Hong Kong/Mainland China Crisis thread

[TomSea]

Chinese troop movement into Hong Kong prompts unease

Movements, which have been portrayed as a scheduled troop rotation, come days ahead of anti-government protests

Chinese military vehicles have been seen moving across the border into Hong Kong, in what the military said were regular troop movements, as fears rose that the city could see a Beijing-led crackdown after months of political unrest.

Following witness reports of the movements in the early hours of Thursday, state-run news agency Xinhua released a report that the Hong Kong Garrison of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) was making a scheduled rotation and that it was an “annual normal routine”.

The images published by Xinhua showed armoured carriers and trucks carrying troops at the border, and a naval vessel arriving in Hong Kong.

Read more at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/aug/29/chinese-troop-movement-into-hong-kong-prompts-unease

[edpc]

Hong Kong bans weekend protest as prominent activists face charges

Hong Kong's government refused Friday to grant permission for a major protest march to take place over the weekend while two prominent activists, including Joshua Wong, were also charged for their participation in a June protest, per the AP.

Why it matters: The twin moves, which authorities claim are linked to violence and unrest at earlier demonstrations, indicate that Hong Kong may be taking a "harder line on this summer's protests," according to the AP. The planned march was meant to mark the fifth anniversary of China's decision not to allow fully democratic elections for Hong Kong's leader, though it is still unclear if some protestors may still take to the streets on their own.

https://www.axios.com/hong-kong-protests-china-march-ban-activist-charges-e7430b5a-a3c4-4be4-908c-c11279764cbb.html

[TomSea]

Hong Kong commercial centers paralyzed as protesters, police exchange petrol bombs and tear gas
Simon Gardner, Jessie Pang

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong police fired tear gas and water cannon on Saturday and pro-democracy protesters threw petrol bombs in the latest in a series of chaotic clashes that have plunged the Chinese-ruled city into its worst political crisis in decades.

Police fired round after round of tear gas and protesters took cover behind umbrellas between the local headquarters of China’s People’s Liberation Army and the government. Protesters also threw bricks dug up from pathways at police.

Many shops and restaurants in protest areas popular with tourists were shuttered, while curious visitors peered out from windows of some luxury hotels overlooking the demonstrations.

Read more at: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-hongkong-protests/hong-kong-commercial-centers-paralyzed-as-protesters-police-exchange-petrol-bombs-and-tear-gas-idUSKCN1VL02V

See, this is the thing, I'm not cool with things like hurling "petrol bombs" and perhaps, it's just a very few who do things like that.

[edpc]

Protesters block roads near Hong Kong airport

HONG KONG (AP) — Anti-government protesters blocked roads near Hong Kong's airport with burning barricades and damaged a train station Sunday after a night of violent clashes with police.

Train and some bus service to the airport on the outlying island of Chek Lap Kok were suspended. Some passengers walked to the airport, one of Asia's busiest, carrying their luggage.

Hong Kong has been the scene of tense anti-government protests for nearly three months. The demonstrations began in response to a proposed extradition law and have expanded to include other grievances and demands for more democracy and the resignation of the semiautonomous Chinese territory's leader.

https://news.yahoo.com/news/train-hong-kong-airport-suspended-061326051.html

[TomSea]

People form a human chain under the motto "The Baltic Way - It's Us" from Gediminas Tower to the City Limits in Vilnius, Lithuania on Aug. 23, 2019. From Catalan separatists to Hong Kong pro-democracy activists, the human chain that helped the Baltic states win independence from the Soviet Union three decades ago still inspires freedom-seekers the world over. (Petras Malukas /AFP/Getty Images)
Lithuania Raps Chinese Diplomats for Role at Pro-Hong Kong Protest
By Reuters
September 2, 2019 Updated: September 2, 2019

VILNIUS, Lithuania—Lithuania said it’s lodged a protest with the Chinese embassy after some of its diplomats were involved in disruptions at a pro-Hong Kong protest in the capital Vilnius last month.

Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry said Sept. 2 in a statement that Chinese diplomats acted “in violation of public order” at the Aug. 23 event, which was organized to show solidarity with anti-Beijing protesters in Hong Kong.

A police spokesman told Reuters that two Chinese citizens were detained and fined 15 euros ($17) each, after people agitated protesters by waving Chinese flags.

Read more at: https://www.theepochtimes.com/lithuania-raps-chinese-diplomats-for-role-at-pro-hong-kong-protest_3065155.html

HK Current Affairs
Chinese Regime Threatens More Action Against Hong Kong Protesters on Upcoming Full Moon
By Frank Fang, Epoch Times
September 1, 2019 Updated: September 2, 2019

One of the Chinese regime’s top agencies issued a veiled threat that a more severe crackdown against Hong Kong protesters could take place in two weeks.

The Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, China’s head legal agency, in an opinion article published on its social media WeChat account on Sept. 1, accused the protesters of engaging in “terrorist acts” during the protests on Aug. 31.

...

The article warned that protesters couldn’t “get away” simply by “covering up their faces.” It suggested that they would meet their fate “on the day of the full moon.” It then warned protesters to take notice that the Asian holiday the Mid-Autumn Festival—which falls on the full moon on Sept. 13 this year—is just days away.

The commentary continued that the presence of American flags in a march earlier in the day as “evidence of foreign interference.”

Read more at: https://www.theepochtimes.com/chinese-regime-threatens-more-action-against-hong-kong-protesters-on-upcoming-full-moon_3064215.html

That's a bit odd and something to watch for, "the day of the full moon", Sept. 13th.

[TomSea]

Defiant Hong Kong Children Drown Out Chinese Anthem With Stirring 'Les Mis' Song
[HuffPost]Ed Mazza
HuffPost 3 September 2019

Students at a Hong Kong school drowned out the Chinese national anthem at a ceremony marking the start of the year with a rousing version of “Do You Hear the People Sing?” from the musical “Les Misérables.”

Footage shows teachers standing stoically as students sing: “Do you hear the people sing?/Singing a song of angry men?/It is the music of a people/Who will not be slaves again!”

The footage is going viral on social media:

Read more at: https://sg.news.yahoo.com/hong-kong-students-do-you-hear-the-people-sing-041313108.html

Gag! Source is the Huffington Post...

[edpc]

Hong Kong leader announces withdrawal of controversial extradition bill

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam on Wednesday announced the withdrawal of an extradition bill that triggered months of unrest and threw the Chinese-ruled city into its worst crisis in decades, a source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

The announcement, in an internal meeting with pro- establishment lawmakers and Hong Kong delegates of China’s National People’s Congress, came just two days after Reuters revealed that Lam told business leaders last week she had caused “unforgivable havoc” by introducing the bill. If she had a choice she would apologize and resign, according to a leaked audio recording..

The protests against the bill in the former British colony began in March but snowballed in June and have since evolved into a push for greater democracy.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-hongkong-protests/hong-kong-leader-announces-withdrawal-of-controversial-extradition-bill-idUSKCN1VP05B

[Gefn]

Bookmark

[TomSea]

Hong Kong protesters appeal to Trump for help

Pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong are appealing to President Donald Trump for help as they march near the US consulate general in the city.

Some are carrying banners reading, "President Trump, please save Hong Kong" and "Make Hong Kong great again".

The protests, now in their 14th straight week, have continued despite Hong Kong's leadership finally meeting one of the protesters' key demands.

More at: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-49625233

[TomSea]

U.S. should side with Hong Kong protesters, says ex-Pentagon chief Mattis
Jonathan Allen

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Former U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Monday anti-government protests in Hong Kong were “not an internal” Chinese matter and that the United States should offer at least moral support to the demonstrators.

The retired U.S. Marine general, speaking at a Reuters Newsmaker event in New York, said the United States should generally side with those standing up for human rights, which he said included the Hong Kong protesters.

“When people stand up for those (rights), I just inherently think we ought to stand with them, even if it’s just moral,” said Mattis, who abruptly resigned as Pentagon chief in December over disagreements with President Donald Trump’s foreign policy.

Read more at: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-mattis-idUSKCN1VU1YF

[TomSea]

Hong Kong: Under city's streets, the subway becomes a new battleground - The Washington Post
Shibani Mahtani

HONG KONG — This city’s subway system — spotless, efficient, cheap to ride — has been a source of civic pride since it began operating four decades ago, and it is often held up as a benchmark for public transportation everywhere.

When unrest began to grip Hong Kong early this summer, the Mass Transit Railway took on a different role. It carried protesters to demonstration venues, allowing them to leave the scene or shuttle between rallies in minutes. The spectacle of strangers clapping and cheering aboard trains and leading each other in chants replaced the usual sight of commuters hypnotized by their cellphones.

But as police crack down harder on dissent, station ticket halls and platforms are becoming battlegrounds, strewn with debris, tear gas and blood as officers clash violently with demonstrators.

Read more at: https://beta.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/under-hong-kongs-streets-the-subway-becomes-a-battleground-for-protesters-and-police/2019/09/11/a29eac2a-d0c7-11e9-a620-0a91656d7db6_story.html

The danger of a Tiananmen Square event seems to subsided and that means, it appears thankfully, that we will not see a massacre. It might be time to return this thread to the regular forum area. Next 48 hours, let's say.

