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...

 

 

RTHK's New Head Signals New Direction

RTHK's incoming chief has no editorial experience

 

Radio Television Hong Kong is entering a new era, led by a career bureaucrat who has no journalism experience.

Veteran journalist Leung Ka-wing who has been at the helm of RTHK for over five years abruptly stepped down today, months before his contract was to expire in August.

He will be replaced by Deputy Secretary for Home Affairs Patrick Li Pak-chuen on March 1. The government claimed after a long search it could not find a suitable successor.

This is not the first time the broadcaster has been led by a bureaucrat -- back in 2015, RTHK was led by Roy Tang Yun-kwong.

Patrick Li is at the Home Affairs dept

After the announcement of the change of leadership, the government released a 157-page report, accusing RTHK, an outlet that has often been critical of officials, of lacking transparency and objectivity.

RTHK is considered similar to the BBC in that it is funded by taxpayer dollars, and its charter states it should have editorial independence.

However the six-month investigation found "serious inadequacies", including poor management and lack of editorial accountability at RTHK.

During and after the anti-government protests in 2019, the broadcaster bore the brunt of a lot of criticism, including that it was biased towards the protesters.

Earlier this month, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor slammed RTHK's performance as "unacceptable" and demanded reform to "set things right".

The report was most critical of the editorial operations, saying it lacked well-defined and properly documented process or any clear allocation of roles and responsibilities among staff.

It said that editorial accountability was weak, decisions rested on the judgment of individual production units or officers working in silos, and the editor-in-chief and other senior management took a passive role in program production.

Leung Ka-wing waves goodbye to well wishers

"There are some issues with the governance and management of RTHK, and improvement is needed in the system, execution and monitoring," said Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau Tang-wah in a press conference today.

"While the [RTHK governing] charter, producers' guidelines and Communications Authority codes of practice have been put in place, the management failed to explain them to staff and ensure they were applied on all programs."

It sounds like there will be much more oversight in how RTHK operates, particularly in editorial decisions. This will definitely slow down how things are done at the public broadcaster, where speed is of the essence.

There seems to be also a lack of trust in how the news is gathered and disseminated.

The report came after several complaints about RTHK's satirical show Headliner for making fun of the police force, and a hard-hitting investigation into the July 21, 2019 mob attack on people in the Yuen Long MTR station that led to the arrest of one of its producers for misrepresenting herself when she requested information about some vehicles related to the attack.

Meanwhile RTHK Programme Staff Union chairwoman Gladys Chiu Sin-yan criticized the report's findings as "contradictory" and "poorly justified", saying the government had failed to grasp how the editorial department operated.

Gladys Chiu worries about editorial independence

"Since 2000s, manpower has been tight following a hiring freeze, but there are still new television services coming into the steam," she said, quoting the traditional Chinese saying, "You can't expect the horse to run fast when you don't let it graze."

She added RTHK had produced many award-winning programs and its credibility was widely recognized, none of which was mentioned in the report.

"It's an affront to our dignity," she said.

People who work at RTHK will probably soldier on the best they can -- they feel a duty to their audience to give them the latest news without bias. 

But when a bureaucrat comes in whose portfolio included overseeing such areas as national education, gambling policy, entertainment licensing, religious matters, and legislation on divorce, maintenance and wills, one has to wonder if he really is the best person for the job...

National Security for Six-Year-Olds and Up

Back in 2012 students protested against national education

 

After the massive protests against national education in 2012, it is back on the curriculum as early as this coming September. Students as young as six years old will learn about the national security law and know which offenses constitute a breach of the law.

Six years old.

When I was at that age I learned how to cross the street street safely, and basic manners, not how collusion with foreign forces, secession, subversion and terrorism could get you life in prison.

A deceptively friendly cover on national security

But this is what teachers are expected to teach students starting from this September. Pupils will also have to learn the Chinese national anthem, know the flag-raising etiquette, and the importance of central government agencies in Hong Kong.

This comes after the 2019 anti-government protests, where a large number of those arrested were students, and the authorities believe more needs to be done to encourage patriotism and a better understanding of China.

