#PoliceState #FailedState
HK Ombudsman admits no power to look into Police Command System
The #Ombudsman in Hong Kong has declined to look into whether the Hong Kong Police Force secretly changed some of their rules regarding the display of warrant cards and numbers by officers during the mass protests in 2019.
The watchdog said on January 12, 2021 that the complaint against the police force’s refusal to confirm whether it had changed the rules in the Police General Orders was invalid.
In October 2019, the force introduced a new set of codes called operational call signs as a means to identify officers handling protests.
At the time, the police did not say whether the requirement to show warrant cards or individual’s numbers still existed.
Police documents submitted to a court hearing in June last year showed that the force made at least three exemptions under the rules in November 2019.
These exemptions were not shown in the text of the general orders published on the police website.
The ombudsman said the police had already provided sufficient information, adding that they have no power to look into the police command system.
Source: Apple Daily, #Jan12
https://hk.appledaily.com/news/20210112/MTKJKTNQCBDDHHCAHPPMUDMHYA/
#PoliceOrdinance #HongKongPolice
HK Ombudsman admits no power to look into Police Command System
The #Ombudsman in Hong Kong has declined to look into whether the Hong Kong Police Force secretly changed some of their rules regarding the display of warrant cards and numbers by officers during the mass protests in 2019.
The watchdog said on January 12, 2021 that the complaint against the police force’s refusal to confirm whether it had changed the rules in the Police General Orders was invalid.
In October 2019, the force introduced a new set of codes called operational call signs as a means to identify officers handling protests.
At the time, the police did not say whether the requirement to show warrant cards or individual’s numbers still existed.
Police documents submitted to a court hearing in June last year showed that the force made at least three exemptions under the rules in November 2019.
These exemptions were not shown in the text of the general orders published on the police website.
The ombudsman said the police had already provided sufficient information, adding that they have no power to look into the police command system.
Source: Apple Daily, #Jan12
https://hk.appledaily.com/news/20210112/MTKJKTNQCBDDHHCAHPPMUDMHYA/
#PoliceOrdinance #HongKongPolice
#GreatFireWall #106Crackdown
#WashingtonPost: First came political crimes. Now, a digital crackdown descends on Hong Kong
Source: Washington Post #Jan12
Image: #HKChronicles
Read more
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#WashingtonPost: First came political crimes. Now, a digital crackdown descends on Hong Kong
Source: Washington Post #Jan12
Image: #HKChronicles
Read more
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#GreatFireWall #106Crackdown
#WashingtonPost: First came political crimes. Now, a digital crackdown descends on Hong Kong
//The digital sweep showed how Hong Kong authorities are wielding their new powers under the national security law — introduced last summer — far more widely than the city’s leader promised.
Since the Jan. 6 raids, authorities have blocked at least one website, according to the site’s owner and local media reports, raising concerns that Hong Kong is headed for broader digital surveillance and censorship akin to that in mainland China.
...Shortly after the arrests and device seizures, colleagues and associates of those detained started noticing strange activity on their social media and email accounts.
Ray Chan, a former pro-democracy lawmaker arrested at his home, said he kept receiving confirmation codessent by Telegram to a replacement phone after police confiscated his devices. The codes are used to verify the authenticity of a user trying to log into an account.
Separately, Lam Cheuk-ting and Helena Wong, two former Democratic Party lawmakers, said their staffs received notifications from Google that state-sponsored hackers were trying to breach their work accounts, which are hosted on a Gmail server. The Google alerts arrived just after their arrests, once their devices were in the hands of police.
“It is a redo of the Great Firewall,” said Lokman Tsui, an assistant professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong who specializes in privacy and online communications. “They are testing the waters for now, so the results are uneven — but it is a question of when and how, not if.”
Glacier Kwong, founder of Keyboard Frontline, which tracks digital rights in Hong Kong, said the government clearly intends to crack down on one of the last free spaces for dissent.
“The government has actually set a precedent,” Kwong said. “As long as it is not to the liking of the regime, a website can be blocked without any reason under the national security law, which is a clear blow to the freedom of the Internet, freedom of information and freedom of speech.”//
Read the full article:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/hong-kong-national-security-law-internet/2021/01/12/01738064-53b6-11eb-acc5-92d2819a1ccb_story.html
Source: Washington Post #Jan12
#CyberSecurity #PoliceState #HKChronicles #Internet
#WashingtonPost: First came political crimes. Now, a digital crackdown descends on Hong Kong
//The digital sweep showed how Hong Kong authorities are wielding their new powers under the national security law — introduced last summer — far more widely than the city’s leader promised.
Since the Jan. 6 raids, authorities have blocked at least one website, according to the site’s owner and local media reports, raising concerns that Hong Kong is headed for broader digital surveillance and censorship akin to that in mainland China.
...Shortly after the arrests and device seizures, colleagues and associates of those detained started noticing strange activity on their social media and email accounts.
