Hong Kong leader invokes emergency powers to quell escalating violence

[snoop1130]

Hong Kong leader invokes emergency powers to quell escalating violence

By Clare Jim, Noah Sin

 

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam attends a news conference to discuss sweeping emergency laws at government office in Hong Kong, China October 4, 2019. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha

 

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong’s embattled leader Carrie Lam invoked colonial-era emergency powers on Friday for the first time in more than 50 years in a dramatic move intended to quell escalating violence in the Chinese-ruled city.

 

Lam, speaking at a news conference, said a ban on face masks would take effect on Saturday under the emergency laws that allow authorities to “make any regulations whatsoever” in whatever they deem to be in the public interest.

 

Many protesters wear masks to hide their identity due to fears employers could face pressure to take action against them.

 

“Almost all protesters wear masks, with the intention of hiding their identity. That’s why they have become more unbridled,” said Lam.

 

“We can’t keep the existing regulations idle and let violence escalate and the situation continue to deteriorate.”

 

Lam described the territory as being in serious danger, but not in a state of emergency.

 

It was not clear how the government would implement the mask ban in a city where many of its 7.4 million residents wear them every day to protect against infection following the outbreak of the deadly Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003.

 

Four months of anti-government protests have plunged the former British colony into its biggest political crisis since its handover to Beijing in 1997 under a “one country, two systems” formula granting it autonomy.

 

What began as opposition to a proposed extradition law, that could have seen people sent for trial in mainland courts, has grown into a broad pro-democracy movement and a serious challenge to Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

 

Pro-Beijing groups had been pushing for legislation to ban face masks at demonstrations but anti-government activists immediately set out to challenge it, calling for protesters to wear masks on a march on Saturday from the shopping district of Causeway Bay to government headquarters in the city centre.

 

Banks and shops in the busy Central district closed early in anticipation of violence, as some protesters burned Chinese flags. Thousands of protesters gathered in other parts of the territory.

 

“The anti-mask law has become a tool of tyranny,” said Samuel Yeung, an 18-year-old university student in Central.

 

“They can make use of the emergency law to enact any policies or laws that the government wants. There’s no rule of law anymore. We can only be united and protest.”

 

‘THINK TWICE’

 

Authorities had already loosened guidelines on the use of force by police, according to documents seen by Reuters. The invoking emergency powers could backfire, some analysts fear.

 

“This is the next significant miscalculation,” said Phill Hynes, head of political risk and analysis at ISS Risk, shortly before the widely expected introduction of the emergency laws.

 

“The next will be barring certain candidates from running in District Council elections. Both will nicely inflame tensions and increase protests and actions.”

 

Pro-democracy campaigners condemned Lam’s decision.

 

“This is an ancient, colonial set of regulations, and you don’t use them unless you can’t legislate anymore,” said Martin Lee, a veteran activist and one of the city’s most prominent lawyers. “Once you start, there’s no end to it.”

 

Hong Kong’s business interests, struggling with a dip in tourism and retail sales due to the protests, gave the law a warmer welcome.

 

“I agree with it at this point,” said businessman Allan Zeman, who is also an economic adviser to Lam. “You have to do something drastic to end the violence. A lot of people will think twice about coming out.”

 

Violence escalated on Tuesday, the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, when police fired about 1,800 volleys of tear gas, 900 rubber bullets and six live bullets - one of which hit an 18-year-old.

 

The student, Tony Tsang, was shot at close range as he fought an officer with what appeared to be a white pole. He has been charged with rioting, which carries a maximum 10-year sentence, and assaulting an officer. Tsang is in stable condition in hospital.

 

The shooting enraged protesters who rampaged across the city, throwing petrol bombs, blocking roads and starting fires as police responded with tear gas.

 

The protesters are angry about what they see as creeping interference by Beijing in their city’s affairs despite the promise of autonomy under the “one country, two systems” formula.

