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The knives are out for Hong Kong’s Carrie Lam as her turbulent first term enters its final months
For most of the past two years, a favourite subject for tea table gossip and speculation has been the political fate of Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor. She welcomed the return to what she called peace, quiet, and normality after the promulgation of Hong Kong’s new National Security Law last summer. Evidently, she didn’t anticipate that the new normal would give her own coalition more time to settle some scores of their own. As a leading career civil servant, she won Beijing’s confidence when her abrasive predecessor, Leung Chun-ying, lost it in 2017. Her quieter non-par...
Hong Kong Free Press
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Security law: Newly elected student union leaders say Chinese University Hong Kong trampled on popular opinion by cutting ties
Newly elected student union leaders have accused the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) of trampling on popular opinion after its management severed ties with the union due to allegedly false statements and possible breaches of the national security law. Issac Lam Yui-hei, president of the student union cabinet known as “Syzygia,” said early on Friday that the university’s decision was unprecedented. “The decision to arbitrarily strip us of office not only stripped the 12 Syzygia members of their responsibility, but also rejected a popular mandate supported by 4,000 students,” Lam said, no...
Hong Kong Free Press
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Hong Kong’s Lam says China’s patriots-only rule is not meant to exclude democrats from politics
Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam has rejected claims that major political changes planned by Beijing are intended to suppress pro-democracy politicians after a senior Chinese official declared that only “patriots” should hold power in the city. Lam told reporters on Monday that the policy of “patriots ruling Hong Kong” was not new, was “only to be expected” and was a necessary condition for implementing One Country, Two Systems. Lam said such a requirement was “not a very high standard” and should cover all groups listed under the SAR’s political structure in Article 4 of the Basic Law. ...
Hong Kong Free Press
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12 charged with rioting near PolyU campus in 2019; 15 others acquitted over National Day protest charges
Twelve individuals who were previously released after refusing bail conditions have been re-arrested and charged with rioting near Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) in November 2019. In two separate court cases, 15 people have been respectively acquitted of rioting and illegal assembly charges related to protests that took place on October 1 in 2019. In the PolyU case, nine men and three women aged between 16 and 28 were arrested by police on Friday and were mentioned at the Kowloon City Magistrates’ Court the same evening, Stand News reported. They were previously released while the po...
Hong Kong Free Press
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Covid rules requiring customer registration stir unease among some Hong Kong firms as one gym closes in protest
Hong Kong’s government has eased restrictions on restaurants and a range of other premises as the coronavirus pandemic eases, but new rules requiring patrons to register — either through an official phone app or manually – have stirred unease among some in the wake of pro-democracy protests. From Thursday restaurants were allowed to resume dine-in services after 6 pm, following a two-month ban on evening service, and seat up to four to a table. Gyms, beauty parlours, theme parks and cinemas also reopened after a full shutdown. But the long-awaited relaxation came with stipulations – customers ...
Hong Kong Free Press
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A Hong Kong law against fake news begs the question: who gets to decide what is false?
The new-look legislature, without opposition, without pan-Democrats and without the limited democratic legitimacy which surrounded its predecessor, is now with us, and will remain with us until September at the earliest. Further postponements of the elections cannot be ruled out. Our Imperial Big Brother does not love elections. The Chief Executive Carrie Lam, timed her expression of joy that the council had returned to “normal” nicely. It arrived just before the Economist Intelligence Unit decided that we should be moved from the Flawed Democracy category to the Hybrid one, which I think is t...
Hong Kong Free Press
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Clubhouse app brought a brief flowering of détente – until Beijing clamped down
For about a week in early February, there was a burst of excitement about Clubhouse, an invitation-only app offering audio chats. Chinese-language salons involved thousands of people from China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan discussing political and other topics. Sadly, but not surprisingly, this came to an end on February 8 when Clubhouse was banned in China. Despite the briefness of this online détente, the app generated a sense of optimism – and for good reason. First, it gave Chinese users a rare space to learn about and discuss topics that are banned or heavily restricted on the mainland, such as...
Hong Kong Free Press
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‘Here to help’: Hong Kong exiles strive to win hearts and minds in Taiwan
After a cold snap sent temperatures plunging across Taiwan in January, contributing to the death of over 100 mostly elderly people, a group of Taipei-based Hongkongers came together to distribute supplies to help the local community keep warm. On the steps of the September Cha Chaan Teng, a “yellow” Hong Kong-style diner in central Taipei which is festooned with Lennon Wall post-its and pro-democracy posters, they handed out care packages with hand-warmers, hot chocolate, and eight-treasure congee, a warming, nutritious dish popular during the colder months. “We want to show that we can bring ...
Hong Kong Free Press
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Hong Kong activist accused of subversion may face rioting charge over 2019 storming of legislature
Hong Kong activist Owen Chow, who was one of more than 50 democrats arrested for alleged subversion under the national security law last month, may face an additional charge of rioting related to the storming of the Legislative Council (LegCo) chamber in July 2019. According to Chow on Facebook, police arrested him for rioting when he reported to a station on Wednesday to extend his bail on the subversion charge. The 24-year-old was among 55 democrats rounded up on January 6 under the Beijing-imposed security law. A total of 52 of them including Chow had their bail extended until April 8 and n...
Hong Kong Free Press
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Hong Kong radio host faces charges of stirring ‘hatred or contempt’ against gov’t during online show
Hong Kong radio personality Edmund Wan Yiu-sing is accused of breaching a colonial-era sedition law by stirring hatred against the local and Chinese governments during an internet programme. His scheduled court appearance on Monday was postponed after the host fell unwell and was hospitalised. Wan, better known as DJ “Giggs,” was arrested by officers from the national security unit on Sunday. Local media reported on Monday that the 52-year-old was officially charged with four counts of “doing an act with a seditious intention.” The sedition charges are broadly defined in the Crimes Ordinance w...
Hong Kong Free Press
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