Ray Chan, a former pro-democracy lawmaker arrested at his home, said he kept receiving confirmation codessent by Telegram to a replacement phone after police confiscated his devices. The codes are used to verify the authenticity of a user trying to log into an account.
Separately, Lam Cheuk-ting and Helena Wong, two former Democratic Party lawmakers, said their staffs received notifications from Google that state-sponsored hackers were trying to breach their work accounts, which are hosted on a Gmail server. The Google alerts arrived just after their arrests, once their devices were in the hands of police.
“It is a redo of the Great Firewall,” said Lokman Tsui, an assistant professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong who specializes in privacy and online communications. “They are testing the waters for now, so the results are uneven — but it is a question of when and how, not if.”
Glacier Kwong, founder of Keyboard Frontline, which tracks digital rights in Hong Kong, said the government clearly intends to crack down on one of the last free spaces for dissent.
“The government has actually set a precedent,” Kwong said. “As long as it is not to the liking of the regime, a website can be blocked without any reason under the national security law, which is a clear blow to the freedom of the Internet, freedom of information and freedom of speech.”//
Read the full article:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/hong-kong-national-security-law-internet/2021/01/12/01738064-53b6-11eb-acc5-92d2819a1ccb_story.html
Source: Washington Post #Jan12
#CyberSecurity #PoliceState #HKChronicles #Internet
#FailedState #Rating #Official
Experts: HK government loses credibility for twisting election system as Carrie Lam’s support rating drops to new low
Source: InMedia #Jan12
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Experts: HK government loses credibility for twisting election system as Carrie Lam’s support rating drops to new low
Source: InMedia #Jan12
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Twitter Blocked Trump’s Account; Merkel Thinks it was a Problematic Approach; French Finance Minister: Internet Giants Threaten Democracy
Source from: The Stand News #Jan12
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Source from: The Stand News #Jan12
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Twitter Blocked Trump’s Account; Merkel Thinks it was a Problematic Approach; French Finance Minister: Internet Giants Threaten Democracy
The personal Twitter account of the US President Donald Trump has been permanently blocked. Leaders of various countries have successively spoken out on the incident. German Chancellor Angela Merkel stated through her spokesperson that the approach of Twitter is problematic, and believed that the measure, which limited the freedom of speech, should be based on the legal framework and the legislature, rather than, decided by the social media management. Michael McCormack, the Acting Prime Minister of Australia, also indicated that he disagrees with the censorship. However, opposition leaders expressed their supports on Twitter’s decision and believed that people who spread hatred and lies should lose their voicing platform.
Angela Merkel responded through her spokesperson Steffen Seibert that the freedom of speech is “the fundamental rights with core meanings”. “Limitations on the basic right must be based on law and complying with the framework defined by the legislator, instead of based on the decision made by the management of social media”. Seibert also said that social media operations have a great social responsibility for hate, incitement to violence and other speeches, which should not be ignored. The platform’s practices of making relevant speeches in the past few months were commendable.
Other European leaders also responded to this incident. French Finance Minister, Bruno Le Maire, indicated that a private entrepreneur should not decide whether to block an account. He was shocked by the action of Twitter blocking Trump’s account. He added internet giants bring threats to the US and democracy, and that countries and legislative council should take the responsibility to manage social media.
#US #UnitedStates #France #BrunoLeMaire #Germany #AngelaMerkel #SteffenSeibert #Australia #Twitter #FreedomOfSpeech #FreedomIsNotFree #Democracy #SocialMedia #AcountBlocked
Source from: The Stand News #Jan12
https://bit.ly/3982hEh
The personal Twitter account of the US President Donald Trump has been permanently blocked. Leaders of various countries have successively spoken out on the incident. German Chancellor Angela Merkel stated through her spokesperson that the approach of Twitter is problematic, and believed that the measure, which limited the freedom of speech, should be based on the legal framework and the legislature, rather than, decided by the social media management. Michael McCormack, the Acting Prime Minister of Australia, also indicated that he disagrees with the censorship. However, opposition leaders expressed their supports on Twitter’s decision and believed that people who spread hatred and lies should lose their voicing platform.
Angela Merkel responded through her spokesperson Steffen Seibert that the freedom of speech is “the fundamental rights with core meanings”. “Limitations on the basic right must be based on law and complying with the framework defined by the legislator, instead of based on the decision made by the management of social media”. Seibert also said that social media operations have a great social responsibility for hate, incitement to violence and other speeches, which should not be ignored. The platform’s practices of making relevant speeches in the past few months were commendable.
Other European leaders also responded to this incident. French Finance Minister, Bruno Le Maire, indicated that a private entrepreneur should not decide whether to block an account. He was shocked by the action of Twitter blocking Trump’s account. He added internet giants bring threats to the US and democracy, and that countries and legislative council should take the responsibility to manage social media.
