Another NatSec week underway

Three people get five to 10 months in prison for producing and selling a ‘seditious’ book… 

According to local media, the designated national security magistrate … said the case was about more than spreading seditious messages on social media as it involved designing, producing and printing the publication in question.

Chan was described as the “instigator” and “core offender” in the case, who designed and produced 400 copies of the book. Prosecutors had told the court that the book contained accusations that Hong Kong police condoned criminals and triad activities, made up stories, and disregarded the law.

Does this mean – among other things – that alleging HK Police collusion with triads at the 7-21 Yuen Long incident can land you in prison?

Veteran Democratic Party lawmaker Albert Ho – already on bail on a ‘Pan-Dem 47’ subversion charge – is arrested on suspicion of interfering with witnesses…

Ho, sources said, had allegedly reached out to family members of a jailed witness for the primary election trial and asked them to pass his message to the witness. 

This seems to be connected with the arrest (on suspicion of ‘collusion with foreign powers’) of Elizabeth Tang, wife of Lee Cheuk-yan. Thread on the links between the five concerned – Albert Ho, Fred Ho/Marilyn Tang, Elizabeth Tang, and Lee Cheuk-yan. 

Movie reviews: If We Burn and Blue Island, neither of which can be shown in Hong Kong. This might be the case with Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey – a low-budget horror film pulled from Hong Kong screens by its Hong Kong distributor… 

Director Rhys Frake-Waterfield told Reuters that “something mysterious” had happened.

“The cinemas agreed to show it, then all independently come to the same decision overnight. It won’t be a coincidence,” Frake-Waterfield said.

“They claim technical reasons but there is no technical reason. The film has showed in over 4,000 cinema screens worldwide. These 30+ screens in Hong Kong are the only ones with such issues.”

I take it AA Milne’s works have recently entered the public domain? Critics with a fondness for Dorothy Parker might argue that gruesome murders could only improve the twee Pooh stories. But a quick flick-through via one of those disgraceful pirated streaming sites – segments totalling about 10 minutes of the movie at most – sadly confirms it is indeed utter crap. 

Hard to believe that someone in the cinema industry in Hong Kong – home of the film Womb Ghosts – has decent cinematic taste. So presumably the distributor simply fears Beijing’s wrath, or succumbed to behind-the-scenes pressure even though the Hong Kong government couldn’t bring itself to openly ban it. 

Banned yet? Digital artist Patrick Amadon includes brief flashes of political prisoners’ names on a video being shown on a big screen at (of all places) Sogo as part of Art Week. A gif of the piece is here. (Surely Sogo will take it down and issue a groveling apology?)

Some mid-week links…

Why hadn’t Beijing planned an exit from zero-Covid? They did, but political ideology overrode science – thread and link to AP investigation.

From China Media Project – China Daily US’s filings with the federal government shows it spends 12 times on advertising what it gets in ad revenues…

Between June and October 2022, China Daily USA brought in just over 102,000 dollars in advertising profits and a mere 13,000 dollars from subscriptions. The lion’s share of “revenue”— about 98 percent—came in the form of a handout totaling over five million dollars direct from China Daily headquarters in Beijing.

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8 Responses to Another NatSec week underway

  1. Yonder Latrine says:

    I’m sure the South China Morning Propaganda’s finances are similar…

  2. HKJC Irregular says:

    What a refreshing breeze of truth projected by artist Patrick Amadon amid the stale and puerile arty-fartiness of Art Week/Basel. About time Banksy added his talents, or is he a tankie?

  3. justsayin says:

    Obvious, but China Daily USA doesnt need to turn a profit when it’s bankrolled by the boys in Beijing

  4. Mark Bradley says:

    Banksy seems too anti establishment to be a tankie. An anarchist for sure though which thankfully isn’t the same thing.

  5. Natasha Fatale says:

    Mr Putin is smiling because Mr Xi is the only world leader shorter than himself.

  6. Kwuntongbypass says:

    Looks like they want to find reasons to pocket Albert Ho‘s bail money.
    Straight from the books of Lee Kum Kee (or whatever) School of Policing the Public in SingaBore: Not only try to break the people but also try to bankrupt them.

    What a great „New Era“ are we living in!

  7. Mark Bradley says:

    @Kwuntongbypass

    A double whammy indeed since he loses his money and his liberty

  8. Red Dragon says:

    Natasha

    Nothing could be further from the truth. Xi towers over Putin, as any photo of their recent meeting shows. I attach one for good measure.

    https://www.agenzianova.com/en/news/the-kremlin-announces-xi-jinping%27s-visit-to-moscow-from-march-20-to-22/

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