#DailyUpdate #Jun17 #COVID19
COVID-19 Updates (Jun 17)
At the time of writing, 8,217,627 cases of the coronavirus had been confirmed with 445,012 deaths.
Panama extends suspension of international flights for 30 more days due to COVID-19.
New York City expected to allow outdoor dining next week.
German meat processing plant hit with coronavirus outbreak.
Pharmaceutical company begins phase 3 trial of arthritis drug for COVID-19 patients.
European Union unveils plan to bulk buy possible COVID-19 vaccine.
New Zealand coronavirus cases were due to an "unacceptable failure of the system," the prime minister says.
Beijing has tested around 356,000 people linked to the Xinfadi market cluster.
Hundreds of households quarantined in Berlin after COVID-19 spike.
British health minister says new study on steroid drug is "brilliant news" but “is no cure”.
Human trials expected to start next month for COVID-19 treatment derived from cows' blood.
Judge denies bid to stop Trump's Tulsa campaign rally due to coronavirus fears.
President of Honduras says he and his wife have contracted coronavirus.
Beijing cancels nearly 70% of incoming and outbound commercial flights amid new outbreak.
US FDA pulls authorization of one of the first COVID-19 antibody tests it approved.
DC will enter phase 2 of reopening Monday if current trends continue, mayor says.
Source: CNN, John Hopkins University
COVID-19 Updates (Jun 17)
At the time of writing, 8,217,627 cases of the coronavirus had been confirmed with 445,012 deaths.
Panama extends suspension of international flights for 30 more days due to COVID-19.
New York City expected to allow outdoor dining next week.
German meat processing plant hit with coronavirus outbreak.
Pharmaceutical company begins phase 3 trial of arthritis drug for COVID-19 patients.
European Union unveils plan to bulk buy possible COVID-19 vaccine.
New Zealand coronavirus cases were due to an "unacceptable failure of the system," the prime minister says.
Beijing has tested around 356,000 people linked to the Xinfadi market cluster.
Hundreds of households quarantined in Berlin after COVID-19 spike.
British health minister says new study on steroid drug is "brilliant news" but “is no cure”.
Human trials expected to start next month for COVID-19 treatment derived from cows' blood.
Judge denies bid to stop Trump's Tulsa campaign rally due to coronavirus fears.
President of Honduras says he and his wife have contracted coronavirus.
Beijing cancels nearly 70% of incoming and outbound commercial flights amid new outbreak.
US FDA pulls authorization of one of the first COVID-19 antibody tests it approved.
DC will enter phase 2 of reopening Monday if current trends continue, mayor says.
Source: CNN, John Hopkins University
#WhiteTerror
Security Company Director: Staff following Joshua Wong was a Coincidence
Recently, pro-democracy figures not limited to Joshua Wong, secretary-general of Demosistō, and Tammy Yuen, Southern District Councillor, were stalked and filmed in Hong Kong.
On June 6, Wong posted a video showing a man who had reportedly followed him for 4 to 6 hours and Demosistō also showed the plate numbers of the vehicles involved.
According to the Certificate of Particulars of Motor Vehicle, one of the two cars was registered under "Guard Alliance Ltd".
Stand News reporter visited the address, and found that the site was occupied by Guard Alliance Ltd and three other companies including Kuokon Security Limited. The staff claimed they had no idea if the company was involved in following Demosistō members.
The reporter then approached Cheung Kam Fai, one of the three directors of Guard Alliance in Choi Hong. When the reporter indicated that a car registered under Guard Alliance was found following Joshua Wong, Cheung seemed to be prepared, and said immediately, "We were not following him, we don't follow political clients".
Cheung said that his colleagues were spotted because they happened to be working on another case at the same place. "They were following another client, we don't do political cases". A female worker inside the office added "We didn't follow him (Wong), it was someone else. I was there".
The reporter then asked if "following" meant "protecting" instead of stalking, Cheung said "Of course, we don't do such things. Our clients do not like to be involved in any political cases. We are neutral". He added, it was a coincidence that the car belong to Guard Alliance appeared at the scene, and the company is "100% not involved (in anything political)".
Source: Stand News #Jun8
#Stalking #JoshuaWong #GuardAlliance
Security Company Director: Staff following Joshua Wong was a Coincidence
Recently, pro-democracy figures not limited to Joshua Wong, secretary-general of Demosistō, and Tammy Yuen, Southern District Councillor, were stalked and filmed in Hong Kong.
On June 6, Wong posted a video showing a man who had reportedly followed him for 4 to 6 hours and Demosistō also showed the plate numbers of the vehicles involved.
According to the Certificate of Particulars of Motor Vehicle, one of the two cars was registered under "Guard Alliance Ltd".
Stand News reporter visited the address, and found that the site was occupied by Guard Alliance Ltd and three other companies including Kuokon Security Limited. The staff claimed they had no idea if the company was involved in following Demosistō members.
The reporter then approached Cheung Kam Fai, one of the three directors of Guard Alliance in Choi Hong. When the reporter indicated that a car registered under Guard Alliance was found following Joshua Wong, Cheung seemed to be prepared, and said immediately, "We were not following him, we don't follow political clients".
Cheung said that his colleagues were spotted because they happened to be working on another case at the same place. "They were following another client, we don't do political cases". A female worker inside the office added "We didn't follow him (Wong), it was someone else. I was there".
The reporter then asked if "following" meant "protecting" instead of stalking, Cheung said "Of course, we don't do such things. Our clients do not like to be involved in any political cases. We are neutral". He added, it was a coincidence that the car belong to Guard Alliance appeared at the scene, and the company is "100% not involved (in anything political)".
Source: Stand News #Jun8
#Stalking #JoshuaWong #GuardAlliance
#Education #Brainwashing
Government Requires at least 90 hours of training for all new teachers on "professional identity"
Starting from the next school term, all new teachers are required to attend at least 90 hours of training within the first 3 years of teaching, per the Education Bureau.
Core training courses will be provided to new teachers, and recources will be offered to current teachers by the Bureau in order for them to advance in their career.
Among the 90 hours of training, 30 hours of core training, provided by the Bureau, will cover "professional identity and studies". Its purpose is to help the teachers to self-reflect on their professional role, and to have a better understanding of local policies, national policies, and international education.
New teachers will also be required to complete another 60 hours of training on elective courses. For current teachers, completion of 30 hours of training related to "teachers' professional roles, values and conduct", and "local, national and international education policies" will be required every 3 years. Completion of 90-130 of training on similar topics will be required before teachers can progress in their career.
Source: RTHK #Jun11
#Teachers
Government Requires at least 90 hours of training for all new teachers on "professional identity"
Starting from the next school term, all new teachers are required to attend at least 90 hours of training within the first 3 years of teaching, per the Education Bureau.
Core training courses will be provided to new teachers, and recources will be offered to current teachers by the Bureau in order for them to advance in their career.
Among the 90 hours of training, 30 hours of core training, provided by the Bureau, will cover "professional identity and studies". Its purpose is to help the teachers to self-reflect on their professional role, and to have a better understanding of local policies, national policies, and international education.
New teachers will also be required to complete another 60 hours of training on elective courses. For current teachers, completion of 30 hours of training related to "teachers' professional roles, values and conduct", and "local, national and international education policies" will be required every 3 years. Completion of 90-130 of training on similar topics will be required before teachers can progress in their career.
