China Bans the Import of Taiwan Sugar Apple and Java Apple,
Taiwan Plans to Increase Export to Hong Kong and Other Places and Will Complain to WTO
Source: Stand News #Sep19
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Taiwan Plans to Increase Export to Hong Kong and Other Places and Will Complain to WTO
Source: Stand News #Sep19
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China Bans the Import of Taiwan Sugar Apple and Java Apple,
Taiwan Plans to Increase Export to Hong Kong and Other Places and Will Complain to WTO
China banned the import of Taiwan pineapple in March 2021. Chinese General Administration of Customs announced the suspension of importing sugar apples and java apples from September 20. Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council counterattacked this evening, expressing dissatisfaction that China is unwilling to negotiate with Taiwan in accordance with the cross-strait agreement mechanism, damaging Taiwan’s agriculture and cross-strait relations. Taiwan Agricultural Committee indicated that they would send complaints to WTO and would increase the export to markets, such as Hong Kong.
The China Custom General Administration (GACC) Animal and Plant Quarantine indicated that quarantine pests, Planococcus minor, were found in Taiwan sugar apples and java apples several times this year. In order to prevent the risk of plant disease, GACC announced the suspension on importing Taiwan sugar apple and java apple from tomorrow.
Source: Stand News #Sep19
https://bit.ly/3mXJfGl
#Taiwan #China #Pineapple #Import #Export #WTO #GACC #AnimalandPlantQuarantine #MainlandAffairsCouncil #SugarApple #JavaApple
Taiwan Plans to Increase Export to Hong Kong and Other Places and Will Complain to WTO
China banned the import of Taiwan pineapple in March 2021. Chinese General Administration of Customs announced the suspension of importing sugar apples and java apples from September 20. Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council counterattacked this evening, expressing dissatisfaction that China is unwilling to negotiate with Taiwan in accordance with the cross-strait agreement mechanism, damaging Taiwan’s agriculture and cross-strait relations. Taiwan Agricultural Committee indicated that they would send complaints to WTO and would increase the export to markets, such as Hong Kong.
The China Custom General Administration (GACC) Animal and Plant Quarantine indicated that quarantine pests, Planococcus minor, were found in Taiwan sugar apples and java apples several times this year. In order to prevent the risk of plant disease, GACC announced the suspension on importing Taiwan sugar apple and java apple from tomorrow.
Source: Stand News #Sep19
https://bit.ly/3mXJfGl
#Taiwan #China #Pineapple #Import #Export #WTO #GACC #AnimalandPlantQuarantine #MainlandAffairsCouncil #SugarApple #JavaApple
#Art #Freedom
Italian city defies China bid to scrap dissident's art show
An Italian city is going ahead with plans to host an art exhibition by a Chinese dissident despite a request from China's embassy to cancel it.
The show, called "China is (not) near," is due to run from November 13 to February 13, 2021 in the northern Italian city of Brescia.
The exhibition by #Badiucao, a cartoonist also known as "The Chinese Banksy", is expected to denounce Chinese political repression and censorship of information on the COVID pandemic.
Brescia Mayor #EmilioDelBono told local press that his office would not comply with a request from the Chinese embassy in Italy to scrap it.
He said the friendship between the Italian and Chinese people "is not in question", but "I think it is important to show that you can stay friends while criticising some things".
The deputy mayor, #LauraCastelletti, earlier tweeted that "For us art and freedom of expression are an essential combination".
#Italy #FreedomOfExpression
Source: Stand News, #Oct23 https://thestandnews.page.link/PHgLpzQ5HDsT9fKR8
Italian city defies China bid to scrap dissident's art show
An Italian city is going ahead with plans to host an art exhibition by a Chinese dissident despite a request from China's embassy to cancel it.
The show, called "China is (not) near," is due to run from November 13 to February 13, 2021 in the northern Italian city of Brescia.
The exhibition by #Badiucao, a cartoonist also known as "The Chinese Banksy", is expected to denounce Chinese political repression and censorship of information on the COVID pandemic.
Brescia Mayor #EmilioDelBono told local press that his office would not comply with a request from the Chinese embassy in Italy to scrap it.
He said the friendship between the Italian and Chinese people "is not in question", but "I think it is important to show that you can stay friends while criticising some things".
