The prosecution presents more of its case in the Jimmy Lai trial…
Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai was the “mastermind and sponsor” of a campaign to lobby for foreign sanctions on the city and on China, a government prosecutor argued in the pro-democracy activist’s high-profile national security trial.
…The prosecutor described the chain of command in the syndicate. Lai personally instructed Mark Simon, his US-based personal assistant. Simon, in turn, gave directions to Chan, who instructed Li and Finn Lau, the core members of an international lobbying group called Stand With Hong Kong (SWHK), he said.
And from RTHK…
The trial of former media tycoon Jimmy Lai was told on Thursday that the defendant was the mastermind and a key financial supporter of an international campaign aimed at bringing down the Chinese government.
…The prosecution alleged that Lai later outlined a four-stage “implosion” agenda to instigate “administrative and economic turmoil in China”.
Samuel Bickett adds…
In Jimmy Lai’s trial today, the prosecutor focused on ads Lai allegedly funded calling for the world to support Hong Kong’s protests. They were published in Aug 2019, almost a year before Beijing imposed the NatSec Law under which Jimmy is now charged.
It is a fundamental principle that laws only apply to future acts, not past ones. For Jimmy, the court is simply choosing to ignore that principle.
Beijing said in the lead up to the NSL’s passage that the law would not be applied retroactively.
From here – Heroic Graphic-Design Effort of the Week Award goes to a map-pictogram/flow-chart thing showing Jimmy Lai’s plot to do whatever etc, according to the prosecution…
(And I’ve cropped it.)
Meanwhile…
The Liberal Party’s Jeremy Young said a large sign, such as “I LOVE HK”, would show the world that the SAR has returned to normalcy.
New all-patriots District Council members hit the ground running, with a selection of banal ideas to boost tourism…
Cat murals, a time tunnel and Lantern Festival markets are among initiatives proposed by Hong Kong’s 18 district councils to show how unique each area is and lure in more visitors.
Central and Western District Council, which held the first meeting of its new term on Thursday, wants to set up a huge landmark at Peak Road Garden and a “time tunnel” at the facade of the Old Mental Hospital in Sai Ying Pun.
(OK – so ‘time tunnel at old mental hospital’ at least sounds interesting. Sort of captures some contemporary Hong Kong spirit.)
A district councillor said on Thursday he believed putting neon signs at street level around Tsim Sha Tsui could boost economic activities in the area, as the installations could provide photo opportunities for tourists and residents.
Problem: the government has been removing neon signs for years.
And more on District Office’s contributions…
The Kowloon City District Office proposed only one event, which is the annual Thai Songkran festival in April.
But instead of calling it the “water-splashing festival,” the Kowloon City District Office proposed what roughly translates to “Thai Vibes Kowloon City with food and water-splashing” — apparently adapted from the government’s earlier “Night Vibes Hong Kong.”
Problem: the Hong Kong police are not big fans of Songkran. (And shouldn’t that be ‘Thai Thematic Water Vibes Concept-cum-Food Zone Scheme’?)
Some weekend reading…
Beijing’s policies are – to no-one’s surprise – making life harder for those trashy franchised international schools…
A new “patriotic” education law is set to put a squeeze on British schools in China as Beijing steps up its efforts to tighten control of what is taught in its classrooms.
Harrow Beijing did not respond to a request for comment. The school was previously known as Harrow International Beijing, but on 1 September 2021, a new private education law came into effect, banning private schools that accepted Chinese nationals from including the name of overseas educational institutions in their name, or words such as “international” or “world”.
From Newsweek – a reminder of China’s extreme inequality. Maybe 10-20% of the population have a middle-class lifestyle surrounded by skyscrapers, high-speed trains and overseas vacations. Don’t mention the rest…
Internet censors in China worked around the clock this week to suppress online discussions about poverty in the country after an economist revealed nearly 1 billion people were living off less than $300 a month.
…In his article for the business outlet Yicai, Li cited data from a 2021 research paper by the China Institute of Income Distribution at Beijing Normal University, which placed the number of people living on less than 2,000 yuan a month at 964 million, or nearly 70 percent of the population.
…In June 2020, Wang Haiyuan and Meng Fanqiang, the authors behind the income study cited by Li this week, published an article in China’s leading financial news magazine Caixin, in which they quoted late Premier Li Keqiang’s comments about the estimated 600 million Chinese people who were living on less than 1,000 yuan, or $140, a month.
