Monday News Bites

National security police arrested Wong this morning

 

Monday morning and more arrests today -- three students of an opposition group called Student Politicism who national security police allege the trio conspired to incite subversion against state power.

Officers carted off books, masks and chocolates

The group is also known for holding fundraisers to buy basic necessities for prisoners, such as surgical masks, sanitizers, snacks and books.

After the trio were arrested, officers broke into the warehouse where Student Politicism store their supplies and these were carted away as evidence.

These students, ranging in age from 18 to 20 years old, and were doing something similar to Wall-fare, in providing sanctioned supplies to inmates. They have been in trouble with the law before and arrested a few times.

One of them, Wong Yat-chin, 20, convenor of Student Politicism, previously said in an interview the value of the group was "to test the red line of the authorities".

They definitely touched the red line today.

How long does it take to count 4,380 ballots?

Media that are not pro-Beijing remarked this morning how it could be possible to take almost 14 hours to count 4,380 votes in yesterday's election for the Election Committee.

Despite the lengthy delay, Beijing's liaison office hailed the exercise as marking a "major step in Hong Kong's democratic movement with its own characteristics".

Definitely, when only 0.06 percent of the population is involved. 

Tung is the owner of a flat at Grenville House

 

Finally a news item from last week -- former Hong Kong chief executive Tung Chee-hwa is a first-time homeowner at the age of 84. Guess there's always a first time for everything.

Unlike most people who have to scrimp and save or hope parents will pitch in for the down payment for a microflat, Tung shelled out HK$160 million (US$20.6 million) for a luxury flat at Grenville House in Mid-Levels.

As Tung paid for it himself, he was subjected to a stamp duty of 4.25 percent, or HK$6.8 million.

Tung is a first-time homeowner at 84 years old

"Tung bought the C2 unit of Grenville House in August this year. The government had rented the same unit during his stint as chief executive," his spokesperson said. 

"After resigning as chief executive, he continued to rent the unit for his own use. He learnt in recent months that the vendor had intentions to sell his property, leading to his decision to purchase the unit at Grenville House."

He had been renting the 3,335 sq ft flat for more than a decade, and it comes with a car park.

It's just really baffling that Tung has never bought a home in Hong Kong before until now.

And by the way the vendor is laughing all the way to the bank. It bought the property for HK$3.9 million in 1982.

Prison-Rights Group Disbands

Shiu's group had been advocating for prisoners' rights

Another day, another civil society group is disbanding for fears of crossing with the national security law.

Today Wall-fare, a prison-rights group founded by former opposition lawmaker Shiu Ka-chun announced it will disband after Hong Kong's security chief warned that inmates arrested on national security charges were being encouraged by people outside prison walls to fight on for their causes.

Wall-fare made the announcement on social media, saying the non-profit group will be dissolved with immediate effect.

Today Wall-fare announced it was disbanding

"Even if we are crushed in the end, the time in between was worth it," the group wrote in a farewell announcement on Facebook. "Wind and rain always pass, and for those inside and outside the wall, the most important thing is that the people are fine."

The group was founded in December 2020 to promote the well-being of prisoners, particularly anti-government protesters with emotional or physical challenges while in jail. Wall-fare offered them free packages as allowed by the Correctional Services Department items such as wet wipes, tissues and stationary.

In addition, the group coordinated a letter-writing campaign on social media, helping those sympathetic to inmates pass along words of encouragement and maintain "a bridge of communication" between those inside and outside prison walls.

Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung warned last Tuesday that people in custody on national security-related charges were establishing links with outside organizations as a way of building up new forms of resistance to the government.

Although Tang did not name Wall-fare by name, he slammed organizations for sending letters or documents to inmates and detainees, saying it encouraged the recipients to continue fighting for their cause, thereby spreading "the seeds of endangering national security".

Tang accused groups of supporting prisoners

Later Hong Kong's prisons chief Woo Ying-ming echoed Tang, alleging that such inmates were exercising "unprecedented influence" inside and "recruiting followers".

Shiu told RTHK that political pressure had threatened the existence of civil society at large, but declined to elaborate on why Wall-fare was disbanding. He said the group had not been directly contacted by the government, and declined to comment on possibly facing legal action.

He said Wall-fare had always been careful to focus on "humanitarian work" to help those in custody, many of whom came from the margins of society.