There are seven documents that cover all the grades, and specifically instruct schools to ban any display of words or materials around campus that may endanger national security, prevent teachers from approaching national security as a debatable manner, and bar outsiders from conducting activities on campus involving political propaganda.

While public and government schools must strictly follow these guidelines, international and private schools must ensure that all students have a good understanding of the national security law.

Students actively protested in 2019-20

An education bureau spokesman said the purpose of the law, imposed by Beijing last June, was to prevent, stop and punish acts that endangered national security, and schools had an important role to play in achieving the first goal.

"[Schools should] ensure all staff uphold professional ethics, abide by the law and the behavioural norms acceptable to society, as well as enhancing the prevention and stopping any unlawful teaching activities, while taking precautionary measures and handling any unlawful activities occurring on campus."

Many students took part during the protests last year, from forming human chains outside school gates, and chanting slogans and displaying them on campus. Pro-Beijing critics blame educators for encouraging such disobedience.

As a result, the guidelines specify that national security is of great importance and that "there is no room for debate or compromise". 

There are expectations that teachers will not treat it as a controversial issue for discussion and instead give students facts and rationales about national security, "such as historical background, moral standards and legal principles, and clearly point out that safeguarding national security is the responsibility of all nationals".

Tin says guidelines are heavy-handed

If students are found to be chanting slogans, singing political songs, or displaying slogans on campus, they must be immediately reported to the police community relations officer, and if there is a "grave or emergency situation", then the police should be called immediately.

Tin Fong-chak is vice-president of the 100,000-strong Professional Teachers Union and a secondary school teacher. He said the guidelines were stricter than expected and would affect teacher-student relations.

"The guidelines have gone into so much micro detail that the government is actually taking total control of the schools on how they should handle national security-related issues on campus," Tin said. He questioned whether the government trusted educators' ability to handle the subject.

Tin also said it was not unusual for schools to invite politicians of all stripes to come speak to students, as well as activists and non-governmental agencies. With the guidelines saying that "outsiders" were banned, did this mean schools would be crossing the red line? "Students would feel fear when talking about national security," he said.

Hins Tsang is a form six student and spokesman for the student group Hong Kong Ideologist and went as far as saying the new guidelines went against constitutional rights.

Students participating in 2019 human chain protest

"Exerting political pressure on schools will not make students more patriotic," he said. "The Basic Law guarantees that we have freedom of speech, but now the guidelines say there is something we cannot debate in schools. How absurd it is!"

As for banned books or posters, Hins added: "We would question if teachers or school headmasters have the ability to judge whether a book or a phrase in a book is anti-national security or not. Do we expect the schools to call the police to judge for them?"

There are many concerns about these guidelines, but they will be implemented regardless of the uproar from teachers and students, and probably many parents too, many of whom participated in the 2019 protests.

Perhaps the government is secretly hoping students will become so patriotic that they will reveal their parents' political leanings much like the Cultural Revolution, or it will be the taboo subject in school that no one dares to talk about on campus grounds, but widely discussed elsewhere.

Who knew over eight years after it was shelved, national education would be firmly back on the curriculum and no opposition allowed?

HK's War Against its Youth

Lam and Wong's last look at the media and supporters

 

Today three pro-democracy activists were jailed for their part in a protest last year at Hong Kong police headquarters in Wan Chai that evolved into a siege that lasted 15 hours. Joshua Wong Chi-fung, 24, was sentenced for 13.5 months, Agnes Chow Ting, 23, 10 months, and Ivan Lam Long-ying, 26, seven months.

Chow will spend her 24th birthday in jail

Wong and Chow are high-profile activists who were the faces protesting national education in 2012, the Umbrella Movement two years later, and establishing the now disbanded political party Demosisto. Only a few months ago Wong and Chow just graduated from university. Chow was the only one without a previous criminal record and sobbed when she heard her sentenced read out.

She will mark her 24th birthday in prison tomorrow.

West Kowloon Magistrate Wong Sze-lai sharply criticized Wong for challenging the authority of the police force in a premeditated plot, and called him "selfish" for obstructing traffic at the massive rally on June 21 last year.