“Although 40 years of reform and opening up have greatly improved the country’s comprehensive strength and level of national income, as of today, the fact that we have a large population, few resources and very uneven development is still obvious, and a considerable number of residents are still close to the poverty line,” Wang and Meng wrote.
“The Liberal Party’s Jeremy Young said a large sign, such as “I LOVE HK”, would show the world that the SAR has returned to normalcy.”
THIS is why that guy is a LEADER in HK!!! Take note, kiddies.
I remember watching on my lap-top one of the ‘protests’ up at Sha Tin (outside the Sha Tin Plaza-Sha Tin City Hall and the nearby open spaces out towards the river). It was a weekend ‘match’ as the kick off was in the early afternoon (a lovely sunny one we get in autumn when it is not too hot). The Boss Man was up there for a brief period of time, but some distance from the front lines, checking out his charges like some super-star gangster. I found it to be an interesting spectacle that left a rather strong impression
I actually do love HK. I don’t mind making short trips out of city, but in most cases a day away is a day that has been wasted.
An ‘I LOVE HK’ sign…
Sweet Christ that’ll show those foreign forces that they need to hurry here and spend money while Hongkongers travel to SZ to spend theirs there.
@Loco #4: it must be a thrill to prop up the bar at the gwailo pub in Sai Kung and listen to your wit and wisdom every day.
“I remember watching on my lap-top one of the ‘protests’ up at Sha Tin”
Surely you mean: “so-called protests”?
If you think that ‘graphic-design effort’ was heroic, it is simply because you are not patriotic enough.
A true patriot, like e.g. our sarcophagus #4 troll, will have learned to understand XJPTOSWCCFANE as in the diagram on the link below:
https://en.rattibha.com/thread/1678411111866015745
SCMP subscribers can find it here:
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/2169151/simple-guide-xi-jinping-thought-heres-how-chinas-official-media
And once you understand that then you will understand: China, the CCP, Chinese Democracy, the NSL, Hong Kong Democracy, the improved Legco, the improved District Councils, the improved one-country-two-systems, why the Hong Kong government is smearing its own people, and spreading misinformation about the West, and why the Bossman Jimmy the Ripper (or was that Jack?) is such a bad BAD BAD BOY!
When does extreme poverty cross the line into modern slavery – wonder what the Gini Coefficient is at as well… back when I was in school 20 years ago I believe it was over 0.5 but the World Bank says it is decreasing https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.GINI?locations=CN
@MC
Whatever. The key thing is that mentioned activity doesn’t fit with my understanding of the word – check out any dictionary you fancy. Notably, there is nothing in any with definitions that include brick hurling and petrol-bomb throwing. That, some ‘non protesters’ who got caught up in the action and ended up with serious injuries or died takes it even further from the definition. I’ll leave it to you to decide which word you think is more appropriate.
Unfortunately those ‘international’ schools being squeezed up north are heading our way. The adminstration announced recently that it is looking to provide three sites to accommodate such schools. And note the haste with which the pupils at Rosary Schools were ‘persuaded’ to move to accommodate Dalton with a swanky HKI address.
Our officials and Leggers have been neglecting to study the edicts of the current helmsman who is no fan of either international schools or tutorial centres and has cracked down on both enterprises.
The latter are also relocating here, on that Pearl Magazine I mentioned a few days ago, the advanced math lesson on seven minus five was being delivered at a tutorial set up by a Talent Pass Schemer and staffed by compatriots.
In essence HK is embracing a mainland version of the infamoous FILTH invasion.
All thats missing is a catchy acronym.
“Whatever”. The go-to retort for those with little in their bag of so-called knowledge.
Reactor #4
“ Whatever. The key thing is that mentioned activity doesn’t fit with my understanding of the word – check out any dictionary you fancy. Notably, there is nothing in any with definitions that include brick hurling and petrol-bomb throwing.”
a minority resorted to violence, so fucking what? That’s what happens when an unelected high handed government infuriates the public with an extradition bill and a high handed attitude that ignored peaceful protests you dumb cunt.
You only condemn them because they don’t fit into your warped ideology. Did you ever condemn your commie friends who were involved in the 1967 riots which resulted in far more deaths than the 2019 protests including the deaths of children you hypocritical sad sack?