Hong Kong extradition bill

Hundreds of thousands of Hongkongers took to the streets on December 8, 2019, the day before the six-month anniversary of the anti-government protests. For the first time since August, the Civil Human Rights Front, the organizer of the march, received a letter of no objection from the police.

K-pop singer Choi Siwon — from the popular boy band Super Junior — has apologized to his 16 million Chinese fans for “liking” a post on Twitter about the Hong Kong protests. Choi, 33, liked – and later unliked – a Tweet from the South Korean newspaper Chosun on Sunday which linked to an interview with Chow Pak-kwan, the 21-year-old Hong Kong protester who was shot by a police officer at point-blank range on November 11.  Mainland internet users called for Choi to leave Super Junior. He is another public figure from the Asian entertainment world who has sparked an online backlash from nationalistic Chinese over alleged support for the anti-government protests in Hong Kong. Many commenters on

The Chinese government has tried to brush aside a historic election win by Hong Kong’s pro-democracy camp by downplaying the results in news reports and preventing internet users from talking about it.  Pro-Beijing politicians suffered a bitter defeat in Sunday’s district council elections, losing most of the seats they previously held to rivals who campaigned on their support for the monthslong anti-government protests. About 57% of the voters backed pro-democracy candidates, most of whom openly support protesters’ demands, which include an investigation into police conduct and democratic reforms.  The stunning win by the pro-democracy camp has made international headlines. It is seen as

A good friend was waiting at a bus stop in Wanchai, Hong Kong the other day while crowds of people milled past on their way to lunch. Listening to the chatter around him, he made an interesting observation. All the older people were talking about the crazy rioters and how they had wreaked terrible and unnecessary destruction on public property in Hong Kong. In the cold light of day, the senseless devastation is reminiscent of a war zone. The younger commuters were chatting about the many videoed instances of dazed demonstrators lying on the ground being kicked in the head by a reinforced police boot and the government’s lack of support for Hong Kong people. It has been a battle between a ra

Months of anti-government protests in Hong Kong have made headlines around the world. While images and stories have struck a chord with people overseas, some have been inspired to fly thousands of miles to Hong Kong to take part in demonstrations.  The South China Morning Post met two Americans who said they felt compelled to come to the city to participate in the movement as US lawmakers considered – and later passed – legislation aimed at ensuring the “sufficient autonomy” of Hong Kong from Beijing.

University students fleeing campus turmoil in Hong Kong can attend lectures at colleges in Taiwan to continue their studies, the Taiwanese authorities said on Wednesday. Students would be allowed to sit in on courses without credits for the rest of the school term, which runs from early December until January 3. “Regardless of whether they are from Taiwan or not, university students in Hong Kong whose studies have been interrupted by the protests in Hong Kong are welcome to register with a number of our universities here if they want to continue their studies,” Taiwan’s Ministry of Education said. Students who want to qualify for a degree would have to apply through the ministry. The offer

The US Senate on Tuesday passed a bill that could put diplomatic and economic pressure on the Hong Kong and Beijing governments over what American lawmakers said were human rights abuses.  While not yet law, the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act could alter the relationships between Washington, Beijing and Hong Kong. What does the act do? The bill’s sponsor, Florida Republican Marco Rubio, said it would hold accountable officials for Hong Kong’s “eroding autonomy and human rights violations.” In practice, the act calls for sanctions against anyone deemed to have violated freedoms guaranteed under Hong Kong’s Basic Law, a constitutional document that underpins the city’s special statu

Having worked for a newspaper in mainland China, Fang Kecheng is no stranger to how Beijing maintains its grip on news and information. Still, the former journalist was perturbed by the online abuse he received after broaching Hong Kong politics.  Seizing on his posts on Facebook and Weibo, Fang’s detractors have accused him of betraying China after he shared stories about the unrest in Hong Kong.  Fang said he has been bombarded with thousands of abusive messages. He quoted one as saying: “Have you not burned to death yet?” The barrage of angry messages highlights the pressure mainland Chinese commentators face to toe the official line when speaking about sensitive topics including the Hong

Hong Kong’s protest movement has led to more mass arrests this week, with the city’s leaders and protesters locked in a cycle of escalating confrontations. The rising numbers of arrests, injuries and weapons used on the streets highlight the widening gap between civilians demanding accountability and political reform and a government eager to end months of increasingly violent protests. Hundreds of people have been arrested following a bitter stand-off at the Polytechnic University that resulted in daring escapes. The university’s president said on Wednesday afternoon that about 100 protesters remained barricaded in the campus. Most of the people inside the school, including some social wor

Hong Kong leaders who claim not to know what is behind the violence strafing the streets need only look in the mirror. Their arrogance, self-entitlement and ignorance are the ultimate cause. But they are not alone, as we are seeing with their counterparts in the West, the United States’ Donald Trump, Britain’s Boris Johnson and Australia’s  Scott Morrison among them. Whatever the protesters’ demands, at the root is a struggle between baby boomers on one side and millennials and Generation Z on the other. I am surprised that the viral social media catchphrase “OK boomer” has yet to catch on in Hong Kong. Teenagers to those in their mid-30s are using it in a derogatory manner to reply to baby