She said they committed the offences at a time of "social unrest and large-scale public protests", which "made this case more serious".

Wong the night of June 21 at Police headquarters

During the siege, where people protested against excessive force by the police during the then anti-extradition protests, people threw eggs and soft drink cans at the police headquarters, and spray painted graffiti. There were so many people around the building that the officers were obstructed from attending 61 emergency calls.

Prosecutors described Wong as the leader of the protest that night, showing videos of him telling people at the scene through a bullhorn that they should get more people to come and "completely besiege police headquarters".

While Wong was recorded on video saying these things last year, and Chow and Lam were with him, witnesses who were there that night saw the crowd ignore him and the protesters in this leaderless movement decided what to do by discussions on Telegram. Wong left the scene early that evening.

The convictions were not just about what they did that night, but for all their years of activism, standing up against the government and inspiring others to do the same.

Wong protesting against national education

In 2011 Wong started Scholarism to protest against "moral and national education" curriculum put forward by the government. It would mean not learning about the Tiananmen Square massacre and casting the Communist Party in a better light. 

Scholarism organized a protest in late August 2012 around government headquarters in Tamar and tens of thousands showed up. Days later then chief executive Leung Chun-ying had to shelve the plan. 

Then in September 2014 the Umbrella Movement exploded after 87 rounds of tear gas was fired on protesters, and again Wong was the face of the protests. 

He was convicted and jailed in August 2017 and January 2018 for his role in the movement.

The jailing of this trio sends a strong signal to others not to stand up to authority, even if you may think protesting is right in principle. The space for dissent in Hong Kong is fast evaporating.

It also shows the government's unwillingness to engage with the next generation and reconcile differences -- the polarization is too extreme to find any middle ground.

87 rounds of tear gas fired on protesters in 2014

This is yet another sign forcing Hongkongers to decide whether they should leave the place they call home or stick it out, and become complacent.

There was more news today of Apple Daily found Jimmy Lai Chee-ying and two employees were charged with fraud. 

The government will continue to prosecute anyone it believes is contemptuous of it. 

The list is long.

Beijing Draws Red Line on Judiciary

Beijing plans reforms in judiciary, will it sustain the pressure?

 

In the past few months, Beijing has targeted the legislature, now with only two opposition lawmakers, and the media has been under pressure, with the likes of Apple Daily raided, its founder under investigation, and RTHK under pressure to conform to become the communications branch of the government.

Now the central government is focusing the judiciary, that reforms need to be made. This was outlined by Zhang Xiaoming, deputy director of the State Council's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, during the Basic Law 30th Anniversary Legal Summit.

Zhang says patriotism will be added to reforms

"People who love the country and Hong Kong will govern Hong Kong, and people who are anti-China and cause trouble in Hong Kong are out," he said. "This is a political rule under 'one country, two systems', and has become a legal requirement now."

Although Zhang called for the "one country, two systems" governing formula, under which Hong Kong is allowed a high degree of autonomy, to be implemented comprehensively and accurately, he also said the city's constitutional systems must be upgraded, and misconceptions replaced with the correct principles, such as patriotism.

"Hong Kong treasures core values such as democracy, freedom and human rights. But before that, we need to add the term 'patriotism'," he said. "While we must talk of seeking common ground and setting aside differences, we must also insist on bottom lines. The firmer we are on the bottom line, the bigger the room for political tolerance."

This means "Basic Law-related work" needed to be done, such as "oath optimization" and "qualification screening" for civil servants, national education, and judicial reform. He didn't elaborate, though one is curious what "oath optimization" means.

The Basic Law is being changed by Beijing

Under the new security law, civil servants must pledge allegiance to Hong Kong and the Basic Law. Zhang said these moves were aimed to correct "wrongful activities" and cover loopholes.

"Right now is the time to sort out what is true and what is false," Zhang said, adding that people who do not recognize the "motherland" or threaten the country's national security, do not fall in line with the Basic Law.

"Only those who are patriotic should be in place, otherwise they should be removed from the system," Zhang said.

