Winter is Coming

The front page of Ming Pao of the 53 arrested

 

Over 30 hours after the shocking arrests of 53 pro-democracy activists, district councillors and former lawmakers, they are slowly granted bail and released in a trickle.

A few minutes ago before midnight, Benny Tai Yiu-ting was released from police custody and came out of the station to the flash of cameras and applause.

Reporters peppered Tai with questions, but he only gave a statement: "Hong Kong is entering a deep winter. A strong gust of cold wind has come. But I believe many Hongkongers will walk against the wind in their own way."

Lester Shun was released earlier tonight

Poetic, but will it be prophetic?

One of those released, district councillor Lester Shum said the accusation of violating the national security law was due to the opposition taking part in the primaries last July for the Legislative Council election that was supposed to be held in September but was postponed because of the pandemic.

"I think it is absurd because they are not alleging I have said something or have done something after I participated in the [primary] elections," said Shum, a former student leader. "They merely accused me of subversion because we have all participated in the democratic primaries."

Former lawmaker Raymond Chan Chi-chuen accused the government of using the national security law to suppress opposition parties.

1,000 police involved in yesterday's operations

"How do our actions endanger the country? The right to participate in an election and to exercise the veto power as an elected legislator come from the Basic Law," he said as he left Central police station. He was granted HK$30,000 (US$3,870) bail and required to surrender his passport.

Helena Wong Pik-wan, another former lawmaker said: "Regardless if the police lay charges, we are banned from leaving Hong Kong in the coming six months and are stuck here. They detained us for 30 hours. I think they want to threaten Hong Kong people not to run in elections."

The government justified the arrests yesterday, saying those arrested were attempting to "paralyze" and "overthrow" the government by attempting to control the legislature.

However, several legal scholars questioned how holding the primaries was a threat of force under the national security law.

Others said there needed to be more evidence to prove there were direct or indirect calls for violence or illegal funding activities as part of the primary run-off to demonstrate the alleged crime of subversion.

Relief as Eddie Chu was granted bail

While most of the 53 have been released, they have not been charged, though they could be charged later.

For a few hours this evening there were concerns about what happened to former lawmaker Eddie Chu Hoi-dick, who could not be located. It turns out he was moved from Tai Po police station to Pat Heung police station.

In these times everyone has to be accounted for. And if anything this experience has made many of those arrested even more determined in their cause. 

Is this what Beijing really wants?

Undemocratic Ways to Solicit Opinions

Behind Lam it says "Preserve One Country Two Systems"

Tomorrow Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor will head to Beijing to convey her views and public opinions about the national security law that is being drafted.

However, whose opinions will she communicate to the Standing Committee?

Today Lam got Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen, President of the Legislative Council, to ban Democratic Party chairman Wu Chi-wai from asking about the new law, saying it was national-level legislation and therefore not the work of the city government.

This is the first time since the handover that Legco has forbidden a lawmaker from raising a question with proper notice given.

Wu Chi-wai unable to ask a question on the bill

Wu wanted officials to explain what measures would be taken to protect people's rights and freedoms under the Basic Law after the national security law is implemented.

Leung claimed the matter is "not part of the Hong Kong government's work" because it involves defense and foreign affairs which is under the central government's purview.

Wu said the ban of his question was a "formal rejection" by the Hong Kong government of consultations with lawmakers and the public over legislation.

Which seems opposite to what Tam Yiu-chung said a few days ago. He claimed the public could send their concerns and opinions to the National People's Congress website. So to reject a lawmaker's concern on behalf of Hongkongers is very concerning.

But Tam, the sole Hong Kong member of the Standing Committee of the NPC has also changed his tune.

Tam (left) shows over 2.9 million signed petition

In the past few days there have been posters and tables on street corners, asking people to sign petitions in support of the national security law, an the pro-establishment side claims 2.93 million Hongkongers have signed it, and added Tam would present these to the liaison office.

He is obviously fishing for brownie points with Beijing, because a recent survey conducted by the Hong Kong Public Opinion Program revealed 96 percent of respondents opposed the upcoming national security law, and of those who were pro-government, 29 percent rejected the legislation, while 62 percent supported it.

Both Tam and Lam can only say so much about the national security law because they have no idea what exactly is in it. It is a complete farce for them, along with the security and justice chiefs to promote the law when they are not even privy to know what's in it.