The deputy mayor, #LauraCastelletti, earlier tweeted that "For us art and freedom of expression are an essential combination".
#Italy #FreedomOfExpression
Source: Stand News, #Oct23 https://thestandnews.page.link/PHgLpzQ5HDsT9fKR8
US Law Firm Withdraws from Representing the University of Hong Kong Amid Outcry from Civic Groups and US Politicians
Sources: Stand News; InMedia; #Oct18
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Sources: Stand News; InMedia; #Oct18
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US Law Firm Withdraws from Representing the University of Hong Kong Amid Outcry from Civic Groups and US Politicians
On behalf of the University of Hong Kong (#HKU), the law firm #MayerBrown issued a letter to Danish artist #JensGalschiot, demanding the removal of his famous sculpture #PillarofShame, which has beena symbol commemorating the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Massacre and on display on campus since 2003, within six days.
The action prompted an outcry from pro-democracy and human rights groups, who expressed dismay that a US law firm was helping the Chinese regime to suppress the commemoration of the massacre.
28 civil society groups signed an open letter calling for Mayer Brown to withdraw from representing the university, citing the importance of safeguarding the firm’s “integrity in defending the right of freedom of expression”.
US Republican senators including Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham also condemned the firm.
Mayer Brown initially defended its representation of the university, saying the dispute was simply a real estate matter. But on October 15, 2021, the firm backed down, saying, "going forward, Mayer Brown will not be representing its longtime client in this matter.”
Following Mayer Brown's withdrawal, former Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying took to Facebook to denounce the firm as having been "infiltrated by foreign powers" and calling on all "Chinese" clients to withdraw their business.
The sculpture was still in the university campus as the deadline for its removal passed.
The debate over removal of the Pillar of Shame from #HKU was brought to a legislative meeting on October 18, 2021, when pro-Beijing legislator Luk Chung-hung, a representative from the pro-CCP Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, took it in a verbal inquiry.
Luk referred the sculpture as “trash” three times, calling it a "totem of anti-CCP sentiments" that has confused and poisoned youngsters in Hong Kong. He called for local police to assist the university in handling the case.
#TiananmenMassacre #Memorial #Art #CollectiveMemory
Sources: Stand News; InmediaHK; #Oct18
https://thestandnews.page.link/cWZQyyVUAc2Z255J7
https://thestandnews.page.link/ExESJ1tzktLMiEoR6
https://bit.ly/3vq26O4
On behalf of the University of Hong Kong (#HKU), the law firm #MayerBrown issued a letter to Danish artist #JensGalschiot, demanding the removal of his famous sculpture #PillarofShame, which has beena symbol commemorating the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Massacre and on display on campus since 2003, within six days.
The action prompted an outcry from pro-democracy and human rights groups, who expressed dismay that a US law firm was helping the Chinese regime to suppress the commemoration of the massacre.
28 civil society groups signed an open letter calling for Mayer Brown to withdraw from representing the university, citing the importance of safeguarding the firm’s “integrity in defending the right of freedom of expression”.
US Republican senators including Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham also condemned the firm.
Mayer Brown initially defended its representation of the university, saying the dispute was simply a real estate matter. But on October 15, 2021, the firm backed down, saying, "going forward, Mayer Brown will not be representing its longtime client in this matter.”
Following Mayer Brown's withdrawal, former Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying took to Facebook to denounce the firm as having been "infiltrated by foreign powers" and calling on all "Chinese" clients to withdraw their business.
The sculpture was still in the university campus as the deadline for its removal passed.
The debate over removal of the Pillar of Shame from #HKU was brought to a legislative meeting on October 18, 2021, when pro-Beijing legislator Luk Chung-hung, a representative from the pro-CCP Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, took it in a verbal inquiry.
Luk referred the sculpture as “trash” three times, calling it a "totem of anti-CCP sentiments" that has confused and poisoned youngsters in Hong Kong. He called for local police to assist the university in handling the case.
#TiananmenMassacre #Memorial #Art #CollectiveMemory
Sources: Stand News; InmediaHK; #Oct18
https://thestandnews.page.link/cWZQyyVUAc2Z255J7
https://thestandnews.page.link/ExESJ1tzktLMiEoR6
https://bit.ly/3vq26O4
China’s Corporate Crackdown Is Just Getting Started. Signs Point to More Tumult Ahead.
