Hong Kong on edge ahead of sensitive Chinese anniversary

[webfact]

Hong Kong on edge ahead of sensitive Chinese anniversary

 

Riot police officers detain anti-government protesters during a demonstration at Admiralty district in Hong Kong, China September 29, 2019. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

 

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong's metro stations and roads re-opened on Monday, after a chaotic weekend that saw police fire water cannon, tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters who set fires and threw petrol bombs outside government offices and across central districts.

 

Residents of the former British colony awoke to roads, shop fronts and buildings across the financial centre daubed in graffiti, windows in government buildings smashed and parts of pavements uprooted by protesters.

 

Most shops, restaurants and cafes stretching from the main Central business district to the bustling tourist area of Causeway Bay closed early on Sunday as police and demonstrators faced off in sometimes violent clashes into the night.

 

The Chinese territory remains on edge ahead of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic on Oct. 1, with authorities eager to avoid scenes that could embarrass the central government in Beijing as activists plan mass protests.

 

In some of the worst and most widespread violence in more than three months of anti-government unrest, the Asian financial hub marked the fifth anniversary over the weekend of the start of the "Umbrella" protests, a series of pro-democracy demonstrations in 2014 that failed to wrestle concessions from Beijing. 

 

The city’s leader, Carrie Lam, the focus of the unrest, is set to leave for Beijing on Monday to celebrate the anniversary.

 

Lam had sent out invitations "requesting the pleasure of your company" at a flag-raising ceremony and National Day reception at the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai on Tuesday.

 

It was not immediately clear why she had the change of heart but the government said Chief Secretary for Administration Matthew Cheung Kin-chung would stand in for her.

 

A series of strikes is planned on Monday as well as multiple demonstrations across the city on Tuesday.

 

Protesters are angry about what they see as creeping interference by Beijing in their city's affairs despite a promise of autonomy when British rule ended in 1997.

 

The trigger for the protests was planned legislation, now withdrawn, that would have allowed people to be sent to mainland China for trial, despite Hong Kong having its own much-respected independent judiciary.

 

The protests have since broadened into calls for universal suffrage.

 

Police said in a statement on Monday that an officer had to fire a warning shot to protect their own safety after they were "surrounded and attacked by a large group of violent protesters" on Sunday.

 

By early morning on Monday all MTR metro stations on the city's main island were open as normal and stores had re-opened.

 

Many restaurants and stores have had to repeatedly shut with the protests taking a growing toll on the city's economy as it faces its first recession in a decade.

 

(Writing by Farah Master; Editing by Stephen Coates)

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-09-30

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[curlylekan]

Go Hong Kong. I pray for you, Xinjiang, and Tibet, and Germany

[Bundooman]

The city’s leader, Carrie Lam, the focus of the unrest, is set to leave for Beijing on Monday to celebrate the anniversary.

That sounds ominously like she has been recalled. Ms Lam to fade away.

Heaven help HK if a new replacement is on the way to ensure China doesn't lose face!

[StreetCowboy]

1 hour ago, rhyddid said:

The game is getting harder and intense, China is playing smartly, just seat and watch, still doing nothing.

Let's the gwei lo play as they will, then when no one will think about China will act

The play is not about students, those are just the little pawns, it's much greater, among the giants of west vs those from east.

I think its about economic discontent amongst the young people of Hong Kong, who feel that they have been disenfranchsed economically for ever by the great houses of Hong Kong property and industry.   I think that's why so many Hongkies are willing to come and work on my project.

[Jack Mountain]

Nathan Rich. Extradition Bill ('reason' why the Riots started) explained (starting 6:40)

 

[Thailand]

Tend to think there is an awful lot of orchestration of the riots from the mainland to make it worse so they can try to claim the high ground.

However, at the end of the the day the protestors are on a loser, Hong Kong belongs to China and that is not going to change and the U.K.!US etc are not coming to the rescue.

Taiwan on the other hand is another one altogether and the US will be providing support for their upcoming conflict with the mainland once HK has been suppressed.

