Britain has obligation to denounce the abuse of colonial laws

Chris Patten, former governor of Hong Kong, states that the law would be used in contravention of the UN Covenant, and the Hong Kong government should explain why it does not abide by the UN Convention. He also urges Britain to step in on the deteriorating political situation in Hong Kong on 30 April, as Beijing representatives and supporters have alarmed observers with intrusions on the city’s semi-autonomy. Why would he say so? It is because Britain has legal obligation to maintain Hong Kong’s legal and judicial system unchanged for 50 years after 1997.

The Chinese government has failed to honour the Sino-British Joint Declaration. Would those convicted activists be released from jail once the colonial laws are removed? Will Hong Kong remain unchanged at least until 2047?

Lastly, the author wishes to quote some words from Edward Leung, one of our prescient activist: "Hong Kong now faces a much harsher political prosecution with elected legislators being disqualified and protestors getting multi-year jail sentencing. We urge the international community not to stand by and abandon the brave, dedicated and courageous individuals who have made enormous personal sacrifices for a better Hong Kong."

#HongKong #Britain #China
#democracy #BasicLaw #HumanRight

Source:
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1775169645834528&id=1360351810649649

https://www.ft.com/content/d66d69aa-6ef4-11e8-8863-a9bb262c5f53

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/30/chris-patten-urges-uk-investigate-coronavirus-origins-china

https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1277294/hong-kong-protests-pro-democracy-movement-police-abuse-uk-inquiry

https://hongkongfp.com/2020/05/05/lord-alton-uk-must-impose-sanctions-on-hong-kong-officials-for-human-rights-violations/

Calls mount, frustration grows over Trudeau’s promise to help Hong Kong

After launching the first series of actions aimed at supporting the people of Hong Kong, neither Trudeau nor his government has made any new pronouncements on Hong Kong despite the worsening situation in the area, causing frustrations from activists, human-rights groups and others.

That stands in contrast to Britain and Australia, both of which have announced some measures to make it easier for people to leave Hong Kong and make new lives in those two countries.

Source: The Star #Aug31

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2020/08/31/calls-mount-frustration-grows-over-trudeaus-promise-to-help-hong-kong.html

#Canada #Sanctions #Britain #Australia #HumanRights #Trudeau

Mesut Özil excluded from Premier League, promises to continue speaking for justice

The new Premier League season began a month ago. Mesut Özil, an Arsenal player currently banned in China after publicly supporting Uyghurs in Xinjiang, announced on his Facebook page that was omitted from the Premier League. This means that he has been deprived of the opportunity to play for Arsenal this season. Özil said he would still fight for another chance, practice hard and speak against inhumanity without further commenting on the situation.

Özil stated he has pledged his loyalty to Arsenal since signing his new contract in 2018 and was disappointed about his omission. He also said that he has been trying to remain positive and that he was looking forward to another opportunities, which have yet to occur.

Özil affirmed that London was his home despite not being given the chance to play for Arsenal. He has good friends in the team and shares a strong connection with fans, “I will keep fighting for my chance and not let my 8th season at Arsenal end like this.” Özil ended by restating that he would still train hard and use his voice for justice.

#China #UK #Britain #Xinjiang #Uyghur #Arsenal #football #soccer #sports #censorship #freespeech #MesutOzil

Source: Stand News #Oct22

http://bitly.ws/atwr

#Britain: China Breaches #JointDeclaration; #EU: China Contradicts its International Commitments

Britain released a second #statement in response to "Beijing’s imposition of new rules to disqualify elected legislators in Hong Kong".

British foreign minister Dominic Raab called it "a clear breach of the legally binding Sino-British Joint Declaration".

The statement said, "China has once again broken its promises and undermined Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy. The UK will stand up for the people of Hong Kong, and call out violations of their rights and freedoms. With our international partners, we will hold China to the obligations it freely assumed under international law."

The European Union also comdemned China for "further significantly undermin[ing] Hong Kong’s autonomy under the 'One Country, Two Systems' principle, and the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms in Hong Kong, contrary to China’s international commitments."

Source: UK Foreign Secretary; EU #Nov12

Image: InMedia

CCP Has Infiltrated All Walks of Life in UK, with HSBC and Standard Chartered Employing Over 600 Party Members

British media raises concerns about the China Communist Party (CCP) placing their members in foreign countries. Following the concern of the US intelligence on infiltration to US Democratic Party members by a Chinese spy, the British's Mail on Sunday claimed to have obtained nearly 2 million CCP members’ details, revealing that many of them are working in British academia and also in wide variation of industries, involving 79 thousand companies and their branches, such as HSBC, vaccine manufacturer Pfizer and AstraZeneca. Some of them even work in the British consulates, raising suspicions of espionage. The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) issued a short statement, describe the findings as disturbing. Some Australian parliament members have called on the government to find out whether CCP spies are infiltrating the Australian system.

A large amount of CCP member in HSBC, Standard Chartered, Pfizer and AstraZeneca

The Mail on Sunday reported that information on 1.95 million suspected CCP members, including their names, date of births, addresses and phone numbers, was circulated on Telegram. In September, a Chinese dissident forwarded this information to IPAC, which composed of cross-parties European and American parliamentarians. The Mail on Sunday recently analysed the data, finding that HSBC and Standard Chartered together employed more than 600 CCP members in the UK in 2016. It also reported that these two banks have long been criticised for their stance on dissidents issues in Hong Kong. Moreover, CCP members are also found to be employed in the defence industry including Boeing, Airbus, and Rolls-Royce. As for the pharmaceutical industry, Pfizer and AstraZeneca alone have already employed 123 CCP members.