Patriotism will extend to "all walks of life" eventually. It is similar to then US president George Bush's post 9/11 speech, "Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists."

Teresa Cheng and Carrie Lam at today's event

Is this something Hongkongers are prepared for, young and old, men, women, children, no matter what job you have, from a street cleaner to a tycoon?

If not, you will be removed from the system unless you remove yourself first.

Patriotism is an Obligation, not an Option

City Garden Hotel is celebrating National Day with pride

 

Tomorrow is not only Mid-Autumn Festival, but also the 71st anniversary of the establishment of the People's Republic of China.

Some businesses are trying to show how patriotic they are, with City Garden Hotel plastering two flags, the Hong Kong and Chinese flags to celebrate national day.

Luo said patriotism is a duty, not a choice

There's also another big banner in Admiralty near a flyover for everyone to see.

The campaign to force Hongkongers into submission continued today with Luo Huining, director of the liaison office stressed patriotism is not an option but an obligation.

"As Chinese, loving the country is not a choice, but a duty, and even more so, the correct path," he said.

Stark words for people still reeling from last year's extradition protests, and now the recently implemented national security law.

"The National People's Congress enacted the Hong Kong national security law to end the madness of Hong Kong independence advocacy and the black violence that ran out of control," Luo said, referring to the colour worn by anti-government protesters.

He added civil servants and students should receive more education on national security, the country's situation, Chinese history and culture, the Chinese constitution, and the Basic Law.

Red banners celebrating national day

To demand Hongkongers to be patriotic to China is while not surprising, will not win the hearts and minds of the people. 

This hard line approach will only make people more recalcitrant.

Meanwhile also today the families of the 12 detained in Shenzhen pleaded in front of the liaison office to be able to pass messages and mooncakes to their loved ones.

The People's Procuratorate in Shenzhen's Yantian district said this evening they had approved the arrests of 10 in the group over crossing the national border unlawfully, and two others for planning the offense. 

A woman, who is wanted by Hong Kong police, and Tang Kai-yin, a 30-year-old salesman who was earlier charged with conspiracy to commit arson with intent were both accused of organizing the operation.

Pro-establishment newspaper Sing Tao Daily cited a source saying that Tang was the driver of the speedboat with 11 others on board.

Under China's Criminal Law, people arrested for illegally crossing face one year in jail, but those who are convicted of organizing others to do so can be sentenced to up to seven years in jail.  If someone is found to have a principal role in operating a syndicate for illegal border crossings, or who violently resist law enforcement, the penalty can be life in prison.

To hear the 12 have been formally arrested and charged will be devastating news for the families.  

This year Mid-Autumn Festival will be sombre one with the coronavirus pandemic, social-distancing limited to four in public, and now dramatic weather with thunderstorms and heavy rain... and yes -- love the country -- it's a must!

Beijing Demands Hong Kong Patriotism

Last year's protests resulted in this year's national security law

Beijing continues its crusade to win the hearts and minds of Hongkongers albeit in a more forceful way these days.

After last year's protests rocked the city for months, and included attacks on the liaison office, the Chinese authorities lost their patience and implemented the national security law June 30 in a bid to scare people into submission.

Chen says new law won't lead to more patriots

While the new law is meant to prevent people from committing national security crimes against Hong Kong and China, it will not make make them feel more Chinese or Hongkonger. In other words it will not make them feel more patriotic.

Albert Chen Hung-yee who is also a Basic Law Committee member said Saturday the question of collective identity -- whether society considers themselves Hongkongers or Chinese -- won't be easily resolved.

"It is difficult to see how this collective identity problem can be solved in the forseeable future," Chen said. "The National Security law can prohibit people from advocating secession, but it cannot prohibit people from thinking in certain directions."

Chen, who is a constitutional law expert at the University of Hong Kong, said the new law enacted by Beijing -- that bans acts of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces to endanger national security -- will not help resolve this issue.

Xi presses the button to vote on the new law

"It cannot change people's psychology or sense of collective identity as to who they are, whether they are Hongkongers and Chinese, and so on. So I don't think this problem can be resolved in the foreseeable future," he said in an online seminar on the SAR's governance after the implementation of the national security law.