#US #UnitedStates #France #BrunoLeMaire #Germany #AngelaMerkel #SteffenSeibert #Australia #Twitter #FreedomOfSpeech #FreedomIsNotFree #Democracy #SocialMedia #AcountBlocked
Source from: The Stand News #Jan12
https://bit.ly/3982hEh
Exclusive: China plans further Hong Kong crackdown after mass arrest - sources
Source: Reuters #Jan12
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Source: Reuters #Jan12
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Exclusive: China plans further Hong Kong crackdown after mass arrest - sources
Two individuals with direct knowledge of China’s plans said the mass arrests in 2021 were part of a wave of ongoing actions to silence activists and to “make sure Hong Kong doesn’t slide back to what we saw 18 months ago”.
He said that Chinese officials were now discussing ways to change the electoral system to address “deficiencies” in the political structure and elections might be further delayed. Beijing remained concerned the opposition could still muster a majority in the legislature.
Among the next steps, authorities could focus on disqualifying hundreds of democratic “district councillors”; entrenching loyalty to China within the civil service; squeezing businesses whose bosses explicitly support the democratic cause and creeping censorship of the internet and media under the auspices of national security.
Source: Reuters #Jan12
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-hongkong-security-democracy-idUSKBN29H0E8
#ChinacrackdownHongKong #HongKongElection
Two individuals with direct knowledge of China’s plans said the mass arrests in 2021 were part of a wave of ongoing actions to silence activists and to “make sure Hong Kong doesn’t slide back to what we saw 18 months ago”.
He said that Chinese officials were now discussing ways to change the electoral system to address “deficiencies” in the political structure and elections might be further delayed. Beijing remained concerned the opposition could still muster a majority in the legislature.
Among the next steps, authorities could focus on disqualifying hundreds of democratic “district councillors”; entrenching loyalty to China within the civil service; squeezing businesses whose bosses explicitly support the democratic cause and creeping censorship of the internet and media under the auspices of national security.
Source: Reuters #Jan12
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-hongkong-security-democracy-idUSKBN29H0E8
#ChinacrackdownHongKong #HongKongElection
U.S.
Exclusive: China plans further Hong Kong crackdown after mass arrest - sources
The arrest of more than 50 democrats in Hong Kong last week intensifies a drive by Beijing to stifle any return of a populist challenge to Chinese rule and more measures are likely, according to two individuals with direct knowledge of China's plans.
American Fashion Group VF to Relocate from Hong Kong to Shanghai and Singapore
Source: Stand News #Jan12
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Source: Stand News #Jan12
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American Fashion Group VF to Relocate from Hong Kong to Shanghai and Singapore
American fashion group VF announced on January 11 that it will be moving its brand operations centre and Asia product supply hub from Hong Kong to Shanghai and Singapore respectively. The parent company of brands including North Face, Timberland, and Supreme stated that its relocation to Shanghai can help establish a closer relationship with Chinese consumers.
In its press release, VF said the transformation will take place over the next 12 to 18 months with the first stage of the plan commencing this April. Steve Rendle, VF’s chairman and CEO, said the company has built on the many opportunities in Asia since it began its expansion in the region 25 years ago. “Now,” he continued, “we’re further transforming our Asia operations so we can better serve this fast-moving, technology-driven market with increased speed and capabilities.”
VF added that it is seeking to establish closer relations with its Chinese consumers by moving its brand operations centre from Hong Kong to Shanghai. The relocation of its Asian product supply hub, on the other hand, is an effort to consolidate its global supply chain network, of which European and American hubs are key parts. Workforces and other resources will also be allocated to primary sourcing countries in the region to strengthen cooperation with suppliers and boost efficiency.
Source: Stand News #Jan12
#HK #Shanghai #Singapore #VFGroup #Supreme #NorthFace #Timberland #Economy
https://bit.ly/2Px6pGB
American fashion group VF announced on January 11 that it will be moving its brand operations centre and Asia product supply hub from Hong Kong to Shanghai and Singapore respectively. The parent company of brands including North Face, Timberland, and Supreme stated that its relocation to Shanghai can help establish a closer relationship with Chinese consumers.
In its press release, VF said the transformation will take place over the next 12 to 18 months with the first stage of the plan commencing this April. Steve Rendle, VF’s chairman and CEO, said the company has built on the many opportunities in Asia since it began its expansion in the region 25 years ago. “Now,” he continued, “we’re further transforming our Asia operations so we can better serve this fast-moving, technology-driven market with increased speed and capabilities.”
VF added that it is seeking to establish closer relations with its Chinese consumers by moving its brand operations centre from Hong Kong to Shanghai. The relocation of its Asian product supply hub, on the other hand, is an effort to consolidate its global supply chain network, of which European and American hubs are key parts. Workforces and other resources will also be allocated to primary sourcing countries in the region to strengthen cooperation with suppliers and boost efficiency.
Source: Stand News #Jan12
#HK #Shanghai #Singapore #VFGroup #Supreme #NorthFace #Timberland #Economy
https://bit.ly/2Px6pGB