Perfect illustration of slapping one’s own face

The Economist has published its latest Democracy Index, where Hong Kong ranks at 75th place among 167 countries and regions. It has dropped for three spots compared to 2018, which marks a new low for Hong Kong since 2012.

Hong Kong got a score of 6.02 out of 10, which has dropped for 0.13 compared to the last release of rankings.

Analysts of The Economist pointed out that the ongoing protests and conflicts have rocked the Asian Financial hub over the past seven months. Hong Kong police response to the protest has undermined the public's faith and confidence in them.

Singapore, which shares the same score with Hong Kong, has also dropped in its rank, as analysts pointed to the "fake news law" as threatening the freedom of expression.

As for mainland China, its score has dropped to 2.26, the lowest since 2006, which brings it to the ranking of 153. The report says the discrimination against minorities, repression and surveillance of the population has further intensified in China.

Taiwan ranks 31st and has risen for one spot overall. It ranks 5th inside the Asia-Pacific region, only falling behind New Zealand, Australia, South Korea and Japan. The most democratic country in the world remains to be Norway, whereas North Korea comes last in the index.

#ChinaPneumonia
SARS Support Group Calls for Ban for Entering Hong Kong for Non-locals Who Visited Wuhan in the Past Month

The Hong Kong SARS Mutual Help Association, representing more than 300 patients who recovered from the SARS epidemic in 2003, called for the Government to truly learn the hard lessons of SARS and make every effort to prevent the epidemic from affecting the city's economy and livelihood.

The Association urge the government to take all feasible measures to minimise the impact of the Wuhan pneumonia on Hong Kong, including prohibiting non-locals who have visited Wuhan in the past month from entering Hong Kong. Besides, it also asked for those who travelled from China, be it Mainlanders or Hong Kong residents to complete a health declaration. The Association was of the view that if the situation concerning Wuhan Pneumonia continued to deteriorate, the government should consider prohibiting all Mainlanders from coming to Hong Kong until the situation improves.

Source: Inmedia

#Jan24 #Wuhan #GlobalOutbreak

Hong Kong is now trapped in an ineradicable grotesque bureaucratic nightmare. During a press briefing on #Jan21, the Chief Secretary for Administration Matthew Cheung announced the above decision as part of the government’s response to the latest cluster of cases of viral pneumonia in Wuhan. But watching such burlesque playing before us, how can we ever regain trust in this government? It is Franz Kafka among us.

Authorities Allow Chinese Visitors with Fever Enter Hong Kong Amid Wuhan Pneumonia Outbreak

Wuhan pneumonia was out of control, and Chinese tourists turned to Hong Kong for medical treatment. Apple Daily was informed that a Chinese tourist with fever entered the Sha Tau Kok Control Point on Thursday. Although being intercepted at the checkpoint, the person was finally allowed to enter Hong Kong and sent to the hospital by ambulance.

Some Immigration Department staff members told Apple Daily that the department had the right to refuse entry of patients with "contagious disease" as a reason, but eventually they were allowed to seek medical treatment in Hong Kong for "humane reasons" as required by the Department of Health. Frontline staff questioned that the control points were at the forefront of epidemic prevention, but protective equipment is insufficient," even masks were almost used up."

The closest hospital near Sha Tau Kok Control Point is just 1.3 km away in Yantian, Shenzhen, and the North District Hospital in Hong Kong is 11.7 km away, pointed out by Leung Kai Chi, lecturer at CUHK China Studies.

Image: https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/15837

Source: Apple Daily, Leung Kai Chi Facebook #Jan25
#CoronavirusOutbreak #ChinesePneumonia

#WuhanPneumonia
Authorities Allow Chinese Visitors with Fever Enter Hong Kong Amid Wuhan Pneumonia Outbreak

The closest hospital near Sha Tau Kok Control Point is just 1.3 km away in Yantian, Shenzhen, and the North District Hospital in Hong Kong is 11.7 km away, pointed out by Leung Kai Chi, lecturer at CUHK China Studies.

Read more: https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/15836

HK Government Failed to learn from 2003 SARS Epidermic

[Editor's note: The Government press conference on the first day of the Lunar New Year said Wuhan pneumonia share similar severity as SARS; however, the preventive measures announced by the government are far less comprehensive than SARS. It was found that the authorities even allowed Chinese visitors with fever enter HK.]

Frontline Physicians Alliance condemned the Hong Kong Government for its failure to learn from 2003 SARS outbreak and to prevent the spread of Wuhan pneumonia on the community level. Government officials even claimed that "there is no need to wear facemasks in day-to-day scenarios" while the government even granted 7 days of free access on the HK-Macau-Zhuhai Bridge Link.

The Hong Kong Government's inadequate awareness to the seriousness of the outbreak is reflected from the lack of government-driven preventive measures in Hong Kong.

The Alliance called for raising the alert level in public hospitals, ensuring ample supply of facemasks and suspending Chinese visitors' entry to Hong Kong.

