https://www.scmp.com/rss/308065/feed The annual July 1 march in Hong Kong marks the handover of the British colony to Beijing that took place in 1997. The peaceful demonstration has become a rallying point for the city's pro-democracy activists. It captured the public's attention in 2003, when half a million people marched, angered by proposed national security legislation under Article 23 of the Basic Law. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com More public policies are being reviewed in the wake of Hong Kong’s changing political and social circumstances. Non-government welfare organisations seeking subsidies from the administration are the latest to be affected. The new criteria should be clearly explained to make compliance easier. The social welfare sector is understandably concerned when funding rules are revised to take into account whether individual groups support the government. Under a new scoring system, those that have... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3255621/hong-kong-ngos-must-have-fair-allocation-funds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3255621/hong-kong-ngos-must-have-fair-allocation-funds?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Mar 2024 22:30:08 +0000 The morning after the night before. I remember it well. Freewheeling, shamelessly capitalist Hong Kong awoke on July 1, 1997, bleary-eyed and little hungover, to find itself part of communist China. A new era had begun. There had been celebrations, protests, parties and fireworks, amid unrelenting rain. But as early risers watched the People’s Liberation Army roll across the border, most of us were unsure what the future held and how the imaginative “one country, two systems” concept would play... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3226257/values-make-hong-kong-unique-just-important-they-were-1997?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3226257/values-make-hong-kong-unique-just-important-they-were-1997?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Jul 2023 16:49:12 +0000 More than 6,000 police officers will be deployed around the city on Saturday to guard against trouble as Hong Kong marks the 26th anniversary of its return to Chinese rule, the Post has learned. Sources familiar with the massive operation said there would be about 1,000 officers more than were mobilised for the 34th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown on June 4. A police insider said the recent spate of knife attacks was one of the reasons for the show of force, as well as the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3226152/hong-kong-police-ring-steel-planned-deter-trouble-july-1-commemoration-26th-anniversary-citys-return?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3226152/hong-kong-police-ring-steel-planned-deter-trouble-july-1-commemoration-26th-anniversary-citys-return?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jun 2023 10:30:56 +0000 A mainland Chinese woman studying in Hong Kong was remanded in custody on Friday after she was charged under colonial-era sedition legislation in the wake of an alleged public display of mourning for a man who carried out a “lone wolf” knife attack on a police officer two years ago on the 24th anniversary of the city’s handover by Britain. Zeng Yuxuan, 23, a law student, was first arrested on New Year’s Day after she was said to have laid flowers and placed candles and pictures near the Sogo... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3222793/hong-kong-law-student-mainland-china-remanded-custody-after-she-charged-public-mourning-lone-wolf?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3222793/hong-kong-law-student-mainland-china-remanded-custody-after-she-charged-public-mourning-lone-wolf?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Jun 2023 12:32:01 +0000 Three opposition activists have indicated they plan to plead guilty to charges arising from an unauthorised rally against the enactment of Hong Kong’s national security law last year. The trio will enter a formal plea in October alongside four other opposition figures, who earlier revealed their intention to admit criminal liability over their roles in the July 1 procession on Hong Kong Island. Prosecutors have laid 17 charges against eight opposition activists, including four former... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3145379/3-opposition-activists-plead-guilty-charges-arising?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3145379/3-opposition-activists-plead-guilty-charges-arising?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Aug 2021 12:58:23 +0000 For almost 19 years, the Hong Kong Civil Human Rights Front has been synonymous with one significant date: July 1. The date is the anniversary of the city’s return to China in 1997, and every year since 2003 – when 500,000 people took to the streets to oppose a proposed national security law that was eventually scrapped – the umbrella group has marked the occasion with a major protest. That tradition, however, finally came to an end this year when the front declined to organise its annual rally,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3145116/fledgling-alliance-protest-powerhouse-tumultuous-19-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3145116/fledgling-alliance-protest-powerhouse-tumultuous-19-years?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Aug 2021 10:11:02 +0000 The umbrella group behind many of Hong Kong’s ­largest protests is expected to announce on Friday it is disbanding, sources have told the Post, as it faces a police investigation into its activities. The expected break-up of the embattled Civil Human Rights Front comes on the heels of Tuesday’s shock decision by the Professional Teachers’ Union (PTU) to disband, days after the government severed all ties with the opposition-leaning education group and police warned of further action. A source... