Civil society also on CCP hit-list (obviously)

The line between despotic and demented narrows as the HK Police give the Good Neighbour North District Church the frozen-bank-account treatment. Does anyone pause to ask how this extreme overreach/overkill might look? Or is the entire CCP-Security Bureau-Police chain of command made up of zombies? 

Some mid-week links…

With more and more people being thrown in jail: HKFP on how those on the outside keep in touch with imprisoned protesters.

The Diplomat interviews a Hong Kong civil servant about how the bureaucrats are bearing up under the NatSec Regime. (Their remuneration is – rough guess – around double what equivalent jobs in the private sector would pay, and treble or quadruple what the private sector would pay for the same quality of work. Imagine what ‘morale’ there would be like if their pay and conditions were in line with the test of the community.)

In Covid-19 news: China Digital Times on the Mainland pharmaceutical sector’s reputational and other issues; and Beijing’s latest attempt to blame someone else for the virus – Australian beef; and AP reports on how corruption in the disease-control system made the Wuhan outbreak far worse than it could have been…

China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention gave test kit designs and distribution rights exclusively to three then-obscure Shanghai companies with which officials had personal ties…

In the meantime, the CDC and its parent agency, the National Health Commission, tried to prevent other scientists and organizations from testing for the virus with their own homemade kits … These measures contributed to not a single new case being reported by Chinese authorities between Jan. 5 and 17, even though retrospective infection data shows that hundreds were infected. The apparent lull in cases meant officials were slow to take early actions such as warning the public, barring large gatherings and curbing travel.

A thread of anti-Australian vitriol from followers of a Chinese patriotic commentator. In a similar vein, mass-panty-wetting about a Korean TV show featuring a glimpse of a Taiwan flag.

Reuters on how Chinese money-brokers help Latin American drug cartels launder their proceeds (basically using a hawala type of system).

CSIS article and video on why China’s new commercial aircraft – supposedly a rival to the A320/B737 – is a heap of junk.

And credit where it’s due, since we’re a bit heavy on the China-bashing today: China Daily does a cartoon that’s possibly around 30% funny. Strange times.

At the other end of the comic spectrum, here’s Justin Wong’s ‘That City’.

Also on an aviation theme, Tom Wolfe explains why elite test pilots and wannabes affect a West Virginian accent.

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7 Responses to Civil society also on CCP hit-list (obviously)

  1. where's my jet plane says:

    keeping in touch
    convicted of arson for throwing a book on a barricade bonfire lit by protesters.

    The sentence of 4 months in prison for that offence seems to be somewhat OTT.

  2. Chinese Netizen says:

    All I can add is that ALL CCP officials from major municipality party secretary level and up should be mandated to fly in domestically produced aircraft to give the population the needed confidence and patriotic shot-in-the-arm to know their aircraft industry is to be revered. And yes…same should apply to the HKCCPSAR government “leader” and her entire appointed cabinet.

  3. Mary Melville says:

    Re freezing the church funds “Acting superintendent Chow Cheung-yau told reporters that while no one had come forward to complain about alleged fraud, police believe the suspects may have “exploited people’s generosity in the name of religion and helping young people.” Ditto with the Ted Hui accusations. When Joe Public contributes to causes like the small church it is accepted that circumstances may lead to a change in focus.
    So how come when a 2018 report revealed the high salaries and perks enjoyed by management at well known charities like Heep Hong and Po Leung Kuk no investigation was launched to ensure the generosity of the public was not being exploited? Some posts pay more than equivalent government ranks, and as we well know that is well above what the private sector would pay. Now that we have the police concentrating resources on investigating possible abuse of donations can we look forward to revelations on this trend?
    But of course the real issue is with so much unresolved criminal activity involving real victims on record how can investigations like these be justified?

  4. where's my jet plane says:

    Police freeze HK$420mn in investment scam (RTHK headline)

    We are now in a Pol-Ice Age.

    But why has it taken 15 months since it was understood to be a scam for action? Ted Hui – a matter of days. This case where people have actually lost money – mañana, what’s the rush?

  5. Revolution says:

    I deal with the Police frequently in relation to various matters, including money stolen via scams. Their response time was never that good. They do not have the resources to handle the large number of money laundering and fraud matters quickly, and the bizarre strategy of making everyone report, say, email fraud at a local police station rather than to a dedicated unit is highly inefficient IMHO (there is a unit interfacing with banks, but you cannot go to them direct on stuff like this). Individual officers, or some teams, are helpful, responsive and co-operative, but the quality varies widely.

    Starting from that low base, however, things have got markedly worse in the last 2 years in my experience. Taking over a year to look into these scam cases is not unusual, and many officers will do nothing unless you badger them constantly. They will also run a mile from anything that is complex, which they will describe as a “commercial dispute”.

    Given there are now no protests, what the hell are they doing all day? Investigating enemies of the Liaison Office, I assume

  6. dimuendo says:

    Revolution (or anybody)

    Can you please explain why prosecutors now do not have to call evidence/witnesses when they object to bail?

    Further what has happened to the presumption in favour of bail (with the exception of those charged under the national security act?

    When I police officer asks to see your ID card you are required to produce it. You do not have to allow him to touch it or hold it; correct?

  7. where's my jet plane says:

    Can you please explain why prosecutors now do not have to call evidence/witnesses when they object to bail?
    I don’t think it has ever been the case that prosecuters have to call evidence/witnesses for objecting to a bail application. They simply have to state their reasons – that was my experience in the UK for numerous bail applications (on behalf of others, I hasten to add…)

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