"What support will prisoners get without Wall-fare? We can't tell you today," he said. "We only wanted to do the humble work -- to give a cup of cool water to the prisoners and their family in the heat of the summer. Unfortunately, this cup of water may have become too hot now."

Indeed. Everything has become too hot to touch.

Chris Tang is now a JP

The government has appointed Tang as a Justice of the Peace

 

Secretary for Security and former police chief Chris Tang Ping-keung can now add Justice of the Peace to his name card.

He and 29 others were appointed, including former Chief Secretary, Matthew Cheung Kin-cheung, though he is a Non-official Justice of the Peace.

Cheung is a Non-official Justice of the Peace

According to the government, the main function of Justices of the Peace is to visit correctional institutions, detention centres or other institutions to ensure their effective management and that no individual is unfairly treated or deprived of his or her rights.

The Justices of the Peace will ensure that complaints lodged by individuals are handled in a fair and transparent manner, the government said.

How honorable of Tang to take on this position...

Two Sides to the Story

The children's books allegedly have "seditious" messages

 

For anyone wondering what it is like to be behind bars day after day, Lorie Lai Man-ling gives a bit of insight. She is the leader of the speech therapists union, and she along with the entire executive council were arrested in July for allegedly publishing "seditious" children's books.

She wrote an open letter and thanked people for visiting her everyday. "Thank you all for not forgetting me," Lai wrote.  

Lai and another woman were arrested in July

"With smartphones, conversations and idea exchanges in modern life become easier and more immediate -- there is no barrier in communication. Yet not until being held in remand did I realize the importance of communication. Every letter to me is a bridge to the world, and every word in it carries significance."

While Lai admitted she was mentally prepared for arrest, she asked if that in turn means she is guilty. "If not, what are the grounds to arrest and remand me?"

Lai said life behind bars is simple -- everyday eat, sleep, read, write and answer nature's call. But she insisted not to stop thinking, otherwise she will give up the struggle to defend her rights.

"Although the odds are more and more unfavourable today in Hong Kong, our states of mind have an effect on how we perceive the society and reality," she wrote. "Our bodies can be held captive, but our minds will always be free."

Lai is being held in this prison in Tuen Mun

While Lai sent out a public appreciation to people making the effort to visit her at Tai Lam Centre for Women in Tuen Mun, Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung claimed inmates are using treats like chocolates to "build up forces" to endanger national security.

Tang alleged the prisoners are using visitors with religious or district council backgrounds to "spread their messages" to the outside world.

He also said the authorities have noticed organizations like the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund are sending letters, asking prisoners to "continue with their struggle".

"These [actions] seriously affect the rehabilitation program and have sown seeds of endangering national security," Tang told reporters at the Legislative Council today.

Tang claims prisoners are spreading messages

Everything, even treats in prison can be construed as endangering national security. But the authorities can control what goes in and out of the jails. 

Tang makes a great argument for people to leave Hong Kong.

Hong Kong's Second Silver, and a 9-Year Sentence

Haughey with her second silver medal in the 100m free final

 

This morning Hongkongers were on a high as they watched swimmer Siobhan Haughey win a silver medal in the women's 100m freestyle. The 23-year-old clinched double silver in the span of a few days, Hong Kong's third medal of the Tokyo 2020 Games. 

But by the afternoon the mood became sombre with the news that Leon Tong Ying-kit, 24, the first person to be convicted of terrorism and secession under the national security law, was sentenced to nine years in prison.

Haughey set a new Asian record at 52.27 seconds

The government-appointed panel of judges sentenced the former restaurant worker to 6.5 years for the secession crime, and eight years for terrorism, with 5.5 years of the latter term to run concurrently with the first. He was also barred from driving for 10 years.

"The defendant was not a lone protester quietly carrying a flag bearing the slogan amongst a sea of protesters," read the 15-page judgment delivered at the Court of First Instance. "He deliberately challenged a number of police check lines in order to attract as much attention to the secessionist message on the flag as possible and to leave a great impact and a strong impression on people."

There was a flag mounted on the back of Tong's motorcycle with the slogan, "Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times".

The panel believed Tong acted alone and did not have a specific plan to separate Hong Kong from the mainland.

Tong riding his motorcycle on July 1, 2020

However the judges believed the defendant committed a terrorist act when he ran into three police officers -- a symbol of law and order -- and intimidating members of the public, especially those with opposing views, by that action.

