Ma Chun-man – ‘Captain America 2.0’ – is convicted of ‘inciting secession’, by chanting slogans that ostensibly call for Hong Kong independence. (Background to trial here.) Simply calling for Hong Kong independence seems to be sufficient to be a crime; no-one has to actually be ‘incited’ to do anything. How distinct is this from mildly expressing a personal opinion that Hong Kong would, ideally, be independent?
The NatSec judge dismissed defence arguments out of hand. An expert at Georgetown Law pulls apart the judgement.
As it happens, Amnesty International chooses this time to announce that it will pull out of Hong Kong, after 40 years here. No point in hanging around and finding out what will happen if they don’t (police raids, asset seizures, arrests of staff, charges of inciting conspiracy to incite blah blah, and a NatSec judge.).
That leaves the HK Journalists Association among major civil-society groups still operating – for example, yesterday’s criticism of the government’s moves to tighten access to the Companies and Lands Registries.
An interesting conundrum for the government desperate to have voters attend rigged and futile quasi-elections but also desperate to impress Beijing with its extreme approach to Covid: should polling stations require the Leave Home Safe app to enter?
In case you missed them, a small sample of worthwhile recent articles from Hong Kong Free Press…
How many flats will (or would) the Lantau Tomorrow and Northern Metropolis yield versus how many Hong Kong will need? This op-ed finds the projects’ promoters and bureaucrats are using very slippery numbers. (One tycoon of my acquaintance liked to use the word ‘decant’ rather a lot in connection with the Lantau white-elephant proposal. The not-so hidden agenda was cleansing districts like Shamshuipo or Mongkok of local riff-raff for redevelopment as luxury blah-blah.)
Another op-ed on the background and underlying purpose of that fact-sheet on US interference in Hong Kong, including the shaping of the…
…emerging new official narrative … Without the opportunistic meddling of foreign agents and their Western government sponsors, Hongkongers apparently could never have managed such an ambitious project on their own.
An explainer on how Beijing is erasing the memory of the Tiananmen Massacre in Hong Kong.
And a reminder that HKFP is holding a fund-raising drive.
(Also, in case you didn’t see it, a late comment from yesterday. Didn’t a spate of suicides take place around the depths of the Tung Chee-hwa/SARS era?)
For music fans – the song Fragile, aimed at China’s panty-wetting on-line ‘Little Pink’ patriots. Includes a reference to bat-eating. So far, 16.8 million views. I guess Malaysian rapper Namewee and Australian Kimberley Chen won’t be on the overseas compatriots invitation list for next year’s CCTV Spring Gala. More here.
What is the point of even pulling apart a HKNatSec judge’s ruling from abroad at all? These overseas law types with their safe (for now), venerated systems of legal precedents, traditions, judicial independence and honoured practice just can’t seem to wrap their heads around the fact that once the CCP steps in and says “New Rules! Our way or the highway!” then you’ve just been handed a big huge “do over” order with the implied expected outcomes. simple as that.
Look how the CCP unilaterally declares the West Philippines Sea “historically ours” and ignores ALL judgements from international rules based organizations as moot.
HK is now so Draconian that it might even make aspects of living on the mainland look positively civilised!
@ Chinese Netizen: I suppose there might still be some value in documenting exactly what flavour of bullshit we are all being fed, if only to remind ourselves of how things are supposed to work in a normal country. It’s easy to become resigned to arbitrary rule by fiat. And as the Russians demonstrate, cynicism, breeding apathy, is another means of control.
Ths particular judge has form in biased decisions and ignoring evidence.
This is not really surprising when you look at his CV as published by the GIS on his appointment as a judge in 2007.
Mr Chan was born in Hong Kong in 1958. He obtained LL.B and P.C.LL. from the University of Hong Kong in 1986 and 1987 respectively. He was called to the Bar in Hong Kong in 1987 and joined the then Legal Department as Assistant Crown Counsel in the same year. He was promoted to Crown Counsel in 1988, Senior Crown Counsel in 1991 and Deputy Principal Government Counsel in 2002. He took up the post of Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions in 2002.
March 30, 2007
He’s been nothing but a drain on the taxpayer from the word go and I suspect he is incapable of understanding even the concept (let alone practice) that there are two sides to every story.
It never ceases to amaze me that Judge Stanley Chan Kwong-chi still has a job – he has been getting things horribly wrong for years. His past rulings have often featured religious justifications and references to divine judgement, and he gets his knickers in a twist over anything to do with matters sexual.
(Two examples:
https://smogsblog.wordpress.com/2010/01/06/procurement-by-false-pretences-the-hk-legal-system-makes-an-ass-of-itself/
https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-law-and-crime/article/2145398/final-court-appeal-clears-hong-kong-man-sex
The first one was, outrageously, allowed to stand I believe, but the second was overturned at the CFA.)
I wonder if the main reason for his retention might be that he talks to his imaginary friend in the company of our Chief Executive in Name Only?
One good thing the CCP could do in their cleanout of the HK administration would be to do something about the unhealthy influence of these people.
Namewee recently had his Weibo account taken away for posting that, in order to win people over to the new state of affairs, the Taliban ought to put out patriotic songs such as “Without the Taliban, There Would be No New Afghanistan”.
Ironic that the people who are most guilty of inciting secession (CCP & its HKSARG) are convicting their incitees of their own crime.
I propose a toast to ex Princess Mako and Kei on having finally tied the knot. It is truly mind boggling that in this day and age the couple had to jump through so many hoops to get hitched. So his mum borrowed some cash from a lover, no big deal in an Evergrande world.
Kekkon Omedeto and hopefully a long and happy life together.
Stanley Chan is quite clearly a complete twat, and a malignant twat to boot.
One look at him is enough to make this plain.
Surely it’s high time that such ne’er do wells as Chan cease adorning themselves with the garb of a superior judicial régime, and don, instead, the vestments of the political apparatchiks who do the bidding of the red dictatorship north of the fence.
Do us all a favour, Stan; come clean and ditch the horsehair.
@Mary – nice! I always love the comments section because of thoughtful and insightful nuggets, hilarious trolling, or happier stuff like yours appears. Thank you for the reminder that somewhere out there, life still goes on.
does anyone know the guitar chords for that song