Seven Convicted in Illegal Assembly

Some 1.7 million people protested on August 18, 2019

Seven pro-democracy activists, former lawmakers, lawyers and a newspaper owner were convicted of organizing and taking part in an unauthorized anti-government protest on August 18, 2019.

They include Apple Daily tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, veteran opposition campaigner Martin Lee Chu-ming, and former lawmakers Lee Cheuk-yan, and Cyd Ho Sau-lan. 

After the march started, the rain poured down

I just reread my post from that day, where an estimated 1.7 million people came out. It suddenly started pouring with rain, and everyone had their umbrellas out but we were still wet from water dripping from other umbrellas. The heaving crowd inched its way from Tin Hau to Causeway Bay and then to Central.

It was a peaceful march, no tear gas, no destruction, just a lot of people walking in the rain.

And yet these seven people were arrested, charged and convicted.

Prosecutors said the seven accused turned an approved assembly into an illegal one on the pretext of crowd control, while the defense argued they were merely leading the rally participants out of the park to alleviate overcrowding.

Judge Amanda Woodcock found there was no need to disperse hundreds of thousands of people from Victoria Park in the form of a procession, as there was no evidence that exit routes were in accessible or problematic, or that the park was so overcrowded that a stampede or risk of serious injuries was imminent.

Martin Lee and Albert Ho at the courthouse

She said the seven inequivocally intended to stage the illegal event, as evidenced by them carrying a banner and shouting slogans as they walked out of the park.

"I am sure this public procession was not about dispersal of crowds. That was a description used to defy the law and circumvent the ban. This intention was vocalized repeatedly and publicly days before the public meeting. It was only a dispersal plan in name, and the truth is it was a planned unauthorized assembly," Woodcock wrote in her 89-page judgment.

As for those 100 police officers who prevented the crowd from leaving the park and then made them inch along the way, then suddenly disappeared, Woodcock agreed with the commanding officers testifying in court that far from neglecting their duties, police were being "prudent" as they hoped to minimize the risk of violence or confrontation that day.

The judge found the protest march caused serious traffic disruption -- but it was a Sunday and every weekend before that there were protests in the area, and she rejected the argument the seven had a reasonable excuse for their acts because the protest was peaceful.

Margaret Ng was also one of seven convicted

"It cannot be right that to arrest and prosecute is disproportionate in this case because no actual violence broke out. That would give the law no teeth and make a mockery of it," she wrote.

The seven will be sentenced on April 16 and could face up to five years in prison. 

Eighty-two-year-old Martin Lee, who usually has something to say after a court case, was uncharacteristically silent as he left the West Kowloon courthouse, while Cyd Ho of the Labour Party said she was "disappointed" by the verdict, saying the case reflected the erosion of freedom of speech and expression.

"The collapse of Hong Kong's political regime will [cause it to] become a hotbed for corruption," she said.

Samuel Chu, the managing director of the Washington-based Hong Kong Democracy Council said of the convictions: "This trial was also about the long history, legacy and contributions of the elder statesmen and women of the movement. It is about discrediting their lifetime contributions to Hong Kong, to the movement, to workers, to grassroots, to individuals and their professions."

This is the first time Martin Lee has been convicted and will be sent to jail. 

How does the man who helped draft the Basic Law, who was trying to find a peaceful path towards democracy in China get thrown in jail?

It is a terrible sign that even moderates are too much of a threat to Beijing and must be silenced. There is no other way. 

Lai also faces a national security law charge

The seven convicted:

Martin Lee Chu-ming

Jimmy Lai Chee-ying

Cyd Ho Sau-lan

Lee Cheuk-yan

Albert Ho Chun-yan

Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee

Leung Kwok-hung

(Au Nok-hin and Leung Yiu-chung pleaded guilty earlier)

Proliferation of Protest Art

People leave messages tied together at a shop

In Sham Shui Po there is some gentrification going on, with some old shop spaces turned into hipster cafes, much like the one I wrote about yesterday that houses a photography exhibition on last year's protests.

Carrie Lam as a giant candle

On our way to that show, we saw a few other "yellow" cafes that had other protest art. One in particular had multi-coloured ribbons out in front, like a Lennon Wall with scraps of fabric, where people wrote messages that were tied together.

Inside was a collection of works from artists working in various mediums. There were sculptures of protesters clashing with the police on a platform shaped like an upside down umbrella -- made from wax.

