#Brainwashing #Education #LiberalStudies
Lawmaker: Review of Liberal Studies textbook by Government-influenced assessment panel is at odds with current arrangement and politically driven
The Education Bureau in Hong Kong established a consulting service on Liberal Studies last September for publishers to submit textbooks for their approval, claiming that the arrangement is on voluntary base. When responding to legislator’s inquiry, Kevin Yeung Yun-hung said the textbooks will be reviewed by an expert panel encompassing inspectors of the Bureau, university scholars and education professionals.
Owing to local media’s further inquiry, citing Code on Access to Information, the Bureau eventually revealed that among 22 members 12 were Bureau-appointed inspectors, only 2 were university scholars while the identities of the remaining 8 were yet disclosed. The Bureau explained that panelists identities were classified information due to confidentiality agreement.
Yip Kin-yuen, Education-sector legislator pointed out that this is an odd arrangement as most reviewing panelists were recruited externally. Yip stressed that when a reviewing panel is dominated by Bureau-appointed inspectors, the review is no longer an independent assessment based on expert opinion, but more likely an exercise delivered to fulfill political mission.
Source: Citizens News, Apple Daily; #Oct23
#PoliticalOppression #FailedState
Lawmaker: Review of Liberal Studies textbook by Government-influenced assessment panel is at odds with current arrangement and politically driven
The Education Bureau in Hong Kong established a consulting service on Liberal Studies last September for publishers to submit textbooks for their approval, claiming that the arrangement is on voluntary base. When responding to legislator’s inquiry, Kevin Yeung Yun-hung said the textbooks will be reviewed by an expert panel encompassing inspectors of the Bureau, university scholars and education professionals.
Owing to local media’s further inquiry, citing Code on Access to Information, the Bureau eventually revealed that among 22 members 12 were Bureau-appointed inspectors, only 2 were university scholars while the identities of the remaining 8 were yet disclosed. The Bureau explained that panelists identities were classified information due to confidentiality agreement.
Yip Kin-yuen, Education-sector legislator pointed out that this is an odd arrangement as most reviewing panelists were recruited externally. Yip stressed that when a reviewing panel is dominated by Bureau-appointed inspectors, the review is no longer an independent assessment based on expert opinion, but more likely an exercise delivered to fulfill political mission.
Source: Citizens News, Apple Daily; #Oct23
#PoliticalOppression #FailedState
#FailedState #PoliticalOppression
63% of HK People Consider Education Bureau’s Stripping of a Teacher’s License “Politically Motivated”
Source: Apple Daily; #Oct23
Read more
⬇️⬇️⬇️
63% of HK People Consider Education Bureau’s Stripping of a Teacher’s License “Politically Motivated”
Source: Apple Daily; #Oct23
Read more
⬇️⬇️⬇️
#FailedState #PoliticalOppression
63% of HK People Consider Education Bureau’s Stripping of a Teacher’s License “Politically Motivated”
Hong Kong's Education Bureau has earlier revoked a primary school teacher's teaching license for “planning to spread the idea of Hong Kong independence” in school. An opinion poll conducted by Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute (#PORI) revealed that over 63% of respondents considered the Education Bureau’s decision to be politically driven.
Lawmaker Yip Kin-yuen, representing the Education sector, pointed out that PORI’s findings indicated that more than 63% of Hong Kong population does not trust the government's explanation. Yip stressed that “an administration without the people's trust cannot stand”.
This opinion survey was conducted from October 19-22 in which 11,000 citizens were randomly sampled and surveyed. Only less than 30% did not believe that politics was involved in the Education Bureau’s action.
While an overwhelming 97% pro-democracy respondents considered it politically motivated, over 1/3 of non-pro-democracy respondents also agreed.