In recent months, China has blown up what would have been the world's largest initial public offering, launched probes into some of its biggest technology companies, and wiped out more than $1 trillion in market value while investors scramble for cover.
There are many signs it isn't over yet.
Investors, analysts and company executives believe the government is just getting started in its push to realign the relationship between private business and the state, with a goal of ensuring companies do more to serve the Communist Party's economic, social and national-security concerns.
Source: WSJ #Aug05
https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-corporate-crackdown-tech-markets-investors-11628182971
#China #Investors #Analysts #Company
In recent months, China has blown up what would have been the world's largest initial public offering, launched probes into some of its biggest technology companies, and wiped out more than $1 trillion in market value while investors scramble for cover.
There are many signs it isn't over yet.
Investors, analysts and company executives believe the government is just getting started in its push to realign the relationship between private business and the state, with a goal of ensuring companies do more to serve the Communist Party's economic, social and national-security concerns.
Source: WSJ #Aug05
https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-corporate-crackdown-tech-markets-investors-11628182971
#China #Investors #Analysts #Company
#University #Admissions
Steep Drop in Applications to Political Science and Journalism Programmes in HK following China-imposed National Security Law
#PoliticalFreedom #WhiteTerror
Source: Stand News, #Oct23
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Steep Drop in Applications to Political Science and Journalism Programmes in HK following China-imposed National Security Law
#PoliticalFreedom #WhiteTerror
Source: Stand News, #Oct23
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#University #Admissions
Steep Drop in Applications to Political Science and Journalism Programmes in HK following China-imposed National Security Law
The Joint University Programmes Admissions System (#JUPAS) published its 2021 admission numbers. The number of applicants to faculties of Political Science and Journalism saw a significant drop this year.
Admissions to the Government and Public Policy in both Chinese University of Hong Kong (#CUHK) and City University had dropped by 20% last year, and by another 40% this year.
A 15% drop was seen in admissions to Journalism among Hong Kong universities last year, and a further 13% this year.
Ronson #ChanLongSing, chairman of Hong Kong Journalists Association, said that the National Security Law has aggravated the political environment in the city, leading to the decline in these numbers. Students saw that becoming a reporter could lead to being sent behind bars; "It is reasonable for those with a rational mind to not choose Journalism."
Tommy #CheungSauYin, a Political Science graduate at Chinese University of Hong Kong and former President of CUHK Students Union, added more depressing facts.
Cheung noted that in 2019, 18 CUHK political science graduates won seats in the District Council election, but all of them have now been disqualified by the government. "There is no future for political science undergraduates," he said.
#PoliticalFreedom #WhiteTerror
Source: Stand News, #Oct23
https://thestandnews.page.link/um3G228riSQDNtRD6
Steep Drop in Applications to Political Science and Journalism Programmes in HK following China-imposed National Security Law
The Joint University Programmes Admissions System (#JUPAS) published its 2021 admission numbers. The number of applicants to faculties of Political Science and Journalism saw a significant drop this year.
Admissions to the Government and Public Policy in both Chinese University of Hong Kong (#CUHK) and City University had dropped by 20% last year, and by another 40% this year.
A 15% drop was seen in admissions to Journalism among Hong Kong universities last year, and a further 13% this year.
Ronson #ChanLongSing, chairman of Hong Kong Journalists Association, said that the National Security Law has aggravated the political environment in the city, leading to the decline in these numbers. Students saw that becoming a reporter could lead to being sent behind bars; "It is reasonable for those with a rational mind to not choose Journalism."
Tommy #CheungSauYin, a Political Science graduate at Chinese University of Hong Kong and former President of CUHK Students Union, added more depressing facts.
Cheung noted that in 2019, 18 CUHK political science graduates won seats in the District Council election, but all of them have now been disqualified by the government. "There is no future for political science undergraduates," he said.
