Police Sergeant's Drunken Misadventure

An office measures out how far apart people should be

 

The Hong Kong police are out in force these days to make sure people are social distancing in groups of four in public. 

But they themselves have flouted the rules and then some.

A sergeant was sentenced to 160 hours of community service for assaulting a junior officer during an illegal public gathering. He was suspended.

David Leung pleaded guilty to common assault

David Leung Kwok-wing was spared jail at Tuen Mun Court on Tuesday, after he pleaded guilty to common assault during a drunken brawl on April 19.

The 40-year-old Leung and his nine colleagues flouted the government's ban on public gatherings of more than four people when they met for dinner late in the evening for a farewell dinner for policewoman So Ling-nga, who was leaving the force.

Leung got into a heated exchange with 31-year-old So after she teased him for his "inability to drink". 

During the altercation he grabbed her by the hair for 10 seconds, causing her head to swell and she sustained scratches to her arms. She was granted two days' sick leave after the incident.

At first Leung denied the accusation under caution and during a police investigation, and then changed his plea to guilty. He has agreed to compensate So HK$3,000 (US$387) for her injuries.

Ten officers also fined for not social distancing

Magistrate Kelly Shui accepted the probation officer's recommendation of community service for Leung only because of his timely guilty plea. She told Leung his fall from grace was due to his arrogance.

"The two days' sick leave [given to the victim] was, to some extent, telling that you had no reservation to go all out when you pulled your colleague's hair," Shui told the sergeant.

"You are a law enforcement officer. You yourself have to set a good example for others. You have to be forgiving to your colleagues."

Shui warned the court "would not go easy" on Leung should he violate the terms of the community service order.

The 10 officers, all from Tin Shui Wai Police Station, have been fined for breaking the social distancing ban, but it was not revealed how much they were fined, as it can be as much as HK$50,000 (or imprisoned for six months).

Leung will also undergo an internal disciplinary hearing. 

Why these officers thought they were above the law or could get away with flouting social-distancing measures is outrageous, and then to get drunk and pull a colleague's hair because she teased him for not holding his alcohol is just as outrageous.

At least justice was done here.

Next!

Justice Secretary Halts Two Private Prosecutions

Teresa Cheng has intervened in two private prosecutions this week

In Hong Kong, most prosecutions are brought on by the Department of Justice, though the common law system allows for residents to pursue charges under the Magistrates Ordinance.

Lawmaker Ted Hui Chi-fung was exercising that right, trying to privately prosecute over two incidents that happened during the protests last year. One was when a policeman shot 21-year-old protester Chow Pak-kwan at point blank range during a confrontation in Sai Wan Ho last November.

Ted Hui wants to get justice for the victims

The other was when a 59-year-old taxi driver, Henry Cheng Kwok-chuen, drove into some people in Sham Shui Po protesting over the government ban on using masks to hide identities last October.

However with the space of three days this week, Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah has intervened to halt both these prosecutions.

While the Department of Justice does have the final say in criminal prosecutions "free from interference", but both of them? In less than a week?

Hui accused Cheng of putting politics above the rule of law, saying: "Teresa Cheng has adopted improper means to terminate the private prosecution without providing any reasonable grounds."

He continued by saying her action jeopardized the right of the DoJ to have complete control over prosecutions "free from interference".

"This, in turn, becomes a support for violence used by the police and government supporters, upending rights and wrongs and seriously harming residents' right to bring private prosecutions under the common law," he said, vowing to lodge a judicial review to challenge the decision.

The moment when Chow was shot by a police officer

In her blog post in June, Cheng wrote private prosecutions "which are groundless or frivolous or brought out of improper motives or political considerations should not be condoned".

Do these two cases fit her above descriptions of those that should not be prosecuted?

In the case of Chow the student, he was shot in the abdomen and had to have one of his kidneys and half his liver removed because of the damage caused by the bullet. Chow has had to quit studying because he has trouble concentrating and needs psychological counselling. He was charged with attempting to steal a Hong Kong policeman's gun. Hui was trying to prosecute the police officer.