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3144660/hong-kong-protest-group-disband-sources-say-pressure-mounts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3144660/hong-kong-protest-group-disband-sources-say-pressure-mounts?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Aug 2021 07:07:06 +0000 The first person to be convicted under Hong Kong’s national security law will be sentenced on Friday and faces the possibility of life in prison, although the High Court has rejected prosecutors’ calls to draw on legal principles from mainland China in deciding his fate. At a mitigation hearing on Thursday, prosecutors said they had not consulted Beijing officials over the sentencing of former restaurant worker Leon Tong Ying-kit, who was found guilty of terrorism and inciting subversion, but... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3142986/hong-kong-national-security-law-prosecutors-urge-high?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3142986/hong-kong-national-security-law-prosecutors-urge-high?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jul 2021 06:40:53 +0000 People should avoid chanting or carrying items related to the controversial protest slogan “Liberate Hong Kong; revolution of our times” publicly in future, as they could be violating the national security law, legal professionals and scholars have warned. Scholars also argued that a criminal act was only connected to terrorism if the violent behaviour was committed in pursuit of a political agenda. Their comments came after the High Court on Tuesday delivered a guilty verdict on Leon Tong... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3142869/national-security-law-scholars-law-experts-warn?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3142869/national-security-law-scholars-law-experts-warn?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Jul 2021 23:00:20 +0000 Days before Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule on July 1, 1997, a top United States official urged the British government to “restrain” Martin Lee Chu-ming and his fellow pan-democrats from staging protests against Beijing on the historic day, newly declassified records have revealed. US national security adviser Sandy Berger expressed fears that a protest planned by Lee, the leader of Hong Kong’s opposition camp, might face a “disproportionate reaction” from Beijing if he went ahead. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3141791/us-wanted-britain-restrain-hong-kong-opposition-leader?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3141791/us-wanted-britain-restrain-hong-kong-opposition-leader?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Jul 2021 06:53:28 +0000 National security police have raided the offices of the student union and campus media at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) after youth leaders formally expressed appreciation for the “sacrifice” of a man who stabbed an officer before killing himself. A police source said detectives were investigating whether the student leadership had advocated or incited terrorism under Article 27 of the national security law, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. The operation was launched... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3141386/hong-kong-national-security-police-raid-university-student?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3141386/hong-kong-national-security-police-raid-university-student?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Jul 2021 07:45:48 +0000 Police on Wednesday stepped up patrolling in Hong Kong’s busy Causeway Bay shopping area, arresting a young woman with a box cutter in her bag, as they reacted to calls on the internet for people to “mourn” the passage of a week since the death of a man who stabbed an officer in the back before killing himself. Officers stationed at the scene of the July 1 crime outside the Sogo department store searched the 26-year-old woman who turned up holding white flowers, and arrested her after finding a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3140184/hong-kong-no-2-official-slams-apologists-july-1-stabbing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3140184/hong-kong-no-2-official-slams-apologists-july-1-stabbing?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Jul 2021 09:27:25 +0000 Hong Kong authorities remain committed to safeguarding national security and are confident the city can reach new heights with Beijing’s support, acting chief executive John Lee Ka-chiu has said on the 24th anniversary of its handover from British to Chinese rule. The new No 2 official, deputising for Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor who is in Beijing for the Communist Party’s centenary, also said on Thursday that the “one country, two systems” governing principle for Hong Kong had proven to be the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3139385/july-1-handover-anniversary-hong-kong-can-reach-new-heights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3139385/july-1-handover-anniversary-hong-kong-can-reach-new-heights?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Jul 2021 01:37:16 +0000 Hong Kong police have cited the coronavirus as grounds for barring three groups from organising a march on July 1 to call for resistance against “political suppression, and the release of all political prisoners”. The three activist groups – the League of Social Democrats, Tin Shui Wai Connection and Save Lantau Alliance – applied to the force on Friday for approval to hold the march, which would have coincided with the 24th anniversary of the city’s handover from Britain to China in 1997. July... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3139022/hong-kong-police-deny-groups-application-july-1-rally?