#PoliticalFreedom #WhiteTerror
Source: Stand News, #Oct23
https://thestandnews.page.link/um3G228riSQDNtRD6
#PoliticalOppression #Disqualification
16 More District Councillors Disqualified over Oath-Taking; Total of 326 Pro-Dem Seats Lost
#DistrictCouncil #DQ #Oath
Source: Stand News; #Oct21
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16 More District Councillors Disqualified over Oath-Taking; Total of 326 Pro-Dem Seats Lost
#DistrictCouncil #DQ #Oath
Source: Stand News; #Oct21
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#PoliticalOppression #Disqualificafion
16 More District Councillors Disqualified over Oath-Taking; Total of 326 Pro-Dem Seats Lost
16 pro-democracy district councillors have been disqualified from office after authorities ruled that their government-required oaths were invalid.
They are from New Territories West, and are the last batch of councillors to take their oaths, a new requirement created after the pro-democracy camp's landslide victory in 2019.
Across all 18 districts in Hong Kong, a total of 49 pro-democracy district councillors have been ousted due to their oaths being ruled as invalid. 6 councillors directly lost their seats.
In the district council elections in 2019, the democrats had won a historic victory, winning 389 seats among the 452 elected seats in the 18 districts.
However, the number of members of the Democrats has gradually decreased in the past 2 years, some due to prison sentences longer than 3 months, some due to the councillors themselves leaving Hong Kong.
It was the government's oath-taking requirement, however, that led to the largest drop in numbers of democratic councillors.
In July this year, the government made use of the media to indicate their intention to disqualify large numbers of district councillors, and those disqualified would have to pay back all of their salaries since taking office in 2020, a sum exceeding $1M HKD. In light of this threat, 260 district councillors have resigned.
#DistrictCouncil #PoliticalOppression #Oath #DQ
Source: Stand News; #Oct21
https://thestandnews.page.link/hnKqV2DR8Ev7wBVp6
see also:
District Council election results, Nov 25, 2019
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/12233
https://www.facebook.com/BeWaterHongKong/posts/2519661708255300
16 More District Councillors Disqualified over Oath-Taking; Total of 326 Pro-Dem Seats Lost
16 pro-democracy district councillors have been disqualified from office after authorities ruled that their government-required oaths were invalid.
They are from New Territories West, and are the last batch of councillors to take their oaths, a new requirement created after the pro-democracy camp's landslide victory in 2019.
Across all 18 districts in Hong Kong, a total of 49 pro-democracy district councillors have been ousted due to their oaths being ruled as invalid. 6 councillors directly lost their seats.
In the district council elections in 2019, the democrats had won a historic victory, winning 389 seats among the 452 elected seats in the 18 districts.
However, the number of members of the Democrats has gradually decreased in the past 2 years, some due to prison sentences longer than 3 months, some due to the councillors themselves leaving Hong Kong.
It was the government's oath-taking requirement, however, that led to the largest drop in numbers of democratic councillors.
In July this year, the government made use of the media to indicate their intention to disqualify large numbers of district councillors, and those disqualified would have to pay back all of their salaries since taking office in 2020, a sum exceeding $1M HKD. In light of this threat, 260 district councillors have resigned.
#DistrictCouncil #PoliticalOppression #Oath #DQ
Source: Stand News; #Oct21
https://thestandnews.page.link/hnKqV2DR8Ev7wBVp6
see also:
District Council election results, Nov 25, 2019
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/12233
https://www.facebook.com/BeWaterHongKong/posts/2519661708255300
立場新聞 Stand News
【DQ 區議員】新西宣誓鄺俊宇等 16 人無效 至今 326 民主派議員失議席 | 立場報道 | 立場新聞
政府要求區議員宣誓，最後一批新界西宣誓亦有結果，再多 16 名民主派區議員被 DQ，包括民主黨「主選派」鄺俊宇...
Canadian Media: the US Talks to Huawei about Letting Meng Wanzhou Return to China Without Mentioning the Release of the 2 Canadians
Source: Stand News #Sep19
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Source: Stand News #Sep19
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Canadian Media: the US Talks to Huawei about Letting Meng Wanzhou Return to China Without Mentioning the Release of the 2 Canadians
In 2018, the US alleged Huawei’s Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanchou involving in bank fraud and violating sanctions against Iran, and asked Canada to arrest her. After Canada arresting her, China detained two Canadians, Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, accusing them of espionage. Foreign media stated this as “hostage politics”.