Meanwhile Hui also wanted to prosecute taxi driver Cheng, though he claims to have no idea how he lost control of his car. A 23-year-old woman suffered serious fractures to both legs when the vehicle mounted the pavement outside Cheung Sha Wan government offices before smashing a store front.

Cheng's taxi crashed into protesters last November

Right after, witnesses dragged Cheng out of the taxi and beat him up, leaving him with fractured ribs and had to have four stitches in his head. But he was never charged in the incident, though two other men at the scene were charged with rioting and later released on bail.

Hui will meet the justice secretary in about 15 days' time to discuss the latter case; maybe then she will reveal the real reason behind halting the prosecutions, which has only been done twice in 51 cases from 1996 to 2013...

District Councillor Acquitted of Assaulting Police Officer

Jocelyn Chau emerges from the court after cleared of assault charges

Hong Kong's Department of Justice may think it is doing its job, in the process of prosecuting over one thousand people who were involved in last year's anti-government protests, but its success rate is actually very low.

So far of the almost 9,000 people arrested, 5,700 are being investigated, about 1,500 are facing trial, and some 100 convicted so far.

Today is another case in point.

Co-defendant Lao Chak-yin was also acquitted

A Hong Kong district councillor who was charged with assaulting a policeman last year during the protests was acquitted today, after the magistrate ruled the involved officers and his superior had made up the incident, then "covered a lie with another lie".

Eastern district councillor Jocelyn Chau Hui-yan and co-defendant Lao Chak-kin, both 23, were charged with assaulting a policeman in North Point on the evening of August 11 last year.

In the trial it was heard that Chau and Lao were live streaming a gathering at King's Road at 9pm after an anti-government rally. It was there that they were accused of shoving Constable Hui King-yiu, causing him to strain his back.

But instead the footage taken by Chau showed Hui reaching for her mobile phone and telling her to stop filming, while Hui's colleague, Senior Sergeant Lam King-nin, accused the pair of making secret videos of them patrolling the area.

Chau last August 11 pinned to the ground by police

In addition, video clips that other journalists had taken at the scene showed Hui subduing Chau by kneeling on her back and forcefully pressing her against a wall.

In explaining his actions in court, Hui denied intercepting the pair over the filming, and said he did not mind being videotaped. He claimed he was simply trying to persuade Chau and Lao to leave the scene, fearing they might encounter a group of men, believed to be from Fujian, after hearing some of them curse the duo.

Lam backed up his subordinate's remarks, adding he had not seen the constable treating Chau roughly.

Eastern Court Magistrate Stanley Ho Chun-yiu said the officers involved had been dishonest.

"The two officers' testimonies are unreasonable and artificial. When they were cross-examined, they made up the facts and tried to cover a lie with another lie. They were not honest and reliable witnesses," he said.

Video screen shot of Constable Hui King-yiu that night

Ruling in favour of the defendants, Ho dismissed the officers' testimonies as "descriptions of a parallel universe", pointing to the footage played at the trial in which the two defendants and others visible appeared peaceful and non-aggressive.

"It is difficult to understand [the officers' testimonies]. There was no persuasion whatsoever. If the officers emphasized so much that they did not mind being filmed, then where did the criticism [of the filming] come from?" Ho said.

In addition, the magistrate found it unreasonable for the officers to focus on the two defendants rather than focus on dispersing the crowd.

"As police officers, shouldn't they stop these people who may cause a conflict, instead of intercepting some young people who have not done anything improper?" he asked.

Ho also criticized Constable Hui for using "absolutely unnecessary" force against Chau, before ordering prosecutors to bear the defendants' legal costs.

The magistrate says Hui used "absolutely unnecessary" force

Outside the court after the verdict, Chau said she and her lawyers would discuss the possibility of taking legal action against the constable, including launching private prosecution proceedings.

It's interesting the magistrate did not charge the two officers for perjury! One would expect anyone in a courtroom to speak the truth.
 It is outrageous that prosecutors wasted everyone's time and effort in presenting such a flimsy case when there was so much video footage that did not match with the officers' testimonies.

