https://www.scmp.com/rss/324153/feed Kimmy Chung joined the Post in 2017 and reports for the Hong Kong desk on local politics and Hong Kong-mainland issues. Prior to joining the Post, she covered Hong Kong politics and social policies for more than six years for different media outlets. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Hong Kong authorities have stepped up maritime patrols in an effort to catch criminal suspects seeking to flee the city for Taiwan, a government source has said, as officials called on the self-governed island to return several suspects reportedly intercepted in its waters late last month. The revelation that Taipei was holding the suspects came after mainland officials on Wednesday arrested another 12 Hong Kong activists who were also allegedly en route to Taiwan, at least one of whom was... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3099377/five-hong-kong-activists-fleeing-taiwan-intercepted?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3099377/five-hong-kong-activists-fleeing-taiwan-intercepted?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Aug 2020 04:38:20 +0000 A Hong Kong opposition lawmaker charged with rioting over a mob attack at the Yuen Long MTR station last year has accused police of trying to undermine his credibility as a witness in another case. Lam Cheuk-ting was speaking on Friday, a day after he and six others were released on bail over the violence on July 21 last year that became one of the most controversial episodes of last year’s social unrest. The Democratic Party legislator was at the station when a group of white-clad men armed... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3099311/hong-kong-opposition-lawmaker-injured-yuen-long-station?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3099311/hong-kong-opposition-lawmaker-injured-yuen-long-station?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Aug 2020 10:47:16 +0000 Hong Kong’s police chief on Thursday sought to defuse controversy over remarks by a senior officer about attacks in Yuen Long that occurred during social unrest last year, saying the force should avoid unnecessary statements to prevent misunderstanding. Police Commissioner Chris Tang Ping-keung’s comments came a day after police arrested 13 people, including opposition lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting, over the violence on July 21 last year. A senior officer challenged previous media reports of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3099158/hong-kong-protests-police-chief-denies-force-trying?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3099158/hong-kong-protests-police-chief-denies-force-trying?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Aug 2020 15:06:58 +0000 A Hong Kong activist arrested earlier this month over the national security law was among a group of about 10 Hongkongers caught by the China Coast Guard while fleeing to Taiwan, sources have confirmed. Andy Li, who was arrested for alleged collusion with foreign forces and money laundering in a police swoop on August 10, was detained in mainland China on suspicion of “unlawfully crossing the border”, along with others caught on the boat. The coastguard announced on Wednesday night that its... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3099094/national-security-law-arrested-hong-kong-activist-among?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3099094/national-security-law-arrested-hong-kong-activist-among?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Aug 2020 09:10:47 +0000 A much-delayed new border checkpoint between Hong Kong and Shenzhen opened on Wednesday. Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said it would further foster the “one-hour living circle” around the city, parts of Guangdong province and Macau. The checkpoint in the northern New Territories – named Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point in Hong Kong and Liantang Port in Shenzhen – is expected to serve as a gateway to the Greater Bay Area, an economic development zone linking Hong Kong, Macau... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3098907/hong-kong-leader-carrie-lam-hails-opening-new-border?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3098907/hong-kong-leader-carrie-lam-hails-opening-new-border?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Aug 2020 06:34:13 +0000 Anger over the infamous Yuen Long attacks of July 21 last year by a white-shirted mob reignited anew on Wednesday after Hong Kong police arrested 16 people – including opposition lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting, whom the force accused of rioting and stoking the violence. After an early morning swoop across Hong Kong to pick up Lam and fellow Democratic Party lawmaker Ted Hui Chi-fung, police held a press conference to offer another version of the night’s drama that proved to be a tipping point for the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3098859/two-hong-kong-opposition-lawmakers-arrested-connection?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3098859/two-hong-kong-opposition-lawmakers-arrested-connection?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Aug 2020 00:55:47 +0000 Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has shrugged off veiled criticism from a cabinet member that power causes a negative impact on individuals, insisting her aspirations have never changed and that she will stay humble in listening to public opinion. Lam was responding to comments from labour and welfare minister Law Chi-kwong, who earlier said “power brings great negative impact on individuals” when he was asked in a TV interview about the changes he had noticed in Lam over the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3098815/hong-kong-leader-carrie-lam-dismisses-veiled-criticism-her?