Tag: Hong Kong

Just another example that the freedoms that the people in Hong Kong once enjoyed are over:

Right before China retook control of Hong Kong in 1997, tycoon Jimmy Lai started Apple Daily in part to promote democracy in the city. For 25 years, the newspaper survived advertising boycotts and political pressure but never backed off its tough coverage of the Chinese government and pro-Beijing lawmakers.

It might not last through the summer. Hong Kong police arrested Lai and several of his top executives on Monday and sent hundreds of officers to search the Apple Daily offices, a demonstration of the broad potential for the new national security law to silence criticism and dissent beyond pro-democracy protests and activism.

Passed in June, the legislation bars “crimes of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces” as interpreted by the Chinese government and enforced by Beijing’s new security office in Hong Kong. Lai’s arrest wasn’t entirely unexpected, but it still shook the foundations of press freedom in the financial center and raised fears about what might come next.

His arrest under the security law was part of an investigation into an online activist group that received more than $129,000 (HK$1 million) funding from overseas bank accounts, the South China Morning Post reported Tuesday, citing unidentified people.

Agnes Chow, a prominent activist and founding member of the-now dissolved pro-democracy Demosisto party, also was arrested for on suspicion of breaching the security law, Cable TV reported Monday night.

Bloomberg

You can read more at the link, but if the CCP was smart they would just arrest these people for violating “libel laws” like the Moon administration in South Korea does. This sounds better than arresting people for violating national security laws. These arrests show they don’t care what international community thinks and just want to publicly show the people in Hong Kong that the way things were before are over.

This is the biggest protest I have seen yet by Koreans against China despite all the provocations made by them against the ROK:

Some 30 Korean university students supporting the Hong Kong pro-democracy movement rallied against the Chinese government’s crackdown on Hong Kong protesters Tuesday in front of the Chinese Embassy in Myeong-dong, central Seoul.

A coalition of six groups composed of mostly Korean university students stood nearly 30 meters (98 feet) away from the Chinese Embassy on Tuesday morning and read out a joint statement calling on Beijing to stop its “hard-line crackdown” on “peaceful Hong Kong protesters.” 

The students also took issue with a formal statement that the Chinese Embassy released last Friday, accusing the embassy and the Chinese government of “denigrating” the Hong Kong movement by backing Chinese students in Korea who tore down pro-Hong Kong banners and posters hung by Korean students on school campuses.

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link, but the Chinese embassy literally sponsored Chinese thugs to go and beat up Koreans in Seoul back in 2008 who were protesting in support of Tibet. If that did not draw a strong backlash the fact that Chinese students are tearing down banners and roughing up Korean students won’t either.

I am sure these Chinese students realize they can beat down Koreans with no consequences like we saw during the Olympic Torch protests back in 2008. Back in 2008 the Chinese Embassy in Seoul actually directed the protests which makes me wonder if they are encouraging the behavior of these Chinese students as well?:

Tensions are escalating on university campuses here between Korean students supporting the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong and Chinese students studying here who oppose them, citing Beijing’s “One China” doctrine.

There is concerns that the conflict could lead to emotional responses by both sides, with some students seriously worrying about physical clashes. School authorities are also paying close attention to the tension as Chinese students account for the largest portion of foreign students at colleges in Korea.

On Wednesday, dozens of Korean and Chinese students at Hanyang University in Seoul scuffled over the setting up of a “Lennon wall” and posting of messages supporting the Hong Kong protests by the former.

Fifty Chinese exchange students and 10 Korean students clashed. The exchange students said the Korean students were “interfering with domestic affairs,” and the Hong Kong protests were “nothing to do with Koreans.” The Koreans refuted this, saying that they had the right to freedom of speech on the issue, according to witnesses.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but can you imagine what the reaction would be if Japanese students did something like this? There would be mass protests and hate directed towards Japan, yet once again you don’t see this happen with China.

People in #HongKong have directly called on Americans to act. From President #Trump to the rest of us, we must now do all we can for those on freedom's front line. https://t.co/V07cXiD6nP

— Gordon G. Chang (@GordonGChang) September 8, 2019

The only thing I find surprising about this article is that the U.S. State Department did not anticipate China resorting to so called “thuggish” behavior:

After weeks of escalating warnings alleging a covert U.S. role behind the protests in Hong Kong, the tone in Communist Party-backed media outlets is turning darkly acrimonious, with publications attacking a U.S. diplomat in Hong Kong and releasing her personal information. 

The pro-Beijing newspaper Ta Kung Pao on Thursday published a photo of opposition activists meeting in a hotel with Julie Eadeh, a political section chief at the U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong, along with details of Eadeh’s State Department career and the names of her husband and teenage children.

The report, which was recirculated by Chinese state media, emerged as Beijing doubled down on a familiar strategy of framing the nine-week-long protests as a U.S. intelligence plot to spark a “color revolution” to destabilize China.

The publication of information about the diplomat drew a furious response from the State Department, which accused China of “thuggish” behavior. U.S. diplomats around the world often meet with opposition figures and groups, occasionally drawing rebukes from governments.

The unusual pinpoint attack on the diplomat in Hong Kong underscores China’s growing frustration over the protests and their anti-Beijing message.

Washington Post

You can read more at the link, but it was utterly predictable that China would turn to nationalism and blame foreigners for the unrest in Hong Kong. The U.S. diplomat meeting with protesters was just the optics they needed to “prove” their invented narrative.

The Hong Kong protests provide some great content to stuff onto USB sticks headed for North Korea. https://t.co/uQgg17jPBT

— 🇰🇷Edward Oh🇺🇸 (@EdwardHBOh) June 16, 2019

It appears President Xi blinked on this attempt to further crackdown on Hong Kong’s independence. The people of Hong Kong best remain vigilant because I would not be surprised if this comes up again:

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam delayed indefinitely Saturday a proposed law to allow people to be extradited to mainland China for trial after wide spread anger and large-scale protests in the Asian financial hub.

In one of the most significant climb downs by the government since Hong Kong was returned to Chinese rule in 1997, Lam said the city’s legislature would stop all work on the bill. The next steps would be decided after consultations with various parties, she said.

About 1 million people marched through Hong Kong last Sunday to protest the bill, according to organizers of the march. Street demonstrations throughout the week were met with tear gas and rubber bullets from the police, plunging the city into chaos.

The extradition bill, which will cover Hong Kong residents and foreign and Chinese nationals living or travelling in the city, has many concerned it may threaten the rule of law that underpins Hong Kong’s international financial status.

Korea Times