[Scott]

Inflammatory post removed.   Keep it civil.  

 

[Morch]

 

@Jack Mountain

 

And you somehow see Nathan Rich as an objective source on things China in general, and the HK protests in particular?

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathan_Rich#YouTube

 

 

 

 

Edited October 1, 2019 by Morch

[Jack Mountain]

58 minutes ago, Morch said:

 

@Jack Mountain

 

And you somehow see Nathan Rich as an objective source on things China in general, and the HK protests in particular?

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathan_Rich#YouTube

 

 

 

 

Thx. Didn't know him but he looks like  an interesting person ... with a wide first hand experience. Maybe the new Julian Assange?

How do you think about JA btw? Just to get an impression who you are ...

[champers]

Anyone see the 70th Anniversay parade today from Beijing? At turns it was frightening and fascinating. There is a determination to re-unite all of China, so Taiwan and HK beware.

I watched on the state run CGTN (China Global Television Network) channel with English commentary.

[Jingthing]

1 minute ago, champers said:

Anyone see the 70th Anniversay parade today from Beijing? At turns it was frightening and fascinating. There is a determination to re-unite all of China, so Taiwan and HK beware.

I watched on the state run CGTN (China Global Television Network) channel with English commentary.

Yeah. I'm avoiding Chinese restaurants today. Unbridled nationalism puts me off my food. 

[tonbridgebrit]

3 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Yeah. I'm avoiding Chinese restaurants today. Unbridled nationalism puts me off my food. 

Do you really think that people avoiding Chinese restaurants and take-aways in America and Europe is going to hurt the Beijing regime ? Off-course it will not.

You've got to bear in mind that them Chinese you see in California. Most of them are actually born in California, harming them people is not going to hurt the Beijing  government. And them Chinese you see in Orange County, they're actually a bunch of Vietnamese born in Orange County. It's their parents and/or their grandparents who were born in Vietnam. Why go and boycott their Chinese take-away food shops ? It's absurd.

[tifino]

the best thing would be for all resident HongKongodonians... is to stay home on the day!

 

... absolutely NO ONE turn up at the psuedo red square parade of Hong Kong

 

For everyone to turn their backs on the mainlanders... is a snub much safer than confrontation

[tonbridgebrit]

10 hours ago, Thailand said:

Tend to think there is an awful lot of orchestration of the riots from the mainland to make it worse so they can try to claim the high ground.

However, at the end of the the day the protestors are on a loser, Hong Kong belongs to China and that is not going to change and the U.K.!US etc are not coming to the rescue.

Taiwan on the other hand is another one altogether and the US will be providing support for their upcoming conflict with the mainland once HK has been suppressed.

The riots in Hong Kong are partly orchestrated from the mainland ????

So the rioters you see throwing Molotov cocktails and bricks might be supported by Beijing, Beijing has infiltrated the riots, to make the rioters look bad ? Well, if that is the case, why can't the rioters/demonstraters look at all those who are throwing petrol bombs and bricks, and attack them ???


What about Taiwan ? You really think Washington will declare World War Three on China because some Chinese in Taiwan want to declare independence ? That's not true. If America does have a war against China, it's not because of Taiwan or Tibet, or Hong Kong. It's because Washington wants to clear the trade deficit and debt with China, that's why their might be a war between America and China.
And don't forget about history. Britain fought two wars against China back in the 1800s, the Opium Wars. It was all about exporting goods/opium to China. It's all about trade.

[tonbridgebrit]

4 minutes ago, tifino said:

the best thing would be for all resident HongKongodonians... is to stay home on the day!

 

... absolutely NO ONE turn up at the psuedo red square parade of Hong Kong

 

For everyone to turn their backs on the mainlanders... is a snub much safer than confrontation

Them people in Hong Kong, yes, stay at home today, the 70th annivesary of the founding of the Peoples' Republic of China.

And also, stay at home, do not turn up for the riots and demonstrations against this 70th birthday.

