EDITORIAL: Recall officials in Hong Kong
The government on Monday expressed concern that Taiwanese officials in Hong Kong would be required to return home at the end of the year, as the territory has so far not responded to requests to renew their visas.
This is probably for the best, given that the Hong Kong government likely acting on instructions from Beijing has demanded that the Taiwanese officials sign documents acknowledging Beijing’s “one China” principle. To do so would effectively cede the Republic of China’s sovereignty claims, which would be counter to President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) policy of not acknowledging the so-called “1992 consensus.”
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4 Pro-Democracy Hong Kongers Sentenced to Over 4 Years Jail
Four Hong Kong activists were found guilty on May 5 and sentenced to jail for their involvement in unauthorized anti-Beijing gatherings on National Day protests in October 2019.
The heaviest jail term of four years and eight months was handed to 40-year-old janitor Chan Hang, who was caught on camera throwing objects at police and burning a banner on the street during unrest in Tsuen Wan that day, the South China Morning Post reported. He was convicted of rioting and arson.
Judge Ernest Michael Lin Kam-hung sentenced the remaining three Chan Kam-kwok, a 21-year-old kitchen worker; Lee Chun-man, a 27-year-old programmer; and Kwok Siu-kam, a 24-year-old social work assistant to jail terms over four years. They were convicted despite a lack of evidence that they had committed any violent acts, SCMP reported.
Why Martin Lee’s Arrest Is Such a Worrying Sign
For many, the arrest and conviction of Hong Kong’s “father of democracy” signal a cataclysmic shift in the city’s political climate.
May 03, 2021
Pro-democracy activist Martin Lee, center, walks out from a court after receiving a suspended sentence in Hong Kong, Friday, April 16, 2021.
Credit: AP Photo/Vincent Yu
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On a sunny day in early 1988, Martin Lee addressed a crowd of Hong Kong people advocating for direct elections in the city, which was then a British colony. The government had just announced a White Paper proposal to add only 10 seats of directly-elected councillors in the 1991 elections – a move pro-democracy activists like Lee saw as a slap in the face to residents fighting for a say in their home.
Hong Kong Passes Immigration Law That Could Ban People From Leaving City, US ‘Deeply Concerned’
Hong Kong passed a new immigration law on April 28 that gives authorities the power to prevent people from entering and leaving the city, raising concerns that Chinese mainland style “exit bans” will be implemented in the financial hub. The United States expressed that it is “deeply concerned” about the new law. Meanwhile, a recent study shows that more than half of the local youth that took part in the survey want to leave Hong Kong in the future.
According to the public broadcasting service Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK), the Hong Kong Legislative Council (LegCo) passed the “Immigration Amendment Bill 2020” in the third reading on April 28. The bill passed easily as most opposition lawmakers had already resigned.