Apparently lots of people support the new law

It is akin to a car salesman trying to sell you a vehicle without knowing any of its specific features, only saying that it's a car that you must have. Now.

No wonder people are rushing to the exits. Today a colleague who has a British passport, endorsed several others co-workers' applications for BNO passports. I joked that my colleague should charge a "processing fee", as this person has signed over 10 applications for co-workers and their family members.

But really it's not a laughing matter when a law that you don't know anything about is going to be foisted on you whether you like it or not...

Nervous Trip to Macau

Chefs awarded three stars have their pictures taken in the Grand Hyatt Macau

Today was pretty nerve-wracking for me -- I had to go to Macau to cover the Michelin Guide announcement on who got stars and how many in Hong Kong and Macau. However, with President Xi Jinping coming over tomorrow to mark the 20th anniversary of Macau's handover to China, security measures have stepped up significantly these few days.

And on top of that last Friday a man was detained while trying to go to Macau via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge. It turns out he was arrested on charges of phone smuggling in 2012... and they caught him now?

On the way to Macau with Lamma Island in the distance

There were also reports of people being turned away from the border to Macau too for not carrying their passport with a China visa in it. Chinese security insist these measures are temporary, but why should we be carrying our China visa with us if we're going to Macau?

Whatever happened to "one country, two systems"?

I took the 10.30am ferry to allow for enough time to get prepared for the 2pm announcement and already at Shun Tak ferry terminal. As soon as we passed immigration, we were subjected to a security check. Several booths were set up for our bags to be manually checked, while each passenger got wanded over.

Then we were allowed to go to our ferry.

Macau and China flags decorate the city for Xi Jinping's visit

On the other side, as soon as we walked into the Cotai ferry terminal we had to wait in line, first to have our bags screened by an X-ray machine while we went through a metal detector, and then my handbag was manually searched again. If people had luggage, they had to be checked over in the customs declaration area before they left the terminal.

It turns out I was lucky to be allowed in without an incident.

At least three reporters were barred from entering Macau today to cover Xi's visit. One from the SCMP who took the ferry was detained for three hours, and then asked to fill out a form including not only his personal details, but that of his parents, marital status and the purpose of his visit, even though he had received accreditation for the visit before he came to Macau.

This reporter had also been detained last week while on assignment, questioned in the same room, but let go after two hours.

A lot of people were on hand for the Michelin announcement

On today's occasion, they sent him back to Hong Kong with a written statement that there were "strong signs" he was trying to engage in activities that would "jeopardize the public safety and public order" in Macau.

Separately two reporters from Now TV who took the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge were also detained and were not given an explanation why they were not allowed to enter Macau.

Why were these reporters not allowed into Macau? They are only doing their jobs, to cover Xi's trip to the city.

Meanwhile for me, leaving Macau was no problem and I even managed to catch an earlier ferry, and get to Sang Kee in Sheung Wan for the last bowl of fish congee before it closed at 8.30pm.

What a day.

Love China and Get a Green Card

Tesla boss Elon Musk met with Premier Li Keqiang in Zhongnanhai, Beijing

China is hoping the upcoming Tesla factory in Shanghai will help keep the country's economy going.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met Tesla founder CEO Elon Musk on Wednesday at Zhongnanhai, headquarters of the Chinese Communist Party, two days after Tesla broke ground at its Gigafactory 3 project in Shanghai, its first production base outside of the United States.

The first overseas Tesla factory will be built in Shanghai

Perhaps Musk is looking for a more efficient and hardworking workforce and believes China is the ticket to help him fulfill all those orders for the Tesla 3.

"I love China and want to come here more often," Musk was quoted as saying in a report by Gov.cn.

"If you do, we can issue you a Chinese green card," the premier replied.

There was no word on what Musk's reaction was, though he can very easily apply for a 10-year visa, or however many more years are left in his passport...

Sounds like Li is keen on making Musk happy, as the factory will be the first car plant to be wholly owned by a foreign company -- all previous ones were joint ventures -- after Beijing relaxed this requirement last year.

 Li offered Musk a green card... did he take up the offer?

Tesla must be the envy of other car manufacturers in China for being able wholly owned... we shall see if it all works out for Musk.

In the meantime, is he going to take advantage of Li's green card offer?

Picture of the Day: Tax Refund

The line went all the way down to the end and to the left. Daunting, right?