Source: Apple Daily #Oct23
https://hk.appledaily.com/local/20201023/EPXKCHE5PNAGNDJPGYFOAWPF5E/
63% of HK People Consider Education Bureau’s Stripping of a Teacher’s License “Politically Motivated”
Hong Kong's Education Bureau has earlier revoked a primary school teacher's teaching license for “planning to spread the idea of Hong Kong independence” in school. An opinion poll conducted by Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute (#PORI) revealed that over 63% of respondents considered the Education Bureau’s decision to be politically driven.
Lawmaker Yip Kin-yuen, representing the Education sector, pointed out that PORI’s findings indicated that more than 63% of Hong Kong population does not trust the government's explanation. Yip stressed that “an administration without the people's trust cannot stand”.
This opinion survey was conducted from October 19-22 in which 11,000 citizens were randomly sampled and surveyed. Only less than 30% did not believe that politics was involved in the Education Bureau’s action.
While an overwhelming 97% pro-democracy respondents considered it politically motivated, over 1/3 of non-pro-democracy respondents also agreed.
Source: Apple Daily #Oct23
https://hk.appledaily.com/local/20201023/EPXKCHE5PNAGNDJPGYFOAWPF5E/
#Cronyism #FailedState #SpecialTreatment
Vice-president Newly appointed to City University is the founder of Government's "appointed" COVID-19 testing lab
The City University of Hong Kong (#CityU) appointed Michael Yang Meng-su, the chair professor of the Department of Biomedical Sciences, as the University’s new vice-president.
Yang, however, was identified as one of the founding members of #Prenetics, one of the Government’s "appointed" COVID-19 testing laboratory without any public tender.
Source: Apple Daily #Oct23
https://hk.appledaily.com/local/20201023/3AK4KI7BE5E7FMVG7DJSQLRCD4/
#Collusion #University #Academia
Vice-president Newly appointed to City University is the founder of Government's "appointed" COVID-19 testing lab
The City University of Hong Kong (#CityU) appointed Michael Yang Meng-su, the chair professor of the Department of Biomedical Sciences, as the University’s new vice-president.
Yang, however, was identified as one of the founding members of #Prenetics, one of the Government’s "appointed" COVID-19 testing laboratory without any public tender.
Source: Apple Daily #Oct23
https://hk.appledaily.com/local/20201023/3AK4KI7BE5E7FMVG7DJSQLRCD4/
#Collusion #University #Academia
US election analysis - China wants Biden to soften stance on China; Scholar: whoever is the president should not go soft
Source: Apple Daily #Oct23
Read more
⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️
Source: Apple Daily #Oct23
Read more
⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️
US election analysis - China wants Biden to soften stance on China; Scholar: whoever is the president should not go soft
The relationship between China and the United States is at its worst in decades. It is widely believed that the Beijing government would prefer to see Democratic presidential candidate Biden defeat Trump in the White House, where conflicts over trade, technology and security are expected to ease. But many scholars believe that even if Biden were to take the stage, it is unlikely that he would go easy on Beijing because American politics across the spectrum are now disappointed with Beijing. No matter who ends up as president, his stance will not soften by much.
There is a long list of issues currently in dispute between China and the United States, including the COVID-19 epidemic, technology, trade, security, and spies; as well as matters involving Hong Kong, Taiwan, and human rights issues in Tibet and Xinjiang. Trump's trade war, which imposes punitive tariffs on Chinese goods, and his blocking of leading Chinese technology and Internet companies such as Huawei, TikTok, and WeChat, as well as his allies' efforts to blockade China, have put Beijing on a collision course. A Pew Research Center survey in March found that two-thirds of the U.S. public has a negative view of China, the highest since the survey began in 2005.
Source: Apple Daily #Oct23
#US #China #USelections #Biden2020 #Trump2020 #Covid #TradeWar #TikTok
https://hk.appledaily.com/international/20201023/VWYZFJ646BA7NMY37PA22RU6NU/
The relationship between China and the United States is at its worst in decades. It is widely believed that the Beijing government would prefer to see Democratic presidential candidate Biden defeat Trump in the White House, where conflicts over trade, technology and security are expected to ease. But many scholars believe that even if Biden were to take the stage, it is unlikely that he would go easy on Beijing because American politics across the spectrum are now disappointed with Beijing. No matter who ends up as president, his stance will not soften by much.
