China no longer accepts BNO as travel and identification document, stating it "is not the original BNO anymore"

Today (29 Jan, 2021), the UK government published details of British National Overseas (BNO) visa application. In a press conference in the afternoon of the same day, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China declared that BNO passport would not be recognized as a travel document and Hong Kong identification document from 31 Jan.

Lijian Zhao, the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, denounced that the UK went back on their promise by disregarding Hong Kong's 24-year reunification to China and the stance of China. "BNO visa is customized for Hong Kong citizens who can stay in the UK and apply for UK citizenship," Zhao said. Also, the UK government intended to turn Hongkongers to "second-class British citizens" by further expanding the scope of BNO visa, which original nature was completely changed.

Zhao continued that BNO mentioned by the UK government at the moment was not the original BNO anymore. This action severely invaded China's sovereignty and interfered in Hong Kong general affairs and China internal affairs. It violated the international law and basic norms of international relations, expressing "great indignation and firm objection."

Source: Stand News, #Jan29
#BNO #CCP #UK #SinoBritishJointDeclaration

#PoliceState #PoliceBrutality
Baby Prematurely Born in Critical Condition, After Mother was Handcuffed and Dragged by Hong Kong Police

The Hong Kong police handcuffed and dragged a woman in her 7 months of pregnancy along the street during a stop and search on January 20, 2021. The police called her "fatso" even though the woman told the police she was pregnant.

Three days later, the pregnant woman suffered severe blood loss and gave a premature birth on January 23, 2021. Her baby in critical conditions was immediately admitted to the intensive care ward after birth.

Read more:
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/28254

The photo shows the state of the baby boy on Jan 29, six days after his premature birth. He still needs to depend on an animator to breath.

Source: Stand News #Jan29

#Pregnancy #Baby #PregnantWoman

#RealNameSimCard #MassSurveillance
Hong Kong Authorities Plan to Ban Anonymous SIM Card, Official Says: It'll Be a Displeasure in Cinema In Case of Bomb Threat

Source: Stand News; InMedia #Jan29

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#RealNameSimCard #MassSurveillance
Hong Kong Authorities Plan to Ban Anonymous SIM Card, Official Says: It'll Be a Displeasure in Cinema In Case of Bomb Threat

The Hong Kong government will have a 'public consultation' regarding real-name registration for the sim card.

In a press conference held on 29 Jan, 2021 at 2:30 pm, the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau Tang-wah, the Secretary for Security Sonny Au Chi-kwong and the Deputy Director-General of Communications (Telecommunications) John Leung Chung-yin announced the public consultation details.

The reasons the Secretary for Security Sonny Au cited to enforce real name registration include "the displeasure in the cinema", "the inconvenience at the MTR station" and "the flight delay at the airport" if "someone used an anoymous prepaid phone card to call and claim there is a bomb somewhere".

The real-name registration of phone card was mandatory in China since 2010. However, it is never a mandate in Hong Kong. Civilians can purchase SIM card without the need for registion as so-called “pre-paid SIM card".

Source: Stand News; InMedia #Jan29

https://www.facebook.com/standnewshk/videos/749884489286469

https://bit.ly/2NLiebc

#FailedState #FreeSpeech #SimCard #Telecommunications
#Bomb #AuChikwong

#Interview #AwardWinningSpeech
Hongkonger Won Harvard Conference Speech Writing Competition: I want to tell the world about police brutality in Hong Kong

Source: Radio Free Asia #Jan29

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#Interview #AwardWinningSpeech
Hongkonger Won Harvard Conference Speech Writing Competition: I want to tell the world about police brutality in Hong Kong

Felix, a university student from Hong Kong, won the Finalist Award of #HPAIR 2021 Harvard Conference Speech Writing Competition in mid-January 2021, among over 300 contestants.

Wearing a yellow hamlet that embodies Hongkongers’ belief and courage, Felix told the world how Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters have fought in against police brutality in 2019.

He recounted in his speech some most-remembered events on July 21, August 31 and Oct 1, 2019, including the police shooting of students with live rounds.

