Can Jimmy Lai's Books be "Librarian's Choice"?

Can people borrow Jimmy Lai's books?

Now that the pro-democracy opposition has been ousted from the Legislative Council, pro-Beijing lawmakers are looking for ways to prove their patriotism. And they are going into overdrive.

One overzealous member of the pro-Beijing party, Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong snapped a picture at the Shek Tong Tsui Public Library in Western district, showing a display of books by jailed tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying labelled as "the librarian's choice".

DAB's Yeung posted the photos on Facebook

Yeung Hok-ming posted pictures of at least 10 of the books on his Facebook page on Thursday, which prompted an immediate investigation by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. It said a "rigorous and thoroughly investigation" was being conducted, and added public libraries must ensure its collections complied with the national security law.

Lai's Chinese-language books are not focused on politics, but his thoughts on business management or his life. Nevertheless by Thursday evening the books had been replaced with those about culture and traditions.

Perhaps they were the librarian's second choice...

While the LCSD declined to say whether the books by Lai should be removed from libraries, others by pro-democracy activists, like Joshua Wong Chi-fung, Horace Chin Wan-kan, former Democratic Party chairman Albert Ho Chun-yan, and former Civic Party member Tanya Chan Suk-chong are not available for lending.

It seems Yeung has forced the issue of Lai's books, leaving the civil service scrambling to figure out what to do.

The library in question is in Shek Tong Tsui

Where are the red lines on these books that aren't political but are by someone currently in jail? And who is going to call the shots? More importantly who is going to take the fall for this incident?

The national security law has led to everyone second-guessing themselves and wondering if they are crossing the red line or not. This is going to make it harder for people to express themselves in public, particularly artists, writers, filmmakers and playwrights.

The paranoia is already well underway...

Book Censorship Begins

Libraries are reviewing books that may be against the new law

Everyday there is a new aspect of the national security law that causes more alarm bells to ring. Now it's library books.

One of Wong's books under review

Nine books written by a localist and pro-democracy activists are "under review" in Hong Kong's public libraries because they may not be compliant with the new law.

The Chinese-language books were written by Joshua Wong Chi-fung, localist Horace Chin Wan-kan, and Civic Party lawmaker Tanya Chan. When looking up the books on the library website, all nine titles are marked as "under review".

A staff member of the City Hall Library told a reporter posing as a library user that: "A new law has come into effect... so the Hong Kong authorities are reviewing these books to see if they stick to the new law or not, and under this situation the books cannot be checked out for readers now," the employee said. "After our review, then we will update the situation of the books to see if you can borrow them or not."

Chin is known as a localist, who argues Hong Kong must forge its own unique identity to counter the growing influence of the mainland.

Localist Horace Chin

Speaking to the media today, Wong says reviewing two of his books amounts to censorship.

"My books were published years before Hong Kong's anti-extradition movement, and yet they are now prone to book censorship under the new law, one step away from the actual book banning," he said.

Chan, who is a lawyer, was puzzled why her book, My Journeys for Food and Justice, that was published in 2014, was under review, as the government had said the law would not be retroactive.

She asked the Leisure and Cultural Services Department to clarify its policy on making such decisions.

"It [the law] does not just affect a small number of people," Chan said. "It affects the public as the way they can access these books is being taken away."

Philip Dykes of the Hong Kong Bar Association finds this latest move "alarming" in preventing the public's right to information compared to before July 1.

Chan asks why her book is being reviewed

"It clearly constitutes a restriction on the right to seek information," he said. "Because if it a restriction, the censor needs to explain why the books were removed."

However, Ronny Tong Ka-wah, a member of the Executive Council cabinet and a former chairman of the Bar Association, said the books under review did not infringe people's rights, as they could find the books elsewhere.

"As a government establishment, it would be wrong and contrary to the purpose of the law to encourage people to read publications, which might incite people to commit an offence under the law, so I don't think removing these books from a public library is wrong," Tong said.

Tong says the books can be found elsewhere

Here we go again -- do these books really incite people to commit secession, subversion, terrorism or collusion? And also they were written and published before July 1, 2020. The library serves an important function in giving everyone access to to books they may need or cannot afford to buy.

This is only the beginning of more censorship that will affect everyone's daily lives. So perhaps China's repeated mantra that the new law only affects a small number of people is the entire Hong Kong, as a city with 7 million people for China is a small metropolis...