"What the defendant did was calculated and deliberate acts which created a very dangerous situation for the road users and which indeed caused injuries to three police officers," the judgment read. But they agreed the injuries suffered by the officers were not "serious" as alleged by the prosecution, and so the starting point for sentencing for the charge should be between three and 10 years in jail. The maximum penalty for terrorism under the national security law is life imprisonment.

Thomas Kellogg is the executive director of the Georgetown Centre for Asian Law and describes the sentence as "harsh".

"People can only shape their behaviour after the initial lines of what the national security law covers have been drawn," he said, adding it did not bode well for the 47 opposition activists who were earlier charged with subversion for their part in the unofficial primary election last year. 

Tong has been sentenced to nine years in prison

Kellogg also said it was unfortunate that judges had ruled that the acts to incite secession were of a "serious nature". "If Tong's act of carrying the banner is serious, what acts... are not serious? I worry that the court has essentially expanded the serious nature provision to cover almost all acts of inciting secession," he said.  

Meanwhile Nathan Law Kwun-chung, who is now based in the UK, said the sentence was "outrageous", and raised concerns about free speech.

"The sentencing guideline is unclear, and it gives the judge the power to determine whether a slogan can be seen as 'capable of' inciting secession. This is an extremely low threshold to lock an individual in jail for years," he said.

Today was literally a high and a low...

Agnes Chow Released from Prison

Former Demosisto Agnes Chow released from prison today

A bit of good news this morning -- Agnes Chow Ting was released from prison after serving almost seven months for her role in a 15-hours siege of the Wan Chai police headquarters on June 21, 2019 during the anti-government protests.

At around 10am the 24-year-old emerged from Tai Lam Centre for Women in Tuen Mun and was mobbed by almost 100 reporters while a small group of supporters shouted, "Chow Ting add oil!" before getting into a white van.

There was a media frenzy of about 100 reporters 

Reporters noted Chow was much thinner than before and she admitted so in her Instagram post a few hours later.

"The pain that lasted for six months and 20 days has come to an end. What comes next is some good rest and recovery for the body. That's because my body has become really weak and slim during this period of time," she said, adding her comment should be read with a bitter smile.

She was originally jailed last December for 10 months for illegal assembly over the siege of the Wan Chai police headquarters on June 21, 2019. Her early release was due to her good behaviour. She was initially sent to Lo Wu Correctional Institution, but was later transferred to an isolation cell at the Tai Lam facility.

Chow pleaded guilty to charges of incitement and taking part in an unauthorized assembly. Her colleagues, Joshua Wong Chi-fung, 24, and Ivan Lam Long-yin, 26, were also imprisoned over the gathering. 

Chow, Lam, Wong convicted of illegal assembly

The only one among the trio without a previous criminal record, Chow burst into tears in the dock on learning the community service order her lawyers were seeking had been rejected. She has been in custody since entering her guilty plea on November 23.

However Chow is not completely free -- she was also charged under the national security law for colluding with foreign forces on the same day Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying was arrested for colluding with foreign forces by calling for sanctions.

So far the police have granted Chow bail and not yet charged her, they still have her passport.

Meanwhile this evening part of the city was crawling with police, with the second anniversary of June 12, 2019, when protesters surrounded the Legislative Council in a bid to prevent the second reading of the now withdrawn extradition bill.  

Protesters at Wan Chai police station June 21, 2019

At least 2,000 officers were on the streets, at one point blocking the Cross Harbour Tunnel to check cars heading to Hong Kong island, and and some even entered two shopping malls, one in Mongkok, the other in Causeway Bay.

Anniversaries will not be forgotten but at the same time the police show up in force creating more tension... never ending...

 

Jimmy Lai's Letter from Prison

Jimmy Lai released a handwritten a letter from prison

 

Two days ago Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying released a letter to his staff that he wrote from prison.

In it the 72-year-old media mogul encouraged them to "stand tall".

"Freedom of speech is a dangerous job," he wrote. "Please be careful not to take risks. Your own safety is very important.

Lai is charged with colluding with foreign forces

"As long as we are not blinded by unjust temptations, as long as we do not let evil get its way through us, we are fulfilling our responsibility."