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3139022/hong-kong-police-deny-groups-application-july-1-rally?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Jun 2021 07:47:18 +0000 Shelved for 18 years, Article 23 of Hong Kong’s mini-constitution to safeguard national security returned to make headlines as newly minted ministers talked about it last week. So why is Beijing, which imposed a national security law on Hong Kong, still insisting the city enact its own legislation and what are the concerns raised this time? What is Article 23 and why was it once a political taboo in Hong Kong? Article 23 of the Basic Law, the city’s mini-constitution, requires Hong Kong to enact... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3138956/national-security-what-article-23-hong-kong-and-why-issue?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3138956/national-security-what-article-23-hong-kong-and-why-issue?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Jun 2021 04:00:37 +0000 Hong Kong’s leader and about 60 other senior public figures are expected to travel to Beijing on Monday for the Communist Party’s centenary celebrations, marking the first time the chief executive will be out of town for the official commemoration of the city’s 1997 handover. Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor is set to meet state leaders during her stay in the Chinese capital, but Beijing is unlikely to drop any hints on whether she will be backed for re-election next March, according to analysts. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3138634/hong-kong-leader-carrie-lam-missing-citys-1997-handover?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3138634/hong-kong-leader-carrie-lam-missing-citys-1997-handover?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Jun 2021 12:00:14 +0000 A Hong Kong group known for organising some of the city’s largest protests will not seek to hold its annual July 1 march for the first time in 19 years, citing the recent jailing of its leader and an ongoing police investigation into its legality. Chung Chung-fai, acting convenor of the Civil Human Rights Front, revealed on Sunday that the body made up its mind on Friday to forgo its annual protest – timed to coincide with the anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover to China – after a meeting with... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3138091/hong-kong-protests-civil-human-rights-front-will-not-apply?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3138091/hong-kong-protests-civil-human-rights-front-will-not-apply?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Jun 2021 13:16:04 +0000 An international study on social activism, which involved a Hong Kong university, has sparked controversy in political and academic circles, with pro-establishment critics describing it as evidence foreign forces had tried to incite a “colour revolution” in the city. However, a spokesman for the institution in question, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, said on Thursday it had never approved the paying of students to participate in a peaceful July 1 march in 2017 to help with the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3135962/study-paid-students-join-hong-kong-july-1-march-sparks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3135962/study-paid-students-join-hong-kong-july-1-march-sparks?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Jun 2021 14:55:06 +0000 Hong Kong’s government and the city’s vested interest groups have betrayed citizens in a shameful way. The “one country, two systems” policy should have encouraged government officials to fight for the people they represent. Instead, they have increasingly proven to first support the “one country” policy (“Beijing is making it clear that my sort are no longer welcome in Hong Kong”, February 9). This is evident in their support for the national security law, the changing of education guidelines... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3121129/hong-kongs-governments-have-failed-fight-two-systems?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3121129/hong-kongs-governments-have-failed-fight-two-systems?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Feb 2021 22:40:13 +0000 Three Hong Kong opposition figures charged over an unauthorised rally a day after the enactment of the national security law have indicated they will not admit to the allegations. The trio was among eight defendants, all from the opposition camp, who faced a total of 17 charges stemming from the July 1 procession on Hong Kong Island, the first large-scale protest after the Beijing-imposed legislation took effect. Those accused are: former legislators Eddie Chu Hoi-dick, 43, Wu Chi-wai, 58, and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3114371/hong-kong-protests-three-opposition-figures-charged?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3114371/hong-kong-protests-three-opposition-figures-charged?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Dec 2020 10:31:50 +0000 Hong Kong police arrested eight opposition activists, including three former lawmakers, early on Tuesday over an illegal assembly on July 1 – the first large protest after the enactment of the Beijing-drafted national security law. The arrests came a day after the force detained eight people in connection with a protest at Chinese University last month, accusing three of them of inciting secession under the sweeping legislation. The city’s leader, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3112960/former-hong-kong-lawmakers-among-least-eight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3112960/former-hong-kong-lawmakers-among-least-eight?