Did they think they could get away with making up what they did that night? It just shows their contempt for the law.

Thankfully the magistrate saw through it, and with the damning video footage, his verdict was clear-cut.

After Record 9,778 days in Jail, Innocent Man Released

Zhang (in red sash) reunited with his extended family

One wonders if the Chinese justice system will make changes in how it convicts defendants after an innocent man was finally released after spending almost 27 years in jail for a crime he did not commit. It is believed to be the longest wrongful imprisonment in China's history.

A court in the eastern province in Jiangxi found there was insufficient evidence to convict then 26-year-old Zhang Yuhuan of murdering two boys in 1995. He was handed a suspended death sentence in 1995 that was commuted life in prison after two years.

The court apologizes to Zhang

Zhang applied for a retrial in 2017 and it was granted last March and then finally ruled on last month.

"After the verdict, a representative of the Jiangxi High People's Court apologized to Zhang Yuhan on behalf of the court, and informed him he has the right to apply for state compensation," said the official summary of the case that was published on the court's website.

Before Zhang, the longest wrongful sentence was held by Liu Zhonglin, who was imprisoned at the age of 22 and released 25 years later. Liu was awarded 4.6 million yuan (US$670,000), about 500 yuan for each of the 9,217 days he was in prison.

Zhang, now 53, spent 9,778 days behind bars and is applying for 7 million yuan in compensation, according to his lawyer.

"I was taken as a young man and returned as a geezer, but I still have to thank the government for giving back my innocence," Zhang told local media on Wednesday.

But the emotional toll the almost 27-year sentence had on his family cannot be compensated with money; time is not something they can reverse.

Zhang with his ex-wife who helped his appeal

At the time of his imprisonment Zhang had a wife and two sons. She divorced him after being deprived of an income for six years and remarried, though she continued to help him with his appeal. Zhang came out of jail to meet his grandchildren, the oldest one is 12 years old.

"I've seen a lot of brothers and sisters, a lot of relatives, but I don't recognize many," Zhang said, adding his mother now 84, was the hardest to recognize.

Zhang says he was tortured by public security officers to produce a confession that contributed to his original conviction. However, the Jiangxi High People's Court rejected the application by Zhang and his lawyer to have such evidence disqualified, citing a lack of evidence behind the claims.

But now Zhang wants the relevant legal authorities to take action against those who allegedly pressured him to give a false confession.

What are the chances the authorities will actually track down those people from 27 years ago? Zhang may never get the justice he wants to see.

Zhang with his 84-year-old mother

China has one of the highest conviction rates in the world at 99.9 percent in 2016, while the conviction rate in the US federal court system is 93 percent.

In 2014 the Supreme People's Court abolished the use of conviction rates as a performance benchmark in the hopes that it would lead to fewer miscarriages of justice, and reduce the instances of torture and forced confessions.

But no one listened to Zhang, or his older brother Zhang Minqiang, who said he wrote over 1,000 letters of appeal throughout his brother's imprisonment.

How will Zhang ease back into normal life again? It will be a massive challenge for him, not only from a practical sense, but also psychologically having been through so much.

Hopefully his compensation request will be approved, but how do you even begin to compensate for 27 years of lost time?

A Judge's Politically Charged Comments

The pedestrian tunnel in Tsueng Kwan O where the three stabbings took place

On Friday District Judge Kwok Wai-kin sent a 51-year-old man to jail for stabbing a reporter and two others inside a pedestrian tunnel that was decorated like a Lennon Wall with a collage of colourful messages of support for the anti-government protests last August.

Tony Hung Chun, a tour guide who was out of work at the time and said his emotions were affected by the protests, pleaded guilty to three counts of wounding with intent. Yesterday he was sentenced for 45 months, but what raised eyebrows was Judge Kwok's comments.

District Judge Kwok Wai-kin

In his judgment, Kwok described Hung as "an involuntary sacrifice and a bloodstained victim hanging by his last breath" amid the social unrest, and that the black clad protesters ganged up like a "terrorist army" and changed Hong Kong with extremist acts reminiscent of the Cultural Revolution in mainland China.

