#OpinionArticle #HongKongChronicles #ProvisionalLegCo

Hong Kong 1997: When the Beijing-Controlled Provisional Legislative Council Passed So Many Draconian Laws

How long does it take for a Legislature Fully Controlled by the Establishment to Pass a Draconian Law?

Answer: Overnight

Editor's Note:
The Provisional Legislative Council was formed in January 25, 1997 unilaterally by Beijing due to China's rejection of Hong Kong governor Chris Patten’s democrarization plan. The unelected Provisional Legislative Council was deemed illegal before the handover, as the members were solely appointed by Beijing.

However, soon after the sovereignty transfer, Beijing dissolved the pro-democracy legislature directly elected by Hong Kong people in 1995. The Beijing-backed Provisional Council became the 'official' legislature serving a term until June 30, 1998.

The following are some draconian laws practiced in current Hong Kong which were passed by the Beijing-arranged legislature after the handover:

The Return of the Public Security Ordinance

In 1995, in accordance with the Hong Kong Bill of Rights Ordinance, some provisions of the Public Security Ordinance were ruled to be in conflict with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and therefore abolished. These included the bans on demonstrations of more than 30 people and gatherings of more than 50 people.

The licensing system is changed to a notification system, and the organizer must notify the police 7 days before the event. In this regard, the Chinese government believes that the 1995 version of the regulations violates the Hong Kong Basic Law. Therefore, the Provisional Legislative Council of Hong Kong re-enacted some of the abolished provisions in 1997, including changing the notification system for processions and assemblies to the "letter of no objection" system.

The Beijing controlled legislature went through three readings in just one day on June 14, 1997.

Since then, Hong Kong people have lost their freedom of assembly. Every July 1st, the democracy front has to negotiate with the police for the latter to issue a letter of no objection .

The Right to Collective Bargaining Abolished

On June 26, 1997, fours days before the handover, the directly elected Legislative Council passed the "Employees’ Representative Rights, Consultation Rights, and Collective Bargaining Rights Ordinance" (referred to as the "Collective Bargaining Rights Ordinance") submitted by the Secretary-General of the Trade Union, Lee Cheuk-yen.

With concern for labor rights, the new ordinance enabled the right to collective bargaining. The arrangement is applicable to enterprises with more than 50 employees; and, the number of union members must exceed 15% of the number of employees and the authorization of more than 50% of the employees is required to obtain the right to collective bargaining.

However, after the transfer of sovereignty, the Beijing- controlled Council immediately overturned many laws that were considered "obstructive to the operation of the SAR government".

These included the "Employee Representative Rights, Consultation Rights and Collective Bargaining Rights Ordinance" on July 16 of the same year. The law was officially repealed in November 1997.

Since then, Hongkongers have been fighting for the restoration of collective bargaining rights, but there has been little progress in face of the establishment.

*This is an article written by columnist Chan Yu-ming and published by InMedia on 7 Feb, 2016.

Source: InMedia
https://www.inmediahk.net/node/1040693

#BeijingIntervention #Handover1997 #LegCo

#OpinionArticle

“Laam Caau:” The high-stakes game that Hong Kong protesters are waging with China

//“Laam Caau” (攬炒, pronounced “lahm tsow”) literally translates to “embrace and fry” in Cantonese. The term is borrowed from poker to mean making your opponent suffer as much as you do.

//“Laam Caau” is believed to be the only strategy to stand a chance against the formidable Chinese Communist Party by a sizable fraction of Hong Kong protestors. Some went as far as hoping Beijing would send in troops.

//At the core of this strategy, it’s the belief that the existing political framework is so rigged that operating under the current rules of engagement, as dictated by China, will only lead to defeat.

//In terms of action, the strategy entails pursuing action in different spheres of influence: Street protests, the local legislature, and international diplomatic outreach. It can also mean favouring small pro-democracy businesses—the “yellow economic circle”—instead of chains owned by pro-Beijing tycoons.