There was even a bust of Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor in red wax, complete with a wick at the top of her head. The protest slogan "If we burn you burn with us" immediately came to mind, inspired by The Hunger Games.

But it was a series of woodblock prints that I liked in particular. They were made by Malaysian artist Tekkhean Lee, who visited Hong Kong during the protests and made these woodcuts that portray the emotions, the drama, and the feelings of last year.

Particularly evocative are protesters surrounded by clouds of tear gas, the turbulent scenes of defending themselves with just umbrellas, and the camaraderie of the protesters helping each other.

Amazing woodcut prints of protests

There are some definitive scenes, of a man with his arms outstretched as a policeman points a gun at him in Tsuen Wan in late August, students in uniform holding a pen together as a human chain of protest, a sea of umbrellas parting ways to allow an ambulance pass through, and a first-aider who lost her right eye allegedly from a rubber bullet in Tsim Sha Tsui.

The amount of protest art that was produced last year has been amazing, some of it satirical, some inspiring, some depicting violence. Will it continue after the national security law is enacted within days?

Time will only tell.

An Orwellian Day in Hong Kong

A dramatic backdrop for Carrie Lam commenting the IPCC report today

 

Today there was so much news going on besides the pandemic that as one local person on Twitter remarked: "Sometimes one gets the feeling Hong Kong is crumbling before one's eyes."

He was referring to a question on the DSE or the Diploma of Secondary Education exam, only one of the outrageous fiascos that happened today in another sign that Beijing is further inserting itself into Hong Kong.

The fall of Hong Kong to the Japanese in December 1941

The other day it was found one of the questions on the exam for students to be eligible for university had upset Beijing. Nay, it had "seriously hurt the feelings of the Chinese people" -- a line from the mainland Chinese playbook to demand sympathy.

That's because the history question asked students if they agreed Japan did more good than harm to China between 1900 and 1945. 

There were accusations from pro-establishment lawmakers that the question played down the impact of the Japanese occupation of China, and that it led exam candidates to come to a biased conclusion that "seriously hurt the feelings and dignity of the Chinese people who suffered great pain during the Japanese invasion of China".

Maybe it was a trick question to see if students were paying attention or not, but it is up to them to be in favour of or against the statement by supporting the argument with facts and analysis.

Education minister Kevin Yeung criticized an exam question

However it got too controversial to the point where Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung Yun-hung held a press conference today, saying the Education Bureau would ask the Examinations and Assessment Authority to void the question and make appropriate adjustments to ensure the credibility of the exam.

Yeung said given Japan's invasion of China, the answer to the exam question must be "doing more harm than good to China". "There is no room for discussion."

His curt comment probably came after Beijing was riled up about the question. The foreign ministry publicly criticized the authority over the question, warning that education could not be allowed to run out of control, like a "chicken coop without a flap".

Education in Hong Kong is becoming more politicized. Surely the teachers setting the exam questions knew they were going to be verging into hot-water territory with the Sino-Japanese war?

Sin Ka-ho, 22, was jailed for four years today for rioting

The next fiasco that happened today was the sentencing of 22-year-old Sin Ka-ho, who was jailed for four years for his part in the anti-government protests last year. The lifeguard pleaded guilty to ramming police barricades and hurling helmets and umbrellas at the police outside the Legislative Council on June 12.

Sin was a first-time offender and while his defense counsel said the young man did not regret his actions, he admitted setting a bad example to young people and would urge them not to resort to violence.

Many HongKongers were outraged by the sentence because he is being used as an example to others, being the first to plead guilty -- because he was clearly captured on video for his actions.

But compare this heavy sentence to a pro-Beijing tour guide who had attacked pro-democracy activists with knives at a Lennon Wall in Taipo last August, and was only sentenced to 45 months in jail last month. Three people were wounded in the attack, one seriously.

How is this justice?

Then the third event today was the release of the report on police violence by the IPCC, or Independent Police Complaints Council. The 1,000-page report details main events during the anti-government protests last year, including June 12 (where Sin was caught throwing umbrellas and helmets at police), July 1, July 21 and August 31.

How can there be no collusion from this photo taken July 21?

When it comes to July 21, when white-shirted men, apparently triad-related, were armed with sticks and attacked people, mostly protesters returning to Yuen Long at the MTR station, the IPCC report glosses over the violence and claims there was no collusion between the police and the white-shirted men.

How could there be no collusion when there are numerous videos of police officers patting the backs of some white shirted men? How can there still be so few arrests to this day?