All suggestions welcomed!

[TomSea]

Anti-government protesters gather at Lion Rock, in Hong Kong on Sept. 13, 2019. (Reuters/Athit Perawongmetha)

Hong Kong Protesters Plan Shopping Mall Sit-Ins After Hill-Top Human Chains
By Reuters

HONG KONG—Hong Kong pro-democracy activists plan sit-ins at shopping malls on Saturday after a night in which protesters took to the hills to form lantern-carrying human chains, the latest demonstrations in months of unrest in the Chinese-ruled city.

Demonstrators also plan to gather outside the British Consulate on Sunday to demand that China honors a Sino-British Joint Declaration that was signed in 1984, laying out the former British colony’s future after its return to China in 1997.

Protesters came out peacefully in their hundreds across the territory on Friday, singing and chanting on the Mid-Autumn Festival, in contrast to the violence of many previous weekends when police have responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannon.

Read more at: https://www.theepochtimes.com/hong-kong-protesters-plan-shopping-mall-sit-ins-after-hill-top-human-chains_3081560.html

The videos of the protesters on that mountain lion rock are very memorable.

One can always re-sticky this.

This is more like it.


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It may be a tradition in this "Mid-Fall Festival" to go up to that mountain in the first place, from all I am reading but they made a point to protest.

[TomSea]

Water cannons, the water is blue:

A police vehicle sprays blue-colored water towards anti-government protesters during a demonstration near Central Government Complex in Hong Kong, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2019. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Hong Kong police deploy water cannons amid clashes with protesters in 15th consecutive weekend of unrest
Travis Fedschun

The streets of downtown Hong Kong turned into the site of clashes between protesters and police on Sunday as the political turmoil continues in the global financial center for a 15th straight weekend.

Tens of thousands of pro-democracy supporters marched through downtown in defiance of a police ban before violence broke out later in the day as police fired chemical-laced blue water meant to mark protesters as well as tear gas at demonstrators who lobbed Molotov cocktails outside the Hong Kong government office complex.

Authorities had turned down a request by the Civil Human Rights Front to hold the march, but the demonstrators were undeterred. Instead, a mixed crowd made up of hardcore protesters in black wearing masks alongside families with children marched for more than  1.2 miles, some waving U.S. and British flags.

Read more at: https://www.foxnews.com/world/hong-kong-police-water-cannon-tear-gas-protest-fires-demonstrations-clash

[TomSea]

Some fairly graphic video at link of the troubles there, I don't think this article says it is "protest" related but it certainly looks that way to me. Gurkhas, they fought on the allied side in World War II, they were suppose to be very crack soldiers for the Brits so it's a bit curious to see them mentioned here.  By the way, I don't think the Gurkhas are involved in the video at the link, it's got some violence but little blood from what I saw. It's basically police quelling a disturbance in the subway, using clubs and pepper spray mostly:

Politics
MTR chief Jacob Kam takes heat for plan to use Gurkhas as railway enforcers because they do not know Cantonese curse words

    CEO Kam says Nepalese workers would be able to ignore Cantonese swear words, taunts and foul language – meaning fewer conflicts
    But rights activists recoil, one calls Kam’s comments ‘discrimination right down to the bones’

Sum Lok-kei   Published: 9:00am, 15 Sep, 2019

A top Hong Kong railway official has come under fire for saying he plans to hire Gurkhas to handle fare evasions and other infractions because they do not understand foul language in Cantonese.

Jacob Kam Chak-pui, the chief executive officer of the MTR Corporation, said in an interview on Friday that Nepalese workers might react less to verbal abuse because of the language barrier and he was planning to include them on a task force to enforce railway regulations.

Kam doubled down on his comments in a television interview on Sunday morning, and said the rail operator planned to hire a 200-strong security force, made up of former Gurkhas and others with security backgrounds, to act as enforcers on the city’s railway network.

See video and more at: https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3027269/mtr-chief-jacob-kam-takes-heat-plan-use-gurkhas-railway

You've got to think the disturbances are related to the protests.

But here is more protest coverage, "neighborhood brawls"(?) per the newspaper:

Live Hong Kong:

Day of protest violence in Hong Kong's city centre ends in brawls between rival camps in North Point

    City's 15th straight weekend of protests sees police deploy tear gas and water cannons as illegal march in city centre descends into violence

    Protesters earlier occupied roads near government headquarters and threw petrol bombs before bringing fight to Wan Chai



- Live Hong Kong Protests

Hong Kong tourism is down 40%, last I checked, that's got to hurt.