Carrie Lam's "Extremely Submissive" Beijing Visit

Political cartoonist Zunzi's take on the national security law

In Beijing today, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor reported China's leadership has heard the concerns of Hongkongers on the national security law. When asked what she told them, Lam refused to divulge what was said.

"I will not disclose what we discussed in the meeting. I can only say that... on this important Hong Kong matter, central government officials can hear the opinion raised in Hong Kong, as well as those raised in foreign countries. I believe that they don't need the chief executive to come to Beijing personally to reflect those," she said.

Tanya Chan says Lam is "extremely submissive"

It is believed the law will be passed by August and senior Chinese officials have repeated that only a small minority of people will be affected by this law.

Civic Party lawmaker Tanya Chan Suk-chong described Lam's attitude towards Beijing as "extremely submissive".

Views will only be heard in seminars organized in Shenzhen and Beijing, which Chan hinted was not very helpful for Hongkongers who wanted to give their feedback.

Speaking of submissive, political cartoonist Wong Kee-kwan, aka Zunzi is quite busy these days drawing cartoons critical of both Beijing and Hong Kong governments.

One of his latest ones about the national security law features a police officer from mainland Chinese coming out of the Bauhinia flower and in one hand he has a cage, and in the other has a pair of tongs picking up Hong Kong to put in the cage.

Lam says Beijing has heard feedback from HK

Zunzi was asked if it was unusual for his cartoons to be featured on the front page of newspapers and magazines.

"It's not that unusual, because in the past few years, there has been so many demonstrations in the streets that it is difficult for the editor to find a suitable way to express them... They can't find a good photo to cover... the whole story. So sometimes they ask me to make a picture to represent the situation. So in the past few years, I think I have done more than 10 to 12 cartoons.

In the last few years he has drawn Chief Executive Lam more often, and his description of her is on point:

Zunzi with Lam as a maid with a teapot

"Well, before and when she started to become chief executive, we didn't draw her too badly. But now, right now, we find that she is just like a servant, like a maid of Xi Jinping. She directly serves Xi Jinping only... I draw her as a maid, holding a teapot... ready to serve Xi Jinping everyday."

Wonder how she sees it, and if Zunzi can continue drawing her like that after the national security law is passed...

Another Dark Day in Hong Kong

Lam Cheuk-ting rips up the rules of procedure as lawmakers are ejected

When it comes to the procedures and rules in the Legislative Council, they don't mean anything anymore. It's not about electing people into office, it's about who exerts more brute force.

Presiding member of the House Committee Chan Kin-por was ensconced at the podium before the meeting to elect the chair of the committee began at 11am, and he was surrounded by several Legco security staff who were obviously doing Beijing's bidding to not only prevent pan-democrat lawmakers from getting at him, but also physically restraining them and forcefully ejecting them from the chambers.

Chan Kin-por sits securely behind a security cordon

One of them, Ted Hui Chi-fung tried to break through the cordon of guards surrounding Chan, but he was lifted up by four guards who then dragged him on the ground. Chan even said: "Do not struggle. You are hurting the security guards."

Later sitting on the ground in a corridor with a security guard watching over him, Hui says he felt someone kick him in the chest, which led him to have trouble breathing. He was later checked over in the hospital and diagnosed chest injuries.

Hui said he had never been treated so forcefully in Legco before and pan-democrats believe many of these security guards are former policemen, and that they have lost impartiality.

At one point Democratic Party lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting stood on a bench as he ripped out pages of the rules of procedure in protest. But really what he was doing literally illustrated what was going on.

It was after 15 of the 20 pan-democrat lawmakers were physically removed from Legco (and not allowed back in) did the voting begin of who would chair the House Committee, and lo and behold, Starry Lee Wai-king "won" the "election" at 40 votes to zero! How about that! A unanimous decision!

Ted Hui being forcefully dragged out of Legco

Civic Party leader Dennis Kwok Wing-hang had presided over the previous meetings as incumbent Lee had to  step aside as she is up for re-election in September. But apparently that rule doesn't mean anything anymore.

So the pro-establishment literally fought for control of the election of who chairs the House Committee, and in this case won handily, if not illegally.

Tanya Chan Suk-chong, convenor of the pro-democracy bloc and the first to be removed from the chamber, said they would not endorse the election results.