He gave the example of the government introducing the national education scheme in 2012 that was meant to address identity, but was eventually shelved due to protests and backlash because it promoted the Communist Party of China.

The recent universal testing programme was meant to be another exercise in getting local residents to praise Beijing for helping expand mass coronavirus testing faster, the implementation of the scheme happened as the number of new cases dropped significantly, and it was a shock to find out afterwards that Hong Kong had to foot a HK$530 million bill for the two-week test that only found 42 positive cases out of 1.7 million people who participated; basically the entire exercise was a waste in public funds.

Mass protests against national education in 2012

So Beijing will have to think of other ways to win the hearts and minds of Hongkongers. But without understanding where they come from (families who fled the Communists), the Chinese will never be able to fully convert Hongkongers peacefully; tensions will remain for generations to come.

 

Defining Civic Education Two Ways

This 13-year-old was harassed and arrested by police, then released last night

 

Last night a 13-year-old student reporter surnamed Luk was arrested by police during a protest gathering in Harbour City.

Officers tried to intimidate the boy, saying he was short, and that he should go die. But he calmly held his ground before he was arrested and then released later. Seriously -- what can the police charge him with? He said he only wanted to be there to record what was going on, after admiring reporters on the front line.

Carrie Lam on the front page of Tao Kung Pao today

Even his mother supported him, and that what he was doing was a good learning experience. A lesson in civic education on the job.

Coincidentally today Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor had an interview published in the pro-establishment newspaper Tao Kung Pao in which she claimed some subjects like liberal studies could be "infiltrated" and later this year the government will announce how it will manage the teaching of these subjects.

Some believe these subjects have sharpened students' critical thinking skills, while others claim young people have become radicalized, which is why so many of them have taken part in the anti-government protests last year and this year.

Of the almost 8,000 arrested up until early April, almost 10 percent were minors, the youngest was 11 years old.

Lam warned these subjects like liberal studies needed to be regulated soon.

The pro-establishment political party, Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) also chimed in and said they would ask Beijing to help boost national education in the city during the "two sessions" later this month in the Chinese capital.

Tens of thousands protested against national education in 2012

They claimed some young people didn't have a clear understanding of the rule of law, or know enough about Chinese history.

The DAB also claimed that many of those arrested in the anti-government protests that broke out last June are students, so there is an urgency to revamp the liberal studies course.

Students should also be taught to have better morals and how to respect others, they said. And the DAB was a model of rectitude last week in the Legislative Council by not following the rule of law?

This sounds like the government is teaming up with the DAB to push for more say in what students are taught in school, but will the kids and their parents agree to it?

National education was shelved in 2012 after mass protests led by then student Joshua Wong Chi-fung and his group Scholarism.

Now eight years later the government is trying to revive this issue again, but will many people buy it?

People of all ages marched in last year's protests

In many of last year's protests there were people of all ages participating, many parents bringing their young children, even toddlers, while lots of teenagers and university students took part too. They braved the heat, humidity and the police to demonstrate for what they believed in.

If the government and pro-Beijing politicians think these children are wayward, they are wrong. If parents, just like the mother of the 13-year-old student reporter thinks what her son did last night was a good learning experience, then the chances are that national education will have a hard time being accepted in Hong Kong.

HK Government's "White Terror" Aimed at Educators

Thousands showed up at Edinburgh Place to protest the Education Bureau

The Hong Kong government is now putting pressure on teachers and principals to get into line when it comes to the anti-government protests.

Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung Yun-hung told state media outlet the Shanghai Observer last Saturday that the government had the power to disqualify principals who were deemed unsuitable for their jobs. He also said principals should investigate teachers who are found to be using inappropriate teaching materials, to making hate-inciting or discriminatory remarks online.

Yeung says principals must ensure teachers are investigated

If the principals do not investigate these teachers, then the principals could be stripped of their positions and teachers' qualifications.

The Professional Teachers' Union, which represents 85 percent of teachers in the city, has traded barbs with the Education Bureau since December about how teachers have been treated in cases linked to anti-government protests.

