⬆️⬆️⬆️ Continue reading
As National Security Law Descends upon Hong Kong, VPN Service TunnelBear Removes Hong Kong Servers, ProtonVPN Lists Hong Kong as “High-Risk Country”
Hong Kong was once the data centre of many companies and the designated server location for various VPN (virtual private network) services since freedom of information had been an advantage in the city. However, since the implementation of the national security law, some VPN services had begun to re-evaluate their strategies. Foreign media had reported that some VPN services, including Canada-based TunnelBear, had indicated that they would remove their servers from Hong Kong. ProtonVPN stated that they would keep their servers in Hong Kong, but they had listed Hong Kong as a “high-risk country” while continuing to operate their servers under enhanced protection.
TunnelBear: Pulling Out of the Market to Stay True to Company Values
According to a report on TechCrunch, Canadian VPN service TunnelBear had announced the removal of their servers from Hong Kong to “ensure the safety of [their] users”. TunnelBear had stated that their servers do not store any personally identifiable information (PII), and that their servers were being removed in order to stay true to their company values. In the days ahead, they would “monitor the reach of the new security law on technical ecosystem in Hong Kong”.
ProtonVPN: Hong Kong Service Requires Enhanced Protection
Another VPN service, ProtonVPN, stated that they would not remove their servers in Hong Kong. However, the company had designated Hong Kong as a “high-risk country” and enhanced protection was necessary to continue operating their servers in Hong Kong. ProtonVPN had also noted that this same approach was adopted in Russia, Turkey and Vietnam. The company’s spokesperson Edward Shone said that even if the Chinese government were to expressly oppose to the company setting up servers in Hong Kong or attempt to obtain data from the servers, the servers are equipped with enforced full disk encryption, not to mention that no users’ activities records are ever stored in their servers, so potential risks for users are now greatly lowered.
NordVPN: Service Saw a 120-Fold Increase in One Day after News of the National Security Law Broke out
NordVPN had stated that they would continue to run servers in Hong Kong. Their spokesperson Laura Tyrell said that their servers are all either diskless or encrypted, and therefore would not compromise users’ privacy no matter what. Tyrell also mentioned that when news of the national security law broke out, their service saw a 120-fold increase in one day. In response to the demand, the company has added more servers in Hong Kong and its surrounding regions to maintain its service quality.
Source: Stand News #Jul17
https://bit.ly/30xwbMG
As National Security Law Descends upon Hong Kong, VPN Service TunnelBear Removes Hong Kong Servers, ProtonVPN Lists Hong Kong as “High-Risk Country”
Hong Kong was once the data centre of many companies and the designated server location for various VPN (virtual private network) services since freedom of information had been an advantage in the city. However, since the implementation of the national security law, some VPN services had begun to re-evaluate their strategies. Foreign media had reported that some VPN services, including Canada-based TunnelBear, had indicated that they would remove their servers from Hong Kong. ProtonVPN stated that they would keep their servers in Hong Kong, but they had listed Hong Kong as a “high-risk country” while continuing to operate their servers under enhanced protection.
TunnelBear: Pulling Out of the Market to Stay True to Company Values
According to a report on TechCrunch, Canadian VPN service TunnelBear had announced the removal of their servers from Hong Kong to “ensure the safety of [their] users”. TunnelBear had stated that their servers do not store any personally identifiable information (PII), and that their servers were being removed in order to stay true to their company values. In the days ahead, they would “monitor the reach of the new security law on technical ecosystem in Hong Kong”.
ProtonVPN: Hong Kong Service Requires Enhanced Protection
Another VPN service, ProtonVPN, stated that they would not remove their servers in Hong Kong. However, the company had designated Hong Kong as a “high-risk country” and enhanced protection was necessary to continue operating their servers in Hong Kong. ProtonVPN had also noted that this same approach was adopted in Russia, Turkey and Vietnam. The company’s spokesperson Edward Shone said that even if the Chinese government were to expressly oppose to the company setting up servers in Hong Kong or attempt to obtain data from the servers, the servers are equipped with enforced full disk encryption, not to mention that no users’ activities records are ever stored in their servers, so potential risks for users are now greatly lowered.
NordVPN: Service Saw a 120-Fold Increase in One Day after News of the National Security Law Broke out
NordVPN had stated that they would continue to run servers in Hong Kong. Their spokesperson Laura Tyrell said that their servers are all either diskless or encrypted, and therefore would not compromise users’ privacy no matter what. Tyrell also mentioned that when news of the national security law broke out, their service saw a 120-fold increase in one day. In response to the demand, the company has added more servers in Hong Kong and its surrounding regions to maintain its service quality.
Source: Stand News #Jul17
https://bit.ly/30xwbMG
#NSL
Albert Chen Views the New National Security Law as a New Social Contract. Jerome A. Cohen Retorts at His Former Student, “It is a Secretly Drafted, Extremely Vague, Non-Negotiable Political and Social Diktat”
Albert Chen, member of the Basic Law Committee and scholar at the University of Hong Kong’s Faculty of Law, stated in an RTHK programme that the Hong Kong National Security Law could be understood as the Central government’s way of continuing “One Country, Two Systems” through a new social contract that is accepted and abided by the Central government, the HKSAR government and the general public of Hong Kong.
Jerome A. Cohen, professor at New York University School of Law and leading expert on Chinese law and government, responded to his former student Albert Chen on his blog, stating that the Hong Kong National Security Law is a “non-negotiable political and social diktat”. According to Cohen, the law was secretly drafted, vague, and not even close to a contract.
