Omicron Infections Worrying

Sorry little fella, you need to go... some 2,000 hamsters culled

Hamster-geddon has been the talk of the town today, as we watched news coverage of people giving up their rodent pets to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department to test them for Covid-19, and regardless if they are negative or positive, they are "humanely handled", but we all know what that means...

One father interviewed outside the AFCD said it was not fair, having to get rid of the animal when it was a living thing, and having to explain to his children that the hamster had to be destroyed because of the pandemic. But at the same time he said for the safety of the family the hamster had to go.

A mother said her children had been talking about getting a small pet for a while and then they finally got the hamster on the weekend, but now she was taking it to be culled.

AFCD asked people to surrender their hamsters

But others reported in other news articles have refused to hand over the animals, saying they would rather die than surrender their hamsters. Some saw this as an act of resistance against the government, and others even organised a system to take in hamsters as fosters; it reminded some of when strangers would taken in protesters for their safety back in 2019.

It has even gotten to the point where death threats have been sent to infectious disease experts like Dr David Hui Shu-cheong, and Dr Yuen Kwok-yung, but he brushed off the ominous messages, as he'd received them before...

In any event, seeing headlines like "Killing Hamsters Drives Hong Kong to New Low in Meeting China's Zero-Covid Dream", and "Hong Kong hamster massacre: Residents resist 'zero-Covid' city's pet project" give a horrific impression of the city, especially when no other animal-to-human transmission has been found around the world for the past two years.

While experts are still trying to find out if it was animal-to-human transmission or the other way around, Yuen believes the hamsters that came from the Netherlands, were most probably infected while in the warehouse in Tai Po, which is why he still thinks the cull was necessary.

Can you get infected with a mask on? Possibly

Today there is a report that one could possibly be infected with the Omicron virus just by passing by an infected person -- and everyone is wearing masks.

This is the plausible explanation of how a 26-year-old kindergarten teacher tested positive after passing by two infected people while walking in an MTR tunnel at a Mei Foo exit.

CCTV footage and her Octopus card transaction history showed she went through a tunnel exit at almost the same time -- just nine seconds apart -- as the two infected people last Friday. All three wore masks, and the teacher did not have contact with the pair.

Hui says this shows that the Omicron variant is four to eight times more transmissible than the Delta variant.

"If the index [patient] was near the kindergarten teacher, the wind direction could carry droplets [containing virus] to the teacher," he said. "Although a surgical mask could protect you from large droplets, it could still reach your eyes or leak in when you rub your eyes and nose."

He added that short-range airborne transmission could also occur if they stayed at a close distance, through gaps at the sides of the masks. He suggested residents wear glasses, plain spectacles, or face shields on top of face masks for extra protection.

Hui says Omicron droplets can get into the eyes

Oh no. Here we go again with people going over the top with a face shield on top of masks and those goggles usually worn in laboratories.

We are so exhausted by the whole pandemic and now we are told to be even more paranoid. 

"When is this going to end?" people keep asking openly, and there's no definitive answer.

Now that Omicron can possibly be caught so easily, restaurants are definitely going to see a drop in dine-in business, and who wants to even eat with a friend anymore?

It's all too much to bear. The impending Year of the Tiger is not looking good...

Press Freedom Under Attack Again

Bao Choy speaks to reporters after being released on bail

 

On the first anniversary of the July 21 attacks in Yuen Long last year, RTHK released a comprehensive documentary called "7.21 Who Owns the Truth" broadcast on Hong Kong Connection, which criticized the police for taking so long to respond to passengers in the MTR station who were being attacked by men in white shirts. 

At least 45 people were injured in the 7.21 attack

The emergency line was flooded with calls about the incident, but it took at least 39 minutes for the police to respond. At least 45 people were injured. 

The police have since revised its version of the story that it took only 18 minutes for the police to arrive at the scene, but there is so much footage to prove otherwise.

Nevertheless, in order to conduct research on the documentary, there was footage of vehicles carrying assailants to the station, and award-winning journalist Bao Choy Yuk-ling made a public records search to find out the ownership of these vehicles.

The documentary claims the vehicles were owned by village heads in the neighbourhood, but the owners contacted refused to go on the record.

Choy was arrested at home in Mei Foo

While being allowed to search for the information is not illegal, the police claim she knowingly made a false statement when requesting the information.

So Choy was arrested this afternoon for two counts of making false statements through a vehicle registration search.

The shocking thing is that many journalists have made requests for vehicle registration information before. Not only for vehicles but company registration and land ownership. This kind of information is publicly available; one only has to fill in the paperwork, pay a fee to have the request processed.

She did what any other journalist would have done to investigate the July 21 incident last year.

The police searched her home in Mei Foo and released her on bail this evening. She is scheduled to appear in Fanling Court next Tuesday. 

The doc asked why police took so long to respond

Speaking to reporters tonight, Choy said: "This case concerns me as a reporter, RTHK, and how every other journalist in town is going to report news in the future.

"At this moment I would like to urge all journalists to stand fast to our values and carry on our work with no fear and no favour. Throughout all my years of work, I have been following journalistic principles strictly."

