Randy W Posted December 2, 2022 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2022 (edited) Hong Kong leader asks Beijing to interpret national security law after top court rules UK barrister can defend Jimmy Lai Chief judge of the High Court had earlier approved barrister Timothy Owen’s participation in light of ‘clear’ public interest Jimmy Lai, 74, is set to go on trial before panel of three High Court judges on Thursday from the SCMP London-based barrister Tim Owen (centre) had earlier been granted permission to join Jimmy Lai’s legal team. Photo: Dickson Lee Quote He said he would recommend the standing committee of the National People’s Congress interpret the national security law, based on its legislative intent and purpose, to decide whether solicitors or barristers who did not practise generally in Hong Kong should be allowed to argue cases concerning national interest. . . . “At present, there is no effective means to ensure that a counsel from overseas will not have a conflict of interest because of his nationality,” Lee said. “There is also no means to ensure that he has not been coerced, compromised or in any way controlled by foreign governments, associations or persons.” Lee said foreign officials had openly interfered with professionals from the legal and commercial sectors in the past. While he did not name anyone, David Perry, KC, decided against leading the prosecution of nine activists over an illegal protest, after facing political pressure at home in 2021. “Foreign countries and foreign forces are hostile to the implementation of the national security law in Hong Kong,” the city leader added. “As external interference continues, we need to be more alert to national security risks.” It was impossible to ensure that overseas lawyers would comply with Article 63 of the national security law requiring them not to divulge state or commercial secrets, or personal details from the case, Lee argued. Jimmy Lai’s national security trial: Hong Kong court postpones case to December 13 amid coming legal interpretation by Beijing City’s leader had sought review of Beijing-imposed legislation over allowing UK lawyer to join tycoon’s defence team Lai’s defence team does not oppose latest adjournment, citing Immigration Department’s refusal to extend barrister’s visa Quote But lawyers were told on Wednesday the Immigration Department had refused an application by the London-based lawyer to extend his temporary stay. Lai’s legal team declined to indicate the department’s grounds in dismissing Owen’s extension bid, saying the reasons given were “very obvious”. The Immigration Department said it would not comment on individual cases, adding it acted in accordance with the law and relevant policies in handling each application. Edited December 2, 2022 by Randy W (see edit history) Link to comment
Randy W Posted December 30, 2022 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2022 On 12/2/2022 at 11:29 PM, Randy W said: Hong Kong leader asks Beijing to interpret national security law after top court rules UK barrister can defend Jimmy Lai Chief judge of the High Court had earlier approved barrister Timothy Owen’s participation in light of ‘clear’ public interest Jimmy Lai, 74, is set to go on trial before panel of three High Court judges on Thursday from the SCMP London-based barrister Tim Owen (centre) had earlier been granted permission to join Jimmy Lai’s legal team. Photo: Dickson Lee Jimmy Lai’s national security trial: Hong Kong court postpones case to December 13 amid coming legal interpretation by Beijing City’s leader had sought review of Beijing-imposed legislation over allowing UK lawyer to join tycoon’s defence team Lai’s defence team does not oppose latest adjournment, citing Immigration Department’s refusal to extend barrister’s visa Developing | National security law: up to Hong Kong leader or oversight panel to decide if tycoon Jimmy Lai can hire foreign lawyer, China’s top legislative body finds Move by National People’s Congress Standing Committee follows request by city leader John Lee in November Hong Kong’s top court had earlier dismissed administration’s bid to prevent media tycoon Jimmy Lai from hiring British barrister for collusion trial China’s top legislative body held a four-day meeting in Beijing this week. Photo: SCMP Quote The National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee made the decision on Friday after a four-day meeting and “interpreted” the national security law to give clear definitions on the scope of the legislation. Beijing found that it was a matter to be decided within the city after interpreting articles 14 and 47 of the law that it imposed on Hong Kong in 2020, following months of anti-government protests. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu had earlier made a request for an interpretation. . . . In explaining the decision, the standing committee said in a statement that the issue should be decided by Hong Kong’s chief executive, who has the authority to issue a certificate under Article 47. “If the courts of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region have not made a request to obtain such a certificate from the chief executive, the Committee for Safeguarding National Security would have to make a decision based on the situations and questions which arise in accordance with Article 14 of the national security law,” it said. Link to comment
