Police Chief Mending Relations with the Media?

Police about to fire pepper spray at the media corps in Mongkok on Sunday

Another leftover issue from the Mother's Day protests is the police treatment of journalists covering the incident.

The relationship between the police and media deteriorated last year during the anti-government protests because of police not respecting reporters' rights to cover what is going on, by flashing lights at them so they are unable to see or film what is happening, firing tear gas and pepper spray at them, and shooting water mixed with blue dye from water cannons, and even assaulting them verbally and physically.

Indonesian journalist Veby Mega Indah is blinded in one eye

One Indonesian reporter, Veby Mega Indah has even lost her right eye after police allegedly fired a rubber bullet that hit her last September. There is still no more information on the identity of the officer involved.

This past Sunday in Mongkok, reporters were sprayed with pepper spray, and then not given an opportunity to wash off this strong chemical substance that can leave skin burning and itchy, police forced them to stop filming and kneel, which is kettling.

Several media groups criticized the force for doing this and accused it of abusing and insulting reporters.

Today, a day after the condemnation, Police Commissioner Chris Tang Ping-keung admitted his officers' treatment of journalists was "unsatisfactory" and vowed to meet with media representatives next week to discuss ways to ease tensions between the force and media outlets.

Police chief Tang admitted media treatment "unsatisfactory"

But he also claimed there were a lot of people who pretended to be reporters, wearing yellow vests that say "press" and making fake press accreditation, hinting perhaps it was time to have a proper accreditation in place.

Nevertheless, it was surprising to see Tang make this conciliatory gesture considering his aggressive tone towards anyone who is anti-government, in other words, having an "us and them" mentality.

Democratic Party councillor Roy Kwong Chun-yu, who was one of the 230 arrested on Sunday said: "The way your officers treated media workers was akin to launching a terrorist attack on them. They were pepper-sprayed and ordered to kneel down. Is anyone being held accountable for that?"

Tang admitted it was "unsatisfactory".

"We will review the practices. We should have been more professional," he said. "I couldn't tell whether all people in yellow vests were reporters. Some swore at officers and sexually insulted our female colleagues," Tang added.

Still from TV footage showing reporters being kettled

But who is the one who condoned the officers' mindset that the media are also the enemy?

As Kwong said, someone has to take responsibility for what happened on Sunday. Will that person step up?

In any event, next Thursday Tang will meet with the Hong Kong Journalists Association, the Hong Kong News Executives' Association, the Hong Kong Press Photographers Association, and the Hong Kong Federation of Journalists to discuss ways to improve relations. Should be an interesting chat.

The last thing Hong Kong needs is a further erosion of press freedom. It's happening already but preventing a further deterioration is better than nothing.

Hong Kong Protests by Numbers

Carrie Lam repeating herself every week, offering no new solutions

The anti-government protests have just stretched past the six-month point, and Sunday's turnout of 800,000 people shows the movement is still very strong.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and her administration must be scared. Really scared.

Hong Kong police have fired 16,000 rounds of tear gas

This morning in her weekly press briefing she was asked her reaction to the "silent majority" who were not pro-government, but instead pro-protest. She evaded the question entirely, and instead replied in Hong Kong this showed people were given the freedom to express their opinions...

But here are some cold, hard facts from the Hong Kong police on the protests so far:

- Over 6,000 people have been arrested: 4,474 males and 1,548 females, ages ranging from 11 and 84 years old. Of those arrested, 2,393 are students.

- 16,000 rounds of tear gas fired

- 10,000 rubber bullets

- 2,000 bean bag rounds

- 1,850 sponge grenades

- 493 police officers have been injured since June, including 452 male and 41 female

Police did not mention how much pepper spray they used...

We don't know exactly how many protesters have been injured, with some not going to hospitals for medical help but instead through an underground system of volunteer paramedics, doctors and nurses.

As Lam didn't say anything enlightening today, the protests will continue, but with the protesters having a higher moral ground following the results of the November 24 elections showing wide support for them.

How is this all going to end, Carrie? Or perhaps Beijing doesn't have a clue either?