"Hong Kong people will never forget what happened today and they will not allow these people to return to Legco," Kwok said, referring to the upcoming elections in September.

Starry Lee got 40 votes and unanimously "won"

The next expected raucous event will be on May 27, with the second reading of the National Anthem bill.

One of Hong Kong's legal institutions is being literally ripped apart before our eyes and we can only hope to right these wrongs in September... if there is still an election...

In Midst of Pandemic Carrie Lam Gets Pay Rise

Carrie Lam will be one of the highest paid leaders in the world... for what?

Over the past three years, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has demonstrated lacklustre leadership, particularly last year during the anti-government protests in which she hid behind the police to do her bidding, and now during the coronavirus, it is the community rather than her governance that has kept the numbers of positive cases relatively low.

So why does Lam deserve a pay raise of HK$120,000 for a salary of HK$5.2 million (US$670,671) a year?

She is one of the highest paid leaders in the world, more than US President Donald Trump (US$400,000 donated to charity), Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (around US$265,000), and UK PM Boris Johnson (US$96,800).

Last summer protesters demanded Lam step down

Lam's pay raise was revealed when the Civic Party's Tanya Chan Suk-chong asked about it as the Legislative Council prepares to vet this year's budget.

Considering Hong Kong's economy continues to be in free fall because of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, Eunice Yung Hoi-yan of the New People's Party asked if the chief executive could take a pay cut to show solidarity with Hongkongers, as tens of thousands of them have lost their jobs or had pay cuts.

The response? The government replied Lam and her ministers will make "timely responses" should the situation deteriorate.

Isn't the situation deteriorating already?

Granted on February 28, Lam, her cabinet and other top officials donated one month of their salaries which was around HK$10 million to charities under the Community Chest.

Lam and senior officials donated their salaries to charity

But a month later she gets a pay rise?

How bad are the optics on that? And what has she done for Hong Kong to deserve that?

Even pro-establishment lawmakers must be shaking their heads at this tone deaf move. If she can earn more money, why do us citizens have to wait until at least July to get our HK$10,000 handout?

Perhaps she can single-handedly stimulate the local economy with her higher salary? 

Is This SARS 2.0?

A boy is scanned for his temperature at Hong Kong International Airport

Along with the anti-government protests in Hong Kong, there's another invisible threat at our shores -- a pneumonia-like virus that apparently originated from Wuhan and could possibly spread to where we are, but we don't know if it is or not.

When I arrived at Hong Kong International Airport on Sunday, health workers were constantly checking random travelers' temperatures, and quizzing people if they had arrived from Wuhan. So far there have been 38 suspected cases, though 21 patients have been discharged.

Sophia Chan was grilled by lawmakers today for more info

Perhaps more frightening is that the Hong Kong government has barely received any information about the virus from the central government.

Today in the Legislative Council, Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee was grilled for two-and-a-half hours about any new information from the mainland. Chan said she hadn't received anything new, which lawmakers found shocking as it has been three days since the last report.

Civic Party lawmaker Tanya Chan Suk-chong asked, "Do you have ways to really find out how many cases there are on the mainland at present, in particular Wuhan? Can you obtain the genetic map?"

While the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission said on Wednesday night eight people were discharged from the hospital, no other mainland government agencies offered any updates, but would release the results of an investigation of the virus within a week.

A week?

Hong Kong is stepping up vigilance, but what about China?

Do they remember how fast the SARS virus spread? Probably not. Or they have no idea how to contain this virus.

Meanwhile Hong Kong is taking no chances, now making into law that all medical practitioners must report to the authorities of anyone suspected of contracting the unidentified strain. This would empower officials to place patients in mandatory quarantine.

However, more information is needed, as lawmaker Helena Wong Pik-wan of the Democratic Party was concerned if the virus had spread to other Chinese cities and provinces, and urged the health secretary to find out more information.

Sophia Chan replied that the governments of Hong Kong, Macau and the mainland had signed an agreement in 2005 to notify each other if any major public health incidents were discovered. She also stressed the government had been in close contact with the mainland authorities and the mechanism was working well.

In 2003 a woman takes precautions riding the MTR

She believed the mainland would tell the Hong Kong government if such pneumonia cases were found outside Wuhan, adding she would continue to press the authorities for more information about the virus.