Randy W Posted January 17, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2023 On 5/29/2020 at 3:25 PM, Randy W said: Only the US and UK have leverage against China's actions in Hong Kong. The viability of Hong Kong as an international financial and commercial hub is as important (if not more so) to China as it is to the US. If Hong Kong no longer has the autonomy promised in the handover in 1997, then it's time for American citizens and American companies to ready their exit plans. Portugese citizenship was offered to the residents of Macau - that was not the case for Great Britain and Hong Kong. They were instead offered British National Overseas - BN(O) - passports which allow only 6 month stays in the UK. No path to British citizenship is currently offered to Hong Kong residents. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=574879896760621&id=355665009819 Hu Says, "It won't work!", which is all the more reason for Western interests to leave. Hong Kong families find fresh start in London from the SCMP - BN(O) passports Link to comment
Randy W Posted January 26, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2023 China accuses US consul of ‘maliciously abusing Hong Kong’s national security law’ with comments on lawyer ruling Companies should be aware that the risks they face in mainland China are now increasingly present in Hong Kong, says American consul general Local government has impinged on city’s semi-autonomous status since national security law enacted after 2019 protests, Gregory May adds from the SCMP Gregory May, US consul general for Hong Kong and Macau, speaks as part of a Centre for Strategic and International Studies event on Wednesday. Image: CSIS Quote US Consul General Gregory May said Beijing’s interpretation of the national security law – a law mainland China imposed on Hong Kong in 2020 – “could further undermine the independence of Hong Kong’s judiciary system by expanding the Hong Kong executive branch authority to make decisions affecting cases without judicial oversight”. “In light of these and other developments companies should be aware that the risks faced in mainland China are now increasingly present here in Hong Kong,” he added in remarks delivered on Wednesday at a Centre for Strategic and International Studies event for the Washington-based think tank. The Chinese foreign ministry’s office in Hong Kong condemned May’s speech on Thursday, accusing him of “maliciously abusing Hong Kong’s national security law and the interpretation by NPC Standing Committee” and “intentionally smearing the business environment of Hong Kong”. “The national security law tackles the undefended issue of national security in Hong Kong to clamp down on the small minority and protect the great majority of citizens,” it said. The office said the way May defamed the city’s rule of law and freedom would “only unveil his perilous intention to trouble Hong Kong and suppress China”. The Hong Kong government said it “severely condemns” May’s “untruthful remarks and smears” about the national security law, as well as the city’s rule of law, rights and freedoms. In a statement, the government also said the comments were “clear attemps to make trouble out of nothing and amounted to scaremongering”. Link to comment
Randy W Posted May 28, 2023 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2023 (edited) ‘A small sparrow, but it’s complete’: micro flat with toilet right next to kitchen restarts cost-of-living debate in China The new tenant praises the landlord, saying he is ‘definitely a genius in design’ Some online commenters say it is a smart use of space, but others were horrified, describing the flat as ‘stifling’ and ‘depressing’ Quote A 55-sq-ft micro flat with a loft and a toilet right next to the kitchen rented at 1,600 yuan (US$228) a month in China has sparked a cost-of-living debate on mainland social media. Star Video reported earlier this month that an unidentified man in Shanghai was happy to rent the tiny split-level flat. A video posted with the story showed the flat is divided into two levels. The floor level has a tiny kitchen and a toilet while the second level is a loft. from the SCMP, but actually Shanghai Edited May 28, 2023 by Randy W (see edit history) Link to comment
Randy W Posted May 30, 2023 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2023 Hong Kong’s Civic Party folds after 17 years of championing opposition causes Organisation decides to wind up after failing to find any members willing to serve as chairman Co-founder Ronny Tong says party long ago deviated from its mission of providing centrist candidates and policies from the SCMP Civic Party banners promote candidates for the Legco poll in 2020, held the next year. The party championed the cause of universal suffrage and the rule of law since its founding in 2006 Photo: Jonathan Wong Quote Hong Kong’s Civic Party, once the second largest in the now-decimated opposition camp, has disbanded after 17 years, with its chairman urging residents to remain hopeful, “live in truth and believe in tomorrow”. The organisation began to wind itself up after all but one of its 31 members voted for the motion to dissolve at an at extraordinary general meeting on Saturday. “After completing the final