Telling Hong Kong to be like Macau demonstrates how little understanding Chinese officials have of the immense differences between the two cities.

Over 6,000 people have been arrested since June

Hong Kong refuses to die too. Yes, many shops and restaurants are closing down, but in some ways this is a good reset for the city's economy and it must innovate to find a new way out of the recession.

For example, does Hong Kong really need eight Louis Vuitton stores? They were mostly catering to the mainland market. It's time for the city to diversify its customer base and look elsewhere to bring in tourists and create new activities for visitors to do besides shop.

The Hong Kong government can't even find its way out of a paper bag so it's up to local residents to come up with creative ideas to stimulate business.

香港人加油！

Tear Gas Collection a Crime

Protesters trying to put out tear gas with water on the streets of Hong Kong

In the past five months, the Hong Kong police have fired around 10,000 canisters of tear gas at protesters and bystanders, and even those at home when the distinctive peppery smell wafts into their flats.

The vast majority of Hongkongers have had a "tear gas buffet", though breathing in the fumes is carcinogenic.

Police have fired over 10,000 rounds of tear gas

And so it's understandable for reporters and activists alike to collect these spent canisters to try to estimate how many rounds were fired.

Some residents have collected the canisters and strung them together on walkways as a kind of protest art.

But it turns out you need a license to carry ammunition, even when they're spent.

Chow Man, a 26-year-old reporter found that out the hard way when he was caught by police at an MTR exit at Sai Wan Ho in the early hours of November 18 to be in possession of spent tear gas canisters, tear gas grenades, sponge grenade and rubber bullet.

The spent canisters have been used to make protest art

He was charged with possession of ammunition without a license today in Eastern Court, but Chow was denied bail. While he didn't have to enter his plea, his next court date won't be until January 14.

If convicted, Chow could face a sentence of up to 14 years in jail and a fine of up to HK$100,000.

So even trying to clean up the streets of Hong Kong of tear gas canisters and rubber bullets is a crime...

Meanwhile there are reports of lots of birds spotted dead on the ground, thanks to inhaling so much tear gas.

Xi Supports Lam, but How to End the Crisis?

Lam looks relieved, Xi gives an awkward smile... what does it mean?

A few days ago the media were led up the wrong tree, that Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor would not meet Chinese President Xi Jinping until Wednesday, but in fact she already saw him on Monday evening in Shanghai on the sidelines of the China International Import Expo.

There's a picture of Lam (with coiffed hair and Ferragamo heels) looking relieved perhaps because she would not be axed from her job yet, though it's interesting Xi bared his teeth while smiling, as he hardly ever shows his pearly whites.

What does that smile mean?

Lam met with Xi at 10pm following a dinner

This was the first meeting between the two since the anti-government protests broke out in early June.

"Xi expressed his hope that people from all walks of life in Hong Kong fully and faithfully implement the principle of 'one country, two systems', Xinhua reported.

While he demanded "unswerving efforts to stop and punish violent activities" in accordance with the law, the Chinese president also called for more dialogue with different sectors of society.

Lam said it was natural for Xi to be concerned about what is happening in Hong Kong. "I can feel his support over the work that the government has done to curb violence," she said.

The authorities' way of dealing with the protests doesn't work

What does "I can feel his support" mean? Did he not explicitly say he supported her? It sounds very vague... which makes you wonder what did they talk about then?

Another intriguing aspect of this meeting is that it was "spontaneous". Lam said the meeting was not originally on her schedule, and a source said it wasn't on Xi's itinerary either. She was only notified about it just before the expo's dinner banquet that he would meet her later at 10pm.

Wonder if she managed to eat anything during the dinner...

In any event now that Beijing has supposedly quashed rumours that Lam will be fired anytime soon, she still has to clean up the mess she created. But how? Following Beijing's approach of stopping the violence first before dialogue can begin hasn't been effective at all.