There is a long list of issues currently in dispute between China and the United States, including the COVID-19 epidemic, technology, trade, security, and spies; as well as matters involving Hong Kong, Taiwan, and human rights issues in Tibet and Xinjiang. Trump's trade war, which imposes punitive tariffs on Chinese goods, and his blocking of leading Chinese technology and Internet companies such as Huawei, TikTok, and WeChat, as well as his allies' efforts to blockade China, have put Beijing on a collision course. A Pew Research Center survey in March found that two-thirds of the U.S. public has a negative view of China, the highest since the survey began in 2005.
Source: Apple Daily #Oct23
#US #China #USelections #Biden2020 #Trump2020 #Covid #TradeWar #TikTok
https://hk.appledaily.com/international/20201023/VWYZFJ646BA7NMY37PA22RU6NU/
Canadian Public Schools Refuse to Cut Ties as Media Exposes Funding for Computers from Confucius Institute
Source: Apple Daily #Oct23
Read more
⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️
Source: Apple Daily #Oct23
Read more
⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️
Canadian Public Schools Refuse to Cut Ties as Media Exposes Funding for Computers from Confucius Institute
The Confucius Institute in Canada has been revealed to have provided local public schools with undisclosed funding for laptops and other resources. Upon enquiry, a number of higher institutions and school districts in Canada said they were not intending to make any change to their partnership with the institute for the time being. They stressed that the institute’s activities were limited to promoting traditional Chinese culture and language education and that they had not received any benefits from the institute.
According to a report by Canada’s Global and Mail, a number of primary and secondary schools in the Coquitlam School District in Vancouver were offered funding by the Confucius Institute for such resources as laptops on the condition that they provide Mandarin courses. The institute would have to submit evaluations of its reception in the local community to its headquarters in China. The report raised questions as to whether this is still an academic activity.
Source: Apple Daily #Oct23
#Canada #China #ConfuciusInstitute #CI #Education #Culture #Infiltration
https://bit.ly/3jsyiZn
The Confucius Institute in Canada has been revealed to have provided local public schools with undisclosed funding for laptops and other resources. Upon enquiry, a number of higher institutions and school districts in Canada said they were not intending to make any change to their partnership with the institute for the time being. They stressed that the institute’s activities were limited to promoting traditional Chinese culture and language education and that they had not received any benefits from the institute.
According to a report by Canada’s Global and Mail, a number of primary and secondary schools in the Coquitlam School District in Vancouver were offered funding by the Confucius Institute for such resources as laptops on the condition that they provide Mandarin courses. The institute would have to submit evaluations of its reception in the local community to its headquarters in China. The report raised questions as to whether this is still an academic activity.
Source: Apple Daily #Oct23
#Canada #China #ConfuciusInstitute #CI #Education #Culture #Infiltration
https://bit.ly/3jsyiZn
#CCPControl #CCPThreat #Censorship
China Reprimands Indian TV Stations for Broadcasting Stories About Taiwan
Although China repeatedly condemns "foreign interference", its embassy in India has recently issued a letter, reprimanding a local English-language news channel WION for "violating the one China policy" by broadcasting Taiwan-related Interview.
Source: Twitter #Oct23
https://twitter.com/palkisu/status/1319507856060682240?s=21
#India #China #Intimidation #WION #Taiwan
China Reprimands Indian TV Stations for Broadcasting Stories About Taiwan
Although China repeatedly condemns "foreign interference", its embassy in India has recently issued a letter, reprimanding a local English-language news channel WION for "violating the one China policy" by broadcasting Taiwan-related Interview.