Really? Is that why she is isn't actively asking the mainland for answers? Seems naive on her part to just sit around and wait for information.

Meanwhile, infectious diseases expert Professor Yuen Kwok-yung from the University of Hong Kong believes the unidentified virus that led to the Wuhan outbreak was a coronavirus strain from bats.

This is because the Wuhan cases are not found with bird flu, flu or other known viruses, but that the infections seem to be linked to game meat.

"Bats still carry around a dozen coronavirus strains," Yuen said. "There is a reason for us to speculate that the virus spread from bats to some wile animals, and then jumped to humans.

The HK economy could be battered by the Wuhan outbreak

He adds, "Theoretically, it is also possible for bats to spread the virus to humans directly. But very few people eat bats. However, many people eat masked palm civet and other wild animals."

That could be a possible clue, but in the meantime, it is frightening to not have at least daily updates from the mainland about the Wuhan outbreak and if it is spreading or not.

Is the Chinese government hiding something again at our expense?

And why are the Hong Kong authorities so lax on following up with their Chinese counterparts?

Surely they don't want to have to deal with another SARS-like outbreak like in 2003 that also decimated the economy for several months? This would also add even more economic pain to Hong Kong.

But alas, if the mainland won't cooperate, what hope is there of finding out what's really going on?

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...

Nine Convictions in the Umbrella Movement

These nine were convicted for their role in the Umbrella Movement in 2014

 

The big news today was the conviction of nine pro democracy activists for their part in the Umbrella Movement that began on September 28, 2014 and lasted for 79 days. Now they could face jail terms of up to seven years.

Judge Johnny Chan Jong-herng said the founders of the Occupy movement -- Benny Tai Yiu-ting, Dr Chan Kin-man, and Reverend Chu Yiu-ming were "naive" to suggest that by encouraging people to block roads they could force the government to bow to their political demands, mainly to have universal suffrage in being able to vote for Hong Kong's chief executive.

Supporters today continued the yellow umbrella tradition

Beijing had quashed this idea and instead suggested people could vote for vetted pro-China candidates.

Judge Chan also said that while Hong Kong recognized civil disobedience, it could not be used as a defense for a criminal act -- that is causing public nuisance.

Prosecutors successfully argued that the nine caused obstructions by mobilizing people to block main thoroughfares in Admiralty, Central, parts of Causeway Bay and Mongkok.

The other six who were convicted were legislators Tanya Chan and Shiu Ka-chun, former student leaders Tommy Cheung Sau-yin and Eason Chung Yiu-wa, League of Social Democrats vice-chairman Raphael Wong Ho-ming, and former Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Wing-tat.

Tear gas in Admiralty sparked the Occupy movement

It is worth noting at this point that the last time the charge of public nuisance was applied was in 2001when Alain Robert, the French "Spiderman" climbed up the Hang Seng Bank headquarters wiht his bare hands.

He was charged with causing public nuisance and was originally sentenced to 21 days in prison, but later reduced to a suspended sentence on appeal.

Defense lawyers in this 18-day trial had argued that their clients were being prosecuted on vague charges that carried a harsher sentence than for unlawful assembly, which is a typical charge for protestors.

But Chan rejected the charge would have a "chilling effect" on freedom of expression as the lawyers had argued.

The Occupy Movement occupied Admiralty for 79 days

Reaction to the convictions was swift. Hong Kong's former last governor Chris Patten condemned the verdict, calling the prosecution "vengeful".

"At a time when most people would have thought that the aim of the Hong Kong government should be to bring the whole community together it seems appallingly divisive to use anachronistic common-law charges in a vengeful pursuit of political events which took place in 2014," he said.

The nine are currently out on bail and mitigation hearings continue tomorrow.

It is sad but not surprising the verdict would turn out like this. Prosecutors were keen to nail the pro-democracy activists with harsh sentences so that no one will dare to try to initiate something on this scale ever again.

Nathan Law won a seat in Legco, only to be disqualified later

So much has happened and changed in Hong Kong since 2014 -- awakening people's political rights, record turnouts in legislative council elections in 2016, and then disqualifying newly elected lawmakers for altering their oaths when they were being sworn into office, and now candidates have to agree that Hong Kong is an "inalienable part" of China.

The appetite to go out on the streets again has waned considerably and now participating in protests means wearing face masks to avoid identification on police video cameras.