One of the former independent advisors to the IPCC, Clifford Stott, a professor of social psychology at Keele University in the UK, has advised government around the world around policing. He says the section on July 21 was a result of "misinformation".

"It would seem the release of the IPCC report is part of a wider set of coordinated announcements designed to deliver the new 'truth'," he tweeted, attaching a quote by George Orwell.

Indeed.

At the 6pm press conference today, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor stood in front of a backdrop that featured a collage of photos from violent protests with the slogan: "The Truth About Hong Kong".

The IPCC report was released today, but soft on police actions

She said now was not the time to have an independent inquiry because the city is too busy fighting against the pandemic, and besides, people who volunteered to join the independent review panel were busy and dropped out.

Lam described the report as "comprehensive and objective", and that she would take into consideration "areas of improvement" where police clashed with protesters. She spent 10 hours reading the report and implement some of the 52 recommendations, which include drafting guidelines for journalists reporting at protest scenes, reviewing internal police command structures, and improving the identification of police officers with clear numbers.

If that didn't get more Orwellian, how about removing a pan-democratic lawmaker who heads a committee because he has been filibustering for months, but that is his legal right to do so?

After weeks of complaints from Beijing, Legislative Council President Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen removed Dennis Kwok Wing-hang from the House Committee and replaced him with pro-Beijing councillor Chan Kin-por.

Legco President Andrew Leung removed Dennis Kwok today

Leung claimed he was invoking his power under article 92 of the council's rules of procedure to deal with the current impasse after seeking legal advice. He defended the unprecedented move, saying: "This is a hard decision, and I think it's incumbent upon me to take a decision to make sure that we can, as the legislature -- on the whole -- to fulfill our responsibility under the Basic Law."

He added that he chose Chan for his experience in chairing the Finance Committee. 

For all these four things to happen in one day, it's too much to digest and understand what is going on in Hong Kong. If anything, it is the increased "mainlandization" of the city, made possible to a pliant local government.

How can everyone, from opposition lawmakers to ordinary people stop more of this from happening before 2047?

Picture of the Day: Extreme Social Distancing

The scene tonight along the waterfront -- social distancing at its finest

Every evening after dinner I get all suited up and masked up to venture outside for some fresh air and exercise for the day.

There are usually people walking along the waterfront too, couples, small groups, runners, families.

But all day today there were very light showers that continued into the evening.

Despite the rain I ventured outside anyway with an umbrella and there was barely anyone around.

The picture here is taken by Sai Ying Pun and usually there are people hanging out here on the benches, or walking along the path, but tonight hardly anyone; after I took this picture, two runners emerged from the distance along with another pedestrian.

The rain wasn't too bothersome and actually it was nice to not see many people, save for a few die-hard runners. But on the way back the rain stopped and neighbourhood residents began appearing...

Today there were 32 new coronavirus cases, bringing Hong Kong's total to 714.

Further Clamping Down on HK

Protesters held a laser pointer party outside the Hong Kong Space Museum

Hey folks -- two things you need to know today: a laser pointer can be considered an offensive weapon depending on the situation and intent, and next year's Chinese New Year flower market is going to be a dud.

Today West Kowloon acting chief magistrate So Wai-tak said in his ruling that while a laser pointer may not be an offensive weapon in itself, it could become one depending on the circumstances and intent.

They were protesting in support of a student who was arrested

The then 15-year-old boy was arrested near a protest site in Tuen Mun on September 21. So said: "It [the use of the laser pointer] was meant to harm the eyes of police officers, causing them discomfort."

During a body search, the boy was found to be carrying a laser pointer, a modified umbrella and an hiking stick. He happened to be near an anti-government protest that was underway, and was apparently seen walking up and down along a police cordon with the umbrella before his arrest.

So found the boy guilty of one count of possessing offensive weapons in a public place, and another of possessing offensive weapons with intent because he had those items in his possession at the time of arrest. The ruling was based on circumstantial evidence, including a helmet and other protective gear on him.

An expert testified earlier in the trial that a laser pointer could cause harm if it was aimed at someone's eyes from a close distance and for a sufficient period of time.

Eddie Chu wrote a letter in support of the 15-year-old

"If he intended to take part in a peaceful assembly, there was no need to bring anything to protect himself from bodily contact," the magistrate said, adding that was especially the case for a laser pointer.