Since the offices of Next Media were raided last August, the media has been under greater scrutiny. RTHK is now being led by a government appointee who has cancelled many programs he deemed unacceptable, and one of its freelance producers Bao Choy Yuk-ling was on trial for allegedly misrepresenting herself when applying for license plate information related to the Yuen Long attacks on July 21, 2019.

Lai said it was "a journalist's responsibility to uphold justice, but observed the situation in Hong Kong had deteriorated.

"It is precisely this that we need to love and cherish ourselves," he wrote. "The era is falling apart before us, and it is time for us to stand tall."

The police raided Next Digital offices last August

Lai is currently in jail awaiting trial to face national security charges of "colluding with foreign forces". 

He was convicted earlier this month for illegal assembly in the August 18, 2019 protest, and last week pleaded guilty to another on August 31 the same year. Sentencing for both convictions is this Friday, where Lai faces a maximum penalty of five years in jail.

In the letter Lai said his life in prison was peaceful and he spent time reading books, praying and doing exercise.

Indeed. We all must stand tall. 加油!

A Wander Around Tai O

Tai O is a quiet, quaint place, but housing is dilapidated

 

Yesterday I took advantage of a day off to wander around Tai O, a small fishing village on Lantau Island. I have visited two or three times previously for work assignments, one on making the famous shrimp paste that has a very strong smell, and one on solar panels used as a pilot project by WWF. But after spending a good part of the day conducting interviews and shoots, we were tired and wanted to go home so I never really got a chance to see the place.

The night before I did some research on places to visit and especially where to eat and noted the names and addresses.

On the way to Fu Shan Viewing Pt

Then I took the MTR to Tung Chung, and then the No. 11 bus to Tai O. I was surprised to see a long line of people at the bus stop, but luckily I got one of the last few seats. I remembered it takes about 45 minutes to get to Tai O, and on the bus it made scheduled stops in places including Tong Fuk Correctional Institute (former lawmaker Nathan Law Kwun-chung served two months there), and another, Shek Pik Prison where pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong Chi-fung is, and independence activist Edward Leung Tin-kei spent some time there previously.

Finally we arrived around lunchtime and I tried to find the shops that sell some snacks, but was disappointed to find they were all closed because it was a weekday! There's Tai O Bakery that apparently sells freshly made doughnuts sprinkled with sugar, and another stall that makes savoury pancakes called jianbing.

The only places open were cha chaan teng or a few western-style cafes selling cheesecake and coffee.

I decided to find the hill called Fu Shan Viewing Point, but not before I saw a woman selling pandan egg waffles. It turns out she had literally just opened her shop and so her waffle iron was not even heated up yet when I asked for an egg waffle.

The woman in her 70s was on the surly side, chastising a trio of middle-aged women who were lured by some palm-sized puddings to snack on. Luckily the three women were in a good mood and didn't let her criticisms get in the way of them having a good time.

The bridge in the distance and a plane overhead

Finally I got my egg waffles that had a tiny hint of pandan, but it was sustenance to keep me going for the mini hike.

The stairs are clean and wide, but I was already huffing and puffing and sweating -- I didn't realize until later it was because it was so humid. Walking along the ridge of the hill, down on one side are hundreds of large Chinese-style graves, and then further down is Tai O village itself.

On the other side is the South China Sea and in the distance is the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge that had no traffic on it. Above it every few minutes a plane took off from the nearby airport, making it an ideal spot for plane spotters.

I continued along the stone path until it abruptly ended, but saw others ahead still continuing along a rugged path and followed them.

The place is a scenic spot for pictures too

It wasn't too hard to climb and soon I was at the top, admiring the view, but then what? Turn back or continue down a dirt path? I decided to be a bit adventurous and thankfully with the help of ropes strung along the way, I managed to get down easier than my experience on Mount Johnston! 

When I got to the bottom, I checked out another scenic pavilion before encountering a temple and then walked back towards the Tai O village.

By now more visitors arrived and I'd pretty much gone through all the main thoroughfares in the village

While it's quaint and some like to call it "The Venice of Hong Kong", it really isn't, surrounded by dirty water, homes on stilts, others on the ground have very basic furnishings. One has to wonder if the government knows about people's living conditions here and will they be upgraded? 

Nevertheless, life here is slow, people ride bikes or walk along the paths, while cats and dogs laze around wherever they feel comfortable. 

Large fish that have been salted are left to dry out

This morning I woke up to heavy rain and was glad that I made the effort to go to Tai O yesterday, though I missed trying those doughnuts!