Italy encourages tourists to shop shop shop -- the more the better. That's because if you reside outside the European Union, you are eligible for a tax refund when making purchases of 155 euros (US$175.36) or more in Italy.

The shop should help you fill out a tax refund form with the receipt attached so that you can claim the VAT refund of 22 percent. It's a huge difference which is why it's worth getting the refund.

However, the refund can only be processed at the airport, which is why it's advisable to go there with plenty of time before checking in. The morning I went, my flight was much later, and so I had time to get the refund.

The line for the VAT refund (in a big yellow sign) was very long to say the least, though it did move, slowly. It was full of mostly Japanese people who were holding wads of receipts.

Another rule about getting the refund is that you may have to show the officer your purchase so you can't pack it into your suitcase.

My biggest panic was waiting in line and not being in the right line. When I bought a pair of shoes, the sales assistant told me I would need a stamp on the form and then get the refund. So when my line slowly inched closer to the counters, I couldn't see where you were supposed to get a stamp and started to worry.

The people in front of me were Japanese tourists. They were young people who had bought many name brand luxury items. Thankfully they had an Italian guide, a well-dressed middle-aged man who spoke good Japanese and helped them with translation or questions.

I quickly asked him if I needed a stamp and he said no, and that I was in the right line.

Finally it was my turn at the counter and after showing them the receipt, the tax form (filled out by the store), my passport and credit card, the whole process took less than five minutes. She was even busy chatting with her colleague next to her that she didn't even ask to look at the shoes I bought.

She gave me a receipt showing the amount credited to my credit card and that everything was done. I was able to pack my shoes in my suitcase before checking it in, so there was one less thing to carry.

And in my next credit card statement, the refund was credited. It made my expensive purchase easier to justify. Ha!

More Hongkongers Fleeing for Canada

The political and economic situation in Hong Kong is making people leave

Is Canada ready for a second influx of Hongkongers?

The first happened in the 1980s with fears of 1997 looming, but now with high living costs, the reality that China is not retaining the "one country, two systems" promise, and the Hong Kong government doing Beijing's bidding rather than its local residents', many Hong Kong people are looking for the exits, particularly Canada.

There is a 30 percent increase in applications to emigrate to Canada, as official figures show 1,561 people applied for permanent residency there. Currently there is an estimated 300,000 people in Hong Kong who hold Canadian passports.

The 2014 Occupy protests led to more people emigrating

If they leave en masse, it could mean a severe brain drain in Hong Kong, as most of them are from well-educated and middle class families.

The Canadian government has seen 1,206 Hongkongers applying for residency in 2016, 1,092 in 2015, 1,481 in 2014 (the year of the Occupy protests), 977 in 2013, and 963 in 2012.

Hong Kong parents are sending their children to Canada to study even if they don't have Canadian passports.

Last year a record 1,270 Hongkongers were admitted as permanent Canadian residents, the biggest influx since 1997. That contrasts with 630 in 2016.

David Ley, professor emeritus of geography at the University of British Columbia says there was a "clear demoralization" about the future when he interviewed educated Hongkongers.

Geography professor David Ley of UBC

"Largely it was to do with fears of decreasing freedoms and declining human rights. A few were encouraging their children to leave and wanting to leave themselves. I think [having Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor as the city's leader] is a symptom, not the cause," he said.

"Of course, for young people, there is also the impossible burden of the housing market. That has also led to some out-migration of young adults from Vancouver, another high-priced market."

Hongkongers will find real estate in Vancouver slightly cheaper than Hong Kong, but what will they do for jobs? A few months ago a friend told me that her friend, a senior HR manager, is ready to emigrate to Calgary, where her husband is from. She is even prepared to work as a cashier in a supermarket just so that her kid can go to school there. 

My friend also wants to leave Hong Kong, feeling the political climate is not promising, but she doesn't have the means to emigrate. 

How can you reassure her and say it's OK to stay here?

Change Afoot in Harare?

General Constantine Chiwenga may be behind the possible coup in Harare

There were news reports this afternoon Hong Kong time that the military had put Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and his family under house arrest, according to Major General S. B. Moyo, who made a statement on the state broadcaster ZBC.

While he and another uniformed officer confirmed Mugabe and his family are safe, and their security was guaranteed, Moyo said: "We are only targeting criminals around him who are committing crimes that are causing social and economic suffering in the country in order to bring them to justice."