In response to Yeung's latest announcement, the PTU says this amounts to "white terror", though Yeung denies this, saying principals should investigate based on facts.

A massive rally was held in Edinburgh Place in Central on Friday night, with thousands shouting slogans such as "Say no to white terror" and "Educators, unite as one".

One teacher who gave her name as Sugar at the rally said she was angry that many colleagues faced complaints and suspensions in recent months for expressing their personal views on social media.

Another secondary school teacher surnamed Yuen in his 40s has taught science for more than 20 years. He believed the Education Bureau was "threatening principals" when it said they could be removed from their positions if they didn't cooperate with investigations on teachers.

Protesters are angry at the bureau's "white terror" at educators

"When there were previous cases of principals abusing their power, the [bureau] had not said they would use their powers to suspend the principals. But now, when there were no such cases of principals not cooperating with the bureau's investigation, the bureau has mentioned that power," he said.

So far 80 teachers and teaching assistants have been arrested in connection with the protests, and the bureau has received 123 protest-related complaints against educators, with 13 confirmed as wrong-doing cases. Some complaints centered around online comments by teachers.

Meanwhile the union has accused the bureau of not giving teachers a chance to defend themselves against the charges before being notified that their cases have been substantiated.

Union president Fung Wai-wah has said the bureau was "spreading white terror" and the government was blaming teachers for encouraging students to go on the streets to protest.

However the bureau accused the union of loss of professionalism...

This threat by Yeung is unprecedented and it's the government's attempt to stop young people from going on the streets.

But what if the child's parents are the ones taking them to the protests? How is it the fault of the teachers?

Beijing has also hinted the need to revisit national education again, and for sure Hong Kong parents and educators will put up a fight on that front too...

Beijing Warns Protesters

HKMAO spokesman Yang Guang gave a press conference today

Yesterday Chief Executive Carrie Lam spoke to the media, but basically said the same thing, and today it was Beijing's turn.

The spokesman for the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs office under the State Council held a press conference this afternoon. And guess what? He said the same thing too in a choreographed performance.

Carrie Lam repeated her stance yesterday of not budging

Yang Guang reiterated the central government's support of Lam and the police, and then condemned the protesters as "anti-China" groups who advocate civil disobedience and beautify the use of violence, saying they "fuel the tension within the city".

"What is the next step forward? We are calling on Hong Kong people to take a united stand against the violence," Yang says.

"It is imperative to end the violence. I call on Hong Kong citizens to stand up and protect your beautiful homeland, just like that elderly citizen in the airport and like the hardworking class who strive to go to work everyday."

The HKMAO spokesman is referring to the elderly man who was jostled in the airport after lashing out at a protest sign, and people who vented their anger at protesters who tried to stop MTR trains from running on time yesterday, the day of the general strike.

Testy fights broke out in the MTR during the general strike

So it seems Yang is advocating non protesters pick fights with people in black. How is this productive? How about letting Lam resign and withdraw the bill? That would definitely ease tensions in Hong Kong.

He warns that those who play with fire will pay the price... eventually.  "All parties will be held legally accountable. This is a message to all criminals: do not mistake our restraint as being soft, do not underestimate the central government's determination in maintaining stability."

Yang also says that those who defaced China's national emblem and seized the national flag from a pole and flung it into the sea are posing a serious challenge to Chinese sovereignty, calling them "radical elements". "They will have to face justice in the future," he says.

Then Yang refers to jailed independence leader Edward Leung's slogan, "Reclaim Hong Kong, revolution of our times" which is the latest battle cry of the protesters. The HKMAO spokesman latches onto this slogan as a sign that the protesters are seeking independence and asks, "What do you want to liberate Hong Kong from?"

The HKMAO held an unprecedented second press conference

However, protesters have said that this slogan can be interpreted many ways, but independence is not one of them. They all understand that Hong Kong is under China, but that the political system is broken and want to be able to directly vote for the city's leader.

