advertisement


Events in Hong Kong turning ugly

S

SteveT

Guest
So where are all the keyboard warriors hiding as events unfold in Hong Kong. I cannot believe that all those posters on Pink Fish who are so easily offended to the point that they become incandescent with rage and apoplectic at the slightest whiff of someones human rights being threatened/tampered/marginalized in this country would be turning a blind eye to the human rights abuses currently taking place in Hong Kong.

I seem to recall on a different thread that I believed that no one would be interested because Hong Kong is a long way away. That the individuals concerned are not like "us". They eat different food to us, etc. If only they were Palestinians then they would have hordes of supporters fighting their cause albeit from the safety of their armchairs. How racist is that? Sinophobic idealogues hiding in plain site on Pink Fish. Who would have thought it possible?
 
Well, been listening on the BBC and following coverage. I'm with them and their aims, but can't help thinking there is going to be a tragedy of repression when China swats them down.
I hope not.
 
It's a bit more complicated than that though isn't it ? HK was always part of China; it just had a 150 hiatus of British rule. Hong Kongers are Chinese, albeit ones used to more freedoms than mainlanders. It is not clear if the protests will have positive or negative outcomes. As they say: "Interesting times".
ps it is not comparable to Palestine in any way except for us Brits f23456 things up.
 
I fear the record of Western democracies encouraging 'freedom' movements in remote countries over which they have little or no control or influence is not encouraging.
 
The Chinese undertook to retain essentially the same rules for 50 years after we handed it back. They have gone back on that. I hate to drag Brexit into yet another thread, but I wonder if their calculation was that the U.K. government would be a) distracted, and b) not minded to make an issue of it given that we’d likely be looking for a trade deal soon enough.
 
^^ are you joking ? All we need now is for BJ to threaten China while the rest of the world dies laughing.
 
  • Like
Reactions: vuk
Anyone who has been a regular visitor to HKG since the early 1990s until last year, would have seen the changes. China has been chipping away at HKG for decades, with little attention from people anywhere. It bears little resemblance to the UK governed HKG in many ways.

I for one am not surprised. Unfortunately China will get it's way in both HKG and Macau.
 
I don't have a lot of sympathy now, as they achieved their initial objective in shelving the extradition threat and the violence the protesters (among others) have caused is making the rebellion look like a runaway train. The P.R.C. troops are already stationed in H.K., awaiting a request for help from the pro Beijing government. It won't be long before Beijing insists that they're invited to intervene.

Everything is suffering in this previously successful Asian tiger, and Taiwan openly sympathising with the protesters really isn't achieving any Brownie points for Taiwan. Luckily there are elections in January (?) when a more benevolently pro Beijing government might be ushered in. It's pretty obvious that Beijing isn't on the cusp of caving in by allowing full democracy. I agree with a previous poster that Britain (et al) should keep their nose(s) out.

The demonstrators, as far as I can see from TV coverage, do have a youngish demographic, which again, does not bode well for maturity of thought. Hong Kongers were hardly on their uppers, unlike Venezuela among others.
 
I feel sorry for Hong Kong.

And nobody really cares on pfm, it's true. My thread about it lasted 2 pages. Most comments were puerile and uncaring.
 
These kinds of things, continuing demonstrations and the like, can easily take on a life of their own. What started as a protest against extradition is now continuing as large numbers now are opposing police brutality. Not sure how patient China will be and if they will take a hard line how the protesters will respond. Can't see China playing the long game though when it knows it can 'immobilise' any continuing demonstrations. The protesters are brave souls but no match for the army.
 
I have a nasty feeling that HK is about to know what a “Special Administrative Region” is, China seems to be going backwards ATM, Chinese people I know joke darkly that if they want to know what China will look like in the future they look at North Korea, they have been clamping down on vpn on China, apparently it’s well nigh impossible to get one working now.
 
SteveT said:
So where are all the keyboard warriors hiding as events unfold in Hong Kong. I cannot believe that all those posters on Pink Fish who are so easily offended to the point that they become incandescent with rage and apoplectic at the slightest whiff of someones human rights being threatened/tampered/marginalized in this country would be turning a blind eye to the human rights abuses currently taking place in Hong Kong.

I seem to recall on a different thread that I believed that no one would be interested because Hong Kong is a long way away. That the individuals concerned are not like "us". They eat different food to us, etc. If only they were Palestinians then they would have hordes of supporters fighting their cause albeit from the safety of their armchairs. How racist is that? Sinophobic idealogues hiding in plain site on Pink Fish. Who would have thought it possible?
Click to expand...

Is this thread about HK, or your febrile thoughts on pfm?

richgilb said:
Most comments were puerile and uncaring.
Click to expand...

Whatever?
 
Snufkin said:
Like many things in life, its complicated and as an example there is this headline on aljazeera.com:
A lack of affordable housing feeds Hong Kong's discontent
Click to expand...

A senior collegue is based in the HK since moving there from the UK in 2006. He cites the ridiculous housing costs in HK as a large contributer to the feeling of discontent and hopelessness in the young. They see a bleak future ahead and are fighting for change and know that in their lifetimes HK will fall completely under Chinese rule.

Earlier today I was asking whether he still felt safe in HK and whether we needed to start considering the future of our office there. He is adamant that Sky and other news reports he see's are describing a completely different country & vibe to the one he lives in. Brinkmanship and face saving are the order of the day and he is adamant the China threat isn't going to happen. Violent idiots are spoiling any attempts at peaceful protests and their cause, and the media lap it up. Apparently a retired Police Commisioner who quelled things in 2014 has been brought back in and he is bringing things back under control. The Gov closed the airport to gain support and have been letting the protesters into the arrivals hall for the last 4 or 5 weekends. All mind games he reckons.

I haven't followed it closely enough to have much of an opinion, but thats the POV from a highly travelled Brit who has lived there for 13 years.
 
mondie said:
A senior collegue is based in the HK since moving there from the UK in 2006. He cites the ridiculous housing costs in HK as a large contributer to the feeling of discontent and hopelessness in the young. They see a bleak future ahead and are fighting for change and know that in their lifetimes HK will fall completely under Chinese rule.

Earlier today I was asking whether he still felt safe in HK and whether we needed to start considering the future of our office there. He is adamant that Sky and other news reports he see's are describing a completely different country & vibe to the one he lives in. Brinkmanship and face saving are the order of the day and he is adamant the China threat isn't going to happen. Violent idiots are spoiling any attempts at peaceful protests and their cause, and the media lap it up. Apparently a retired Police Commisioner who quelled things in 2014 has been brought back in and he is bringing things back under control. The Gov closed the airport to gain support and have been letting the protesters into the arrivals hall for the last 4 or 5 weekends. All mind games he reckons.

I haven't followed it closely enough to have much of an opinion, but thats the POV from a highly travelled Brit who has lived there for 13 years.
Click to expand...

that pretty much concurs with the messages I am getting. I have spent alot of time in HKG, from about 1996-2003 I was spending about 3 months per year there, and I was still visiting twice per up until last year.
 
I dont think China is in much of a hurry to do anything drastic.

The longer this goes on the less support the anarchists have from HK's inhabitants and the world.

China will get it's way.
 
“Anarchists”? Interesting way of describing pro-democracy protestors who are standing up to a brutal authoritarian Communist state.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


advertisement


Back
Top