The Odyssey - Democracy in Hong Kong

[Randy W]

But then again maybe this won't change a thing. From the SCMP

 

 

 

 

 

Murder suspect at centre of extradition bill crisis asks Lam for help to turn himself in to Taiwan

• Chan Tong-kai, 20, who has been serving time in Hong Kong for money laundering, will be released next Wednesday
• Anglican priest who has visited suspect in jail says Chan hopes the move will calm the months of chaos Hong Kong has endured

The letter also conveyed that the authority of Hong Kong would assist Chan in relevant arrangement, and provide the necessary and legally feasible assistance to Taiwan in this matter,” the statement read.

. . .

“Regarding Chan’s alleged offence in Taiwan, the courts of Hong Kong have no jurisdiction over it. Neither do the local authorities have any ground to extend Chan’s detention or pursue the offence that he was alleged to have committed in Taiwan,” the statement read.

 

 

[Randy W]

Taiwan may still not want him - visas for him and his cohort were rejected. From the SCMP

 

 

Taiwan rejects murder suspect’s surrender offer, says Hong Kong must comply with ‘legal procedures’

 

Taiwan says it won’t permit Hong Kong to simply let Chan show up on the island to turn himself in.

 

Koon is on a “control list” due to his position as a member of the Beijing municipal committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, an advisory body.

The council said the island had not given up jurisdiction over the case or changed its position that it must seek justice for the victim. It also said that Hong Kong should retain jurisdiction over the case.

“Our Justice Ministry has asked three times that the Hong Kong government refrain from giving up its jurisdiction over the case and has called for mutual judicial cooperation right away instead of simply getting the suspect [to surrender in Taiwan],” the council said.

 

 

[Randy W]

from the SCMP on YouTube

 

Murder suspect who triggered Hong Kong’s protest crisis issues apology as he leaves prison

2,463 views

•Oct 23, 2019

 

The Hong Kong murder suspect who triggered mass protests over a botched extradition bill issued a public apology as he was released from jail on October 23, 2019.Chan Tong-kai had spent 18 months incarcerated for money laundering, but is suspected of murdering his pregnant girlfriend in Taiwan.The 20-year-old has offered to surrender to ­Taiwan authorities for prosecution, but Hong Kong and the self-ruled island have struggled over the conditions for the transfer.The February 2018 murder case led Hong Kong’s government to propose a now-withdrawn extradition bill that has sparked more than four months of often violent protests.

 

 

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaQ9vlX4CLY

 

 

from Yanden Lhatoo

 

[Randy W]

One thing the Communists can do better - affordable housing. From the SCMP

 

Shenzhen turning its back on Hong Kong property model in favour of affordable public housing

• The southern city is home to technology firms including Tencent and DJI, but rising prices caused by private land sales have made it one of China’s most expensive cities
• A new government plan will cap the price of land sold for subsidised housing at 30 to 40 per cent of the benchmark rate as it seeks to build 1 million units by 2035

 

 

 

Shenzhen plans to turn away from the Hong Kong housing model and towards a system that focuses more on affordable public housing for its professionals and low-income residents as the newly dubbed model city seeks to avoid the property woes of its neighbour.

As part of its latest housing reform, the municipal government this week published a rule setting a benchmark land price across the city, stipulating that land sold for subsidised housing should be priced at 30 to 40 per cent of the benchmark rate.

. . .

The move is also in line with the Chinese leadership’s guidelines that housing is for people to live in, not for people to speculate to gain profits.

 

[Randy W]

Some reading material, if you haven't kept up, on the situation as it exists, halfway in between British colonialism and Chinese Communism. From the SCMP

 

In my opinion, China's approach is simply to do everything they can to strengthen the "One country" side of the coin. Saying that "Hong Kong is part of China" is meaningless within the framework of the Basic Law and separate political structures.

 

So far, no one has been able to articulate the complexities and nuances of the city’s problems better than Lee and his father, writes Alice Wu.

 

 

Singapore’s prime minister spoke uncomfortable truths that both Beijing and Hong Kong’s protesters need to hear

• Lee, like his late father, sees the tensions behind ‘one country, two systems’ that Beijing has not addressed. Hong Kong’s protesters should also take to heart his warning against the all-or-nothing approach

 

Lee said a lot more than what was most widely reported – that the protesters’ demands are not meant to be a programme to solve Hong Kong’s problems but are “intended to humiliate and bring down the government”. Mainland media immediately picked up on this and Lee became quite the hero there because of it. It’s most unfortunate, because he said much more, too.

He didn’t simply dismiss people’s grievances as livelihood issues or merely blame the unaffordable property market; he sees deep-seated political issues related to “one country, two systems” that his father, Singapore’s founding father Lee Kuan Yew, had warned about long ago.