Two well-known lawyers said these comments were uncalled for.

Highly respected criminal lawyer Lawrence Lok Ying-kam said an judicial comment should not be partial, and these comments should not have been made, while former Bar Association chairwoman Audrey Eu Yuet-mee said the judge's remarks may not have followed the long standing principle of political neutrality.

"A man seriously wounded and attacked another citizen, which was almost life threatening," Eu said. "But then [the judge] said the attacker had a motive that was praiseworthy or laudable -- you're not being politically neutral, but taking into account his political stance.

Chief Justice Geoffrey Ma said judges cannot be political

"If the reports are accurate, it will definitely affect respect for the judiciary and judicial independence, that's contrary to what the chief justice said."

Chief Justice Geoffrey Ma Tao-li has stressed repeatedly that judges only consider cases according to the evidence and the law, and that politics and popular sentiment are not part of the proceedings.

Interestingly Kwok himself has said politics did not play a role when  two years ago he sentenced 10 people charged with rioting in Mongkok in 2016.

"The courts will not get involved in political debate, nor to judge on right or wrong in political ideals, as that is not the role of the courts," he said at the time.

Tony Hung Chun (left) was jailed for 45 months

It's just very curious to see Judge Kwok make such a comment on his sentencing. Legal scholar Simon Young at the University of Hong Kong explained the judiciary's Guide to Judicial Conduct was unclear on whether judges could express their own opinions before the court of they were unnecessary for the case, but in general, the principle of independence and impartiality would strongly advise against it.

"[Unnecessary comments] could generate an issue of apparent bias for the judge in a future case," Young said, adding with the current political climate, judges may need to be a bit "more monastic" when it came to politically-charged cases.

Did Teresa Cheng Try to Flee or Not?

Teresa Cheng on December 3 when she returned to Hong Kong via Beijing

Remember last month when the Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah was hounded by about 30 protesters in London that they apparently caused her to fall and injure her arm?

She suffered a fracture and partial dislocation of her wrist on November 14 and had surgery in London.

She fell and injured her arm in London in November 14

But she didn't return back to Hong Kong until December 3 -- by way of Beijing.

When she came back, she did not reveal how long she was in the Chinese capital for, or why she received treatment there, and not in Hong Kong.

"The operation was carried out in Britain, and the [Chinese] embassy, when arranging my return... arranged for me to be transferred to Beijing, our capital," she said after returning to Hong Kong on December 3.

There is an interesting story that was reported in the Financial Times on December 6. The article cited three anonymous sources who said Cheng "had wanted to remain [in London] and resign from her government post until she was ordered home by Beijing."

Cheng with Liu Xiaoming in the Chinese embassy in London

When asked to comment the Department of Justice reiterated what Cheng said and denied the report. "The secretary did not ask to resign as reported. The relevant report was completely groundless."

Why would someone want to have medical treatment in Beijing as opposed to London? And why go there for medical treatment for weeks? Did she want to quit?

Seems like Cheng was "detained" for medical reasons. Unlike most people who are detained, she was released in a short period of time...

What Tomorrow Brings

The anti-government protests have been going on for over six months now

Tomorrow is the District Council elections and there were concerns the government would call them off because of escalating violence from six months of anti-government protests.

Protest held today against the police's extensive use of tear gas

Many see tomorrow's elections as a referendum on Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and her administration, particularly in her bungled handling of this half year-long crisis that seems to have no end.

Although some people are still holed up at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the city has been relatively calm these few days, including a peaceful protest in Kowloon Tong this morning by families against the police force's indiscriminate use of tear gas.

Nevertheless, the pro-democracy camp has informed its supporters to vote as early as possible, concerned that the polling booths could be shut down if there is violence, so get the vote in early -- as early as 7.30am when the polling booths open.

Some of the destruction at Hong Kong Polytechnic University

This strategy is also to counteract the anticipated busloads of seniors from old folks homes who will be bused in to polling booths and then treated to dim sum after.