Cohen disagreed with Chen’s view that the National Security Law is a contract because a contract should be voluntarily entered into by all parties involved, “as every law professor should know”.
Cohen also mentioned that the Basic Law might be optimistically understood as a social contract despite the unequal bargaining powers of the two sides, because it involved a very long negotiating process where the UK and even Hongkonger representatives took part in the different stages of that process. The National Security Law’s establishment was, on the contrary, completely void of these elements, thus its establishment could be seen as an immediate threat to Hong Kong’s freedom.
According to Cohen, one could expect the new “rule of law” brought upon by the National Security Law and the involvement of Mainland police and local units in its enforcement to follow the doctrine of “Do what we say and you will be fine and even happy”. He speculated that Hongkongers would gradually lose even their freedom to remain silent, and that Hong Kong’s time for “benign optimism” was now gone.
Cohen has been commenting on the National Security Law on his blog multiple times ever since the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress announced its plan to draft the Hong Kong National Security Law in May. Cohen stated in an interview with the Guardian in June that the National Security Law has brought dramatic changes to Hong Kong’s legal system by allowing the CCP to control Hong Kong in previously unimaginable ways. After the National Security Law was passed and its details published, Cohen has written articles to state his concerns that the new law would put Hong Kong’s legal system under the CCP’s control and lead to situations of Hongkongers being tried in Mainland China. He has described the law as the CCP’s way of taking full control of Hong Kong and not just a handover for the second time.
In the RTHK programme mentioned above, Albert Chen said that the new contract, aka the National Security Law, was simply asking Hongkongers to fulfil their basic responsibility of endorsing Hong Kong as part of China, aka the concept of “One Country”, by not committing the offenses of secession, subversion, organisation and perpetration of terrorist activities, and collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security in relation to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Chen found the new law reasonably acceptable, and those who abide by the new law could continue to live and work in peace in Hong Kong. He furthered that the values in Hong Kong’s current system would still exist and develop under the new law and that the Central government, together with the HKSAR government, would continue to improve the livelihood of Hongkongers by supporting the city’s economic and social development.
Source: Stand News #Jul5
https://www.thestandnews.
Albert Chen Views the New National Security Law as a New Social Contract. Jerome A. Cohen Retorts at His Former Student, “It is a Secretly Drafted, Extremely Vague, Non-Negotiable Political and Social Diktat”
Albert Chen, member of the Basic Law Committee and scholar at the University of Hong Kong’s Faculty of Law, stated in an RTHK programme that the Hong Kong National Security Law could be understood as the Central government’s way of continuing “One Country, Two Systems” through a new social contract that is accepted and abided by the Central government, the HKSAR government and the general public of Hong Kong.
Jerome A. Cohen, professor at New York University School of Law and leading expert on Chinese law and government, responded to his former student Albert Chen on his blog, stating that the Hong Kong National Security Law is a “non-negotiable political and social diktat”. According to Cohen, the law was secretly drafted, vague, and not even close to a contract.
Cohen disagreed with Chen’s view that the National Security Law is a contract because a contract should be voluntarily entered into by all parties involved, “as every law professor should know”.
Cohen also mentioned that the Basic Law might be optimistically understood as a social contract despite the unequal bargaining powers of the two sides, because it involved a very long negotiating process where the UK and even Hongkonger representatives took part in the different stages of that process. The National Security Law’s establishment was, on the contrary, completely void of these elements, thus its establishment could be seen as an immediate threat to Hong Kong’s freedom.
According to Cohen, one could expect the new “rule of law” brought upon by the National Security Law and the involvement of Mainland police and local units in its enforcement to follow the doctrine of “Do what we say and you will be fine and even happy”. He speculated that Hongkongers would gradually lose even their freedom to remain silent, and that Hong Kong’s time for “benign optimism” was now gone.
Cohen has been commenting on the National Security Law on his blog multiple times ever since the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress announced its plan to draft the Hong Kong National Security Law in May. Cohen stated in an interview with the Guardian in June that the National Security Law has brought dramatic changes to Hong Kong’s legal system by allowing the CCP to control Hong Kong in previously unimaginable ways. After the National Security Law was passed and its details published, Cohen has written articles to state his concerns that the new law would put Hong Kong’s legal system under the CCP’s control and lead to situations of Hongkongers being tried in Mainland China. He has described the law as the CCP’s way of taking full control of Hong Kong and not just a handover for the second time.
In the RTHK programme mentioned above, Albert Chen said that the new contract, aka the National Security Law, was simply asking Hongkongers to fulfil their basic responsibility of endorsing Hong Kong as part of China, aka the concept of “One Country”, by not committing the offenses of secession, subversion, organisation and perpetration of terrorist activities, and collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security in relation to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Chen found the new law reasonably acceptable, and those who abide by the new law could continue to live and work in peace in Hong Kong. He furthered that the values in Hong Kong’s current system would still exist and develop under the new law and that the Central government, together with the HKSAR government, would continue to improve the livelihood of Hongkongers by supporting the city’s economic and social development.
Source: Stand News #Jul5
https://www.thestandnews.
#Newspaper
Alan Leong: The judiciary is deeply concerned
(18 Jul) The former Chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association, Alan Leong, said that judges seldom speak publicly on social issues. The fact that the Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal and non-permanent judges have made exceptions one after another to speak regarding the National Security Law shows that the Judiciary is deeply concerned about the National Security Law, or the undermining of judicial independence. He pointed out that the common law originated in the UK, and that the UK's President of the Supreme Court is a leading figure in the common law system. He described it as a significant issue that Lord Reed gave this warning in his capacity and as a serving non-permanent judge in Hong Kong.