The boy's class teacher even enlisted the help of legislators Eddie Chu Hoi-dick and Roy Kwong Chun-yu and Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun to write letters to the judge on his behalf in mitigation, but they weren't enough to sway the magistrate.

And while Chinese New Year isn't that far away on January 25, the flower markets are going to be dull and boring now that only flowers and food will be allowed to be sold, and no dry goods, which usually meant politically-laced toys and products.

Usually these items that poked fun at local politicians and issues were hilarious and many bought these satirical products for a laugh, but this coming January there won't be much to look forward to.

The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today that only flowers and food will be allowed at the 15 government-run fairs and festivals around Hong Kong from January 19-25.

The flower market is usually a fun place to check out satire

"The fairs in the past have been crowded with people, including children and the elderly. In view of the current social situation, the government -- as the venue manager and event organizer -- has the responsibility to ensure the safety of the stall owners and [visitors]," a department spokesman said.

"To safeguard public safety and public order, and to implement crowd control measures more effectively, the [department] will enlarge the sizes of the [stalls] to facilitate the sale of flowers. Public access will also be widened to alleviate crowding."

So basically the fairs will have less stalls and bigger stalls for flowers.

Yawn.

Who wants to go to the flower market then? My favourite part of visiting these markets in Victoria Park was to see what clever political satire they had come up with that year. Who can forget toilet paper with then Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying's face on it?

By not allowing these things to be sold limits freedom of expression and an important outlet for people to release some pressure and frustration particularly in the past several months we have endured. Now that outlet is shut, resulting in people's anger to continue to fester.

One memorable product was Leung Chun-ying's toilet paper

Perhaps we will see food stalls selling dishes with subtle political message on them? Baos with slogans on them? Maybe "yellow" eateries will open stalls during the market or cakes made to look like yellow helmets or Lion Rock.

Anyone else have some brilliant delicious ideas?

Picture of the Day: Rain Residue

Puddles from the rain create beautiful reflections of the city

The weather in Hong Kong has been so erratic that you never know if it's going to pour or just have light showers.

That said the temperatures aren't as hot and humid.

Last night I finished dinner with a friend early and went for a walk in the neighbourhood. I was worried the rain would come down so I carried an umbrella with me. Turns out I didn't need it at all thankfully, but... you never know.

The weather for the next few days? More showers and thunderstorms... have the umbrella handy!

Hong Kong's Last Stand

Thousands of people are gathered at Tamar in Admiralty, a repeat of 2014

There are dramatic scenes unfolding at the government headquarters at Tamar in Admiralty as we speak as thousands of protesters have gathered there and are clashing with police, who have retaliated with tear gas.

Some protesters have dug up bricks from sidewalks to literally build a wall for protection, others stole metal barricades to stop police from advancing. Many of them are wearing face masks, goggles, and protective gear as well as umbrellas to shelter from the rain but also the tear gas.

This feels like a repeat of 2014, and it's a sad state of affairs to see history repeating itself.

While the one good thing is that the debate on the extradition bill has been delayed until further notice, the police are having a difficult time breaking up the protesters and telling them to go home.

They won't listen because this is the last stand.

Hongkongers have not been given a say at all about the extradition bill and the government has made a serious miscalculation in trying to force the bill through instead of the proper due process.

A friend from New York emailed me, asking if there was any hope, and I replied there isn't, which is why Hongkongers are out on the streets, fighting to the bitter end.

Picture of the Day: Lots of Rain

The view outside my window this morning at 8.19am...

These last few days have been... very wet, and there isn't much sign it will let up anytime soon.

This morning the weather looked overcast, and then soon the dark clouds started rolling in when I took this picture.

It looked so ominous!

And then the rain started to fall.

The good thing is that I was able to wear my boots to work.

The bad thing? It was dry by mid afternoon and I had to lug my boots home this evening.

It looks like we're in for heavy showers again tomorrow and the next day, and the next day, and well into next week...

Keep those umbrellas by your sides... you're going to need them!

Picture of the Day: New Invaders

Two space invaders were freshly installed in Central

French urban artist Invader seems to have a soft spot for Hong Kong.

He is best known for his pixellated mosaics of the 1970s-1980s game Space Invaders and many of them can be found around town in the oddest places, such as high up on the side of a building. It's a wonder how he manages to install them without anyone knowing.

They are right next to the street sign for Battery Path

In any event this afternoon I happened to walk up Battery Path in Central, a pedestrian road I walk along often and I spotted another new Invader mosaic. It looks like two space invaders with yellow hats? Or yellow umbrellas... you be the judge of that.

