Almost Free but Homeless

Aids and human rights activist Hu Jia will be released from prison on June 26 after spending three years and six months in jail for subversion.

However when he comes out, he won't have a place to live.

His wife and three-year-old daughter are being evicted from their apartment after their landlady was pressured by the authorities.

"The landlady can't put up with the [government] pressure and wants us out -- she seems desperate," Zeng Jinyan, Hu's wife said on Twitter.

Zeng, 27, moved from Beijing to Shenzhen in April. Observers say the eviction may be part of the authorities' strategy to harass his family before Hu is freed.

Although they are already under constant surveillance, Zeng doesn't want to move yet otherwise she and her daughter will have no place to live.

There is also the strong possibility after Hu is freed that the family will be under virtual house arrest like many others before him.

"It is very worrying that they are already harassing Zeng and her young child -- what is going to happen when Hu is released?" said Wang Songlian, a researcher at rights group Chinese Human Rights Defenders.

Their daughter was only a month old when Hu was sent to prison. One wonders what their reunion will be like and how their lives will change when he returns home.

Zeng is said to be mentally prepared for house arrest, but is worried what the effect will have on their daughter.

It's a terrible burden for children of government critics to bear. Many of them are ostracized at school and later on their chances of finding jobs and establishing their own lives is very difficult because of their parents' activities. It practically takes superhuman strength to go through what they do on a daily basis as the Chinese authorities seem intent on destroying them mentally and psychologically, one by one.

Hopefully Hu and his cohorts who are fighting for a better China will eventually prevail. May their efforts not be in vain.

Hard Rock Cafe 2.0

VIPs with escorts post for photos in front of Hard Rock Cafe Hong Kong

Many years ago -- over a decade ago, there was a Hard Rock Cafe in Tsim Sha Tsui, Canton Road to be exact. But after a few short years it fizzled out along with Planet Hollywood and I thought that was the last of the celebrity-endorsed eateries.

Smashing guitars to officially open the venue

But Hard Rock Cafe Hong Kong is back and officially opened tonight on the other side of Victoria Harbour in Lan Kwai Fong.

It's much smaller than its predecessor and includes the all-important souvenir shop.

I was invited to the opening and got the requisite "VIP Backstage All Access" pass around my neck -- but we had to stand around outside the restaurant and bar to wait for the ceremony to begin.

After a late start it finally commenced with a strange voice over from Ringo Starr imploring people to buy a Peace & Love T-shirt he designed with the proceeds going to charity. Uh, OK, whatever you say Ringo.

The Hard Rock helmet looks familiar...

Then the real VIPs, the owner, the president and CEO, VP of franchise operations and some major food suppliers and then minor celebrities were introduced on the "stage". The owner tried to make a speech but the sound kept cutting in and out, while the president and CEO kept it mercifully short.

Finally they donned helmets that might have been bought in Shenzhen as they looked quite familiar in the markets in Beijing, and got ready to smash their guitars, as it's the custom at every Hard Rock opening.

Some were able to do it in one or two hits, while one of the food suppliers had to swing it a few times to finally demolish it. While the VIPs got protection, we had none and were subject to flying debris.

A VIP guest had trouble smashing his guitar

Nonetheless at last we were allowed to go inside and shelter from the heat -- but what was there to sample? Except for red and white wine, sangria and beer, and two large plates of nachos and cut vegetables, there was nothing to eat. Why not mini burgers or ribs? Or even a giant platter of fries? Then a live band played so loudly we had to shout at each other to be heard.

That combination was hardly appealing and I left shortly afterwards.

Hard Rock may know how to party but it doesn't really know how to give a good party...

Picture of the Day: Rising Hopes for Change

A balloon spotted a month ago calling for people to stand up

Here's a picture of giant balloon that says "Communist Party Step Down, People Arise" that was spotted above Longquanyi district, in the Chengdu Hakka tourist town of Luodai on May 14.

Hundreds of police came, took pictures of it and then it took them an hour to shoot it down.

Meanwhile leaflets were scattered at Sichuan Normal University which is near where the balloon was on June 3.

This is a rough translation of what it said:

Communist Party Step Down, People Stand Up

Compatriots:

Twenty-two years ago on June 4 was the day they raped the people and gave the Communist Party a climax that has lasted 8,030 days. in this year of the 90th anniversary of that devil coming into the world, let us use a devil's magic mirror to show the masses what it really is.

Think of it as a birthday present.

The Chinese Communist Party -- a cruel, tyrannical government! It has used political campaigns to purge and slaughter untold numbers of people.

The Chinese Communist Party -- it deceives everyone! It forges and alters history, it keeps the truth secret.

The Chinese Communist Party -- a criminal who fears being exposed! A list of crimes piled high reaching the heavens, it bans free speech, shuts down websites and bans books.

The Chinese Communist Party -- an incompetent ruler! The so-called overturning of heaven and earth really means polluting the heavens and destroying the earth.

It:

- Murders people in the name of revolution

- Divides the loot in the name of the revolution

- Shuts people up in the name of harmony

Compatriots:

Only if the Communist Party steps down will the people be able to stand up.

Bring down the Communist Party, rebuild a new China.

Abandon your illusions, be silent no longer.

We are not afraid.

They are afraid.

They can put Zhao Ziyang under house arrest. They can imprison Liu Xiaobo and detain Ai Weiwei. But they need to eat and drink. They need clothing and housing. If they arrest us, who will provide for them?

Arise, you people who will not be slaves, lift up your voices and you will see hope.

Your fate is in your hands!

Hardly Good Examples to Follow

It's quite amusing but also frustrating to see members of the Donald Tsang Yam-kuen administration -- including Mr Bow Tie himself -- get caught doing illegal things.

The latest fiasco is that many senior government officials, including the chief executive have been found to have illegal structures in the residences they own. They include Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Stephen Lam Sui-lung and Secretary for Education Michael Suen Ming-yeung.

Tsang was the latest one to be outed this past week. Turns out the glass panels on his balcony at his MacDonnell Road flat are an illegal structure. What is most amusing is that at first chief executive denied they were illegal, but then did a 180-degree turn.

"To put all things beyond doubt, I have instructed the authorized person to dismantle the existing glass panels as soon as possible in accordance with the Buildings Department's advisory letter, and to follow up with the reconstruction of the verandah of the living room that meets all legal requirements," he said in a statement.

The crux of the problem is that there is no clear policy on illegal structures which people, particularly those living in villages in the New Territories have taken advantage of for years.

Why can't the government get its act together on illegal structures? How difficult is that to figure out? And why not have better monitoring of the situation? This seems pretty straight forward to me.

And more importantly government officials and those considered community and business leaders should make sure they are above board too. If this happened in North America, something like this would have been scrutinized ages ago.

How embarrassing to have senior government leaders break the law. What kind of integrity does this leave them?