No bloodshed, but tanks and soldiers are in the streets

He also warned that any provocation would be met with an appropriate response.

There is speculation that General Constantine Chiwenga who is leading what looks like a coup, is close to the former Vice President Emmerson Mnangawa, who was expelled from the government and governing ZANU-PF party last week.

These latest developments have a Zimbabwean friend of mine who has lived in Hong Kong for over 20 years very excited.

In my first newspaper job, he was one of the first photographers I worked with, a white Zimbabwean whose family had been there for generations. It was he who explained to me what Mugabe had done to his country since he took power in 1980.

Is this the beginning of the end of Robert Mugabe?

He was frustrated and upset when President mandated blacks take over farms owned by whites, causing racial backlash against whites, like his parents who had been there all their lives. They were told to go back to where they came from, but where? They were from Zimbabwe too.

His parents' farm was taken over, a place that his family had lived in for decades, which caused his father so much shock that he died of a heart attack soon after. His mother had to create a new life for herself in a small apartment with a tiny balcony for her to continue growing plants and flowers, a tiny fraction of what she was used to looking after.

The story he told me was very similar to Peter Goodwin's When a Crocodile Eats The Sun: A Memoir of Africa, a memoir that my friend YTSL lent me.

A powerful memoir of Zimbabwe

Ever since my friend told me about Mugabe, I would read about any news on him and be shocked and horrified by what he was doing to the country, particularly the insane inflation that rendered their currency worthless by the day.

Several years ago I caught up with my friend who had been going to Mandarin class. I asked him what for and he said to be able to get a Chinese passport. He was so ashamed of carrying a Zimbabwean passport and was ready to renounce his citizenship of his native homeland if he could get a Chinese one. I don't know if he managed to get it or not.

So I can imagine he is anxiously watching the news of the so-called coup that the military claims is not a coup, while there are reports people in the streets are happy to have anyone else but Mugabe.

We shall see what happens, but it may be the light at the end of what has been a very long and dark tunnel.

Silk Road: Late Night at Kashgar Hospital

The view outside my dad's hospital window of a colourful tower

It was around midnight when we arrived at Xinjiang Kashgar First People's Hospital. We had to have our passports checked at the gate and then our bags screened by X-ray machines.

Turns out we would have to do this every time we went to the hospital, which was twice a day.

Then we went to the emergency room where my dad was lying on a stretcher and he wasn't very comfortable. We took his jacket and tried to make a pillow out of it. Inside the bare room were other patients. To the left was a young man in black curled up in the fetal position with lots of bandages covering his head.

Outside the room a young mother was wheeling her young daughter on a stretcher. The girl, about six or seven years old, was naked from the waist down and her right leg was severely bruised. It didn't look too good.

An ATM machine with cameras above

We were trying to keep my dad entertained while my mom, our doctor friend and the tour guide went to the doctor's office. The doctor was Uyghur and so the guide acted as a translator, explaining each step of the surgery, the surgeon even drew a diagram showing how he would drill holes in my dad's head to drain the blood from the clot.

Then we had to get dad's paperwork done to have him admitted but more importantly to pay the hospital 10,000 yuan (US$1,506) in cash right away. My mom went to the Bank of China ATM and thank goodness was able to withdraw cash. She could only do it in increments of 3,000 yuan which mean withdrawing at least four times.

We wheeled my dad across the hospital compound into another building -- again we went through security checks before he was put into the elevator to the seventh floor -- the neurology ward.

The nurse asked us if we had paid yet and we replied we were in the process of doing that, but she still wouldn't wheel him into the room until she'd seen the receipt. It was that bureaucratic.

Finally the payment was sorted and dad was wheeled down the hall then to the left.

The Han Chinese nurse flicked on the flourescent lights of a semi-private room (no private rooms exist in the hospital unless you're a VIP on the top floor of the hospital). In the bed closest to the door was a young Uyghur man with bandages around his head, while in the other bed was a woman, his wife.

The nurse shooed the woman out of the bed and forced the bleary-eyed Uyghur woman to help put fresh bedding on the bed my dad would be lying on. Then he was transferred from the stretcher to the bed.

At the foot of the bed was a bare bones metal frame cot with bamboo slats with a thin mattress and lump pillow. We were told that since we were foreigners they would let us use the cot free of charge -- usually others would have to pay to rent it on a daily basis.