Defiance Continues as Police Gain New Powers

Protesters with blank sheets of paper at apm mall tonight

Tonight at least 13 people were arrested at apm mall in Kwun Tong for protesting. Over 100 people were in the shopping mall shouted slogans, and held up blank pieces of paper, since they cannot be in possession of the offending slogan in printed form.

Riot police warned them to leave immediately, as these people were participating in an illegal assembly; when they didn't, officers then closed the mall and started searching people in the crowd.

It's quite remarkable to see people continue to show up and protest despite knowing they could be arrested based on the new national security law that is barely a week old.

At least 13 people arrested for illegal assembly

And to make things seem even harsher, the Hong Kong government has further extended police powers when it comes to online communications and social media.

Anyone publishing electronic messages on social media deemed to be endangering national security could be asked by the police to remove them or stop disseminating them. Failure to do so immediately could lead to the police getting warrants to seize the electronic equipment, and demand service providers hand over records about anyone's identity or help in decoding or de-encrypting.

The police and Secretary for Justice could apply for a court order to require a person to answer questions or produce certain materials.

If someone fails to comply, they could be fined up to HK$100,000 and jailed for a year, while service providers could face the same amount of fine, and six months in prison.

In addition, a political organization of a foreign country or outside the mainland, including Taiwan, could be asked for information on their activities, personal particulars and assets without court approval.

Over 100 people turned out for the protest

Those that fail to comply could face a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a HK$100,000 fine if convicted. Those found guilty of providing inaccurate or incomplete information could be jailed for two years and fined HK$100,000.

In these instances, the police could also authorize searches at the premises without a warrant under exceptional circumstances.

It basically means that now intercepting communications no longer needs a court warrant with regards to national security cases; the chief executive has give them police the powers to do this.

So if you haven't cleaned out your social media accounts, now's the time... censorship is alive and well in Hong Kong...

Coronavirus Numbers Keep Rising

The roads pretty much everywhere in Beijing are empty these days

The Chinese government is desperately trying to put a positive spin on how it is handling the epidemic. It has sent out confident messages that the country is at war to beat the coronavirus and that the battle will be won.

But the story on the ground couldn't be further from the truth. For example, most of the Chinese capital is deserted with everyone at home. My Beijing friends report staying at home with their families for the past 22 days, only going outside to fetch food delivered to them.

Some people only go outside to collect food deliveries

Many people are terrified because they don't have much knowledge or information about the coronavirus, and some don't have enough protective gear like masks. A Beijing friend told me about an elderly couple who went out to buy fruits and then came back home infected. 

Another talked about how sons or daughters take care of their sick parents to the hospital and then came home, didn't wash their clothes right away and then they were infected or they spread the virus to other people in the family.

Wonder if these stories were counted in the official statistics?

China is anxious to show its number of cases are declining, especially in Wuhan, but that hope is now thrown out the window with news that over 500 people are infected with the coronavirus in five prisons in three provinces which has bumped up the total of confirmed cases to over 80,000.

The numbers of prisoners infected in China are worrying

"With a heavy heart and sense of responsibility, I am reporting to you that as of February 20, five prisons in Hubei, Shandong and Zhejiang have reported infections among their populations," He Ping, head of the ministry's Bureau of Prison Administration, said in Beijing.

More than half the cases were in Hubei province, the epicenter of the epidemic, 207 cases in Shandong, and 34 in Zhejiang.

Either the prisoners were initially infected by a new prisoner who already had the virus, or from possible visits from family? Even if someone was supposedly healthy when they were initially imprisoned, they may have developed symptoms later. And then Chinese prisons are known for being overcrowded, which make them a hotbed for transmitting all kinds of things...

So now prisons have been told to be more vigilant about monitoring prisoners' health for the coronavirus.

Already heads have rolled for the outbreak of infections. In Shandong province, Xie Weijun, Communist Party secretary of the province's Department of Justice, and seven prison officials were sacked for mismanagement of the infections. And in Zhejiang province, the provincial government said two prison officials were fired as well.

There were already unconfirmed reports of infections in prisons last weekend, and again people were punished for posting these stories online.

Passengers are slowly disembarking from Diamond Princess

Another friend I had lunch with today in Hong Kong has a lot of mainland clients and has an office in Shenzhen. He says he hasn't heard from his clients at all, while his staff are also stuck at home, though they are expected to be back at work next week.

