Hong Kong/Mainland China Crisis thread

[sneakypete]

Nice to see, nowadays, we almost vilify every politician. Before the internet or when I was a kid, I know we had some of this, still, it seemed a bit more tolerant.

@TomSea

Is he there to visit his money,or to meet a new Chinese wife?

[TomSea]

World News
December 15, 2019
Hong Kong mall protests flare with leader Lam in Beijing
Kate O'Donnell-Lamb, Sarah Wu

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Small groups of anti-government protesters gathered in shopping malls across Hong Kong on Sunday amid sporadic scuffles with riot police, with Chief Executive Carrie Lam away on a visit to Beijing.


Police officers detain an anti-government protester during a demonstration inside a mall in Hong Kong, China December 15, 2019. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui

In the peak shopping season ahead of Christmas, groups of masked protesters, clad in black, marched through malls chanting slogans including “Fight for freedom” and “Return justice to us”.

In the Telford Plaza mall in Kowloon Bay, skirmishes broke out with riot police, who used pepper spray on crowds and wrestled several people to the ground before taking them away.

Read more at: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-hongkong-protests-idUSKBN1YJ09S

[TomSea]

Here are some interesting stories out of HK, probably very primitively-explosive-devices, there is some mention of organized crime (The "Triads" in the 2nd story):

Hong Kong bomb disposal squad destroys suspicious object in village flower bed

    Pedestrian spots object on a path linking two villages in northern Tsing Yi shortly before 1pm
    Online image shows the object consisted of two 30cm-long tubes bound by yellow tape and connected by wires

Danny Mok
Published: 6:39pm, 15 Dec, 2019


A robot is deployed to handle an object suspected of being a bomb in Tsing Yi. Photo: Handout

A Hong Kong police bomb disposal squad destroyed a suspicious object at a village in Tsing Yi on Sunday afternoon.

A pedestrian spotted the object in a flower bed on a path linking Tai Wong Ha Tsuen and San Uk Tsuen in northern Tsing Yi shortly before 1pm.

Read more at: https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3042184/hong-kong-bomb-disposal-squad-carries-out-controlled

Hong Kong police foil second bomb plot in under a week and arrest three men allegedly testing explosive devices and chemicals

    Remote-controlled devices were intended for use at mass protests but it was unclear which chemicals or explosives were involved, police said
    Officers also seized radio-controlled detonation device and protective gear after ambushing three suspects in Tuen Mun

Christy Leung  Published: 8:55pm, 14 Dec, 2019


One of the suspects is brought to a Tuen Mun school as part of police investigations. Photo: Winson Wong

Hong Kong police on Saturday said they had foiled a second bomb plot in under a week related to the ongoing anti-government protests after officers arrested three men allegedly testing home-made devices and chemicals in a secluded area.

The suspects were testing the strength of remote-controlled devices, which were intended for use at mass protests, police said, but it was unclear which chemicals or explosives were involved as the bombs had been detonated.

 Acting on intelligence, officers from the organised crime and triad bureau ambushed the trio in scrubland off Siu Lang Shui Road in Tuen Mun in the early hours as they carried out tests.


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Read more at: https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3042112/hong-kong-protests-petrol-bombs-and-dangerous-chemicals

And read more on the same page,  Are organized crime Chinese gangs in the US called something like Chongs or something like that. Triad was a bit of a new term for me but I believe it.

Hong Kong protests: petrol bombs and dangerous chemicals found at City University a month after it was vandalised by radicals
https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3042112/hong-kong-protests-petrol-bombs-and-dangerous-chemicals

[Gefn]

Thanks for the updates @TomSea

[TomSea]

Related, Taiwan:

Taiwan police shoot man suspected of planting explosive device: media
By Ben Blanchard
December 14, 2019 — 1.22pm

Taipei: Police in southern Taiwan shot a man on Saturday suspected of planting a possible explosive device outside a campaign office for the island's main opposition party, the Kuomintang, the official Central News Agency reported.

Taiwan holds presidential and parliamentary elections on January 11, and campaigning is in full swing with the Kuomintang challenging the ruling Democratic Progressive Party of President Tsai Ing-wen, who is currently far ahead in the polls.

The device, planted outside the entrance to a Kuomintang office in Tainan city, contain wires, liquid and powder, the report said.

See more at: https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/taiwan-police-shoot-man-suspected-of-planting-explosive-device-media-20191214-p53jzh.html

[TomSea]

'We're next': Hong Kongers rally for China's Uighurs
AFP

Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters rallied in solidarity with China's Uighurs on Sunday in a move likely to infuriate Beijing as they likened their plight to that of the oppressed Muslim minority.