Source: Apple Daily
https://bit.ly/3fFsdYG
Translated by: Hong Kong Echo
#SupremeCourt #AlanLeong #NationalSecurityLaw #LordReed #RuleOfLaw
Alan Leong: The judiciary is deeply concerned
(18 Jul) The former Chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association, Alan Leong, said that judges seldom speak publicly on social issues. The fact that the Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal and non-permanent judges have made exceptions one after another to speak regarding the National Security Law shows that the Judiciary is deeply concerned about the National Security Law, or the undermining of judicial independence. He pointed out that the common law originated in the UK, and that the UK's President of the Supreme Court is a leading figure in the common law system. He described it as a significant issue that Lord Reed gave this warning in his capacity and as a serving non-permanent judge in Hong Kong.
Source: Apple Daily
https://bit.ly/3fFsdYG
Translated by: Hong Kong Echo
#SupremeCourt #AlanLeong #NationalSecurityLaw #LordReed #RuleOfLaw
#Article43 #CCP #HongKong
#NationalSecurityLaw
Between the lines in Article 43 of the Hong Kong National Security Law
⬇️⬇️⬇️ Continue reading
#NationalSecurityLaw
Between the lines in Article 43 of the Hong Kong National Security Law
⬇️⬇️⬇️ Continue reading
⬆️⬆️⬆️ Continue reading
* In urgent situations, a police officer can conduct searches without a warrant.
* Suspects are required to surrender travel documents and are prohibited from leaving HK
* Secretary for Security can freeze assets on grounds of suspicion only; Secretary for Justice can confiscate properties of individuals and entities without actual conviction of crimes
* PRC state censorship of information over the internet through removal of messages, restrict access to certain contents and messages on social media platforms and seize electronic devices
* Foreign and Taiwan Political Organisations and Agents may be asked to provide information on sources of income, expenditure and activities concerning Hong Kong even if they are not physically in HK
*Big brother can eavesdrop in HK: interception of communications and covert surveillance operations
*Secretary for Justice or Police Officers may apply to the court for an order to ask any relevant individual to respond to questions within the required time frame or provide related information and material
Source: https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202007/06/P2020070600784.htm?fontSize=1
* In urgent situations, a police officer can conduct searches without a warrant.
* Suspects are required to surrender travel documents and are prohibited from leaving HK
* Secretary for Security can freeze assets on grounds of suspicion only; Secretary for Justice can confiscate properties of individuals and entities without actual conviction of crimes
* PRC state censorship of information over the internet through removal of messages, restrict access to certain contents and messages on social media platforms and seize electronic devices
* Foreign and Taiwan Political Organisations and Agents may be asked to provide information on sources of income, expenditure and activities concerning Hong Kong even if they are not physically in HK
*Big brother can eavesdrop in HK: interception of communications and covert surveillance operations
*Secretary for Justice or Police Officers may apply to the court for an order to ask any relevant individual to respond to questions within the required time frame or provide related information and material
Source: https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202007/06/P2020070600784.htm?fontSize=1
www.info.gov.hk
Implementation Rules for Article 43 of the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong…
Implementation Rules for Article 43 of the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (Implementation Rules)...
#Newspaper
Global banks scrutinize their Hong Kong clients for pro-democracy ties
//Global wealth managers are examining whether their clients in Hong Kong have ties to the city's pro-democracy movement, in an attempt to avoid getting caught in the crosshairs of China's new national security law, according to six people with knowledge of the matter.//
Recent political events have affected financial services in many ways. In particular, in November last year, HSBC terminated the Spark Alliance account as the trading activity in the account did not match the purpose stated when the account was opened. HSBC originally issued over $60 million to Spark in the form of a cashier's check, but due to subsequent police arrests, HSBC was instructed by law enforcement that the cashier's check could not be withdrawn, so the funds were stranded at HSBC. The freezing of Spark Alliance's HSBC account triggered demonstrators to burn the bronze lion statue outside HSBC's head office.
Full Article: Reuters, (20-Jul)
Source: Apple Daily, (20-Jul)
Further reading:
Three arrested for money laundering after raising $1.8 million in support of the Hong Kong protests in the name of HKTVmall staff
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/23619
#Banks #NationalSecurityLaw #Censorship #PoliceState
Global banks scrutinize their Hong Kong clients for pro-democracy ties
//Global wealth managers are examining whether their clients in Hong Kong have ties to the city's pro-democracy movement, in an attempt to avoid getting caught in the crosshairs of China's new national security law, according to six people with knowledge of the matter.//
Recent political events have affected financial services in many ways. In particular, in November last year, HSBC terminated the Spark Alliance account as the trading activity in the account did not match the purpose stated when the account was opened. HSBC originally issued over $60 million to Spark in the form of a cashier's check, but due to subsequent police arrests, HSBC was instructed by law enforcement that the cashier's check could not be withdrawn, so the funds were stranded at HSBC. The freezing of Spark Alliance's HSBC account triggered demonstrators to burn the bronze lion statue outside HSBC's head office.