The protests are still going on into their fifth month

Pan-democrats worry Xi's vote of confidence will bolster Lam's belief that she is doing the right thing and give the police even more leeway in being tougher with the protesters. While over 3,000 people have been arrested, only a tiny fraction have been convicted, which shows the heavy handedness of the authorities in arresting people -- protesting or not -- willy nilly.

They are only wasting administrative time and effort, which we, the taxpayers are paying for, along with the tear gas, rubber bullets, beanbag rounds, pepper spray...

Journalists Pushback on Police

Photographers wear helmets in protest of police treatment during protests

After following the anti-government protests for 21 weeks and not only witnessing how the Hong Kong police treat protesters and bystanders with excessive force or randomly arresting them without having committed a crime, journalists are fed up with how the police are treating them, hurling verbal abuses and causing bodily harm.

The police are making it harder and harder to report what is going on during the protests. On Friday a Hong Kong court granted an injunction to ban the release of any personal information of police officers.

Journalist Amy Ip raises concerns about police mistreatment

This includes a ban on sharing the officers' and their family members' names, jobs, addresses, emails, birthdays, phone numbers, social media accounts, license plate numbers, photos and other details without their consent.

How is the media supposed to report on what is happening if they don't have complete freedom of the press? Are photographers and videographers not allowed to take pictures or shoot footage of police officers?

So today the media had enough.

This afternoon at the start of the regular 4pm press conference held by the police, a freelance journalist, Amy Ip hijacked the event with a prepared speech, saying how the police have mistreated reporters by tearing off their gas masks, pepper spraying them, and firing rubber bullets at them. She also shone a bright light back at the police, saying this was how the police made it difficult for reporters to do their jobs properly.

As she spoke, the police representatives at the press conference immediately walked out. That didn't deter her from continuing to speak in Cantonese and then English.

She refused to budge until she had said her say. Some reporters joined her and walked out in protest of the police, while others stayed behind.

Reporters have had physical and verbal clashes with police

The press conference was suspended for about half an hour and then when the police representatives returned, Chief Superintendent John Tse Chun-chung expressed "deep regret" over the interruption of the press conference, that it prevented the public from their right to information.

Really?

But the information the police give everyday is so vague or so unhelpful, it's no wonder the journalists are fed up with attending these daily press briefings.

When the reporters asked to just move onto the question and answer section of the press conference, a police officer told them to "shut up".

Some reporters have been injured from being directly targeted

This treatment is not going to win the police any points, but then again their reputation has sunk so low, perhaps they don't care anymore.

Another interesting piece of news is that Alan Lau Yip-shing, former deputy police commissioner who was hauled out of retirement in August to help deal with the protests, will now leave, as the situation has "improved".

Lau, a respected veteran with a tough reputation, was appointed to the temporary post of deputy commissioner on special duty to "enhance strategic command and oversee public order events".

Tse explained that Lau had signed on for two three-month blocks for a total of six months, but now that the first three months will have been completed by Thursday, Lau felt there was no need to extend his contract "as the current situation has improved relative to the previous months".

Indonesian reporter Veby Mega Indah has lost her right eye

Lau's main duties were to assist the police commissioner in handling large-scale public order events, such as the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1. He was also in charge of operation Tiderider to deal with the street protests, where he had the final say over tactics deployed.

"To pave the way for his departure, Lau has given field commanders a free hand in the past two weeks to deal with street protesters," a source said.

And in case you are keen on statistics, from June 12 to October 27, the police have fired about 6,100 rounds of tear gas, 2,400 rubber bullets, 550 beanbag rounds, and 700 sponge-tipped rounds at protesters.

How many of those were targeting journalists?

The media will continue to ask the police questions to make then accountable. Hong Kong must not become a police state.

The People are Angry

About 5,000 people showed up at the airport to protest this weekend's violence

CARRIE WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY CITY!

In the past weekend we have seen even more shocking images of violence and repression from your police force -- they are not ours. Our police force would not shoot people in the eye to make them blind, shoot rubber bullets at point blank range, beat people descending on a moving escalator, and crush them on the ground to break their jaw.