Passing through Admiralty on the freeway it's incredible that the place was completely shut down and the friendly camaraderie was unforgettable.

The Umbrella Movement will never happen again at this rate, and will just be a memory for many of us.

Getting Something We Didn't Ask For

We may see a replica of this in Hong Kong in West Kowloon in a few years

There are a lot of questions as to why a HK$3.5 billion dollar replica of the Palace Museum is being added at the West Kowloon Cultural District.

The biggest question is why there isn't any public consultation over it -- do we really need a replica of the Forbidden City that's worth that much money? Or is this meant to be a subtle hint that Beijing isn't as far away as we think?

According to legislation on the arts hub it says: "the Authority shall, in relation to matters concerning the development or operation of arts and cultural facilities, related facilities, ancillary facilities and any other matters as the Authority considers fit, consult the public at such time and in such manner as it considers appropriate".

Carrie Lam says the project doesn't need public consultation

However, Hong Kong Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, who is also chairwoman of the authority's board, said the project didn't need public consultation because it was run by the authority and not the government, and also it was being funded by the Jockey Club and didn't need Legislative Council approval.

Lam also lobbied every member of the board personally to get them on board the project -- which they only heard about last month.

One board member reported the project was already underway with architect Rocco Yim Sen-kee leading the project. You may remember him as the one who designed the relatively new government complex at Tamar.

Lam insinuates this project is not one that would go down well in a public consultation.

"It is very difficult to conduct a public consultation because it involves the central government and the related ministries," she said. "You can imagine that, if we were to ask the public if they wanted to have more exhibits from the Palace Museum more than half a year earlier, everyone should respond positively. But if more than half a year later, someone disagreed with it, it would be very embarrassing."

Civic Party's Tanya Chan Suk-chong and deputy chairwoman of the Legco panel monitoring the West Kowloon development, was unconvinced.

"Did she mean that public consultations must be avoided if opposition is expected?" Chan said.

The airport's air traffic control system hasn't been working well

But it sounds like this is the way things are being done in Hong Kong now -- tough, accountable questions are not being asked, let alone answered these days, which is why we have things like a newly installed air traffic control system worth HK$1.56 billion at Hong Kong International Airport not working properly, where planes disappear off radar screens for several seconds, and yet aviation officials insist this is not a risk to air safety.

So if air traffic control lose sight of a plane on their radar screens for 12 seconds, there isn't a problem?

And now we seem to be getting a replica of Beijing's Palace Museum whether we like it or not.

Welcome to the ongoing mainlandization of Hong Kong, or China's version of soft power.

Either way it's not very reassuring.

CY Leung's Election Spin

What is Leung Chun-ying really thinking behind that broad smile?

Is Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying delusional or desperately trying to play down the results of the Legislative Council elections that saw 30 seats go to pro-democracy and localist parties, three more than four years ago?

He said those candidates who called for his removal had been voted out, and welcomed new faces, but the younger ones are already looking to make Leung sweat a bit more.

And he also rejected claims that the voters were unhappy with his government, suggesting instead the electorate were tired of those pan-democrats who used radical tactics like filibustering to oppose his policies.

Lau Siu-kai cautions Leung not all will be rosy next year

He really has no idea what he is going to be up against, or doesn't want Beijing to think this will be a problem he can't handle.

Leung even stated the elections don't have any bearing on the election for chief executive next year, and would not say if he would run again for another five-year term.

"The Legco election results have nothing to do with the chances of anyone who aspires to be the next chief executive of Hong Kong," he said.

Uh huh.

"Some candidates who obviously disagree with me seeking another term also failed to be elected," Leung said, but he was probably referring to Ricky Wong Wai-kay, whose platform was "ABC", or "Anyone but CY". Wong lost by 2,000 votes to Tanya Chan Suk-chong of the Civic Party.

James To says Leung isn't reading the election results properly

However, for Leung to think he's still safe in Beijing's eyes better think again.

Professor Lau Siu-kai, vice-chairman of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies, a semi-official mainland think tank, said Beijing fully understood the election results reflected public discontent with the Leung administration.

"In the eyes of the central government, there is no Hongkonger who cannot be replaced," said Lau.

Veteran Democrat James To Kun-sun said, "Mr Leung must think Hong Kong people are stupid. Our election platform state clearly that we oppose him getting a second term."