Full Article: Reuters, (20-Jul)
Source: Apple Daily, (20-Jul)
Further reading:
Three arrested for money laundering after raising $1.8 million in support of the Hong Kong protests in the name of HKTVmall staff
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/23619
#Banks #NationalSecurityLaw #Censorship #PoliceState
Reuters
Exclusive: Global banks scrutinize their Hong Kong clients for pro-democracy ties
HONG KONG (Reuters) - Global wealth managers are examining whether their clients in Hong Kong have ties to the city’s pro-democracy movement, in an attempt to avoid getting caught in the crosshairs of China’s new national security law, according to six people…
#US #China #SouthChinaSea #Unlawful
U.S. Denounces China’s Claims to South China Sea as Unlawful
Photo Source:
U.S. Pacific Fleet / 防衛省 海上自衛隊 / Austrailian Gov't Department of Defence
⬇️⬇️⬇️ continue reading
U.S. Denounces China’s Claims to South China Sea as Unlawful
Photo Source:
U.S. Pacific Fleet / 防衛省 海上自衛隊 / Austrailian Gov't Department of Defence
⬇️⬇️⬇️ continue reading
⬆️⬆️⬆️ Continue reading
#Newspaper
U.S. Denounces China’s Claims to South China Sea as Unlawful
//The Trump administration rejected China’s expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea, reversing a previous policy of not taking sides in such disputes and escalating tensions with Beijing on yet another front.
//The move aligns the U.S. with a 2016 ruling by a United Nations tribunal that found China’s claims to waters also contested by the Philippines were unlawful.
//“We are making clear: Beijing’s claims to offshore resources across most of the South China Sea are completely unlawful, as is its campaign of bullying to control them,” Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said in a statement Monday.
//China on Tuesday said the U.S. statement “neglected the history and facts” around issues concerning the South China Sea.
//Regional countries weighed in, with the Philippines urging China to “heed the call of the community of nations to follow international law and honor existing international agreements.”
//Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters in Tokyo on Tuesday that his country was “very concerned” about China’s recent activities in the waters.
//The top State Department official for East Asia, Assistant Secretary David Stilwell, said in an interview the U.S. hoped its announcement Monday would give cover to other nations in the region to contest their own claims against China.
//Stilwell said the U.S. wants to talk to China but said such discussions need to be productive.
Source: #Jul14
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-07-13/u-s-denounces-china-s-claims-to-south-china-sea-as-unlawful?srnd=politics-vp
#Newspaper
U.S. Denounces China’s Claims to South China Sea as Unlawful
//The Trump administration rejected China’s expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea, reversing a previous policy of not taking sides in such disputes and escalating tensions with Beijing on yet another front.
//The move aligns the U.S. with a 2016 ruling by a United Nations tribunal that found China’s claims to waters also contested by the Philippines were unlawful.
//“We are making clear: Beijing’s claims to offshore resources across most of the South China Sea are completely unlawful, as is its campaign of bullying to control them,” Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said in a statement Monday.
//China on Tuesday said the U.S. statement “neglected the history and facts” around issues concerning the South China Sea.
//Regional countries weighed in, with the Philippines urging China to “heed the call of the community of nations to follow international law and honor existing international agreements.”
//Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters in Tokyo on Tuesday that his country was “very concerned” about China’s recent activities in the waters.
//The top State Department official for East Asia, Assistant Secretary David Stilwell, said in an interview the U.S. hoped its announcement Monday would give cover to other nations in the region to contest their own claims against China.
//Stilwell said the U.S. wants to talk to China but said such discussions need to be productive.
Source: #Jul14
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-07-13/u-s-denounces-china-s-claims-to-south-china-sea-as-unlawful?srnd=politics-vp
Bloomberg
U.S. Denounces China’s Claims to South China Sea as Unlawful
The Trump administration rejected China’s expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea, reversing a previous policy of not taking sides in such disputes and escalating tensions with Beijing on yet another front.
#Newspaper
In Hong Kong, a Proxy Battle Over Internet Freedom Begins
//The technological Cold War between China and the United States is playing out on various fronts around the world. The trade war ensnared Chinese tech giants like #Huawei and ZTE while American companies complain of industrial policies that favor Chinese businesses. Digital controls in China have also kept companies like Google and Facebook from operating in mainland China.
//Hong Kong emerges as the front line in a global fight between the United States and China over censorship following the introduction of a draconian new security law that mandates police censorship, surveillance and can be applied to online speech across the world.
//Caught in the middle are the city’s seven million residents, online records of political debate which may now be illegal and the world’s largest internet companies which host and guard that data.
//Many big companies including #Facebook, #Google #Twitter, #Zoom, and #LinkedIn have already stated that they would temporarily stop complying with requests for user data from the Hong Kong authorities, which has amounted to over 7000 in the second half of 2019 because of protests. The police have also made numerous requests to have Google remove sensitive posts, to which Google said no.
//The Hong Kong government has responded by emphasizing the penalty for non-compliance. Based on the law, the Hong Kong authorities can dictate the way people around the world talk about the city’s politics, and employees of companies that failed to hand over user data could be arrested.
//Several local apps associated with the protest movement have already shut down. People have begun to delete their social media accounts, switched to using encrypted chat apps like Signal, and embraced coded online speech that flourishes on the heavily monitored internet of China.
//Companies, meanwhile, have the option of shifting data away from Hong Kong but it is by no means an easy task. Moving all employees out of the city would insulate firms from arrests, but it may not be feasible.
//The looming legal fights could determine whether the city falls behind China’s digital Iron Curtain or becomes a hybrid where online speech and communications are selectively policed.
The Cold War between the US and //China continues on the other hand as the US moves to ban Chinese apps that are seen as potential threats to national security.