//While the passing of the Hong Kong National Security Law is seen as China’s most aggressive move yet and is set to change Hong Kong in exactly the way the protestors have feared, many believers of “Laam Caau” welcome it as they continue to work to make an international case for sanctioning Beijing.

Full Article: Yahoo! Finance, (30-Jun)

#LaamCaau #HongKongProtests

#OpinionArticle #TangHao

Why does the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) accelerate launching digital Renminbi (RMB)?

Editor’s note: Below is a summary but very close to the script of the first part of the video which is about digital Renminbi.

(15 Aug) The Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China had an announcement on 14 August about "Complete intensify trial locations for a new transaction service with innovative technology". 28 locations in China have been selected as trial locations to promote digital RMB. Besides the first-tier cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, sites include Yangtze River Delta Economic Zone, Guangdong-Hong Kong – Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), Urumchi, Xian and Midwest Chinese cities, etc. In April this year, Chinese National media reported that the trial campaign of the digital RMB in a closed system has already been started in Shenzhen, Suzhou, Xiongan New Area and Chengdu. We have discussed that in our channel. Just less than four months till now, CCP can't wait anymore to extend the trial location to 28 places over China. CCP's reaction shows the urgency in launching digital RMB. We have many newly joined subscribers on this channel. Let's have a revision of some key points first.

1. Easy to manipulate the quantity of currency and stimulate the economy

2. Tracing in all dimensions results in surveillance civilians

3. Control capital movement and prevent capital outflow

4. Restructure economy with “waste banknotes”

5. Establish a new currency system to confront USD and avoid sanction

6. Expand the penetration internationally for the United Front and surveillance the world

Full Translation:
https://telegra.ph/Why-does-the-Chinese-Communist-Party-CCP-accelerate-launching-digital-Renminbi-RMB-08-30

Source: Tang Hao’s Crossroad of the World Youtube Channel
⬇️⬇️⬇️Watch
https://youtu.be/dylZZJJldaU
Translated by: Hong Kong Echo

Further reading:
China’s State-Run Banks Reportedly Testing Wallet for Digital Yuan
https://bit.ly/3jwlS30

#DigitalCurrency #RMB #Sanction #Surveillance #SWIFT #Banknotes

#OpinionArticle

Sherry Chan: In the era of disappointment and hope for coexistence, do you still believe in love?

(19 Aug) In mid-July, the National Radio and Television Administration released a list of 20 "items requiring censorship and alternative expressions", some of which involved the regulation [of depicting] love or romantic relationships: "Romantic dramas cannot be too sweet" and "contemporary themes should maintain proper values; social conflicts must not be highlighted. Endeavour to portray the beautiful lives of normal people..."

To sum up these 20 items, the essence of love according to the #totalitarian regime is this: It shall follow social norms absolutely, teens shall not indulge in puppy love, love shall not be regarded as the be-all and end-all; they should work on upward mobility and enter Tsinghua or Peking University to contribute to society and serve the country.

From the perspective of sociologist Sherry Chan, the essence of love is #individualism. It causes a person to desire #freedom and possess their own mind and soul. As such, love and totalitarian rationale are completely incompatible... In the 21st century, we are still chasing after this most quintessential question: Can love overcome all obstacles?

Source: Initium Media
https://bit.ly/31XOpaA
Translated by: Hong Kong Echo

#Love #RegulationOfLove #FreedomOfSpeech #Censorship #ChineseMedia

⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️

The Great Spy Game: CCP global espionage footprints

Caption: Mapping out CCP's espionage incidents across the world in the last couple of decades.

Singapore:
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/24002
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/23824

USA:
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/23440

Malta:
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/21068
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/16785

Hong Kong:
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/12468

United Arab Emirates
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/14224
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/14217

iPhones:
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/23011

#Spy

#OpinionArticle

Hong Kong mourns the end of its way of life as China cracks down on dissent

//Hong Kong exists, as writer Han Suyin put it in the 1950s, “on borrowed time in a borrowed place.” Throughout its history, the city has been a bargaining chip in negotiations, its fate decided by other powers, each treaty setting out new expiration dates. Its identity is laced with unease about the city’s inevitable end as we locals know it, with our powerlessness in the face of time.