Yang repeats what former leader Tung Chee-hwa has said before, that the United States and Taiwan have been orchestrating things behind the scenes, influencing the protesters. This is the most ridiculous accusation, but China hopes with enough repetition that it will be believed. This could not be farther from the truth.

Beijing and Lam seem to have no respect for Hongkongers' intelligence, thinking they are too weak or don't understand what's really going on, when these 7 million people have some of the sharpest minds around.

So many people are against the extradition bill and supporting the protests (the peaceful ones), including many people from various sectors as well as the civil service, which is unheard of.

People strongly opposed national education in 2012

But another HKMAO spokeswoman, Xu Luying insists that the protesters don't have enough patriotism, that they have not any national education.

"Passionately loving our nation should be a fundamental value. When national education is lacking, is it any wonder why our young people are acting like this? I feel that a firm national education should be a priority to put our young people back on the right path.

"Hong Kong's young people are also China's young people. Their future is China's future. The central government cares a lot for the issues they are facing but the problems cannot be resolved with violence," she says.

Young Hongkongers already don't like the idea of having national education rammed down their throats. Joshua Wong Chi-fung led the movement back in 2012 when they besieged government offices for 10 consecutive days.

Protesters working quickly to contain the tear gas with water

This idea will only inspire students to further protest the further mainlandization of their education...

But alas...

Finally on the issue of the possibility of the People's Liberation Army marching into Hong Kong, Yang reiterates Beijing's support of Lam and the police to be able to bring stability back to the city. When pressed again on the issue he says:

"My answers have been laid out before but what I would like to emphasize again is that the central government supports Hong Kong's prosperity and stability. We will not let any acts attacking the principle of 'one country, two systems' go unpunished."

Cryptic...

Civic Square to Reopen -- With Strings Attached

Police surround student activists in Civic Square; other protesters outside

More than four years later, Civic Square at the Hong Kong government headquarters in Admiralty will reopen on Thursday -- but with conditions.

While it will reopen to vehicles as a drop-off point, demonstrators will only be allowed in the space if they have permits for Sundays and public holidays.

This area was the flash point in late September 2014 when young people stormed the square (which is actually round), and led to the Occupy Movement days later. It had been cordoned off since July the same year when people protested against national education.

Joshua Wong and Agnes Chow say reopening is "fake"

For student activist Joshua Wong Chi-fung, this re-opening is "fake".

"Civic Square symbolizes the basic right of citizens to demonstrate in front of the government headquarters," Wong said. "The final goal [of reopening the square] must be to restore it back to its former condition, where citizens are free to gather and demonstrate."

The possibility of reopening Civic Square was an election promise by Chief Executive Carrie Cheng Yuet-ngor, though the conditions of reopening the area seem limited at best.

"It's not a real or true reopening," said Agnes Chow-ting of Demosisto party. "It's just a political show."

How ironic Civic Square isn't open to the public

We agree. Either open Civic Square completely or keep it closed.

And the latter would continue the irony of the area's name. It was supposed to be for the people -- and us taxpayers have funded it -- and yet we're not allowed in it.

This is hardly an olive branch in good faith, Mrs Lam.

Glossing Over Vital Details

The Education Bureau underestimates what students know about government

Hong Kong secondary students are getting the "Basic Law Education for Dummies", as teaching materials are using bizarre analogies to explain the city's relationship with the mainland and how the city's leader should be chosen.

In the teaching materials for a 15-hour "Constitution and the Basic Law" module, now part of the required Basic Law lessons, the Education Bureau compares the Chinese central government to a school principal, and the city's chief executive to a form teacher.

Eddie Ng's department under fire for simplified material

In the video, the narrator says a principal could not manage matters in detail for every class, so he authorized form teachers to do so.

As to who should be a form teacher, the narrator says it was the principal who decided.

Talk about simplifying too much and skipping a lot of detail!

Education lawmaker Ip Kin-yuen slammed the video as misleading.

He said it failed to give the context of "one country, two systems", and presented the chief executive position as appointed rather than elected (by a small voting committee).

"With this explanation, we do not need to resume political reform," he said. "Instead [it shows that] we should move towards the appointment of [chief executives]."