Source: Twitter #Oct23
https://twitter.com/palkisu/status/1319507856060682240?s=21
#India #China #Intimidation #WION #Taiwan
Italy vetos 5G Deal between Fastweb and China’s Huawei: Sources
The government used its special vetting powers to block Fastweb from implementing the supply deal with Huawei in the most sensitive part of its fifth generation mobile network.
The U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeii described a China noble telecoms technology as a threat to Italy’s national security while visiting in Italy in September.
Fastweb has picked Huawei as the sole supplier for its 5G core network. A source from government said that the government had vetoed the operation and asked Fastweb to diversify its suppliers.
Source: The Reuters #Oct23
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-huawei-italy-5g-idUSKBN2782A5
#Huawei #Italy #5G
The government used its special vetting powers to block Fastweb from implementing the supply deal with Huawei in the most sensitive part of its fifth generation mobile network.
The U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeii described a China noble telecoms technology as a threat to Italy’s national security while visiting in Italy in September.
Fastweb has picked Huawei as the sole supplier for its 5G core network. A source from government said that the government had vetoed the operation and asked Fastweb to diversify its suppliers.
Source: The Reuters #Oct23
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-huawei-italy-5g-idUSKBN2782A5
#Huawei #Italy #5G
#Art #Freedom
Italian city defies China bid to scrap dissident's art show
An Italian city is going ahead with plans to host an art exhibition by a Chinese dissident despite a request from China's embassy to cancel it.
The show, called "China is (not) near," is due to run from November 13 to February 13, 2021 in the northern Italian city of Brescia.
The exhibition by #Badiucao, a cartoonist also known as "The Chinese Banksy", is expected to denounce Chinese political repression and censorship of information on the COVID pandemic.
Brescia Mayor #EmilioDelBono told local press that his office would not comply with a request from the Chinese embassy in Italy to scrap it.
He said the friendship between the Italian and Chinese people "is not in question", but "I think it is important to show that you can stay friends while criticising some things".
The deputy mayor, #LauraCastelletti, earlier tweeted that "For us art and freedom of expression are an essential combination".
#Italy #FreedomOfExpression
Source: Stand News, #Oct23 https://thestandnews.page.link/PHgLpzQ5HDsT9fKR8
Italian city defies China bid to scrap dissident's art show
An Italian city is going ahead with plans to host an art exhibition by a Chinese dissident despite a request from China's embassy to cancel it.
The show, called "China is (not) near," is due to run from November 13 to February 13, 2021 in the northern Italian city of Brescia.
The exhibition by #Badiucao, a cartoonist also known as "The Chinese Banksy", is expected to denounce Chinese political repression and censorship of information on the COVID pandemic.
Brescia Mayor #EmilioDelBono told local press that his office would not comply with a request from the Chinese embassy in Italy to scrap it.
He said the friendship between the Italian and Chinese people "is not in question", but "I think it is important to show that you can stay friends while criticising some things".
The deputy mayor, #LauraCastelletti, earlier tweeted that "For us art and freedom of expression are an essential combination".
#Italy #FreedomOfExpression
Source: Stand News, #Oct23 https://thestandnews.page.link/PHgLpzQ5HDsT9fKR8
#University #Admissions
Steep Drop in Applications to Political Science and Journalism Programmes in HK following China-imposed National Security Law
#PoliticalFreedom #WhiteTerror
Source: Stand News, #Oct23
Read more
⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️
Steep Drop in Applications to Political Science and Journalism Programmes in HK following China-imposed National Security Law
#PoliticalFreedom #WhiteTerror
Source: Stand News, #Oct23
Read more
⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️
#University #Admissions
Steep Drop in Applications to Political Science and Journalism Programmes in HK following China-imposed National Security Law
The Joint University Programmes Admissions System (#JUPAS) published its 2021 admission numbers. The number of applicants to faculties of Political Science and Journalism saw a significant drop this year.
Admissions to the Government and Public Policy in both Chinese University of Hong Kong (#CUHK) and City University had dropped by 20% last year, and by another 40% this year.