procedures, the Civic Party will disappear from the world,” chairman and co-founder Alan Leong Kah-kit said. . . . The party championed the cause of universal suffrage and the rule of law since its founding by six lawmakers in 2006 and won over 70 Legislative Council seats in seven elections, clear evidence its platform resonated with voters, he said. . . . In 2021, four core members – former lawmakers Alvin Yeung Ngok-kiu, Jeremy Tam Man-ho and Kwok Ka-ki, and ex-district councillor Lee Yue-shun – were charged with subversion over their roles in an unofficial primary to select candidates to run for Legco seats. Authorities described the run-off as part of a plot to paralyse the government. During lengthy bail proceedings, the four defendants announced they had quit the party and politics altogether. They later made an emotional appeal for the party to disband, arguing the move would help protect members from possible prosecution. A chain of events that began in 2020 had consistently proven the party had no future, they claimed. Link to comment
Randy W Posted July 4, 2023 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2023 Hong Kong national security law: who are the 8 targeted with HK$1 million bounties? Calls for sanctions, links to 2019 protests among alleged offences Ex-legislators Nathan Law, Dennis Kwok, Ted Hui, unionist Mung Siu-tat, lawyer Kevin Yam, activists Finn Lau, Anna Kwok and Elmer Yuan are all currently overseas Nearly all have urged sanctions on city, while most linked to 2019 social unrest and online calls for activism before and after leaving, according to police from the SCMP The eight suspects are (clockwise from top left) Kevin Yam, Elmer Yuan, Anna Kwok, Dennis Kwok, Nathan Law, Finn Lau, Mung Siu-tat and Ted Hui. Photo: Dickson Lee Quote Evidence shows the eight fugitives with HK$1 million (US$127,600) bounties on their heads continue to threaten national security and seek to “destroy Hong Kong and intimidate officials” by calling for international sanctions, police have said. The seven men and one woman, aged between 26 and 74, included well-known names who had left the city during the peak of the 2019 social unrest and after Beijing’s imposition of the national security law on Hong Kong in 2020. Following police’s announcement of the bounties on Monday, the Post takes a closer look at fugitives’ backgrounds, alleged offences and political activities both during their time in Hong Kong and since their departure. Link to comment
Randy W Posted July 6, 2023 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2023 Hong Kong's legislature unanimously voted to overhaul district level elections by drastically reducing directly elected seats, a move critics said removed some of the last vestiges of democratic freedoms in the China-ruled city from Reuters on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Reuters/posts/pfbid02GQQhf9tWD3o8d3sXZxTYxsNCNEPjYdVCTqn6or5aoypLRU96S5cM8TZHXkmMTLycl Hong Kong slashes directly elected seats in local polls, further reducing democracy Quote Under the amendment bill, only 88 seats would be directly elected by the public, down from 452 seats in an election that saw a landslide victory by the democracy camp in 2019. The number of overall seats would also be reduced from 479 to 470. . . . Candidates who want to run in the election will need to pass a national security background check and secure at least three nominations from several committees, effectively barring most opposition democracy advocates from running. Link to comment
Randy W Posted July 28, 2023 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2023 Court dismisses government bid to ban protest song ‘Glory to Hong Kong’ High Court questions effectiveness of ban on ‘Glory to Hong Kong’ Justice minister Paul Lam lodged application last month in bid to bar anyone from promoting tune from the SCMP A still from the music video of protest song “Glory to Hong Kong”. Photo: YouTube Quote Authorities believed the ban could provide greater leverage in demanding that internet search giant Google remove content related to the song. Legal experts have expressed concerns that foreign technology firms might ignore an order by a Hong Kong court or decline requests based on corporate values such as protection of free speech. . . . After one such blunder during a rugby match in South Korea, city leader John Lee Ka-chiu ordered a police inquiry into whether any conspiracy to break the national anthem law or other local legislation was involved. Officials have attributed the errors to top search results on Google for “Hong Kong national anthem”, but the tech giant has refused to manually manipulate its algorithm to ensure only the correct tune appears on the screen. Link to comment
