Where are Hong Kong’s protesters now? | The Take

Many of Hong Kong’s leading pro-democracy activists have been arrested, intimidated, or forced into exile in recent years as mainland China tightens its control. The latest security law to be passed, known as Article 23, has been called the “last nail in the coffin” for Hong Kong’s civil society.  But those who still hold hope for change in the region are searching for new ways to keep the protest movement alive. 

China offers bounty for Hong Kong activists abroad

Finn Lau, who lives in exile in London, has criticized China for its politics concerning Hong Kong. Beijing is offering a high reward for his capture.
 

What is that? Rare animal sighting delights onlookers

 

A group of sailing instructors in Hong Kong were treated to the sight of a breaching whale, rarely seen in the region.

Experts believe it to be a Bryde’s whale, which feeds by opening its mouth widely and filtering small fish through small hanging plates called baleen.

Hong Kong’s last standing protesters defying Beijing’s security law

Hong Kong’s civil society has been decimated by a Beijing-imposed security law that has all but silenced the political opposition. 47 of the city’s best-known critics are facing possible life in prison after being charged with conspiracy to subvert the State. They took part in an unofficial election, and they’ve faced more than two years in detention before their trial has even begun.

What happens when Hong Kong opens its borders to the mainland, where cases are surging?

How ready is Asia for COVID's big chance to escape China once again? The world's most populous nation was cut off from the rest of the world for three years. Now it's dropped lockdowns, other quarantine rules and mass testing.

Could China be seeing Hongkongers’ visa applications? - BBC Newsnight

 

Protests in China this week against Covid restrictions and the country's authoritarian rule were reminiscent of the violent crackdown seen in Hong Kong two years ago.  Since then the UK has given sanctuary to more than 140,000 people from the former British territory.  Many of those applied for visas through a locally based private company that carries out work on behalf of the Home Office. But Newsnight and BBC Eye has learned of concerns over who has access to the information of those applying for visas. 

Hong Kong residents show support for mainland China Covid protests

Dozens of protesters gathered in Hong Kong in solidarity with anti-lockdown demonstrations in mainland China. The protest was held to commemorate the 10 people who died in a fire in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang region, and show solidarity with the protests that took place over the weekend in cities across China against stringent Covid-19 measures.

Hong Kong police warned some protesters for violating a ban on gatherings of groups of 12 or more people and cordoned off the area to record protesters' identities. They were then allowed to leave

Right to Report: Press Freedom in Hong Kong

 

Journalists have been arrested and news organisations forced to close. We investigate the state of press freedom in Hong Kong.

One of Hong Kong’s most popular newspapers no longer exists; its founder sits behind bars. Some journalists are fleeing the city, afraid they could be next to see the inside of a prison cell.

Since the implementation of a national security law, dozens of journalists have been arrested and major news outlets forced to close.

Right to Report: Press Freedom in Hong Kong

 

Journalists have been arrested and news organisations forced to close. We investigate the state of press freedom in Hong Kong.

One of Hong Kong’s most popular newspapers no longer exists; its founder sits behind bars. Some journalists are fleeing the city, afraid they could be next to see the inside of a prison cell.

Since the implementation of a national security law, dozens of journalists have been arrested and major news outlets forced to close.

Watch: Hong Kong's iconic floating restaurant towed away

 

Jumbo Floating Restaurant, a tourism icon in Hong Kong's Aberdeen harbour, has been towed away.

The restaurant, styled to look like a Chinese imperial palace, closed its doors to the public

Yuli: A domestic worker reports on Hong Kong’s historic protests

 

An Indonesian domestic worker becomes a fearless citizen journalist on the front lines of Hong Kong’s historic protests.

When mass protests break out against a controversial extradition bill in Hong Kong, an Indonesian domestic worker emerges as a powerful voice.

Amid the water cannon and tear gas, Yuli reports as a citizen journalist from the frontlines.

She writes stories and livestreams video to her digital platform “Migran Pos” in Bahasa-Indonesian, giving her fellow migrant workers and their families back home a rare insight into unfolding events.