The late senior Lee sounded prescient words for Hong Kong almost two decades ago. During his visit to the city in 2000, to receive an honorary degree from Chinese University, he spoke about the challenge for Hong Kong and Beijing to trust and accommodate one another.

Lee believed that if Hongkongers wanted more democracy and autonomy, they needed to convince Beijing that this would work within the boundaries set in the city’s mini-constitution. “Otherwise, the chief executive and the people of Hong Kong will find themselves locked in a frustrating process of attrition with the centre,” he said.

 

. . .

 

There is merit in Lee’s assertion that protesters’ uncompromising demands are meant to humiliate the administration, because this is the only language that would get Beijing to stop and listen. The years of indirect clashes of words and values have left many feeling helpless.

The open antagonism of the previous chief executive, Leung Chun-ying, coupled with current leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s blind arrogance, has left many feeling indignant. Beijing must accept it needs to be prepared to adopt a more accommodating style to save “one country, two systems”. And, protesters must accept the political reality that ultimatums – “all or nothing, now or never” – do not work, least of all with Beijing.

 

 

Edited October 28, 2019 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

I can't say that Joshua Wong is an especially noteworthy political figure, but this is another legacy the British left behind for Hong Kong politics - allowing Beijing to have a controlling interest in who is allowed to participate in Hong Kong government.

From the SCMP on Facebook

South China Morning Post

 

Page Liked · 15 hrs ·

 

 

Quote

Joshua Wong banned from running in Hong Kong electionJoshua Wong slammed the “political” move to bar him from running in district council polls. Hong Kong officials denied political censorship.

Full story: sc.mp/03922

 

https://www.facebook.com/scmp/videos/vb.355665009819/558997601525015/

 

Democracy activist Joshua Wong slams ‘politically driven decision’ to bar him from running in Hong Kong district council election

• Former student leader of the 2014 Occupy movement ‘cannot possibly’ comply with election laws, says government, citing his former advocacy of self-determination
• Wong, who had made clear he did not support the option of independence, is the only candidate disqualified from November 24 polls

Edited June 25, 2021 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

. . . and Beijing definitely exerts their controlling interest in Hong Kong

 

from the Global Times

 

Joshua Wong should ‘be abandoned by HK society’

 

Wong destroys HK society and shadows HK’s future: experts

 

Given what Wong and his followers did, especially in past few months, it is not hard to find out that he is an extreme separatist against China's sovereignty in the HKSAR and desperately wants the foreign interference to boost his own influence in the city, to back him and his followers' behaviors of ruining Hong Kong's public order, Zhi said.

 

. . .

 

"Hong Kong can only achieve good democracy by excluding separatists and rioters like Wong out of its power system," Zhi noted.

"People like Wong will destroy Hong Kong society. If they enter the power system of Hong Kong, Hong Kong's future will be even more shadowed," Zhi said, "and for these people, Hong Kong is nothing but a bargain chip or a pawn for them. It can be sacrificed at any time and they can just escape to the US or other region. They won't treat Hong Kong as their home."

 

[Randy W]

Ya think ??!? So much for autonomy. Simply another reminder that, hey, 2047 is just around the corner.

 

 

People’s Daily says Hong Kong protester who trampled national flag was making separatist statement and demands stiffer punishment

• Communist Party mouthpiece urges city’s justice department to appeal community service order
• Online commentary brands Hong Kong judiciary ‘unprofessional and biased’

 

Pro-democracy protesters desecrate a Chinese national flag during a protest at the New Town Plaza shopping centre in Sha Tin. Photo: AFP

 

In a commentary published online on Thursday, the People’s Daily said there should be serious punishment for anyone who abused the national flag, as it was tantamount to issuing an open statement of separatism.

The article came two days after Law Man-chung, 21, was sentenced to 200 hours of community service at Sha Tin Court, after it heard that on September 22, he tossed a Chinese flag into the air during an anti-government protest, trampled on it, and then threw it into a rubbish bin that was later pushed into a pool.

Law was the first Hong Kong protester to admit to desecrating the Chinese flag during anti-government protests, saying he did it “out of fun”.

 

 

[Randy W]

The crackdown is on the way - albeit a soft one. From the SCMP

 

China’s Communist Party elite wrap up meeting with pledge to safeguard national security in Hong Kong

• Communique issued at end of four-day session says party will ‘establish a sound legal system and enforcement mechanism for safeguarding national security’ in the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau
• Move aims to ‘safeguard the long-term prosperity and stability’, it says

 

The communique included a pledge to safeguard national security through legal means. Photo: Xinhua

 

“[We must] strictly govern the Hong Kong special administrative region and the Macau special administrative region in strict accordance with the constitution and the Basic Law, and safeguard the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and Macau.