//There was the countdown to 1997, when Hong Kong was returned to Chinese rule after 150 years as a British colony. Britain and China had agreed in 1984 that after the handover, Hong Kong would be guaranteed its capitalist lifestyle and freedoms for 50 years.

//Now the countdown to 2047 is underway, to the end of the 50-year arrangement known as “One Country, Two Systems.” But last year, the government proposed an extradition bill that would allow suspected criminals to be sent to the mainland, setting in motion Hong Kong’s worst political crisis in decades. In June, Beijing fast-tracked a sweeping national security law that essentially criminalizes dissent.

//After the law, which allows closed-door trials and life imprisonment, was announced, headlines read like obituaries: “The saddest day in Hong Kong’s history,” “An official death sentence for Hong Kong.”

//The day after the national security law came into force, thousands took to the streets on July 1. A banner was unfurled, declaring: “We really f---ing like Hong Kong.” The message was clear: despite the law, Hong Kongers will continue to resist because they really, really like this place.

//To love Hong Kong is to be in a state of constant anxiety about its future. “It’s like watching a patient with cancer finally die,” said a student protester at Polytechnic University, who asked that her name not be published out of fear of arrest. “It’s something heartbreaking that would eventually happen. Now, it has happened.”

//Many Hong Kongers feel the city changes too quickly. The landscape is constantly evolving, the pace of gentrification dizzying. Chronic nostalgia is a part of the city’s soul: we cling onto our present as if it were already our past, because we don’t know how long it will last. We lament the disappearance of “dai pai dongs” (street food stalls), “si do” (mom-and-pop stores), and neon signs. Retro shops and restaurants flourish.

//Cantonese, the slangy, colloquial language of Hong Kong that all but requires an irreverent attitude to be spoken authentically, is one of the cultural elements that many fear is under threat. As Beijing’s influence grows, Mandarin, which is spoken on the mainland and is mutually unintelligible to Cantonese, has become more prominent. The government has encouraged schools to teach Chinese language classes in Mandarin instead of Cantonese.

//New forms of resistance have already emerged: activists hoist blank sheets of paper instead of posters, and share graphics that replace Chinese characters with shapes, still recognizable as slogans to those in the know. They sing “Glory to Hong Kong,” the “national anthem” penned by protesters, with a string of numbers in place of the lyrics.

//“I still have hope that the people of Hong Kong will not give up on the city,” said Jeffrey Andrews, a Hong Konger of Indian origin. We spoke at the Tsim Sha Tsui Ferry Pier, the place he feels most connected to the city, where one can see the iconic view of the harbor. To him it represents both the city’s progress and heritage. It’s also a place for locals to relax: “We need that now more than ever in this current crisis.”

//He believes in Hong Kong’s future. In June, he became the first ethnic minority to run for a lawmaker seat. “Yes, there's this law against us. But freedom is within the heart, mind and soul. I believe in the goodness of Hong Kong people. We will overcome, as always.”

Full article: National Geographic, (1-Sep) by Laurel Chor

#NationalSecurityLaw #China #Protest #TheEndofHongKong #ExtraditionBill

#OpinionArticle #UniversalTest #COVID19Test
An Open Letter from an Ordinary Hong Kong Doctor to Secretary for Food & Health 

Published on Stand News on August 27, 2020, the open letter raises questions over the universal COVID-19 testing scheme organized by the Hong Kong SAR Government, with test results run by Chinese companies.

These questions include:

- "For citizens who have taken the test, should they undergo self-quarantine while awaiting the result?"

- "As the coronavirus might mutate, when should one go for a second test despite the first negative result?"