And the pro-Beijing side always say that protesters get paid...

One heartening piece of news is that the people of Hong Kong have been awarded the 2019 John McCain Prize for Leadership in Public Service. The awarded was received in Halifax, Canada by Figo Chan Ho-wun of the Civil Human Rights Front that organizes the mass marches, and former lawmaker Emily Lau Wai-hing.

Human rights activist Figo Chan in Halifax to receive award

Chan gave a short speech (in broken English) explaining to the audience how the Chinese government frames the protesters as "rioters", but that "we are simply fighting for democracy, freedom, and social justice. This is not a value of Hong Kong. This is a value we share between all of us".

He added over 4,000 people have been arrested so far, including first aiders, doctors and reporters.

"Even with immense pressure from the Chinese, we hope the international society will stand, join with us," Chan said.

Cindy McCain presented the award to Hong Kong people

Earlier Cindy McCain, wife of Senator John McCain who died in 2018, said: "I hope this tribute to those who are struggling for their rights in Hong Kong will encourage more people around the world to raise their voices in support of their cause, especially in my country's government. They are fighting for something larger than themselves."

Marching for Justice (Again)

A long procession of people in the law profession came out to march today

 

Today some 3,000 lawyers came out in the midday sun to participate in a silent march to protest the government's abuse of the rule of law in the past few weeks. This is the sixth time people in the law profession have come out to march since 1997, and the second time in two months on June 6.

A long steady stream of people in black suits and dresses walked from the Court of Final Appeal to the Department of Justice and demanded that Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah and Director of Prosecutions David Leung Cheuk-yin to come out to meet with them.

Martin Lee says no one is above the rule of law

However, they didn't come out (or maybe they were out for lunch?) and senior counsel and co-founder of the Civic Party Audrey Eu Yuet-mee suggested perhaps they were on strike which got cheers (or jeers) from the fellow marchers.

Several people made speeches, including Martin Lee Chu-ming.

"We are here to protect the rule of law. The rule of law means, most importantly, that we are all equal under the law," he said. "If people wearing black committed any criminal offenses, and you bring them to justice, that's fair. But why don't you do the same when the criminals are wearing white? It is in breach of the rule of law."

He was referring to the horrific and violent incident in Yuen Long on July 21 when men, some identified as triads, beat up commuters in the MTR station, some of whom had just come back from a protest march. Twenty-four of them were arrested for unlawful assembly but have yet to be charged.

This contrasts with 44 protesters who were charged with rioting on July 31, just days after the alleged incident.

Some 3,000 lawyers, prosecutors and students came out

Stephen Char Shik-ngor, a former investigator for the Independent Commission Against Corruption also voiced his concerns about how the Department of Justice is going about charging people.

"How can you charge people with rioting within 24 hours? Where have you got the evidence? While everybody saw on the TV the people beating up innocent people but they are not charged yet. So for the perception of the members of the public, this is selective prosecution," he said.

Some lawyers in the march are working pro bono for some of the protesters who are charged and urged others to volunteer their services as well. One local law firm that focuses on human rights issues has even published guidelines on its Facebook page, advising protesters what to do if they are arrested by the police, or are injured during the clashes with the authorities.

Hong Kong has devolved into practically a police state that the lawyers in today's march find it alarming.

"It has never happened before, and I think it is a very strong evidence that there has been a departure from normal procedures and guidelines," says Eu. "And for an important department like the Department of Justice -- I mean look at the word 'Justice' -- you really require the department always to be sticking to procedures, principles and due process. "

Last night in Sham Shui Po police station tear gas was fired

The highly respected former Executive Council member Denis Chan Khen-lee QC spoke in public since the protests began, urging the government to listen to the "silent scream" of the city's law profession.

"But we do not just scream. We want law, order, justice and peace," he said.

He added an independent investigation into the political crisis was necessary and warned that people in power are not above the rule of law. 