Source: RTHK #Jun11
#Teachers
Telegram
RTHK即時新聞
新學年起新入職教師需接受至少90小時培訓
教育局表示，將於下個學年，為新入職教師提供核心培訓課程，以及為在職教師提供培訓課程和資源，並優化符合教師晉升要求的培訓。局方向學校發出通告，指出新入職教師必須在入職首3年內，完成最少90小時的培訓課程，包括30小時核心培訓，由教育局提供，涵蓋「教師專業身份」及「教師專業學習」，除了促進教師反思專業角色，亦會闡釋本地教育政策、國家及國際教育發展。另外教師亦要按個人專業發展需要參與不少於60小時的選修培訓。現職教師就需要在每3年周期中，劃出至少30小時，參加相關「…
教育局表示，將於下個學年，為新入職教師提供核心培訓課程，以及為在職教師提供培訓課程和資源，並優化符合教師晉升要求的培訓。局方向學校發出通告，指出新入職教師必須在入職首3年內，完成最少90小時的培訓課程，包括30小時核心培訓，由教育局提供，涵蓋「教師專業身份」及「教師專業學習」，除了促進教師反思專業角色，亦會闡釋本地教育政策、國家及國際教育發展。另外教師亦要按個人專業發展需要參與不少於60小時的選修培訓。現職教師就需要在每3年周期中，劃出至少30小時，參加相關「…
#NetizensVoice
Suppression before the establishment of National Security Law
(06 Jun)Today, I went to shoot a promotional video for my political party at the Clearwater Bay Film Studio with friends and the volunteer team. After a few takes, a man who claimed to be in charge of the studio (the man in the 5-star shirt in the photo) heard someone chanting slogans in the studio. He came over to the director, creative director and me, and asked what we were shooting. We replied that it was a political party promotional video.
The man then asked me to provide my platform and shooting content. He made it clear that he wouldn't allow us to film anything that criticizes China or the Hong Kong Government. He said that his company is patriotic and that we couldn't shoot anti-government related content on set.
After reading the script, he said he was “uncomfortable” and asked us to stop the filming immediately.
We rented the studio with hard cash. I have been in the advertising industry for 22 years and have shot countless commercials in the Clearwater Bay Film Studio, and I have never heard of any studio reviewing their client’s storyboard! Not to mention a review of political stance! While renting a film studio is an ordinary business practice, there are those who politically interfere in the creation and production of films without a reason, putting their personal political views first and harming the benefits of both ours and their own company. In the future, when the National Security Law or Article 23 is implemented, will he report to "national security" and ask the secret police to take me away?
In the end, after our Creative Director "Mr. Cho" and the "man in charge" reasoned with him and asked him to consult his "supervisor", we were able to finish the shooting. But it is really infuriating that Hong Kong has degenerated to such a state.
Therefore, I would like to express my strong discontent with this so-called "man in charge" of the Clearwater Bay Film Studios. I would like to call on the advertising industry to boycott this Clearwater Bay Film Studio.
Source: Yiu Koon Tung
https://bit.ly/30R8Req
#ChinaInfluence #FreedomOfSpeech #NationalSecurityLaw
Suppression before the establishment of National Security Law
(06 Jun)Today, I went to shoot a promotional video for my political party at the Clearwater Bay Film Studio with friends and the volunteer team. After a few takes, a man who claimed to be in charge of the studio (the man in the 5-star shirt in the photo) heard someone chanting slogans in the studio. He came over to the director, creative director and me, and asked what we were shooting. We replied that it was a political party promotional video.
The man then asked me to provide my platform and shooting content. He made it clear that he wouldn't allow us to film anything that criticizes China or the Hong Kong Government. He said that his company is patriotic and that we couldn't shoot anti-government related content on set.
After reading the script, he said he was “uncomfortable” and asked us to stop the filming immediately.
We rented the studio with hard cash. I have been in the advertising industry for 22 years and have shot countless commercials in the Clearwater Bay Film Studio, and I have never heard of any studio reviewing their client’s storyboard! Not to mention a review of political stance! While renting a film studio is an ordinary business practice, there are those who politically interfere in the creation and production of films without a reason, putting their personal political views first and harming the benefits of both ours and their own company. In the future, when the National Security Law or Article 23 is implemented, will he report to "national security" and ask the secret police to take me away?
In the end, after our Creative Director "Mr. Cho" and the "man in charge" reasoned with him and asked him to consult his "supervisor", we were able to finish the shooting. But it is really infuriating that Hong Kong has degenerated to such a state.
Therefore, I would like to express my strong discontent with this so-called "man in charge" of the Clearwater Bay Film Studios. I would like to call on the advertising industry to boycott this Clearwater Bay Film Studio.
Source: Yiu Koon Tung
https://bit.ly/30R8Req
#ChinaInfluence #FreedomOfSpeech #NationalSecurityLaw
Kowtowing to Beijing does not help HSBC
Being caught in the middle of the political tensions between China and the US, HSBC is under fire from all sides.
In late May, CY Leung, former Chief Executive of Hong Kong, publicly criticised HSBC for not immediately expressing its stance on the national security law and pressured the UK-based bank not to “damage China’s sovereignty, dignity, and the feelings of the people.”
A few days later, the bank released a photo showing the Asia Pacific CEO Peter Wong signing a petition in support of the controversial law.
But HSBC's belated support has failed to please the CCP. In a series of articles, the Chinese state mouthpiece Global Times said that the bank “needs to show greater sincerity to express its position on US-China tension and the national security law,” and that it is “far from safe from reprisals.”
China has long accused HSBC of having set a “trap” for Huawei's CFO Meng Wanzhou. Citing "legal experts", Global Times warned that HSBC is not innocent and could be regarded as "a criminal set to face sanctions under Chinese law."
At the same time, HSBC’s endorsement of the law also drew heavy criticisms from Western politicians and rights groups. The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo slammed the bank for its “corporate kowtow”, which seemed “to have earned HSBC little respect in Beijing.” British MP Tom Tugendhat also questioned why HSBC chose to “back an authoritarian state’s repression of liberties and undermining of the rule of law.”
From Cathay Pacific to HSBC, Beijing sends a clear message to all businesses: if you want to make money in China, you can only side with the #CCP and there is no such thing as political neutrality.
#HSBC #kowtow
Sources:
https://news.mingpao.com/pns/%E7%B6%93%E6%BF%9F/article/20200604/s00004/1591210019253/%E8%A2%AB%E6%89%B9%E6%B2%89%E9%BB%98-%E5%8C%AF%E8%B1%90%E7%8E%8B%E5%86%AC%E5%8B%9D%E7%B0%BD%E5%90%8D%E6%92%90%E5%9C%8B%E5%AE%89%E6%B3%95
CNN, 10 Jun
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/10/business/hsbc-china-national-security-law-intl-hnk/index.html
Global Times (Chinese state media) 4, 9, 12 Jun
https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1190482.shtml
https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1191093.shtml
https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1191436.shtml
Reuters, 29 May
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-hongkong-protests-hsbc-hldg/former-hk-leader-calls-out-hsbc-following-uk-criticism-of-security-law-idUSKBN2351K3
Being caught in the middle of the political tensions between China and the US, HSBC is under fire from all sides.
In late May, CY Leung, former Chief Executive of Hong Kong, publicly criticised HSBC for not immediately expressing its stance on the national security law and pressured the UK-based bank not to “damage China’s sovereignty, dignity, and the feelings of the people.”
A few days later, the bank released a photo showing the Asia Pacific CEO Peter Wong signing a petition in support of the controversial law.