A 15% drop was seen in admissions to Journalism among Hong Kong universities last year, and a further 13% this year.
Ronson #ChanLongSing, chairman of Hong Kong Journalists Association, said that the National Security Law has aggravated the political environment in the city, leading to the decline in these numbers. Students saw that becoming a reporter could lead to being sent behind bars; "It is reasonable for those with a rational mind to not choose Journalism."
Tommy #CheungSauYin, a Political Science graduate at Chinese University of Hong Kong and former President of CUHK Students Union, added more depressing facts.
Cheung noted that in 2019, 18 CUHK political science graduates won seats in the District Council election, but all of them have now been disqualified by the government. "There is no future for political science undergraduates," he said.
#PoliticalFreedom #WhiteTerror
Source: Stand News, #Oct23
https://thestandnews.page.link/um3G228riSQDNtRD6
Steep Drop in Applications to Political Science and Journalism Programmes in HK following China-imposed National Security Law
The Joint University Programmes Admissions System (#JUPAS) published its 2021 admission numbers. The number of applicants to faculties of Political Science and Journalism saw a significant drop this year.
Admissions to the Government and Public Policy in both Chinese University of Hong Kong (#CUHK) and City University had dropped by 20% last year, and by another 40% this year.
A 15% drop was seen in admissions to Journalism among Hong Kong universities last year, and a further 13% this year.
Ronson #ChanLongSing, chairman of Hong Kong Journalists Association, said that the National Security Law has aggravated the political environment in the city, leading to the decline in these numbers. Students saw that becoming a reporter could lead to being sent behind bars; "It is reasonable for those with a rational mind to not choose Journalism."
Tommy #CheungSauYin, a Political Science graduate at Chinese University of Hong Kong and former President of CUHK Students Union, added more depressing facts.
Cheung noted that in 2019, 18 CUHK political science graduates won seats in the District Council election, but all of them have now been disqualified by the government. "There is no future for political science undergraduates," he said.
#PoliticalFreedom #WhiteTerror
Source: Stand News, #Oct23
https://thestandnews.page.link/um3G228riSQDNtRD6
#Oppression
Self-exiled Hong Kong democrat faces four more court charges
Source: Stand News; #Oct23
Read more
⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️
Self-exiled Hong Kong democrat faces four more court charges
Source: Stand News; #Oct23
Read more
⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️
#Oppression
Self-exiled Hong Kong democrat faces four more court charges
#TedHui, a self-exiled democrat and former Hong Kong legislator, wrote on his Facebook page on October 23 that the Hong Kong authorities have charged him with four counts of contempt of court. Hui was summoned for a court hearing on 31 January 2022.
In response to the new charges, Hui denounced the Hong Kong courts as “contemptible.”
He says that his contempt for the city's justice system fit the dictionary definition of the term, regarding it as something “lowly, insignificant, worthless or disgusting so as to despise it.”
He added that the authorities’ repeated accusations against him did not in any way undermine his personal freedom and #FreedomOfExpression at the international level.
Source: Stand News; #Oct23
https://thestandnews.page.link/VKFuMGPdm65K7L1Y9
Self-exiled Hong Kong democrat faces four more court charges
#TedHui, a self-exiled democrat and former Hong Kong legislator, wrote on his Facebook page on October 23 that the Hong Kong authorities have charged him with four counts of contempt of court. Hui was summoned for a court hearing on 31 January 2022.
In response to the new charges, Hui denounced the Hong Kong courts as “contemptible.”
He says that his contempt for the city's justice system fit the dictionary definition of the term, regarding it as something “lowly, insignificant, worthless or disgusting so as to despise it.”
He added that the authorities’ repeated accusations against him did not in any way undermine his personal freedom and #FreedomOfExpression at the international level.