Meanwhile last night Baptist University student union president Keith Fong Chung-yin was arrested by the police in Sham Shui Po. His crime? Being in possession of 10 laser pointers. Where in the law is it a crime to have laser pointers that lecturers use?

No sooner had word gotten out that 300 residents and other concerned people come out to the Sham Shui Po police station to demand his release, including Baptist University President Roland Chin Ta-hong, and pan-democrat lawmaker Claudio Mo.

To poke fun at the police, a laser show at the Science Museum

However, when Mo was speaking to the gathered crowd, police began firing tear gas at them from inside the police station. That definitely inflamed the crowd and later on in social media people were making fun of the charges, saying pens and other stationary will be considered weapons as well.

Today the police claimed laser pointers were a weapon and demonstrated by shining it at very close range on a piece of paper that burned in 10 seconds. But someone on Twitter remarked that to get that close to a police officers, one would be tear gassed first...

So in protest, tonight a laser show was held outside the Science Museum in Tsim Sha Tsui. People shone laser pointers at it and sang music related to lasers.

Gotta love Hong Kong and Cantonese humour to make this crisis more bearable!

The Chorus against Extradition Bill Gets Louder

Carrie Lam says she's willing to take the political criticism for extradition bill

The protest against pushing through the extradition bill in Hong Kong is growing, with the legal sector weighing in and planning a silent protest march next Thursday, June 6.

This will be the fifth such march since Hong Kong's handover to China, and this bill puts the judiciary in a difficult position. Critics are concerned about unfair trials and lack of human rights protection in the mainland, but the government insists the city's courts would have the final say on granting the arrest and eventual transfer of any fugitive.

Dennis Kwok is organizing a silent march for judiciary June 6

Legal sector lawmaker Dennis Kwok, who is organizing the upcoming march, accuses the government of being "deeply shameful and dishonest" about misleading the public when it said the courts would be an effective gatekeeper.

"There is nothing the courts can do [to ensure] the defendants would receive a fair trial and due process once he or she is extradited to that jurisdiction," he said.

Another critic is former Bar Association chairman Edward Chan King-sang. He criticized the government's legislative effort for already undermining the city's reputation for rule of law and the principle of "one country, two systems".

"The government has created an impression in the outside world that the central government could directly intervene in the city's internal affairs," Chan said, adding there is widespread concern by business chambers and foreign diplomats.

He said the government was obliged to ensure the place requesting extradition could provide a comparable standard of justice, and should spell out the safeguards in the law.

Another critic is former Bar Association's chair Edward Chan

But it is well known China has an constitution that looks good on paper, but it doesn't follow it to the letter, the same could be said about its legal system.

Meanwhile in the Legislative Council, pro-establishment lawmaker Michael Tien Puk-sun, who does not support the extradition bill, says Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and her administration are responsible for the controversy surrounding the bill.

"A solution was only proposed one year after the case [of the Hong Kong man murdering his girlfriend in Taiwan] had happened," Tien said. "It was bundled with a problem that has not be solved for the past 20 years."

He was referring to the lack of an extradition agreement between Hong Kong and the mainland since the city returned to Chinese rule. And his observation is correct.

Lawmaker Micheal Tien does not support the extradition bill

In the meantime, the Lam administration is trying to propose some amendments to the bill to make it more palatable, such as allowing local criminal suspects convicted in mainland courts to serve their prison sentences in Hong Kong, and raise the threshold for extradition to seven years instead of the current three. This would mean bribery and forgery would still be extraditable offenses under Hong Kong law, but offenses like assault causing bodily harm would not count.

With Lam having to pass this extradition bill whether we like it or not, it is better to have it watered down as much as possible for our sakes, but how much change Beijing will tolerate is hard to know since it has been wanting to do this for years.

The chief executive is trying to make it seem like a chore she has to complete and has said, "No matter how much political criticism I'm getting personally, I still think this is worth doing." 

How is this "worth doing"? Lam is choosing to treat this extradition bill as something to cross off her "to-do list". But this bill has profound implications for 7 million people...