Arrested in 2018 but still have no decision on the extradition
The event originated from the US Department of Justice, alleging that Meng Wanchou was involved in HSBC bank fraud, which made HSBC at risk of violating US sanctions against Iran. The US asked Canada to extradite Meng to the US for trial. In December 2018, Canada arrested Meng Wanchou at the request of the United States, but whether she will be extradited to the US for trial will still be subject to a hearing.
Source: Stand News #Sep19
https://bit.ly/3aGEJX0
#Canada #UnitedStates #MengWanchou #Huawei #China #Iran #Sanction #HSBC #MichaelSpavor #MichaelKovrig #HostagePolitics
In 2018, the US alleged Huawei’s Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanchou involving in bank fraud and violating sanctions against Iran, and asked Canada to arrest her. After Canada arresting her, China detained two Canadians, Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, accusing them of espionage. Foreign media stated this as “hostage politics”.
Arrested in 2018 but still have no decision on the extradition
The event originated from the US Department of Justice, alleging that Meng Wanchou was involved in HSBC bank fraud, which made HSBC at risk of violating US sanctions against Iran. The US asked Canada to extradite Meng to the US for trial. In December 2018, Canada arrested Meng Wanchou at the request of the United States, but whether she will be extradited to the US for trial will still be subject to a hearing.
Source: Stand News #Sep19
https://bit.ly/3aGEJX0
#Canada #UnitedStates #MengWanchou #Huawei #China #Iran #Sanction #HSBC #MichaelSpavor #MichaelKovrig #HostagePolitics
立場新聞 Stand News
加媒﹕美司法部洽華為或容孟晚舟回中國 未提釋放兩加拿大人 | 立場報道 | 立場新聞
2018 年，美國指華為首席財務官孟晚舟涉欺詐銀行致違反制裁伊朗規定，要求加拿大將她拘捕。孟被捕後，中國拘捕加...
Hongkonger Protests Against the Removal of the Pillar of Shame with #SquidGames and #GeorgeOrwell
At around noon on October 28, 2021, a person dressed as the game operator in the heated #Netflix series #SquidGames stood in front of the #PillarofShame at the University of Hong Kong (#HKU).
The person held up a sign which read "Ignorance is strength," a line taken from #GeorgeOrwell's book 1984.
The act of the one-person silent protest has alarmed the campus security team, which went to the site and took the person away.
Read more:
#PillarofShame Creator Shocked as the University of Hong Kong Demands Removal
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/31299
US Law Firm Withdraws from Representing the University of Hong Kong Amid Outcry from Civic Groups and US Politicians
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/31306
Source: Netizen #Oct28 https://www.facebook.com/366243453719070/posts/1572412809768789/
#FailedState #Censorship
At around noon on October 28, 2021, a person dressed as the game operator in the heated #Netflix series #SquidGames stood in front of the #PillarofShame at the University of Hong Kong (#HKU).
The person held up a sign which read "Ignorance is strength," a line taken from #GeorgeOrwell's book 1984.
The act of the one-person silent protest has alarmed the campus security team, which went to the site and took the person away.
Read more:
#PillarofShame Creator Shocked as the University of Hong Kong Demands Removal
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/31299
US Law Firm Withdraws from Representing the University of Hong Kong Amid Outcry from Civic Groups and US Politicians
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/31306
Source: Netizen #Oct28 https://www.facebook.com/366243453719070/posts/1572412809768789/
#FailedState #Censorship
#Court #RulebyLaw
Second Conviction for Inciting Secession: A Young Man Chanting Pro-Democracy Slogans in Public
#NationalSecurityLaw #NSL #SpeechCrime #MaChunMan #Suppression
Source: Stand News; #Oct25
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Second Conviction for Inciting Secession: A Young Man Chanting Pro-Democracy Slogans in Public
#NationalSecurityLaw #NSL #SpeechCrime #MaChunMan #Suppression
Source: Stand News; #Oct25
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#Court #RulebyLaw
Second Conviction for Inciting Secession: A Young Man Chanting Pro-Democracy Slogans in Public
Ma Chun-man, a prominent pro-democracy protester nicknamed "Captain America 2.0", was found guilty in a District Court on October 25 for inciting secession by chanting and displaying protest slogans.
District Judge Stanley Chan ruled that Ma “continuously and unreservedly” incited others to do what was prohibited under the national security law, using slogans such as “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times”, “One nation, one Hong Kong” and “Hong Kong independence, the only way out".
