A break from the mundane usual, courtesy of the couple who have given birth to three children at home with no professional medical care. The first, born in Finland, died. The second, also born in Finland, was taken into care in Sweden. The latest was born in a Hong Kong apartment, with the father cutting the umbilical cord. Authorities are anxious because the parents haven’t registered the birth within the required six weeks. The parents were arrested for child neglect. (Out on bail, if you want an update.)
Various reports quote officials or others declaring that the child doesn’t legally exist. (It obviously does: you could gently prod it with your finger to prove it’s there; if it wasn’t, the government would have no grounds to arrest the couple.)
The parents believe – among other things – that invasive procedures like injections or DNA tests are against their religion.
What’s the Scandinavian connection? I’m also intrigued about their faith, which I haven’t seen reported. I’m betting Jehova’s Witnesses. They have that ‘look’.
Oz ABC News looks back at 1989 and its aftermath in today’s Hong Kong…
“…for Hong Kong, a society that functioned with these democratic rights and freedoms and free press for over a century, to have it taken away inexorably and quite quickly over the last 20 years, has been a bit of a blow to many, many people.”
On which note: a performance artist – sorry, another performance artist – stopped by police in Causeway Bay.
Victoria Park is occupied around June 4 by a patriotic ‘hometown market’…
Kung Chun-lung, chairperson of the Hong Kong Guangdong Federation, said the carnival will introduce products of “rural rejuvenation,” such as sweet potato, corn, and peanut. The five-day event will also see performances by local celebrities, such as Maria Cordero, as well as a traditional Chinese war dance and a “robotic band”…
With regards to the parents (and likely Jehova’s Witnesses as I agree that they have the look) it seems they lost custody of their second child Lily because when they traveled to Sweden they were arrested on suspicion of money laundering.
Who here thinks the money laundering suspicion was likely over the fact that these religious folks just like to carry a lot of cash around, and don’t trust banks? And this is enough to lose custody over your child and get a protection order in Sweden?
The Swedish court already ruled the second child should be with her parents in Hong Kong but the Swedish protection order is still in place by Swedish authorities .
As much bullshit as we have in Hong Kong, it is ridiculous that in the west having a pile of cash is automatically a crime and presumed money laundering. In the US for example if a cop finds 50k usd in cash in your car, they can seize that via civil forfeiture under the suspicion of money laundering. You won’t get it back either.
Money laundering laws in the west (and even HK despite being a hub for it) are like the NSL: vaguely worded with the burden of proof placed on the accused. It’s a bullshit manufactured crime that fails to stop real money laundering that actual drug lords and triads use who are thriving and hurts the vulnerable and uneducated the hardest simply because they don’t have their paperwork in order.
“robotic band”
Legco will be performing?
@Mark Bradley: Hear, hear!!
In the U.S. one also gets flagged by banks as *potentially* suspicious if one is a small business owner that regularly makes cash deposits as well. The GALL!!
Hubby, according to the reports I have read, is into some form of Confucianism. The wife said she has no truck with religion.
While there were charges of money laundering in Sweden, the main issue was that the 2-year old daughter was found to be suffering from neglect. In addition there was the history of the death of their first child after a month that the authorities considered.
They were staying at a PH here until a few months ago, so cash is depleted.
So pros and cons but the intervention of legislator Koon has no doubt swung public opinion to the side of the coupld. If he had not got involved with the guy who murdered his girl friend in Taipei, that tragedy would have been resolved.
“So pros and cons but the intervention of legislator Koon has no doubt swung public opinion to the side of the coupld. If he had not got involved with the guy who murdered his girl friend in Taipei, that tragedy would have been resolved.”
I remember during the 2019 protests many protesters were against DNA submission due to fears it would be sent to China. When was a DNA submission mandatory for births in Hong Kong?
And I agree with you that the public considers Koon an opportunistic dirtbag
@Mark Bradley
When was a DNA submission mandatory for births in Hong Kong?
I don’t think it is but given the circumstances of no medical interference in the pregnancy or birth, it’s reasonable to check the child is actually theirs.