So for now he hasn't had much to do and his superior who used to be so busy is now asking a lot of questions now that she has time on her hands...

Meanwhile in South Korea the numbers of confirmed cases have doubled to 208 today, as well as one casualty. Many of the cases are linked to Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Daegu, which is really a doomsday cult that has 200,000 followers in the country.

Did their leader know this infection might be the end of them?

Japan is getting flack for how it has dealt with the Diamond Princess cruise ship passengers. Was cooping them up on the ship the best thing to do? Or did it quickly result in hundreds of cases? It seems some among the crew could be infected.

Back in Hong Kong, my neighbourhood supermarkets and shops are having stocks of tissue paper again and wet wipes, but no toilet paper... I was tempted to buy a giant package of wet wipes when I stopped to think -- wait a second do I really need that much?

At lunchtime across from my office in Causeway Bay there was a massive line in front of a cosmetics shop called Colour Mix where they were all waiting for masks to be sold (See the above video). It seems people refuse to pay high prices and are willing to wait in line... or maybe because they have nothing else to do?

Four of Nine Occupy Leaders Jailed

Dr Chan Kin Man (left) and Benny Tai (centre) were jailed for 16 months

Today nine people who were found guilty on public nuisance charges related to the 2014 Occupy protests found out their fate.

In the end four of them were sent to jail -- two of the founders of "Occupy Love and Peace", Benny Tai Yiu-ting, and Dr Chan Kin-man were both sentenced to 16 months, while legislator Shiu Ka-chun, and League of Social Democrats vice-chairman Raphael Wong Ho-ming were handed eight-month sentences.

The judge, Johnny Chan Jong-herng considered Reverend Chu Yiu-ming's poor health and had his 16-month sentence suspended for two years.

Tanya Chan revealed she a brain tumour diagnosis

Then lawmaker Tanya Chan Suk-chong's lawyer revealed shocking news in the court, that his client was suffering from a life-threatening brain tumour the size of a ping pong ball and needed to undergo surgery in two weeks. As a result then judge adjourned her sentence.

And former lawmaker Lee Wing-tat had his eight-month sentence suspended for two years as the judge considered his years of public service.

Meanwhile former student leaders Tommy Cheung Sau-yin and Eason Chung Yiu-wa, were sentenced to 200 hours of community service, and eight months' of jail respectively, but Chung also had his jail sentence suspended, with their ages (25 and 26 respectively) taken into consideration.

Although the judge criticized the nine for putting their political demands before the lives of others, he also noted the protests were non-violent, and the goal was not motivated by "greed, lust, anger, or monetary reward", though the obstruction was serious and its duration extensive.

Reverend Chu Yiu-ming wept as he left court

"The nine defendants just looked up to their aspirations... but they failed to notice the ordinary folks who needed to use the carriageways," the judge said, describing their would-be "martyrdom" as "contorted".

He added the group never apologized to the public for causing such an inconvenience for 79 days.

After he walked out of the dock, Chu burst into tears without his friends, Tai and Chan.

 "In the past five years, we have never been apart," the reverend said, before leaving court. "Today, they were sentenced to jail. I'm in immense sorrow. I am truly willing to go with them."

The relatively light sentences show the judge felt the defendants were honest about their motivations, though he said they were "naive".

The unforgettable protest in 2014 that lasted 79 days

This was a relief, because if the sentences had been harsh, tensions would have continued to rise. Can we finally move forward? That depends on Carrie Lam administration -- or shall we say Beijing? This case has dragged on too long and today it has finally ended.

It's a sad day for the fight for democracy in Hong Kong, though some might say it's just a blip in the long term...

Word of the Day: Bei Luyou

A dissident hanging out at the beach... with minders makes for a bei luyou trip

I just finished reading an article in The New Yorker by Zha Jianying who wrote about her brother, Zha Jianguo, a political dissident in China.

He has gotten into trouble with the government for helping to found a small opposition group called the Democracy Party of China. For this he has been in and out of jail a few times but nowadays, his sister writes that he gets 被旅游 bei luyou, or "to be touristed", with bei meaning something that is involuntarily passive.

There are other uses of bei -- bei loushui (to be tax-evaded), bei zisha (to be suicided), bei shenjingbing (to be mentally-illed).