The mosaic is located near where the Court of Final Appeal used to be located... if that gives it more context...

With Rain Comes Umbrellas and Plastic

The view of Victoria Harbour this morning from Kennedy Town

In the last few weeks we have had cloudy skies and intermittent rain storms throughout the day so you never know when you'll need an umbrella. The other day we even had a red rainstorm warning, but the heavy rains were in the New Territories and not on Hong Kong island or Kowloon.

Nevertheless, the reality is that with rain comes plastic in the form of umbrella covers so that there is less water on the floor, less mess to mop, and less chance of people slipping.

But it does create a lot of one-use plastic.

Make your umbrella less wet with this

A local environmental group called Greens Action shamed the Hong Kong government for encouraging people to use the plastic umbrella covers at 60 of its 83 buildings managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.

"We are very disappointed that while the government has been encouraging citizens to adopt a greener lifestyle, some departments have failed to follow their own environmentally friendly policies," Greeners Action's Yip Chui-man said.

We have to agree. Even the MTR, which services millions of commuters everyday, doesn't give out plastic covers for umbrellas when it rains, but employs the use of industrial fans to blow dry the floor.

I recently wandered into Pacific Place in Admiralty and they had an interesting contraption to get rid of most of the water off umbrellas.

I haven't actually tried it, but basically you stick the umbrella in the slot and move it up and down to wipe off as much water as possible. The only downside is that you can't stick folded umbrellas in the contraption.

Nevertheless it's a start. The less plastic we use the better -- even if it means having wet floors.

Strength in Numbers

Thousands of people at Johnston and Luard roads waiting for march to start

It turns out there weren't only a few people outraged about the jailing of the three Occupy leaders, Joshua Wong Chi-fung Nathan Law Kwun-chung and Alex Chow Yong-kang -- there were tens of thousands of them.

Police estimated there were about 22,000 people who started the march at Southern Playground in Wan Chai -- which probably means there were many, many more people willing to be outside in the hot sun, pouring with sweat.

We were stuck on Luard Road for an hour --  in the shade!

I took the MTR from Admiralty to Wan Chai and there were so many people getting on the train that I knew already that lots of protesters would show up. That was the biggest concern of my friend YTSL who worried that only a few people would show up like on July 1.

One would think the 20th anniversary of the handover would be enough to spur people to get out into the streets, but it was this hot button issue of jailing what the foreign media are calling "Hong Kong's first prisoners of conscience" that got people out.

YTSL and I managed to find each other and then headed out the to the Johnston Road exit where it seemed everyone else was heading, but after we got out of Southern Playground, we barely moved for an hour.

Some confused tram riders refused to get off...

We speculate the police underestimated how many people would show up and so the march was halted from starting in order to get enough manpower to close the streets and stand along the march path.

Or they were trying to make protesters annoyed enough that they would leave before it began. A few elderly people did -- it really was quite hot -- but other than that the rest of us stayed put and shouted "hoi lo!" or "let us march!"

At around 4.15pm we finally made our way up Luard Road and then turned left onto Hennessy Road. A few people tried to pump up the crowd with slogans, but for the most part we just wanted to show our presence.

Many yellow umbrellas reminiscent of the Occupy protests

One elderly protester seemed keen to pick fights with anyone, police officers in particular with verbal slurs, but his friends dragged him away or told him to calm down. We're just here to march, mister! No need to start a fight!

From Hennessy Road onwards to the Court of Final Appeal in Central, it was pretty smooth sailing and we could walk at a decent pace. Tons of buses going west were stopped in their tracks, along with trams going in each direction. We wondered why people would stay in the trams because they wouldn't be moving for quite a while...

It was kind of bizarre how we had to wait for an hour at the starting point, but it took less than an hour to march to Central. When we got to the end, volunteers were soliciting donations for the three pro-democracy groups that organized the march: League of Social Democrats, Demosisto and Civil Human Rights Front.

Afterwards people rallied at the Court of Final Appeal

They asked for a minimum of HK$10 but I saw several people put HK$100 and even HK$500 bills in the boxes.

We didn't stay behind for the rally, as there were thousands of people behind us who had yet to arrive, but we were just pleased to voice our opinion with our feet!

Number of the Day: 14 Million Umbrella Bags

When it rains, umbrella bags are quickly distributed and end up in the trash

All this rain in Hong Kong this summer has led to green groups to estimate how many of those plastic umbrella sleeves are distributed everyday, and they have come up with the number of 14 million from June to September.

