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As the U.S. election rumbles on & on, a reminder that this week the HK Police have launched a Stasi-style national security hotline for people to snitch on their fellow citizens — & claim they’ve received 2,500 tips already.
My latest for @AppleDaily_HK: hk.appledaily.com/opinion/202011…
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After reports Beijing intends to disqualify 4 sitting pro-democracy legislators (Alvin Yeung, Dennis Kwok, Kwok Ka-ki & Kenneth Leung) at this weeks NPCSC, HK01 reports democrats are considering going back on plans to remain in LegCo & resign en masse. hk01.com/%E6%94%BF%E6%8…
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Big statement from the Foreign Secretary on the disqualification of pro-democracy legislators. The new claim that the UK will “hold China to the obligations it freely assumed under international law” strongly implies the UK will pursue breaches of the JD in international courts. twitter.com/DominicRaab/st…
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Breaking: Former legislators @ray_slowbeat (陳志全) & @ChuHoiDick (朱凱廸) have both been arrested just prior to 7AM in connection to the pair disrupting the passage of the National Anthem Bill in LegCo in June. They threw some bio-fertiliser in an attempt to stop proceedings.
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Breaking: Statement from foreign ministers of Five Eyes (🇺🇸🇬🇧🇨🇦🇦🇺🇳🇿) on the disqualification of the 4 pro-democracy legislators; says DQ “part of a concerted campaign to silence all critical voices following the postponement of September’s LegCo elections” gov.uk/government/new…
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Breaking: Just hours after fresh CUHK graduates held a ‘Graduation March’ on campus in which they chanted & displayed slogans banned under the NSL, the HK police’s national security department announced it has launched an investigation into the incident.
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Apple Daily reports well-known activist Grandma Wong, recently released after more than a year in detention in mainland China, was arrested (in HK) on Friday & charged with assault. Court appearance was due today, but delayed as Wong has been hospitalised. hk.appledaily.com/local/20201121…
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Joshua Wong has written a thoughtful & reflective thread ahead of his sentencing tomorrow:
“Despite possible jail sentences ahead, it is my honour to stand with each of you from the very beginning... whatever storm we might face, I always have my faith in my fellow HongKongers” twitter.com/joshuawongcf/s…
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Due to U.S. sanctions, Carrie Lam no longer has access to banking services, claiming “I have piles of cash at home - the govt is paying me cash for my salary because I don’t have a bank account”
Earning $5 million HKD p.a., her house must look like it’s inhabited by a drug lord.
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Looked at the formation of the ‘Bauhinia Party’ by super-rich mainland financiers for Apple Daily. Is HK’s pro-Beijing establishment & the likes of Regina Ip on the way out? Probably not - but expect to see mainlanders serving in LegCo & the HK govt soon. hk.appledaily.com/opinion/202012…
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Me, @BenGartside & @CitySamuel reveal the CCP membership of senior execs in major 🇬🇧 & international financial institutions for the @Telegraph. One StanChart exec encouraged party branch involvement in company affairs & was personally praised by Xi Jinping telegraph.co.uk/business/2020/…
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SCMP reports Beijing is mulling scrapping all 117 seats set to be filled by overwhelmingly pro-democracy district councillors in the election committee that selects Hong Kong’s chief executive, in an effort to crush their influence on the 2022 CE election. scmp.com/news/hong-kong…
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HK01 reporting the NPC will announce on Saturday the disqualification of around 100 pro-democracy district councillors over breaching their oaths of office. The vacant seats will be filled by appointment, ensuring the councils return to pro-Beijing control.hk01.com/%E6%94%BF%E6%8…
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As the 12 HK youths appear in a Shenzhen court in a sham trial, the EU is to sign a huge investment deal with China following assurances from Beijing over - get this - workers’ rights & forced labour (!)
History will judge this savagely. A nauseating juxtaposition in today’s @FT
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Struggling to find words for this.
Overnight, most of HK’s most prominent pro-democracy politicians are now in jail under the National Security Law, along with an 🇺🇸 human rights lawyer, pollsters, @HongKongCTU chair & over 40 others.
This is why so many fled while they could.
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Many of HK’s remaining democrats that were not arrested today under the National Security Law are now holding a press conf.
@HKDemocrats chair @lokinhei urged HKers not to give in & look out for each other; questioning why the govt felt the need to arrest the primary organisers.
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LegCo chamber, July 1st 2019
U.S. House chamber, January 6th 2021
One was a demonstration in support of democracy. One is a demonstration against.
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Me & @BenGartside reveal the UK Government bought over £150m of PPE from Chinese firms linked to Uighur human rights abuses. Two of the firms are linked to an organisation (the XPCC) sanctioned by the US in connection with egregious human rights violations.telegraph.co.uk/business/2021/…
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Breaking: The US Department of the Treasury has confirmed the identity of the 6 sanctioned officials. Includes HK’s sole delegate to the NPCSC Tam Yiu-chung, the deputy head of the Office for Safeguarding National Security Sun Qingye and several senior officers in the HK Police. twitter.com/JackHHazlewood…
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After years of controversy over HSBC’s relationship with Beijing & the bank playing an active role in the crackdown in HK (+ a @Telegraph investigation by @BenGartside, @CitySamuel & yours truly), the HSBC Group CEO is now facing the members of @CommonsForeign. This will be good.
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In a contested field, @RhonddaBryant was among the best at grilling HSBC execs today - CEO doesn’t know the Chinese state owns their largest shareholder, doesn’t know HSBC lobbied against the Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act, doesn’t know if he likes what’s happening in HK...
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A year & a half ago, I had a reporting gig & was standing outside the British Consulate in HK as people demonstrated for expanded BNO rights. If you’d asked me then what are the chances of it happening, I’d have told you, emphatically, 0%.
Today, the UK’s BNO visa scheme opens.
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Breaking: The UK’s TV regulator Ofcom has revoked CGTN’s license to broadcast as it was wrongly held. States it could not transfer the license to the CGTN corporation as “it is ultimately controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, which is not permitted under UK broadcasting law” twitter.com/Ofcom/status/1…
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The level of sarc in the Eye on HSBC’s CEO:
“On connections to the CCP, Quinn knew nothing. Ten times (thought to be a record for a parliamentary witness), the top banker was “not aware”. Then there were umpteen “not to my knowledge”, “do not know”, “not that I’m aware of...”
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China's National Radio & Television Administration has announced BBC World News is now barred from airing in China following Ofcom's banning of CGTN. Another largely symbolic tit-for-tat response from Beijing - pretty toothless as BBC reporters won't e.g. have their visas revoked
前蘋果日報專欄作家. Words/investigations @TheSundayTimes @Telegraph @TheEconomist @ForeignPolicy @Australian etc, docs @PopularFront_