While she refused to comment directly on her case, Choy said it does not serve the public interest when the police operation raises concerns and worries among journalists and the public.

RTHK has been under a lot of heat this year -- but mostly because it does good work and its critics are not pleased.

In March it was raked over the coals for asking WHO health official Bruce Aylward about reconsidering Taiwan's membership in the UN body. He claimed not to hear the question and then abruptly ended the video call.

Headliners frequently made fun of the police

Then the broadcaster shut down Headliner, a long-running satirical show that frequently mocked the police, and reopened an investigation into complaints of sharp reporter Nabela Qoser, who is known for her pointed questions at senior government officials. 

Before Choy was released on bail, the director of broadcasting at RTHK, Leung Ka-wing, RTHK is "afraid" and "worried" but will not alter its editorial principles or stop investigative reporting over the arrest of one of the station's TV producers.

When asked if RTHK would put a hold on any ongoing investigative reporting, Leung replied, "Why should we stop?"

"I would ask you why there be a need to stop? I cannot casually ask people to stop (working on something). There's always a reason when it comes to a pause in work, isn't there? If your boss asks you not to touch a certain issue, you would ask about the reason behind this," he said.

Leung says RTHK will continue its work

We shall find out soon enough what is going on with Choy's case. But it is definitely a massive assault on press freedom in Hong Kong. If reporters cannot be allowed to find basic information on public record, then the city's reputation for its free-flow of information will be greatly impacted.

And by the way shouldn't the police look into a Ta Kung Pao report of its reporter allegedly being followed by someone in a vehicle? Maybe that will keep them busy for a while... 

 

Kennedy Town Rally Spreads

At 4pm people start gathering at Belcher Bay Park in Kennedy Town

Currently there are running battles between the protesters and police this evening in Causeway Bay, Wong Tai Sin, and Tseung Kwan O.

It's a constantly fluid situation, and the reporters literally following them are getting physically exhausted, not to mention having to deal with the effects of being pepper sprayed and tear gassed.

Perhaps even worse is that the police refuse to answer hospital staff's inquiries about the chemical contents of the pepper spray and tear gas, making it difficult to treat protest patients effectively. Some have had horrific allergic reactions, leading to bubbles puffing up their skin.

Listening to speeches at the rally and drumming up support

This afternoon there was a rally in Belcher Bay Park in Kennedy Town. Normally it's where seniors take walks or young people jog in circles (literally), as the park is so over programed and not a lot of open spaces.

At first it seemed like a small group of about 200 at around 4pm, but things didn't get started until an hour later, by which time we heard the lawn behind us was full. It wasn't until afterwards could we see tons of people in black had occupied the park. It was pretty amazing.

There were a few speakers. The first were the organizers, one of them a man in his late 50s, or early 60s. He had applied to have the march go from Kennedy Town to Dr Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park and the police kept saying no.

They police asked why and then speaker told us in his mind he was thinking, "Because Dr Sun Yat-sen was the FATHER OF THE REVOLUTION!" but he actually replied, " Because the park has a large space to hold everyone."

However as the march would pass by the liaison office, the police refused to give the green light. So that is why the gathering today was confined in such a small area.

A sea of people in black completely takes over the park

There was a Form 5 student who spoke, then two University of Hong Kong students, and then two seniors who had participated in the parents' rally in Chater Garden.

The woman told a story (as elderly people like to tell stories, she added): "On the day of the typhoon, I found a small snake in my flat. I was worried and asked my friends about it on social media and they said it wasn't poisonous. But I was still concerned about it so my friends told me to call 999 for the police to come.

"They said when the police come you better put away all your black clothes and things. At first I thought why should I? But then I thought best to just put them away. And they came and the police dealt with the situation.

"But I was thinking that snake -- even though it's not dangerous, it's still there," she said, alluding to the extradition bill. She felt it was best that it was not there anymore.

And then she finished her speech by encouraging people to take part in tomorrow's general strike, adding we should not buy anything tomorrow either. "So make sure you buy everything that you need tonight!"

Even the playground area has a mini Lennon Wall

After a few more speeches, my friend and I left, and when we turned to leave, we were overwhelmed by how many people were in the park. Many were young, but there were a few elderly people, all dressed in black and trying to listen. Even the playground area was occupied by protesters. But the further away we got, they could barely hear the speeches and were talking among themselves.

We could see more people coming towards the park, while people standing near the entrance were handing out free bottles of water and snacks. During the speeches, bags of McDonald's hamburgers were being handed out too.

A short distance away is a pub and we went there for a drink, just before 6.30pm. The waitress told us they may close at 7pm to "evacuate the restaurant because of the event nearby". I was very annoyed and told her we were just there and it was fine.

But we were shooed out just before 7pm, and we took a quick shot of a gorgeous sunset before I sent off my friend to the MTR station and I picked up a few things in the supermarket before heading home.

The only serene moment to capture the sunset this evening

By this point some roads were closed down -- it turned out protesters were already occupying roads around the park and took the opportunity to deface DAB legislator Horace Cheung Kwow-kwan's office.

All seems quiet in Kennedy Town tonight, though police cars have blocked the road going eastward towards Sai Ying Pun and the liaison office, where it is completely barricaded with giant water barriers.