Full Article: The New York Times
https://nyti.ms/32WaXuP
Further reading:
“Zero logs” VPN exposes millions of logs including user passwords, claims data is anonymous
https://www.comparitech.com/blog/vpn-privacy/ufo-vpn-data-exposure/
#coldwar #internetsecurity #censorship
In Hong Kong, a Proxy Battle Over Internet Freedom Begins
//The technological Cold War between China and the United States is playing out on various fronts around the world. The trade war ensnared Chinese tech giants like #Huawei and ZTE while American companies complain of industrial policies that favor Chinese businesses. Digital controls in China have also kept companies like Google and Facebook from operating in mainland China.
//Hong Kong emerges as the front line in a global fight between the United States and China over censorship following the introduction of a draconian new security law that mandates police censorship, surveillance and can be applied to online speech across the world.
//Caught in the middle are the city’s seven million residents, online records of political debate which may now be illegal and the world’s largest internet companies which host and guard that data.
//Many big companies including #Facebook, #Google #Twitter, #Zoom, and #LinkedIn have already stated that they would temporarily stop complying with requests for user data from the Hong Kong authorities, which has amounted to over 7000 in the second half of 2019 because of protests. The police have also made numerous requests to have Google remove sensitive posts, to which Google said no.
//The Hong Kong government has responded by emphasizing the penalty for non-compliance. Based on the law, the Hong Kong authorities can dictate the way people around the world talk about the city’s politics, and employees of companies that failed to hand over user data could be arrested.
//Several local apps associated with the protest movement have already shut down. People have begun to delete their social media accounts, switched to using encrypted chat apps like Signal, and embraced coded online speech that flourishes on the heavily monitored internet of China.
//Companies, meanwhile, have the option of shifting data away from Hong Kong but it is by no means an easy task. Moving all employees out of the city would insulate firms from arrests, but it may not be feasible.
//The looming legal fights could determine whether the city falls behind China’s digital Iron Curtain or becomes a hybrid where online speech and communications are selectively policed.
The Cold War between the US and //China continues on the other hand as the US moves to ban Chinese apps that are seen as potential threats to national security.
Full Article: The New York Times
https://nyti.ms/32WaXuP
Further reading:
“Zero logs” VPN exposes millions of logs including user passwords, claims data is anonymous
https://www.comparitech.com/blog/vpn-privacy/ufo-vpn-data-exposure/
#coldwar #internetsecurity #censorship
NY Times
In Hong Kong, a Proxy Battle Over Internet Freedom Begins (Published 2020)
As the city grapples with new restrictions on online speech, American tech giants are on the front line of a clash between China and the United States over the internet’s future.
#Newspaper
13 tonnes of human hair was found on a US-bound ship.
//It follows a huge US Customs seizure of human hair products believed to have been taken from Muslim Uyghurs, more than a million of whom have been detained in vast indoctrination camps in China’s western Xinjiang province
//US Customs and Border Protection assistant commissioner Brenda Smith said the production of the weaves and other hair products found onboard the ship “constitutes a very serious human rights violation”.
//Mia Hasenson-Gross, director of René Cassin, said: “A trade in forcibly removed human hair has chilling and obvious resonances.
//the Uyghurs’ suppression already includes mass internment, “re-education,” slave labour, forced sterilisation, organ-farming and other abuses.
//“The Chinese Communist Party is engaged in genocide in Xinjiang, attempting to wipe out an entire culture, language and way of life,” she said. “It is time for the world to take a stand against such inhumanity. There can be no ‘business as usual’ with a government that abuses its own citizens on such a scale.”
//Dr Edie Friedman, director of the Jewish Council for Racial Equality (JCORE), said the report “naturally rings alarm bells for those concerned with human rights and will arouse particular emotions for Jewish people given the Nazi resonances”.
Full article: (16-Jul)
https://jewishnews.timesofisrael.com/13-tonnes-of-hair-taken-from-chinas-uyghur-muslims-has-nazi-resonance/
Video:
https://twitter.com/Uyghur_American/status/1284564730523332608?s=19
#HumanRight #UyghurMuslims #CCP #NaziResonances #HumanHair
13 tonnes of human hair was found on a US-bound ship.
//It follows a huge US Customs seizure of human hair products believed to have been taken from Muslim Uyghurs, more than a million of whom have been detained in vast indoctrination camps in China’s western Xinjiang province
//US Customs and Border Protection assistant commissioner Brenda Smith said the production of the weaves and other hair products found onboard the ship “constitutes a very serious human rights violation”.
//Mia Hasenson-Gross, director of René Cassin, said: “A trade in forcibly removed human hair has chilling and obvious resonances.
//the Uyghurs’ suppression already includes mass internment, “re-education,” slave labour, forced sterilisation, organ-farming and other abuses.
//“The Chinese Communist Party is engaged in genocide in Xinjiang, attempting to wipe out an entire culture, language and way of life,” she said. “It is time for the world to take a stand against such inhumanity. There can be no ‘business as usual’ with a government that abuses its own citizens on such a scale.”
//Dr Edie Friedman, director of the Jewish Council for Racial Equality (JCORE), said the report “naturally rings alarm bells for those concerned with human rights and will arouse particular emotions for Jewish people given the Nazi resonances”.