Tear gas fired amid neighbourhood brawls between rival camps in North Point following day of protest violence in Hong Kong's city centre
https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3027308/causeway-bay-shops-close-illegal-march-kicks-hong-kongs

https://twitter.com/demosisto/status/1173241121784225793  More video

[TomSea]

Police Union Calls For Use of Live Ammunition Amid Growing Violence in Hong Kong
2019-09-16

A Hong Kong police association called on Monday for the use of live ammunition against anti-extradition demonstrators after some protesters threw Molotov cocktails at police headquarters at the weekend.

The Junior Police Officers' Association said that responding with rubber and beanbag bullets, water cannon and tear gas may not be enough to deter protesters from using the weapons.

"I must remind the radical rioters that the petrol bombs you use are deadly weapons," association chairman Lam Chi-wai was quoted as saying in a statement from the Association.

Read more at: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/hongkong-protest-09162019150024.html

Former Ontario minister sides with Beijing, pins Hong Kong protests on ‘outside’ forces

Qilai Shen/The Globe and Mail

A former Ontario cabinet minister, who held the province’s immigration and international trade portfolios under two Liberal premiers, has denounced acts of violence during the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong as the work of foreign actors intent on undermining the state of China.

Former MPP Michael Chan, in a recent interview with Chinanews, a Chinese state-backed news site, condemned the city’s anti-government protesters and applauded Hong Kong police for showing restraint in the crisis.

His assertions echo the statements by Chinese officials as the protest movement in Hong Kong gathered steam. China has blamed “foreign forces” for manipulating the protests and interfering in Hong Kong affairs.

More at: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/british-columbia/article-former-ontario-minister-sides-with-beijing-pins-hong-kong-protests-on/

[TomSea]

Rare Hong Kong train derailment injures at least 8 amid protests
By Frank Miles | Fox News

At least eight people were hurt in a derailment of a train owned by a Hong Kong company targeted by pro-democracy protesters earlier this month, according to reports.

Paramedics rushed the injured, who suffered neck pain or minor abrasions, to the hospital, Reuters reported.

Rex Auyeung Pak-kuen, chairman of MTR Corp., offered an apology.



Continued at: https://www.foxnews.com/world/hong-kong-train-derailment-pro-democracy-protesters

[TomSea]

Hong Kong protests: China flag desecrated as fresh unrest erupts
    22 September 2019

Activists in Hong Kong have desecrated a Chinese flag and vandalised a shopping centre on the 16th straight weekend of anti-government protests.

Escalators and glass panels were targeted at the New Town Plaza in Sha Tin. Police have closed it and fired tear gas at brick-throwing protesters.

Police earlier prevented major unrest on the airport metro system.

Read more at: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-49787134

[TomSea]

Full schedule of protests are on for this weekend.

Hong Kong protesters rebuild ‘Lennon Walls’ ahead of China National Day
September 28, 2019


People stand next to banners, part of a Lennon Wall to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the Umbrella Movement, at Causeway Bay in Hong Kong, China September 28, 2019 REUTERS/Susana Vera

By Angie Teo and Joyce Zhou

HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hong Kong protesters were rebuilding “Lennon Walls” of anti-government graffiti on Saturday as they marked the fifth anniversary of the “Umbrella” pro-democracy movement that gridlocked the territory for weeks.

A series of pro- and anti-Beijing protests is planned for the Chinese-ruled city ahead of the 70th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China on Tuesday, including at the consulate of former colonial power Britain.

Anti-government protesters have attacked the legislature, Beijing’s main Liaison Office, occupied the airport, thrown petrol bombs at police, vandalized metro stations and set street fires in more than three months of unrest.

Read more at: https://www.oann.com/hong-kong-protesters-set-busy-schedule-ahead-of-china-national-day/

[TomSea]

China
Cowardice and Appeasement Not Effective Against Chinese Regime, Says Hong Kong Lawmaker Eddie Chu
By Olivia Li, Epoch Times
September 28, 2019 

A number of Taiwan’s non-governmental organizations have called on Taiwanese citizens to participate in a parade scheduled for Sept. 29 that supports Hongkongers’ protest against the extradition bill. In an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Epoch Times on Sept. 26, Hong Kong legislator Eddie Chu Hoi-dick noted that when facing the Chinese authorities’ suppression and encroachment tactics, cowardice and appeasement serve no use. He called on the people of Taiwan to stand hand-in-hand with Hong Kong citizens against the Chinese regime, as the regime wants to control both territories.

Chu, a Hong Kong social activist and politician, graduated from the Chinese University of Hong Kong where he majored in English Studies. In 2016, he contested the 6th Legislative Council election and won the election with 84,121 votes, the highest among all candidates, without any party backing.

