A noticeable recent trend in my email/WhatsApp messages: friends who have just started trips out of Hong Kong raving in disbelief about how amazing life is in the outside world. They had forgotten what normality is like. And indeed it does sound very strange.
Macau goes more or less Shanghai over Covid for a week. Much of the public transport shut down, most people told to stay at home – cops roaming streets – and everyone must take tests (and do a separate test before going to the test site). Even casinos (ie most of the economy) are closed. More here.
A few naive folk out there had this idea that when John Lee became Chief Executive, a less idiotic Covid policy would follow. In reality, someone, somewhere must be looking at Macau’s symbolic Mainland-emulating zero-infections performance and earnestly wanting Hong Kong to do something similar. And of course it goes beyond symbolism – cue proposal for a red/yellow/green code system linked to your real name/address enabling the government to monitor and control your movements. Not creepy or anything. Oh, and more frequent testing.
This week’s At Least It’s Not Covid Award goes to Häagen-Dazs ice cream – being withdrawn by Hong Kong health authorities for containing insecticide. (Strange but true: the product’s name has no meaning, but was invented by American marketing geniuses to sound vaguely exotic/Dutch/Scandinavian.)
A couple of interesting threads… Activist Michael Mo looks back at the campaign against the third runway (or second, since the old ‘second’ one is now undergoing maintenance). And thoughts from a carpenter’s daughter on the closure of Hong Kong’s last sawmill.
The Boris banner is hanging right in front of the spot where the triad attack took place. Spooky,
Before I was a day drinker I was a day trader.
@Joe Blow
FWIW – the banner is (almost directly) opposite the FCC entrance on Lower Albert Road.
The triad attack took place one traffic light back at the Wyndham/Glenealy junction.
Re White Elephants, there is more to come.
The move to oust the public from participation in the town planning process has now been launched. Even the members of the board, who can usually be relied on to support the administration, are considered to be a nuisance.
What little say the community had in the formulation of mega projects will be wiped out.
All this while the administration insists that it always gets it right, like with 3rd runway, HKMZ, etc etc.
And with the media under state control there will be nothing but glowing reports as our environment is trashed and coffers depleted.