My dad was given pyjamas but they didn't fit -- we would later find out we had paid a 100 yuan deposit on them.

Another Uyghur doctor who spoke some Mandarin asked us more questions, the answers he entered in the computer, like how many children does my dad have, what medications is he taking, when was his last surgery.

We were told by hospital staff that one family member would have to be there for the night, and my aunt, my mom's younger sister, immediately volunteered. She insisted, saying surgery would be the next day and that we needed to rest. We also gave her the authority to sign all the papers the next morning for the surgery to go ahead.

But it would be a sleepless night for her having to tend to my dad's needs, while we went back to the hotel before 4am. Our tour guide was amazing, there the whole time, translating and advising us on how hospitals work here.

I didn't get much sleep -- at one point I woke up crying and scared, trying to process what was happening and wondering if things would be OK.

Silk Road: Riding the Train to Turpan

Train staff checking to see if the platform is clear before moving on

Our visit through Gansu province was over and now it was time to board the train to Turpan in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

The Dunhuang train station looked spanking new -- two years old we were told -- and right at the entrance we had to deal with security checks, showing our passports and putting our luggage through X-ray machines before even getting into the building.

Staff at the entrance have riot helmets and gear ready...

We arrived early so we had time to hit the loo (pretty clean) before heading to our train. Originally our Gansu-based tour guide was not going to join us -- we were going to go on our own and then meet our Xinjiang guide in Turpan.

However, we felt it was best he help us out just in case and we're so lucky he did.

Our second-class train tickets were bought months in advance; in that time period, some people had renewed passports so their passport number was different from the one printed on their ticket.

At least one person had a lot of hassle because of this and in the end had to refund her ticket and buy another one, which meant she could not sit with us. Our guide was on hand to help her out with this.

A high speed train ready to go (not ours)

If that wasn't all, there was the issue of luggage. One would think traveling by train is straight forward, but in China it's not. We easily took the escalator up to go across to the platform on the other side, but when we wanted to go down, there was no escalator, only stairs and a very steep slope to drag suitcases on the far right.

Needless to say it was a complete disaster -- people's suitcases rolled (or slid) faster than their owners and it created such mess that it was just easier, but more muscle work to carry suitcases down the stairs.

That resulted in our tour guide having to go up and down to help many of us bring our suitcases down several flights of stairs which was quite stressful given the sheer number of people also doing the same thing, and having to lift heavy loads.

Inside our train which is quite new

Finally that was sorted and gathering ourselves together we boarded the train, again our tour guide helping put many of the suitcases in the racks above. Some of us sat three to a seat, so six of us faced each other on the right, while on the left there were two seats.

The train started up quickly and we thought the staff would check tickets but they never did, and because there were many free seats some sat in other places. And then after one or two stops more people got on so we had to sit in our designated seats. 

By the way the food selection is quite dire -- there's instant noodles, drinks and chips -- including cucumber flavour. My uncle got soy bean drink with red bean, but it was the powder version which needed hot water and it turned out lumpy. One bright spot was having Haagen Daz ice cream!

One guy sitting near us had a dumbfounded look on his face watching us the whole time. He wore a black leather cap, black vest, T-shirt, glasses and boots. Sitting next to him was a woman on our tour who reported he had terrible body odour!

Finally he got off at one stop, but another man randomly sat next to her and he too stared at us. He didn't seem to belong in that seat, but what can you say? He looked a bit shifty, but that's because he felt uneasy being in a second-class cabin when perhaps he should have sat elsewhere.

Four hours later we finally arrived in Turpan, in time for dinner -- but wait we still had to deal with getting our luggage off the train and down the stairs again...

So that was our experience riding the train. One would expect it to be more convenient than the plane, but having to carry our suitcases up and down was too much!

Silk Road: Jiayuguan and the Great Wall

Visiting Jiayuguan, the western outpost of the Great Wall

Jiayuguan was the last part of the Great Wall before heading towards Central Asia. It was built during the Ming Dynasty with stones, bricks and rammed earth, those these days it's been fixed up for tourists.

Tourists sampling some Peking opera at Jiayuguan

It was here that people had to have passports if they wanted to travel beyond the Great Wall along the Silk Road. The passport was a document in calligraphy that had their name and the emperor's seal on it. Outside of the Great Wall were the nomads called Xiongnu, Mongolians and Tibetans, basically barbarians.

