#PoliceState #PoliticalProsecution #NationalSecurityLaw
HK Police Add Charges to Detained #AppleDaily Founder #JimmyLai: "Colluding with Foreign Forces"

Source: Apple Daily; RTHK #Dec11

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https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/27240

#PoliceState #PoliticalProsecution #NationalSecurityLaw
HK Police Add Charges to Detained #AppleDaily Founder #JimmyLai: "Colluding with Foreign Forces"

In a brief statement on Dec 11, 2020, the Hong Kong police claimed “After in-depth investigation by [the] National Security Department of Hong Kong Police, a 73-year-old man was charged with an additional offence of ‘collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security’”.

The 73-year-old man is Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai. He is the fourth person and the most-high profile so far to be charged under the national security law which Beijing forcefully imposed on Hong Kong at the end of June 2020.

The pro-democracy media tycoon is already put behind bars after he was denied bail in earlier Dec 2020 after being charged with fraud in relation to the lease of Next Digital's headquarters in Tseung Kwan O.

The vocal critic of Beijing and founder of the Next Digital group and the Apple Daily newspaper was arrested in August 2020 on suspicion of violating Article 29 of the city’s national security law, which sets out how collusion offences of a grave nature can lead to life imprisonment.

"The goal is to hold Jimmy Lai, and shut Jimmy Lai up," Mark Simon, an associate of Lai, told the Reuters news agency.

Source: Apple Daily; RTHK #Dec11
https://bit.ly/3negZyc

#Oppression #ForeignForce #HumanitarianCrisis

#NationalSecurityLaw #Asylum
HK Pro-democracy activist and Former Lawmaker #SixtusLeung seeks political asylum in US

Source: Haven Assistance; RTHK; Reuters; #Dec11

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https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/27242

#NationalSecurityLaw #Asylum
HK Pro-democracy activist and Former Lawmaker #SixtusLeung seeks political asylum in US

Sixtus Leung Chung-heng told a reporter on December 11, 2020 that he has fled Hong Kong and is seeking political asylum in the United States.

On his Facebook, Leung declared the severance of all ties with his family in Hong Kong and resignation from his position and duties at the pro-independence political party #Youngspiration.

The former Youngspiration member said that after being "illegitimately deprived of his representation and voting rights", he'd been bankrupted, imprisoned and harassed under the National Security Law.

Leung opinioned that conditions have deteriorated since China forcefully imposed security laws in June, 2020 in Hong Kong. “Every day when we wake up, when we look at the mobile (phone) screen, the issue of first thing that pop up is: who of our friends are being arrested; who among our friends is being sentenced to jail."

See Haven Assistance's Statement:
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/27241

Leung served four weeks in prison earlier in 2020 after being convicted of taking part in an unlawful assembly while trying to push his way into a Legco meeting four years ago. He also faces bankruptcy proceedings after Legco demanded him to return almost one million dollars in salary and other funding that he received prior to his disqualification.

Leung said in Washington that he hopes to meet with advisers of President-elect Joe Biden to urge him to ramp up pressure on China, pointing out that the United States should target Hong Kong's financial sector with tougher sanctions to deprive China of its 'ATM' and force Beijing to the negotiating table over its crackdown on the SAR.

He also suggested action to block Chinese banks from using Swift, a network used by banks globally to make financial transactions, and also target Hong Kong dollar's peg to the US currency "to try to force China to back to the negotiation table".

Source: Haven Assistance; RTHK; Reuters; #Dec11
https://t.me/rthk_new_e/14683

#Oppression #HongKongProtests #DQ #LegCo #US #Refugee #HavenAssistance

Hongkongers, Stand Strong

On Dec 3, 2020, the day where pro-democracy activists Joshua Wong, Agnes Chow and Ivan Lam were sentenced to jail, Cuson Lo, a Hong Kong cartoonist created this illustration that read “Stand Strong”.

Source: Cuson Lo #Dec3
https://www.facebook.com/100044619330788/posts/218738496290127/

British Thinktank Urges UK to Focus on Indo-Pacific Region

Source: Apple Daily #Nov25

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British Thinktank Urges UK to Focus on Indo-Pacific Region

An influential centre-right British thinktank recently published a report proposing the UK's strategic policies on the Indo-Pacific region focusing on military, financial and diplomatic resources on building up democratic power against China's growing impact on world order. The report also recommends the UK government to support Hong Kong's autonomy and freedoms promised in the Sino-British Joint Declaration.

The report was published by Policy Exchange's Indo-Pacific Commission, chaired by former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and endorsed by former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe and current Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. With the publishing of this report expects closer collaboration between Britain and its allies in the Indo-Pacific region, including Australia, India, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. Together, they make up nearly half of the global economic output and comprise of more than half of the world population.

The report points out the UK government should expand the deployment of Royal Navy assets, Royal Air Force aircraft and Army (including Special Forces) or Royal Marines personnel to achieve uninterrupted and year-round UK military presence in the Indo-Pacific Region on operational and training missions. The City of London would offer its financial muscle through an Indo-Pacific investment initiative to set up a clean alternative to the Chinese belt and road initiative. It is also suggested to create an Indo-Pacific multinational investment treaty to protect investors from Chinese discriminatory practices and allow investors to enter into arbitration under international law.

