#Solidarity #Hongkongers
Paul Zimmerman: I will not immigrate and will keep trying

Since news has been spreading in Hong Kong that the government would disqualify the directly elected district councilors who did not take the oath of allegiance for the Basic Law and would demand them to return their entire salary.

A resignation wave has since taken place. As of July 12, 2021, at least 204 district councilors had left.

In the Southern District Council, there are only four members remaining. The vice chairperson #PaulZimmerman sighed, "Suddenly it's all gone, it's sad."

Zimmerman said he will not immigrate nor leave:

"I want to get good things done, that's the only reason I am here, changing the harbour, changing heritage, changing street market."

Source: InMedia #Jul13
https://bit.ly/2U6EY8T

#Resignation #DistrictCouncils #OathofOffice #Intimidation

China Locks Up Xinjiang’s Uyghur Businessmen; ‘In Their Eyes, We Are All Guilty’

In the summer of 2018, Sadir Eli, a Uyghur businessman, was in high spirits. His real-estate firm was pulling in strong profits, and he told his daughter he would buy a house for her in Massachusetts.

Then, Mr. Eli was accused of being a separatist and disappeared into the black box of China’s prison system in the northwest Xinjiang region.

“He did not engage in politics,” said Maria Mohammad, who last heard from her husband in June 2018, shortly before he was detained. Instead, she believes, Mr. Eli was targeted in part because he was a rich businessman, giving him influence that the authorities viewed as a threat.

Source: WSJ #Jul13

https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-imprisons-uyghur-businessmen-once-seen-as-bridges-to-community-11626174001

#China #Xinjiang #Uyghur #Guilty

Publishers "Should Know Where the Red Line Is", Hong Kong Official Says Ahead of First Book Fair under #NationalSecurityLaw

Hong Kong's annual book fair opened on July 14, 2021. Since last year's fair was cancelled under the menace of the pandemic, this year's fair is the first one to take place after Beijing's imposition of the #NationalSecurityLaw.

The common concern is whether the Trade Development Council (#TDC) as the organizer would censor any books, and whether the participating publishing houses would undergo self-censorship.

The vice director of TDC Chow Kai-leung claim that they would not examine the books, but the publishers "should know where the [red] line is".

When asked whether the poetry of Liu Xiabo is allowed, Chow said it would be decided by the national security police.

In the 2019 fair, some publishers set up a pro-democracy #LennonWall in the fair; this year, however, there is nothing as such.

Source: StandNews #Jul13

https://bit.ly/3iu9q56

#WhiteTerror #Censorship #ThoughtPolice

US Government updates the announcement of supply chains involving Xinjiang indicating there is high risk of offending the law

Source: I-Cable #Jul13

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US Government updates the announcement of supply chains involving Xinjiang indicating there is high risk of offending the law

USA updates the announcement of supply chains involving Xinjiang, the added contents indicates that there might confront high risk of offending the laws if not breaking away the relevant supply chain.

Updated announcement clearly indicates that there is misdemeanor related to continuously genocide and violating human rights in Xinjiang, and they keep the descriptions related to forced labor, human rights violation and invasive monitor, and shows these actions gains support from the country.

The Trade Representative Office and Labor Department has participated in formulating the announcement and enclose the links of information from various departments. The announcement indicates that they have considered how serious and how big the scale for human rights violation, if enterprises and individuals don’t quit the involved supply chain and the relevant investments related to Xinjiang, they may confront the high risk of offending US laws.

Source: I-Cable #Jul13

http://cablenews.i-cable.com/ci/news/article/37/749506?utm_source=hk.iott.app&utm_campaign=share&ts=1626292919418

#US #government #supplychain #Xinjiang #investment

Japan Defense White Paper first indicates the importance of stability of Taiwan situation

Source: I-Cable #Jul13

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Japan Defense White Paper first indicates the importance of stability of Taiwan situation

Japan published a new defense white paper, first indicates the importance of stability of Taiwan. They concern the Taiwan issues will intensify the opposition between China and USA, China resolutely oppose and emphasizes that they will not allow any country to involve into Taiwan issues.

The white paper first adds in the chapter of analyzing the relationship between China and USA, indicates that the competition on political, economic and military between China and USA becomes obvious, both countries take the attitude of checking each other. Japan concerns the change of the military balance of the two countries will influence the peace and stability of Indo-Asia region.

