CaptainFlashheart

All that is for a different discussion, however.

Please? Responding to the post from a hong Kong resident above

Don’t ask me, TJ, I’m not a mod*. If you, and others, really want to bang on about the Falklands in a thread about current affairs in HK, knock yourself out. I wouldn’t myself.

* Or am I?

Unsure whose having the bigger Moment, HK or TJ.

Back on topic.

Macau got re-absorbed back into China, are there / were there any protests there ?

@trimix Macau returned in 1999, there was trouble but it was gang related and all about gambling money
@sewartc good to catch up, good beer 👍 never know, there may be some new bomb holes to tide this weekend 😁

Sorry if I’m bothering anyone.
I’m not going to let HK fade away or be squashed.
I’ve no answers. It’s too far gone.
Anyone planning to visit, you’ll be fine.
I’m heartbroken 😞 but will never leave this amazing place. Thank you all for your time, 7 million people’s lives are potentially on the line.
Again 🙏 thnx

Not at all lougher. I stopped with the discussion around other similar issues after your request. I am very concerned by what is happening but feel the clash of two political systems / philosophies was always inevitable. What the solution now is I do not know.

CFH – I was agreeing with you. Given the request from people closer to it than me. MY “please” was asking people to respect that. Sorry if misunderstood

Ah, gotcha, TJ. Apologies for ranting, in that case! 😀

I looked at some data and saw that back in 1993 HK represented about 27% of Chinas economy, whereas now its 3%.

So I suspect anyone thinking China will go soft on HK for economic reasons is daydreaming.

So I suspect anyone thinking China will go soft on HK for economic reasons is daydreaming

It is a handy interface with the outside world so a bit more important than just the % of economy.
Its whether that is seen as a big enough problem or, perversely, whether they just decide the damage has already been done.

No worries CFH – I thought the fact I had shut up might also give a clue 🙂

Keeping this thread alive, on a bike ride yesterday and at one point of this ride we happened to get a commanding viewpoint of the old RAF base, Sek Kong, now operated by the PLA.
Dont usually pay much attention but yesterday was a little different, they seemed to be running, at reasonable speed, APC’s and jeeps up and down the runway in a contentious loop.
Airport pacification training or just a once month Italian Tune Up to keep those spark plugs and carburettors clear?
Also, please note that most video or news reports showing the build up of paramilitaries in Shenzhen is usually from the the government, its a not to subtle hint to say they have this if needed.

One thing to note is that a large bulk of Hong Kongs population is made up of people fleeing Chinas cultural revolution in the 50’s and 60’s. Hong Kong prospered because it was not China for a long period, so all the earlier comparisons to the Falkands etc. are pretty idiotic. The UK has a legal duty to protect the rights of the “two countries, one system” principle until 2047 not because of some colonial b@llshit, but because of a duty to the people of HK.

It’s my understanding that after an initial period of being “united with the motherland” the relationship between China and HK has become colonial (probably due to Xi and Chinas enlarged economy), but worse than the previous relationship due to Chinas awful human rights record and lack of freedom. From what I’ve seen the 2014 protests were probably due to lack of opportunity for young people, but these protests are more to do with extreme desperation of the destruction of the one country two systems principle (and more violent because the peaceful protests of 2014 and earlier this year were completely ignored).

It’s probably not going to end well, island building in the South China Sea, extra bridges being built from HK to the mainland and massing of troops on the border all seem to point at using force to move HK closer to China. The easy solution would be to grant limited local democracy to HK in order to determine domestic policy (like in Scotland), however China is too scared of setting a precedent for the rest of the country.

Ps. I grew up in Hong Kong, lived there before and after the handover and still know many people that live there. It’s so sad to see the place go this way, I think the expectation in the 80’s was that China would eventually reform and adopt democracy like the west. I hope that there’s a peaceful outcome out come and the rights of the people of HK are respected well beyond 2047.

Hi all ! Wee update please ignore if it’s of no concern to you. Ten days of quiet, no international interest, back to war last weekend 😩
Local government will not budge, protestors will not back down.
October 1st is 70 years of CCP (China Communist Party) the mainland wants a big happy party.
I suspect otherwise here, which may be the final straw.
Keep praying for us here please 🙏

October 1st is 70 years of CCP (China Communist Party) the mainland wants a big happy party.

I’m thinking a bike trip to Chiang Mai for that long weekend?

Suspect there will be a very large counter protest to the officially sanctioned events going on on that day so it should be interesting to say the least but maybe something better experienced from a distance.

@stewartc 👍 I’ll be in sunny 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 from mid September to end of October. I’ll come back to sweep up the debris 😛

First American Peking closes, now this!

(Bit of black humour allowed?)