Your police force has fired many more rounds of tear gas in the past weekend than the past few months. Is it because you need to use up the expired canisters before buying new ones? Or you just want to cause Hongkongers to have long-term health problems from the effects tear gas because there has been indiscriminate use of it all over the city, particularly in Kwai Fong MTR station, in the shopping district of Tsim Sha Tsui and the bar area in Wan Chai this weekend.

WHAT KIND OF MOTHER ARE YOU?

Children are Hong Kong's future, but Carrie doesn't think so

Back on June 12 in an interview with TVB you said: "... if the young people have walked, and acted, and you still don't give them what they want. Then what? The metaphor that I use is that I'm a mother who has two sons. If every time my son tells me he wants something and I acquiesce to his wishes, for a short time our relationship between mother and son will be very good, but once this child is grown, he will have regrets. He will ask, 'Mother, why didn't you remind me then?'"

Is beating up people, shooting tear gas at them, and worst of all, telling them they have no stake in society what a mother does to her children? Or are you disowning your children who you have a responsibility to look after? They are the future of Hong Kong and you have completely disregarded them.

As a friend told me the other day, there's saying: "The hated child fears nothing". You have unleashed tens of thousands of these "hated children" in Hong Kong.

YOUR MESS IS OUT OF CONTROL

Protesters are creative in dealing with each situation

We are all angry at what you did to Hong Kong this weekend. Some 5,000 of us swarmed Hong Kong International Airport this afternoon. The airport authority shut down the airport without warning -- or was it your intention to blame the protesters? Then the police claimed they were coming with tear gas to clear the protesters and then nothing happened. So more protests are expected at the airport tomorrow.

Also today the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office is making more threats.

"In recent days, Hong Kong's radical protesters have repeatedly attacked police with highly dangerous tools, which constitute serious violent crimes and have started to show signs of terrorism," HKMAO spokesman Yang Guang said today.  "This type of violent criminal activity must be resolutely combated according to the law with no hesitation or mercy."

He ominously said the city had come to a "critical moment" and vowed to clamp down on violent crime with an "iron fist".

THERE IS NOT "BLACK HAND" BEHIND THE PROTESTERS

Shooting at point blank range in the MTR is shocking

These young people on the front lines are very smart, agile and creative. They are highly organized and know what they are doing. They use encrypted smartphone apps to communicate and on the streets they are assigned specific tasks.

Some are experts in uprooting sidewalk railings in seconds, others tying them up into barricades, others tasked with defusing tear gas canisters, or are good at throwing them back at police. No one taught them how to do it -- they learned quickly on their own.

How can you underestimate this talented group of people? Imagine if you were able to channel their energy and creativity towards building Hong Kong's economy?!

But instead your police force is the one that is sinister in its tactics, dressing up like protesters and beating them up and arresting them. That is downright dirty. How would God feel about that?

YOU ARE BEING MAINLANDIZED

Lam tells the young to fight together to build a better HK

Carrie where were you yesterday? Oh at closing ceremony of a People's Liberation Army training camp for university students. And how did you address them? In Mandarin!

"My colleagues and I will be more patient to get in touch with youth from different classes to listen to their voices. We hope that we can fight together to build a better Hong Kong," is what you said.

Fight? Really? How about build, or create, establish, assemble, or forge? Fight seems such a combative choice of words.

And yes words do mean a lot, especially when you said the extradition bill was "dead", but it's not "dead" when the bill appeared in the Gazette Index of Bills on Friday... that means the bill is still very much alive.

STAND UP FOR HONG KONG

Many people could not sleep last night. There are reports of people of all ages who cried watching the news last night, shocked and terrified their city had devolved to this mess. We need a leader to bridge the gap, but you are hardly anywhere to be found except hiding in Government House.

You've effectively handed over control of the city to other people representing Beijing, like liaison office director Wang Zhimin and Maria Tam Wai-chu, deputy director of the Basic Law Committee under the National People's Congress Standing Committee. It's hardly reassuring.

If you can't lead us, go away. We want a leader who fights for Hong Kong.

AGAIN -- WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY CITY, CARRIE?

CARRIE?