Today's tourism officials have tried to spiff up Jiayuguan by making tourists feel like they are going back in time. There are "guards" standing by the gates and later on they parade around a "prisoner" in a wooden shackle before they start showing off some amateur martial arts routines.

Around the corner up on a high but small stage are Peking opera performers in costume complete with musicians. Did the audience really have to crane their necks to see the show back in the day? Just wondering.

One tourist giving his best drumming performance

There were also some odd-ball amusements -- literally. Our tour guide was so excited to shoot tennis balls from a mini cannon at a target that he did it twice, for 20 kuai for each round.

One of our fellow travelers paid 10 kuai to be able to hit a massive drum 10 times. However, instead of just banging the drum, he did a little dance routine as well, much to the amusement of local visitors.

Tourists could also purchase the "passport", where your name would be written in calligraphy and stamped with the Imperial seal. Strangely not many interested in getting the "modern antique" document.

People needed to carry passports to go beyond this pass

After our visit, we headed to a nearby part of the Great Wall, called The Overhanging Wall. It's called that because it looks like it is clinging onto the cliff. It also apparently has the nickname "Western Badaling" because it looks similar to the popular part of the wall near Beijing.

Our tour guide challenged us to climb up to the top, so five of us women took it on with aplomb. It took around 20 minutes to get up, and climbed over 400 steps. My aunt and I were the first to go, and it wasn't too difficult a climb, just that it got steeper and we stopped periodically to catch our breath.

When we almost got to the top, I heard a small boy's voice shout, "Ayi, jia you!"

I climbed the Overhanging Wall!

I looked up to see a boy, about five years old looking down at us and smiling with three other male adults. He kept shouting, "Ayi jia you!" "Auntie, add oil [keep going!] and I thanked him for the encouragement.

I regret not taking a picture of him before he scampered off again to the next section of the wall. We soaked up the amazing view below, celebrated our summit with three others before making it down again. Now I can say I've visited four parts of the Great Wall -- Badaling, Mutianyu, Simatai all near Beijing, and now the Overhanging Wall in Gansu province!

More "Confessions" from Missing Booksellers

In a Phoenix TV interview, Lee Po says he willingly returned to the mainland

Things are getting weirder in the case of the missing booksellers.

Six weeks after Hong Kong police requested to meet with one of the five, Lee Po, who runs Causeway Bay Books, a police officer and immigration officer finally saw him face to face, at a guest house in an undisclosed location at Lee's request.

He told the pair he went to the mainland of his own free will, that he had not been abducted, but refused to elaborate. He even reiterated he was free and safe in the mainland and that he was helping with an investigation involving another missing bookseller, Gui Minhai.

Lee repeated his request for the police to end their investigation into his case and that he didn't need any help from the Hong Kong government. He said he would return home once the investigation was over.

Then yesterday the three other missing booksellers appeared on state television, the first time they were seen since they were reported missing in October.

CW top left: Gui Minhai, Lui Por, Lam Wing-kei, Cheung Chi-ping

The three made confessions on TV, admitting to "operating an illegal business" on the mainland.

Phoenix Television reported that Gui had allegedly ordered his associates -- Mighty Current general manager Lui Por, Causeway Bay Books manager Lam Wing-kee and Lui's assistant Cheung Chi-ping -- to mail 4,000 unauthorized books to 380 buyers in 28 mainland cities and provinces since October 2014.

The booksellers allegedly opened a bank account on the mainland to receive payment from mainland customers.

Nevertheless Lui, Lam and Cheung could be granted bail pending trial and return to Hong Kong soon due to their "good attitude", the Phoenix TV report said.

Gui also appeared on television, wearing the same grey jacket he wore in his first appearance, admitting to drunk driving and allegedly killing a young woman in 2003.

This time Gui said he and the three others studied ways to smuggle books across the border, including wrapping the covers with other books and then packaging them in black nylon bags to make it hard for the authorities to X-ray the books.

He added the books also escaped detection because they were loaded into trucks carrying other goods.

Causeway Bay Books manager Lam also said the books they produced were fabricated.

"The contents are compiled from information downloaded from the internet or from magazines. They created rumours and bad influences in the society," Lam said on TV.

The Chinese authorities are making the story more and more bizarre. They say the end is in sight for three accomplices once they go through some kind of legal process, but what about Lee and Gui? When will they be allowed to return to Hong Kong?

