#FirstHand #Mar6 #Court
Hong Kong Police Ticket Civilians in a Queue of Violating Gathering Ban

14:27 | High Court

Outside of the High Court on March 6, 2021, Kwai Tsing district councillor #LeungKwokWah was among those accused by the Hong Kong police of breaching the gathering ban. Leung challenged the police as to why they issued fine tickets to the civilians in a queue who have a seat number for the bail hearing.

The police refused to reason and told the fined civilians that they could "explain themselves later in court".

On March 6, the High Court is dealing with the Department of Justice's rejection of the bail originally granted to 11 out of the 47 arrested pro-democracy activists, who were being mentioned in Hong Kong's court since March 1, 2021.

====

Hong Kong Police Accuse Civilians Queueing Up to Enter Courtroom of Breaching the Gathering Ban
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/28952

#PoliceState #AsiasFinest #47Democrats

Hong Kong Charges 47 Democracy Supporters With Violating
Security Law

The Hong Kong authorities charged dozens of pro-democracy figures on Sunday with violating the National Security Law. The police said that each of the 47 people had been charged with a single count of “conspiracy to commit subversion.”

Lester Shum, was also charged, said “We have long before decided that we would not bow to authoritarianism. I hope that everyone will carry this decision in the very difficult days ahead.”

The charges filed on Sunday are the latest escalation in the Chinese government’s efforts to bring Hong Kong firmly under control. Its tightening grip sparked the 2019 protests, which included peaceful marches by hundreds of thousands of people as well as brawls between protesters and police officers.

Source: NYT #Feb28

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/28/world/asia/hong-kong-security-law-arrests.html

#HongKong #MassArrest #NationalSecurityLaw

#FailedState #Fake #MassSurveillance
#LeaveHomeSafe App Download Rate Surges; Top Downloads in Pacific and Caribbean Islands Causes Suspicion on Possible Scam Downloads

The Hong Kong government announced a more relaxed social distance measure in Hong Kong on February 18, 2021 and allowed dinner dine-in until 10pm where 4 customers can share a table.

However, for those dining-in, there is a requirement to scan a QR code with the government's “LeaveHomeSafe” app which authorities use for contact tracing or to provide personal information to the restaurant.

Rhe app has triggered worries over surveillance and privacy in the city. According to the government, there is, however, a surge in the number of downloads for the “LeaveHomeSafe” app.

The government reported an "overwhelming response" from the public, with over 2.3 million downloads. But data from an app analysis website shows that the Android app has the most downloads in the Health category in many countries outside of Hong Kong and Macau.

Most of which are from the Pacific and Caribbean island countries. This raises some suspicion and the situation suggests that some might have turned to individual companies for help in “tampering with the numbers”, or “paid listing boost” which are prevalent in China, to create the illusion of high download rates.

As for App Store Optimization (#ASO) services, netizen and travel writer Pazu Kong (薯伯伯) mentioned that in China that “it only takes a couple of cents for a machine to do this, and a few bucks for a person. One person can operate more than 100 SIM cards and more than 100 smartphones to artificially build up junk download rates to boost their rankings, increase visitation volume, and give 5-star ratings. Usually, if it was done by humans, it will be less likely to be noticed.”

One of the ASO companies quoted the price stating that purchasing 500 downloads from Google Play cost just a bit over HK$100.

Source: Stand News #Feb22

#Clickrate #FakeDownloads

#Art #Creativity
Taiwan-based Malaysian Artist Insists on Creating for Hong Kong's Pro-democracy Movement

After the passing of the National Security Law in Hong Kong, some of Tekkhean Lee’s (#小雞) exhibitions have been canceled, and some of his art pieces have to be replaced by white.

Lee is a Taiwan-based Malaysian artist. Lately, he has launched a fundraising campaign to publish a book of all his printmaking pieces to include all of his artworks from 2019 till now, in order to “save a record”.

As a foreigner, he is actively involved in creating works for Hong Kong, which sometimes attract criticism for “exploiting” the Hong Kongers. But for Lee, he insisted on creating art and did not think too much on criticism.

“Since Hong Kong people cannot do it, that is why we have to do as much as we can in this land with free speech," Lee said.

Source: Hong Kong InMedia
#Feb21
https://bit.ly/37AP719

#TekkheanLee #ProtestArt #HongKongProtests #PrintMaker

LIHKG listed out locations where the LeaveHomeSafe app ranks at the top download. Even travel gurus may not know some of the places' Chinese name’

#LeaveHomeSafe #LIHKG #GoHKgraphics

WhatsApp Faces Legal Challenge in India for Allegedly National Security-threatening Privacy Policy

WhatsApp is facing legal challenges in India having sparked concern around the world over its new privacy policy. The instant messaging app is accused of being a threat to national security and violates Indians’ constitutional rights. The case was heard in court on Friday, January 15.

According to a Reuters report, a lawsuit was filed on the grounds that the app’s new policy threatens national security by having user information sent to foreign countries. “WhatsApp has made a mockery out of our fundamental right to privacy,” said the plaintiff, who slams the app’s developer for their “arbitrary behaviour and browbeating”. The move, the plaintiff said, “cannot be accepted in a democracy and is completely ‘ultra vires’ (beyond its powers) and against the fundamental rights as enshrined in the Constitution of India”.

