#FirstHand #Rally

2006 | Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre
Police Raises Blue Flag And Threatens Crowds With Arrests

#Jun22 #PoliceState #Solidarity #LauKaTung #SocialWorker

#FirstHand #Rally

2012 | Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre
Police Seen Advancing to Disperse Crowds

#Jun22 #PoliceState #Solidarity #LauKaTung #SocialWorker

#FirstHand #Rally
Police Advances to Disperse Crowds on Road Junction, Leading to Verbal Clashes

2016 | Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre
Police could be seen advancing on and dispersing crowds. Some civilians remarked that they were on a road junction, and that they had the right to cross the road.

A police officer could also be heard saying aggressively, "What are you journalists doing? Why are you only retreating?"

#Jun22 #PoliceState #Solidarity #LauKaTung #SocialWorker

#FirstHand
Social Work Organizer Explains Why They Gather Here Tonight

2037 | Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre

#Jun22 #Solidarity #LauKaTung #SocialWorker

"I want to say that there are lots of social worker colleagues here tonight, not only to support our comrades, but to be on duty if there is a conflict arises and to do their job of protecting Hong Kong people. If you are social worker, please raise your social worker ID. This ID is only worth HK$400, [it’s from] taking a course. However, a life is invaluable. The justice we are upholding is invaluable."

Source: First Hand

#FirstHand #Jun22
Voices are Disappearing in Face of "Stability and Prosperity"

On a street in Hong Kong after midnight on June 22, 2021, a piece of paper lies on the ground and reads "In Face of 'Stability and Prosperity', Voices are Disappearing".

One day ago on June 21, 2021, Hongkongers learnt of the impending closure of the city's pro-democracy newspaper #AppleDaily, after the authorities has detained and charged its editor-in-chief #RyanLaw and #NextDigital CEO #CheungKimHung under the #NationalSecurityLaw, in addition to freezing the assets of Apple Daily and three connecting companies.

The words on this paper speak the mind of many Hongkongers: Authorities allow only one voice and call this "stability and prosperity".

#BeWater #NeverGiveUp #NeverForgive #SaveAppleDaily #SupportAppleDaily

====
Related News:

[21 June, 2021]
Arrests, National Security Charges and Frozen Assets: Apple Daily Might Shut Down in 5 Days

https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/30172

#SaveAppleDaily #PressFreedom
The Countdown of HK's Pro-democracy Newspaper: #AppleDaily Stops its English and Finance News

At 11am on June 22, 2021, Apple Daily announced the suspension of its English news.

On the homepage, the newspaper published an article titled "Dear Readers". The newspaper writes:

"This concludes the updates of Apple Daily English. Thank you for your support."

The newspaper has also stopped updating its finance news online after midnight and aired the last episode of the 21:30 news report on June 21.

The 26-year-old top selling pro-democracy newspaper is closing down, after the Hong Kong government made it impossible for the newspaper to operate by freezing its assets, arresting its editors and executives and charging them with #NationalSecurityLaw.

Source: Stand News #Jun22
https://bit.ly/3djUNQj

====
Related News:

News Anchor Wishes Hongkongers Safe
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/30177

Former Staff Bids Farewell to the Newspaper
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/30179

#Hongkongers #NeverGiveUp
Apple Daily Staff: "We will all become a sturdy apple tree"

Text: Tin Shui Wai Connection #Jun22
Image: San Francisco Hongkongers

Read more
⬇️⬇️⬇️
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/30205

#Hongkongers #NeverGiveUp
Apple Daily Staff: "We will all become a sturdy apple tree"

The following is excerpted from an open letter written by an #AppleDaily staff:

"Dear colleagues at Apple Daily who stay until the last,

Dear fellow Hongkongers,

The perseverence and truth-seeking spirit of Apple Daily has long been seeded in our hearts.

Despite the turbulences of the time that try to disperse us, we have absorbed enough nutrients to grow wherever we are.

We will all become a sturdy apple tree.

I hope we all will never give up. We shall remember all the facts and true happenings. We will not let our present become the past rewritten. We will strengthen and better equip ourselves, so that we will be strong enough to face darkness in the future.

From an Apple Daily Staff"

The image comes from an overseas Hongkongers' group in San Francisco. It writes: "They try to bury us, without knowing that we are seeds."

https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/30204

Text: Tin Shui Wai Connection #Jun22
Image: San Francisco Hongkongers

https://www.facebook.com/SFHKers/photos/a.117623882943094/548582659847212/

https://t.me/tswconnection/2416

#BeWater #AppleTree #PressFreedom #FightforHongKong

====
Related News

National Security Police Arrests News Commentator; Pro-democracy #AppleDaily Will Shut Down In One Day

https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/30198

Apple Daily Journalist: Hongkongers will not give up, journalists will never give up

https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/30203

#NextMegazine chief: “We’ve tried and enjoyed media freedom in the past. We have no regrets.”

https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/30201

News Anchor Wishes Hongkongers Safe
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/30177

Former Staff Bids Farewell to the Newspaper
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/30179

Staff of Hong Kong's Pro-domocracy Newspaper #AppleDaily and Hongkongers Thank Each Other

https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/30213

#Hongkongers #NeverGiveUp
Detained HK Activist #OwenChow: Good Works Are Always Born in the Worst of Times

Source: Stand News; Apple Daily; RTHK #Jun22

Read more
⬇️⬇️
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/30292

#Hongkongers #NeverGiveUp
Detained HK Activist #OwenChow: Good Works Are Always Born in the Worst of Times

On June 22, 2021, Owen Chow, a 24-year-old pro-democracy activist, was finally granted bail after being detained for months.