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3098815/hong-kong-leader-carrie-lam-dismisses-veiled-criticism-her?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Aug 2020 11:50:05 +0000 A Hong Kong court has granted an application for judicial review challenging a warning from the communications watchdog that led to the suspension of a long-running political satire show by the city’s public broadcaster. The legal bid, jointly filed by RTHK’s Programme Staff Union and the Hong Kong Journalists Association, seeks to overturn a ruling by the Communications Authority that suggested the popular television show Headliner had “denigrated and insulted” the police force. “It would be a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3098738/rthk-staff-union-and-hong-kong-journalists-group-get-nod?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3098738/rthk-staff-union-and-hong-kong-journalists-group-get-nod?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Aug 2020 07:31:35 +0000 Hong Kong’s labour and welfare minister, Law Chi-kwong, the only cabinet member with an opposition background, has revealed he considered resigning over the months-long social unrest sparked in June last year. “Many people have asked me this question, and even urged me to quit. Why didn’t I do it?” Law said in a television interview broadcast on Friday night. “I had to consider how my individual act would affect the team and Hong Kong in the long term.” Law resigned from the Democratic Party he... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3098434/i-considered-resigning-over-protests-hong-kongs-labour?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3098434/i-considered-resigning-over-protests-hong-kongs-labour?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Aug 2020 06:10:13 +0000 Hong Kong residents are split on whether incumbent lawmakers should serve out their extended Legislative Council terms, but more than 60 per cent of opposition supporters say the camp should boycott the legislature’s meetings in the coming year. A survey released on Friday served as a surprise reference for the pan-democrats, with Legco’s two largest opposition parties deciding to conduct a poll to gauge people’s views on whether they should exit the legislature. The authorities’ decision to let... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3098387/hong-kong-public-split-whether-lawmakers-should-stay?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3098387/hong-kong-public-split-whether-lawmakers-should-stay?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Aug 2020 13:34:07 +0000 Donors to an online group which called for sanctions against Hong Kong could be the next target of police, following the arrest of Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying and five others under the national security law, the Post has learned. Force insiders said officers from the newly established national security unit began investigating the “ I want laam caau ” group, also known as “Fight for Freedom, Stand with Hong Kong” (SWHK) in English, when it continued to post messages and slogans on... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3097149/hong-kong-national-security-laws-next-targets-donors-online?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3097149/hong-kong-national-security-laws-next-targets-donors-online?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Aug 2020 00:00:15 +0000 China’s top legislative body made a seemingly straightforward decision on Tuesday to plug a potential power vacuum opened up by the postponement of the Legislative Council elections by allowing serving lawmakers to continue their duties for at least a year. In doing so, however, it also unleashed a raft of questions that the Hong Kong government and the opposition will now have to grapple with. The National People’s Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) passed a resolution on Tuesday extending the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3096980/vague-decision-chinas-top-legislative-body-disqualified?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3096980/vague-decision-chinas-top-legislative-body-disqualified?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Aug 2020 00:00:40 +0000 Beijing has extended the term of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council by at least one year to plug the gap created by the postponement of polls, paving the way for four opposition lawmakers recently banned from seeking re-election to stay in the chamber. However, in announcing the resolution approving the extension, the National People’s Congress Standing committee on Tuesday steered clear of deciding the eventual fate of the four, effectively throwing the ball back to the Hong Kong government, which... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3096895/chinas-top-legislative-body-passes-resolution-extending?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3096895/chinas-top-legislative-body-passes-resolution-extending?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Aug 2020 07:37:13 +0000 Unexpected signs of discord have emerged within Hong Kong’s pro-establishment camp, as four opposition lawmakers barred from seeking re-election wait for China’s top legislative body to deliver its verdict on their fate. Since the Hong Kong government announced the one-year postponement of the Legislative Council elections because of the coronavirus pandemic, several moderate pro-establishment figures, including former Legislative Council president Jasper Tsang Yok-sing, and former... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3096638/pro-establishment-hawks-ascendancy-beijing-debates-fate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3096638/pro-establishment-hawks-ascendancy-beijing-debates-fate?