Full article: (16-Jul)
https://jewishnews.timesofisrael.com/13-tonnes-of-hair-taken-from-chinas-uyghur-muslims-has-nazi-resonance/
Video:
https://twitter.com/Uyghur_American/status/1284564730523332608?s=19
#HumanRight #UyghurMuslims #CCP #NaziResonances #HumanHair
Jewish News
13 tonnes of hair taken from China’s Uyghur Muslims has ‘Nazi resonance’
Influential MP on human rights speaks of 'many distressing echoes' for Jews over China's 'brutal suppression' of Muslim minority, as communal figures call on the UK to do more
#Information
The Hong Kong Suicide Map
Mr Water has created a map - The Hong Kong Suicide Map. This map puts together the suicides that happened in Hong Kong in 2019 and 2020. Adding up to a total of 1024 attempted suicides and 722 deaths as of 21st July 2020. Using the data from Hong Kong Suicide News Database, the map listed out the date, suicide method, gender, age, last name, location, suicide notes and news reports of each suicide case. Most of the cases involved jumping off a building.
⬇️⬇️⬇️ The Map
https://public.tableau.com/profile/mrwater#!/vizhome/17144/1
Further reading:
Summon the dead to identify protester's mother
https://telegra.ph/Summon-the-dead-to-identifyprotesters-mother-07-16
#Suicide
The Hong Kong Suicide Map
Mr Water has created a map - The Hong Kong Suicide Map. This map puts together the suicides that happened in Hong Kong in 2019 and 2020. Adding up to a total of 1024 attempted suicides and 722 deaths as of 21st July 2020. Using the data from Hong Kong Suicide News Database, the map listed out the date, suicide method, gender, age, last name, location, suicide notes and news reports of each suicide case. Most of the cases involved jumping off a building.
⬇️⬇️⬇️ The Map
https://public.tableau.com/profile/mrwater#!/vizhome/17144/1
Further reading:
Summon the dead to identify protester's mother
https://telegra.ph/Summon-the-dead-to-identifyprotesters-mother-07-16
#Suicide
⬆️ ⬆️ ⬆️ Continue reading
Statement of Condemnation
At around 10pm on July 21, 2020, Hong Kong Police laid charges on numerous journalists and photographers for violating the "Prevention and Control of Disease (Prohibition on Group Gathering) Regulation" (a.k.a. Cap. 599G) in Yoho Mall, Yau San St, Fung Yau St North, and nearby areas, and handed out penalty tickets of $2000HKD. Guardians of Hong Kong and BeWater HK strongly condemn these acts of the police.
Cap. 599G was established and implemented on March 29 this year, originally intended to control and prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Hong Kong by limiting the gathering of large crowds in public spaces. However, on numerous occasions, Hong Kong Police has re-interpreted the ordinance, laying charges on citizens who did not know each other and the number of people gathering were below the limit listed in the ordinance in the first place, councillors conducting official duties, and paramedics administering first aid. These acts are in clear violation of the original purpose of the ordinance, and also ignores the exemption groups listed in the ordinance.
The ordinance clearly lists "group gathering at a place of work for the purposes of work" under its exempted group gatherings. Journalists and photographers covering events are precisely people "at a place of work for the purposes of work". The police's own definition of who a journalist is has no legal basis. They have also not pointed out what laws the journalists had broken while they were conducting interviews and taking photographs. This gives little justification to the actions of the police in the eyes of the public; it only shows that they have once again abused the gathering ban to harass journalists and suppress the freedom of press.
The Hong Kong Journalists Association has pointed out on multiple occasions that the current laws of Hong Kong lists no prerequisites or conditions for one to be considered a journalist. The police cannot and must not invent its own criteria of what constitutes a journalist, such as whether they are paid for their work, whether they hold membership cards from the Journalist Association or Photographers Association, whether they are registered in a business or a society, or whether they are recognized by the government's Information Services Department. Not only is this an abuse of their public power, this also obstructs the work of journalists and the public's right to know.
Article 27 of the Basic Law states, "Hong Kong residents shall have freedom of speech, of the press and of publication; freedom of association, of assembly, of procession and of demonstration; and the right and freedom to form and join trade unions, and to strike." In a world of highly-developed communication technology, the freedom of press and publication no longer only includes traditional printed media, but has long since covered internet media. The freedom of press and the public's right to know are also part of the civil rights of the Hong Kong people. Reinterpreting Cap. 599G and making up journalistic standards, as the police has done, undoubtedly violates Article 27 and the defined exemption groups in Cap. 599G.
Guardians of Hong Kong and BeWater HK strongly urge the police to comply with Basic Law Article 27 and Cap. 599G, and to halt breaking the very laws they have sworn to uphold.
#Statement
Statement of Condemnation
At around 10pm on July 21, 2020, Hong Kong Police laid charges on numerous journalists and photographers for violating the "Prevention and Control of Disease (Prohibition on Group Gathering) Regulation" (a.k.a. Cap. 599G) in Yoho Mall, Yau San St, Fung Yau St North, and nearby areas, and handed out penalty tickets of $2000HKD. Guardians of Hong Kong and BeWater HK strongly condemn these acts of the police.
Cap. 599G was established and implemented on March 29 this year, originally intended to control and prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Hong Kong by limiting the gathering of large crowds in public spaces. However, on numerous occasions, Hong Kong Police has re-interpreted the ordinance, laying charges on citizens who did not know each other and the number of people gathering were below the limit listed in the ordinance in the first place, councillors conducting official duties, and paramedics administering first aid. These acts are in clear violation of the original purpose of the ordinance, and also ignores the exemption groups listed in the ordinance.
