#FailedState #CoronavirusPandemic
Dismissing Privacy Concern, HK Gov't Insists in Carrying Out Universal Test and Health Code

The Chief Executive Carrie Lam on August 21 urged Hongkongers to take part in the COVID19 test run by the Chinese companies appointed by the HK government from September 1 onwards. Secretary for the Civil Service Patrick Nip reassured that information will "not be sent outside of Hong Kong".

Despite public concern over data collection and privacy, Lam said that the government will implement a health code plan to exempt qualified Hong Kong-China travellers from quarantine restrictions, similar to what China had already installed in Macau and Guangdong.

Secretary for Innovation and Technology Alfred Sit dismissed privacy concern. He stated that the health code users will have to acknowledge that they 'agree' to have their data sent to their destination, i.e. the Chinese authorities, if travelling to China.

Meanwhile, microbiologist Ho Pak-leung, head of the University of Hong Kong's Centre for Infection, has doubt in universal COVID-19 testing. He called it "a waste of bullets" if people with higher risk of infection are not tested.

Ho suggested to test all patients in public hospitals, and carry out repeated tests for elderly home workers and frontline medical staff, instead.

Source: RTHK #Aug21
#BigData #HealthCode #CarrieLam #AlfredSit #HoPakLeung #PersonalPrivacy #DNA

#TearGas
Lack of International Supervision on Tear Gas, Canadian Human Right Expert Urge to Ban as it can Spread Wuhan Virus

An International Human Right Project publication at the University of Toronto from last month said it is time to change the limitation for use of tear gas as the current law is no longer logical. The report pointed that tear gas could cause the spread of COVID-19.

Anti-riot agent, like teargas, has been banned from the means of wars in Chemical Weapons Convention since 1997. However, the law enforcement agencies in each country are not limited by this convention - they can use it in protests and riots. Last year, many places, such as Hong Kong, the U.S. Chile, Turkey, France, India and South Africa, broke out demonstrations, the law enforcement agencies had used teargas to disperse people for multiple times.

The International Human Right Project Team doubted that the governmentve has continuously overused dangerous teargas to prohibit citizens' freedom of speech and freedom of assembly.

Source: Stand News #Sep08
#WuhanVirus #CoronavirusPandemic #HumanRights #COVID19

#CSIMasks #CoronavirusPandemic
Ombudsman: Practice of Correctional Services Department on Prison-made Surgical Masks Inappropriate and Inconsistent with the Code on Access to Information

Source: Stand News #Sept18

Read more
⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/25490

#InformationAccess #Transparency #CoronavirusPandemic
Ombudsman: Practice of Correctional Services Department on Prison-made Surgical Masks Inappropriate and Inconsistent with the Code on Access to Information

When the coronavirus outbreak started earlier this year in Hong Kong, there was a spike in the demand for facemasks in the city. However, the surgical masks (commonly referred to as #CSIMasks) produced by the Correctional Services Department (#CSD), mainly for government departments, were found on the market for sale, calling into question whether CSI masks have been misused or resold without authorisation.

The “Hong Kong Connection”, a RTHK investigative programme, used the Code of Public Information and lodged inquiries to both the Correctional Services Department and the Government Logistics Department about manufacturing, distribution, and usage of CSI masks. However, both departments refused to reply, citing protection of third-party information and their privacy.

The Office of the Ombudsman carried out direct investigation in March this year upon receiving complaints from the RTHK team. The Ombudsman report, revealed that only one of the receiving organisations of CSI masks refused to disclose further information initially, claiming that “the society is infused with rioting and a culture to smear.”

In view of CSI masks outflowing into the market, the government once responded in February 2020, saying “CSD has been providing masks to non-governmental organisations well before the pandemic outbreak, so it is not surprising to see citizens wearing these masks.” When responding to RTHK inquiry, CSD insisted not disclosing any information involving a third-party.

In a post on the RTHK-programme “Hong Kong Connection” Facebook on September 17, it quoted the Ombudsman report which found RTHK-complaint well substantiated. The report pointed out omission of information in CSD practices in 2017 and 2018, it also found CSD’s refusal to provide information on non-governmental organizations inconsistent with the Code of Public Information and recommended CSD to re-examine and disclose information as much as possible.