But HSBC's belated support has failed to please the CCP. In a series of articles, the Chinese state mouthpiece Global Times said that the bank “needs to show greater sincerity to express its position on US-China tension and the national security law,” and that it is “far from safe from reprisals.”
China has long accused HSBC of having set a “trap” for Huawei's CFO Meng Wanzhou. Citing "legal experts", Global Times warned that HSBC is not innocent and could be regarded as "a criminal set to face sanctions under Chinese law."
At the same time, HSBC’s endorsement of the law also drew heavy criticisms from Western politicians and rights groups. The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo slammed the bank for its “corporate kowtow”, which seemed “to have earned HSBC little respect in Beijing.” British MP Tom Tugendhat also questioned why HSBC chose to “back an authoritarian state’s repression of liberties and undermining of the rule of law.”
From Cathay Pacific to HSBC, Beijing sends a clear message to all businesses: if you want to make money in China, you can only side with the #CCP and there is no such thing as political neutrality.
#HSBC #kowtow
Sources:
https://news.mingpao.com/pns/%E7%B6%93%E6%BF%9F/article/20200604/s00004/1591210019253/%E8%A2%AB%E6%89%B9%E6%B2%89%E9%BB%98-%E5%8C%AF%E8%B1%90%E7%8E%8B%E5%86%AC%E5%8B%9D%E7%B0%BD%E5%90%8D%E6%92%90%E5%9C%8B%E5%AE%89%E6%B3%95
CNN, 10 Jun
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/10/business/hsbc-china-national-security-law-intl-hnk/index.html
Global Times (Chinese state media) 4, 9, 12 Jun
https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1190482.shtml
https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1191093.shtml
https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1191436.shtml
Reuters, 29 May
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-hongkong-protests-hsbc-hldg/former-hk-leader-calls-out-hsbc-following-uk-criticism-of-security-law-idUSKBN2351K3
明報新聞網 - 每日明報 daily news
被批沉默 匯豐王冬勝簽名撐國安法 - 20200604 - 經濟
【明報專訊】早前先後遭前行政長官梁振英及官媒抨擊未就國安法公開表態的匯控（0005），昨日終在微信發文，稱匯豐亞太區行政總裁王冬勝，日前曾到「撐國安立法」的街站簽名聲援（圖），並以簡體字「王冬胜」署名。
#Censorship
Pro-Beijing Activists Call For Citizens to "Monitor" and "Report" Products That Might "Incite Subversion of State Power"
The government had announced that this year's Book Fair would be held between 15 July and 21 July as usual. Pro-Beijing Organisations such as Politihk Social Strategic organised the movement "Independence-less Book Fair", calling for citizens to "monitor" and "report" products that may "incite subversion of state power" using their smartphones, claiming that they would "assist in passing on the information to the Ministry of State Security (MSS) and bringing quislings to justice."
Although the National Security Law has not finished drafting, and with pro-Beijing activists repeatedly emphasising that the National Security Law only targets a small amount of people, the Politihk Social Strategic stated that Hong Kong already has a "National Security Law", and that the "tolerated" pro-Independence promotion may already be commission of inciting subversion of state power. They had observed that "corruption-spreading publishers and political parties had exploited previous year's book fair to spread their illegal political views," and are teaming up with pro-Beijing organisations such as DQaction and Johnny Patriotic 101 to call for "parents" to exercise caution while picking children's books, while also "inviting" parents to report book stalls selling products that may "incite subversion of state power" to the MSS via them.
Source: Stand News
#Jun15 #BookFair #PolitihkSocialStrategic #WhiteTerror
Pro-Beijing Activists Call For Citizens to "Monitor" and "Report" Products That Might "Incite Subversion of State Power"
The government had announced that this year's Book Fair would be held between 15 July and 21 July as usual. Pro-Beijing Organisations such as Politihk Social Strategic organised the movement "Independence-less Book Fair", calling for citizens to "monitor" and "report" products that may "incite subversion of state power" using their smartphones, claiming that they would "assist in passing on the information to the Ministry of State Security (MSS) and bringing quislings to justice."
Although the National Security Law has not finished drafting, and with pro-Beijing activists repeatedly emphasising that the National Security Law only targets a small amount of people, the Politihk Social Strategic stated that Hong Kong already has a "National Security Law", and that the "tolerated" pro-Independence promotion may already be commission of inciting subversion of state power. They had observed that "corruption-spreading publishers and political parties had exploited previous year's book fair to spread their illegal political views," and are teaming up with pro-Beijing organisations such as DQaction and Johnny Patriotic 101 to call for "parents" to exercise caution while picking children's books, while also "inviting" parents to report book stalls selling products that may "incite subversion of state power" to the MSS via them.
Source: Stand News
#Jun15 #BookFair #PolitihkSocialStrategic #WhiteTerror
立場新聞 Stand News
國安法未有條文 建制組織發起「無獨書展」 籲舉報涉獨書刊產品 轉交國安部門 | 立場報道 | 立場新聞
政府早前宣布今年書展如期 7 月 15 日至 21 日舉行，建制組織「香港政研會」等發起「無獨書展」行動，呼籲...
#NetizensVoice
Hongkongers have evolved through the past year
(15 Jun) One year has passed, and not only have Hongkongers not forgotten, but we have also evolved quickly, perfectly demonstrating how to act as one.
A memorial service started at 18:00 while its queue ended at 23:30, stretching for few kilometres from Pacific Place to the Mid-Levels Garden Road Peak Tram Station. A friend I met there said it took 1.5 hours to line up from Mid-Levels to the pavement outside Pacific Place.
All night long from start to finish, tens of thousands of people were in a manner as orderly as a model flat, from being at the flowerbed to monitoring the scene, from the start of the queue to the end of the queue. We depended on each other who were total strangers for help, with no organizer, little to no coordination, not even telegram. There was no need for words, whenever a comrade had to leave, others would understand and automatically filled the seat.
Source: Facebook
⬇️⬇️⬇️ Continue
Hongkongers have evolved through the past year
(15 Jun) One year has passed, and not only have Hongkongers not forgotten, but we have also evolved quickly, perfectly demonstrating how to act as one.
A memorial service started at 18:00 while its queue ended at 23:30, stretching for few kilometres from Pacific Place to the Mid-Levels Garden Road Peak Tram Station. A friend I met there said it took 1.5 hours to line up from Mid-Levels to the pavement outside Pacific Place.
All night long from start to finish, tens of thousands of people were in a manner as orderly as a model flat, from being at the flowerbed to monitoring the scene, from the start of the queue to the end of the queue. We depended on each other who were total strangers for help, with no organizer, little to no coordination, not even telegram. There was no need for words, whenever a comrade had to leave, others would understand and automatically filled the seat.
Source: Facebook
⬇️⬇️⬇️ Continue
#NetizensVoice
Hongkongers have evolved through the past year
The boy holding the tailgate sign at the end of the line was a university student, reporters found him when the queue started to shorten at 23:00, pointing all the live camera at him, while he bashfully held up a handwritten card to ask the reporters not to film his appearance. The reporters came up to ask for his thought and the time when he started tailgating, he said that he arrived at 17:00 and started to be “Mr Tailgating” as he found the situation a bit messy, instructing people where to line up for paying their respects from 18:00 to 23:00. When Siu Wan (a journalist) asked for his thought on the movement, he suddenly stood up straight and said, “I think we don’t need to wait for people to start activities online, if we want to participate in any activity, just do it.” (main idea)
I was more interested in the origin of his paper, he chuckled and said, “It’s just lecture notes.” Oh, so he’s a student of Kuo Way. I bet this page of lecture notes from mechanical engineering would not know that it had not only transferred knowledge, but become the guiding light of tens of thousands of Hongkongers tonight.