Even better Lee has said that he will renounce his British passport. Really? Has the Chinese government offered him permanent residency and a hukou because he has "special talents"?

Skeptical Hong Kong people continue to be shocked and appalled by the latest developments. As we've said before, the longer the Chinese authorities keep these five booksellers, the greater our distrust of Beijing...

Phishy Phone Business

Beware the phishy phone scams that aim to swindle money out of you

A friend recently told me about receiving a scam phone call, very similar to the other ones that managed to swindle more than HK$182 million since last month from gullible victims.

She said it was all role-playing, and remarked how they all acted very smoothly and each of the characters were interconnected.

At first, the supposed courier company representative got her to clarify her name and address in Putonghua and then claimed the parcel she had sent had fake documents.

Her call was then transferred to a supposed official who went over her details. Then, as if to talk to a nearby "colleague", he repeated her details to this other person, and she could overhear him saying she was suspected as part of a mainland investigation into a serious crime.

She was so shocked -- how could that be? To prove they had the right person, the man got her to disable her computer to click on a link to a website that would normally be considered phishy.

Soprano Li Yuanrong was cheated out of HK$20 million

It was then that they showed scanned coloured copies of her home return permit or hui heung jing which frightened her. How did they have it?

Even then she didn't think this was a scam.

At this point the man told her that there was a warrant issued for her arrest and she had to transfer money to resolve the case. They asked her if she had a bank account in China and she said no, but that she would have to transfer money into a China bank account. Otherwise they would come to Hong Kong and get her (since they had her address details).

It was then that they demanded her bank details and she refused to give it to them, but they kept repeating that the crime she was allegedly involved in was very serious and she had to resolve it otherwise they would come to get her.

Luckily at that same time my friend's boyfriend texted her to tell her this was a phone scam and not to give them anything.

She hung up the phone and they tried to call her again and she again refused.

A few days after they called early in the morning which annoyed her and she told them to piss off.

Later she realized that these scammers, whoever they are, probably got a copy of her home return permit card when she checked into a hotel in Beijing in June.

Someone in the hotel made some extra dough getting copies of hotel guests' details to these unscrupulous people who ran a pretty smooth operation.

All hotels in China take down your passport/ID details and make copies of them too -- there is no getting around this apparently regulation.

When will these scams end?! Luckily my friend was smart enough not to give away her bank details. She also thinks there are Hong Kong-based accomplices to get money from victims.

But as long as there are people who fall for this scam, the perpetrators will keep doing it...

600 Days Later

Ai Weiwei's selfie with his passport finally in his hand

I follow Ai Weiwei on Instagram and was surprised to see a selfie of him with his passport.

He finally got it!

He wrote: "今天， 我拿到了护照。"

"Today, I received my passport."

Ai has been waiting 600 days for this day to come, when he was detained at Beijing International Airport trying to fly to Hong Kong in 2011.

After that he was taken away and detained for 81 days and prosecuted for tax evasion, a charge that he was convicted of and his studio was fined 2.4 million yuan in penalties and back taxes.

Some may remember that many ordinary people came by his home and folded bank notes into paper planes to fly into his property to help contribute to the fine.

He also later exhibited dioramas, scenes that showed him being detained, and his bare living quarters, how guards would stand close to him while he showered and went to the washroom.

Ai believes the trial for tax evasion was really to punish him for trying to investigate how many children died in the Sichuan earthquake in May 2008. It seems that a disproportionate number of young people were killed because of shoddy construction of schools there.

Today the 57-year-old explained that when the authorities took his passport away, they gave him no indication of when he would get it.

"I only can say why not? They have promised for the past four years to give it back. Now they finally give it to me. They always say it's in the process but I just need to be patient," he told The New York Times.

Being unable to travel severely restricted his ability to organize exhibitions abroad, but his army of staff have been able to help facilitate this. He was not allowed to show his work in China either, up until last month when he had his first solo exhibition in Beijing, a sign that things were looking up.

Ai plans to go to Berlin soon to see his six-year-old son, Ai Lao, who has been living there for the past year with his mother. The artist also plans to get a medical check-up, to follow up on the 2009 emergency brain surgery he had there after he was beaten in the head by the police in Chengdu.

Things are slowly getting back to normal for Ai, which must be a relief for him, but knowing his rebellious character, he will probably continue to criticize the government through his art, though perhaps in a more subtle way. We shall see.