Source: RTHK #Jan25

Source: The Economist
Translation: https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/15833

#Newspaper

TG shot indoor, restaurant owner claimed witnessed Police throwing bricks into flat on fire, suspected planting evidence

(12 Jan) Kenny, who owns a restaurant on Austin Road, witnessed the moment on 18 November when a tear gas round was shot into a resident flat: ‘One hit right in front of my restaurant, one on the opposite [of his restaurant], one above the clinic (into a flat).’ A huge amount of tear gas filled his restaurant. Kenny said helplessly: ‘We couldn’t get out or they (the police) would hit us. We could do nothing but to suffer.’ He couldn’t breathe at that time and went to the kitchen looking for a wet towel to cover his face. ‘My whole face was burning, both my nose and mouth were watering’. He couldn’t bear it later and had to soak his whole body with water. He said after the incident he had diarrhea for one week.

Kenny said his restaurant has gone through thorough cleaning afterwards. Since it was under renovation at that time, there was no food in the place so the risk of tear-gas contamination was avoided. However, loss is unavoidable and comes in other forms, as the restaurant was right below the apartment that was hit: ‘My restaurant was flooded. The logo sign of the business was burnt, the CCTV was burnt and the kitchen was leaking.’ He would not consider asking the police for compensation: ‘It’s too time-consuming. I am exhausted. Too many things happened in these two months, so we won’t ask for anything.’

Kenny furiously condemned the police’s random, excessive and abusive shooting of tear gas on that day as it demonstrated a complete negligence of the citizens’ safety. ‘I strongly oppose to the use of tear gas in the neighbourhood. It is a toxic substance and causes huge impact on people and business.’ He also stated that he saw police officers throwing bricks at the windows of the apartment hit by tear gas round and broke all windows. He suspected that the police officers who did that were trying to create false evidence: ‘They knew they did wrongly after shooting tear gas round into the apartment, so they threw bricks inside to set protestors up later.’ He complained ‘You guys are the police, how could you do that? It only makes me detest.’

Source: Apple Daily
https://bit.ly/2FJwry8

#PoliceState #PoliceBrutality #PolyUSeige

#Newspaper

Tear gas shot into flat: Clinic and flat burnt down, doctor family plans to sue the police for $2 million

(UPDATE: 24-Jan, Police warned the Leung's family would violate Cap. 238 Firearms and Ammunition Ordinance if they do not return the teargas cannister to the police.)

(12 Jan) On the morning of 18 November 2019, the second day of the Poly U siege, the police fired tear gas to disperse the citizens in the vicinity of Chatham Road, Tsimshatsui. One tear gas was shot into Mrs Leung’s flat in the 1st floor of Windsor Mansions, Austin Road. Her husband is a physician whose clinic is set up in the connected unit of the flat. Mrs Leung recalled that only her helper was present during the accident. She was cleaning at that time, and she discovered that the flat was on fire after hearing the sound of the gunshot. She then escaped from the flat barefoot. Half of the flat was burnt in the incident, and dense dark clouds were rising from the flat. Firemen later arrived to put out the fire, and luckily there was no casualty. The tear gas was fired into her daughter’s room, and it was pure luck that her daughter left home 5 minutes before the accident, so that the room was vacant when the fire started - or else the consequences would be disastrous.

Mrs Leung said that all electronic appliances in her home and her husbands’ medical equipment were wet in the fire. Her husband was also worried that the medications in the clinic were contaminated by the tear gas and destroyed all of them. The preliminary estimation of loss is more than $2 million.

Full translation:
https://telegra.ph/Tear-gas-shot-into-flat-Clinic-and-flat-burnt-down-doctor-family-plans-to-sue-the-police-for-2-million-01-24

Excerpt: Apple Daily
https://bit.ly/2NVZ1R7

#PoliceState #PoliceBrutality #PolyUSeige #Teargas

Cathay Pacific Aircraft Carried a Wuhan Coronavirus victim Continued to be Used Without Disinfection for Over 30 Times

The second confirmed case of Wuhan pneumonia in Japan was a passenger who transited from Wuhan to Tokyo via Hong Kong on January 19. Cathay Pacific confirmed the two flights the patient took this evening (Jan 24) and said it would disinfect the two aeroplanes.

According to records, the patient stayed in Hong Kong shortly for only 1 hour and 50 minutes, but the two aeroplanes he flew on were later used for another 18 and 15 flights to and from 12 destinations respectively.

Staff members of Cathay Pacific revealed that routine cleaning work of a plane is usually roughly conducted. They expressed their deep concern that it is insufficient to inhabit any virus.

Source: Apple Daily
https://hk.news.appledaily.com/local/20200124/X7VWFYCL3M4U5OSL5WPKGSKXCM/

#Jan24 #ChinesePneumonia #Wuhan #GlobalOutbreak

Public Hospitals in Hong Kong Arranged Anti-Epidemic Team by Drawing Lots

Editor note: Enhanced prevention methods were implemented only after medical staff got infected, showing the lack of safeguard to the frontline workers, treating them like condom against the pneumonia.

Chairman of the Hong Kong Public Doctors’ Association, MA Chung-yee, said that many hospitals have completed the draw for anti-epidemic team. Even if the Hospital Authority starts relevant procedures in the next few days, specific medical teams can go to isolation wards to take care of suspected or confirmed cases of new coronavirus infection.