It’s all thanks to the (government’s) strong suppression on all the (activity) organizations last year. “No cross (with cross being the chill to the bones in the Chinese version of this saying), no crown (with crown being the civic maturity of Hong Kong)”, and last year was a Siberian chill, training Hong Kong to become an absolutely mature civil society which is astonishingly neat. A spontaneous memorial with tens of thousands of people paying their respects has only overflown one trash can, and there wasn’t even a piece of paper bigger than a fingernail on the ground, which is a huge improvement from the Occupy Movement in 2014.
When I talked to other reporters today, we all had the feeling that our comrades were not only back in place tonight, but also evolved since last time. But as the citizens have matured, the regime keep shrinking the room allowed for civic maturity, while RTHK, Foo Tak Building and Hong Kong Alliance are going to be broken down one by one. While the civic energy can no longer be pressed, how will this Summer of Freedom 2.0 go on?
I am worried.
PS: Listening to “Sing Hallelujah To The Lord” again makes me emotional as it feels like a lifetime ago, as I haven’t been listening to it for a year. Before the National Security Law, we probably all need to sing hallelujah to the lord to ask God to keep us safe. Amen.
#NotAChristian
#ButILoveRealChristians
#HeavenHasReservedASeatForThoseWhoShouldGo
#HongkongersRunHongKongWell
#NoNeedToBotherYou
Source: Facebook
Further reading:
The end of the Queue was at Mid-levels
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/22554
#SingHallelujahToTheLord #SelfHelp #CivicMaturity #Remembrance #15June #YellowRainCoatman #MarcoLeung
Hongkongers have evolved through the past year
The boy holding the tailgate sign at the end of the line was a university student, reporters found him when the queue started to shorten at 23:00, pointing all the live camera at him, while he bashfully held up a handwritten card to ask the reporters not to film his appearance. The reporters came up to ask for his thought and the time when he started tailgating, he said that he arrived at 17:00 and started to be “Mr Tailgating” as he found the situation a bit messy, instructing people where to line up for paying their respects from 18:00 to 23:00. When Siu Wan (a journalist) asked for his thought on the movement, he suddenly stood up straight and said, “I think we don’t need to wait for people to start activities online, if we want to participate in any activity, just do it.” (main idea)
I was more interested in the origin of his paper, he chuckled and said, “It’s just lecture notes.” Oh, so he’s a student of Kuo Way. I bet this page of lecture notes from mechanical engineering would not know that it had not only transferred knowledge, but become the guiding light of tens of thousands of Hongkongers tonight.
It’s all thanks to the (government’s) strong suppression on all the (activity) organizations last year. “No cross (with cross being the chill to the bones in the Chinese version of this saying), no crown (with crown being the civic maturity of Hong Kong)”, and last year was a Siberian chill, training Hong Kong to become an absolutely mature civil society which is astonishingly neat. A spontaneous memorial with tens of thousands of people paying their respects has only overflown one trash can, and there wasn’t even a piece of paper bigger than a fingernail on the ground, which is a huge improvement from the Occupy Movement in 2014.
When I talked to other reporters today, we all had the feeling that our comrades were not only back in place tonight, but also evolved since last time. But as the citizens have matured, the regime keep shrinking the room allowed for civic maturity, while RTHK, Foo Tak Building and Hong Kong Alliance are going to be broken down one by one. While the civic energy can no longer be pressed, how will this Summer of Freedom 2.0 go on?
I am worried.
PS: Listening to “Sing Hallelujah To The Lord” again makes me emotional as it feels like a lifetime ago, as I haven’t been listening to it for a year. Before the National Security Law, we probably all need to sing hallelujah to the lord to ask God to keep us safe. Amen.
#NotAChristian
#ButILoveRealChristians
#HeavenHasReservedASeatForThoseWhoShouldGo
#HongkongersRunHongKongWell
#NoNeedToBotherYou
Source: Facebook
Further reading:
The end of the Queue was at Mid-levels
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/22554
#SingHallelujahToTheLord #SelfHelp #CivicMaturity #Remembrance #15June #YellowRainCoatman #MarcoLeung
Telegram
📡Guardians of Hong Kong
#Remembrance #15June
The end of the Queue was at Mid-levels
This video shows a long queue over 2 kilometers from Ginza Plaza to Mid-levels formed orderly and peacefully by citizens to pay tribute to protest martyr Marco Leung.
Marco Leung Ling-kit fell…
The end of the Queue was at Mid-levels
This video shows a long queue over 2 kilometers from Ginza Plaza to Mid-levels formed orderly and peacefully by citizens to pay tribute to protest martyr Marco Leung.
Marco Leung Ling-kit fell…
#Court
Private prosecution system can be abused: minister
//Justice Secretary Teresa Cheng on Tuesday set out a host of reasons why she might have to intervene in a private prosecution accepted by a magistrate, at a time when pro-democracy lawmakers are pursuing cases against the police and a rival legislator.//
//Cheng said the Department of Justice has an obligation to intervene in and discontinue a private prosecution which is considered to have no reasonable prospect of conviction, be contrary to the public interest, be brought out of improper motives, or constitute an abuse of process.//
//Last week, an Eastern Court magistrate agreed to summon a police officer who shot a protester with live ammunition last November, in a private prosecution brought by Ted Hui. The Democratic Party legislator also has a case against a taxi driver whose vehicle ploughed into a group of protesters last October.
People Power lawmaker Ray Chan, meanwhile, has filed an application to launch a private prosecution against pro-Beijing rival Kwok Wai-keung over an alleged assault in Legco last month.//
Source: RTHK
#Jun16 #PrivateProsecutionSystem #TeresaCheng
Private prosecution system can be abused: minister
//Justice Secretary Teresa Cheng on Tuesday set out a host of reasons why she might have to intervene in a private prosecution accepted by a magistrate, at a time when pro-democracy lawmakers are pursuing cases against the police and a rival legislator.//
//Cheng said the Department of Justice has an obligation to intervene in and discontinue a private prosecution which is considered to have no reasonable prospect of conviction, be contrary to the public interest, be brought out of improper motives, or constitute an abuse of process.//
//Last week, an Eastern Court magistrate agreed to summon a police officer who shot a protester with live ammunition last November, in a private prosecution brought by Ted Hui. The Democratic Party legislator also has a case against a taxi driver whose vehicle ploughed into a group of protesters last October.
People Power lawmaker Ray Chan, meanwhile, has filed an application to launch a private prosecution against pro-Beijing rival Kwok Wai-keung over an alleged assault in Legco last month.//
Source: RTHK
#Jun16 #PrivateProsecutionSystem #TeresaCheng
news.rthk.hk
Private prosecution system can be abused: minister
Justice Secretary Teresa Cheng on Tuesday set out a host of reasons why she might have to intervene in a private prosecution accepted by a magistrate, at a time when pro-democracy lawmakers are pursuing cases against the police and a rival legislator. Writing…
#OpinionArticle
Is The Department of Justice Going to Interfere With Private Prosecutions?
Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng wrote on her blog today, stating that that Department of Justice has the rights to interfere with private prosecutions. Obviously, she was talking about the case of Raymond Chan Chi-chuen versus Kwok Wai-keung and the case between Hui Chi-fung and the police officer who fired his gun in Sai Wan Ho.
Private prosecution is an important part of the common law system to protect citizens. The Court of United Kingdom states that private prosecutions serve as “a valuable constitutional protection against the neglect and bias of the authority”. Why?