Corrupt Officials Capitalize on Bureaucratic Loopholes

China's bureaucracy makes it easy for corrupt officials, difficult for citizens

Late last month Chinese Premier Li Keqiang blasted officials for the hoops ordinary citizens have to go through to get things done, such as having to prove one's mother really was his mother in order to get an overseas travel permit, or being recommended for a model worker award, but then needing to submit a form with stamps from eight different government agencies.

He might also be fuming when it was discovered a fugitive official wanted on corruption charges was able to flee China to New Zealand even though his passport was confiscated.

The fugitive, only identified as "Ge", fled the mainland in January 2008 after graft busters disciplined an official he apparently bribed.

"I was bewildered. We had seized his passport so how could he leave the country?" Gao Guangshan, from the Huainan procuratorate said. "It was only after I checked with the Qingdao public security [bureau] that I found out that he had written [to the bureau] claiming that his passport had been lost and was issued a new one."

Ge's passport had been seized in Huainan in Anhui province, but then he was able to receive a new one in Qingdao. From there he went to Shanghai wit his wife to leave the country.

The investigation into Ge was stopped in 2010, but was reopened last year when Beijing launched its Fox Hunt operation to track down fugitive officials.

When Ge's wife returned in China for a visit, investigators advised her to persuade Ge to turn himself in, which he did in February.

Now there's an effort to close up this loophole by authorities by cracking down on officials who travel on private passports.

Note to corrupt officials abroad -- Once you flee China, don't even think of ever going back. If Ge's wife hadn't returned, Ge would probably still be living it up in New Zealand...

Patten's Foe Passes Away

Those were the days: Chris Patten and Lu Ping, verbal sparring partners

Lu Ping, Beijing's top official who oversaw the handover of Hong Kong in 1997, died on Sunday night of cancer. He was 87 years old.

He jointed the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office in the late 1970s and became director of the office in 1990. Lu also served as deputy secretary general of the Basic Law Drafting Committee from 1985 to 1990, which is now Hong Kong's mini constitution.

Lu was best known for calling former governor Chris Patten in 1993 a "sinner for 1,000 years" for tweaking the electoral system to allow more Hong Kong people to elect lawmakers.

However, 15 years later, he reversed his judgment on Patten, by praising him on Phoenix TV, calling the former governor a brilliant and resolute politician.

He retired as HKMAO director days after July 1, 1997, but still closely watched what was happening in Hong Kong.

Many locals were annoyed with his pro-China comments, saying things like, "Those who do not recognize they are Chinese should look at what is written on their passports, or they should renounce their Chinese nationality", criticizing those fighting for Hong Kong independence.

Nevertheless in a 2009 interview, he said Hong Kong should stop relying on Beijing and improve its competitiveness.

Six years later he is still correct.

Did no one in the Hong Kong government heed his advice?

Ignorant Canadian Travellers

Canadian Minister of State Lynne Yelich

We find it amusing that the Canadian Minister of State (Foreign Affairs and Consular) Lynne Yelich issued a statement to remind Canadians traveling this winter that their passport is not a "get out of jail free" card.

"Last year, Canadians took more than 65 million trips abroad. While the majority of these trips went off without a hitch, Canadian consular officials stand ready to provide assistance when Canadians find themselves in serious trouble abroad," she says.

"While Canadian officials strive to provide the best possible consular assistance to Canadians in all regions of the world, the Government of Canada cannot stress enough that a Canadian passport is not a 'get out of jail free' card.

She says that Canadians are subject to local legal procedures and processes that can be different from Canada, and stresses the government cannot intervene in these situations.

However Yelich does say Canadian consular officials will try to ensure the well-being of Canadians who are in trouble or detained abroad by contacting family members and advocating for fair treatment as well as basic nutrition.

After her stern reminder there is information about the 260 Canadian consular offices around the world in more than 150 countries that are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to help Canadians in trouble.

However, there is a list of actual requests consular officials have received which is shocking:

- ship emergency supplies of maple syrup;

- drive you to chase down the thief who stole your purse;

- help you research your family tree;

- help you redeem Aeroplan points;

- as your significant other to let you back into the apartment;

- chauffeur your poodle through the airport;

- help you avoid court appearances or jail time if you break the law in another country;

- pay your hospital bill because you did not think purchasing travel medical insurance was necessary.

Yikes. Are Canadians really that ignorant when it comes to going abroad?