Public Space Opens in Kennedy Town

A girl and a boy hanging out at the new promenade

 

By the Belcher Bay bus terminus, there is a nice walkway that led to... nowhere. 

Until now.

After dinner I went out for a walk and was surprised to see the giant yellow water barriers were removed to reveal a giant public space and a small dog part to boot!

There's a public washroom at one corner and piles of painted pallets, benches for people to sit on and even chairs. How novel!

The walkway on the left now has more space

The government prides itself on completing this project ahead of schedule. On a plaque it explained construction started in the second half of 2018 and was supposed to be completed in 21 months.

"Traditionally the Promenade should be open to the public only when it is fully completed. That said, having regard to keen public expectation in getting close to the Harbour, the Government has adopted the latest 'incremental approach' advocated by the Harbourfront Commission and strived to first complete and open the 5-metre boardwalk in the first quarter of 2019.

"Belcher Bay Promenade is the first completed project under the 'incremental approach' by the current Harbourfront Commission. The arrangement allows the public to enjoy the boardwalk 19 months ahead of the original schedule, testifying the effectiveness of the phenomenon."

This doesn't really make much sense, implying the project was finished in two months. In any event we're just glad it's finally open and it will be interesting to see how the public, particularly residents in the area take to the space.

A small dog park for canines to socialize

For daytrippers visiting Kennedy Town, they will find more things to photograph and another reason to take their pet Fido there. Tonight lots of dogs were running around the area. It's going to be the new hangout spot other than Instagram Pier.

Museum Revamp Sparks Fears of Censorship

People went to see the Hong Kong exhibit before it closed

 

Today was the last day people could go see "The Hong Kong Story" at the Museum of History in Tsim Sha Tsui before it closes for a revamp. 

Many fear parts of the history recorded there would be changed so hundreds lined up today to record it in pictures and video. Others brought their children to teach them about the city's history, that it included being a British colony, which made Hong Kong a modern metropolis until 1997.

They worry the British history part will be gone

The exhibition charts the story of the island from 400 million years ago to Hong Kong's reunification with China 23 years ago. Since the show opened in 2001, "The Hong Kong Story" has had 10 million visits.

However, officials from the Leisure and Cultural Services Department said it's time for an "extensive revamp", which is expected to take two years, and some of the content will be amended.

As a result, many people came to take one last look, taking lots of pictures of the artefacts and how the city's history was described as a record because they worry the updated exhibition will censor some of the material. 

Some worried England's part in Hong Kong's development will be cut.

"I want her [my daughter] to remember the history of Hong Kong, especially the part related to England. I think the content will be changed and mainly focused on China, maybe will cut the part of England," a mother told RTHK.

Will these governors' portraits still be around?

A university student hoped the parts about British rule of Hong Kong would be retained.

"I hope the history museum will not be a museum that recorded altered history," he said.

This is how sensitive people are about defending the city. They are worried even a museum exhibition will be altered, but their fears are justified after seeing Hong Kong's institutions changing rapidly within months.

At one point the museum goers began singing "Glory to Hong Kong" and then shouted "Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our time!" 

It was a rare moment for people to protest albeit very briefly without the police pouncing on them.

Jiang and his modified calligraphy message

In the exhibition there is a picture of then president Jiang Zemin holding calligraphy he wrote that says: "Hong Kong tomorrow will be better". But someone stood next to the picture with Chinese words for "liberate" on his smartphone to make it read: "Liberate Hong Kong tomorrow will be better".

Hope springs eternal.

 

 

Grandma Wong Speaks Out in HK

Police subduing Alexandra Wong in last year's protests

 

Many of the people who participated in last year's anti-government protests were young, teenagers to their 20s, but there were seniors too, like Alexandra Wong Fung-yiu, who is 64 years old.

Also known as Grandma Wong, or Wong Po Po, she was seen at many protest rallies waving a large British flag.

However, she was last seen on August 11 last year at Tai Koo MTR station where she was injured and taken to Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital and not heard from again until recently.

Wong told the media today what happened to her

Two weeks ago she was allowed to come to Hong Kong and arrived on October 2. Wong has just finished her quarantine which is why she came out today to tell the media what happened to her since August last year.

Even though she did not commit any crime in Hong Kong during the protests, when Wong went back across the border to Shenzhen where she lives, Wong was arrested by mainland police. 

"Some mainland officers took me to a big room, searched my bag and put everything on a table... I was taken to a police station in Futian, was interrogated and signed a police statement," she recalled.

Then she was placed in an administrative detention facility in Futian for 15 days, and then held in criminal custody elsewhere for another 30 days until September 29 last year. 

During her various detentions, she was placed with up to 26 other people in a room to sleep that was less than 200 square feet.

Wong was known for waving British flag

Wong said she was subjected to long periods of interrogation during the detention, particularly focused on her role in the Hong Kong protests.