Source: Stand News; #Oct23
https://thestandnews.page.link/VKFuMGPdm65K7L1Y9
#Court #RulebyLaw
Catch-22: Authority Rejects Reference Books Sent to Activist Lawyer Detained for Subversion, Due to Content about Subversion
#TonyeeChow #NSL #PrisonerRights #HongKongAlliance #HKASPDMC #June4th #TiananmenMassacre #SzetoWah
Source: Stand News #Oct23
Read more
⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️
Catch-22: Authority Rejects Reference Books Sent to Activist Lawyer Detained for Subversion, Due to Content about Subversion
#TonyeeChow #NSL #PrisonerRights #HongKongAlliance #HKASPDMC #June4th #TiananmenMassacre #SzetoWah
Source: Stand News #Oct23
Read more
⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️
#Court #RulebyLaw
Catch-22: Authority Rejects Reference Books Sent to Activist Lawyer Detained for Subversion, Due to Content about Subversion
Tonyee #ChowHangTung, the former vice-chairperson of Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China (#HKASPDMC), is in detention on charges of inciting subversion of state power. A lawyer by trade, she intends to represent herself in her upcoming trial, and is preparing her own defense while in custody.
In an article on her Patreon published on October 23, she mentioned that her relatives and friends recently tried to send books about the late activist Szeto Wah and the Tiananmen Massacre in 1989, but the Hong Kong Correctional Services (#HKCS) rejected them.
(Editor's note: Szeto Wah was the founder of the Hong Kong Alliance (#HKA) and was one of the most influential activists in Hong Kong who worked for decades to establish, preserve and protect Hong Kong people's democratic institutions, freedom and human rights.)
One of the books, she quoted an HKCS staff, "mentions behaviours of subverting state power". The decision could not be appealed, the staff added.
Chow questions whether the HKCS had assumed the role of the judge, making a fair trial impossible. The books are reference materials for her to prepare for her own defense in the trial, she said.
"If I can't have access to information about the Alliance and the June 4th incident, I would have no chance to find evidence to refute these accusations."
The Correctional Services have set up a perfect catch-22, she said of the arrangement. "This would guarantee the prosecution a win."
Source: Stand News #Oct23
https://thestandnews.page.link/Xwr8mUcpXtD6Q2MGA
#TonyeeChow #NSL #PrisonerRights #HongKongAlliance #HKASPDMC #June4th #TiananmenMassacre #SzetoWah
Catch-22: Authority Rejects Reference Books Sent to Activist Lawyer Detained for Subversion, Due to Content about Subversion
Tonyee #ChowHangTung, the former vice-chairperson of Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China (#HKASPDMC), is in detention on charges of inciting subversion of state power. A lawyer by trade, she intends to represent herself in her upcoming trial, and is preparing her own defense while in custody.
In an article on her Patreon published on October 23, she mentioned that her relatives and friends recently tried to send books about the late activist Szeto Wah and the Tiananmen Massacre in 1989, but the Hong Kong Correctional Services (#HKCS) rejected them.
(Editor's note: Szeto Wah was the founder of the Hong Kong Alliance (#HKA) and was one of the most influential activists in Hong Kong who worked for decades to establish, preserve and protect Hong Kong people's democratic institutions, freedom and human rights.)
One of the books, she quoted an HKCS staff, "mentions behaviours of subverting state power". The decision could not be appealed, the staff added.
Chow questions whether the HKCS had assumed the role of the judge, making a fair trial impossible. The books are reference materials for her to prepare for her own defense in the trial, she said.
"If I can't have access to information about the Alliance and the June 4th incident, I would have no chance to find evidence to refute these accusations."
The Correctional Services have set up a perfect catch-22, she said of the arrangement. "This would guarantee the prosecution a win."
Source: Stand News #Oct23
https://thestandnews.page.link/Xwr8mUcpXtD6Q2MGA
#TonyeeChow #NSL #PrisonerRights #HongKongAlliance #HKASPDMC #June4th #TiananmenMassacre #SzetoWah