However the protesters didn't seem to care for this target -- been there, done that -- and instead hit Causeway Bay, then Wan Chai, Wong Tai Sin, then Kwun Tong, then Mei Foo and Lam Tin...

Talk about running all over town!

But the police need to answer this -- in Causeway Bay why were 16 rounds of tear gas shot in 20 seconds? Is that really necessary? Seems like a big waste of money AND pollution that affects not only the protesters but also those living in residences nearby.

Meanwhile CARRIE WHERE ARE YOU?

The MTR's Bizarre Housing Solution

MTR Corp's Frederick Ma suggests a "Hong Kong Town" in Guangdong

The MTR Corporation is brilliant at thinking of how to make more money off us little guys.

The latest? To help ease the housing shortage, why not build a "Hong Kong town" across the border in China and so young people and the elderly can commute everyday (via the MTR of course)?

Frederick Ma Si-hang of the MTR says the company is already in talks with the state-run China Railway Corp to explore the feasibility in Nansha and Foshan and residents can use a high-speed rail to get back to Hong Kong to work everyday.

The complex would be near the high-speed train station

He brushed off concerns that this project would be a conflict of interest...

The "Hong Kong Town" would be located near the high-speed rail station in Guangzhou and the whole complex would have a "Hong Kong ambience" that would have residential, commercial and reliable healthcare facilities.

It would also mean governments on both sides would have to come up with a monthly pass to make the trips not only more affordable, but also help them go through immigration faster and allow people living on the mainland to pay Hong Kong tax because they work there.

Readers who have commented on this story point out the legal ramifications -- is a Hong Kong resident who lives in this "Hong Kong town" subject to Hong Kong or China laws? While the housing will be cheaper, the food and water quality on the mainland are questionable. And what does "Hong Kong ambience" mean anyway? Like Central or like Mongkok?

Container terminals in Hong Kong could be turned into flats

The main complaint from other readers was this sense of resignation of having failed at trying to find solutions to the housing issue in Hong Kong and just dumping people who cannot afford it to a compound across the border. How does that achieve anything except shift the problem -- literally?

It just shows there is not enough determination on the part of the government to really tackle the housing issue. The MTR is also looking at possibly snapping up container terminals in places like Nam Cheong and Mei Foo in Hong Kong to turn into housing.

And who would be laughing all the way to the bank?

Li Ka-shing who owns Hongkong International Terminals Limited.

Us little guys never get to win.

A Gulf Between Them

Carrie Lam, centre right is mobbed along with boss CY Leung (in white)

Now that the electoral reform package has been released, it's time for the Hong Kong government to sell it to the public.

Things got off to a bad start yesterday. After unveiling the package in Legco, Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, Secretary for Justice Rimsky Yuen Kwok-keung, and even Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying tried to visit residents in Mei Foo, but the senior officials were drowned out by protesters and loud boos that they had to beat a hasty retreat.

Dozens of people used amplifiers, saying, "2017, we are doomed", and "we want real universal suffrage", overpowered Lam's voice.

As Leung escaped back to his vehicle, some shouted, "Resign, CY Leung".

Doesn't sound like it was receptive...

So today Lam tried another tact to try to change people's minds by saying if they accepted the package now, there was a chance -- a chance -- that Beijing would amend the electoral framework.

Emily Lau hopes to change Beijing's mind on electoral reform

This morning on Commercial Radio, she said the National People's Congress Standing Committee had a constitutional right to revise the electoral framework in light of the actual situation if the next Hong Kong government decided to roll out another round of reform.

"At the second step [of the so-called five-step reform procedure], the Standing Committee has to make a decision on how to amend the electoral system," Lam said. "It can make a decision based on the actual situation -- such as the ways to make the governance smoother -- at that time."

So basically Beijing can monitor the situation and tweak it as it sees fit -- and there's a good chance that if Hong Kong people continue to protest for universal suffrage, it doesn't mean China will grant it to us -- and in fact the opposite could happen.

Lam is not outlining the possible circumstances in which the electoral system could be amended, and the language is probably vague enough to give Chinese leaders enough leeway to justify whatever changes they wish to make.

Elections are not something the Chinese government is familiar about. While it likes to say it rules by consensus, there's a lot of backroom politicking going on. And if members of the National Congress do vote on something, it is pretty much sanctioned already, and the vote justifies their pre-determined decision.

So what will it be, folks?

Accepting the package now in the hopes there will be tweaks later -- but that could go in the opposite direction, or to hold out for something better?

The pan-democrats continue to stand firmly in the veto camp, though they seem disillusioned as well.

Democratic Party chairwoman Emily Lau Wai-hing said, "We need to step up efforts to change the situation and make Beijing willing to make changes." She said these would include efforts to explain to Hong Kong and Beijing officials what the pan-democrats see as the plan's negative impact on Hong Kong.

Does she really think China will listen to them? There is so much mistrust between the two parties, and also the pan-democrats lost moral ground during the Umbrella Movement that it's hard to see how the they will win back the public's support.

Things are so divisive that the chances of finding middle ground seem too remote...