Interviewed on Sky News, Sebastian Lai says he doesn’t think his father has long to live.
The Wall Street Journal has an op-ed on the Jimmy Lai trial (article probably paywalled, but you should be able to see the video that goes with it)…
…Jimmy’s [absurd] trial … paints him as Hong Kong’s Osama bin Laden—“mastermind” of a national security threat to China. To drive this home, the Hong Kong government has pulled out props that rival Hollywood’s: the chains they put on a then-72-year-old Jimmy when he was arrested, the massive police presence at his trial as though he might bust out, not to mention the solitary confinement imposed for most of Jimmy’s four years in prison.
…he was trying to hold China to its promises to honor the values and freedoms that transformed Hong Kong from a barren rock into a global center for trade and finance. On the stand, he listed these Hong Kong values: “rule of law, freedom, pursuit of democracy, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly.” Apple Daily, he said, “aligned” itself with them.
As for the U.S., the Hong Kong government can’t seem to make up its mind whether Jimmy was carrying out an American plot or directing America to carry out his.
…On sanctions Mr. Pence was unequivocal: “Jimmy Lai did not ask for US sanctions or any action against Hong Kong or China.”
…Mark Clifford [former senior exec with Lai] … sums up the trial this way:
“Jimmy Lai’s testimony shows that he was guilty only of practicing good journalism. The idea that he was somehow driving U.S. policy on Hong Kong is laughable.”
The NY Times interviews Chan Po-ying, head of the League of Social Democrats and wife of Long Hair…
The first year and a half after the national security law was passed was a nerve-racking time. Something happened every week.
But I believe their tactics are now less heavy-handed, to avoid it turning into international news. Instead, they will try to dry up your money and come at you with laws and regulations you haven’t even considered. The charges are petty, but you will be fined.
It feels like we’re being repressed in a very underhanded way.
Last year, HSBC terminated our bank accounts. Since then, we have been unable to accept donations online. We have had to reduce our expenses to a minimum. We stopped renting an office, and let go of all paid staff.
At the street booths that we set up, we no longer ask people to sign petitions or write cards to political prisoners.
There is a lot of psychological pressure because the police arrive at the street booths before we do, and film the entire process. If we ask people for their signatures, they will be filmed, too. We don’t want to cause harm to anyone.
People used to think that signing a petition or coming out for a march could put pressure on the government. Now many know that there is no use.
While our traditional property developers are struggling to sell their large inventories of empty homes, our universities with their deep pockets are developing and snapping up prime sites.
Last week’s news was the public concern with regard to the takeover of Pok Fu Lam by HKU. Backchat 25 Nov revelation that the university owns 18 residential towers there that are rented out on the private market while it is looking to take over most of the remaining Green Belt in the district to build …… more flats …..is worth a listen. It has already secured approval to trash a smaller GB lot nearby in addition to the numerous blocks currently under construction.
https://www.rthk.hk/radio/radio3/programme/backchat/episode/989840.
This week Metropolitan U is forking out CASH to secure The One Harbourfront towers on Hung Hom waterfront
https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/property/hong-kong-tower-seized-tycoon-ends-sold-university
HKMU has recently purchased hotels to be used for student accommodation and received approval to excavate a wooded slope to extend its campus in Ho Man Tin. Our universities have an aversion to trees and are certainly not engaging in any efforts to combat climate change.
One has to question why tax payers are subsidizing student fees at local universities when the sector is such an obvious cash cow and our universities are now property moguls.
And why educational facilities are being located on prime harbourfront/view sites when the students should be concentrating on their studies is a mystery.
Development of yet another VTC on Cha Kwo Ling waterfront originally intended to be a district park for densely populated Kwun Tong, and the Chicago Booth, also in Pok Fu Lam, that appears to be underused and provides little community benefit, are other examples.
With little investigative media left and a compliant legislature there is now no accountability with regard to the allocation of public land and resources.
Mary –
It was previously reported that HKU bought a whole block of apartments in Lai Chi Kok/Cheung Sha Wan about 10 years ago, and over ca. 150 flats in the development above the HKU MTR station about 5 years ago.
Also, HKU announced 2 days ago that a Director of Investment (a new position) has been hired.
Regarding the University of Chicago, wasn’t that site reportedly used by the British to “detain” suspected communists many years ago, and because of this, no local developer wanted anything to do with it and it sat derelict for many years?
Re Chicago Booth – indeed the site has a history, and this should be more fully explored while there are folk still around, on both sides, who are knowlegable on the murky details.
On the accountability side, $234m that should have gone to local charites was gifted to a US university. In return the community got a satinized cell display and the promise of 8 annual scholarships to employees at local NGOs.
To determine if this was value for money is probably outside the ambit of the Ombudsman.