Flashy, humour of any kind is a rare, welcomed commodity at this time 👍
Thnx again for your previous support 👍

Sadly this has dropped off the News feeds. It needs to be raised, but I unfortunatly dont see any likelyhood of a good outcome. The Chinese government will not lose face and back down, the puppet polititions in HK are never going to upset the mainland.

So it will end up with the protesters slowly being rounded up never to be heard of again.

The West wont step in. The UK is in the middle of a giant mess that will occupy its polititions for months to come.

If I was there Id be looking to leave.

Finally! A glimmer of hope ☺️ LAM Curry has withdrawn the Bill !
Hopefully an end to violence at least.
Long long healing process begins.
Thnx again fellas 🙏

Wishful thinking as the rumpus caused by the bill has left a lot of more outstanding issues that have stoked further protests as a result.
It has been pleasant though being able to walk around my town without the hassle of Chinese tourists everywhere, sadly things may return to pre-bill days 🙁

Stew, I did say glimmer 😜 no more fighting is paramount, I’ve too many friends and colleagues hurt 😞
Families wrecked, communities ruined. Pray for reconciliation, which will take years 😞

China wont forget. This is just to keep the protests from affecting business. Slowly things will continue to change for the worse. At least is some breathing space, but most of the citizens cant leave. They will all end up absorbed by China.

@trimix yes you are correct. Realistically HK has always been Chinese, apart from 150 odd years of British ‘occupation’.
Nevertheless, it is an international city, with citizens all over the world.
I’m rambling, but ultimately, yes, HK should be the PRC displaying it’s better face, and I’m hoping this opportunity will allow such.
Window of opportunity for peace and rebuilding is the optimistic outlook, not necessarily correct.

When chemistry graduates are faced with tear gas in Hong Kong they used chemistry to turn it into solid form, by shaking it in vinegar and rendering it useless. That’s education for you! Bravo.https://t.co/ZN2fDdoMoS

— Bernie'sTweets (@berniespofforth) September 4, 2019

China wont forget. This is just to keep the protests from affecting business. Slowly things will continue to change for the worse. At least is some breathing space, but most of the citizens cant leave. They will all end up absorbed by China.

Agree. China can learn very quickly and will probably comeback with something that will be more drastic and stealthier.

In a way China will use HK as an experiment before considering their approach to Taiwan.

How are things going out there Loughor?

He wouldnt know, I think hes in deepest darkest Wales at the mo, doudt he even has a TV signal out there.
Unless you were in the protest areas it was all very pleasant today bar high levels of polution caused by a cyclone passing through the area. 10 malls closed due to bomb threats though and 11 MTR (tube) station were also closed near the protest areas, think there were about 3 main ones today with the usual faff associated with them.
All the 3off HK residents that comment here (that I am aware of) are way away from the main areas except on occassion myself as I live near the airport but the police seem to have a handle on that now and we have not seen any major problems for a few weeks.
While out shuttling up in the New Territories the other day we did notice that a lot of the old British army apartments left deserted since 97 have all been spruced up and populated so I suspect troop numbers are definitly up (probably paramilitary police). Also parked up nearby were a lot of army lorries with cages mounted at the back, think dog catcher vans but I suspect they are designed to hold slightly larger prey.

Just speaking to some of my HK folks, and thankfully they’re safely ensconced away from the hot spots. Tsuen Wan not looking good. Point blank?

Also, very odd seeing Wan Chai like it is today.

Prepared for the worst, still hoping for the best. Stay safe, folks.

Hi fellas, we are still here, but for how much longer ?
The ‘new normal’ … five hours for a 20 minute train ride.
Fellas being set on fire.
It’s bleak, but at least the weather is good, eh @stewartc ?

I had to go on a bus today “shudders” as they had closed my local metro station @loughor.
After a couple of weeks of being relatively normal, the setting fire to other people who disagree with your thinking is now making it all a little bit stupid though possibly preferable to wading through the standard Brixit threads here.

I can’t see this ending well either unfortunately. China doesn’t do backing down and the Confucius culture doesn’t help IMO.

My partners uncle is anti the protest but I don’t know if this is a generation thing or just wanting a quiet life. (For reference some of his siblings where born in mainland but he was born in HK). He has talked bout how China has said “economic transformation first, political second”. They are obviously worried as they are thinking of sending their son to school with us but can’t find the money for school fees.

Sadly it is going to end bad, two groups neither capable of giving ground with most of the world not giving a toss, Im struggling to and I live here.

Urgh.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-52786734

Speaking to my HK team during the week, things sounded to be getting back to normal, but they also mentioned that tensions were rising again.

Hope you folks over there are all OK!

<support>

Further urgh.

Today, I reported to Congress that Hong Kong is no longer autonomous from China, given facts on the ground. The United States stands with the people of Hong Kong.

— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) May 27, 2020

Some of the news footage from Central earlier today looks dark.

The urgh continues.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-53230391