Under normal circumstances, a prosecution is the responsibility of Department of Justice. Yet, when the justice department of a society chooses to ignore injustice and refuses to prosecute and stand for justice, private prosecutions provide citizens the right to prosecute.
In other words, its function is to maintain the checks and balances of the Department of Justice, and the execution bodies when they are biased, of which is the situation that Hong Kong is in now.
The Honourable Mr Justice Kevin Paul Zervos said that, “the public has the right to know the standards and guidelines of prosecutors in criminal proceedings. They also have the right to experience these standards.”
Yet, nowadays, most Hong Kong citizens are not allowed to learn about these standards. More and more cases make citizens question the independence and professionalism of these bodies.
＊＊＊＊
Private prosecutions have always been an essential part of the Hong Kong law system.
Legal expert Simon M.N. Young (2009) said, HKDOJ cannot monopolise the right to prosecute. In 1970s, the Court of Appeal was aware that “there are private prosecutions from time to time” in Hong Kong, including private prosecutions against the police torturing citizens.
It means that private prosecution has always been a norm in Hong Kong history. The Department Of Justice should not interfere. The interference of the Department Of Justice is actually a very delicate matter, and usually under special circumstances. For example, the prosecution does not have substantial evidences, and obviously violates the interest of the public or very tedious. This is not a simple matter, and as Cheng put it, it is “unnecessary or unreasonable”.
The law states that Department Of Justice has the right to interfere or even end a private prosecution. However this is used to prevent the public from abusing their rights, instead of allowing the Department Of Justice to have superior rights to cancel a prosecution.
In the case of Dyson v Attorney General: CA 1911, the court states that the right to stop a prosecution “should not be enacted easily. Only when a prosecution is misused, it can be used. “
＊＊＊＊
The private prosecutions of Chen Chi-chuen and Hui Chi-fung were accepted by the court and summons were issued. This shows that the prosecutions were reasonable to begin with. If Cheng really interferes with or stops the prosecution, it would mean that that she is questioning the professional judgement of the judge, and putting political pressure on the magistrates.
This has the potential to be something big.
Article From: 書生百用
#Jun16 #TeresaCheng #PrivateProsecutionSystem
Is The Department of Justice Going to Interfere With Private Prosecutions?
Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng wrote on her blog today, stating that that Department of Justice has the rights to interfere with private prosecutions. Obviously, she was talking about the case of Raymond Chan Chi-chuen versus Kwok Wai-keung and the case between Hui Chi-fung and the police officer who fired his gun in Sai Wan Ho.
Private prosecution is an important part of the common law system to protect citizens. The Court of United Kingdom states that private prosecutions serve as “a valuable constitutional protection against the neglect and bias of the authority”. Why?
Under normal circumstances, a prosecution is the responsibility of Department of Justice. Yet, when the justice department of a society chooses to ignore injustice and refuses to prosecute and stand for justice, private prosecutions provide citizens the right to prosecute.
In other words, its function is to maintain the checks and balances of the Department of Justice, and the execution bodies when they are biased, of which is the situation that Hong Kong is in now.
The Honourable Mr Justice Kevin Paul Zervos said that, “the public has the right to know the standards and guidelines of prosecutors in criminal proceedings. They also have the right to experience these standards.”
Yet, nowadays, most Hong Kong citizens are not allowed to learn about these standards. More and more cases make citizens question the independence and professionalism of these bodies.
＊＊＊＊
Private prosecutions have always been an essential part of the Hong Kong law system.
Legal expert Simon M.N. Young (2009) said, HKDOJ cannot monopolise the right to prosecute. In 1970s, the Court of Appeal was aware that “there are private prosecutions from time to time” in Hong Kong, including private prosecutions against the police torturing citizens.
It means that private prosecution has always been a norm in Hong Kong history. The Department Of Justice should not interfere. The interference of the Department Of Justice is actually a very delicate matter, and usually under special circumstances. For example, the prosecution does not have substantial evidences, and obviously violates the interest of the public or very tedious. This is not a simple matter, and as Cheng put it, it is “unnecessary or unreasonable”.
The law states that Department Of Justice has the right to interfere or even end a private prosecution. However this is used to prevent the public from abusing their rights, instead of allowing the Department Of Justice to have superior rights to cancel a prosecution.
In the case of Dyson v Attorney General: CA 1911, the court states that the right to stop a prosecution “should not be enacted easily. Only when a prosecution is misused, it can be used. “
＊＊＊＊
The private prosecutions of Chen Chi-chuen and Hui Chi-fung were accepted by the court and summons were issued. This shows that the prosecutions were reasonable to begin with. If Cheng really interferes with or stops the prosecution, it would mean that that she is questioning the professional judgement of the judge, and putting political pressure on the magistrates.
This has the potential to be something big.
Article From: 書生百用
#Jun16 #TeresaCheng #PrivateProsecutionSystem
Facebook
書生百用
今日鄭若驊在網誌上撰寫指律政司有權介入私人檢控，明顯是特別針對陳志全和許智峯分別對郭健強和西灣河開槍交通警的個案。 「私人檢控 (Private Prosecution) 」是普通法系中保障公民的重要權力。英國法院曾指私人檢控是「針對權力機關怠慢或偏袒的一項寶貴憲法保障」。為什麼英國法院會這樣說？...
#NetizensVoice
Being as a person facing court right now, I would like to warn you that even Spark Alliance HK is infiltrated
(1 Jun) Well, that is:
My younger brother was arrested in the scene last Sep; we sought legal assistance from lawyers from “Civil Human Rights Front” (CHRF) and “Spark Alliance HK” (612). Soon later, my family members referred another one to us, thus we changed the legal representative; who is a solicitor named Lee xx. Lee later claimed himself joined CHRF and 612. I am not going to publicize the full name of Lee here as my family members are still having good relationship with Lee. However, I will report Lee’s behavior to CHRF and 612.
Lee found a barrister to act on us, Kwong Man Cheong. All along the period, Kwong told us in all meetings that “our case would be lose, suggested pleading guilty to relieve the sentence.” Though I told Kwong that I won’t plead guilty to an offence in political nature; and I’d prepared for the jail. Kwong replied me throughout the period that: “I respect your choice. If you would like to have a trial, I would represent you to fight for it.”
It’s fine, I’m going to have the plea day tomorrow.
Today in the afternoon, I received a call from Lee who said: “Kwong (Gilbert Kwong) opined your case would not win, and you did not agree to plead guilty, Kwong now decided not to represent you. So that I have already helped you to find another barrister, will send his name card to you soon.”
When I read the name card, the barrister is Albert Luk’s Chambers, the fu*king Albert Luk!
I throwback, they (Lee and Kwong) in fact want to persuade me admitting the charges at the very beginning; and declined us right before the plea day.
Although Lee said Kwong could represent us the last time (tomorrow), we rejected. To be frank, How do I know if Kwong will not ask the court to remand me?! LOL.
This is a remind to everyone, infiltration is really serious, regardless of LIHKG, undercovers in the scene and teams; and even infiltrated into the process of seeking a legal representative.
Even they are not undercovers and infiltration, those heartless legal advisers, who have never thought to help the activists (us), sucked hard-earned money donated by the public to 612.
Last but not least, I would like to particularly thank for the legal advisors from CHRF; they had not abandoned us due to our initial rejection to their lawyers. They even worked overtimes at midnight to understand our situation before my plea day, and represent us on the next day.
Million thanks to you all, though I might be in jail at the end.
