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Breaking: Following the closure of Apple Daily, HK’s largest remaining pro-democracy news outlet @StandNewsHK has announced it will remove all op-eds & comment pieces from its website & suspend subscriptions. It will only publish news pieces from now on.
beta.thestandnews.com/media/%E7%AB%8…
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Failed Taiwan presidential candidate Han Kuo-yu of the KMT - often accused as being weak & too willing to concede to China - has been impeached following the successful recall vote in Kaohsiung City. Unprecedented for such a powerful mayor of a large city.
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Stand News (立場) reporting that a man in white threw a beer can on the road in the direction of riot police, who chased him. A SN reporter filming the incident was then threatened by police & told to move, & was peppersprayed a few seconds later with other reporters. Pic: SN.
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Today a referendum will be held in HK to determine whether HKers should launch a general strike in opposition to the draconian new national security law.
It’s organised by ‘HK on Strike’, a labour coalition comprising of over 30 trade unions & a school students organisation.
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So the justification for the Hong Kong Police brutally assaulting peaceful demonstrators tonight, including an elderly man is they “blocked roads”. The Police’s FB also described them as “rioters”
You heard it here first: peacefully commemorating the Tiananmen Massacre = rioting twitter.com/hkpoliceforce/…
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Another day, another Orwellian law passes in Hong Kong. Mocking the Chinese national anthem will now become illegal, punishable by a prison sentence.
HK’s steady descent into authoritarianism continues unabated, as Beijing weaponises the pandemic to pick up the pace. So sad.
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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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Well over half of British voters (56%) support giving BNO passport holders from HK the right to live & work in the UK with a pathway to citizenship, with just 12% opposed. Support across parties too - Tory voters 57%, Labour 57%, Lib Dems 65%.
Fantastic.
redfieldandwiltonstrategies.com/widespread-sup…
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HK01 have confirmed the arrests of Cardinal Joseph Zen, Margaret Ng, Denise Ho & the other trustees of the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund under the National Security Law, accused of collusion with foreign forces. One (Hui Po-keung) was arrested at HK airport.hk01.com/%E7%AA%81%E7%9…
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Ming Pao (明報) columnist Lee Sin Zi (李先知) is claiming that the HK Police are examining whether the Police General Orders stating they should facilitate the work of reporters on-scene may in future only apply to 'mainstream media'. Worrying & Orwellian.
news.mingpao.com/pns/%E8%A7%80%…
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Footage of the crowd discovering the identity of undercover HK Police officers in TKO has emerged. In a signature move, the officers threatened passersby, journalists & protestors with pepper spray. The contempt the police have for everyone on-scene is vile. Vid: HSUSU/編委恒大
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HK01 reports Edwina Lau (劉賜蕙) will head up what security chief John Lee admitted will be a secret national security police unit. Lau's duties may incl. overseeing indefinite detention of suspects w/out trial in special detention centres under the NS law.hk01.com/%E7%A4%BE%E6%9…
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Short summary: NM reporters were scoping out Dover's property (on govt land) & found an illegal structure; the cops were called & they were arrested for 'loitering'. It later transpired he'd also (illegally) rented it out. But I've done some digging & there's a lot more to it:
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Seriously cool idea from @s8mb. We could solve the humanitarian crisis in Hong Kong by founding a new charter city in the UK, open to all Hong Kongers and Brits who want to move there. A Hong Kong 2.0, right here in the British Isles.
Seriously, why not?
capx.co/lets-build-hon…
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Did an @AppleDaily_HK piece on how the HK Police’s decision to ban the 6.4 Tiananmen vigil is the latest in a catalogue of tactical errors by them. Tldr: They’ll look terrible if it’s all peaceful & even worse if they instigate violence on 6.4 of all days. s.nextmedia.com/realtime/a.php…
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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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Carrie Lam has slammed former Democratic Party chair Emily Lau for ‘not understanding democracy’.
That’d be the same Carrie Lam who in 2018 donated HK$30,000 to the Democratic Party - who’s candidates were all arrested under the National Security Law in January. Riddle me that.
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A whistleblower from the Chinese arm of Big Four accountant EY has alleged the firm looked the other way when presented with details of a risky stock purchase while performing an audit of a major client. Me with @BenGartside. telegraph.co.uk/business/2021/…
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Powerful statement & discussion on LIHKG by a Mother who’s 12 year-old daughter was arrested by the HK police for no reason in Mong Kok. She used to see the police as protectors but now sees them indiscriminately arresting kids & supports the 5 demands
-> lih.kg/2014353
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HK01 reports sentences under the national security law will come in 3 bands, each with a minimum of 3 yrs, 5 yrs & 10 yrs respectively. Still rumoured HKers face life imprisonment or even the death penalty for the trials that’ll take place in mainland 🇨🇳.
hk01.com/article/491988…
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Full article here: hk.appledaily.com/local/20200906…
H/t: @HKGlobalConnect
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Update: The all-new @AppleDaily_HK (蘋果日報) English edition can now be downloaded worldwide! Now you can get HK’s biggest newspaper & staunch supporter of the pro-democracy movement in English anywhere!
Nice swift fix @JimmyLaiApple, @HKMarkSimon!
App:
onelink.to/appledailyapp twitter.com/JackHHazlewood…
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The Hong Kong Police are setting up a dedicated unit to enforce the national security law “the very first day” the legislation comes into effect — security minister John Lee.
This shows how the nat sec law will be taken by the HK govt. Deeply worrying.
scmp.com/news/hong-kong…
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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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Breaking: Oriental Daily (東方日報) reports Jimmy Lai, Lee Cheuk-yan, Albert Ho & Richard Tsoi have been charged with inciting illegal assembly over the banned 6.4 Tiananmen memorial vigil.
We’re truly entering an Orwellian era in HK now, be in no doubt.
hk.on.cc/hk/bkn/cnt/new…
前蘋果日報專欄作家. Words/investigations @TheSundayTimes @Telegraph @TheEconomist @ForeignPolicy @Australian etc, docs @PopularFront_