Opinion
In 2002 a geologist called Kenneth Adelman started a project in which he documented coastal erosion in California with a series of aerial photographs, uploaded to the internet and still visible here. But in 2008, he was sued by the owner of a coastal property, Barbra Streisand, who claimed US$50 million for invasion of privacy, and sought an order for the removal of photograph no. 3850, which included her clifftop home: As a lawsuit this was not a success. Adelman counter-sued under a California law against SLAPPs (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation). Streisand lost and was ordere...
Hong Kong Free Press
A strange, indeed barely believable, controversy has erupted over a question which appears hardly disputable: whether Hong Kong still enjoys the degree of press freedom that it did before 2020. “Nothing has changed” is the official line pushed by government spokesmen in Beijing, echoed by local Grenville Cross in newspaper pieces. For the opposite view we have Reporters Without Borders (Reporters Sans Frontiéres or RSF if you are subject to Quebec Province language laws) who are the compilers and curators of the relevant international league table, the World Press Freedom Index. The message of...
Hong Kong Free Press
By Rod Parkes “Tell good stories about Hong Kong,” the government constantly exhorts the media and the public in the face of much perceived criticism of the territory. In the archetypal “good story about Hong Kong” the protagonist – typically from humble beginnings – seizes the opportunities the city offers, through talent and hard work, to rise to fame and fortune. Commonly the talent deployed is business acumen, as with Li Ka-shing’s fabled ascent from poverty to become Asia’s richest man. In other cases, the talent is artistic, as in the heartwarming tale of a talented girl from a poor sing...
Hong Kong Free Press
Nobody is offering any official results, but it seems the first test of the proposed solid waste charging regime was not a success. The scheme, under which we will all have to buy bags from the government in which to dispose of household waste, has never attracted a warm welcome. Following a trial run it is now in so much trouble that politicians who have rarely seen a government proposal they didn’t like are suggesting politely that it might be postponed… possibly forever. This is not surprising. The government has a genuine problem in finding places to dispose of the mountains of refuse whic...
Hong Kong Free Press
It is a commonplace political observation that carelessly passed legislation often has unintended – and maybe ridiculous – effects. Our newly minted local legislators seem to have neglected this important warning. We are all, these days, eager to secure national security. However, attempts to achieve this by jailing those convicted of national security offences for long periods have reached a curious position. Readers will recall that – under the national security law bestowed on us by Beijing – national security offences come, like Pacific Coffee, in three sizes: small, medium and large. Thos...
Hong Kong Free Press
By Brian Cheng West Kowloon Cultural District says this year’s International Cultural Summit will “demonstrate Hong Kong’s commitment to acting as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange.“ The same phrase frequently crops up in campaigns by the Tourism Board and fellow government departments. It has become especially popular since it was mentioned in the state’s latest Five-year Plan, and subsequently in the city government’s policy address. The chairman of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council claimed in a press release that the city is “an international metropolis with...
Hong Kong Free Press
By David Owens Health is a positive construct which exists along a spectrum. Almost all of us have the capacity to be healthier. Too often, narratives around health focus on metrics of disease. Conversations around cancer treatment, the incidence of heart disease or the numbers of hospitals and intensive care beds are reflective of a disease-based health model. Health is not the opposite of disease. The World Health Organization (WHO) definition of health is a state of physical, psychological and social well-being, not the absence of disease. I have always been a fan of this holistic, positive...
Hong Kong Free Press
By Billy Wong and Cherry Kee of the Hong Kong Committee on Children’s Rights April 30 is International Spank Out Day, urging the public to stop the corporal punishment of children. But can the policies and laws of Hong Kong comply with this objective? The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child defines corporal punishment as any punishment in which physical force is used and intended to cause some degree of pain or discomfort, however light. Corporal punishment is still the most common form of violence against children. According to data provided by End Violence Against Children, 8...
Hong Kong Free Press
While attention was focused on Singapore’s exclusive deal to host Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concerts and Lionel Messi’s absence from a Hong Kong exhibition march, the city’s jazz fans were excited at a planned visit by three times Grammy Award winner Diana Krall. I share the disappointment over Messi and Swift even though it had nothing to do with me. Krall is another story: I texted my friends about the concerts. Her live appearance in Hong Kong is a mega event, as important as an LVMH fashion show in Tsim Sha Tsui or a Mirror concert. Then I was taken aback to learn that the concert will take...
Hong Kong Free Press
Legislative Council member and Executive Council convenor Regina Ip has criticised the Hong Kong government’s aggressive, “wolf-warrior” style of addressing overseas critics, especially critics of our new national security regime. Interviewed by Ming Pao, she implied that this style (always “refute,” “firmly oppose,” “strongly condemn”) undermines Hong Kong’s ability to connect with the international community. ”Openness,” she said, is the key to success. When ”people come and money comes… this is the only way to be successful. And if it’s too much of a fighting style, it won’t work… If it’s t...
Hong Kong Free Press
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