I will never forget your all’s sincere assistance.
Source: LIHKG
https://lih.kg/2046761
#SparkAllianceHK #Court #Lawyer #Chinainfiltration
Being as a person facing court right now, I would like to warn you that even Spark Alliance HK is infiltrated
(1 Jun) Well, that is:
My younger brother was arrested in the scene last Sep; we sought legal assistance from lawyers from “Civil Human Rights Front” (CHRF) and “Spark Alliance HK” (612). Soon later, my family members referred another one to us, thus we changed the legal representative; who is a solicitor named Lee xx. Lee later claimed himself joined CHRF and 612. I am not going to publicize the full name of Lee here as my family members are still having good relationship with Lee. However, I will report Lee’s behavior to CHRF and 612.
Lee found a barrister to act on us, Kwong Man Cheong. All along the period, Kwong told us in all meetings that “our case would be lose, suggested pleading guilty to relieve the sentence.” Though I told Kwong that I won’t plead guilty to an offence in political nature; and I’d prepared for the jail. Kwong replied me throughout the period that: “I respect your choice. If you would like to have a trial, I would represent you to fight for it.”
It’s fine, I’m going to have the plea day tomorrow.
Today in the afternoon, I received a call from Lee who said: “Kwong (Gilbert Kwong) opined your case would not win, and you did not agree to plead guilty, Kwong now decided not to represent you. So that I have already helped you to find another barrister, will send his name card to you soon.”
When I read the name card, the barrister is Albert Luk’s Chambers, the fu*king Albert Luk!
I throwback, they (Lee and Kwong) in fact want to persuade me admitting the charges at the very beginning; and declined us right before the plea day.
Although Lee said Kwong could represent us the last time (tomorrow), we rejected. To be frank, How do I know if Kwong will not ask the court to remand me?! LOL.
This is a remind to everyone, infiltration is really serious, regardless of LIHKG, undercovers in the scene and teams; and even infiltrated into the process of seeking a legal representative.
Even they are not undercovers and infiltration, those heartless legal advisers, who have never thought to help the activists (us), sucked hard-earned money donated by the public to 612.
Last but not least, I would like to particularly thank for the legal advisors from CHRF; they had not abandoned us due to our initial rejection to their lawyers. They even worked overtimes at midnight to understand our situation before my plea day, and represent us on the next day.
Million thanks to you all, though I might be in jail at the end.
I will never forget your all’s sincere assistance.
Source: LIHKG
https://lih.kg/2046761
#SparkAllianceHK #Court #Lawyer #Chinainfiltration
LIHKG 討論區
「警世長文」作為一個上緊庭嘅人，我想同你地講連星火律師都有滲透
是咁的
細佬我上年九月on site被捕
搵咗星火同埋民陣律師幫我
後嚟我屋企人搵咗個相熟嘅律師幫，所以轉咗律師
佢叫李xx，係一個事務律師嚟
佢期後就聲稱加入咗星火同612
屋企人同佢都有交情，所以我喺哩到就唔開佢名啦
不過條冚家拎我會同返612基金同星火果邊report
話說佢幫我搵咗個大律師叫鄺民昌
一直以嚟佢同我開會嘅主軸都大體上係講
「輸嫁啦，認罪判輕啲」
然而我一直都係覺得，政治罪我認咩呢？講到明我真係唔會認，最多咪坐囉
而佢畀我嘅回覆一直都係話「咁我都尊重返你意見啦，你要打官司我都一定幫你打嘅」…
細佬我上年九月on site被捕
搵咗星火同埋民陣律師幫我
後嚟我屋企人搵咗個相熟嘅律師幫，所以轉咗律師
佢叫李xx，係一個事務律師嚟
佢期後就聲稱加入咗星火同612
屋企人同佢都有交情，所以我喺哩到就唔開佢名啦
不過條冚家拎我會同返612基金同星火果邊report
話說佢幫我搵咗個大律師叫鄺民昌
一直以嚟佢同我開會嘅主軸都大體上係講
「輸嫁啦，認罪判輕啲」
然而我一直都係覺得，政治罪我認咩呢？講到明我真係唔會認，最多咪坐囉
而佢畀我嘅回覆一直都係話「咁我都尊重返你意見啦，你要打官司我都一定幫你打嘅」…
#NationalSecurityLaw
1351 | Beijing
Xinhua News Agency: The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress to consider the implementation of the National Security Law
#Jun18 #NPC #StandingCommittee
1351 | Beijing
Xinhua News Agency: The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress to consider the implementation of the National Security Law
#Jun18 #NPC #StandingCommittee
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#YellowEconomyCircle #NationalSecurityLaw
State Approved Violence?: Pro-democracy Yellow Store Was Splashed with Black Paint
According to a video posted by Southern District Councillor Tiffany Yuen, a video showing two man splashing black paint onto a pro-democracy store in Lei Tung Estate.
One man was filming as the other splashed the paint as "proof" (in order to get credit for the work). In her post, Yuen wrote, "Nobody is safe under the national security law, it doesn't matter if you are a pro-democracy politician, or just a store owner in a rural area. They're splashing paint today, but there might be more dangerous actions in the future".
Source: Tiffany Yuen's Facebook
State Approved Violence?: Pro-democracy Yellow Store Was Splashed with Black Paint
According to a video posted by Southern District Councillor Tiffany Yuen, a video showing two man splashing black paint onto a pro-democracy store in Lei Tung Estate.
One man was filming as the other splashed the paint as "proof" (in order to get credit for the work). In her post, Yuen wrote, "Nobody is safe under the national security law, it doesn't matter if you are a pro-democracy politician, or just a store owner in a rural area. They're splashing paint today, but there might be more dangerous actions in the future".
Source: Tiffany Yuen's Facebook
Plainclothes Police Flashed by Riot Police: Blue on blue!
At around 2245 in Sha Tin's New Town Plaza on June 12, 2020, the riot police rushed to the 3rd and 4th floors of the mall to stop and search civilians.
Meanwhile, they flashed torchlight a group of people on the 6th floor. Several plainclothed police immediately shouted, "Why are you flashing? Blue on blue!" The riot police officer on the 4th floor then asked "Which team are you on?"
Source: Stand News #Jun12 #Shatin #BlueOnblue #HongKongPolice
At around 2245 in Sha Tin's New Town Plaza on June 12, 2020, the riot police rushed to the 3rd and 4th floors of the mall to stop and search civilians.
Meanwhile, they flashed torchlight a group of people on the 6th floor. Several plainclothed police immediately shouted, "Why are you flashing? Blue on blue!" The riot police officer on the 4th floor then asked "Which team are you on?"
Source: Stand News #Jun12 #Shatin #BlueOnblue #HongKongPolice
#Newspaper
Zoom closes account of US-based Chinese dissidents after Tiananmen conference
Exiled dissidents of the Tiananmen Massacre used Zoom to host a forum about Beijing’s bloody Tiananmen Square Crackdown on protesters in 1989.
The event marked the first time so many high-profile figures with direct ties to the 1989 pro-democracy movement had come together in one space. The promotion was administered through WeChat only two days before to avoid the attention of China’s authorities.
The event on May 31 saw participants dial in from China to listen to the testimonies of many people tied to the events of June 4, including those who were imprisoned, exiled, and family members of the deceased.
The account used for the forum was disabled shortly after. A statement from Zoom suggested that it had taken such action because participants who were in China at the time of the conference had violated local laws by joining. Zoom offered no further elaboration on what laws had been broken and whether Chinese authorities were involved.