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Aug 2020 07:32:12 +0000 China’s top legislative body is leaning towards allowing all incumbent Hong Kong lawmakers – including the four disqualified from the next elections – to serve out an extended year of the city’s Legislative Council, the Post has learned. The National People’s Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) on Saturday formally placed the “continuation of Hong Kong’s sixth Legco” on its agenda, as it kicked off a four-day session in Beijing, during which it planned to issue a decision on the potential power... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3096581/hong-kong-elections-polls-delay-four-day-meeting-agenda?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3096581/hong-kong-elections-polls-delay-four-day-meeting-agenda?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 08 Aug 2020 04:53:03 +0000 Four sitting Hong Kong lawmakers – the Civic Party’s Alvin Yeung Ngok-kiu, Dennis Kwok and Kwok Ka-ki, as well as Kenneth Leung of the accountancy sector – have been barred from contesting the next Legislative Council elections. Key reasons cited by the election officials who announced their disqualification on July 30 included the national security law and pan-democrats’ previous calls for foreign governments, including the United States, to sanction Beijing and Hong Kong. Hong Kong leader... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3096503/barred-contesting-polls-four-hong-kong-lawmakers-await?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3096503/barred-contesting-polls-four-hong-kong-lawmakers-await?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 08 Aug 2020 01:00:14 +0000 To stay or not to stay in the legislature? That is the dilemma facing Hong Kong’s opposition lawmakers after suffering a double whammy last week. They had been counting on a strong showing at the Legislative Council elections scheduled for September 6, only to have Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor postpone the polls for a year, citing the coronavirus pandemic. The delay compounded their woes from a day earlier when 12 pro-democracy activists – including four incumbent lawmakers – were... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3096281/hong-kong-elections-opposition-torn-between-boycotting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3096281/hong-kong-elections-opposition-torn-between-boycotting?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Aug 2020 02:30:07 +0000 Hong Kong should fill in the legal blanks arising from the postponement of the Legislative Council elections on its own, a top government top adviser urged on Saturday, though a colleague, who also serves as a delegate to the national legislature, suggested Beijing should appoint who it likes for a provisional term. The split highlighted the differences among city leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s closest circle over how best to sail through the political storm that has followed the chief... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3095664/hong-kong-elections-lams-inner-circle-differs-how-best-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3095664/hong-kong-elections-lams-inner-circle-differs-how-best-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Aug 2020 12:28:28 +0000 The announcement by Hong Kong’s leader to postpone the Legislative Council elections for a year leaves a raft of questions unanswered, including whether lawmakers already disqualified from the polls can continue to serve and if extended emergency sessions can survive legal challenge. The delay also scrambles the political landscape for the opposition, which must now decide whether to take part in a provisional term during which controversial legislation could be passed. Chief Executive Carrie... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3095622/hong-kong-elections-delaying-vote-one-year-leader-throws?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3095622/hong-kong-elections-delaying-vote-one-year-leader-throws?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Aug 2020 00:00:25 +0000 Activist Joshua Wong Chi-fung has accused an electoral official of fabricating allegations against him that could be labelled offences under the sweeping national security law, warning that dissidents face not only disqualification from the Legislative Council elections but possible arrest. Wong held a press conference a day after he, alongside 11 other opposition election hopefuls, including incumbent lawmakers, were barred from running in the next polls. The returning officers’ decision came... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3095527/hong-kong-elections-activist-joshua-wong-says-allegations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3095527/hong-kong-elections-activist-joshua-wong-says-allegations?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Jul 2020 08:54:23 +0000 Hong Kong’s embattled leader set off another political storm on Friday by invoking emergency powers to postpone the Legislative Council elections scheduled for September by one year, citing the risk of further escalating a resurgent Covid-19 crisis. A day after election officials banned 12 opposition activists from running in the polls, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor announced that China’s top legislative body would step in to rule on resolving any legal issues stemming from the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3095461/hong-kong-legislative-council-elections-be-postponed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3095461/hong-kong-legislative-council-elections-be-postponed?