Watch the video https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/video?v=1_w74tt1uu

Felix said, “youngsters at my age are being assaulted and injured by the Hong Kong Police. There is no excuse for anyone to stand aside and do nothing. Our fate remains a mystery - some might be imprisoned, others put their lives at risk in the face of police brutality."

"Although the Chief Executive of Hong Kong Carrie Lam once said that we have no stake in the society, our belief in freedom will never be crushed."

"Getting prepared for the competition in 24 hours is never easy. Looking back at the pro-democracy movement in 2019 has been a touching and painful task." Felix said, “this is like going through the same events once again. I can only describe it as painful.”

He struggled for multiple times before handing in his speech material. Felix elaborated, “I hesitated when I was about to make this submission. I was concerned about my personal safety and worried that I could be prosecuted by making this speech.”

At the end of the interview, Felix said, “I call on Hong Kong people to continue the fight and never give up. These crackdowns that we are going through are part of our quest for democracy and are expected even at the beginning of the movement."

"Our efforts are not fruitless. If we give up, our fellow protesters who made sacrifice for this movement will not forgive us. I hope we can all hold on tightly to our belief and carry on fighting."

Source: Radio Free Asia; #Jan29
https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/htm/hk-harvard-01292021055414.html

#HongKongYouth #Future #NeverGiveUp #UniversityStudent

China builds Digital Silk Road in Pakistan to Africa and Europe

China is set to lay the final stretch of a cross-border fiber optic cable in Pakistan as part of the Digital Silk Road.

The Special Communications Organization (SCO), the telecommunications branch of the Pakistan Army, is about to lay a fiber optic cable between Rawalpindi and Karachi and Gwadar's port cities. The $240 million project is in partnership with China's Huawei Technologies and was approved by the government on Jan 21. It will also connect with the PEACE (Pakistan East Africa Connecting Europe) cable in the Arabian Sea.

The Mediterranean section of the cable is already being laid from Egypt to France, and the 15,000 km long cable is expected to go into service later this year.

Source: Nikkei Asia #Jan29

https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Belt-and-Road/China-builds-Digital-Silk-Road-in-Pakistan-to-Africa-and-Europe

#DSR #BRI #ChinaPakistan #PEACE

U.K. Opens Its Doors to Five Million Hong Kong Residents, Starting Sunday

After protests and political upheaval prompted China to impose a tough new security law on Hong Kong last year, Key Yeung uprooted her family and left for England. She settled in the English city of Lincoln with her husband and younger daughter.

British National Overseas passports holders can move with their families to the U.K. on five-year visas. After that period, they can apply for British citizenship. Previously these passport holders could only get six-month British visas.

Britain has opened its doors to as many as five million residents of its former colony. The U.K. Home Office estimates around 300,000 people will move from Hong Kong to Britain in the next five years.

Source: WSJ #Jan29

https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-targets-u-k-s-hong-kong-passports-over-citizenship-plan-11611917418

#BNOVisa #HongKongBritish #HongKonger #HongKong

Canada Reminds Canadians with Dual Citizenship should only Recognise Themselves as Canadian under the “Nationality Law” in China when Facing Detention

Source: The Stand News #Jan29

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Canada Reminds Canadians with Dual Citizenship should only Recognise Themselves as Canadian under the “Nationality Law” in China when Facing Detention

According to the Global News report from Canada on Wednesday (27th February), Global Affairs Canada predicted China will be more strictly enforced the Nationality Law, and called out the overseas citizens, who also have Chinese nationality, should only confess the Canadian national status if they are being questioned or detained by Hong Kong Law Enforcement, in order to access to Canadian consular services and protection. The spokesperson stated, referring to the “Nationality Law” in China, the law in Hong Kong would not recognise dual citizenship.

According to the report, Christelle Chartrand, a Spokesperson of Global Affairs Canada, replied to Global News via email. He stated that as China started enforcing the Nationality Law, which implemented in 1980, more “widely and strictly”, if a person who has dual citizenship being arrested in Hong Kong and recognises himself as Chinese, the relative organisation in Hong Kong can refuse the Foreign Ambassador meets with the arrested person.