Source: Stand News #Sept18

#FailedState #Obudsman

#EditorialColumn #Sept26 #MassSurveillance
Does Health Have a Price? Consequences of China's Paternalism

From the recent Universal Testing Scheme to the impending plan for Heath Code, the Hong Kong Government has been assisting the Chinese Central Government to impose mass surveillance and collect private data of the Hong Kong population in the name of pandemic controls.

For almost one year, the coronavirus pandemic, spreading from Wuhan, China to countries around the world, has revealed China's network of influence. Hong Kong is certainly not the only place where China exports, while naturalizing, its paternalistic control.

Can you see how China jails the Uyghurs in Concentration Camps?

Can you see the surveillance cameras owned by the CCP-controlled HIKvision around the world?

Can you see the backdoors that China-owned Huawei, WeChat and Tiktok open?

Can you see that the made-in-China facemasks you pay to wear came from forced labour at the Concentration camps and sweatshop factories?

Now you can see the penetration of China's sharp power in the 21st century.

If you found it disturbing that your internet activities might be overseen by the PRISM program and your messages seen by Facebook, the black mirror is brought to you by TikTok, WeChat and mass surveillance methods that track your health, contacts, whereabouts and activities.

Welcome to a made-in-China 2020: with surveillance technology, anti-pandemic control and monitoring system.

Welcome to utopia.

Image courtesy: The Economist

=======
Reference:
New York Times, Wearing a Mask? It May Come From China’s Controversial Labor Program, 19 July 2020

https://www.nytimes.com/video/world/asia/100000007226041/china-coronavirus-masks-uighur-labor-ppe.html

Further Reading:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/17/opinion/tiktok-china-strategy.html

#FaceMasks #LabourCamp #CoronavirusPandemic #Uyghurs #ChinesePaternalism #Health

#CoronavirusPandemic
Chinese Express "Joy" Over Trump's Covid-19 Infection in TV Interviews

US President Trump announced on Twitter on Oct 2, 2020 that he has been infected with COVID19.

A Taiwan TV channel compiled a video with footages obtained from US and Australia channels where Chinese, when interviewed, expressed "joy" to Trump's latest condition.

Watch the video:
https://www.facebook.com/news.ebc/videos/774038203166799

Source: EBC News, Taiwan #Oct2

#Trump #China #COVID19

#FakeNews #Disinformation
China Tampers With #WHO Video, Removes a Crucial "If", and Falsely Claims Vaccine Success

Source: Fact Check Lab, Hong Kong

#WuhanPneumonia #CoronavirusPandemic #Covid19Vaccine

#FakeNews #Disinformation
China Tampers With #WHO Video, Removes a Crucial "If", and Falsely Claims Vaccine Success

China's state-run CCTV News posted a video on Sept 24, 2020 to their Chinese-language Facebook page, claiming that WHO had stated that China's COVID-19 vaccine had "proved to be successful" in current clinical trials.

The video was reposted by a number of pro-Beijing Facebook pages, with captions such as "WHO Top Scientist: New Chinese COVID Vaccine Proven to be Effective", "China is Great 👍 For the Good of the World".

However, Factcheck Lab compared the video disseminated by China with the actual proceedings of WHO's press conference, and found that CCTV had cut the statement out of context, carefully removing a paronwith a crucial "if". Moreover, stock footage is played over the resulting audio clip, carefully concealing the distortion of facts upon the edits made by the China-owned news organization.

In the CCTV video [1], the quote from WHO Chief Scientist, Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, was modified to apparently claim that China had already created a successful vaccine:

"... very active vaccine development programme and several of their vaccine candidates are in advanced stages of clinical trial so this is also of interest to us so we're following those very closely. Some of their candidates actually proved to be successful in the clinical trials that are going on"

The full quote of Dr. Swaminathan is preserved in the conference transcripts [2] and video [3] of the Sept 21 press conference. The parts edited out by CCTV makes it sound that the above italicized quote was not meant to be an assertive statement on its own:

"We've been engaged in discussions with China for the last several months because, as you know, they also have a very active vaccine development programme and several of their vaccine candidates are in advanced stages of clinical trial so this is also of interest to us so we're following those very closely. <b>We've had very constructive and open discussions with them and they have always been reiterating their commitment to global access if some of their candidates actually prove to be successful in the clinical trials that are going on."

Taken in its entirety, it is clear that Dr Swaminathan's statement was only acknowledging China's promise to share any vaccines that they might develop.