The ordinance clearly lists "group gathering at a place of work for the purposes of work" under its exempted group gatherings. Journalists and photographers covering events are precisely people "at a place of work for the purposes of work". The police's own definition of who a journalist is has no legal basis. They have also not pointed out what laws the journalists had broken while they were conducting interviews and taking photographs. This gives little justification to the actions of the police in the eyes of the public; it only shows that they have once again abused the gathering ban to harass journalists and suppress the freedom of press.
The Hong Kong Journalists Association has pointed out on multiple occasions that the current laws of Hong Kong lists no prerequisites or conditions for one to be considered a journalist. The police cannot and must not invent its own criteria of what constitutes a journalist, such as whether they are paid for their work, whether they hold membership cards from the Journalist Association or Photographers Association, whether they are registered in a business or a society, or whether they are recognized by the government's Information Services Department. Not only is this an abuse of their public power, this also obstructs the work of journalists and the public's right to know.
Article 27 of the Basic Law states, "Hong Kong residents shall have freedom of speech, of the press and of publication; freedom of association, of assembly, of procession and of demonstration; and the right and freedom to form and join trade unions, and to strike." In a world of highly-developed communication technology, the freedom of press and publication no longer only includes traditional printed media, but has long since covered internet media. The freedom of press and the public's right to know are also part of the civil rights of the Hong Kong people. Reinterpreting Cap. 599G and making up journalistic standards, as the police has done, undoubtedly violates Article 27 and the defined exemption groups in Cap. 599G.
Guardians of Hong Kong and BeWater HK strongly urge the police to comply with Basic Law Article 27 and Cap. 599G, and to halt breaking the very laws they have sworn to uphold.
#Statement
#QuarantineExemption
HK Medical Association: Super-spreader among visitors exempted from quarantine triggers latest wave of Coronavirus Outbreak
In a press conference today, Chairman of HK Medical Association, Choi Kin urged the SAR government to provide Health Care Vouchers for citizens to undergo coronavirus testing, while as an attempt to off-load burden on public hospitals, non-urgent cases should be referred to private doctors. Choi believed that the new wave of outbreak was most likely triggered by those among the 200 thousand visitors exempted from existing quarantine requirements. Choi recommended that all arrivals must undergo a quick test and crew members should be subject to restrictions in public places.
Regarding news reports of mainland medical practitioners coming to Hong Kong to assist fighting the outbreak, Choi pointed out that all trained doctors in Hong Kong had worked in the Hospital Authority, which regardless of medical records and drugs, use English to communicate with other doctors, while mainland doctors speak Putonghua and use simplified Chinese. Such practices could cause chaos in routine operation.
Source: Stand News
#Jul23 #Coronavirus #ThirdWave
HK Medical Association: Super-spreader among visitors exempted from quarantine triggers latest wave of Coronavirus Outbreak
In a press conference today, Chairman of HK Medical Association, Choi Kin urged the SAR government to provide Health Care Vouchers for citizens to undergo coronavirus testing, while as an attempt to off-load burden on public hospitals, non-urgent cases should be referred to private doctors. Choi believed that the new wave of outbreak was most likely triggered by those among the 200 thousand visitors exempted from existing quarantine requirements. Choi recommended that all arrivals must undergo a quick test and crew members should be subject to restrictions in public places.
Regarding news reports of mainland medical practitioners coming to Hong Kong to assist fighting the outbreak, Choi pointed out that all trained doctors in Hong Kong had worked in the Hospital Authority, which regardless of medical records and drugs, use English to communicate with other doctors, while mainland doctors speak Putonghua and use simplified Chinese. Such practices could cause chaos in routine operation.
Source: Stand News
#Jul23 #Coronavirus #ThirdWave
#Newspaper
Outbreak of coronavirus at the Police Services Quarters
”Apple daily” was informed that there was an epidemic outbreak at the Lai King Disciplined Services Quarters. Ten out of nineteen people have been infected after a family gathering at one of the middle-level units. Previous to the house party, five people from that unit had lunch with 12 - 15 relatives at the Chiuchow Garden, which belongs to the Maxim’s Caterers. Journalists of “Apple daily” went to the quarter and didn’t find anyone sterilising on the spot.
However, the security guard reinforced disinfection by wiping elevator buttons more frequently and prohibited non-resident to enter.
Couriers for some e-commerce platform shared that they saw an order of “testing kits” for a unit at a middle level of block 3. The order was placed at 12, but still no one dared to accept at 2 pm. Sender address was a testing laboratory in a commercial building at Langham Place in Mongkok. The parcel is expected to contain disease testing kits.
Source: Apple Daily
#Jul20 #Coronavirus #ThirdWave
https://bit.ly/3eLrTX9
https://bit.ly/3fMhag6
https://bit.ly/3hemQju
Outbreak of coronavirus at the Police Services Quarters
”Apple daily” was informed that there was an epidemic outbreak at the Lai King Disciplined Services Quarters. Ten out of nineteen people have been infected after a family gathering at one of the middle-level units. Previous to the house party, five people from that unit had lunch with 12 - 15 relatives at the Chiuchow Garden, which belongs to the Maxim’s Caterers. Journalists of “Apple daily” went to the quarter and didn’t find anyone sterilising on the spot.
However, the security guard reinforced disinfection by wiping elevator buttons more frequently and prohibited non-resident to enter.
Couriers for some e-commerce platform shared that they saw an order of “testing kits” for a unit at a middle level of block 3. The order was placed at 12, but still no one dared to accept at 2 pm. Sender address was a testing laboratory in a commercial building at Langham Place in Mongkok. The parcel is expected to contain disease testing kits.