The spokesperson reminds that if citizens want to get the Canadian consular services overseas, they should show their Canadian citizenship to the foreign government at “anytime”. According to the email, Canada has already raised their attention to the Hong Kong government and will continue to understand more about the details of treatment changes in dual citizenship.

Source: The Stand News #Jan29

https://bit.ly/3w2IEqC

#Canada #GlobalAffairs #HongKong #GlobalNews #DualCitizenship

#June4th #Tienanmen
June 4 Slogan Outside HKU Swire Hall Barricaded; University Cites Maintenance Reasons

Source: WhatsNews Media, Undergrad; #Jan29

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https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/32035

#June4th #Tienanmen
June 4 Slogan Outside HKU Swire Hall Barricaded; University Cites Maintenance Reasons

Since the end of 2021, numerous June Fourth artefacts have been removed from the grounds of various universities, including the Pillar of Shame in the University of Hong Kong (#HKU), the Goddess of Democracy in the Chinese University of Hong Kong (#CUHK), and the June Fourth Commemorative Relief and “Goddess of Democracy” spray art in Lingnan University (#LingU).

Since around 0930 on #Jan29, the June Fourth slogan outside of HKU’s Swire Hall has been barricaded by the university, with personnel at the site stating that they were there on behalf of “beautification works”.

Undergrad, one of HKU’s campus media, have enquired HKU’s Communications and Public Affairs Office, who stated that the site was barricaded due to a “scheduled maintenance” of the site.

Jason Wong Ching Hin, elected full-time undergraduate student of the University Council, arrived at the site in the afternoon, and stated to the press that he did not know about the incident prior, questioning the University's self-censorship and expressed confusion why the University would “attract attention with this unnecessary move”.

In 1989, then chairperson of Swire Hall Students' Association Cheung Yui Fai and his fellow schoolmates, angered at the Chinese Government's massacre at Tiananmen Square, wrote a banner on a piece of black cloth that reads:-

Cold-blooded Massacre, Martyrs’ Souls Enduring; Eliminate Evil, Undying Democracy Flames.
冷血屠城 烈士英魂不朽 誓殲豺狼 民主星火不滅

The paint seeped through the black banner and remained on the bridge. After this, HKU students and Swire Hall residents would repaint the slogan every year as a way to keep the June Fourth Spirit going.

Source: WhatsNews Media (https://www.whatsnewsmedia.com/6831/15/03/02/), Undergrad (https://www.instagram.com/p/CZTuKgxBOAX/); #Jan29

#PressFreedom
Hong Kong Police Commissioner: Media cannot claim themselves as not having intention to incite with a disclaimer

#NationalSecurityLaw #NSL #PoliceState #Censorship #WhiteTerror #Oppression

Source: Inmedia #Jan29

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#PressFreedom
Hong Kong Police Commissioner: Media cannot claim themselves as not having intention to incite with a disclaimer

Seven #StandNews staff were arrested last year due to conspiracies of publishing seditious material. Stand News had ceased operation on the same day, followed in the following month by a few web-based media.

#Mingpao, a Chinese-language newspaper in Hong Kong, included in its editorial a disclaimer that the newspaper has no intention to incite hatred.

More details on Mingpao's disclaimer
https://t.me/BeWaterHK/16

Raymond Siu Chak-yee, the commissioner of Hong Kong Police, described the disclaimer as meaningless, that it is just for self-hypnosis and narcissism, since claiming in a statement that they did not do said act does not mean they had not done so.

He said in a TV interview that the #BasicLaw protects #PressFreedom, from the past to now, and to the future. He emphasised that their decisions to suspend their operations were their own choices. "No one can say freedom if they go against the law, whether or not their actions has disturbed others."

#NationalSecurityLaw #NSL #PoliceState #Censorship #WhiteTerror #Oppression

Source: Inmedia #Jan29

https://bit.ly/3HSSoJB