This is not the first time online activism related to the event appeared to be censored by even Western internet companies.
Full Articles: SCMP, (11-Jun)
https://bit.ly/2BeWCgS
#SharpPower #FreedomOfSpeech #Censorship #Kowtow #TiananmenMassacre #Zoom
Zoom closes account of US-based Chinese dissidents after Tiananmen conference
Exiled dissidents of the Tiananmen Massacre used Zoom to host a forum about Beijing’s bloody Tiananmen Square Crackdown on protesters in 1989.
The event marked the first time so many high-profile figures with direct ties to the 1989 pro-democracy movement had come together in one space. The promotion was administered through WeChat only two days before to avoid the attention of China’s authorities.
The event on May 31 saw participants dial in from China to listen to the testimonies of many people tied to the events of June 4, including those who were imprisoned, exiled, and family members of the deceased.
The account used for the forum was disabled shortly after. A statement from Zoom suggested that it had taken such action because participants who were in China at the time of the conference had violated local laws by joining. Zoom offered no further elaboration on what laws had been broken and whether Chinese authorities were involved.
This is not the first time online activism related to the event appeared to be censored by even Western internet companies.
Full Articles: SCMP, (11-Jun)
https://bit.ly/2BeWCgS
#SharpPower #FreedomOfSpeech #Censorship #Kowtow #TiananmenMassacre #Zoom
South China Morning Post
Zoom closes account of US-based Chinese dissidents after Tiananmen conference
Participants had joined Zoom meeting from China to listen to testimonies of people targeted in 1989’s bloody June 4 crackdown on pro-democracy protesters.
#Newspaper
Zoom promised to be better at censoring global calls at Beijing’s request
// the US-based video-conferencing company admitted to shutting down meetings held to commemorate those who died during the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown in China, and suspending the accounts of two activists and Humanitarian China, a US-based organization of exiled Chinese activists at the direct request of Beijing, who said the meetings were illegal. There are no Chinese laws stipulating that activities related to the June 4 massacre are illegal, but people in China, except Hong Kong, have been banned from holding any vigils or posting words related to the incident online.
//it simultaneously chastised governments for censoring their own citizens, while pledging to improve its own censorship mechanisms to better address censorship requests from different states. It sounded a contrite note over its inability to be surgically precise in its censorship, saying it “could have anticipated this need” to “block participants by country,” which would have allowed them to keep the meetings running despite “significant repercussions.”
//the company regrets that “participants both inside and outside of China were negatively impacted and important conversations…disrupted,” but that “[i]t is not in Zoom’s power to change the laws of governments opposed to free speech.”... “for situations where local authorities block communications for participants within their borders, Zoom is developing additional capabilities that protect these conversations for participants outside of those borders.”
//Apple... came under fire for removing a Hong Kong protest app from its app store. Microsoft-owned Skype, before it was completely removed from app stores in China in 2017, also had a China-only version of its software that censored a specific list of words.
//At the core of the issue is whether those companies should uphold their American values even if that means they giving up on the lucrative China market, as Google did, or continue their operations in the country by compromising certain practices such as adopting advanced censorship systems.
Full article: Quartz, (12-Jun)
https://t.co/htwTjfFmKT
#Censorship #Zoom #SharpPower #FreedomOfSpeech #China
Zoom promised to be better at censoring global calls at Beijing’s request
// the US-based video-conferencing company admitted to shutting down meetings held to commemorate those who died during the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown in China, and suspending the accounts of two activists and Humanitarian China, a US-based organization of exiled Chinese activists at the direct request of Beijing, who said the meetings were illegal. There are no Chinese laws stipulating that activities related to the June 4 massacre are illegal, but people in China, except Hong Kong, have been banned from holding any vigils or posting words related to the incident online.
//it simultaneously chastised governments for censoring their own citizens, while pledging to improve its own censorship mechanisms to better address censorship requests from different states. It sounded a contrite note over its inability to be surgically precise in its censorship, saying it “could have anticipated this need” to “block participants by country,” which would have allowed them to keep the meetings running despite “significant repercussions.”
//the company regrets that “participants both inside and outside of China were negatively impacted and important conversations…disrupted,” but that “[i]t is not in Zoom’s power to change the laws of governments opposed to free speech.”... “for situations where local authorities block communications for participants within their borders, Zoom is developing additional capabilities that protect these conversations for participants outside of those borders.”
//Apple... came under fire for removing a Hong Kong protest app from its app store. Microsoft-owned Skype, before it was completely removed from app stores in China in 2017, also had a China-only version of its software that censored a specific list of words.
//At the core of the issue is whether those companies should uphold their American values even if that means they giving up on the lucrative China market, as Google did, or continue their operations in the country by compromising certain practices such as adopting advanced censorship systems.
Full article: Quartz, (12-Jun)
https://t.co/htwTjfFmKT
#Censorship #Zoom #SharpPower #FreedomOfSpeech #China
Quartz
Censorship from Beijing is one more reason for you to worry about using Zoom
People were already uneasy about Zoom. Then it quietly suspended an account used by Chinese dissidents in exile who organized a Tiananmen event.
#Disinformation
Pro-China party twists official statistics in a bid to blame economic suffering on pro-democracy movement
The pro-China political party Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), created a new Facebook post entitled “How badly has black-clad violence battered Hong Kong in past one year?”. Along with the post, a set of statistics concerning the economic, crime, and unemployment statuses of Hong Kong were duly shared, with the intent to highlight the unspoken impact of anti-ELAB protest activities and clashes throughout 2019. Factwire, however, looked into these numbers, and most of which are performance data from the first 4 months of 2020, during the height of Hong Kong’s coronavirus outbreak. It is an apparent disinformation campaign attempting to mislead citizens by summing up causes of complicated economic adversities on a single factor.
Looking at the data, the value of total retail sales was compared between the April’s of this year and last year, while the comparison on travelers was drawn between January 2020 and 2019. The post also mentioned unemployment and underemployment in Hong Kong. After verification, these figures were confirmed as only seasonal adjustments for the period from February to April 2020. When issuing the relevant data, the Tourism Board and the Government both mentioned the impact of epidemic outbreak, and consistently both did not mention anti-ELAB social movement as the cause.
The post also compared the crime figures from January to March this year with the same period last year, with information from the Hong Kong Police Force, in which cases concerning robberies and fraud were said not related to anti-ELAB movement.
Source: Factwire
#Jun16 #DAB #Statistics
Pro-China party twists official statistics in a bid to blame economic suffering on pro-democracy movement
The pro-China political party Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), created a new Facebook post entitled “How badly has black-clad violence battered Hong Kong in past one year?”. Along with the post, a set of statistics concerning the economic, crime, and unemployment statuses of Hong Kong were duly shared, with the intent to highlight the unspoken impact of anti-ELAB protest activities and clashes throughout 2019. Factwire, however, looked into these numbers, and most of which are performance data from the first 4 months of 2020, during the height of Hong Kong’s coronavirus outbreak. It is an apparent disinformation campaign attempting to mislead citizens by summing up causes of complicated economic adversities on a single factor.
Looking at the data, the value of total retail sales was compared between the April’s of this year and last year, while the comparison on travelers was drawn between January 2020 and 2019. The post also mentioned unemployment and underemployment in Hong Kong. After verification, these figures were confirmed as only seasonal adjustments for the period from February to April 2020. When issuing the relevant data, the Tourism Board and the Government both mentioned the impact of epidemic outbreak, and consistently both did not mention anti-ELAB social movement as the cause.