MA said that the order was determined by drawing lots. If there are other medical conditions of the staff member, such as pregnancy or illness, they do not have to participate in the team. She said that a particular medical team was under pressure and could not work in the location for long periods of time. Another batch of medical team might be required every two to four weeks.

MA also said that the overall anti-epidemic specifications of the hospitals have been enhanced, emphasizing that it cannot be numb to believe that infected patients with the virus only appear in isolation wards, and that other wards may have "invisible patients". She said that although the pressure of overcrowding in general wards has recently eased, it is expected that the ward utilization rate will increase again from the third day of the Lunar New Year.

MA said that it was known that the isolation wards of some hospitals had to deal with more suspected cases and the pressure on services was high. She had required the HA to report to the Department of Health, hoping to expedite the process of lab reports, otherwise worries about the lack of isolation measures would aroused.

Source: RTHK #Jan25 #ChinesePneumonia #Wuhan

My undergraduate schoolmate is now living in the United State, but her family is still in Wuhan. She shared in the social media that overseas Wuhan people collected plentiful amount of medical resources overnight, and left no stone unturned in sending all these supplies to their Chinese compatriots. However, Wuhan authority has stated explicitly to not accept any overseas assistance. These supplies are currently stuck in #Changsha and can’t be picked up.

Source:
https://t.me/zhujuan2018/13560

#WuhanQuarantine #LifeAsGrass #ChineseCharacterisitic

#NetizensVoice

(24 Jan) Rumour says that all the hospitals in Wuhan are battling the government. The city mayor only cares about the numbers looking good so he refrains the reageant from being released, saying the supplies are sufficient.
#WuhanCoronavirus #Wuhan

[Translation of the chat in the images]
-All the hospitals in Wuhan are battling with the government
-What’s happening?
-The hospital and Disease Prevention & Control Centre want to handle things on their own. They are telling the actual situation to media.
-Is this it?
-This Wuhan city mayor is done.
-Look at the first statement.
-What are Expert Investigators?
-Then you look at the 2nd statement.
-What does it mean by trying to distribute reagents to the grassroots?
-And now Wuhan is really lacking supplies.
-Superiors are refraining from distributing reagents because they want the numbers to look good.
-Not lacking
-Not lacking
-What is the government of Hubei province doing really?
-The mayor said we have enough supplies.
-Really
-Bullshit
-He said it on TV

Source: twitter.com/morty_new/status/1220647088037322752

#WuhanQuarantine #LifeAsGrass #ChineseCharacterisitic

The following Twitter post contains anecdotes about suspected cases of death resulting from the new coronavirus shared on Weibo.

“From a Weibo group chat:

Rumour that a small district in Wuhan, there were five people with no fever or cough who collapseda d died. Their bodies were later removed by medical personnel. The voice recording below alerted people that the novel coronavirus seems to have mutated. The person also warned people not to leave their home.”


Recording from Jan 23, 2020, 12:41 am

The Wu Family

“Forget New Year’s Eve dinner today, emergency notice came out just now telling people not to go out.”

“Between 5pm and 9pm today, do not leave your home. Anyone with a fever must go to the designated hospital. Take heed - avoid getting infected.”


“Check this out, confirming what was said on the voice recording.”

“A City Health Education Centre in Hainan reported on January 22, 2020 at midnight, that 6 people from Wuhan checked into a hotel in the Sanya area.

In XXXXX hotel Rm 1012, a female guest of Liaoning origin, born in 1973, was confirmed dead. The time of death was January 23, 2020 at 10:38 am.”

Source

Amazon order block due to “sensitive items”

Citizens ordered surgical masks from a Canadian store on Amazon on 11 Jan, but those cannot be delivered due to the mask ban. The Hong Kong government risks citizens’ lives to make sure the unconstitutional ERO can be executed.

Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/HongKong/comments/etg97s/amazon_order_block_due_to_sensitive_items_black/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share

#ERO #MaskBan #CoronavirusOutbreak

Incapable government in action, not to mention the policy was impractical in the first place. They are either bad at Maths, or the price difference has gone into somebody’s pockets on purpose.

#FirstHand #Jan25
Without The “Fishball Revolution” In 2016, This Scene Could Not Be Seen Today

On 8 Feb 2016, the first night of the Lunar New Year, police clashed with civilians in MongKok, when the latter tried to protect street hawkers selling fishballs and other Hong Kong traditional snacks from being persecuted by the authorities.

The clash was escalated into a violent crackdown by the government, where police used batons and fired two warning shots in the air and protestors set road blocks and reacted with throwing bricks. Almost 100 people from both sides were injured.

In retrospect, the clash was not only about street food, but the lack of impacts of decades of peaceful protests, and Chinese Communist Party's encroachment of the “One Country, Two Systems” policy in Hong Kong.

At the Lunar New Year's eve in 2019, street hawkers came back to the streets, so that Hongkongers could enjoy local snacks.

#FishballRevolution #TheAwakening #LunarNewYear #MongKok

Also:
t.me/guardiansofhongkong/15781