For Zha's brother, bei luyou is ironic and sad at the same time. During sensitive periods, like the June 4 anniversary, or National Day on October 1 or a foreign leader visiting Beijing, he and other dissidents are taken "to be touristed" by his minders.

They completely arrange his travel schedule, where he will be going, where he will be staying, how he will be getting there -- and these minders get to accompany him too -- which is why they like these free trips that are work-related.

She describes them fussing over him, making sure Zha Jianguo is OK by giving him extra food and soup, and when they are on bus tours, fellow tour participants wonder if he's a big boss, or their father, as there's always three young men looking after a man in his 60s.

Her brother doesn't get a moment of privacy -- he even has to share his hotel room with one of his minders.

So while Zha Jianguo gets to travel around China at taxpayers' expense, his minders get a 美差meichai, or "beautiful duty". 

Despite such forced trips that Zha is forced to go along with, he continues to criticize the one-party state and refuses to stop writing and then post them online on social media.

His minders try to suggest that he didn't mean to write these incendiary pieces, perhaps he copied them from somewhere else, but Zha insists that he did, resulting in his minders having to scold him politely for causing more trouble for them.

Zha is prepared to go to jail again if his minders have received the signal from above; he believes his cause is too important not to give up on.

But in the meantime with this year having a number of sensitive anniversaries, he will continues to bei luyou, a burgeoning cottage industry that so far can only be found in China...

A Quick Visit to Tai Kwun

One of the two courtyards in Tai Kwun that gives a wonderful spacious area

The other day I had a bit of time and was near the newest landmark in Hong Kong -- Tai Kwun (大馆), or the former Central Police Station and had a quick look around.

The beautiful staircase that everyone has photographed

Many people have posted pictures on social media already, particularly the spiral staircase and the stairs where it says "Mind the Step" at each step... a bit tedious one might say.

Tai Kwun has been a long time coming. It was closed in 2006 and then the public got a chance to look at it before it was renovated in 2008 in a partnership between the Hong Kong Jockey Club and the Hong Kong government, but nothing happened for a long time; perhaps behind the scenes there was a lot of assessment that had to be done in terms of the buildings' stability and condition.

And then in May 2016 one of the retaining walls suddenly collapsed that set back the project another year or so. Meanwhile as a passerby, the construction site was wrapped up in white and for a long time we couldn't see any progress.

The second courtyard with a Herzog & de Meuron building

But finally a few months ago Tai Kwun opened its doors. Much of the original buildings have been retained, and there are two modern additions to the compound, futuristic buildings designed by Herzog & de Meuron, who you may remember designed the Bird's Nest in Beijing.

The Central Police Station was first built in 1841, and it's a huge complex that has two giant courtyards with trees, making it quite a nice setting. However the jail cells -- you can see some of them -- seem quite tiny, and prisoners were physically tortured. They couldn't even use the toilet -- only a bucket, and another bucket of fresh water.

You can access Tai Kwun from the Mid-Levels escalator

Some of the spaces in the buildings have been converted into cafes and restaurants, while the larger spaces are for art exhibitions by local artists. However we prefer admiring the architecture. There's a lot of concrete but also wood, and the compound is pretty much in tact, leaving the massive courtyards free for people to wander and feel enveloped by the space.

I have yet to try the restaurants and bars here, but it would be quite neat to dine here and see what the atmosphere is like in the evening.

Meanwhile I have heard from people who live and work in the area are so glad Tai Kwun is open because the scaffolding around it made the area congested and now there are more options for pedestrians to get around Wyndham Street.

One of the tiny jail cells in Tai Kwun

I will have to come back another time to look at Tai Kwun again more closely, but it's a nice way to spend even 20 minutes wandering around and admiring our latest landmark in the city.

Tibetan Let Down by Rule of Law

Tashi Wangchuk is concerned about losing the Tibetan culture

A few days ago, a Tibetan who was hoping to petition the Chinese government to have better teaching of the Tibetan language, was thrown in jail for five years, convicted for "inciting separatism".

The thing is, Tashi Wangchuk doesn't want to have anything to do with independence. He just wants to preserve the Tibetan language and culture.

To that end he tried to file a lawsuit against local officials for going against China's constitution that says all ethnicities in China "have the freedom to use and develop their own spoken and written languages".

