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☆ Family of Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Nathan Law taken in for questioning by police
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Cnn Staff | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Hong Kong police searched the family home of exiled pro-democracy activist Nathan Law on Tuesday morning, taking relatives away for questioning, the city’s public broadcaster RTHK reported, citing sources. The sweeping law was imposed by Beijing on Hong Kong in 2020, after huge pro-democracy protests roiled the semi-autonomous city. The Hong Kong government has repeatedly denied the national security law is suppressing freedoms. Law arrived in Britain in July 2020, soon after the national security law was imposed in Hong Kong. He criticized the national security law as being used to “suppress dissenting voices,” and reiterated his hope for Hong Kong to one day gain full democracy.

Persons: Nathan Law, John Lee, Lee, Hong, Law, ”, “, Hong Kongers Organizations: CNN, Hong, RTHK, HK, Tung, Law, ”, . Law Locations: Hong Kong, Western, United States, Canada, Britain, Australia, Beijing

☆ In Hong Kong, homes for the dead can be more expensive than for the living
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Shan Sum, a private columbarium tower in the Kwai Chung district of Hong Kong on June 2. The wavy exterior of Shan Sum, a private columbarium tower in the Kwai Chung district of Hong Kong on June 2. Architect Ulrich Kirchhoff at Shan Sum, a private columbarium tower in the Kwai Chung district of Hong Kong on June 2. The entrance of Shan Sum, a private columbarium tower in the Kwai Chung district of Hong Kong on June 2. Niche compartments to store urns at Shan Sum, a private columbarium tower in the Kwai Chung district of Hong Kong on June 2.

Persons: Noemi Cassanelli, Shan, Kwai Chung, Shan Sum’s, Ulrich Kirchhoff, Feng Shui, Margaret Zee, Zee, “, it’s, ” Zee, “ It’s, they’ve, Hong Kong’s, Hong Kongers, Cassanelli, Shun Sum, Pan Tong, Zee’s, Guanyin, I’m, ” Tong Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, HK, CNN, Hong Kong’s Consumer Council, Hong, Food, Environmental Hygiene Department Locations: Hong Kong, German, Kwai Chung, Kwai, Fanling, New York City, Hong, Shan

☆ Lawyer wanted by Hong Kong says he was exercising his rights in Australia
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The Hong Kong police and security bureau did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Hong Kong says 260 people have been arrested under the law, 79 of them convicted for offences including subversion and terrorism. China and Hong Kong say it was necessary to restore stability in the financial hub. Yam said he started speaking out about the rule of law in Hong Kong and the crackdown because his friends were in jail. Reporting by Kirsty Needham in Sydney; Additional reporting by James Pomfret and Jessie Pang in Hong Kong; Editing by William MallardOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kevin Yam, Yam, Mao Ning, Anthony Albanese, Hong, Ted Hui, Richard McGregor, Kirsty Needham, James Pomfret, Jessie Pang, William Mallard Organizations: SYDNEY, Hong, HK, Hong Kong, of Australia, Law Society of Hong, Lowy Institute, Thomson Locations: Australian, Hong Kong, Hong, Australia, China, Beijing, British, Law Society of Hong Kong, Sydney

HONG KONG, July 4 (Reuters) - Hong Kong chief executive John Lee said on Tuesday eight overseas-based Hong Kong activists who were issued with arrest warrants for alleged national security offences, would be "pursued for life". Hong Kong police issued arrest warrants for the eight overseas-based activists on Monday, accusing them of national security offences, including foreign collusion and incitement to secession, and offered rewards for information leading to their arrest. They are wanted under a national security law that Beijing imposed on Hong Kong in 2020. Both these countries have criticised the national security law for being used to suppress Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement. Chinese and Hong Kong authorities say the law has restored the stability necessary for preserving Hong Kong's economic success.

Persons: John Lee, Lee, Nathan Law, Anna Kwok, Finn Lau, Dennis Kwok, Ted Hui, Kevin Yam, Mung Siu, Yuan Gong, James, Hong Kong's, Hong, James Pomfret, Donny Kwok, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Hong Kong, HK, U.S . State Department, Hong, Inter, Parliamentary Alliance, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, Hong Kong, Hong, United States, Britain, Australia, Beijing, China

☆ Hong Kong protest anthem vanishes from online music platforms after government seeks full ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The ballad contains lyrics that reference the phrase “liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times,” a protest slogan that has been already outlawed in 2020 for what the government and courts have declared are the phrase’s secessionist and subversive connotations. Users in the US cannot purchase the song on Apple Music either, although it also still yields search results on the platform. Following its 1997 handover to China, Hong Kong was promised key freedoms and autonomy to run its own affairs. The head of Amnesty International’s China team, Sarah Brooks, described the government’s move to outlaw the song as “absurd.”“The Hong Kong government must end its increasingly fervent crackdown on freedom of expression. Playing the song in public in Hong Kong is now fraught with legal risk.