“The defendant’s words were not empty talk, but a sincere and heartfelt expression of his beliefs and feelings,” said Chan, who is among a list of judges hand-picked by Hong Kong’s leader to oversee national security cases.
Ma was the second person convicted under the National Security Law, after #TongYingKit who was sentenced to nine years in prison after he rode a motorbike through police blockades while flying a flag with a protest slogan.
#NationalSecurityLaw #NSL #SpeechCrime #MaChunMan #Suppression
Source: Stand News; #Oct25
https://thestandnews.page.link/SwoUvZf3rH3kyQWw5
Second Conviction for Inciting Secession: A Young Man Chanting Pro-Democracy Slogans in Public
Ma Chun-man, a prominent pro-democracy protester nicknamed "Captain America 2.0", was found guilty in a District Court on October 25 for inciting secession by chanting and displaying protest slogans.
District Judge Stanley Chan ruled that Ma “continuously and unreservedly” incited others to do what was prohibited under the national security law, using slogans such as “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times”, “One nation, one Hong Kong” and “Hong Kong independence, the only way out".
“The defendant’s words were not empty talk, but a sincere and heartfelt expression of his beliefs and feelings,” said Chan, who is among a list of judges hand-picked by Hong Kong’s leader to oversee national security cases.
Ma was the second person convicted under the National Security Law, after #TongYingKit who was sentenced to nine years in prison after he rode a motorbike through police blockades while flying a flag with a protest slogan.
#NationalSecurityLaw #NSL #SpeechCrime #MaChunMan #Suppression
Source: Stand News; #Oct25
https://thestandnews.page.link/SwoUvZf3rH3kyQWw5
立場新聞 Stand News
第二宗國安法案 「美隊 2.0」馬俊文煽動分裂國家罪成 11.11 判刑 | 立場報道 | 立場新聞
（報道在下午 7 時 15 分更新）有「第二代美國隊長」之稱的馬俊文，被指於 2020 年間多次在示威活動中叫...
Who 'politicizes' Hong Kong’s annual #marathon? “Hong Kong, Add Oil!” being censored and UK-based bank declines to commit sponsorship next year
Source: Stand News, HK Free Press; #Oct24
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https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/31318
Source: Stand News, HK Free Press; #Oct24
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https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/31318
Who 'politicizes' Hong Kong’s annual #marathon? “Hong Kong, Add Oil!” being censored and UK-based bank declines to commit sponsorship next year
After being suspended for more than one year due to the coronavirus outbreak, the Hong Kong Standard Chartered Marathon returned to the city on October 24, 2021.
Although organizing committee demanded to not bring politics into a sports event, the police's reaction was overwhelming.
The Hong Kong police force deployed counter-terrorism special operations units and railway response units at most major sections of the marathon route, claiming an attempt to "prevent and combat terrorist activities".
As early as 4am, at least 100 police officers were sighted. Many of them were wearing tactical vest.
During the day, a runner told a local press that she failed the security check because she was wearing what thr police deemed a “political outfit” — running shorts that had “Hong Kong, Add Oil!” printed on them.
She was ordered to change her shorts in a nearby booth.
Another runner with a “Hong Kong, Add Oil!” tattoo on his leg was given a bandage to cover it up.
A man in a green T-shirt that read “Hong Kong, Add Oil!” was intercepted at the starting point of the marathon as a staff on the site queried the outfit “politically laden” threatening him that “wear it at your own risk”. He was asked to remove the T-shirt and put on a windbreaker to run instead.
When being asked whether the organizing committee’s demand was reasonable, the man said in frustration, “It is not up to me to make comment on this matter, but leave it to our own fair judgement.”
At a press briefing before the Marathon, the organizer demanded participants and spectators not to "politicise the race", despite the fact that the the organizing committee failed to cite specific examples of their concern
In the post-run press conference, the committee's Chairman William Ko Wai-lam struggled to explain what is political about the prhase “Add Oil!”, a common and multipurpose Cantonese expression denoting encouragement.
Before cutting short the press conference in embarrassment, Ko repeated for 7 times, “This is a sports event and we do not wish to see any political element.”