In other words, the edited CCTV video, as well as the reposts made by pro-Beijing pages, had deliberately modified the scientist's statement to make false claims of China's success, and is clearly an intentional attempt to mislead the public.

NOTES:
[1] CCTV News video:
https://www.facebook.com/761870613900500/posts/3972027886218074

[2] Transcript of WHO COVID-19 Virtual Press Conference, 21 September 2020:

https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/transcripts/joint-covid-19-virtual-press-conference---21-september.pdf#page=16

[3] Video of press conference, beginning at Dr. Swaminathan's statement (0:42:44):

https://youtu.be/ia8DElK7SE4?t=2564

Source: FactCheck Lab, Hong Kong #30Sept2020 https://www.factchecklab.org/20200930/

#WuhanPneumonia #CoronavirusPandemic #Covid19Vaccine
#CCPLies #CCTV

=======

[Editor's Note:

As the WHO represents the world's concerted effort to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, such misleading reports only serves to undermine the organization's credibility and international cooperation. It is all the more despicable that it would come from a state-run media such as China's CCTV; such falsehood is an affront to any journalist's commitment to the pursuit of the truth, and ought to be widely condemned.]

The false video was first reported by Factcheck Lab on Sept 30, 2020.

Their original report in Chinese is attached as follows:

⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

#FailedState #CoronavirusPandemic
Control and Tightening Control: HK Government's Latest Responses to the Pandemic

Source: Stand News; InMedia #Nov11

Read more
⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

#FailedState #CoronavirusPandemic
Control and Tightening Control: HK Government's Latest Responses to the Pandemic

The Hong Kong SAR government refused to grant HKD1.5m to a community cleanliness campaign approved by Southern District Council for anti-pandemic purpose.

This is not the first time where the government refused to operate with the directly-elected district councillors, of which the pro-democracy camp constitutes the majority in all 18 District Councils in Hong Kong.

Read more:
https://bit.ly/2K0nAgZ

Meanwhile, the government claimed the need to "tighten anti-pandemic control". The Health Authority required travellers arriving in Hong Kong to undergo quarantine in hotels, i.e. home quarantine is not allowed. The regulation, however, exempts travellers arriving from China.

Read more:
https://bit.ly/2GO9ZrC

The Hong Kong government will release an mobile application to monitor citizens' travel records on Nov 16, 2020. The government claims that data such as personal information and GPS location would not be collected, and privacy would be respected. Citizens can voluntarily download and use the app.

The development of the app had cost HKD 1m.

The HK government also mentioned a plan to exempt Hong Kong residents in China from the 14-day compulsory quarantine when returning to Hong Kong, starting from Nov 23, 2020.

Read more:
https://bit.ly/32Af6U9

Source: InMedia #Nov11

Image: Stand News

#DistrictCouncil #Discriminatiom #HealthCode #Quarantine

#FailedState #Border
HK Government Suspends Local School and Welcomes HK-China Border-Crossers With Quarantine Exemption

The Health Authorities in Hong Kong announced on November 20, 2020 that face-to-face classes for primary 1-3 students will be suspended for two weeks starting on Nov 23.

With more new cases confirmed in the city, the Heath Secretary said the coronavirus situation has worsened.

Nevertheless, on the same day that primary schools will partially be suspended in Hong Kong, the Hong Kong government is opening the Hong Kong-China border and exempting the border-crossing people from the 14-day quarantine.

The government called it the "Return2HK" scheme, which will allow registered people to leave Macau and Southern China and go to Hong Kong without the need to undergo 14 days of quarantine. 

The daily quota is initially set to be 5,000 people. Among them, up to 3,000 people will be allowed to enter through the Shenzhen Bay and 2,000 via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge per day.

According to pro-Beijing newspaper Sing Tao Daily, the government has plans to increase the quota, and extend the quarantine-free arrangement to other provinces in China, even before the scheme is launched.

Source: RTHK #Nov18 #Nov20

news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1561016-20201120.htm

news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1560592-20201118.htm

#HeathCode #Discrimination #WuhanPneumonia #CoronavirusPandemic

#FailedState #Border
HK Government Exempts Border Crosser from China from Compulsory Quarantine and Hands Out Cash to "Those Struggling" Positive COVID Cases

On November 22, 2020, Hong Kong's Health Secretary Sophia Chan says the government will hand out a one-off sum of HK$5,000 to everyone who tests positive for the coronavirus. However, on Nov 23, Secretary for Labour and Welfare Law Chi-kwong said that the cash hand-out is only for "those struggling".