Hong Kong and Taiwan Are on the Front line

Chu explained that the main purpose of his trip to Taiwan is to encourage Taiwanese to participate in the march, on Sept. 29, themed “Support Hong Kong’s fight against totalitarianism.” It’s part of a global event where rallies and parades will be held in more than 20 countries on the same day.

More at: https://www.theepochtimes.com/cowardice-and-appeasement-not-effective-against-china_3099393.html

[TomSea]

Saw a picture of the victim, hopefully, it cleared vital areas and he can survive. 


Hong Kong protester shot in chest during demonstrations on China's 70th anniversary - live updates
[The Telegraph]
Sophia Yan
,The Telegraph•October 1, 2019

Live rounds shot is first reported during four-month protests

Hong Kong Police confirm an officer shot a protester

Fifteen protesters injured in clashes, one critically

...

Hong Kong police shot a pro-democracy protestor in the chest on Tuesday as violent clashes erupted across the city hours after China held a massive military parade in Beijing to celebrate 70 years of Communist Party rule, according to a news agency.

It was the first such injury from a live round in nearly four months of increasingly violent protests and threatened to strip the spotlight from China's carefully-choreographed birthday party, designed to underscore its status as a global superpower.

While President Xi Jinping took salutes from some 15,000 troops in the capital, pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong threw eggs at his portrait, with tens of thousands of people defying police orders to disperse.

Read more at: https://news.yahoo.com/china-celebrates-70th-anniversary-hong-032234567.html

[mountaineer]

Video: Riot Cop Shoots Hong Kong Protester in Chest With Live Round
Dramatic escalation in force.
Published 1 min ago on 1 October, 2019
Paul Joseph Watson

A shocking video shows a riot cop in Hong Kong shooting a protester in the chest with a live round at point blank range.

The incident occurred on Hoi Pa Street in Tsuen Wan during demonstrations to coincide with the 70th anniversary of Communist Party rule in China.

The clip shows the protester confront the cop before the officer draws his gun and fires into the protester’s chest.  ... Video and full story here.

[mountaineer]

Chinese celebration fuels Hong Kong protests
by Onize Ohikere
Posted 10/01/19, 10:47 am

A police officer shot a teenager at near point-blank range, and at least 50 other people sustained injuries in protests on Tuesday in Hong Kong. The number of pro-democracy protesters hurt in clashes with police continues to rise as China celebrated 70 years of Communist Party rule. Protesters vandalized Chinese businesses and held up banners that read, “End dictatorial rule.” Hong Kong transitioned from British to Chinese rule in 1997.

How is China celebrating the day? In Beijing, a military parade showed off the country’s most advanced weapons, including the Dongfeng-41 missile with a 9,400-mile range. “No force can shake the status of our great motherland, and no force can stop the progress of the Chinese people and the Chinese nation,” Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a nationally televised address. President Donald Trump tweeted his well-wishes to Xi without referencing the unrest in Hong Kong: “Congratulations to President Xi and the Chinese people on the 70th Anniversary of the People’s Republic of China!”   WORLD Magazine

[austingirl]

It is heartbreaking to watch the brave protesters who want freedom and compare them to the young people in the US who can't wait to give their away and give all power to the government.

[edpc]

It is heartbreaking to watch the brave protesters who want freedom and compare them to the young people in the US who can't wait to give their away and give all power to the government.

Well, this ought to boost the protesters' morale....


Donald J. Trump
@realDonaldTrump

Congratulations to President Xi and the Chinese people on the 70th Anniversary of the People’s Republic of China!

5:54 AM · Oct 1, 2019

[TomSea]

I have to share this video clip here, I guess the tweet is saying this was some sort of demonstration BY MAINLAND CHINA in New Zealand in response to HONG KONG protesters... odd video to see but if you look at the background and that there are only 2 of these Red Chinese soldiers there, it seems plausible.... to the tweet:

巴丢草 Badiucao
@badiucao
1. this happened in New Zealand
2. this did not happen because of
#halloween2019
 
PM @jacindaardern
，why would ur country allow Chinese Amy marching on street & intimatng others people supporting HongKong‘s protest
#StandWithHongKong

Please see video:

https://twitter.com/badiucao/status/1190496734331334656

That's something else, well,  definitely in a freer nation.... and 2 people marching, Halloween  like they say??:

Yes, even in America, I believe we've had incidences where pro-Communist-China demonstrators come out to confront the pro-Hong-Kong protesters, heck, even some Chinese-heritaged politician was for the Beijing government here.