HK’s PR mess

At first, the big Hong Kong disaster story in the international media was the Tai Po fire itself. Then it became the authorities’ attempts to sideline or suppress volunteers and activists. The way this is going, overseas press reports will soon be about how Hong Kong sees overseas press reports as a hostile foreign anti-China plot. It’s getting to the stage where the focus of the Hong Kong government’s message-management effort is defending its message-management effort.

This is so self-defeating and could so easily have been avoided. Just ask yourself ‘what would the Tung Chee-hwa or Donald Tsang administrations have done differently?’ Even Carrie Lam just six years ago tried to get PR help. Instead…

A government press release attacks a range of sinister-sounding, but not well-defined, enemies…

The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) today (December 3) strongly disapproved and rejected foreign forces, including anti-China media organisations, and anti-China and destabilising forces for not just making unfounded and slanderous remarks regarding the HKSAR Government’s relief work on and investigations into the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, but also for their sowing of discord and malicious attack on the rescue operations. Those who try to use the disaster to stir up chaos in society are malicious, blotting out the efforts of the HKSAR Government and of all sectors of the community in the rescue operations and support work. Those people should be condemned.

(The first sentence perhaps refers to reports on official treatment of grassroots voluntary groups and on activists’ fears of a cover-up. But who knows?)

…”Regrettably, foreign forces and anti-China and destabilising forces with ulterior motives, through disseminating fake news and false messages on the Internet, and even distributing seditious pamphlets, etc., intended to maliciously smear the rescue work, instigate social division and conflict to undermine the society’s unity in taking forward the support and relief work. It even causes ‘secondary damage’ to the affected residents. If these acts are left unchecked, not only would they negatively impact on the relief work after the fire, they would even undermine the stability of society and endanger national security. We must not let our guard down against such risks.”

HKFP reports that Beijing’s local NatSec office sees threats all over the place…

Beijing’s Office for Safeguarding National Security (OSNS) has again warned that foreign forces which are alleged to have attacked, and incited opposition to, the Tai Po fire rescue and relief efforts will be pursued. It is the second such statement in a week, neither of which named any groups or individuals.

The office said on Wednesday that a small group of “hostile external forces” had attempted to stir up opposition in the city under the pretext of “petitioning for the people,” amid the relief work at Wang Fuk Court, where a massive fire last Wednesday claimed at least 159 lives.

Without providing details, the office said these forces had “added fuel to the fire” by “splashing dirty water on the SAR government and rescue personnel.” It accused them of “erasing” the efforts of the Hong Kong government and various sectors, and of “insulting” the city’s “Lion Rock spirit” – a reference to resilience.

The office further alleged that the same forces sought to “copy the playbook” of the 2019 extradition bill protests and “control” foreign agents in the city: “There are still people who attempt to provoke the public to rekindle ‘protest memories,’ creating undercurrents to disrupt Hong Kong and launch another ‘colour revolution’,” the statement said in Chinese.

A BBC video asks whether Hong Kong can manage the aftermath of the fire the way Beijing wants. (Clearly it can. The real question is whether it should.)

An opinion piece by Michael Mo in the Diplomat echoes much of the international coverage over the last week…

Despite the spin by the officials, the colossal failure of regulatory oversight across governmental departments is clear, especially in dealing with bid rigging in building maintenance contracts …The Buildings Department, the city’s building regulator, has the authority to inspect these maintenance projects, but rarely does so proactively. 

Before the two national security laws, Hong Kong’s civil society had been serving as an imperfect guardrail to these malpractices. The pro-democracy parties assisted homeowners in vetting questionable maintenance contractors on a regular basis, with prodemocracy district councillors raising residents’ concerns to relevant government department officials in district councils. Free and independent media, such as Jimmy Lai’s Apple Daily and Next Magazine, exposed the substandard projects and corruption cases, and FactWire created a database of building maintenance contracts. 

These imperfect guardrails could have prevented the tragedy from happening – but they have all been destroyed under the national security regime.

The Economist foresees a weak election turnout…

Troublingly, it is also unclear what Mr Lee’s commission will achieve. It lacks the power to summon witnesses or to declare criminal liability. Regina Ip, a pro-government lawmaker, suggests it will “produce outcomes sooner”. But critics wonder whether it will enable the authorities to have more sway over the findings.

Instead the government’s main priority seems to be maintaining public order ahead of elections to the Legislative Council on December 7th. It is only the second time such elections have been held since the central government in Beijing restricted participation in them to “patriots”—cheerleaders for China’s Communist Party. Hong Kong officials had been coaxing residents to vote even before the fire. The first election, in December 2021, saw a record-low turnout of 30.2%, which was widely considered a quiet protest against the electoral overhaul.

“Turnout will be lower than originally desired,” predicts Ms Ip, whose New People’s Party is fielding eight candidates. That will displease the governments in Hong Kong and Beijing: both want a hearty turnout to endow the vote with a veneer of legitimacy. Instead it may offer insight into the depth of anger over the blaze.

Hailey Cheng has closed the website she launched to document the Tai Po fire…

In response to the Hong Kong SAR Government’s call, I hereby state clearly that I will not have any association with any foreign forces or individuals alleged to be undermining social stability, and I have fully ceased any contact that could be misconstrued. 

On other local matters…

The ICAC – an anti-corruption agency – announces more arrests for ‘inciting’ others not to vote, even though not voting is perfectly legal.

The ICAC today (December 4) arrested four men for allegedly reposting an online post or leaving comments on social media platforms to incite others not to vote or to cast invalid votes at the 2025 Legislative Council General Election (LegCo Election) during the election period, in contravention of section 27A of the Elections (Corrupt and Illegal Conduct) Ordinance (ECICO). The ICAC had earlier charged three other individuals with the offence in relation to the current LegCo Election.

Jimmy Lai’s children complain about his healthcare in jail…

Lai, a diabetic, has been kept in solitary confinement without air conditioning in a jail where summer temperatures rise to 44 Celsius (111 Fahrenheit), his children said.

“He has lost a very significant amount of weight, visibly, and he is a lot weaker than he was before,” said his daughter Claire Lai, who left Hong Kong after seeing her father several months ago.

“His nails turn almost purple, gray and greenish before they fall off, and his teeth are getting rotten,” she told AFP on a visit to Washington, where the family is seeking to rally support for her father.

The government responds…

The reports “seek to smear the [Hong Kong government] by misleading the public into believing that the custodial and medical arrangements” for Lai have been “poor,” the statement said.

“Their despicable intent to vilify Hong Kong’s rule of law is blatant and violates the professional conduct of journalists.”

From David Webb – remand (presumed innocent) prisoners in jail in Hong Kong now account for a record 42.0% of all Correctional Services detainees. 

And away from Hong Kong…

Taiwanese rocker Freddy Lim is now a diplomat posted to Finland. A video of him engaging in non-consular duties. (Band ChthoniC includes his wife on bass.)

For prehistory fans – gruesome finds showing how Europe’s first extensive farming culture 7,000 years ago apparently collapsed amid mass-decapitations. As so often, archaeologists postulate ‘rituals’ by way of explanation.

I will be in Taiwan for much of next week.