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LIHKG users have hit out at Edward Yau (邱騰華) after he announced Ocean Park can re-open & large gatherings incl. HK’s annual book fair can proceed, but protests remain restricted. HK govt clearly weaponising the pandemic against the pro-democracy camp.
lih.kg/2055611
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At last @UKLabour is waking up & smelling the coffee on China.
@SKinnock: David Cameron’s golden era of engagement with China ‘an abject failure’; UK was ‘naive about China’s intentions’.
The global left’s blind spot on China, HK & Xinjiang is ending.
theguardian.com/world/2020/may…
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Via Reuters: The U.S. Department for Transportation has confirmed it is banning all Chinese airlines from flying passengers to the U.S. from this month.
Another example of Washington turning the screws on Beijing. Wonder what the response will be...
uk.reuters.com/article/uk-usa…
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HSBC is holding shares worth millions in a subsidiary of the XPCC, a US-sanctioned Chinese paramilitary org responsible for atrocities against the Uyghurs. The subsidiary has also been implicated in the atrocities. With @Gabriel_Pogrund for @TheSundayTimes.thetimes.co.uk/article/cb5162…
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🔥@AppleDaily_HK on the 1st anniversary of the protests. Police have refused permission for a rally on 612; the day police instigated the violence. Instead an ‘exhibition of resistance’ across HK is planned, with organisers calling for HKers to ‘遍地開花’ - ‘blossom everywhere’.
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This would be nice & all but can we please not forget all non-BNOs born after 1997 (~70% of frontline protestors) are still in limbo. Focus must be on pushing the UK govt to go further as the situation continues to deteriorate & offer *all* HKers the right to settle in the UK. twitter.com/tomhfh/status/…
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Chinese social media is awash with claims Kim Jong-Un has died; with Reuters reporting China has sent a specialist medical team to NK. Below, Qin Feng (秦楓), niece of former 🇨🇳 Foreign Minister & journo at HKSTV (HK Satellite TV) claimed in a deleted Weibo post that he has died. twitter.com/shijianxingzou…
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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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Bombshell announcement from Pompeo here - virtually confirms that the U.S. will revoke the special trade status afforded to Hong Kong under the successive Acts of Congress. Confirmation that Hong Kong has become a bargaining chip in the China-U.S. stand-off. twitter.com/SecPompeo/stat…
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Today the HK national security law was submitted to the NPCSC for review. As already approved by the NPC (officially "the highest organ of state power" under the 🇨🇳 Constitution) it could be implemented rapidly, perhaps within days. HK's reckoning awaits. thestandnews.com/politics/%E4%B…
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Breaking: Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam has confirmed the national security law will come into effect tonight in a press release welcoming the passage of the law. Publication of the legislation’s provisions is expected in The Gazette at midnight HKT. twitter.com/JackHHazlewood…
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Chinese state media Global Times is claiming ytd’s assault of a pregnant woman by the HK Police may have been “staged” by democrats to “smear police with claims of “brutal” law enforcement”.
No mention on how the police could have, like, not assaulted a visibly pregnant woman.
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Breaking: 🇨🇳 state media Xinhua reports the NPCSC has voted to approve the HK national security law being added to Annex III of the Basic Law - its provisions should be published in The Gazette imminently. Also announced President Xi Jinping has signed the decree ordering it.
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Today’s @AppleDaily_HK leads with pics of the 7.1 march - total of ~370 arrests
Also seen unverified reports & images of the man accused of stabbing a police officer yesterday apparently being arrested at the door of a Cathay plane at 11pm attempting to board a flight to London.
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A further 9 pro-democracy activists have been charged with ‘inciting illegal assembly’ over the 6.4 Tiananmen vigil incl. legislator Andrew Wan, Labour Party Chair Steven Kwok & the LSD’s Figo Chan.
Clear Beijing now moving to crush all dissent in HK.
thestandnews.com/politics/%E8%A…
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If you've developed a sudden urge to contract ear cancer, rabidly pro-🇨🇳 legislator Junius Ho (何君堯) has produced a horrific 'song' praising the proposed HK National Security Law for us to, um, enjoy.
It really is positively tumorous. 願榮光歸香港/Glory to Hong Kong it is not.
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Turnout looking extremely strong in the pan-democratic primary in HK - almost 60,000 have voted in the first 3 hours - despite the co-organisers being raided by police last night, an explosion in coronavirus cases & the national security law. Voting continues thru tomorrow too.
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During the peaceful #ShopWithYou protest in New Town Plaza, Sha Tin, some fifty police officers charged to the fifth floor, setting up a cordon line & began stop & searches, causing panic. The blue flag has also been raised in East Point City, TKO. Very ominous. (Vid: Telegram).
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Recordings obtained by @AP prove the Chinese government withheld data on coronavirus.
The recordings show WHO officials complaining in January that Beijing wasn’t sharing data needed to evaluate the worldwide risk. Great report by @lilkuo theguardian.com/world/2020/jun…
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Chinese state media pushing an email claiming to be from Peng Shuai to the WTA after it raised concerns about her whereabouts. Says her allegations against a fmr top CCP official are not true & “I’ve just been resting at home and everything is fine”
This reeks. #WhereIsPengShuai twitter.com/CGTNOfficial/s…
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The Hong Kong Police have, as usual, paraded photos on Facebook of life-threatening weaponry found on arrestees.
Tonight, 2 men in WTS were arrested & found to have deadly weapons on them, including [checks notes] pliers, spray paint and gloves.
Thanks for keeping us safe 💙
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Also for some background, I did some homework on Dover & the other remaining expat cops in the HKPF (all now high-ranking) last year - see the thread below; a piece I did for @ForeignPolicy & @philipsherwell's ST piece (all ⬇️) for more. Anyway...
twitter.com/JackHHazlewood…
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The Hong Kong Police have confirmed they have arrested over 300 people across the city today, as part of a series of mass arrests of young people.
Among the things they are accused of is ‘running around with no regard for the safety of road users’. What a farce #HongKongProtests
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「凡是毛主席作出的決策，我們都堅決維護；凡是毛主席的指示，我們都始終不渝地遵循」— 華國鋒
Vote in the pan-democratic primaries today & tomorrow — if anyone asks, tell them Chairman Mao told you to. 為人民服務 ✊🚩
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Full statement here. The video is from brave HKUST student reporters.
前蘋果日報專欄作家. Words/investigations @TheSundayTimes @Telegraph @TheEconomist @ForeignPolicy @Australian etc, docs @PopularFront_