“[We must] establish a sound legal system and enforcement mechanism for safeguarding national security in the special administrative regions,” it said, without elaborating.

. . .

Lau said the National People’s Congress, China’s legislature, could issue an interpretation of the Basic Law, or enact a national law directed at Hong Kong.

It passed a similar bill in 2005 – the Anti-Secession Law – to target the pro-independence movement in Taiwan.

Beijing might also issue a mandate to Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, Lau said.

 

. . .

 

Hong Kong-based China watcher Johnny Lau Yui-siu said he expected to see a clear shift in policy direction as Beijing looks to strengthen its control over Hong Kong.

“This is clearly suggesting a wide range of unprecedented controls that are going to be exerted over Hong Kong as Beijing has lost its patience for one country, two systems,” he said.

“The communique sends a strong political message that might see Hong Kong respond by introducing new legislation to restrict free speech online, outlaw abuse of the police and increase controls on campus,” he said.

. . .

“Although pushing for it might affect Hong Kong’s [free port] status, Beijing is determined to deal with the current turmoil firmly,” he said.

“From Beijing’s point of view, this might affect the ongoing trade talks [with the US] but it still believes that’s a better option than allowing Hong Kong to become a base of subversion.”

 

[Randy W]

Rioters will burn! From the People's Daily via the SCMP

 

Hong Kong civil servants who support protests ‘will burn with rioters’ warns People’s Daily

• Chinese state media tells government employees their careers are at stake as Beijing flags intervention in senior appointments
• ‘How can they continue with this misconduct while still enjoying high pay?’ asks People’s Daily commentary

 

Hong Kong civil servants who support the protests which have rocked the city for more than five months will “burn with the rioters” according to a commentary in yesterday’s People’s Daily, the Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece.

“There is no middle ground on the issue of fighting against riots and unrest in Hong Kong … No matter whether they have given silent approval out of sympathy or connived to give support, there will be only one end to those civil servants who join the ‘black terror’. They will lose their careers and future,” the newspaper warned.

The harsh commentary described the behaviour of some Hong Kong institutions and civil servants as “surprisingly disappointing” and quoted the recent arrest of an assistant clerical officer from the Chief Secretary for Administration’s office as an example.

 

 

[Randy W]

Is there another political system ANYWHERE which would allow a Carrie Lam to remain in power?

 

Is there another co-government arrangement (to "one country, two systems") which would allow the police to be so restricted as to be ineffective against the protesters?

 

This article is pretty well in line with my own views.

 

David Zweig

As Hong Kong’s protests rage on, Xi Jinping’s meeting with Carrie Lam and China’s fourth plenum promise more interference

• Chinese leaders’ expression of confidence in Lam means that it is unlikely that the PLA or Chinese police will soon be seen on Hong Kong streets
• The attention paid to Hong Kong during the fourth plenum and news that central government officials will come to the city to explain the meeting’s communique should arouse concern

 

First, while President Xi Jinping and Vice-Premier Han Zheng expressed full confidence in Lam and acknowledged the work she and her team had done to resolve the crisis in Hong Kong, no one here really shares that view.

And why should we? Since the spring, we have watched as Lam’s extradition bill exploded from a “single spark” into a “prairie fire”, even as rational Hongkongers begged her to reconsider. We watched her ignore public opinion polls released in early June that showed just how unpopular the bill was. We watched her stoke the fire on June 10 when she announced that she would reject the concerns of the million protesters who had marched the day before.

Her effort to ram her unpopular bill through the Legislative Council triggered the first serious violence between protesters and the police. Then, after declaring that she would never give in to violence, she did precisely that on June 15 when she put the bill’s reading on hold, teaching the protesters that violence pays.

. . .

So, despite the vote of confidence, she has been warned that Beijing’s patience has limits and that she had better use the time afforded her to resolve this crisis quickly. She has also been told to follow the guidelines of the fourth plenum recently held in Beijing, which gave extensive attention to the crisis here.

Just to make sure that she knows what they are, Lam has reported that “the central government will arrange for some officials to come and explain it [the communique issued after the fourth plenum] to Hong Kong officials, including myself”.

 

. . .

 

What’s worse, the leadership remains convinced that Hong Kong’s problems originate from the absence a national security law and too little patriotism in the secondary school curriculum. These are issues that the visiting delegation may put on Lam’s plate.

Thus, only by introducing legislation on these two issues, laws that were rejected by society in much milder times – 2003 and 2012 – and moving Hong Kong closer to “one country” and away from “two systems”, will Beijing’s confidence in Lam be consolidated, even as our confidence in her leadership slides even further.