Suddenly Yuli is arrested for a visa technicality, and her story attracts international media attention.

When Yuli is detained, she writes about her experiences and realises the power of her words.

This is from two years ago at the height of the protests in Hong Kong against China's new national security law. 

Hong Kong's Omicron crisis: ‘It took just 10 days for everyone to be infected’

 

More than 9,000 people have died of Covid-19 in Hong Kong since the start of the year, giving it one of the highest fatality rates in the world.

Over half of those to die in the latest wave were care home residents.

BBC Chinese was given rare access to one such home.

‘If I die no-one will know’: Covid and Hong Kong’s 'cage men'

 

 

For almost two years Hong Kong managed to control the spread of Covid-19, not at least due to China’s controversial zero-Covid policy. But the Omicron variant overwhelmed the healthcare system. The city recorded the highest death rate in the world. Many of those affected are the city’s underprivileged and elderly.

Will Hong Kong’s new leader further erode freedoms there?

 

John Lee is the former security chief who led the crackdown on pro-democracy protesters.

The result was a foregone conclusion because there was only one candidate to choose from.

Following a secret ballot, Hong Kong has a new leader.

John Lee is due to replace Carrie Lam as chief executive on July 1.

The staunch China loyalist was elected by a committee of around 1,500 members, all vetted to ensure their patriotism to Chinese President Xi Jinping and Beijing.

A Fascinating Look At The 1966 Chinese Cultural Revolution

 

Hong Kong media outlet Stand News to close after police raid

The most prominent pro-democracy media outlet still operating in Hong Kong, Stand News, said it will shut down after police raided its offices, froze its assets and arrested senior journalists and former board members including pop star Denise Ho.

Authorities deployed an anti-sedition law in their crackdown that was drawn up under British colonial rule and had not been used for decades. A senior police officer accused the online site of “inciting hatred” against the Hong Kong government in news articles and interviews.

Activists warned this approach could be used to criminalise almost any critical reporting on the Hong Kong government, and the UN and media watchdogs CPJ and RSF condemned the crackdown as an attack on press freedom.

In 1997 after years of negotiation between China and Great Briton Hong Kong was handed back after more than 100 years as a British colony.  The terms negotiated allowed for a free press and speech, universal suffrage and to be free of interference from the mainland for 50 years.  As Xi Jinping consolidated his power after becoming premier the political atmosphere began to change in Hong Kong.  One of the most alarming changes was the kidnaping of several book store owners whose shops sold works critical of Xi Jinping and the CCP.   These men would turn up months later on CCTV confessing to crimes that weren't crimes in Hong Kong. It was the start of a campaign of intimidation that has only escalated since 2019 and the pro democracy protests that took place in the city over the now imposed national security law.  

Hong Kong university removes Tiananmen sculpture

 

Workers at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) removed a large sculpture commemorating the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing early Thursday.

Hong Kong elections: How China reshaped the city

 

Hong Kong's unique freedoms have been removed one by one by Beijing through a national security law and an electoral "patriots" rule.

Ahead of the Legislative Council (Legco) elections on 19 December, and as more people have been sentenced to jail, we explain how Hong Kong’s global identity has changed forever.

Hong Kong: Candle in the Wind

 

A year after Hong Kong introduced a draconian security law, 101 East meets the activists who refuse to be silenced.

In Hong Kong, dissent has become a dangerous business. Activists have been jailed and many opposition politicians have been imprisoned and are facing criminal charges.

As the political crackdown intensifies, 101 East follows three Hong Kongers who refuse to be silenced, despite the risks.

China’s Free Trade Mecca

 

With its beaches, duty-free shopping and booming real estate, could the tropical island of Hainan become China’s new Hong Kong?

Hainan – a tropical island in the country’s south, known as the “Hawaii of China” – is a playground for the rich and a sought-after destination for retirees.

Once dominated by sleepy fishing villages, it’s undergoing a rapid transformation, with new marinas for luxury yachts, five-star resorts and duty-free shopping.