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Jul 2020 04:38:07 +0000 A purge. A new deep red line. A shifting of the goalposts. The descriptions came fast and furious as stunned political players and observers tried to absorb the significance of the mass disqualifications slapped by the Hong Kong government against the opposition ranks on Thursday, turfing out even sitting lawmakers along with localists who had grown in prominence in recent months. If before, the rules on who could enter the fray to contest the Legislative Council elections were focused on their... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3095405/hong-kong-elections-we-have-been-ousted-because-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3095405/hong-kong-elections-we-have-been-ousted-because-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Jul 2020 00:00:26 +0000 Hong Kong’s opposition camp has suffered a stunning blow, with at least 12 members, including veteran and moderate politicians, barred from running in the Legislative Council elections, while the government has warned that more may be disqualified. Citing the city’s new national security law and the pan-democrats’ previous calls for foreign governments to sanction Beijing and Hong Kong as key reasons, election officials on Thursday invalidated the candidacies of four incumbent lawmakers – the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3095327/hong-kong-elections-12-opposition-candidates-disqualified?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3095327/hong-kong-elections-12-opposition-candidates-disqualified?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Jul 2020 08:20:35 +0000 Hong Kong’s top officials are looking at postponing September’s Legislative Council elections by a year, and are likely to raise the issue to China’s top legislative body for a legal directive to support the decision and resolve any potential constitutional issues, according to sources. While such a decision could be officially justified on the basis of protecting public health amid a resurgent third wave of Covid-19 infections, it would still be highly contentious with opposition politicians... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3095233/hong-kong-elections-will-legislative-council-polls-be?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3095233/hong-kong-elections-will-legislative-council-polls-be?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Jul 2020 14:30:19 +0000 The clock is ticking as Hong Kong’s leader decides whether to hold the Legislative Council elections in early September as promised, or delay them due to the escalating coronavirus pandemic. On Tuesday, sources said Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor met ministers and close advisers to discuss the possibility of pushing back the polls, but no decision was reached, and the group agreed to convene again on Friday after the nomination period ends. Either choice presents her with risks –... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3095018/hong-kong-elections-will-legislative-council-polls-be?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3095018/hong-kong-elections-will-legislative-council-polls-be?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Jul 2020 00:00:11 +0000 Four members of Hong Kong’s opposition camp are struggling to secure enough nominations to run for functional seats in the upcoming Legislative Council elections, positions that have traditionally gone to pro-establishment figures. The hopefuls said they had difficulty finding the required 10 nominations, as the industries – real estate and construction, financial services, insurance and tourism – were closely related to mainland China and voters within those businesses were under pressure to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3094714/hong-kong-elections-opposition-camp-members-struggle-enter?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3094714/hong-kong-elections-opposition-camp-members-struggle-enter?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Jul 2020 16:10:21 +0000 At least nine members of Hong Kong’s opposition camp intending to run in September’s legislative polls have been pressed by election officials over their criticism of the national security law, lobbying trips to the US and their allegiance to the city. Civic Party leader Alvin Yeung Ngok-kiu and member Dennis Kwok were among election hopefuls who received letters on Saturday from officials at the district level responsible for vetting candidates’ applications. Yeung and Kwok were asked about... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3094699/hong-kong-elections-least-eight-opposition-camp-members?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3094699/hong-kong-elections-least-eight-opposition-camp-members?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Jul 2020 11:14:42 +0000 Hong Kong Olympic Committee vice-president Kenneth Fok Kai-kong entered the race for the Legislative Council elections on Thursday, criticising the government for a lack of support for sport and culture, while noting artistic freedoms were protected by law. Fok, who married retired diver and Olympic gold-medal winner Guo Jingjing in 2012, will represent the pro-establishment camp in September’s contest for the seat of the functional constituency of sports, performing arts, culture and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3094375/hong-kong-elections-olympic-chief-touts-insider-contacts-he?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3094375/hong-kong-elections-olympic-chief-touts-insider-contacts-he?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Jul 2020 07:37:28 +0000 Pro-Beijing politicians cited the risk of Covid-19 to call for the postponement of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council elections, a day after the city’s leader said the polls would go ahead as scheduled in early September. Tam Yiu-chung, the city’s sole delegate to China’s top legislative body, on Monday questioned why officials had not considered the possibility of postponing the vote. “There are only 50 days left. How can the government promise it can get the pandemic under control in 50 days?” he... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3093985/hong-kong-third-wave-pro-beijing-politicians-call?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3093985/hong-kong-third-wave-pro-beijing-politicians-call?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Jul 2020 14:29:40 +0000 More opposition hopefuls, including activist Joshua Wong Chi-fung, made it clear they do not intend to sign a form pledging to uphold Hong Kong’s Basic Law and allegiance to the city as the nominating window for the coming Legislative Council elections kicked off on Saturday. Their defiance, which could put them at risk of being disqualified, comes as Beijing’s mouthpiece urged Hongkongers not to support opposition candidates with a “scorched-earth mentality” who would seek to cripple the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3093773/signing-declaration-allegiance-non-starter-joshua-wong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3093773/signing-declaration-allegiance-non-starter-joshua-wong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Jul 2020 14:41:14 +0000 As the clock ticked down to midnight on Friday, Hong Kong lawmakers, according to decades-old tradition, were supposed to put aside political differences, gather in the legislative chamber and wave at the cameras of the assembled media as they brought their four-year terms to an end. But there was no appetite for the ceremony this time around. Instead, members of the opposition camp decided to take their own separate group picture. “It is to show us cutting ties with them,” said Claudia Mo... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3093722/bickering-scuffling-and-deadlock-hong-kongs-legislature?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3093722/bickering-scuffling-and-deadlock-hong-kongs-legislature?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Jul 2020 02:00:30 +0000 Possible American sanctions against Hong Kong officials for their perceived role in eroding the city’s autonomy by supporting the national security law would have minimal impact as only two members of the city leader’s cabinet have declared assets in the United States. But one cabinet member admitted that the punitive moves were harsher and broader than expected, expressing concerns they would create a chilling effect among Hong Kong officials. In retaliation for Beijing’s decision to impose a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3093518/national-security-law-who-are-hong-kong-officials-us-assets?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3093518/national-security-law-who-are-hong-kong-officials-us-assets?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Jul 2020 22:00:20 +0000 Hong Kong’s leader has singled out the city’s political impasse as the main obstacle to solving livelihood issues, including housing and education, as she vowed to deal with the problem in her coming policy address. Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor also said the city’s shortcomings in its education system represented a political issue rather than a question of resources, lamenting that many students had been arrested over unlawful acts in the past year. The chief executive’s comments, which appeared... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3093521/hong-kong-leader-carrie-lam-pinpoints-political-impasse?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3093521/hong-kong-leader-carrie-lam-pinpoints-political-impasse?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Jul 2020 15:09:52 +0000 Beijing has issued its strongest condemnation yet of a controversial election primary held by Hong Kong’s opposition parties, singling out organiser and long-time activist Benny Tai Yiu-ting, whom it accused of “illegally manipulating” the city’s polling system, challenging the new national security law and acting as a political agent for foreign forces. In a scathing statement on Tuesday, the cabinet-level Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO) lashed out at those behind last weekend’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3093175/hong-kong-elections-beijing-issues-strongest-condemnation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3093175/hong-kong-elections-beijing-issues-strongest-condemnation?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Jul 2020 12:25:46 +0000 Making Hong Kong civil servants swear allegiance to the city shows Beijing’s determination to implement the principle of “patriots governing Hong Kong”, the city’s sole representative to China’s top legislative body has said. Tam Yiu-chung, a member of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, also questioned on Tuesday if those civil servants who had been arrested at anti-government protests and had organised anti-government assemblies could truly serve society. The new national... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3093110/hong-kong-national-security-law-civil-service-oath?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3093110/hong-kong-national-security-law-civil-service-oath?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Jul 2020 07:54:15 +0000 Hong Kong is expected to tighten its social-distancing measures after a third wave of Covid-19 cases hit the city with health authorities warning the situation was "getting a bit out of hand." The city announced 52 new cases on Monday, in line with the recent escalation in cases, taking the total number of infections to 1,521, including seven deaths. Forty-one of the new cases were transmitted locally, and the source of 20 of these infections remained unknown. City officials met to discuss the... https://www.scmp.com/health/hong-kongs-third-wave-covid-19-getting-bit-out-hand/article/3092927?