Persons: Hong Kong ”, ”, “ ThomasDGX, Hong Kong, Hong Kong’s, John Lee –, –, Sarah Brooks, ” Brooks, Hong Kongers, Carl Court, Queen Elizabeth II Organizations: CNN, Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Google, Department of Justice, RTHK, Amnesty, “, Volunteers Locations: Hong Kong, United States, South Korea, Australia, Taiwan, China, Hong, Beijing

☆ Tiananmen Square masacre anniversary: vigils go global as authorities in China and Hong Kong stamp out remembrance
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“I think it’s sad to say that what Beijing and Hong Kong are doing is trying to erase history and the memory,” said Kevin Yam, a former lawyer in Hong Kong, who will be attending a ceremony in Melbourne, Australia, where he now resides. “Hong Kong has been carrying the torch for commemorating the Tiananmen massacre, keeping the legacy alive. When the museum was shut down, with the Hong Kong alliance’s leaders in prison, we knew it was a critical moment,” he said. Thousands gathered at a candlelit vigil in Hong Kong on June 4, 2017, to mark 28 years since China's bloody Tiananmen Square crackdown. “It is true that the commemorations around June 4th have expanded and become more global since it has become impossible to do anything in Hong Kong,” he told CNN.

Persons: Tyrone Siu, Hong Kongers, ”, Kevin Yam, Zhou, Zhou Fengsuo, Wang Dan, Hong Kong’s, “, Hong Kong, Isaac Lawrence, Chris Tang –, –, Louise Delmotte, Richard Tsoi, Catherine Henriette, Jens Galschiot, Anthony Kwan, Kongers Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Communist Party, Reuters, CNN, Hong, People’s Liberation Army, Authorities, Getty, Victoria Park, Chinese Communist Party, Hong Kong Alliance, Police, . Police, of, Los, “, Britain –, London Locations: Hong Kong, China, Victoria, Beijing, Australia, Japan, Taiwan, Europe, United States, Canada, Melbourne, New York, York, “ Hong Kong, Hong, AFP, Tiananmen, Berlin, Danish, Germany, Los Angeles, Boston, Norway, Causeway, Britain, Nottingham, Manchester, London

☆ Opinion | Hong Kong’s Memory Is Being Erased
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Louisa Lim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

In Hong Kong the silence has set in much more quickly. I worked in Hong Kong’s once-cacophonous newsrooms and covered its boisterous protest rallies. Now most Hong Kong journalists I know have fallen silent. After a draconian national security law was imposed on Hong Kong in 2020, at least 12 news outlets closed down, including the popular, pro-democracy Apple Daily. History is identity, and to challenge this foundational tenet of Hong Kongers’ experience is to assault their identity.

WASHINGTON, March 15 (Reuters) - Forty of the 100 U.S. senators co-sponsored a resolution on Wednesday urging a strong U.S. government response to any Chinese efforts to clamp down on dissent in Hong Kong, including the use of sanctions and other tools. The resolution is non-binding, but is intended to convey a strong sense that lawmakers are closely watching events in China and will respond. China imposed a national security law on Hong Kong in 2020 outlawing acts including subversion with up to life in prison. The law has been criticized by some Western governments as a tool to crush dissent, but the Chinese and Hong Kong governments say it has restored stability to the city after protracted pro-democracy protests in 2019. Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Hong Kong court convicts 3 members of Tiananmen vigil group for security offence
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( Jessie Pang | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

HONG KONG, March 4 (Reuters) - Three former members of a Hong Kong group that organised annual vigils to mark China's 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, were found guilty on Saturday of not complying with a national security police request for information. Prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy activist and barrister Chow Hang-tung, 38, was among those convicted by the magistrate court. Chow is a former vice-chairperson of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China. The national security law, which punishes acts including subversion and collusion with foreign forces has been criticised by some Western governments as a tool to crush dissent. Chinese and Hong Kong officials say the law is necessary to restore stability to the city after the city's protracted anti-China protests in 2019.