Source: Stand News #Jan14

#India #WhatsApp #Privacy

https://bit.ly/3bXCoHw

Foreign journalists in China see 'rapid decline in media freedom': survey

The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China (FCCC) said on Monday (Mar 1) that China used coronavirus prevention measures ushering in a “rapid decline in media freedom,”

Authorities cited public health concerns to deny reporters access to sensitive areas and threatened them with enforced quarantine. On the top of that, visa restrictions were also used to put pressure on reporting.

China expelled more than a dozen foreign journalists at U.S. media organizations in 2020, amid a series of tit-for-tat actions between the countries. Washington also slashed the number of journalists permitted to work in US at four major Chinese state-owned media outlets.

Last Sept Australia helped two of its foreign correspondents leave China after they were questioned by the country’s state security ministry.

Source: Reuters #Mar01

https://reut.rs/3sCF6bS

#China #FCCC #MediaFreedom

Hong Kong protesters gather as 47 dissidents appear in court

On Monday (March 1, 2021), Hundreds of pro-democracy protesters have gathered at a court in Hong Kong where 47 activists face charges of "conspiracy to commit subversion". 47 pro-democracy activists was charged in the dawn of the last month due to participating in the pro-democracy primary election last year.

Police officers were deployed to control the crowds as pro-democracy supporters queued for seats at the court hearing.

Some chanted slogans including "liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times" and "fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong". Police have told the crowds at the West Kowloon Magistrates Court that they are in breach of the controversial National Security Law and face fines.

Source: BBC #Mar01

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-56237688

#HongKong #Hongkongwe #MassArrest #NationalSecurityLaw

#WhiteTerror #Regime
Beijing-funded Media Launch
#CulturalRevolution-style Attack on Hong Kong Government Officials

Source: Stand News, #Feb27

Read more
⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

#WhiteTerror #Regime
Beijing-funded Media Launch
#CulturalRevolution-style Attack on Hong Kong Government Officials

China mouthpieces Ta Kung Pao and Wen Wei Po ran front page article on February 27, 2021 in which it questioned if the newly appointed Secretary of Food and Environmental Hygiene, Vivian Lau Lee-kwan met the requirement of “patriots governing Hong Kong”, a principle described by President Xi Jinping as a bottom line for ensuring the city’s stability.

Lau was accused of having double standards for tolerating political placards made by “black-clad rioters” while quickly removing similar “patriotic” placards from pro-China individuals. The paper also accused Lau’s husband, Chua Hoi-wai, chief executive of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service, for opening its venues to anti-government protesters to take a rest in during 2019’s mass protests.

Executive councilor Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, a former Administrative Officer, defended Lau against pro-Beijing criticism, likening it to criticisms that prevailed the Cultural Revolution in China.

She called for “Cultural Revolution-style denunciations” to be stopped, urging Beijing loyalists to direct criticisms at issues, and not people.

Source: Stand News, #Feb27
https://www.thestandnews.com/politics/%E6%B8%85%E7%AE%97%E5%85%AC%E5%8B%99%E5%93%A1-%E5%A4%A7%E5%85%AC%E6%96%87%E5%8C%AF%E7%8B%99%E6%93%8A%E6%96%B0%E4%BB%BB%E9%A3%9F%E8%A1%9E%E5%B8%B8%E7%A7%98-%E8%91%89%E5%8A%89%E7%B1%B2%E5%BB%BA%E5%88%B6%E5%81%9C-%E6%96%87%E9%9D%A9%E5%BC%8F-%E6%89%B9%E9%AC%A5/

#LipService #Patriot #Xi

#AsiasFinest #Court
Police Charges Contain Rookie English Mistakes; Magistrate Calls It International Laughing Stock

Source: Apple Daily #Feb25

Read more
⬇️⬇️

#AsiasFinest #Court
Police Charges Contain Rookie English Mistakes; Magistrate Calls It International Laughing Stock

In Hong Kong, a Polytechnic University (#PolyU) student was charged with possession of firearms, strategic commodities and offensive weapons without a license for allegedly possessing a pepper bullet pistol and a saber in his apartment.

The case was being trialed at the Fanling Magistrates’ Court on February 25, 2021.

The magistrate Kenneth Chan Ping-Chau pointed out errors in the English version of the charge sheet provided by the police. He read the content out loud on the spot, as it was written “one number of Pepper Ball”, “two numbers of Pepper Ball”.

The magistrate said, “even primary school students will know that it is ‘one apple two apples’, when this case reaches the Court of Final Appeal, I don’t want this to become the laughing stock of foreign courts.”

The magistrate urged the prosecution to amend the English version of the charges written by the Hong Kong police.

Source: Apple Daily #Feb25
https://bit.ly/37L4cNS

#English #HongKongPolice #LaughingStock

Lexbase: Canadian Government Drafting Evacuation Plan Over Concerns of China Rejecting Dual Citizenship in Hong Kong

Regina Ip, the Chairperson of New People’s Party and a member of the Executive Council, has previously suggested that the authorities forbid Hong Kong citizens from holding dual citizenship in an article. Chief Executive Carrie Lam afterwards clarified that no related policy has been discussed in the council. According to SingTao and MingPao, Lexbase, a Canadian emigration consultant professionals newsletter, revealed in their latest January issue that in the light of the National Security Law, the Chinese government might deny the recognition of dual citizenship of Hong Kong people, and even restrict Hong Kong citizens to leave the city. The newsletter also mentioned that the Canadian government is drafting up an “emergency plan” for evacuating Canadian citizen from Hong Kong.

#Canada #HongKong #DualCitizenship #NationalSecurityLaw #Lexbase

Sources: StandNews #Jan15

https://bit.ly/3eaU6tK