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/health/hong-kongs-third-wave-covid-19-getting-bit-out-hand/article/3092927?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Jul 2020 10:33:42 +0000 More than 610,000 Hong Kong voters, who took part in the opposition camp’s primary over the weekend, have sent a strong political message to authorities and enabled the pan-democrat bloc to move a step closer to achieving a majority in September’s Legislative Council elections, according to an activist. Benny Tai Yiu-ting, a law scholar at the University of Hong Kong and a co-organiser of the camp’s electoral exercise, said on Monday the turnout – representing more than 13.8 per cent of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3092952/hong-kong-elections-primary-turnout-enables-opposition-inch?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3092952/hong-kong-elections-primary-turnout-enables-opposition-inch?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Jul 2020 08:05:52 +0000 From a spike in Covid-19 infections to the spectre of the city’s sweeping new national security law, the Hong Kong opposition camp’s unprecedented weekend primary is unfolding against a backdrop of uncertainty. In just the past two days, the office of their IT partner has been raided by police, authorities and landlords alike have challenged their choice of venues for polling stations, and Secretary for Constitutional Affairs Erick Tsang Kwok-wai has offered a vague warning the election could... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3092754/hong-kong-opposition-camps-lofty-hopes-landmark-primary-run?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3092754/hong-kong-opposition-camps-lofty-hopes-landmark-primary-run?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Jul 2020 23:30:16 +0000 Hong Kong’s constitutional affairs minister has warned opposition parties their primary election this weekend could breach the new national security law, as well as the city’s election laws, but organisers and candidates have vowed to proceed. Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang Kwok-wai made the comments three days before the bloc’s polls, aimed at narrowing down its field of candidates for the city’s Legislative Council race in September. Optimistic after a landslide... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3092481/hong-kong-opposition-parties-warned-weekend-primary-could?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3092481/hong-kong-opposition-parties-warned-weekend-primary-could?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Jul 2020 07:29:41 +0000 All Hong Kong civil servants employed from July 1 will be required in writing to swear allegiance to the city and uphold its mini-constitution, with the rule applying also to serving officers whose duties are deemed “crucial” or “sensitive”. The proposed requirements, which the Civil Service Bureau said aligned with the new national security law, will also cover all serving civil servants recommended for promotion to a higher rank or a transfer to another grade. Article 6 of the new law, which... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3092397/hong-kong-civil-servants-employed-july-1-be-required?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3092397/hong-kong-civil-servants-employed-july-1-be-required?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Jul 2020 14:17:30 +0000 A Legislative Council investigation has decided against censuring a pro-establishment lawmaker who allowed ex-Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying to secretly interfere in an investigation into the past business dealings of the former top official. The inquiry was triggered by the alleged misconduct of Holden Chow Ho-ding three years ago, who helped Leung amend a document relating to the scope of an investigation into a possible conflict of interest over the then-leader’s failure to declare the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3092393/hong-kong-lawmaker-escapes-censure-letting-former-chief?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3092393/hong-kong-lawmaker-escapes-censure-letting-former-chief?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Jul 2020 13:20:00 +0000 Taipei has condemned new regulations under the Hong Kong national security law empowering its police to demand information from groups outside its jurisdiction as a violation of Taiwanese freedoms which will sabotage relations with the city. As some Taiwan and overseas political groups made clear they would snub any attempts from Hong Kong police to get them to provide details about organisations operating in the city, legal experts said it was unrealistic the force would be able to extend its... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3092235/national-security-law-taipei-says-hong-kong-police-powers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3092235/national-security-law-taipei-says-hong-kong-police-powers?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Jul 2020 15:36:08 +0000 Hong Kong’s legislature will ask the courts to declare disqualified lawmaker Sixtus Baggio Leung Chung-hang bankrupt, after the activist ignored repeated requests to repay about HK$930,000 (US$120,000) in debt. Legislative Council president Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen made the announcement on Tuesday after chairing a meeting of the Legco Commission, a body consisting of 13 pro-establishment lawmakers who oversee the body’s administrative matters. In May, the District Court ordered disqualified... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3092202/bankruptcy-ruling-sought-disqualified-hong-kong-lawmaker?