According to Greeners Action, around 90 percent of the 53 shopping malls, commercial buildings, and government facilities around town distributed the plastic covers during the rain because they wanted to keep the floors dry and prevent people from slipping.

The environmental group calculated on average 288 of these long narrow plastic bags were given out every 45 minutes. Around 7 percent of the venues had staff specifically handing out the bags even if tenants or shoppers didn't want them.

"People use these bags only when they enter the property and discard them when they leave. Time of use is short but the waste they generate is serious," says Greeners Action assistant project manager Yip Chui-man.

"Whether it's the property [management] or the public, both sides need to take a further step and reduce the use of these bags."

Yip said the buildings could either have umbrella racks, floor mats, or recycling bins available, or even use a different floor material to prevent slipping.

The last point is definitely true. Landlords like to have shiny floors, but they are the hardest to maintain. A lot of manpower is used to clean them, especially marble floors and polish them. Why not be practical and safe by using alternative floor materials?

When it comes to these umbrella covers, there is pretty much no choice but to use them especially when building staff are standing by and expecting you to use them. In this case I use them and keep the bag until I get home... but then what? It still ends up in the trash.

There has to be another way to deal with this situation -- to balance out the need to keep floors relatively dry and concerns about the environment...

Picture of the Day: Rain Again

Overcast and rainy, at times heavy too -- the forecast every day this past week

In the last week or so, temperatures in Hong Kong have dropped to high 20s because of the rain we've been getting day and night.

One minute the sky is covered in a grey gauze-like curtain of showers, and a few minutes later it clears up and maybe the sun pokes through, albeit briefly before showers appear again. It's as if the weather hasn't decided if it's rained enough yet.

Today the Hong Kong Observatory raised the Typhoon signal No. 1 and this evening it was upped to No. 3. There is currently a tropical depression that is intensifying south of Hong Kong, but by tomorrow will blow westward towards Hanoi.

Apart from having to carry umbrellas all the time and put on our plastic shoes and rubber boots, we're definitely not complaining about the temperatures that are much cooler than usual.

Official Wackiness in Wukan

Wukan Communist Party secretary Lin Zhuluan who is now being detained

The story of bookseller Lam Wing-kee and the ongoing allegations against him and his own rebuttals continue, while Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying has been caught completely flat-footed on dealing with this issue, that only demonstrates where his loyalties lie.

But there's another incident brewing in the fishing village of Wukan in Guangdong province, where local residents were protesting land seizures. The authorities tried to shut them up by kidnapping Lin Zuluan, the local Communist Party secretary.

Thousands called for Lin's release on Sunday

They took him from his home in the middle of the night on Saturday and has detained him since. Since then state media have had a field day, with Lufeng prosecutors claiming Lin had allegedly pocketed a lot of bribes through contracting out infrastructure projects.

But villagers didn't believe a word of these allegations and thousands of them continued to protest on Sunday and called for Lin's release.

Then an official claiming to be from the Shanwei prosecutors' office called Lin's wife, Yang Zhen, and put Lin on the phone.

They had hoped he would dissuade her from leading villagers in their protest, but the plan backfired.

Lin's supposed confession of taking bribes

"Do what you think is right as long as it's legal," he said over the phone in the conversation she recorded. "If someone is trying to arrest you, do not go easy on them."

However he also added a warning: "Do not go to a protest just because others told you so."

But since then, Lin has apparently confessed to taking bribes and deputy village party secretary Zhang Shuijin has replaced him, and told villagers not to participate in protest marches.

Yesterday there was a video clip circulating on social media of Qian Hanpei, deputy chief of Donghai town harassing the media with an umbrella when reporters tried to interview him.

Qian Hanpei (white shirt) trying to assault reporters

"You reporters are just like dogs," Qian said when asked of Lin's condition. He was recorded threatening to strike cameramen and reporters with the butt end of his umbrella.

And now Hong Kong media have been accused of "inciting, planning and directing" the Wukan land protests.

Apple Daily and newcomer Initium Media were named by and official in Shanwei in Guangdong province for the turmoil and added measures would be taken according to the law.

This is probably the first time Hong Kong media have been directly blamed for planning and directing mass protests. But Apple Daily's chief editor Chan Pui-man denied the paper was involved in any way other than covering the incident.