Randy W Posted October 30, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2023 Hong Kong denies visa to prominent Tiananmen Square scholar Rowena He lost her job at the Chinese University of Hong Kong after her visa was not renewed. National security police take away items on September 9, 2021, during a raid on the June 4th Museum dedicated to commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre [Isaac Lawrence / AFP) Quote A Hong Kong professor who researched the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown has been fired from her university position after the city’s immigration authorities declined to extend her visa. Until this week Rowena He served as an associate professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where she received outstanding teaching awards in 2020 and 2021. He is also the author of the well-received 2014 book Tiananmen Exiles: Voices of the Struggle for Democracy in China, and has published numerous articles in Chinese and English on China’s democracy movement and its aftermath. CUHK confirmed that He had been let go when she failed to secure an employment visa. She is currently listed as on leave from the university after receiving a fellowship from the National Humanities Center in the United States. “Visa decisions are a matter for the Immigration Department and the university is unable to influence visa outcomes, and nor is it aware of the circumstances of individual cases,” a university spokesperson said. Link to comment
Randy W Posted November 4, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2023 (edited) Hong Kong student at Japanese university jailed for 2 months for sedition after she created 13 social media posts calling for city’s independence Magistrate says Mika Yuen, 23, wanted to ‘incite others to reject the lawful governance of the central government’ Prosecution led to questions as to whether sedition law applicable to acts done overseas, as only two of 13 offensive posts published while she was in city from the SCMP Mika Yuen (centre), a Hong Kong student at a Japanese university, has been sentenced to two months in jail for sedition. Photo: Brian Wong Quote Chief Magistrate Victor So Wai-tak, approved by the chief executive to hear national security proceedings, emphasised there was nothing in the sedition legislation that would allow the court to adopt a lenient approach to sentencing. So also blamed 23-year-old Yuen for a failure to remove or withdraw her posts after the first sedition prosecution in more than two decades made it clear that what she had done could constitute criminal liability. . . . Yuen, who is studying political science and economics in Japan, was arrested in March last year on suspicion of inciting secession under the Beijing-decreed national security law. She was detained when she returned to Hong Kong during a university winter break to replace her identity card. Edited November 4, 2023 by Randy W (see edit history) Link to comment
Randy W Posted January 11 Author Report Share Posted January 11 (edited) Hong Kong man, 26, jailed for three months for wearing seditious T-shirt at airport Chu Kai-pong detained for wearing shirt with ‘Free Hong Kong. Liberate Hong Kong; revolution of our times’ as he waited to board flight to Taiwan City’s top magistrate tells court that defendant’s conduct risked a revitalisation of 2019 anti-government protests https://ground.news/article/hong-kong-man-jailed-over-seditious-shirt Edited January 11 by Randy W (see edit history) 1 Link to comment
Randy W Posted February 6 Author Report Share Posted February 6 Lionel Messi is one of the world's biggest football stars. Why was he booed in Hong Kong? https://fb.watch/q1osBF90iP/?mibextid=Nif5oz https://sc.mp/w5xmx Lionel Messi match organiser to withdraw HK$16 million funding request, but declines to address demands for ticket refunds in Hong Kong Tatler Asia to withdraw application for HK$16 million in government funding for event Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung says Tatler Asia’s decision to withdraw application has not entirely resolved matter Link to comment
Randy W Posted February 10 Author Report Share Posted February 10 Hong Kong Update 10 February, 2024 email Astonished, seething, hurt – Hongkongers were left with bitter emotions when football superstar Lionel Messi sat out a much-anticipated match with a local team on Sunday, claiming an injury prevented him from playing. What was shaping up to be one of the biggest local sporting events of the year instead became a slap in the face, one that stung all the harder when Messi took to the field for a friendly game in Japan a few days later. In the face of public and official outrage, the organiser agreed to refund some of the money fans paid for their tickets. On the political front, the government is continuing its publicity drive to explain the coming domestic version of Hong Kong's national security law. Top officials, including city leader John Lee, met foreign diplomats and heads of business chambers to explain the scope of the legislation and to offer reassurances that a powerful state secrets law would not impede the free flow of information that allows Hong Kong to function as a preeminent financial hub. Link to comment
Randy W Posted February 10 Author Report Share Posted February 10 Has CCP politics scared away the football star? In recent days, the incident of Lionel Messi refusing to appear at a Hong Kong football match has become a geopolitical event. Messi's absence in Hong Kong and subsequent performance in Japan have upset not just patriotic Chinese football fans but also Beijing and Hong Kong authorities. China's Football Association has temporarily suspended collaboration with Argentine Football Association. Why did Messi refuse to play in Hong Kong? What impact does this event have on geopolitics? Link to comment
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