However he couldn't do that, so he traveled to Beijing in the hopes of getting China Central Television (CCTV) to shine a spotlight on the issue of how the quality of teaching Tibetan has fallen and how he wants to protect the language from being sidelined by Mandarin.

Beijing seems intent on more Chinese spoken than Tibetan

But when he tries to approach the CCTV building in Beijing, he sees security guards asking visitors for their ID cards and he worries he will be taken in by the police. In a touch of naivety, he thought state media was open and was always searching the truth.

Then he tries to find lawyers to take on his case, but many of them say the Chinese government has done good things for Tibet, particularly economic development. Either they are pro-Beijing or they just don't want to get involved.

His attempt to petition the government and expose his story led to him being detained in 2016 after appearing in a New York Times video chronicling his journey. Most recently that video was used as evidence against him in a four-hour trial in January, saying he was deliberately inciting separatism and trying to discredit the government's international image and treatment of ethnic minorities.

Tashi was previously a shopkeeper and learned Tibetan from his brother, who had studied with a monk. In 2015 Tashi tried to find a Tibetan teacher for his niece, traveling through several provinces but couldn't find any.

In the video by the New York Times, Tashi says: "The local government is controlling the actual Tibetan culture, such as the spoken and written language. It looks like development or help on the surface, but actually the goal is to eliminate our culture."

Did he not make his argument clear, using the Chinese law to push China to preserve Tibetan language and culture?

Apparently Beijing was not pleased by this tactic and turned the tables on Tashi. He is a young man who has thought long and hard about how to bring change to his people. Tashi tried, but in the end sacrificed himself for the cause.

In the video he talks about how over 100 Tibetans have committed self-immolation. He observes they didn't do it because of a family dispute, but because they feel so strongly about the Tibet they know disappearing that they have lost hope that things will get better.

He doesn't think he would do that, but he can now see how desperate some people are, that they practically have no choice left but to accept the inevitable -- that Beijing controls Tibet, despite it being called an "autonomous region".

For now Tashi will appeal, but trying to silence him with jail is only going to create more resentment against the Han Chinese...

Justifying Microflats in Hong Kong

Not everyone is clamouring for a matchbox-sized flat in the sky

Hong Kong government officials are disconnected as ever from the rest of us 7 million people, and they still wonder why the Umbrella protests happened two years ago.

One of the gripes was that housing had become unaffordable. And what has happened since? Flats have become even more unaffordable.

Developers then hit on the idea of making flats smaller and smaller so that prices would seem more within reach of first-time home buyers -- care for a 152 square foot flat anyone?

There is public outrage about these microflats -- the smallest ones are smaller than a prison cell. How is that humane?

Chan says there won't be size restrictions on building flats

But Secretary for Development Paul Chan Mo-po says there is no need to impose restrictions on how small flats should be, because flexibility was needed for market adjustments, given the uncertainties during the period when the flats are under construction.

We all know real estate is a winning investment. How could one lose? There are no uncertainties in selling them because everyone needs a roof over their heads.

And then Chan twists the justification even further.

"There is a demand for such small units," he said. For example, he explained, young people who want to move out of their parents' houses could only afford these flats due to their limited budget. "It is not suitable for us to decide what size of the homes they are allowed to live in."

These flats are in demand because investors want to rent them out to people who want to move out of their parents' home. These buyers are even willing to pay the 15 percent stamp duty for buying a second, third, fourth... whatever number home.

Is it fair for people to have to live in such tiny spaces?

Would a first-time home owner really want to buy a 152-sq-ft flat, and pay over HK$3 million for it in a mortgage that will take over 20 years to pay off?

Hardly seems worth it for a matchbox-sized home in the sky.

Chan is mistaken for thinking the majority of buyers of these microflats are first-time buyers.

We should also keep in mind that Chan and his wife Frieda Hui owned a company that owned several flats that were illegally subdivided. Seems like Chan doesn't mind packing people in like sardines either.

Edward Yiu Chung-yim, associate professor at the Chinese University's department of geography and resource management, said the government should tackle the housing problem by improving the affordability of homes instead of imposing size regulation.

"If the high land price policy does not change, size restrictions would do more harm than good," Yiu said, adding such a policy would further discourage people from buying homes.

Has Chan even been in one of these microflats and tried to imagine how he would live in one of them?

It's amazing how someone who grew up in a housing estate doesn't even care to empathize with how people are struggling these days...