And in the China-USA chapter, there is an item named “Taiwan”, first mentions the Taiwan situation has stability to security of Japan, and it’s important to international social stability as well. Japan must keep alert and concern Taiwan situation.

Source: I-Cable #Jul13

http://cablenews.i-cable.com/ci/news/article/37/749296?utm_source=hk.iott.app&utm_campaign=share&ts=1626293060967

#Taiwan #Japan #China #USA #stability

The U.S. Recognizes China Conducting Genocide in Xinjiang

U.S. State Department published a new report on genocide and assaulted prevention, recognizing China conducts genocide in Xinjiang.

The report first detailly elaborates the assault in six countries (China, Myanmar, Iraq, Ethiopia, Syria and South Sudan). The report then indicates China continuously conducting genocide against Uyghurs and other minorities, including prison, torture and forced sterilization. The U.S. has taken multiple measures to respond, including sanctions of relevant officials and parties, limitation of visa issuance and exporting products involved in forced labour. And the Biden government expanded the sanctions against China of the late Trump government.

Source: I-Cable #Jul13

https://youtu.be/lSdCOuJwOL4

#USA #US #China #Biden #Uyghur #genocide #sanctions #minorities

American corporations must stop selling out to China’s brutal regime

According to legend, when Vladimir Lenin was asked how he planned to “hang all the capitalists” in the face of a rope shortage in the young Soviet Union, he replied “don’t worry comrade, the capitalists will sell us the rope.”

Though likely apocryphal, the quote captures the spirit of what Lenin wrote more precisely – and just as cold-bloodedly – in a manuscript note:

“They [the capitalists] will furnish credits which will serve us for the support of the Communist Party in their countries and, by supplying us materials and technical equipment which we lack, will restore our military industry necessary for our future attacks against our suppliers. To put it in other words, they will work on the preparation of their own suicide.”

Source: CNBC #Jul13

https://t.co/hrKs3Z5nVz

#China #American #CCP

Countries Signal Doubts About Delta Protection From Chinese Vaccine

Thailand became the latest country to signal waning confidence in a Chinese vaccine against the highly contagious Delta variant, saying it would offer booster shots of Western doses to healthcare workers.

Healthcare workers who received two doses of the vaccine developed by Sinovac Biotech Ltd. would be given a third shot made by either Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE or AstraZeneca PLC, Thailand’s health ministry said Monday. Those who had only one dose would receive AstraZeneca as their second.

The decision to mix the vaccines makes Thailand the latest country to show reservations about whether Chinese vaccines work well enough to protect medical workers against the Delta variant, which was first detected in India and is thought to be far more contagious than earlier versions of the virus. The strain has spread to at least 98 countries.

Source: WSJ #Jul13

https://t.co/TkCKN0gyaz

#Thailand #Vaccine #BioNTech #AstraZeneca #Covid19

Hong Kong Filmmakers Sign Manifesto to Uphold Creative Freedom

Source: InMediaHK.net #Jul13

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Hong Kong Filmmakers Sign #Manifesto to Uphold #CreativeFreedom

On July 13, 2022, thirty Hong Kong filmmakers released a manifesto, stating their determination to uphold creative freedom despite oppression.

The manifesto was initiated by Ren Xia, the director of May You Stay Young Forever, on the eve of the Hong Kong Film Awards. The manifesto aims to show solidarity and raise awareness among filmmakers. "[I] hope to let all of us [filmmakers] know we are not alone," said Ren.

The manifesto states that the filmmakers will not be deterred from speaking out. The filmmakers believe that films are most needed at these times; and that they "will be the change", and their "films will bring about changes and create a future for Hong Kong."

According to a previous survey by InMediaHK.net, at least 9 films failed to obtain a screening license or were required to censor part of their content in the past two years. The government had amended the Film Censorship Ordinance in 2021, banning films that "violate the #NationalSecurityLaw".