Chow was among the 47 pro-democracy figures who were arrested by the police for participating in the Primary Election of the pro-democracy camp in 2020. They were charged with subverting the state under the National Security Law.

Among the 47 people detained, Chow is only the 12th person who has been granted bail; however, he was barred by the High Court from making any speeches or take part in any action that could be seen as "endangering national security". He cannot participate in any elections or contact foreign officials.

In addition, Chow has to surrender all his travel documents and not to leave Hong Kong. He has to report to the police every evening and observe an overnight curfew.

Leaving the detention center for the moment, Chow said to the journalists, "Good works are always born in the worst of times."

Source: Stand News; Apple Daily; RTHK #Jun22

https://bit.ly/3vW96Rz

#Save47 #PoliticalSuppression #PoliticalPrisoners #Bail #HighCourt

#Taiwan
Mainland Affairs Council reprimands the act of forcing Taiwan's representative in Hong Kong to sign the “One China Commitment”, criticizing Hong Kong Government for breaking its promise and belittling the national status of Taiwan

Source: Stand News #Jun22

Read more ⬇️⬇️

#InternationalRelations
HK Authorities Force Taiwan's representatives in Hong Kong to sign “One China Commitment”

The Mainland Affairs Council (#MAC) of Taiwan pointed out that Hong Kong Government requested the Taiwanese staff of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office to sign the “One China Commitment”.

The Taiwanese staff refused, so their visas could not be renewed. 7 staff members had to leave Hong Kong and returned to Taiwan on Jun 20, 2021.

The President of MAC in Taiwan Chiu Tai-san criticized that the “One China Commitment” was a political barrier set up by Hong Kong Government, and it violates the Taiwan-HK agreement made in 2011 “with the aim to belittle the National status of my country, and forced the staff members to bow their heads to the Beijing authorities”.

Taiwan insists on rejecting it. Chiu also stated that #CCP is undoubtedly the “shadow fighter” behind all these operations, by attempting to take advantage of the Taiwan office in Hong Kong as a tool for political conspiracy against Taiwan. Once again, it proves Hong Kong’s “One Country Two Systems” becomes only an empty title.

As a consequent, countries that have signed contracts and negotiated with Hong Kong government "shall put a question mark on the autonomy and integrity of this authority”.

Source: Stand News #Jun22

#OneChinaPolicy #OneCountryTwoSystems

https://www.thestandnews.com/politics/%E9%99%B8%E5%A7%94%E6%9C%83%E6%96%A5%E5%8F%B0%E7%81%A3%E9%A7%90%E6%B8%AF%E8%BE%A6%E4%BA%8B%E8%99%95%E4%BA%BA%E5%93%A1%E8%A2%AB%E9%80%BC%E7%B0%BD-%E4%B8%80%E4%B8%AD%E6%89%BF%E8%AB%BE-%E6%89%B9%E8%A9%95%E6%B8%AF%E5%BA%9C%E9%81%95%E6%89%BF%E8%AB%BE-%E7%9F%AE%E5%8C%96%E5%8F%B0%E7%81%A3%E5%9C%8B%E6%A0%BC/

Closure looms for Hong Kong's pro-democracy Apple Daily after raids

The pro-democracy Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily looked set to close for good by Saturday following police raids and the arrest of executives - a move that critics say undermines the city's status as a free and open society as Beijing tightens its grip.

Mark Simon, an adviser to the jailed owner and staunch Beijing critic Jimmy Lai, told Reuters on Monday the newspaper would be forced to shut "in a matter of days" after authorities froze access to the firm's core operating capital, needed for staff wages and other expenses, on national security grounds.

Source: Reuters #Jun22

https://t.co/XfPHsjRJdH

#Closure #HongKong #Democracy #AppleDaily

China fails to meet promises on missing Xinjiang children

Over the past two years, the Chinese authorities have repeatedly promised to help trace any children reported to be missing in Xinjiang, to prove that they haven't been forcibly separated from their parents. Those promises have not been met, reports John Sudworth.

The first time China made a public promise to help find Kalbinur Tursan's children was in 2019.

"If you have people who have lost their children, you give me the names," China's then-ambassador to the UK, Liu Xiaoming, told the BBC in a live television interview in July that year.

Source: BBC #Jun22

https://t.co/0lM86wKncr

#China #Xinjiang #Children