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3092202/bankruptcy-ruling-sought-disqualified-hong-kong-lawmaker?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Jul 2020 10:53:15 +0000 The Hong Kong government’s assertion that popular protest slogan “Liberate Hong Kong; revolution of our times” equates to a separatist call is not a legally binding one, the city’s lawyers said on Friday. Observers and opposition politicians also cited the government pronouncement as an example of the chilling effect created by the sweeping new national security law, which they said granted authorities an excuse to silence dissidents. Two days after Beijing imposed its legislation outlawing acts... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3091703/national-security-law-liberate-hong-kong-revolution-our?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3091703/national-security-law-liberate-hong-kong-revolution-our?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Jul 2020 07:43:59 +0000 Hong Kong’s new national security law, with its vaguely defined offences and sweeping new powers for police and mainland agents, poses a threat to press freedom in the city, local media figures and scholars have said. They also warned that under Article 9 of the new legislation, local authorities are granted supervisory powers over the local media industry, a field previously free of control and fiercely protected under the Basic Law. Chris Yeung Kin-hing, chairman of the Hong Kong Journalists... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3091603/national-security-law-constrained-freedoms-compromised?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3091603/national-security-law-constrained-freedoms-compromised?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Jul 2020 13:17:10 +0000 The sweeping powers granted to the new mainland China agency overseeing national security in Hong Kong that enable it to operate independently of local authorities and send arrestees over the border deal a serious blow to the city’s freedoms, scholars and lawyers have warned. The Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People’s Government being set up in the city has been given vastly greater powers than expected, ranging from collecting intelligence, to handling cases and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3091431/mainland-office-tasked-overseeing-national-security-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3091431/mainland-office-tasked-overseeing-national-security-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Jul 2020 02:00:20 +0000 Key points: Beijing will exercise jurisdiction over “complicated” cases such as those relating to foreign interference, or when local authorities cannot enforce law effectively, or the nation’s security is under major threat For cases Beijing has jurisdiction over, the mainland Chinese agency in Hong Kong will launch an investigation and Supreme People’s Procuratorate will assign prosecution authorities. The Supreme People’s Court will assign courts to hear the cases The law is not... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3091286/hong-kong-government-unveils-details-sweeping-national?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3091286/hong-kong-government-unveils-details-sweeping-national?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Jun 2020 19:23:14 +0000 Veteran opposition activists in Hong Kong, including Democratic Party leader Wu Chi-wai, have announced plans to defy a police ban and organise a July 1 march to protest against the new national security law. The Tuesday announcement came just hours after Beijing’s top legislative body passed the controversial law, which targets acts of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces to endanger national security. The law was expected to take effect late on Tuesday. Hong Kong... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3091165/hong-kong-protests-opposition-veterans-defy-police-ban-july?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3091165/hong-kong-protests-opposition-veterans-defy-police-ban-july?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Jun 2020 06:12:44 +0000 Beijing has announced visa restrictions on United States officials who have “behaved extremely badly” over Hong Kong, on the eve of China’s expected imposition of a sweeping new national security law tailor-made for the city. China’s retaliation against what it described as the United States’ interference in the city’s affairs came as the Hong Kong government was preparing to carry out its new duties required under the law, including designating a third deputy police commissioner to head a unit... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3091095/national-security-law-beijing-slaps-visa-restrictions-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3091095/national-security-law-beijing-slaps-visa-restrictions-us?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Jun 2020 14:45:21 +0000 Hong Kong teachers will have to educate students on their responsibilities to the nation and explain the consequences of trying to stage a revolution once the new national security law is in place, pro-Beijing heavyweight Elsie Leung Oi-sie says. Speaking at a seminar on Friday attended by educationists, the former secretary for justice recalled attending a recent discussion with a group of teachers, during which one asked if students could still be taught about revolution once the new law was... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3090813/national-security-law-critical-teaching-methods-are-fine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3090813/national-security-law-critical-teaching-methods-are-fine?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Jun 2020 15:07:36 +0000