Read all the questions raised:

https://telegra.ph/An-Open-Letter-from-an-Ordinary-Hong-Kong-Doctor-to-Secretary-for-Food--Health-09-06

Source: Stand News #Aug27

#SophiaChan #HongKongMedics #SelfQuarantine #RecurrentInfection

#Newspaper #OpinionArticle

How to crack down Hong Kong judiciary

(6 Sep) The claim “No separation of powers in Hong Kong” by Chief Executive Carrie Lam and Secretary of Education Bureau Yeung Yun-hung has caused much controversy. Yesterday, Pro-Beijing newspapers, Ta Kung Pao and Wen Wei Po, started propaganda with 4 pages tp create a trend of public opinion. They have criticised Hong Kong Court obstructing Hong Kong government carrying out its functions, and alleged opposition was against Beijing and downplayed Beijing’s power by hyping separation of powers which never existed before. The pro-Beijing newspapers also interviewed Henry Litton, a permanent judge of Court of Final Appeal, who wrote an article to criticise court and judges lately, and used him to point put that there was “no separation of powers” on Hong Kong. A senior Counsel and commentator stated that the reason why pro-Beijing camp was cracking down the judiciary of Hong Kong was to eliminate or limit all possibilities of judicial review, so that the power of hegemonic government would no longer be limited. It is the path for Beijing to take over Hong Kong entirely.

Source: Apple Daily
Translated by: Hong Kong Echo

Further reading:
Education Bureau has a presentation mentioned “Separation of Powers” in 2011
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/24880

#1984InHongKong #RuleOfLaw #ChinesePropaganda

#OpinionArticle

The Pentagon Is Urging Its Subordinates Not To Test Their Genes Casually, How About You?

(24 Aug) On 20 December, 2019, the U.S. Department of Defense issued an internal memo advising its component personnel not to use commercial DNA testing kits, citing the potential security risks posed by these tests.

//but the protection of privacy for the subject is close to zero. Even if you buy the set under a false name, pay for it with a secret credit card, and receive it at an address that is not your own, the DNA sample is unique to you and can be traced back to only you.

//In the People's Republic of China, notifications can even be set up as a WeChat widget, which is how your personal genetic information is linked to WeChat. As long as you have a few more people around you who are genetically linked to you for testing, your relationship and your personal identity will have nowhere to hide.

Full translation: https://telegra.ph/The-Pentagon-Is-Urging-Its-Subordinates-Not-To-Test-Their-Genes-Casually-How-About-You-09-07

Source: Pazu’s Facebook
https://bit.ly/2R2Gjsc
Translated by: Hong Kong Echo

#DNAtest #GeneticInformation #Privacy #CommunityWideTesting #WeGene #CircleDNA #23MagicCube #WeChat

#OpinionArticle
Beyond Authenticity: the Spectre of Han Hegemony

//It is hard not to see the Emperor’s protectiveness of the Silk Road in #Mulan as an echo of China’s Belt and Road scheme, often termed a New Silk Road to build their economic prosperity. The violence of Islamic-coded barbarians echoes modern Chinese propaganda about Islamic terrorism in #Xinjiang, which is being used to justify the existence of concentration camps.

//Modern China is built on the idea that the Han people should be and are the inheritors of the Qing empire. These colonial possessions, like Tibet, East Turkestan (aka Xinjiang) and Southern Mongolia, are argued to share with the Han people a “common historical destiny” (Chiang Kai-shek, 1947). Other empires may have attempted (however ineptly and inadequately) some form of de-colonisation in the 20th Century, but China’s successive regimes very much did not.

//The cultural genocide happening in Xinjiang today is part of a larger project by the Chinese government to force assimilation and cultural “harmony” across their empire. It can be seen the policies mandating the use Mandarin in schools, a policy that has sparked protests in Southern Mongolia.

Full article: Medium, (12-Sep)
https://link.medium.com/Fwu4wy1DH9

#Han #Mulan #BoycottMulan #Xinjiang