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Dec 2020 00:49:53 +0000 Hong Kong police seized cyanide stuffed in Pokémon toys and explosives at a children's learning centre as they arrested a chemistry teacher and another man over a rubbish bin blast in Wan Chai on the evening of this year’s banned July 1 march. Officers said they found on Thursday hazardous substances at the education site in North Point, the workplace of one of the suspects, including potentially deadly cyanide hidden in “poké balls”. The suspects were identified as “Yuen”, 29, and “Lee”,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3094458/hong-kong-police-find-cyanide-stuffed-pokemon-toys-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3094458/hong-kong-police-find-cyanide-stuffed-pokemon-toys-and?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Jul 2020 16:05:49 +0000 The first person charged under Hong Kong’s new national security law has been remanded in custody after a court rejected his bail application, in line with a provision in the legislation barring those deemed a risk of repeat offending from temporary release. Tong Ying-kit made his first appearance in West Kowloon Court on Monday after he was accused of riding his motorcycle into a group of police officers during a July 1 protest, while carrying a flag bearing the popular protest slogan “Liberate... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3091990/hong-kong-national-security-law-first-person-charged?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3091990/hong-kong-national-security-law-first-person-charged?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Jul 2020 07:57:28 +0000 A 24-year-old former civil engineer charged with stabbing a policeman at the July 1 protest in Hong Kong was sacked five months ago for taking part in a strike, a court heard on Friday. Wong Kwan-wa appeared at Eastern Court to face one count of wounding with intent, after he was arrested just before midnight on Wednesday at Hong Kong International Airport attempting to leave the city. Prosecutors did not lay any additional charges related to the new national security law against Wong, a former... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3091684/hong-kong-national-security-law-police-stab-suspect?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3091684/hong-kong-national-security-law-police-stab-suspect?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Jul 2020 05:55:25 +0000 Hong Kong’s leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor believes the new national security law the city adopted on Tuesday will help it emerge from the chaos created by anti-government protests, so it can “shine again”. Speaking at a cocktail reception on Wednesday celebrating the 23rd anniversary of Hong Kong’s return from British to Chinese rule, the chief executive called the past year the most challenging in her 40-year career in public service, but support from the central government, her family and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3091294/hong-kong-leader-carrie-lam-attends-flag-raising-ceremony?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3091294/hong-kong-leader-carrie-lam-attends-flag-raising-ceremony?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Jul 2020 00:29:15 +0000 Political activists in Hong Kong have said they plan to disobey the police ban on the July 1 march and will use civil disobedience to protest against Beijing’s new national security law for the city, possibly on the very day the legislation kicks in. Police insiders said about 4,000 officers will stand by on Wednesday to handle any unrest, in addition to those patrolling and conducting stop-and-search checks at likely protest sites. LATEST: Opposition veterans to defy police ban on July 1... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3091097/hong-kong-activists-plan-defy-police-ban-july-1-protest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3091097/hong-kong-activists-plan-defy-police-ban-july-1-protest?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Jun 2020 00:00:23 +0000 Hong Kong police have banned the annual July 1 march, with many primed on Wednesday to protest against the imposition of the national security law, while an appeal board refused to overturn the force’s ban on a Sunday rally planned by district councillors. The Civil Human Rights Front, organiser of the July 1 march, said on Saturday it would appeal against the decision and would not withdraw its earlier calls for people to march from Victoria Park to government headquarters in Admiralty at 3pm... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3090848/hong-kong-national-security-law-police-ban-july-1-march?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3090848/hong-kong-national-security-law-police-ban-july-1-march?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Jun 2020 08:39:53 +0000 Hong Kong’s most prominent march organiser has made seven proposals in a bid to get police to approve its annual July 1 pro-democracy march, despite social-distancing rules imposed because of the coronavirus. But the Civil Human Rights Front said it was “100 per cent” expecting the march to be banned after meeting with police on Tuesday. The group vowed to lodge an appeal. “This is the most lacklustre meeting with police I’ve had in 10 years,” Jimmy Sham Tsz-kit, the front’s convenor and a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3090282/hong-kong-protests-organisers-100-cent-expect-traditional?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3090282/hong-kong-protests-organisers-100-cent-expect-traditional?