opinion
By Billy Wong and Cherry Kee of the Hong Kong Committee on Children’s Rights April 30 is International Spank Out Day, urging the public to stop the corporal punishment of children. But can the policies and laws of Hong Kong comply with this objective? The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child defines corporal punishment as any punishment in which physical force is used and intended to cause some degree of pain or discomfort, however light. Corporal punishment is still the most common form of violence against children. According to data provided by End Violence Against Children, 8...
Hong Kong Free Press
While attention was focused on Singapore’s exclusive deal to host Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concerts and Lionel Messi’s absence from a Hong Kong exhibition march, the city’s jazz fans were excited at a planned visit by three times Grammy Award winner Diana Krall. I share the disappointment over Messi and Swift even though it had nothing to do with me. Krall is another story: I texted my friends about the concerts. Her live appearance in Hong Kong is a mega event, as important as an LVMH fashion show in Tsim Sha Tsui or a Mirror concert. Then I was taken aback to learn that the concert will take...
Hong Kong Free Press
Legislative Council member and Executive Council convenor Regina Ip has criticised the Hong Kong government’s aggressive, “wolf-warrior” style of addressing overseas critics, especially critics of our new national security regime. Interviewed by Ming Pao, she implied that this style (always “refute,” “firmly oppose,” “strongly condemn”) undermines Hong Kong’s ability to connect with the international community. ”Openness,” she said, is the key to success. When ”people come and money comes… this is the only way to be successful. And if it’s too much of a fighting style, it won’t work… If it’s t...
Hong Kong Free Press
Once again our government appears lost as it contemplates how to manage Hong Kong’s growing mountain of garbage. The logic of the endlessly postponed solid waste charging scheme is clear: if you charge residents to throw rubbish away, they will seek to minimise the charge by sorting it for recycling. Behaviour change. However, critical infrastructure and incentives are missing from the solid waste management scheme. Political leadership that prioritises the issue is also apparently absent. Rather, the government hasembarked on yet another trial to better understand the problems. In Hong Kong s...
Hong Kong Free Press
The finer points of civil servant staffing are not usually a hot news topic. But the latest grim update from the Civil Service Bureau was eagerly covered by Hong Kong’s English-language newspapers. It was not surprising that different reporters made different choices. The “source” was the Civil Service Bureau’s written replies to questions from legislators in response to the budget speech. These were all published on the same day, involved a great deal of repetition, and ran to no well over 300 pages. Having browsed in this heap of information, I think I would have gone for staff dismissals as...
Hong Kong Free Press
By Kris Hartley In February 2024, Hong Kong police announced plans to instal 615 new surveillance cameras in areas of the city with “high crime figures and high pedestrian flows.” The announcement also mentioned the possibility of equipping the cameras with artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. This news follows a January 2024 announcement that 2,000 surveillance cameras would be installed around the city this year. According to an RTHK article, Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk “added that he understood some people had privacy concerns, but said many other places had more CCTV cameras ...
Hong Kong Free Press
Two recently published books shed light on the relations between central and local authorities in mainland China, and provide valuable lessons for Hong Kong. In one, we see that local politicians in Wuhan failed to learn the lessons of SARS, repeating mistakes during the outbreak of Covid-19 that had disastrous consequences for the country and the world. They operated in a system designed centrally that prioritised politics and stability above all else. In the other, we see that local politicians not only accepted instructions and advice from central authorities, but also actively, persistentl...
Hong Kong Free Press
Hong Kong’s first attempt in 2003 to pass a homegrown security law failed in the face of mass protests. After the seismic changes which have shaken the city since then – culminating in the 2019 protests and unrest and the subsequent clampdown – the latest move to legislate the Basic Law’s Article 23 is a vastly different ballgame. If the legislative version watered down by the Tung Chee-hwa government in the wake of the 500,000-strong protest was rightly described as a “toothless tiger,” the 2024 proposal is a fierce beast with sharp teeth and powerful claws. When and how they will be used is ...
Hong Kong Free Press
In Hong Kong, where East and West collide, a crucial piece of legislation has long remained unresolved. Article 23 of the Basic Law, which pertains to national security, has been the subject of contentious discussion for numerous years. It is imperative to acknowledge the urgency and the meticulous coordination that the legislation necessitates as we attempt to address this long-overdue responsibility. In this article, I intend to address the relevance and significance of Article 23, the challenges it raises, and the commitment to clarity and transparency. Our capacity to navigate this complex...
Hong Kong Free Press
By Michael Boyle & Victoria Amaral Hong Kong has struggled to return tourism to pre-covid levels, leading to the government seeking novel strategies for enticing visitors back to the city. One of the recent suggestions is the staging of monthly fireworks displays over Victoria Harbour at the cost of HK$1 million per show, which the government hopes will persuade tourists to “stay an extra night.” Whether or not the questionable strategy proves successful in terms of visitor satisfaction, we can be sure of one thing: its negative impact on local wildlife. Research has shown that birds take flig...
Hong Kong Free Press
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