Lianhe Zaobao, the largest Chinese-language daily newspaper in Singapore reported the Hong Kong government was seeking to ban the group on national security grounds.

The law says the police societies officer could recommend to the Secretary of Security that a group be banned if it was found to be a political body connected to a political organization overseas or in Taiwan.

Prohibition could be deemed necessary in the interests of national security of public safety, as well as uphold order or the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.

When asked what would happen if Civil Human Rights Front is banned, Chan believed other civil groups will pick up the mantle.

"But I may be the last convenor of the Civil Human Rights Front," he said.

More Arrests Stir More Defiance Than Fear

Leung, Wu, Chu and Chan and four other arrested this morning

The authorities haven't just implemented the national security law to deter residents from secession, sedition, terrorism, and collusion with foreign forces, but it is also enforcing the new law that was implemented on July 1.

This morning eight opposition activists were charged with illegal assembly on July 1, the first large protest after the law was enacted.

Hundreds came out for illegal July 1 rally

Former legislators Eddie Chu Hoi-dick, Wu Chi-wai, "Long Hair" Leung Kwok-hung, and five others were arrested early this morning at their homes, including Figo Chan Ho-wun, convenor of the Civil Human Rights Front, on suspicion of violating the Public Order Ordinance.

A few hours later they were released on bail, and the activists vowed to remain defiant despite the crackdown, accusing police of retaliating against them for sanctions levelled by the United States against 14 top officials in China's legislature the night before.

July 1 is usually the annual mass march to mark the anniversary of the handover, but because of the new national security law, the police had refused permission to hold the rally. Nevertheless large crowds still gathered in Wan Chai and Causeway Bay, and police fired tear gas and pepper balls to disperse the crowds. Now these eight are being held responsible for the illegal rally.

Graduation ceremonies at Chinese University

The arrests this morning come a day after the police national security unit arrested three students over a politically-charged demonstration at Chinese University last month. During graduation ceremonies, some students chanted separatist slogans and carried black balloons, much to the horror of Beijing's liaison office. 

The office said the protesters had pushed for the city's independence, which contravened the national security law. 

As if that wasn't enough drama for today, two people connected to a church that helped mediate between the protesters and the police during last year's protests were arrested on suspicion of fraud and money laundering.

A former director and an employee of The Good Neighbourhood North District Church were taken into police custody, while the current director and secretary of the church, both of whom left Hong Kong in October, are also wanted by the authorities. 

The church had allegedly raised HK$27 million

Detectives allege that the church raised HK$27 million through several crowd-funding drives between June last year and September this year, but publicly stated they only raised one-third of the amount.

The police said the church's five accounts which total HK$25 million have been frozen as part of the investigation. Some of those accounts belong to Pastor Roy Chan Hoi-ting and his wife, who are currently on sabbatical in Britain, and now they have no access to the money for them and their five children.

"This is no doubt an act of political retaliation," the church said in a statement, condemning HSBC. "The purge has never ceased, just like the asset-freezing case of the self-exiled [former] Democrat, Ted Hui and his family. Such [an] incident has severely eradicated dissent in Hong Kong, suppressing freedom among religions and community service workers." 

Pastor Roy Chan volunteered during protests

The issue of freezing people's bank accounts without prior notice has worried many in Hong Kong to transfer more money abroad than before, though Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said today, "Hong Kong's monetary and financial systems are as robust as ever".

Sure thing, Carrie.

More Questions Than Answers

Hong Kong police firing tear gas into the protesters gathered at Legco

This morning everyone at work wanted to talk about the violence that erupted in the Legislative Council late last night and early morning. The incident brought up many more questions than answers.

The biggest question is: the police in riot gear were inside the Legislative Council trying to stop protesters from using makeshift tools to break into the building all day and afternoon, and threatened to punish them. But around 9pm, the police seem to have disappeared and this was an open invitation for the protesters to finally smash a glass wall or door and come in.

Protesters defaced the Bahinia symbol but leaving HK clear

If that wasn't enough, the police weren't anywhere in sight when the protesters stormed the building and began trashing the place. Interestingly when it came to the Bauhinia flower logo, they spray painted in black the words: "People's Republic of China" and left the Hong Kong part clean.

When the protesters were done trashing the place around 11.30pm, the police warned they would come in at midnight to clear the building. The protesters discussed what to do and at this point there were more reporters than protesters in Legco chambers.

A few decided to stay, and reporters were ready for the police to come in, when a group of protesters with yellow helmets rushed inside, shouting, "We all leave together!" and dragged the rest of them out. Quite dramatic.