Frankfurt's Insightful Sights

Cathedral of St Bartholomew was spared during the war

Today we had a private guide and driver to show us around Frankfurt and a bit beyond. Originally from Frankfurt, he gave us some interesting details about some landmarks in the city.

The original 15th century stained glass

One of our first stops was to Romer, in the old city square. It's a medieval building that dates back over 600 years from the Romer family that made its money as merchants. It later sold the building to the city in 1405 and was later known called the Kaisersaal, or "Emperor's Hall".

Today is the old city hall where people can have a civil wedding, and if the football team, Eintracht Frankfurt wins a major match, the players can be seen on the balcony.

What's interesting is that across from the Romer is a spring water fountain, one of 160 of them in the city, though many are not in use anymore. On top of the fountain is Lady Justice, but on closer examination, she is not blindfolded -- that's because she is looking straight at the King and hinting that she is watching him and he had better make a fair judgment.

A short distance away is Cathedral of St Bartholomew (Dom St Bartholomaus) that was built from the 14th to 15th centuries. Our guide asked us to think of the many artisans who worked on the cathedral over 100 years. Designs changed according to styles of the time, and also how much money could be rustled up by the parishioners.

This popular sausage shop has been around since 1954

During World War II, the allied forces specifically used fire bombs on Frankfurt because it is a living city -- that meant the bombs would burn down buildings, while some facades managed to continue standing.

They did not bomb churches -- our guide explains this is because the war was not about religion, but also because they used them as landmarks to know their positioning. So the church was not damaged per se, but the fires were so hot that they melted the designs on the stained glass.

Sausages with mustard and bread. So good!

However -- all was not completely lost. One panel happened to be taken down for restoration and subsequently kept in a safe place -- and we are now very privileged to see the stained glass from the 15th century. The other stained glass panels looks very modern and the colours are muted pastels.

The tower of the cathedral is also 100 metres high and for a few euros you can climb up to the top to have a good view of the city.

After the war, people in Frankfurt didn't have much if anything left. Some had bunkers that may have stored some food, but other than that no one had much to eat. They would meet at this marketplace called Kleinmarkethalle and exchange food or give away some food so that everyone had a bit of something to eat and it was also a morale booster that the community would rebuild the city again.

The carousel in Wilhelmsbad State Park

We visited that marketplace, which is quite small and indoors, and today houses stalls selling fresh vegetables, fruit, meats and pastries, as well as cooked foods. One of the stalls is called Schreiber that has been there since 1954 and hasn't changed since then.

It sells thick sausages that are boiled and served with a blob of mustard and a portion of bread for 2.30 euros each. We got there just in time before the line started, which our guide says goes all the way out the door everyday.

The wooden horses are beautifully made

Because it was rainy and chilly today, having a bite of the hot sausage hit the spot, and it wasn't salty, and very meaty. The owner, Ilse Schreiber, prepares the sausages using a family recipe from her grandfather-in-law who started the business on Metzgermeile or "butcher's mile".

Then we had a short drive on the autobahn to Hanau, where we visited the Wilhelmsbad State Park that was originally the hunting grounds for Prince Wilhelm IX of Hessen-Kassel. To make his visit there more fun, a carousel was built for him in 1780 by Franz Ludwig Cancrin, who used his mining engineering skills in this project.

The carousel is built on top of a mound and is decorated with wooden horses and carriages. But underneath it is actually pushed around by donkeys and horses who walk around in circles. How ironic is that?

Palmengarten is very lush and green (and wet today!)

After lunch of pork knuckle, sausages, sauerkraut, potato dumplings, and apple cider (very sour!) we went to check out the Palmengarten or Botannical Garden. It's near Bockenheimer Warte subway station and best if you can go on a sunny day. Unfortunately for us, all day it would rain lightly then suddenly get heavier, then light again.

When we arrived here (admission 7 euros/$7.85), it rained lightly then got heavier and we would go into the various indoor gardens to try to stay as dry as possible. The garden was started by landscape gardener Heinrich Siesmayer in 1869 for Frankfurt residents.