"They asked if I went to protest with anyone, and did I see people using violence... There were four teams of officers who interrogated me," she said. "I didn't know what crime I committed."

Officers also forced her to stand in front of a Chinese flag for hours at a time, and searched her Shenzhen flat. She also had to sign an official document, promising not to take part in future protests or give media interviews... but perhaps she has just violated that by speaking to reporters today? 

And then for five days from September to October last year, officers took her to Shaanxi province for a patriotic education tour. 

Upon returning to Shenzhen she was released on police bail on condition that she stay at home. National security officers came by regularly to check up on her.

"I was scared I would be stopped from coming back to Hong Kong... I was scared everyday something might happen again everyday," Wong said.

Wong participated in many protests last year

Opposition lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting of the Democratic Party called on the Hong Kong government to find out why Wong was detained on the mainland. 

"I know Wong personally and I couldn't see anything she said that was not trustworthy... What she experienced was typical of how the Communist Party tackled dissidents," he said.

"It was scary how mainland authorities could detain a Hongkonger based on her social activism in Hong Kong... The city's government must make representation to the mainland, even though I know that they would not dare to do so."

Wong did not violate any law and yet she was subjected to such intense interrogation and scrutiny for over a year, just for participating peacefully in the protests.

Imagine what would have happened to her if she had violated any laws...

 

China's Verbal Joust with Canada

 Cong warns Canada about taking Hong Kong asylum seekers

 

The 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Canada and China was marked by a war of words sparked by Cong Peiwu, the Chinese ambassador to Canada.

He urged Canada not to accept people from Hong Kong who participated in last year's anti-government protests, describing them as "violent criminals". Cong also warned that accepting these people would jeopardize the "health and safety" of 300,000 Canadians who live in Hong Kong.

When asked by the media if this was a threat, Cong replied, "That is your interpretation."

How is that not a threat?

Over 9,000 people were arrested last year

Cong went on to say: "We strongly urge the Canadian side not to grant so-called political asylum to those violent criminals in Hong Kong, because it interferes in China's domestic affairs, and certainly it will embolden those violent criminals," he said.

This is strange logic -- wouldn't China be happy to see so-called "violent criminals" move to another country so Hong Kong will be "safer"?

In any event so far the number of actual convictions of protesters has a very low success rate in the courts, so his description of last year's participants as "violent criminals" is overblown.

Canada has accepted at least two activists from Hong Kong, granting them protection as early as September. There are apparently 45 people waiting for approval.

The Chinese envoy warned of further consequences if Canada accepted more Hong Kong asylum seekers.

"If the Canadian side really cares about the stability and the prosperity in Hong Kong, and really cares about the good health and safety of those 300,000 Canadian passport holders in Hong Kong and the large number of Canadian companies operating in Hong Kong... you should support those efforts to fight violent crimes," he said.

Champagne says Cong's words were "disturbing"

Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne later called Cong's statements inappropriate.

"The reported comments by the Chinese ambassador are totally unacceptable and disturbing," the minister said in a statement.

"I have instructed Global Affairs to call the Ambassador in to make clear in no uncertain terms that Canada will always stand up for human rights and the rights of Canadians around the world."

Interesting Champagne did not summon Cong for a dressing down, which would have made for good political theatre.

In any event, the ambassador also lashed out, saying China would have a "strong reaction" if Canada's Parliament were to pass any resolution that condemned China's treatment of Uyghurs as "genocide". 

Uyghurs in an "education training centre"

According to experts studying what is going on in Xinjiang, China's westernmost province, over 1 million Uyghurs have been forcibly living in detention camps since 2017, though the Chinese government has called them "vocational and education training centres". 

"We will take resolute measures to safeguard our sovereignty and national security," Cong said. He rejected widespread allegations that genocide is happening in Xinjiang, saying Uyghurs "live in harmony ... and [China's] human-rights record is the best in history."

His words are so amazingly false, when there are many testimonies from exiled Uyghurs who have given first-hand accounts of their experiences in these camps, as well as loved ones who haven't heard from their parents, brothers, sisters and other relatives for months or years. And when they finally emerge, they are a shadow of their former selves.

There are also statistics the birth rate in Xinjiang has plunged after academic Adrian Zenz published a report that found the number of sterilizations in the province surged from almost 250 per 100,000 people in 2018 from 50 per 100,000 in 2016. Zenz says this follows the United Nations' definition of genocide.

Michael Kovrig (left) and Michael Spavor

As for the detentions of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, Cong insisted there was no "coercive diplomacy on the Chinese side", even though the two were detained soon after Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou was arrested on a US extradition request.

Canada is finally taking a firmer stand with China, but it really needs to have its ducks lined up in order to play hardball with Beijing. China has a lot of diplomatic tactics up its sleeve, and Ottawa needs to be ready to hit back.