#Interview
Border Checkpoints Under Severe Pressure as Custom Officers Come Under Attack by Rejected Visitors
With the unceasing spread of the novel coronavirus 2019-nCov, the Hong Kong government announced on Monday (29 January) that they will be closing the borders to residents from Hubei province as well as non-Hong Kong permanent residents who have visited the province in the last 14 days. Since the implementation of this border control measure, there has been more than a few incidents between those who try to enter the border and customs officers - some who were refused entry started spitting at officers while others who were sent back were not allowed to re-enter their place of origin, leaving them stranded at the border.
K also disclosed, frontline officers were not supplied with sufficient preventative equipment - only standard surgical masks. “We know there is a supply of N95 masks but they refused let us use them,” he said. As for those officers who have to escort those who were refused entry, only two protective suits were provided for each shift which was not sufficient.
Continue Reading: https://telegra.ph/Border-Checkpoints-Under-Severe-Pressure-as-Custom-Officers-Come-Under-Attack-by-Rejected-Visitors-01-30
Source : inMedia Hong Kong, January 2020
#AttackByRejectedVisitor #ClosingBorder #FrontlinerOfficers
Border Checkpoints Under Severe Pressure as Custom Officers Come Under Attack by Rejected Visitors
With the unceasing spread of the novel coronavirus 2019-nCov, the Hong Kong government announced on Monday (29 January) that they will be closing the borders to residents from Hubei province as well as non-Hong Kong permanent residents who have visited the province in the last 14 days. Since the implementation of this border control measure, there has been more than a few incidents between those who try to enter the border and customs officers - some who were refused entry started spitting at officers while others who were sent back were not allowed to re-enter their place of origin, leaving them stranded at the border.
K also disclosed, frontline officers were not supplied with sufficient preventative equipment - only standard surgical masks. “We know there is a supply of N95 masks but they refused let us use them,” he said. As for those officers who have to escort those who were refused entry, only two protective suits were provided for each shift which was not sufficient.
Continue Reading: https://telegra.ph/Border-Checkpoints-Under-Severe-Pressure-as-Custom-Officers-Come-Under-Attack-by-Rejected-Visitors-01-30
Source : inMedia Hong Kong, January 2020
#AttackByRejectedVisitor #ClosingBorder #FrontlinerOfficers
Telegraph
Border Checkpoints Under Severe Pressure as Custom Officers Come Under Attack by Rejected Visitors
With the unceasing spread of the novel coronavirus 2019-nCov, the Hong Kong government announced on Monday (29 January) that they will be closing the borders to residents from Hubei province as well as non-Hong Kong permanent residents who have visited the…
#OpinionArticle
Macau leader Ho Iat Seng’s tactics: 4 lessons for Carrie Lam
1. Apparently, Macau’s immigration control is less tight than Hong Kong’s as it doesn’t forbid the entering of Hubei people who can provide medical proof. Yet, on a practical level, the Macau government states that no doctor, at the present stage, can produce valid medical proof that confirms that a person “is not” a carrier of the Wuhan coronavirus. The result is the same, but Macau has clearly made a better gesture to the PRC.
2. The advantages of using this method are that it fits the aim to forbid the entering of Hubei people without losing all the flexibility, and it can also test the limits of Beijing. As long as Beijing doesn’t complain about it (right now, the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government and the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office are dealing with their own problems, they will not be able to give clear direction other than empty statements like “do anything that will benefit the fighting of the disease”), Macau can use the same method in the future to restrict the entry of other Mainlanders. Whereas in Hong Kong, as our government publicly states that it needs to “take care of the feelings of Mainland China”, any further closing of borders will turn into a political problem, which puts the government in a bind.
3. By forcing the Hubei people out of Macau, not only can the Macau government keep the epidemic under control, it also sends a clear signal that all entries and exits are under its control. When this message is spread on Weibo, Mainlanders are shocked, for they realise that Macau doesn’t need to “care about the feelings of the Mainland”. As a result, it minimizes their desire to go to Macau, but at the same time, the Macau government doesn’t have to make it publicly known. Whereas in Hong Kong, our government welcomes Mainlanders to arrive and use the free medical service, saying repeatedly that we concern the feelings of the Mainland. Of course the target audience will understand the meaning behind.