Source: InMediaHK.net #Jul13
https://bit.ly/3c7Vu1g

#HongKongCinema #Hongkongers

#Court #PoliceState
66-year-old #GrandmaWong sentenced to 32-week jail after waving Union Jack Flag in Hong Kong

Source: InMedia #Jul13

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#Court #PoliceState
66-year-old #GrandmaWong sentenced to 32-week jail after waving Union Jack Flag in Hong Kong

On 13 July, 2022, 66-year-old Wong Fung-yiu, known as “Grandma Wong”, a pro-democracy Hongkonger, pleads guilty to unlawful assembly and is sentenced to 32 weeks imprisonment for waving the Union Jack flag in Hong Kong. She claims that she was interrogated by China's Public Security authorities two days after the flag waving incident.

“Grandma Wong” was charged for two counts of unlawful assembly in August 2019 at Quarry Bay Station and Taikoo Station, waving the Union Jack flag at demonstrations and verbally abusing the police.

In February 2022, Grandma Wong pleaded not guilty and initiated to cancel her bail. She was escorted to the Eastern Magistrates' Courts on 13 July, 2022. During trial, she was not happy with the “snail speed” of the trial and thus changed her plea, stating “I will take the rap” as she does not want to die in jail like Liu Xiaobo [deceased Nobel Peace Prize winner]. She was jailed for 32 weeks by magistrate Ada Yim.

Furthermore, Grandma Wong revealed that she went to China two days after the flag waving incident and was detained by the local “Public Security” for 40 days interrogating her about her case. Magistrate Yim raised questions about this and the prosecutor responded that they could contact the mainland police but it might take three to four months to get a reply. Defendant Grandma Wong indicated there was no need to wait. In the end, magistrate Yim pointed out that the defendant had not been prosecuted elsewhere, thus the sentence would not be commuted.

Source: InMedia #Jul13
https://bit.ly/3c4gAgR

#PoliticalProsecution #PoliticalPrisoner #AntiELAB #UnionJack

Hongkongers' Book Fair Cancelled, but Presses On with Online Store: "We'd Rather Be Naive than Give Up"

The annual Hong Kong Book Fair is set to take place in late July this year. However, many books that had political undertones or highlighted local culture had been banned from the book fair by local the government's Trade Development Council, who refused to explain the ban or give a list of exhibitors that they have turned away.

In light of this, local publisher Hillway Culture partnered with other like-minded exhibitors to organize the first-ever "Hongkongers' Book Fair," set to take place on July 14 in Causeway Bay.

The day before the fair was set to take place, however, the organizers received a notice from the venue owner saying that the book fair may be in breach of the fair's lease agreement, and they may need to terminate the lease, explained Hillway Culture's spokesperson Raymond Yeung during a press conference on the same afternoon.

Yeung explained in tears that he had expected all kinds of unexpected complaints against the book fair, including fire ordinances, anti-pandemic ordinances, or even the #NationalSecurityLaw. They had expressed willingness to fully cooperate with the venue owners, only so that #Hongkongers can have a book fair that belonged to themselves.

A journalist at the press conference mentioned that the pro-Beijing group "Politihk Social Strategic" had called on citizens to visit the book fair and "inspect the books for law violations". Plain-clothes officers were also said to have visited the venue, and inquired about the fair at the mall's management office.

By 9pm, the organizers announced that the venue owner had terminated the lease. The owner claimed that the book fair violated the venue's usage agreement by "sub-letting" booths to exhibitors - despite the venue having been previously used to host bazaars in a similar setup. The owner had even provided photos and promoted contractors who had previously provided booth setup works. Though the fair organizers expressed that they were willing to make any adjustments necessary, the owners insisted on terminating the contract, forcing the event to be cancelled.

News of the sudden shutdown was met with quick responses from Hongkongers who looked forward to the book fair. Many commenters pledged not to refund their VIP tickets and to visit the participating bookstores. In a subsequent Facebook post, the organizers thanked Hongkongers for their "encouragements, comfort, affirmations, and suggestions. This is an unexpected gift that came after such terrible news."

The organizers have continued on with the online version of the book fair, letting Hongkongers everywhere participate despite the lack of a physical venue. They had also secured a distributor in Manchester to ship out orders made in the UK.

Borrowing a quote from the participating Boundary Bookstore, the organizers wrote: "You can mock our naivete for staying behind, but we'd rather be naive than give up."

Source: #FirstHand #Jul13

Hongkongers' Book Fair Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/hkersbookfair/

#HKersBookFair #Suppression #Culture #BookBanning