HONG KONG, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Hong Kong is under pressure to rein in spending when it unveils its annual budget on Wednesday, after racking up huge fiscal deficits during the COVID-19 pandemic and as it struggles to kick-start the economy and regain its financial lustre. "However, as our economy stabilises, we have to make adjustments to our fiscal measures accordingly." That compares with a shortfall of HK$56.3 billion or 1.9% of GDP, projected by the government in its budget last year. Hong Kong hewed closely to China's zero-COVID policies -- imposing some of the world's toughest measures including lengthy quarantines for inbound travellers and social distancing rules that hurt the tourism, retail and catering sectors. ($1 = 7.8306 Hong Kong dollars)Reporting by Jessie Pang and Donny Kwok; Writing by James Pomfret; Editing by Jacqueline WongOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Biden Extends Protections for Hong Kong Residents in U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Andrew Restuccia | Charles Hutzler | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—Hong Kong residents in the U.S. will be permitted to stay for at least two years even if their visas expire, under a White House order preventing their deportation to the city, where China has imposed a withering crackdown on political dissent. In a memorandum issued on Thursday, President Biden extended the Deferred Enforced Departure program for Hong Kong residents, which offers legal protections to Hong Kongers currently in the U.S. Those protections were set to expire on Feb 5.

London CNN —China has removed its consul-general and five other British-based diplomats wanted by police for questioning in connection to the alleged beating of a Hong Kong protester in the English city of Manchester. The Chinese Embassy said the consul-general returned to China under a “normal rotation of Chinese consular officials” and had completed his term of office. Hong Kong protester Bob Chan shows a photograph of his injuries at a news conference in London on October 19. According to protest organizers, around 60 demonstrators had gathered outside the Manchester consulate to protest Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s consolidation of power. Under the law, protesters and activists have been jailed, newsrooms shut, civic society dismantled and formal political opposition effectively wiped out.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee delivers his first annual policy address at the Legislative Council in Hong Kong, China October 19, 2022. REUTERS/Tyrone SiuHONG KONG, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Hong Kong's Chief Executive John Lee said in his inaugural policy address on Wednesday that he wanted to bolster the city's competitiveness and attract more overseas talent, including graduates from top global universities. Lee, a former career policeman with limited financial expertise, also stressed in his speech that further safeguarding the city's national security would remain a priority, with more national security laws currently being explored. "Apart from actively nurturing and retaining local talents, the government will proactively trawl the world for talents," Lee said in his speech to local lawmakers. ($1 = 7.8499 Hong Kong dollars)Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by James Pomfret, Clare Jim and Donny Kwok; Writing by James Pomfret; Editing by Simon Cameron-MooreOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

HONG KONG, Oct 19 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Solving Hong Kong's brain drain problem need not be complicated. Leader John Lee hopes lower property taxes and a new visa scheme will persuade foreign talent not to move to destinations like Singapore. As a result, Hong Kong's mid-year population dipped 1.6% to 7.29 million - the steepest year-on-year drop on record. Non-residents are also eligible to apply for a refund of the extra stamp duty paid for buying property in Hong Kong once they become a permanent resident. Lee may be ignoring them, but the main policy solutions are staring him in the face.

☆ Hong Kong says it won't seize the $500 million Russian oligarch yacht docked in its waters, as there is 'no legal basis' for the move
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A $500 million superyacht believed to be owned by a sanctioned Russian oligarch is in Hong Kong. Hong Kong leader John Lee said there's "no legal basis" to seize the vessel. The US has warned Hong Kong against being a "safe haven" for sanctioned oligarchs. But Hong Kong has not taken any action against the yacht. "I'm not going to comment on the effects of such barbaric act because officials in Hong Kong do what is right to protect the interests of the country and the interests of Hong Kong.

Over 2,500 people lined up to offer condolences to Queen Elizabeth II outside the British consulate in Hong Kong on September 12, 2022. It originally defined sedition as speech that brought “hatred or contempt” against the Queen, her heirs, or the Hong Kong government. The colonial flag of Hong Kong and images of Queen Elizabeth are placed outside the British Consulate in Hong Kong on September 12. “I feel angry that the Hong Kong government is not showing any respect properly (to the Queen). Since the introduction of the national security law, Britain has created what it calls a path to citizenship via a new type of visa.

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