Just a few days ago on November 19, one confirmed Covid-19 case with an then-unknown source was found to be a 75-year-old wealthy merchant called Ng Wong Ching-yee.

According to sources, she dined with nearly 10 relatives and friends on Nov 15 at the Deep Water Bay Golf Club. The merchant reportedly hid her activities, so that her companions would not be traced by the health authorities. They went throuht private test on their own. The son of infected woman went on quarantine on a private yacht.

According to sources, the 75-year-old female merchant had visited a dance club called Heavenly in Sheung Wan. Currently, the dance club cluster involves 14 dance clubs and has pushed the number of confirmed cases to three-month high in Hong Kong, as identified by the health authorities on Nov 22, 2020.

On Nov 23, more confirmed cases were found linked to the dance cluster, whereas the Hong Kong government rolled out the "Return2HK" scheme for the first day where registered people can travel from China to Hong Kong without the need to undergo 14-day quarantine.

According to Now News, as at 18:00 on Nov 23, around 2,140 people had crossed the border to Hong Kong.

Source: RTHK #Nov22; Apple Daily #Nov20 ; Nov News #Nov23

https://bit.ly/3lNUMpD

news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1561320-20201122.htm

https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1561282-20201122.htm

#WuhanPneumonia #CoronavirusPandemic #Cash #Merchant #DanceClub #DeepWaterBay #GolfClub

#Christmas2020
Hongkonger: First Christmas Without Cinema

In December 2019, COVID-19 was spread from Wuhan to other parts of China. In Spring 2020, the coronavirus pandemic was hitting the whole world.

At Christmas 2020, COVID-19 is still menacing the world, causing the separation of families, the suspension of festive activities and the closure of businesses including restaurants and theatres.

The following is a Hong Kong cinephille's contemplation for Christmas 2020:

"When friendship and relationship are vulnerable, you thought at least the Cinema would be there for you. This year, even the Cinema was unwell.

Next year today, you might be in the UK, Australia, Canada and Taiwan. Let's hope there will still be cinemas. Even when we are apart, we can still dream the same dream together inside the cinema, somewhere.

I hope we have not yet become "Alice in the Borderland"; we have a "Sweet Home"; and, most importantly, we shall remember to stay "#Alive".

Although bad news find their way to us everyday, I wish everyone still a merry Christmas."

Source: Jacky Hei #Dec25

https://www.facebook.com/160125994157497/posts/1782430935260320/

#Cinema #Covid19 #HongkongersVoice #CoronavirusPandemic

#Breaking #PoliceState #WuhanPneumonia
Hong Kong Government Imposes Last-minute Compulsory Lockdown in Jordan District; Police Order Reporters to Leave

At 4am on Jan 23, 2021, the Hong Kong government cited the chapter 599J of the Regulations on Disease Prevention and Control and announced a compulsory lockdown of an area in the Jordan district.

The government refused to respond to any decision made on Jan 22, while police started to station in the area on Friday evening. Not until the early morning of Jan 23, the government issued a press release about the sudden lockdown.

Watch the video:
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/28097

The ''restricted'' area is encircled by Woosung Street in the east, Nanking Street in the south, Battery Street in the west, and Kansu Street in the north.

Civilians are not allowed to leave the area until everyone in the area has taken a test and the results have been confirmed. the government has also issued mandatory inspection notices for all premises in the "restricted area". Anyone who has been in the "restricted area" for more than two hours in the past 14 days is also mandated to undergo testing before midnight on Jan 23.

The authorities claimed that they aim to complete all the tests within 48 hours, so that civilians can go to work on Monday.

According to InMedia, police ordered reporters on site to leave and the communication was confusing.

Video: InMedia
Source: InMedia; RTHK #Jan23

http://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1571933-20210123.htmn

#Lockdown #Covid19 #CoronavirusPandemic

#FirstHand #Feb6 #ToKwaWanLockdown
This is Hong Kong, 2021: #PoliceState in #Lockdown Zone

The Hong Kong Police announced the government's lockdown plan in To Kwa Wan and Tuen Mun on the evening of Feb 6, 2021.

Read more:
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/28497

Via a loud speaker, the police told the residents in To Kwa Wan, "The area near Wah Fat Building at Ma Hang Chung Road has been sealed off. Residents are required to undergo mandatory tests. Government staff will proceed to knock on the door of every household..."