How this whole event has played out so far -- and even dragging the media into it is pretty crazy. If anything, Chinese officials haven't thought the plot line carefully and the end result.

Trying to assault reporters does not win brownie points.

Dazzling Festive Lights

A beautiful reflection of the Christmas lights on the pond

Last night my parents and I continued an annual tradition in the last few years of going to VanDusen Botannical Garden and checking out the Festival of Lights.

It is on during the month of December with a short break around Christmas, and so we managed to catch the second last day.

An area had an underwater theme with coral and jellyfish

When we arrived at the garden entrance just before 8pm, there was a massive line to buy tickets! With the show closing in an hour, it was hard to fathom if those people would be able to get in. Luckily we had tickets in hand and were able to practically walk in.

Temperatures were very cold at 1 degree Celsius, but everyone was in a festive mood and the brilliant display of lights were quite the sight to behold on a clear evening.

The staff at the gardens put the show together every year and use over 1 million of them! There's a pond near the entrance where some of the lights move to Christmas music, and nearby a garden area was transformed into an underwater one complete with glowing jellyfish and coral.

A tree decorated with red umbrellas!

The rose garden was transformed into Les Jardins de Paris sponsored this year by Air France, and if people took pictures under the mistletoe with the sculpture of the Eiffel Tower in the background that are posted on social media, they would have a chance to win a pair of tickets to Paris.

One tree nearby had green lights and then decorated with red lights that outlined umbrellas! If they were yellow they would have taken on a very interesting meaning!

This year the garden expanded to add a few more stops, a sound room where people could bang on drums, ring bells and wood chimes. Another was a light room and people could light up trees nearby by having their hands hover over sensors.

Since it was so cold, there were long lines for hot apple cider, fresh doughnuts and popcorn.

The brilliant display had many photographers out in force

We managed to wander around most of the garden in under and hour. My fingers and toes were pretty much frozen by the time we left and it took me a while to defrost them!

This year Bloedel Conservatory at Queen Elizabeth Park has an "Enchanted Nights at Bloedel" that we may check out for free with our VanDusen tickets...

Support for Reform Package Wanes

Gov't ads point out this is Hong Kong's chance to vote -- don't throw it away

After some pan-democrats had a fruitless meeting with senior Chinese officials in Shenzhen last weekend, public support for the proposed political reform package is waning.

Beijing representatives reiterated the National People's Congress Standing Committee's August 31 decision would stand forever -- that two to three candidates must be chosen by the nomination committee and not the public -- and that the person "loves the country, and Hong Kong".

Not having any kind of wiggle room makes it impossible to even begin to negotiate with the motherland, which obviously thinks it knows what's best for the city.

In a latest poll conducted by three local universities, 40 percent of some 1,100 residents opposed the political reform plan, up 5.5 percentage points from late May.

Pan-democrats are firmly resolved to veto the reform package

About 46 percent said they supported the package, down 1.9 percentage points.

Professor Lau Siu-kai, vice-chairman of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies think tank, said the latest poll result showed some Hong Kong people were disappointed that the Shenzhen talks went nowhere.

"Some people might not have expected the Chinese government to have taken such a firm stance, and hoped for some concession," Lau said. "They could have been disappointed and upset after the meeting and refused to accept the proposal."

Meanwhile a central government source said Beijing officials took a strong stance because they were "not confident" the reform package would be passed in the Legislative Council.

Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor continues to pound the pavement, hoping she can persuade the public -- one person at a time -- that the reform package is worth supporting.

It seems like an exercise that won't go far and wasting taxpayer money. Already the government has spent lots of dough on billboards and advertising on the television to say that the reform package is the best thing for Hong Kong.

The more they repeat it the more the words sound emptier and emptier...

And as many in Victoria Park and elsewhere carried yellow umbrellas or wore yellow ribbons on June 4, it is evident people still want genuine universal suffrage.

The gap between what the government is trying to push through and what the people want continues to widen...

Pictures of the Day: Politics at the Fair

A parody on police banners used during the protests

Tonight after a big hotpot dinner, YTSL and I decided to walk it off by going to Victoria Park again.

Victoria Park was packed with people tonight

She'd seen some people posting pictures of new things she didn't see the first time around on Saturday afternoon and wanted to check them out in person. I had missed a few things myself so we headed over there.

However, after we got out of the MTR station at Causeway Bay, the sidewalks were packed with people and it took us a while to get to Victoria Park. And once we entered the first lane on the far left, we were stuck in there inching along.