Even more dramatic was at 12.08am when the police began firing several rounds of tear gas to disperse the protesters out of Legco and back to Admiralty. Within minutes the protesters retreated and many of them left the scene, probably by MTR as it would be closing before 1am. Down in the station protesters left lots of coins for the others to buy tickets in cash so that they would not be tracked.

Why did the police suddenly decide to get rid of the protesters like this within minutes when they had all day to keep them away from Legco? As one colleague pointed out -- which country would ever allow protesters to storm their own parliament?

It didn't make sense, and lawmaker Fernando Cheung Chiu-hung believed it was a trap.

In the end, the vast majority of the protesters left Admiralty by 1am, but it wasn't until 4am when Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor decided to hold a press conference in front of extremely exhausted reporters who had been covering the constantly evolving incident all day.

Why did she decide to speak to the media at that hour? One person joked on Twitter that she didn't dare show her face until then. Another suggested she was like Dracula and didn't like sunlight.

Why oh why Carrie, hold a press conference at 4am?

Her actions are strange too -- the pan-democrats sent her an urgent message before the clear-out that they needed to speak to her in the hopes of diffusing the situation -- Lam ignored them. This is ironic considering earlier in the morning in her speech she promised to engage people of all walks of life...

She had many chances to engage with the protesters and yet she didn't even bother to reach out. Was this an instruction from Beijing, not to compromise? Then why make empty promises? People's respect for her has plunged.

In the meantime Chinese state media are having a field day condemning the violent protesters and saying rule of law must return to Hong Kong.

But are they really the same protesters we saw march on June 9, 12 and 16? They had fought so hard to win people's support and yet they threw it all away ramming trolleys and sharp metal objects into the glass walls at Legco?

This I find hard to reckon with. I understand the desperation, but to wipe out all that hard-earned good will away in less than a day? It doesn't make sense.

Some have suggested perhaps they were triad members stirring up trouble -- after all they were attacking the place with masks and umbrellas so it's hard to easily identify them.

What does this all mean?

Lam basically has a lame-duck administration -- she has lost credibility and integrity, though Beijing continues to support her behind the scenes.

What happened last night is a sign of what's to come -- more violence to get the authorities' attention. What will it take? More lives lost? It's not worth it.

In terms of dollars, how about resolving the issue so that people will go back to focusing on their jobs and making money? People aren't in the mood to shop and dine when they would rather march on the streets for an important cause...

Some Protesters' Patience Has Evaporated

Protesters deface the bauhinia symbol in the Legislative Council chambers

It's after 10pm on July 1 and I should be pleased with myself for braving the 32 degree Celsius heat and high humidity to march on the streets of Hong Kong for over four hours, but I'm upset and angry seeing protesters destroying the Legislative Council as I write this.

In fact they had been attacking it before the march began around 2.50pm, but I hoped it would be an isolated incident and the protesters would be tired and move on. But they didn't.

Earlier protesters smash into the door of Legco

They tore off the bars of the gate, broke down the glass doors, ignored lawmakers' pleas to stop the violence and stormed into the the Legco chambers. They have now defaced the bauhinia symbol of Hong Kong and written swear words on the walls.

These violent protesters have completely undone what 550,000 people did earlier today, which was march peacefully.

At first the police pleaded with march organizers to either cancel the march, or just march to Southern Playground. We did not want to do that and finally made a deal to march to Chater Road in Central, and not end the march at Legco in Admiralty.

However, at Admiralty, some young protesters put up signs directing people to go to Legco and many did go, while the rest of us (me included) continued marching to Central with hardly any police in sight. I was already seeing on Twitter the violence that was happening in Legco and decided not to go anywhere near there.

Peaceful protesters march in Causeway Bay in the heat

But this also shows that these protesters are tired and frustrated from the fact that Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has not engaged with them at all. She promised to talk to the youth, but we have not seen her do that -- instead she met with senior police officials, thus indicating that her administration has no interest in holding an independent inquiry into the alleged excessive force used by the police.

When people's reasonable demands fall on deaf ears, that only escalates the situation. The protesters have even written on the walls of Legco: "The government made us do this".

Now the government has every reason to clamp down even harder on those who have committed violent acts. There is no reason for an independent inquiry or for Lam to completely withdraw the extradition bill.

A message for Carrie Lam to step down

People's patience have run out, but at the same time we should be playing the long game. Change is not going to happen in a few weeks. All the good will of the last few weeks have now been completely undone.

Even better it happened on the 22nd anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong to China. What an eventful and memorable day.