[tifino]

8 minutes ago, tonbridgebrit said:

Them people in Hong Kong, yes, stay at home today, the 70th annivesary of the founding of the Peoples' Republic of China.

And also, stay at home, do not turn up for the riots and demonstrations against this 70th birthday.

I noticed on the CCTV channel, that anyone who lived up in them highrise ghettos in view of the Parade... told to close their windows... not to look out!

[NCC1701A]

i just read troops have opened fire on protesters. this is breaking news

 

https://twitter.com/AJEnglish/status/1178992105127055361

[NCC1701A]

https://summit.news/2019/10/01/video-riot-cop-shoots-hong-kong-protester-in-chest-with-live-round/

 

https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3031044/chaos-expected-across-hong-kong-anti-government-protesters

Edited October 1, 2019 by NCC1701A

[NCC1701A]

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/10039105/china-set-to-unveil-dongfeng-41-nuke-that-can-strike-us-in-30-minutes-at-70th-anniverary-parade/

 

CHINA has unveiled its “ultimate doomsday weapon” during one of the nation’s biggest military parades.

The terrifying super-nuke took centre stage at a huge arms showcase held in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, to mark 70 years of Communist rule.

[NCC1701A]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7523145/Chinas-70-year-parade-economic-military-might.html

 

'No force can shake this great nation': President Xi leads spectacular ceremony to mark 70 years of Communist rule in China and unveils top-secret hypersonic DF-17 missile for the first time as unrest in Hong Kong overshadows the choreographed show

[Jingthing]

3 hours ago, tonbridgebrit said:

Do you really think that people avoiding Chinese restaurants and take-aways in America and Europe is going to hurt the Beijing regime ? Off-course it will not.

You've got to bear in mind that them Chinese you see in California. Most of them are actually born in California, harming them people is not going to hurt the Beijing  government. And them Chinese you see in Orange County, they're actually a bunch of Vietnamese born in Orange County. It's their parents and/or their grandparents who were born in Vietnam. Why go and boycott their Chinese take-away food shops ? It's absurd.

I live in Pattaya. The decent Chinese restaurants I go to have mostly mainland Chinese customers. I made the mistake of going to such a place when it was crowded associated with a nationalist frenzy holiday. The vibe was not good. Not welcoming. This is nothing about boycotting anything. Just find nationalist frenzy of any nationals distasteful so it's only a very temporary avoidance. I don't want to be around that vibe during such times and based on that negative experience they don't want me there either. It's a WIN WIN. 

Edited October 1, 2019 by Jingthing

[Morch]

11 hours ago, Jack Mountain said:

Thx. Didn't know him but he looks like  an interesting person ... with a wide first hand experience. Maybe the new Julian Assange?

How do you think about JA btw? Just to get an impression who you are ...

 

So basically, just picked up some clip echoing your view and posted it, eh?

As for ludicrous (and off topic) comparison to Assange - work on your deflection skills.

[Morch]

3 hours ago, tonbridgebrit said:

Them people in Hong Kong, yes, stay at home today, the 70th annivesary of the founding of the Peoples' Republic of China.

And also, stay at home, do not turn up for the riots and demonstrations against this 70th birthday.

 

Why not?

[tonbridgebrit]

3 hours ago, Morch said:

 

Why not?

Okay, let's be consistent with our advice to the people of Hong Kong.

We can tell them, to not turn up for any public meetings at all.
Or, we tell them to regard today as normal, and turn up for all meetings and events.

Edited October 1, 2019 by tonbridgebrit

[tonbridgebrit]

6 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

i just read troops have opened fire on protesters. this is breaking news

 

https://twitter.com/AJEnglish/status/1178992105127055361

 

5 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

https://summit.news/2019/10/01/video-riot-cop-shoots-hong-kong-protester-in-chest-with-live-round/

 

https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3031044/chaos-expected-across-hong-kong-anti-government-protesters

Can you please not put up posts about troops opening fire on protesters. It simply did not happen, but people who put up such posts cause panic. Beijing is not going to take the bait, they're not going to order a shooting that will kill dozens of people.