 

 

David Zweig is Professor Emeritus at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and director of Translational China Consulting Limited

[Greg.D.]

Just guessing, not an expert or a wannabe, maybe the party welcomes the time to figure out what to do next or wait for a better opportunity to make a move. The twin horns of this dilemma are going all CCP on Hong Kong and sinking their world opinion even lower AND permanently breaking the international business hub and the cred and usefulness that comes with it

 

versus

 

Letting Hong Kong become anymore democratic in response to People Power and setting a bad example for the rest of China

 

Talk is cheap and saying Carrie Lam (a Christian, by the way) has their confidence costs nothing and can easily be replaced by the next official pronouncement.

 

Broken windows, etc? A tiny drop in the bucket compared to all the money being spent by China.

 

just a guess. Otherwise, me being an American I gotta say protests and dissent are the way to go: even if you're going down, don't go down without a fight

[Randy W]

A good summary of the stalemate as it exists today - from SCMP Opinions

 

From Beijing, simply more of the same

 

Beijing’s plan to tighten its grip on Hong Kong could spell the end of China’s economic dream

• Beijing vows to change Hong Kong’s political appointment process, pass security laws and push patriotism in education – ideas that Hongkongers have protested
• Shutting down Hong Kong would sever China’s access to global financial services, bring on sanctions and spark countries to join the US’ effort to contain China

 

 

The communique includes two ominous pledges. First, China’s central government will “control and rule” (管制) Hong Kong (and Macau) using “all the powers vested in [it] under the constitution and the Basic Law”, the mini-constitution that defines Hong Kong’s status.

 

Second, it will “build and improve a legal system and enforcement mechanism to defend national security” in both special administrative regions.

A few days after the plenum, the Communist Party’s plan to assert its control over Hong Kong became clearer when it released the full text of the resolution endorsed there by its Central Committee.

China’s central government intends to change the process for appointing Hong Kong’s chief executive and key officials, and reform the system governing how the Chinese National People’s Congress Standing Committee interprets the Basic Law.

Moreover, China will support the strengthening of Hong Kong’s law-enforcement capabilities and ensure that the city government enacts legislation to enhance national security.

It will also deepen Hong Kong’s economic integration with the mainland and expand “education” programmes to cultivate a “national consciousness and patriotic spirit”, especially among civil servants and young people.

. . .

China has tried to get Hong Kong’s legislative council to pass national security legislation before, in 2003; but more than half a million residents took to the street to protest, forcing the government to withdraw the bill.

Likewise, China’s attempt in 2012 to institute “patriotic education” in Hong Kong by changing its history textbooks ignited a rebellion among parents and students, forcing the government to back down.

 

[Greg.D.]

I read this section:

 

"Later in the day, Hong Kong’s chief executive, Carrie Lam, gave a press conference and, in chilling language, called the protesters the “enemy of the people.” She was voted into office by 777 people from the 1,200-person “Election Committee,” many of whose members are businesspeople with close ties to mainland China."

 

In this article: https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2019/11/escalating-violence-hong-kong-protests/601804/

 

and so many more pieces came together. In the end, it will be the 1% against the majority. Put the moneyed class literally in charge of the people and you will see them protect their moneyed interests against whatever Hong Kong Dream the people have.

 

If the party uncharacteristically loses their patience, sure, they might intervene first. But never underestimate greed in the battle against any other human drive.

 

And sorry, Chief Executive Lam, but uncle has no use for Christians. I wonder what your exit strategy is.

[Randy W]

from the 2047 is closer than you think department (and the Business Times/AFT).

China says only it can rule on Hong Kong constitution

 

Quote

China insisted Tuesday it held the sole authority to rule on constitutional matters in Hong Kong, as it condemned a decision by the city’s high court to overturn a ban on face masks worn by pro-democracy protesters.

 

. . .

 

The move was seen as a watershed legal moment for the city since its 1997 return by Britain to China — but has been largely symbolic.

 

The city’s high court ruled on Monday that the government ban on face masks was unconstitutional. But Beijing said the judicial branch of the special administrative region had overreached.

 

 

 

 

There are still protesters holed up at PolyU - I guess the police aren't planning on moving in to clear them out until they give up and leave.

 

 

SCMP Published: 9:01pm, 20 Nov, 2019

 

 

Quote

Only about 100 remained on campus, after more than 1,000 escaped, surrendered, had their details recorded or were caught and arrested.

Some of those still holding out, refusing to heed police orders to vacate, said they now worked in smaller groups, unlike earlier, when radicals and their supporters tried getting away in bigger numbers.

 

 

Edited June 25, 2021 by Randy W (see edit history)