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Jun 2020 10:59:37 +0000 As the world watched the protests in Hong Kong in 2019, Western governments expressed concern over the implementation of the “one country, two systems” framework, which China promised would continue for 50 years after the handover. The development of the framework has been shaped both by events in the city and mainland Chinese policies. In the first stage, Hong Kong had a high degree of autonomy, which sought to reassure the anxious people who remained in the city after 1997. The turning point... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3074901/taiwan-factor-hong-kongs-future-under-chinas-two-systems?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3074901/taiwan-factor-hong-kongs-future-under-chinas-two-systems?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Mar 2020 00:15:14 +0000 The death of Hong Kong has been forecast many times, but the people of this vibrant and spirited city have always proved the doubters wrong. In recent weeks, however, even the most optimistic have started to fear Hong Kong is in terminal decline. So many qualities which make the city special have been undermined. Protests are daily occurrences. Violent clashes with police have become the norm. The legislature has been ransacked, police headquarters pelted with eggs and Beijing’s liaison office... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3020033/hong-kongs-not-dead-yet-carrie-lam-and-her-cabinet-must-act?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3020033/hong-kongs-not-dead-yet-carrie-lam-and-her-cabinet-must-act?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Jul 2019 01:00:10 +0000 How many politicians does it take, and where are the strong decision-makers when you need them? It seems to me our civil unrest can be resolved relatively easily with strong action. First, withdraw the extradition bill. Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said “dead”, which is stronger, so go with the “weak” option and give the people what they want: “withdraw” the bill. Second; Lam must step down, as she has proven herself incapable of leading and incompetent at both decision-making and... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3019287/four-things-need-happen-hong-kong-move-protests?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3019287/four-things-need-happen-hong-kong-move-protests?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Jul 2019 23:00:05 +0000 Holidaying in Canada earlier this month, I watched patriots there on Canada Day, July 1, waving their national flags in exuberant pride and celebrating their homeland’s success in the past year. Meanwhile, their local news depicted Hong Kong’s establishment-day festivities as a stark contrast to their own; mass protests and the vandalising of the Legislative Council complex. The extradition bill controversy is not only affecting the lives of Hongkongers, it has also drawn intense international... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3019153/hong-kong-protest-chaos-risks-hurting-global-image-city-free?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3019153/hong-kong-protest-chaos-risks-hurting-global-image-city-free?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Jul 2019 23:30:11 +0000 The cycle has become all too predictable – a peaceful protest against the government that ends in clashes between young dissenters and police. A turning point seemingly came with the unprecedented breaking into and vandalising of the Legislative Council chamber. The post-rally unrest has since worsened, with July 14’s events at New Town Plaza shopping centre in Sha Tin descending into violence that resulted in 13 officers and 15 protesters being injured, several seriously. With another major... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3019456/cycle-violence-has-become-predictable?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3019456/cycle-violence-has-become-predictable?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Jul 2019 15:16:04 +0000 The organisers of Sunday’s extradition bill march have lost their appeal against the police’s decision to shorten the protest route, after the force expressed concerns over public safety amid the escalating violence of recent demonstrations. On Saturday, an independent appeal board ruled against the Civil Human Rights Front’s bid to overturn the move to end the route at Southorn Playground in Wan Chai. Organisers had initially wanted to march from Victoria Park in Causeway Bay to the Court of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3019451/hong-kong-protest-organisers-lose-appeal-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3019451/hong-kong-protest-organisers-lose-appeal-over?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Jul 2019 13:38:08 +0000 More than 30 senior leaders from across Hong Kong civil society – including ex-government ministers and former allies of the city leader – have called on the administration to launch an independent inquiry into recent clashes between protesters and police sparked by the extradition bill. Local Christian leaders joined the call in a separate appeal. In the joint message, Cardinal John Tong and Reverend Eric So Shing-yit, chairman of the Hong Kong Christian Council, also urged the bill’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3019302/heavyweight-backing-independent-probe-hong-kong-extradition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3019302/heavyweight-backing-independent-probe-hong-kong-extradition?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Jul 2019 07:28:03 +0000 I refer to “Singaporeans support Hong Kong protests against extradition bill” (July 9). I want to put the facts in the right perspective and emphasise that the survey cited does not represent the majority of Singapore. It is just a random survey of a minority who may not be fully aware of the facts and different historical backgrounds of Hong Kong and Singapore, although both are former British colonies. Yes, Singaporeans do sympathise with the Hong Kong protesters for their beliefs, but... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3018188/singapore-feels-hong-kong-protesters-wont-support-violence-harmony?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3018188/singapore-feels-hong-kong-protesters-wont-support-violence-harmony?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Jul 2019 00:00:12 +0000 The hoisting of the colonial-era flag in the Legislative Council on July 1 has fanned every mainland Chinese suspicion about Hong Kong: that we have been irredeemably corrupted by British colonialism; that the people of Hong Kong long for the return of their British imperialist masters; that Hong Kong will always be a fifth column within China unless our intransigence is crushed. But I do not think it is nostalgia for British rule that drives people to demonstrate en masse. Who, after all, wants... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3018176/defence-every-hongkongers-right-scold-chief-executive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3018176/defence-every-hongkongers-right-scold-chief-executive?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Jul 2019 00:00:10 +0000 I love Hong Kong, the atmosphere, the people. Hong Kong is the perfect mix between old and new. When visiting, it feels like travelling 100 years back in time; but in other ways Hong Kong is more developed and technologically advanced than back home in Sweden. It has been three years since I was in Hong Kong, but I still feel the pull of the city. Since I love Hong Kong so much, I have also noticed the cultural differences that influence our perception of politics, which see political statements... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3017892/what-chinese-leaders-can-learn-swedes-about-playing-it-cool?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3017892/what-chinese-leaders-can-learn-swedes-about-playing-it-cool?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Jul 2019 21:00:12 +0000 There has been an avalanche of criticism, from every sector of society, against the government’s initiative to introduce the extradition bill. A well-intentioned law for bringing criminals to justice has been portrayed as an “evil law” by activists and radicals. Government officials tasked with bringing the law through the legislative process are facing calls to step down. The relentless tirades aimed at Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah and... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3017940/most-hong-kong-supports-you-carrie-lam-add-oil?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3017940/most-hong-kong-supports-you-carrie-lam-add-oil?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Jul 2019 23:30:12 +0000 The images portrayed in the worldwide press on the Hong Kong government’s reaction to the demonstrations – some of which were wilfully violent – promote impressions which are misleading and unbalanced. The press has fallen into the trap of sensational reporting to justify and even encourage the demonstrations by the younger members of Hong Kong’s community. The demonstrators are allegedly dissatisfied with the level of democratisation, a perceived excessive interference by Beijing in Hong Kong... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3018046/hong-kong-part-china-and-can-solve-its-own-problems-third-parties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3018046/hong-kong-part-china-and-can-solve-its-own-problems-third-parties?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Jul 2019 05:00:10 +0000 Unprecedented protest marches. Violent vandalism of public property. Anger in the streets. Legal interpretations changing long-held precedents. Is this the end of Hong Kong as we know it? None of what we have seen on the streets is unusual in the rest of the world. Huge weekend marches are the stuff of most Western capital cities, whether they are about pride, poverty or parades. Protest assemblies are a regular occurrence on the mainland, even though they are not on the news every night. It is... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3018069/no-need-investors-panic-hong-kong-will-bounce-back-it-always-has?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3018069/no-need-investors-panic-hong-kong-will-bounce-back-it-always-has?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Jul 2019 01:00:09 +0000 Inside the still gleaming new-age Legislative Council complex in Tamar, built only eight years ago, the youngsters used the bright white walls to share their feelings with the world. In the dim light, words such as “dog officials”, “freedom” and “Hong Kong is not China – not yet” appeared almost instantaneously as they shook spray paint cans and scrawled out Chinese characters, interspersed with lines in English. It was July 1, the day to mark the 22nd anniversary of the city’s return to Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3018253/extradition-bill-crisis-why-are-young-people-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3018253/extradition-bill-crisis-why-are-young-people-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Jul 2019 00:00:18 +0000 The eyes of the world are on Hong Kong’s extradition bill protests. The millennial-led demonstrations have matured into a global and unstoppable movement. Karl Marx said history repeats itself, “the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce”. This is not the first time Hong Kong has faced a huge social and political crisis. Fifteen years before the handover, Hongkongers realised that their way of life might no longer be preserved. Across sectors, there was a loss of faith in the city. The... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3018164/hong-kongs-political-instability-means-2020-could-be-endgame-one?