...

China has faced international condemnation for rounding up an estimated one million Uighurs and other mostly Muslim ethnic minorities in internment camps in the northwestern region of Xinjiang.

The emergence of a huge surveillance and prison system that now blankets much of Xinjiang has been watched closely in Hong Kong which has been convulsed by six months of huge and sometimes violent protests against Beijing's rule.

Read more at: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/we-re-next-hong-kongers-rally-for-china-s-uighurs/ar-BBYeZrp

[TomSea]

It looks pretty mild but damage nonetheless:

Hong Kong /  Law and Crime
Hong Kong police station damaged by suspected petrol bomb attack on Sunday morning

    Attack took place at Ngau Tau Kok Police Station in Kowloon Bay around 7.30am, while a wall nearby was also spray-painted ‘Dare not forget’
    Police are investigating the arson case and no arrest was made till Sunday evening

By Ng Kang-chung
22 Dec, 2019

Burn marks on the wall of Ngau Tau Kok Police Station on December 22. Photo: Winson Wong

A Hong Kong police station was slightly damaged in a suspected petrol bomb attack on Sunday morning.

Officers at Ngau Tau Kok Police Station on Siu Yip Street in Kowloon Bay were alerted by a bang soon after 7.30am.

Police found burn marks on a wall near the entrance to the premises as well as on a pavement nearby.

Read more at: https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3043162/hong-kong-police-station-damaged-suspected-petrol-bomb

Nearly a fifth of Hong Kong voters say they support violent actions by protesters, such as attacking opponents or hurling petrol bombs and bricks

    About 5 per cent strongly supported more extreme acts that include physical violence, hurling bricks and petrol bombs, and damaging public facilities

    Much larger group supportive of milder behaviour such as vandalising mainland Chinese businesses, and blocking MTR stations

...


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Read more at: https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3043073/nearly-fifth-voters-say-they-support-violent-actions

[sneakypete]

Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters rallied in solidarity with China's Uighurs on Sunday in a move likely to infuriate Beijing

[/quote]

@TomSea

Ya THINK? Just because the Chinese Politburo are in business now with the Bush and Clinton Crime families,that doesn't mean they aren't still a Communist dictatorship.
You don't pull on a dictator's beard without a price being paid.

I have to admit that I am in awe of the courage being shown by the Chinese that are standing up for individual freedoms,though. They are not just Chinese heroes,they are heroes for us all by setting examples we may need to follow in the next few years.

[TomSea]

It's a getty picture so, it's a no-no to post BUT, a very dramatic picture at this link, yes, a pistol aimed at the protester.

HK Protests
Facing the Barrel of a Gun, Woman Holds Epoch Times Poster to Protest Hong Kong Police
By Eva Fu
 December 24, 2019 Updated: December 25, 2019

In a stunning show of defiance, an unarmed Hong Kong protester held up a poster produced by The Epoch Times’ Hong Kong edition while gesturing at a police officer who had pointed a pistol towards her.

The Epoch Times has been unable to identify the woman, but understands that the police did not fire the weapon and that the protester safely left the protest scene on Dec. 22.

...


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Last month, four masked intruders set fire to the printing shop of the Hong Kong edition of The Epoch Times, an incident that bore the hallmarks of the Chinese regime’s tactics.

Read more at: https://www.theepochtimes.com/hong-kong-police-aim-gun-at-protester-holding-epoch-times-poster_3184292.html

[sneakypete]

You know they are communists because it took 3 of them to supervise the one guy lighting and throwing the match.

[TomSea]

Hong Kong to end year with multiple protests, kick off 2020 with big march
Clare Jim

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong will end 2019 with multiple protests planned for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day aimed at disrupting festivities and shopping in the Asian financial hub, which has seen a rise in clashes between police and protesters since Christmas.

Events dubbed “Suck the Eve” and “Shop With You” are set for New Year’s Eve on Tuesday in areas including the party district of Lan Kwai Fong, the picturesque Victoria Harbour, and popular shopping malls, according to notices on social media.

A pro-democracy march on Jan. 1 has been given police permission and will start from a large park in bustling Causeway Bay and end in the central business district.

Read more at: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-hongkong-protests/hong-kong-to-end-year-with-multiple-protests-kick-off-2020-with-big-march-idUSKBN1YY05F

[sneakypete]

A pro-democracy march on Jan. 1 has been given police permission and will start from a large park in bustling Causeway Bay and end in the central business district.

It's hard to believe the Chinese are allowing that to happen. They must be taking names and counting them twice,and planning on quietly dealing with them later.