The gardens house plants from then inaccessible, distant parts of the world, and includes a lot different species of palm trees, even cocoa trees, orchids, cacti, lotus, and even pitfalls, plants that have giant bucket-like receptacles that trap insects inside.

School children playing inside one of the pavilions

There wasn't too much organization in terms of the groupings of the plants, but it was a nice respite from the weather and warm too because of the tropical temperatures these plants usually live in.

However, when we finished, the rains still wouldn't let up and we found our way to a cafe on the grounds called Siesmayer Cafehaus where we had pastries and coffee. It turn out our server was from Xian, China and spoke to us in Mandarin. It turns out he has been in Germany for 30 years.

In any event, we tried some desserts -- I sampled the apple pie that wasn't too sweet, but a bit on the bland side. The lime yogurt cake was delicious and the Black Forest cake was heavy on the cream, but also not too rich.

Apple pie with cafe au lait for an afternoon treat

When we made our way back to the hotel, the sun started to peek out behind the clouds. Why now when the day is over?! It seems the rain is following us...!

The Leung Airport Bag Fiasco is Laid to Rest

Leung Chun-yan (far right) left her bag at the check-in counter two yeras ago

Can I jog your memory?

Back in March 2016, then chief executive Leung Chun-ying's daughter, Leung Chun-yan was catching a flight to the United States when she left her bag at the airport check-in counter and only realized it after she had passed through immigration and security.

What did she do? She called daddy to fix the problem. He called Cathay Pacific and demanded that they take the bag through security and pass it to his daughter who was already at the gate. He claimed there was a courtesy service that helped passengers with their left-behind bags.

Leung Chun-ying claims today's ruling is "political"

The airline staff tried to explain the rules to him, that it was the passenger's responsibility because they should be present when the bag is undergoing security screening.

Meanwhile, the Airport Authority felt it was the airline's responsibility to take the bag through, while the Aviation Security Company (AVESCO) said it had no objection to the airline taking the bag, contravening the airport's own security rules.

The Hong Kong Aviation Security Programme (HKASP) rule at the time was: "All screening of cabin baggage shall be conducted in the presence of the passenger."

In the end a CX staff member did take the bag through security screening and gave it to Leung Chun-yan just before her flight took off.

Following the incident, airport security changed the rules, saying that only suspicious bags that needed to be screened a second time required the presence of the passenger, thus trying to make the Leung Chun-yan incident end.

However, flight attendant Law Mei-mei filed for a judicial review, as she was concerned whether a flight attendant should be allowed or required to take unattended baggage through security screening.

Passengers must be present when their bags are being checked

And today the judge ruled airport bosses broke their own safety rules in the baggage fiasco two years ago.

Justice Anderson Chow Ka-ming declared decisions made by the Airport Authority and AVESCO contravened HKASP in force at the time. He concluded the government had later amended the security rules specifically to address the Leung case.

Chow also rejected Leung's argument that the airlines had a courtesy delivery service.

In a comment to Chinese media, Leung said the judgment was a "political act rather than a safety issue" but did not elaborate.

Hong Kong Cabin Crew Federation spokeswoman Carol Ng Man-yee said her group, an umbrella organization that includes Law's flight attendants' union -- was "very pleased" with the court ruling and demanded the Airport Authority and Civil Aviation Department apologize for going against their safety-first principle in the 2016 incident.

Carol Ng (second left) was very pleased with the ruling

"What would I tell Leung Chun-ying and his wife? I'd tell everyone the same thing: it's everyone's obligation to follow the rules," Ng said outside the court.

Ng is now calling for the reinstatement of the original rules for safety reasons.

The Airport Authority respected the ruling, but stopped short of saying it would appeal, as the rules were already amended.

Finally vindication that everyone -- that means everyone -- must follow the rules when going through airport security.

The fact that Leung still insists he is right, and that the ruling is a political one just reveals how he and his family still believe these airport safety rules do not apply to them at all.

It also shows how the Aviation Authority and AVESCO bowed to Leung's demands, throwing security concerns out the window.

Can we please have more back bone in Hong Kong? Or is this a sign of things to come?