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Encouraging (& unusual) joint statement issued by the British, Canadian & Australian foreign ministers on Beijing’s plans to railroad through national security laws in HK:
States 🇬🇧🇨🇦🇦🇺 ‘deeply concerned’; laws would ‘clearly undermine the principle of ‘One Country, Two Systems’ twitter.com/DominicRaab/st…
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China’s coast guard captured 12 HKers fleeing to Taiwan on a speedboat because of a tip-off from the Hong Kong Police Force, according to an Apple Daily source.
Police chief Chris Tang had denied the HKPF had any involvement in the immediate aftermath.
hk.appledaily.com/us/20200829/U3…
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Following the march against Beijing's proposals to railroad through draconian national security laws in HK, here's a round up of HK's newspapers' front pages: Pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily (蘋果日報) notably leads with a photo with a protestor holding a pro-independence flag.
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So this week will see the last few days of operations for @appledaily_hk. A sad day for all of us who’ve written for the paper but especially for the full-time journalists & staff. A bandit regime is now happy to put a profitable company out of business for political reasons.
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With the HK national security law just days away, yesterday saw 53 arrests, incl. district councillors, the elderly, & a father in front of his child.
Also reports high-profile democrats Joshua Wong & Jimmy Lai will be arrested on July 1st, *the first day the law takes effect*.
81
Pro-🇨🇳 lawmaker Junius Ho (何君堯) & pro-democracy legislator Lam Cheuk-Ting's (林卓廷) hotly-anticipated face off did not disappoint. Lam confronted him with photos showing Ho with triads during the triad attack on 7.21; Ho could only obfuscate & quote the IPCC report. Vid: RTHK
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Breaking: U.S. President Donald Trump has announced the U.S. will remove HK's preferential trade & customs status along with a range of other sweeping measures to punish Beijing.
Says 1 country 2 systems has become '1 country 1 system' & China 'smothering Hong Kong's freedom.'
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Oriental Daily (東方日報) sources claim Beijing is considering countermeasures if the UK government proceeds with expanding BNO rights, incl. revoking the Chinese citizenship & right of abode in HK for all HKers who don't renounce BNO citizenship. Insane.
hk.on.cc/hk/bkn/cnt/new…
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Today HK's police chief took the opportunity to address Yuen Long District Council by publicly shaming a rape complainant & confirming the police are pursuing her arrest for 'lying', & claimed the police 'did nothing wrong' when a suspect died of negligence in custody. Sickening.
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Footage has emerged of the moment heroic protestors & bystanders apprehended a pro-Beijing knifeman who attempted to attack journalists & stabbed a man who prevented him from doing so. Going on the police’s past form there’s a good chance he won’t even face charges. Vid: Telegram twitter.com/lokinhei/statu…
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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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The Hong Kong Police Have Declared War on Journalists — Jack Hazlewood
New @appledaily_hk piece looking at the changes to Police General Orders, which amount to a de facto police-imposed press accreditation system & are disastrous for press freedom in HK hk.appledaily.com/opinion/202009…
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Now being widely reported across HK media that another lawyer hired to represent Kok Tsz-lun, one of the 12 Hongkongers detained in mainland China after attempting to flee to Taiwan, was forced to back out of the case on the orders of mainland authorities. hk.appledaily.com/news/20200927/…
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Aaaaand right on cue, the HK Police disturb the peace again, on the anniversary of Tiananmen of all days, by having undercover police arrest peaceful demonstrators at a memorial event in Mong Kok.
Pictures clearly show an unarmed older man being thrown to the ground. Disgusting. twitter.com/JackHHazlewood…
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Around 610,000 people voted in HK’s pan-democratic primary yesterday, & today’s @appledaily_hk praises organiser Benny Tai for all his efforts.
Whatever your politics, it’s undeniable pro-🇨🇳 politicians could not get even 20% of 610k people to vote in a pro-Beijing primary...
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If you're wondering just how far the popular view of the HK Police has degenerated, watch this:
Passer-by throws a plastic bottle. Police retreat, to sarcastic applause & jeers from bystanders. IPCC report of 72.6% 'dissatisfied' with HKPF likely an underestimate. Vid: HSUHKSU
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Reminder that newly-promoted British HK Police officer David Jordan headed up the Police Tactical Unit for the past year, which led the rapid-response to protests & put down pro-democracy demonstrators with sickening brutality.
Utterly disgusting.
thestandnews.com/english/david-…
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HK01 reporting the pro-🇨🇳 legislators slept in LegCo overnight amid fears they wouldn’t be able to get in this morning due to planned protests, which haven’t materialised
Imagine sleeping on a blow-up mattress between Junius Ho & Regina Ip, for no reason
Worst. Sleepover. Ever.
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"Hong Kongers' struggle" screams today's @appledaily_hk (蘋果日報) front page after a day which saw mass round-ups & arrests of young people - 360 in total. Clear shift in policing tactics to just arresting anyone suspected of being a protestor as the national security laws loom.
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If the arrest of Joshua Wong proves one thing, it’s that the authorities can & will arrest you for anything. Arrested for illegal assembly & wearing a mask under the anti-mask law - today it’s illegal to NOT wear a mask. A-M law also currently under legal challenge by democrats. twitter.com/joshuawongcf/s…
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Big intervention: After Carrie Lam’s incendiary remarks that the separation of powers has never existed in HK (!), the Hong Kong & Macao Affairs Office of The State Council has explicitly stated it “agrees with CE Carrie Lam’s comments”; describes SoP as “westernised” & “wrong”.
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The intended private prosecution of senior British officers in the HK Police has launched a public call for evidence.
Witnesses & evidence is being sought of:
- Assault in police custody (警署警暴)
- The CITIC Tower incident (中信大廈)
聯絡方法請見: facebook.com/13167591169070… twitter.com/lukedepulford/…
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Footage from TKO shows a PSHK reporter was violently thrown to the ground by HK Police officers at what had been an entirely peaceful protest in a mall. Rough-handed treatment like this achieves nothing & is just another case of galling unprofessionalism.
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Large crowd in Kwun Tong as people gather across HK to mark the police initiating the violence one year ago on 612.
Police have denied permission for all protests & have already raised the blue flag (warning they will use force) in MK, Central & CWB as of 20:30. Vid: Telegram
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The UK government has released the details of a new visa for the 2.9 million BNO’s (plus dependents) residing in HK, who’ll be entitled to 5 years leave to remain in the UK - providing a path to 🇬🇧 citizenship.
Huge move. A lifeline for so many people.
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/upl…
前蘋果日報專欄作家. Words/investigations @TheSundayTimes @Telegraph @TheEconomist @ForeignPolicy @Australian etc, docs @PopularFront_