The post also compared the crime figures from January to March this year with the same period last year, with information from the Hong Kong Police Force, in which cases concerning robberies and fraud were said not related to anti-ELAB movement.
Source: Factwire
#Jun16 #DAB #Statistics
#DailyUpdate #Jun18 #COVID19
COVID-19 Updates (Jun 18)
At the time of writing, 8,476,295 cases of the coronavirus had been confirmed with 452,084 deaths. 4,444,375 have recovered.
The 4 most affected countries are USA, Brazil, Russia and India.
Hong Kong has reported 4 imported cases.
Hong Kong is strengthening inspections for entrants from Beijing.
The Hong Kong Disneyland Park reopens today.
China has reported 24 local cases, 21 from Beijing, and 2 from Hebei and 1 from Tianjin.
China's CDC claims Beijing's Covid-19 outbreak is under control.
WHO suggests dexamethasone should be only used on patients with serious symptoms.
From Friday onwards Japan allows people to travel across different regions.
US - Eight Kansas State student-athletes test positive for Covid-19.
Coronavirus in Africa could set back some HIV preventions by a decade.
Eight countries account for 84% of the coronavirus cases across the African region.
Source: CNN, Worldometer, Now News
COVID-19 Updates (Jun 18)
At the time of writing, 8,476,295 cases of the coronavirus had been confirmed with 452,084 deaths. 4,444,375 have recovered.
The 4 most affected countries are USA, Brazil, Russia and India.
Hong Kong has reported 4 imported cases.
Hong Kong is strengthening inspections for entrants from Beijing.
The Hong Kong Disneyland Park reopens today.
China has reported 24 local cases, 21 from Beijing, and 2 from Hebei and 1 from Tianjin.
China's CDC claims Beijing's Covid-19 outbreak is under control.
WHO suggests dexamethasone should be only used on patients with serious symptoms.
From Friday onwards Japan allows people to travel across different regions.
US - Eight Kansas State student-athletes test positive for Covid-19.
Coronavirus in Africa could set back some HIV preventions by a decade.
Eight countries account for 84% of the coronavirus cases across the African region.
Source: CNN, Worldometer, Now News
#EditorialColumn
The truth of China’s sharp power in the gaming industry
Nintendo (HK) released a campaign on Super Smash Bros Ultimate on 4 June, in commemoration of the N64 console. The idea is that the gaming experience would multiply by 6.4 times. Interestingly, the day actually has little ties to the actual release day of N64. Netizens quickly concluded that this campaign is in fact giving a nod at another eventful 6.4, or what happened at China's Tiananmen Square back in 1989.
China has a huge market. However, with its current wolf diplomacy, participating in this market may come with unexpected costs. The theft of intellectual property, for one, is a risk many foreign entrants must take when working with a local proxy. Complying with local censorship laws is another.
Examples like Animal Crossing and Devotion show that the Chinese audience tends to react very poorly at the slightest amount of what they perceive to be negative content, or ones that "hurt the Chinese's feelings". It could result in a game being banned in China and the company boycotted by Chinese gamers. Normally, most foreign companies tiptoe around sensitive issues in China.
As time goes on, governments and companies realize that heavy reliance on the Chinese market would result in over dependence on the country and its industries. The recent pandemic is a perfect and very unfortunate example of how much the world relies on this global manufacturing conglomerate.
At the same time, companies realize Chinese boycott may merely be lip service, as amidst the uproar, many Chinese gamers still try to purchase parallel imported products, when the licensed alternative is banned.
In the current situation where the world is reconsidering their relationship and interaction with China, it is not surprising if some companies try to push the envelope of the communist regime, in an effort to show that they are not pawns of China.
Source: Simon Shen’s Youtube, Hitchcock Game news Youtube
#SharpPower #Nintendo #Jun4 #CCP #ChineseBoycott #GamingIndustrial
The truth of China’s sharp power in the gaming industry
Nintendo (HK) released a campaign on Super Smash Bros Ultimate on 4 June, in commemoration of the N64 console. The idea is that the gaming experience would multiply by 6.4 times. Interestingly, the day actually has little ties to the actual release day of N64. Netizens quickly concluded that this campaign is in fact giving a nod at another eventful 6.4, or what happened at China's Tiananmen Square back in 1989.
China has a huge market. However, with its current wolf diplomacy, participating in this market may come with unexpected costs. The theft of intellectual property, for one, is a risk many foreign entrants must take when working with a local proxy. Complying with local censorship laws is another.
Examples like Animal Crossing and Devotion show that the Chinese audience tends to react very poorly at the slightest amount of what they perceive to be negative content, or ones that "hurt the Chinese's feelings". It could result in a game being banned in China and the company boycotted by Chinese gamers. Normally, most foreign companies tiptoe around sensitive issues in China.
As time goes on, governments and companies realize that heavy reliance on the Chinese market would result in over dependence on the country and its industries. The recent pandemic is a perfect and very unfortunate example of how much the world relies on this global manufacturing conglomerate.
At the same time, companies realize Chinese boycott may merely be lip service, as amidst the uproar, many Chinese gamers still try to purchase parallel imported products, when the licensed alternative is banned.
In the current situation where the world is reconsidering their relationship and interaction with China, it is not surprising if some companies try to push the envelope of the communist regime, in an effort to show that they are not pawns of China.
Source: Simon Shen’s Youtube, Hitchcock Game news Youtube
#SharpPower #Nintendo #Jun4 #CCP #ChineseBoycott #GamingIndustrial
YouTube
【萬國時空．沈旭暉 013】中美脫鉤與香港：中國Sharp Power的反面教材 🇨🇳🇺🇸
曾幾何時，中國把「一國兩制」視為拉攏台灣的國策之一，然而看見香港的「成功案例」，今天台灣絕大多數民意堅決抗拒「一國兩制」，甚至連韓國瑜，也說實行「一國兩制」要「over my dead body」。香港「一國兩制」不可能走回「井水不犯河水」，原因之一，正是中國早已放棄軟實力，改行「銳實力」。香港這反面教材，也成為全球觀察中國「銳實力」的實驗室，乃至對今日中美decouple，也有直接影響......
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Super Mario Maker 2 E-Commerca Listings removed in China
(14 Jun) Super Mario Maker 2 was removed from product listings on Taobao, one of the largest e-commerce platforms in China.
Some players make use of the sandbox game to create stages with names like "8964", "Xi JinPing the emperor of the wall nation". The game was then considered as "an insult to China" by the Chinese government. The Chinese authorities may be taking this as a preventive measure before offensive messages appear from the game.
Source: Unwire HK, Nintendosoup
#Nintendo #SuperMario2 #Censorship
Super Mario Maker 2 E-Commerca Listings removed in China
(14 Jun) Super Mario Maker 2 was removed from product listings on Taobao, one of the largest e-commerce platforms in China.
Some players make use of the sandbox game to create stages with names like "8964", "Xi JinPing the emperor of the wall nation". The game was then considered as "an insult to China" by the Chinese government. The Chinese authorities may be taking this as a preventive measure before offensive messages appear from the game.
Source: Unwire HK, Nintendosoup
#Nintendo #SuperMario2 #Censorship
Unwire.hk
Super Mario Maker 2 被指「辱華」 中國網店全線下架
中國對於網上內容，包括遊戲內的字眼都有嚴格的審查，水貨遊戲則是灰色地帶。最近有 Super Mario Maker 2 玩家在遊戲的自製關卡內加入諷刺字句，被中國網民發現後，網店已經全面下架無法購買。