Students are political thanks to the Umbrella Movement

Ip, a former principal, also questioned the omission of a section of teaching materials related to one's rights protected in the Basic Law, which was in previous versions of the materials.

Of the 39 hours needed to complete this course, 24 hours will be focused on Chinese history lessons, and the remaining 15 on life and society topics. However, it's expected that Basic Law education will later expand to a total of 51 hours.

In response, Secretary for Education Eddie Ng Hak-kim denied the new education requirement was supposed to replace the controversial national education program aimed at promoting patriotism.

But what is it then? How can one compare a school hierarchy with the way our government leader is chosen?

The Education Department is assuming young people know nothing about how government works and live such sheltered lives that they need the analogy of a school to understand.

Except these days, thanks to Scholarism and the Umbrella Movement, students are very well versed in politics and aren't impressed with the current administration.

This paternalistic way of teaching is condescending and pathetic. Just shows again how out of touch the government is with the reality of the situation.

Culture Clash

Zhang says Hong Kong's civil servants must be loyal to Beijing...

The mainlandization of Hong Kong continues with Zhang Dejiang, one of the seven members of the Politburo Standing Committee now saying that the city's civil servants must be Chinese loyalists in order to do their jobs.

During a speech at the Great Hall of the People Saturday, Zhang said Beijing would invoke a number of "implicit powers" -- which have so far not been paid close attention to during the first 20 years of the city's handover.

"It should be stressed that [Hong Kong's] governing teams... must be made up of patriots who respect the Chinese people, sincerely support [China's] resumption of sovereignty and pose no threat to [Hong Kong's] prosperity and stability,' he said, referring to late leader Deng Xiaoping.

Hong Kong's values are under threat again by Beijing

"The central government is responsible for supervising whether [Hong Kong's] public officers uphold the Basic Law, and whether they pledge allegiance to the country and [Hong Kong]."

This is a blatant desire to encroach upon the city's values and way of life we hold dearly. Our civil servants may be bureaucratically difficult to deal with, but they have always been politically neutral. But now China plans to ensure Hong Kong is made and run in the same way as every other mainland city -- through political loyalty and guanxi.

Leung Chau-ting, head of the Federation of Civil Service Unions, said he was concerned about Zhang's suggestion that understanding of the Basic Law could carry weight when civil servants' jobs are assessed.

"The focus should always be professionalism and the willingness to serve the public," he said. "It is not our daily work to explain the Basic Law to fellow Hongkongers."

Zhang also called for a closer look at other powers that the central government could use to scrutinize the city's affairs, including that of instructing the chief executive and assessing legislation reported by the Legislative Council.

Does this mean Legco will mean nothing anymore? That lawmakers we elected into the Legislative Council will be moot?

How will this affect Hong Kong's rule of law?

Up until now, the power to assess legislation was considered a ceremonial power, as the National People's Congress has never objected to any reported laws.

Zhang also urged academics to spend more time studying the Basic Law and instill the "correct" national views in Hong Kong teens. Sounds like a veiled demand to institute national education of some sort.

Veteran democrat Martin Lee Chu-ming, who helped draft the Basic Law in the late 1980s, said Zhang's remarks regarding the "supervisory" role over Hong Kong officials, were not in the Basic Law, and they could even deter talent from taking on important roles.

"It's a completely different picture to what was depicted by Deng Xiaoping... also the Sino-British Joint Declaration and Basic Law," he said.

"Good lawyers would not dare be judges then... You have to become a puppet [of Beijing] and probably face against the public of Hong Kong," he said.

Is Zhang hinting the days of non-Chinese judges and lawyers are over now? Is this the beginning of the end of rule of law in Hong Kong?

His declarations show impatience on Beijing's part in seeing how reticent Hong Kong is about falling into line with China. It feels that 20 years have passed and attitudes should have changed by now.

But they haven't and now Zhang believes he now needs to crack the whip to make integration even faster.

However most Hong Kong people will not do this without dragging their feet...

Hopefully this will spur more people to come out for the June 4 candlelight vigil and the July 1 march...