4. Macau uses the police to “help” the Hubei people to leave. This approach not only shows that the government is “strong”, it also allows the police to play a positive role to gain internal support. It shows a great contrast to the image of Hong Kong police in the past 7 months, giving credit to the principle of “One Country, Two Systems”, and diffusing the charge of police brutality prevailed in Hong Kong. Beijing will be glad to see. Yet, the Hong Kong police have been flattered to become “the heroes that stop violence and chaos”, “People of the Year” on Weibo, if they suddenly have to act the role of “traitor” that expels Mainlanders, the show cannot go on. Macau grasps this opportunity quickly, and for sure does much better than Hong Kong.
“One Country, Two Systems” is a big gamble. Carrie Lam thought that handling the crises by power will be the solution. It turns out to be the very culprit of ruining “One Country, Two Systems”. Look at the extradition bill, look at the epidemic, she’s hopeless.
Source: https://bit.ly/2ROI1Pp
#OneCountryTwoSystem #Maccu #RestrictEntry #ClosingBorder #SimonShen
Macau leader Ho Iat Seng’s tactics: 4 lessons for Carrie Lam
1. Apparently, Macau’s immigration control is less tight than Hong Kong’s as it doesn’t forbid the entering of Hubei people who can provide medical proof. Yet, on a practical level, the Macau government states that no doctor, at the present stage, can produce valid medical proof that confirms that a person “is not” a carrier of the Wuhan coronavirus. The result is the same, but Macau has clearly made a better gesture to the PRC.
2. The advantages of using this method are that it fits the aim to forbid the entering of Hubei people without losing all the flexibility, and it can also test the limits of Beijing. As long as Beijing doesn’t complain about it (right now, the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government and the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office are dealing with their own problems, they will not be able to give clear direction other than empty statements like “do anything that will benefit the fighting of the disease”), Macau can use the same method in the future to restrict the entry of other Mainlanders. Whereas in Hong Kong, as our government publicly states that it needs to “take care of the feelings of Mainland China”, any further closing of borders will turn into a political problem, which puts the government in a bind.
3. By forcing the Hubei people out of Macau, not only can the Macau government keep the epidemic under control, it also sends a clear signal that all entries and exits are under its control. When this message is spread on Weibo, Mainlanders are shocked, for they realise that Macau doesn’t need to “care about the feelings of the Mainland”. As a result, it minimizes their desire to go to Macau, but at the same time, the Macau government doesn’t have to make it publicly known. Whereas in Hong Kong, our government welcomes Mainlanders to arrive and use the free medical service, saying repeatedly that we concern the feelings of the Mainland. Of course the target audience will understand the meaning behind.
4. Macau uses the police to “help” the Hubei people to leave. This approach not only shows that the government is “strong”, it also allows the police to play a positive role to gain internal support. It shows a great contrast to the image of Hong Kong police in the past 7 months, giving credit to the principle of “One Country, Two Systems”, and diffusing the charge of police brutality prevailed in Hong Kong. Beijing will be glad to see. Yet, the Hong Kong police have been flattered to become “the heroes that stop violence and chaos”, “People of the Year” on Weibo, if they suddenly have to act the role of “traitor” that expels Mainlanders, the show cannot go on. Macau grasps this opportunity quickly, and for sure does much better than Hong Kong.
“One Country, Two Systems” is a big gamble. Carrie Lam thought that handling the crises by power will be the solution. It turns out to be the very culprit of ruining “One Country, Two Systems”. Look at the extradition bill, look at the epidemic, she’s hopeless.
Source: https://bit.ly/2ROI1Pp
#OneCountryTwoSystem #Maccu #RestrictEntry #ClosingBorder #SimonShen