Remember the brave man that dared to stand down a Red Army tank in the square in Peking years ago? He got international attention and was hailed as a hero by practically everyone. I remember reading that he was quietly arrested and executed once all the attention died down. Who knows what happened to his family.

[TomSea]

As it happened: At least 400 arrested in Hong Kong as massive New Year's Day march gets cut short amid protest violence

    Vandalism of banks and shops breaks out on sidelines, while march organisers claim a turnout of more than 1 million. Police say about 60,000 attended

    Protesters continue to press government on demands as civil unrest rolls into seventh month



INTRODUCTION

A massive, New Year's Day solidarity march against the Hong Kong government had to be called off three hours after it began as violence broke out on the sidelines, with a police source saying at least 400 people were arrested.

Organisers said the turnout was higher than the estimated 1.03 million who took to the streets on June 9
last year for the first major protest against the government's now-withdrawn extradition bill.

Read more at: https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3044190/thousands-kick-new-years-day-march-hong-kong-continuing

[Elderberry]

Hong Kong Isolates Fever Patient After Mystery Virus Hits China's Wuhan

Radio Free Asia 1/2/2020

https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/outbreak-wuhan-01022020190644.html

Hong Kong's Hospital Authority said on Thursday it had isolated a patient who arrived from the central Chinese city of Wuhan, which state media says has seen an outbreak of "viral pneumonia" in recent days, but that she tested negative for SARS, avian and seasonal influenza.

The woman has been placed in isolation at Tuen Mun Hospital after falling sick after arriving from Wuhan, where officials are investigating 27 cases of viral pneumonia, including seven people in critical condition.

The Authority said the woman has an upper respiratory tract infection and a fever and is in a stable condition, but has tested negative for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), as well as bird flu and regular influenza.

Officials in Wuhan said that several clinics and hospitals in the city have received patients suffering from pneumonia, of which the cause was unknown. However, all patients have previously visited a seafood market in the city.

[TomSea]

I passed on this earlier but...

Hong Kong PTSD levels akin to conflict zone: Study
ABC News

Fewer than half of those affected said they would seek professional help.

Unrest in Hong Kong is taking a major toll on many residents' mental health, according to a new study.

In Hong Kong, where mass protests erupted for nearly six months last year, 1 in 3 surveyed adults reported symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a 10-year observation study, which was published Thursday in the Lancet.

Those numbers are comparable to the prevalence of mental health problem observed after large-scale disasters, armed conflict or terrorist attacks, the researchers said.

Read more at: https://abcnews.go.com/International/hong-kong-ptsd-levels-akin-conflict-zone-study/story?id=68195475

Protests compared to a war zone, I don't think it could be a proper comparison.

[sneakypete]

I passed on this earlier but...

Protests compared to a war zone, I don't think it could be a proper comparison.

@TomSea

I would think that by now the people of Hong Kong would be experts in how to handle stress. It is almost a birthright for people born there.

[TomSea]

We will "set topic non-sticky" on this thread too... perhaps, start a new thread if events warrant such.

[TomSea]

Bumping to the top, BTTT:

Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian18 hours ago
University of Minnesota student jailed in China over tweets

A Chinese student at the University of Minnesota has been arrested in China and sentenced to six months in prison for tweets he posted while in the United States, according to a Chinese court document viewed by Axios. Some of the tweets contained images deemed to be unflattering portrayals of a "national leader."

Why it matters: The case represents a dramatic escalation of the Chinese government's attempts to shut down free speech abroad and a global expansion of a Chinese police campaign to track down Twitter users in China who posted content critical of the Chinese government.

What's happening: Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) called on China to release the student. "This is what ruthless and paranoid totalitarianism looks like," said Sasse.

Read more at: https://www.axios.com/china-arrests-university-minnesota-twitter-e495cf47-d895-4014-9ac8-8dc76aa6004d.html?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=twsocialshare&utm_campaign=organic

[sneakypete]

Bumping to the top, BTTT:

Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian18 hours ago
University of Minnesota student jailed in China over tweets

A Chinese student at the University of Minnesota has been arrested in China and sentenced to six months in prison for tweets he posted while in the United States, according to a Chinese court document viewed by Axios. Some of the tweets contained images deemed to be unflattering portrayals of a "national leader."

Why it matters: The case represents a dramatic escalation of the Chinese government's attempts to shut down free speech abroad and a global expansion of a Chinese police campaign to track down Twitter users in China who posted content critical of the Chinese government.

What's happening: Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) called on China to release the student. "This is what ruthless and paranoid totalitarianism looks like," said Sasse.

Careful there,Bethany! Pelosi's laywer husband is China's legal rep here in the US,and if she tells him a name to watch,he is keeping it twice by passing it off to his Chinese masters.