Police Supporters Lash Out

 

Thousands came out with blue signs in support of the Hong Kong police

Today people in support of the Hong Kong police force came out to Tamar for a rally, with organizers saying 165,000 attended. Many were middle-aged and elderly, holding placards that read, "we support HK police" and chanted slogans.

The rally, organized by pro-Beijing lawmaker Junius Ho Kwan-yiu, had some star power attached, with actors Tony Leung Ka-fai, Philip Chan Yan-kin and singer Alan Tam Wing-lun on stage. Guess they have lost some fans for good now.

Tony Leung Ka-fai and Philip Chan Yan-kin at the rally

Also making speeches were former police chief Tang King-shing and Basic Law vice-chairwoman Maria Tam Wai-chu.

Speaking onstage, Tang said he was "disheartened that Hong Kong police, which are the best in Asia, had their efforts completely disregarded".

"Over the past few weeks, Hong Kong police, working in extremely difficult environments and facing investigation, still remain very tolerant," Tang said.

He led the crowds in shouting" "Sir, madam, we support you! Sir, madam, thank you!"

However, this was far from a peaceful rally. Supporters for the police harassed reporters and anyone dressed in black, assuming they were an anti-extradition bill protester. Some people were manhandled and/or had abuse shouted at them. The police had to intervene.

Police supporters seen ripping signs off "Lennon Wall"

Tensions surged higher when police supporters went around, tearing down posters that protesters had put up, ripping up messages of support that were posted on "Lennon Wall", a concrete stairwell area that had been the site of many messages in 2014.

This led to more shouting matches. One Caucasian man confronted a middle-aged woman for desecrating a memorial for one protester who fell to his death on June 15 at Pacific Place. She ignored him and then turned around saying as a Hong Kong person he should speak Cantonese. He replied English is also an official language in the city.

Others desecrate a memorial

Hong Kong seems more divided than ever -- and the government has already picked sides.

If anything today's event has only inspired more people to come out tomorrow for the annual July 1 march. Perhaps this is the government's bizarre way of getting people to do more physical exercise?

The Word is Out

Protesters send an urgent message to the UK

The protesters against the extradition bill have raised over HK$6.7 million to spend on advertisements in national newspapers of countries participating in the G20 tomorrow and Saturday.

The ads began appearing today in The Guardian, The Globe and Mail and Süddeutsche Zeitung, a German paper.

This time the protesters are spreading the word internationally, and urging world leaders to say something about Hong Kong at the G20 in Osaka. The campaign, swiftly organized, is  unprecedented, and will be interesting to see how the advertisements are received.

Earlier today about 100 protesters descended on Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah's office, demanding she withdraw the extradition bill and not prosecute the protesters that have been arrested. They blocked the roads and entrances, so Cheng's staff had to leave early in the afternoon.

This weekend will be interesting. Apparently on Sunday there will be a march supporting the Hong Kong police force...

And Monday, the July 1 anniversary of the handover will surely be a tense one -- organizers of the annual flag raising ceremony next to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai will be scaled back significantly, while the march in the afternoon is expected to be a big one....

Never a dull moment in Hong Kong these days...

Protest Against Extradition Law Goes Global

A global protest will be held this Sunday

My friend YTSL has just sent me a poster letting the public know there will be protest marches against the extradition bill held in 17 cities around the world, including New York, London, Berlin, Vancouver, Toronto, Sydney, Melbourne and Tokyo.

Organizers of the Hong Kong march are hoping to get 500,000 people out like what happened on July 1, 2003 when half a million people came out to protest against the Hong Kong government's plans to pass Article 23, an anti-subversion law.

The massive protest led to then leader Tung Chee-hwa stepping down as well as Secretary for Security Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee. Article 23 was shelved and Beijing is still waiting for it to be passed.

But back to the upcoming protest this Sunday against the extradition law. If there are massive protests not only in Hong Kong but around the world, Beijing may think twice -- if it wants to have good standing on the global stage.

However, if Beijing believes the world is interfering in its internal affairs then the bill will be passed in the Legislative Council on Wednesday, after the government bypassed more stringent scrutiny by a committee following chaos in the legislature.

After that there won't be much we can do... now is the time to tell the government (and Beijing) how we feel about the extradition law this Sunday!

Raking in the Donations

Tens of thousands came out to march and support their political parties

In yesterday's post I complained about how the July 1 protest march was a constant barrage of speeches angling for donations.

But it's interesting to find out today who garnered the most money -- Demosisto.

With Joshua Wong Chi-fung and Agnes Chow Ting waving to the crowd, cheering on the marchers and shaking hands, the political party received HK$530,000 (US$67,950). This is a 23 percent increase from last year's donations totaling HK$430,000.