This is Hong Kong in Feb 2021, more than one year after the coronavirus was spreaded from China to Hong Kong and to the rest of the world.

#CoronavirusPandemic #WuhanPneumonia

#Interview #SayNo #NeverGiveUp
Hongkongers Close Down Business Rather Than Collecting Data for the Authorities: "There is no room for compromise"

Part 1

Citing the #CoronavirusPandemic as a reason, the Hong Kong government has suspended the entire fitness industry for more than 100 days.

On Feb 10, 2021, the government announced the permission of reopening facilities such as fitness centres, only if the facilities register customers with either the authorities' #LeaveHomeSafeApp or their personal information.

The government's decision sparked the city questions and criticisms in the city, as worries about #MassSurveillance arose. “It’s funny how they [the government officials] are not ashamed of their decisions”, said the owners of Wild Gym Fitness and Therapy.

The owners Mr and Mrs Tong were arrested by the police after helping out a girl to stand up near a protest site during the Anti-ELAB movement in 2019. The couple and the girl they helped were all charged with rioting, but finally acquitted.

Tong Wai-hung said he would rather close down the gym than colluding with the government to collect personal data. He also said that businesses are just going to lose more in the end if they betray customers' trust in exchange for making a living. “When are you going to stop selling out yourself?” he questioned.

Tong said, Hong Kong citizens and local businesses have been using effective measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus ever since the beginning of 2020. Nevertheless, they still suffered under the difficult times because the Hong Kong government refused to close the border with China to stop the source of the virus.

“We have already done the best we could in terms of preventive measures, but the government failed to protect our borders. I’m forced to close my business because of the pandemic now, while some people are still allowed to cross the border without being tested and undergoing quarantine”.

[Editor's note: From Feb 18, 2021 onwards, the Hong Kong government allows restaurants to re-open in the evening, but requires them to ask customers to register their personal information through the Leave Home Safe App or manually.]

Source: Stand News #Feb15

https://bit.ly/3tZqODM

#WildGymFitnessandTherapy #TongWaiHung

#FirstHand #Mar19
#LohasPark #Lockdown
Hong Kong Authorities Continue to Impose Ambush-Style Lockdown

On the evening of March 19, 2021, the Hong Kong government announced a sudden lockdown of a residential building in Lohas Park, Tseung Kwan O. The affected building was Block No. 9 of the private housing estate.

The video captures the large number of police deployed to surround the building. All residents were ordered to undergo the #covid19 test.

#CoronavirusPandemic #PoliceState

#Vaccination #MassCancellation
Hong Kong Govt blames "smear campaign" as seniors cancel vaccination bookings in droves

The Hong Kong government issued a statement, accusing an unnamed medical professional group of "smearing" the government's vaccination program.

The Health Authority Employees Alliance (#HAEA) responded in a facebook post on March 18, 2021, reiterating their criticisms against the vaccination program. The medical workers' group pointed out again that the third-stage data remains insufficient for the Sinovac vaccine on patients above 60 years of age. Therefore they remain opposed to the Hong Kong government's call for citizens to receive the made-in-China Sinovac vaccine.

The group stressed that they had never been opposed to vaccination in general.

Meanwhile, the numerous deaths following vaccinations seem to have shaken the faith in the vaccine among senior citizens, although the government's expert committee insisted that the deaths are not directly related.

Speaking on a radio show on the public broadcaster RTHK, Lin Wai-yiu of the Society for Community Organization noted that they had been assisting seniors with vaccine-related inquiries. In the beginning of the program, most inquiries came from those who wanted to take the vaccine. Recently, however, half of the seniors who called wanted to cancel their appointments.

"They're cancelling in droves," Lin said. "Perhaps they read about the severe cases, and they were concerned whether their health condition is suitable for the vaccine."

He added that the government had cautioned that those with chronic illnesses should be be careful with the vaccine, but 70% of seniors often have some chronic illnesses. Additionally, some of them do not have the ability to make a medical judgment and cannot evaluate the risks involved; they would cancel their booking first, and make a decision later after consulting with their doctor.

Source: Stand News #Mar18
https://www.thestandnews.com/society/政府譴責抹黑疫苗-醫管局員工陣線反駁-科興數據未盡充分-社協-半數查詢長者望取消打針/

#FailedState #Vaccine #CoronavirusPandemic #WuhanPneumonia