It was mostly the political parties that caught our eye. The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions unfurled a red banner similar to those the Hong Kong Police did during the protests that read: "Keep Charging or No Discount", while the Civic Party had a picture of Lion Rock and the words "I want true universal suffrage" above.

Xi Jinping holding a yellow umbrella...

Below on the ground was a cardboard cutout of an orange garbage can where people could pose for pictures to be like Lau Kong-wah, the undersecretary for constitutional and mainland affairs who was lampooned for being silent during the debate between the student protest leaders and government officials.

They also had a cardboard cutout of Chinese President Xi Jinping, who was mechanically holding up his right hand with a yellow umbrella and around his neck wearing D7689, in a satirical reference to Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying.

At the booth for the League of Social Democrats, Leung Kwok-hung who doesn't have long hair anymore, was selling all kinds of protest items like T-shirts, and above him was a caricature of CY being put into what looked like a spittoon by a yellow umbrella.

Leung Chun-ying told to step down (into a spittoon!)

A lot of people took pictures or had a good laugh looking at the caricatures, but did many people buy anything related to the Umbrella Movement? We only saw some people buy some yellow umbrella stickers, but other than that, it sadly seems the momentum of that moment in time has evaporated -- or is it because they feel none of these political parties represent them?

The Sales Pitch

A giant boat load of orchid plants for only HK$13,888

It's that time of year again -- the Lunar New Year flower market at Victoria Park. The madness began yesterday and I decided to check it out tonight with a friend.

Poking fun at the police banners used during the protests

While we entered from the Causeway Bay entrance, we didn't take the conventional route of going from the far left row to the other end, and instead headed to the middle in a bid to avoid massive crowds at the beginning.

We saw the usual stuffed toys, from sheep and Hello Kittys, to emojis and even pillows shaped like giant lollipops. There were a few Umbrella Movement-themed stalls, one with voice balloons that said: "You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one" quoting John Lennon, and yellow umbrella-shaped  balloons.

One stall had a yellow banner that read: "Merchant warning: You are in Lunar New Year Fair. You may be approached", and the people manning the stall were selling water bottles that looked like tear gas canisters.

Check out Regina Leung and her tank!

The Democratic Party didn't have a large supply of Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying-themed toilet paper and tissues on hand, but instead had face towels with his caricature on it looking wolf-like. They also had a cardboard tank with lobster claws on it and Leung's wife Regina in her military-like outfit as commander-in-chief of the Hong Kong Army Cadets. She even has a Hitler-like moustache...

And while there were lots of stalls selling flowers, mostly orchids, there was one selling potted cabbage -- sang choi which has the same meaning as prosperity. So maybe it would be good to grow one of these at home -- have fresh salad and hopefully the money will be rolling in too?

However we got sucked into one stall when we saw the guy handing out free stuff -- was it really free? First it was cloths for household cleaning, and then these plastic hooks that can hold up to 4kg of stuff. My friend and I got those hooks and were hoping to get our hands on those cloths.

But wait! There's more! The sales guy whipped out a chopping knife and showed us how sharp it was and told us each of us could have one -- and if you did, raise your hand! Of course we did.

Lots of cabbage for those wanting a richer Year of the Sheep!

He was very chatty and kept making us repeat the company name, that these products would be available from March 15, and that we were not allowed to sell these, but to try for ourselves and tell our friends about it. Would we do that? Yes! Who wants to try them? We do!

But that's not all! There's also a shaver that you add shaving cream to and it doesn't make a mess, and you can even clean it by dunking it in a container of water! And even the wire for charging it can be put in the water too even if it's plugged in! Very crazy.

By this time, my right foot went numb from standing there listening to him go on and on and telling us he would give us all these things, and at the same time teasing and cajoling us, making us repeat his words over and over. Was he going to give us the stuff or not?

Only 12 people would be able to get all these things -- including a cutting board too -- but wait -- it's not free. Would you pay HK$1 for it? How about HK$10? HK$100?

Some yellow umbrella balloons hanging around

In the end it turned out people had to pay HK$500 for the whole lot and there were many takers -- even a few who had already whipped out the money because they had been told the total value of all the items was under HK$2,000.

We had stood around for almost an hour... and left empty handed. But boy was he a good talker.

By this point we were exhausted and so we didn't finish the rest of the stalls and instead headed to the flower stalls so that I could buy my consolation prize of a pot of orchids...