Source: Apple Daily #Nov25

https://bit.ly/2IDPJdm

#UK #IndoPacific #PolicyExchange #BeltAndRoad

Now it’s India: China Blames India For Origin Of COVID-19

Chinese researchers claimed in November 2020 that their research suggested that the “least mutated strain” originated in India or a surrounding country. China has been repeated source of misinformation surrounding the coronavirus and Beijing has previously baselessly accused the United State and Italy for releasing the coronavirus.

The new research contradicts reporting that the virus originated in Wuhan and spread to the rest of the world as the Chinese government suppressed key details about the outbreak.

The paper has already received heavy criticisms from experts in virus research. David Robertson, a professor at the University of Glasgow’s Center for Virus Research, called the Chinese paper “very flawed”, according to the Daily Mail.

Source: The Daily Wire #Nov28

https://www.dailywire.com/news/now-its-india-china-blames-india-for-origin-of-covid-19

#India #China #Covid19 #CovidOrigin

#FirstHand #Dec12
#Save12HongkongYouths
Pro-democracy Hongkongers Detained by China "Request" to Plead Guilty to Protest Charges in Hong Kong

On November 27, 2020, the Shenzhen Public Security Bureau (Yantian Branch) in China claimed that they have completed their investigation of the case about the 12 detained Hongkongers. The 12 civilians from Hong Kong who were captured by Chinese authorities and jailed in China since then were sent to the Provincial People's Procuratorate of the PRC for the charge to proceed.

However, as of December 12, 2020, their families had not received any official response from any authorities. Nevertheless, the lawyers appointed by Chinese authorities inquired the protest-related course cases in Hong Kong.

The families of the 12 Hong Kong youths spoke to the press in Hong Kong on 12 December, 2020 at 15:30. Although some families had communication with the lawyers appointed by the Chinese government over the phone or in text message, they still didn't know what their charges are in China.

In the press conference, the family members also shared the letters reportedly written by the 12 pro-democracy Hongkongers. In the letters, the detainees "asked" their families to help them plead guilty to all the charges they have in Hong Kong.

According to the solicitors in Hong Kong, this is not possible as they couldn't contact their clients. Thus, they couldn't do anything with the legal procedure in Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, in Hong Kong the detainees' bank accounts in Bank of China have been cancelled due to "commercial decision". Their families couldn't check the balance nor withdraw money.

Earlier, the families have written letters to the 12 Hong Kong youths. The Hong Kong Immigration Department was supposed to help pass the letters to China. However, the families have never received any feedback, even the Immigration Department confirmed to have passed the letters to Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Guangdong, China (#GDETO).

The lawyers assigned by Chinese authorities clearly stated that the detention centre wouldn't distribute any letter to 12 Hongkongers.

These CCP-assigned lawyers also asked of the court cases related to the 12 Hongkongers in Hong Kong. In fact, the Chinese authorities should only handle the reported "illegal border crossing", but have no right to intervene any other court cases in Hong Kong.

Worse still, some families in Hong Kong were contacted by two different China-appointed lawyers, but some not even had one.

On these occasions, the lawyers never mentioned their identities, such as name and contact numbers.

One family was requested by a "lawyer" to provide a family photo. "I don't know who you are. You never provide any license to prove you are laywer," the family member recalled telling the self-claimed lawyer from China.

The "lawyer" said, "my identity doesn't matter, but your photo does."

While Christmas is coming, is it possible for the families to visit the 12 detained Hongkongers if accompanied by Hong Kong government officials? Can the 12 Hongkongers give a call to their family? This humanitarian crisis has been going on for nearly 4 months, showing the Chinese authorities' total disregard for basic human rights.

#Save12 #CCPControl

#FirstHand #Dec12 #Save12HongkongYouths
Concern Group Asks Citizens to Send Christmas Cards to Detained Pro-democracy Protesters in Chinese Prison

As the Winter Solsftice and Christmas are approaching, the Save 12 Hong Kong Youths Concern Group on Dec 12, 2020 announced the Christmas Card Writing Scheme.

The concern group has prepared 4 kinds of Christmas Cards, for fellow Hongkongers to send their words to the 12 pro-democracy Hongkongers who were detained by Chinese authorities for nearly 4 months.

The Christmas card street booth will be set up by district councillors and partnering groups. Card writers are advised to send their cards directly to the Yantian Detention Center in Shenzhen, China with the "12 Hongkongers" as the addressees. The postage fees from Hong Kong are $2.6 and #3.4 (airmail).

More details:
https://www.facebook.com/save12hkyouths/posts/213633647143732

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Hongkongers Detained by China "Request" to Plead Guilty to Charges in Hong Kong
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/27254

A year after Wuhan alarm, China seeks to change Covid origin story

Source: The Guardian #Nov29

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https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/27258

A year after Wuhan alarm, China seeks to change Covid origin story

China's state media People’s Daily claimed in a Facebook post in November 2020 that “all available evidence suggests that the coronavirus did not start in central China’s Wuhan”.

Chinese scientists have submitted a paper for publication to the Lancet – although it has not yet been peer-reviewed – that claims “Wuhan is not the place where human-to-human Sars-CoV-2 transmission first happened”, suggesting instead that the first case may have been in the “Indian subcontinent”.


Claims that the virus had orgins outside China are given very little credence by western scientists. Michael Ryan, director of the health emergencies programme at the World Health Organization (WHO), said last week that it would be “highly speculative” to argue that the disease did not emerge in China.

Source: The Guardian #Nov29

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/29/a-year-after-wuhan-alarm-china-seeks-to-change-covid-origin-story

#Covid19 #CovidOrigin #China #India #WHO