Agnes Chow encourages the marchers in the heat

The party has gone through a lot of upheaval in the past year, with Nathan Law Kwun-chun stepping down from Demosisto after he, the party's sole representative in the Legislative Council, was kicked out for not reading the oath of office properly.

Ivan Lam Long-yin, the new chairman of Demosisto says despite having lost their sole lawmaker in Legco, the public still supports them.

Lam says the donations will be used to continue Demosisto's campaign called "Decoding Hong Kong's History", an archival research project that looks into declassified documents related to Hong Kong's handover in 1997.

He also said the money would be used to attend international conferences and fund the group's work on producing material related to issues like the proposed national anthem law.

Lee Cheuk-yan's Labour Party saw a drop in donations

Another big winner yesterday was Democracy Groundwork, led by disgraced lawmaker Lau Siu-lai, who had a 45 percent jump in donations to HK$276,000. She said she was buoyed by the support they received and is considering running in the upcoming Legco by-election in November.

Meanwhile traditional pan-democratic parties saw a drop in their donation takings. The League of Social Democrats which had several members embroiled in court cases, saw a 9 percent drop in donations to HK$460,000, while the Civic Party, Democratic Party and Labour Party saw a decline as well.

So Hong Kong people vote with their feet literally and their wallets it seems...

The Annual July 1 March

It took us over an hour and a half to walk out of Causeway Bay

Today is Canada Day and HKSAR day... the 21st anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland. The best way to celebrate? March in protest against the Hong Kong government!

When we arrived at Victoria Park from the Tin Hau MTR station, the football pitches were set up for a pro-Beijing Hong Kong Celebrations Association featuring a lion dance exhibition with many tents, but hardly anyone there. There was a joke that people were being paid to show up there.

Calls were made to free Liu Xia from house arrest

Meanwhile next to the pitches is a lawn area that wasn't full, but had a few thousand people already gathered. Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor was there -- in the form of a cardboard cut out, while other people held up banners for their specific causes. A significant one demanded that Liu Xia, the wife of Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo be freed from house arrest.

Almost as soon as we arrived, organizers encouraged us to leave at 3pm on the dot, walking towards Tin Hau and then turning right onto Hennessy Road. Getting out of Victoria Park was OK, and at the beginning we walked quite quickly.

But soon we came to a complete stop and crawled along Hennessy Road. In fact it took an hour and a half just to walk out of Causeway Bay and into Wan Chai. Weather-wise it was slightly overcast, with periodic breezes which was nice. For a few seconds some raindrops fell.

Carrie Lam made a flat appearance...

When we were near the shopping mall Hysan Place, we could actually feel the cold air from the air conditioning blasting from the mall! There were some policemen who posted themselves right by the mall entrance to benefit from the air conditioning...

Periodically someone on loud speakers would encourage marchers to chant slogans, but for the most part the street was lined with political parties and social groups soliciting for donations which got a bit too much.

We saw people like Lee Cheuk-yan of the Labour Party, League of Social Democrats' Lau Siu-lai who was ousted from the Legislative Council, and Joshua Wong Chi-fung of Demsisto give speeches and then less than an hour later we saw them again in Wan Chai. It wasn't just political parties, but every other cause under the sun, from human rights, to animal rights, saving Lantau, to recycling and stop shopping. Domestic helpers demanded more money and there was even a group supporting North Korean defectors.

The constant barrage of voices on microphones was nauseating, combined with the heat and having to walk slow wasn't much fun. We were also joined by the Falun Gong which was awkward.

Strangely the Falun Gong joined us with drums

We could hear a marching band behind us and it was a coordinated group of people in blue and yellow satin outfits, banging on drums and playing trumpets, clarinets and saxophones wearing white gloves. We didn't want to be associated with them, but they were marching at a good pace that made us jealous!

Nevertheless, by the time we got to Admiralty, things were looking up and we were walking at a good pace to the border with Central and then we turned right to make a loop towards Tamar. Here we were stopped so that cars could go by and behind me I could see lots of people waiting like us.

Organizers estimated around 50,000 people, lower than last year, but my friend YTSL begs to differ as she has marched every year in the last several years. She says definitively that this year there were many more people than last year, which organizers had said 60,000 people showed up.

So how could this year only be 50,000?! The police had the gall to say only 9,000 people marched.

When we reached Tamar, we were actually allowed to go into Civic Square, which was a strange sensation as it had always been locked up during then leader Leung Chun-ying's time. It was a bit of an anti-climax ending the march here and then having to wait for the rest of the marchers to come before a rally would be held.

I decided to leave early and went home, sweaty and tired, but happy to be counted with the discontented.