The Mail on Sunday also discovered that many CCP members are working in foreign diplomatic organisations in China via a company called "The Shanghai Foreign Agency Service Corporation", which has a Chinese official background, and at least 249 CCP members were registered with the agency in 2016. The CCP also infiltrated into academics, that according to the British policy, overseas students not from the EU or the Five Eyes network are required to have an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate to enter. But it was found that some of the CCP members have been senior researchers in the UK top universities, participating in sensitive subject such as aerospace engineering.

#China #CCP #Infiltration #IPAC #MailOnSunday #Telegram #CCPmember #HSBC #StandardChartered #Pfizer #AstraZeneca #UK #Britain #ShanghaiForeignAgencyServiceCorporation #Spies

Source: Apple Daily #Dec13

https://hk.appledaily.com/international/20201213/TZECVNNCEVCIHGYN7RCR5V5CRY/

UK Revokes a China's Media CGTN Broadcasting license and Beijing Rebuts BBC as "Fake News”

China Global Television Network (CGTN), a subsidiary of China’s state-owned China Central Television, has been repeatedly questioned as biased. The Office of Communications (Ofcom) in the UK announced to revoke the local broadcasting license of CGTN today. On the other hand, the Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry criticized a BBC report from last month as fake news linking politics to the pandemic and asked for apologies.

Ofcom confirmed on Thursday after the investigation that Star China Media owned the broadcasting license of CGTN. However, this company has no right to control the editorial content of this station. Therefore, it does not meet the legal requirements for the license.

CGTN once requested to transfer the broadcasting license to a company called China Global Television Network Corporation. However, as the “important information” for the application is missing and the company are ultimately controlled by CCP, Ofcom refused the request for license transfer. Ofcom emphasized that they have already given enough chance to CGTN, but they still failed to comply with the law, so they decided to revoke its license.

Source: Stand News #Feb04

https://bit.ly/2OS5wIf

#China #Beijing #CGTN #CCTV #England #Britain #UK #BroadcastingLicense #BBC #FakeNews #CCP #Ofcom #License

Nearly 5,000 Hong Kong citizens sign up for new U.K. visa, report says

According to the source, The Times, about half of the 5,000 applicants received were from Hong Kongers who were already in Britain.

Britain says it is fulfilling a historical and moral commitment to Hong Kong’s people after National Security law was enacted by Beijing.

The UK government forecasted that the new visa could attract more than 300,000 people and their dependents to Britain.

Source: Japan Times #Feb18

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/02/18/asia-pacific/hong-kong-uk-visa-applicants/

#UK #Britain #BNOVisa #HongKong #LifeBoatScheme

Dominic Raab Urge Beijing to Allow the UN to Investigate Human Rights Issue in Xinjiang

Dominic Raab, the British Foreign Secretary, once again in a week criticised Beijing for harming human rights in Hong Kong and Xinjiang. He also urged China to allow the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to investigate the violation of the current Uyghurs human rights situation in Xinjiang.

Raab mentioned the cooperation stance between the UK and Xinjiang and expressed his opposing stance against Britain cooperating with Chinese enterprises, which exploited Xinjiang, at a BBC video interview with a political commentator Andrew Marr in Jan 17 morning local time. He mentioned that companies should not import product manufactured by forced labour in Xinjiang, ensuring that no organisation and institute from Britain would encourage violations of human rights in the area under the related policy. Raab expounded the British stance on the Xinjiang human rights issues the third time in a week, after briefing at the House of Commons last week and his conversation with Wang Yi.

Raab continued to express his concern over the issues in Hong Kong and Xinjiang. “We have joined 38 countries to criticise and to condemn the human rights violation in Xinjiang and Hong Kong. We will take actions to restrict British enterprises to profit from their supply chains in these horrifying detention camps. China accuses the west and Britain of having fabricated lies on the issues. If China wants to dispute the accusation and report, the simplest way is to allow United Nation Human Rights Commissioners to visit and investigate these places.”

#DominicRaab #Britain #XinJiang #Uyghur #HumanRights #UN #HongKong #DetentionCamps #BBC #AndrewMarr

Sources: StandNews #Jan17

https://bit.ly/3qA5eCO

Brain drain fears as quarter of young Hongkongers plan to emigrate

A quarter of young, educated people in Hong Kong are planning to emigrate, according to a new survey, raising fears of a growing brain drain amid China’s crackdown on opposition in the city.

When asked why, more than half cited the implementation of a sweeping national security law, under which more than 100 activists and lawmakers have so far been arrested, while others said it was down to poor governance or deep social divisions.

Britain, New Zealand and Australia were the top destinations for those hoping to leave.

Source: Telegraph #Mar15

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/03/15/brain-drain-fears-quarter-young-hongkongers-plan-emigrate/

#Brain #Hongkongers #Emigrate #Britain #NewZealand #Australia

Beijing official in Hong Kong warns against foreign meddling
 
Beijing's top official in Hong Kong on Thursday warned foreign forces not to interfere with the "bottom line" of national security in the city, threatening retaliation amid tensions between China and Western powers.

Canada, the U.S., Britain and their allies have condemned China's tightening control over Hong Kong's freedoms, including the sweeping national-security law and electoral reforms that have all but silenced the once-vibrant opposition in the semi-autonomous region.

"When it is time, actions must be taken in relation to any external or foreign forces that may interfere in Hong Kong affairs or attempts to use Hong Kong as a pawn," Luo Huining, director of the central government's liaison office in Hong Kong, said at the opening ceremony for Hong Kong's National Security Education Day.

Source: CBC #Apr15

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/china-warning-1.5988767

#Beijing #HongKong #Canada #US #Britain #NationalSecurityEducation