And yes, one protester/rioter has been injured. Shot in the chest. There's been lots of injuries so far, this is just one of many. Why attempt to sensationalise such news ?

[tonbridgebrit]

5 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/10039105/china-set-to-unveil-dongfeng-41-nuke-that-can-strike-us-in-30-minutes-at-70th-anniverary-parade/

 

CHINA has unveiled its “ultimate doomsday weapon” during one of the nation’s biggest military parades.

The terrifying super-nuke took centre stage at a huge arms showcase held in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, to mark 70 years of Communist rule.

We have to bear in mind that America has got far more nukes than China, and America's military hardware is far more advanced than China's.

And we've also got to bear in mind that Russia has a far more powerful military than China. Washington regards Russia as the real enemy, not China. The Cold War, it was all about America against Communist Russia. It was not about being against China. Russia is no longer Communist, the Cold War has simply been replaced with a new Cold War against Russia.

If I was in America, I'd be more worried about nukes from Russia rather than nukes from China. The cocern about China ? Well, there might be a big drop in the amount of Chinese goods in America's shops, due to a trade war between America and China. That's the concern, not Chinese nukes.

[NCC1701A]

1 minute ago, tonbridgebrit said:

We have to bear in mind that America has got far more nukes than China, and America's military hardware is far more advanced than China's.

And we've also got to bear in mind that Russia has a far more powerful military than China. Washington regards Russia as the real enemy, not China. The Cold War, it was all about America against Communist Russia. It was not about being against China. Russia is no longer Communist, the Cold War has simply been replaced with a new Cold War against Russia.

If I was in America, I'd be more worried about nukes from Russia rather than nukes from China. The cocern about China ? Well, there might be a big drop in the amount of Chinese goods in America's shops, due to a trade war between America and China. That's the concern, not Chinese nukes.

lets just say we agree to violently disagree.

 

Communist China is a huge threat to the entire world.

[Morch]

4 hours ago, tonbridgebrit said:

Okay, let's be consistent with our advice to the people of Hong Kong.

We can tell them, to not turn up for any public meetings at all.
Or, we tell them to regard today as normal, and turn up for all meetings and events.

 

Who are you pretending to speak for this time? And there's no "our" - your post and the "advice" is your own. There's no "we" telling them anything, either.

 

Other than that meaningless waffle, still no answer as to why not.

[Morch]

4 hours ago, tonbridgebrit said:

 

Can you please not put up posts about troops opening fire on protesters. It simply did not happen, but people who put up such posts cause panic. Beijing is not going to take the bait, they're not going to order a shooting that will kill dozens of people.

And yes, one protester/rioter has been injured. Shot in the chest. There's been lots of injuries so far, this is just one of many. Why attempt to sensationalise such news ?

 

Seeing as you sensationalize and milk every instance of violence by protestors, how's complaining about the opposite even remotely honest? Never mind the "concern" about causing panic etc.

 

How was a protestor shot if fire wasn't opened?

[Morch]

4 hours ago, tonbridgebrit said:

We have to bear in mind that America has got far more nukes than China, and America's military hardware is far more advanced than China's.

And we've also got to bear in mind that Russia has a far more powerful military than China. Washington regards Russia as the real enemy, not China. The Cold War, it was all about America against Communist Russia. It was not about being against China. Russia is no longer Communist, the Cold War has simply been replaced with a new Cold War against Russia.

If I was in America, I'd be more worried about nukes from Russia rather than nukes from China. The cocern about China ? Well, there might be a big drop in the amount of Chinese goods in America's shops, due to a trade war between America and China. That's the concern, not Chinese nukes.

 

We have to bear in mind you'll say pretty much anything to support China.

 

The USA definitely sees China as a major, if not the prominent threat. That you claim otherwise is simply counterfactual. The Cold War waffle is irrelevant and, anyway, incorrect as well.