Source: Apple Daily
#Jul20 #Coronavirus #ThirdWave
https://bit.ly/3eLrTX9
https://bit.ly/3fMhag6
https://bit.ly/3hemQju
#Jul22
HK government does not deny Carrie Lam asking for help from Chinese medical staff
Pro-CCP media Hong Kong Commercial Daily quoted from a source that Chief Executive Carrie Lam asked the central government for help. It was suggested that if the pandemic in Hong Kong continues to get worse, she hopes the Chinese government can deploy Chinese medical staff for emergency support. It was also pointed out that medical staffs in Shanghai and other cities were ready to help. ”Just one command! Experienced and well- equipped medical staff can set off to support Hong Kong.”
Apple Daily inquired of the Hong Kong government, the spokesman did not deny the accusation, but said ”we won't comment on any conjecture.”
Chan Siu-chee did not respond directly at the press conference. She merely pointed out that the Hong Kong government and the Guangdong health authorities will communicate closely on the pandemic, and the Chinese government was concerned with the situation in Hong Kong.
Source: Apple Daily
https://bit.ly/3hncLkk
HK government does not deny Carrie Lam asking for help from Chinese medical staff
Pro-CCP media Hong Kong Commercial Daily quoted from a source that Chief Executive Carrie Lam asked the central government for help. It was suggested that if the pandemic in Hong Kong continues to get worse, she hopes the Chinese government can deploy Chinese medical staff for emergency support. It was also pointed out that medical staffs in Shanghai and other cities were ready to help. ”Just one command! Experienced and well- equipped medical staff can set off to support Hong Kong.”
Apple Daily inquired of the Hong Kong government, the spokesman did not deny the accusation, but said ”we won't comment on any conjecture.”
Chan Siu-chee did not respond directly at the press conference. She merely pointed out that the Hong Kong government and the Guangdong health authorities will communicate closely on the pandemic, and the Chinese government was concerned with the situation in Hong Kong.
Source: Apple Daily
https://bit.ly/3hncLkk
⬆️ ⬆️ ⬆️ continue reading
HAEA Urges HK Govt. to not Let Politics Take Precedence Above Everything
The Hospital Authority Employees Alliance responded to rumours of plans for Chinese medical personnel coming to "aid" Hong Kong on 22 July, stating that the Hong Kong government shouldn't damage the morale of the medical staff during the severe Wuhan Pneumonia outbreak. Also, they recommended that the pro-Beijing Hong Kong government not divert attention to hide their mistakes made in anti-epidemic measurements, stating that if politics are to take precedence above everything, Hong Kong civilians will bear all consequences.
The alliance stated that to maintain high proficiency of Hong Kong medical system, non-locally trained medical practitioners, and nurses are required to pass the licensing examination before practising in Hong Kong. Being "experienced medical staffs in anti-epidemic" doesn't mean that they are capable of practising in Hong Kong in any forms. Besides that, different culture and languages are obstacles in communication. Not only does it wastes medical staff time to communicate with so-called experience teams, it also delays the time for therapy and may cause more mistake due to miscommunication.
#Jul22 #Coronavirus #ThirdWave
Source: HAEA Facebook
HAEA Urges HK Govt. to not Let Politics Take Precedence Above Everything
The Hospital Authority Employees Alliance responded to rumours of plans for Chinese medical personnel coming to "aid" Hong Kong on 22 July, stating that the Hong Kong government shouldn't damage the morale of the medical staff during the severe Wuhan Pneumonia outbreak. Also, they recommended that the pro-Beijing Hong Kong government not divert attention to hide their mistakes made in anti-epidemic measurements, stating that if politics are to take precedence above everything, Hong Kong civilians will bear all consequences.
The alliance stated that to maintain high proficiency of Hong Kong medical system, non-locally trained medical practitioners, and nurses are required to pass the licensing examination before practising in Hong Kong. Being "experienced medical staffs in anti-epidemic" doesn't mean that they are capable of practising in Hong Kong in any forms. Besides that, different culture and languages are obstacles in communication. Not only does it wastes medical staff time to communicate with so-called experience teams, it also delays the time for therapy and may cause more mistake due to miscommunication.
#Jul22 #Coronavirus #ThirdWave
Source: HAEA Facebook
This media is not supported in your browser
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
#PressConference #TheHongKongMedicalAssociation [#HKMA]
Why is Hong Kong not capable of...?
A reporter asked, “why can Macau and Singapore preform 11000 and 20000 test respectively? Is the way of testing different? Is the nasopharyngeal [nucleic acid] test there different from the deep throat saliva test in Hong Kong?”
Choi Kin, chairman of HKMA, picked up the microphone immediately and answered, “The Chief Executives are different.”
Source: Telegram Channel
https://t.me/hktgb
Translated by: Hong Kong Echo
#Coronavirus #VirusTest #Macau #Singapore
Why is Hong Kong not capable of...?
A reporter asked, “why can Macau and Singapore preform 11000 and 20000 test respectively? Is the way of testing different? Is the nasopharyngeal [nucleic acid] test there different from the deep throat saliva test in Hong Kong?”
Choi Kin, chairman of HKMA, picked up the microphone immediately and answered, “The Chief Executives are different.”
Source: Telegram Channel
https://t.me/hktgb
Translated by: Hong Kong Echo
#Coronavirus #VirusTest #Macau #Singapore