When asked if the title sponsor of the event, the UK-based Standard Chartered bank, supported free speech in Hong Kong, a spokesperson for the bank said they “have no comment on this.”
The bank equally would not comment on whether it would support runners targeted by police, or whether it would sponsor the event next year.
Source: Stand News, HK Free Press; #Oct24
https://thestandnews.page.link/98PrbDssTSsaY4oN8
#AddOil #PoliceState #Censorship #Gayau #Running
After being suspended for more than one year due to the coronavirus outbreak, the Hong Kong Standard Chartered Marathon returned to the city on October 24, 2021.
Although organizing committee demanded to not bring politics into a sports event, the police's reaction was overwhelming.
The Hong Kong police force deployed counter-terrorism special operations units and railway response units at most major sections of the marathon route, claiming an attempt to "prevent and combat terrorist activities".
As early as 4am, at least 100 police officers were sighted. Many of them were wearing tactical vest.
During the day, a runner told a local press that she failed the security check because she was wearing what thr police deemed a “political outfit” — running shorts that had “Hong Kong, Add Oil!” printed on them.
She was ordered to change her shorts in a nearby booth.
Another runner with a “Hong Kong, Add Oil!” tattoo on his leg was given a bandage to cover it up.
A man in a green T-shirt that read “Hong Kong, Add Oil!” was intercepted at the starting point of the marathon as a staff on the site queried the outfit “politically laden” threatening him that “wear it at your own risk”. He was asked to remove the T-shirt and put on a windbreaker to run instead.
When being asked whether the organizing committee’s demand was reasonable, the man said in frustration, “It is not up to me to make comment on this matter, but leave it to our own fair judgement.”
At a press briefing before the Marathon, the organizer demanded participants and spectators not to "politicise the race", despite the fact that the the organizing committee failed to cite specific examples of their concern
In the post-run press conference, the committee's Chairman William Ko Wai-lam struggled to explain what is political about the prhase “Add Oil!”, a common and multipurpose Cantonese expression denoting encouragement.
Before cutting short the press conference in embarrassment, Ko repeated for 7 times, “This is a sports event and we do not wish to see any political element.”
When asked if the title sponsor of the event, the UK-based Standard Chartered bank, supported free speech in Hong Kong, a spokesperson for the bank said they “have no comment on this.”
The bank equally would not comment on whether it would support runners targeted by police, or whether it would sponsor the event next year.
Source: Stand News, HK Free Press; #Oct24
https://thestandnews.page.link/98PrbDssTSsaY4oN8
#AddOil #PoliceState #Censorship #Gayau #Running
Communism in the Classroom
China wants the world to forget about its political takeover of Hong Kong, but we’ll try to keep you as informed as we can. The latest news is the imposition of a Communist Party-friendly curriculum in the city’s schools.
On Saturday the Education Bureau said it will no longer recognize the Hong Kong Professional Teachers’ Union, which has 95,000 members and is more a guild than a union in the American sense. The Education Bureau says the union has been “engaging in political propaganda under the guise of being a professional education organisation.” But authorities’ real fear is that teachers will resist imposing Beijing’s “patriotic education” on Hong Kong students.
Source: WSJ #Aug04
https://www.wsj.com/articles/communism-in-the-classroom-hong-kong-professional-teachers-union-china-11628114600
#China #HongKong #CCP #Education
China wants the world to forget about its political takeover of Hong Kong, but we’ll try to keep you as informed as we can. The latest news is the imposition of a Communist Party-friendly curriculum in the city’s schools.
On Saturday the Education Bureau said it will no longer recognize the Hong Kong Professional Teachers’ Union, which has 95,000 members and is more a guild than a union in the American sense. The Education Bureau says the union has been “engaging in political propaganda under the guise of being a professional education organisation.” But authorities’ real fear is that teachers will resist imposing Beijing’s “patriotic education” on Hong Kong students.
Source: WSJ #Aug04
https://www.wsj.com/articles/communism-in-the-classroom-hong-kong-professional-teachers-union-china-11628114600
#China #HongKong #CCP #Education
#Oppression
Self-exiled Hong Kong democrat faces four more court charges
Source: Stand News; #Oct23
Read more
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Self-exiled Hong Kong democrat faces four more court charges
Source: Stand News; #Oct23
Read more
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