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3018164/hong-kongs-political-instability-means-2020-could-be-endgame-one?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Jul 2019 21:00:04 +0000 I enjoy Alex Lo’s column My Take, but at times I cannot decide if he is being serious or having a laugh at readers’ expense. His “Of course foreign forces are at work in Hong Kong” (July 8) is one such instance. As he said on July 5, “conspiracy theories have always been rife in Hong Kong”. But it is not just Hong Kong that has suspicions of foreign interference. We read about this from Canada (“Ads denouncing protests may have United Front link”, July 7) and from the European Union (“Wang Yi to... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3017865/fix-hong-kong-drop-conspiracy-theories-and-start-talking?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3017865/fix-hong-kong-drop-conspiracy-theories-and-start-talking?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Jul 2019 05:00:13 +0000 Last week, former Hong Kong chief executive Tung Chee-hwa described liberal studies as a failure, even though the reform that paved the way for the compulsory teaching of the subject in secondary schools came during his tenure. The scapegoating of liberal studies for a political meltdown created by the ruling elite is simply barking up the wrong tree. If liberal studies can indoctrinate students into extremism, should we remove the subject of Chinese history, which covers much more political... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3017539/dont-blame-liberal-studies-hong-kongs-political-crisis-taught-well?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3017539/dont-blame-liberal-studies-hong-kongs-political-crisis-taught-well?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Jul 2019 01:00:16 +0000 Freedom is nice — freedom is the best. You can express yourself. You can have choices, you can control your own life. What if our freedom is taken away from us? We protest, we will try our best to let the stakeholders hear our voice: to let them know freedom is our human right. That is justice, that is what we should do. The June 9 and June 16 protests were great. We showed the world the seemingly impossible — Hongkongers protested peacefully. Millions of people came out to fight against... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3017489/violence-ruining-message-hong-kong-protests-stop-your-rioting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3017489/violence-ruining-message-hong-kong-protests-stop-your-rioting?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Jul 2019 00:00:14 +0000 Hong Kong journalism groups have accused police of assaulting journalists and obstructing reporting during running battles between officers and extradition bill protesters on Sunday. In a joint statement, the Hong Kong Journalists Association and Hong Kong Press Photographers Association, claimed that during the clearance of protesters on Nathan Road in Mong Kok, officers had repeatedly pushed reporters and photographers on the front line, and even assaulted them. These moves limited coverage of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3017673/hong-kong-journalism-groups-accuse-police-assaulting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3017673/hong-kong-journalism-groups-accuse-police-assaulting?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Jul 2019 05:50:29 +0000 More than 230,000 protesters took to the streets of Kowloon on Sunday for the first time against the Hong Kong government’s now-suspended extradition bill, according to organisers. They said they had kept their promise to ensure the rally was peaceful as the aim was to give a good impression to mainland Chinese visitors whose support they were seeking. Organisers said the attendance was higher than expected, as crowds gathered at Salisbury Garden, prompting the rally to kick off at 3.30pm, about... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3017589/passengers-hong-kong-high-speed-rail-link-face-serious?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3017589/passengers-hong-kong-high-speed-rail-link-face-serious?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Jul 2019 06:45:42 +0000 The Hong Kong government’s drive to amend its fugitive offenders legislation, better known as the extradition bill, has morphed into the special administrative region’s most critical political crisis since its establishment. Mass protests, which started on June 9, culminated in unprecedented violent attacks on the Legislative Council building on July 1, which are likely to put the legislature out of action for months. There are calls for heads to roll, the withdrawal of the bill already declared... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3017304/extradition-debacle-proves-hong-kongs-government-needs-radical?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3017304/extradition-debacle-proves-hong-kongs-government-needs-radical?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jul 2019 23:00:08 +0000 I have been living in Hong Kong for more than 20 years and I have never seen Hong Kong people lose their spirit in this way (“Extent of rampaging protesters’ destruction in legislature revealed”, July 3). Projecting such a bad image to the whole world will discredit both China and Hong Kong in the long run. China as a rising power has its concerns; and Hong Kong has his own fears – but I believe these are groundless. In any case, the solution to this dilemma cannot be through hasty action or... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3017310/hong-kongs-july-1-nightmare-was-heartbreaking-watch?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3017310/hong-kongs-july-1-nightmare-was-heartbreaking-watch?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jul 2019 10:00:05 +0000