 

China dismisses accusations it is meddling and has accused foreign governments, including the United States and Britain, of stirring up anti-China sentiment.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-10-04

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[animalmagic]

An interesting political and legal minefield.  Various bodies of legal expertise will advise that the Emergency Regulations Ordinance is superseded by any legislation that contradicts it.  The HK Bill of Rights Ordinance explicitly states that it overrules any previous legislation that contradicts it; and the HK Basic Law says that only the Legislative Council may make laws in the SAR which then takes away the power of the Emergency Regulations Ordinance to do so.

To contend it is only Subsidiary Legislation, and therefore can be passed without the full legislative process, is also quite strange as the Bill of Rights and Basic Law have taken away the power of the Primary Legislation itself and the 'Facemask' Ordinance is subsidiary to nothing!

The deterrent effect is a little overblown as I can see there are laws to prohibit possession of firearms and offensive weapons which have not exactly deterred armed robbery or serious woundings.  

I am looking forward to seeing lines of 5 year-olds waiting outside court after trick or treat.

Edited October 5, 2019 by animalmagic
correction

[yellowboat]

She took one of the greatest cities in world and has turned it into something completely unrecognizable.  The world would be better off with her in a place where she can do no more harm.  She is just creating more problems and stirring discontent. 

Edited October 5, 2019 by yellowboat

[Burma Bill]

As the expression goes "like a Lam(b) to the slaughter". Will she also ban balaclavas, crash helmets and hoodies??

[yellowboat]

51 minutes ago, Burma Bill said:

As the expression goes "like a Lam(b) to the slaughter". Will she also ban balaclavas, crash helmets and hoodies??

Makeup can hide your identity as well from CCTV.  Go on youtube.  Next on the news, 100k Hong Kongers with painted faces looking like Mel Gibson in brave heart.  How is that for optics?  She, Alan Zaman and all the other idiots are making things far worse for the city.  They all should just walk off the job on MOnday.

[Peterphuket]

11 hours ago, yellowboat said:

She took one of the greatest cities in world and has turned it into something completely unrecognizable.  The world would be better off with her in a place where she can do no more harm.  She is just creating more problems and stirring discontent. 

That's the problem, as long she will stay, there is no solution.

She'll have to go.

But what about those in power in China, only they determine what will happen.

[Nowisee]

My first thoughts were they do not want the protesters to be able to deal with the tear gas, not so much about facial recognition.  Clearly the surgical masks provide no protection.
As yellowboat says, just paint up the face, wear fake beards, many ways around it.

[tonbridgebrit]

Okay, from the OP, we have the following.

"The student, Tony Tsang, was shot at close range as he fought an officer with what appeared to be a white pole. He has been charged with rioting, which carries a maximum 10-year sentence, and assaulting an officer. Tsang is in stable condition in hospital.

The shooting enraged protesters who rampaged across the city, throwing petrol bombs, blocking roads and starting fires as police responded with tear gas."


Now, please look at the video from the New York Times, below.

 

From the above video, it is clear that a group of demonstraters/rioters were attacking the riot police. Basically, the rioter was shot, the riot police officer was acting in self defence. Notice the other riot police officer who was on the floor, being beaten by a few rioters.

And to think, the rioters are enraged by this shooting. They're throwing petrol bombs and starting fires. Let's get real,the rioters are wrong. The ones who are throwing petrol bombs and starting fires, they should be arrested and detained.

[kingdong]

28 minutes ago, tonbridgebrit said:

Okay, from the OP, we have the following.

"The student, Tony Tsang, was shot at close range as he fought an officer with what appeared to be a white pole. He has been charged with rioting, which carries a maximum 10-year sentence, and assaulting an officer. Tsang is in stable condition in hospital.

The shooting enraged protesters who rampaged across the city, throwing petrol bombs, blocking roads and starting fires as police responded with tear gas."


Now, please look at the video from the New York Times, below.

 

From the above video, it is clear that a group of demonstraters/rioters were attacking the riot police. Basically, the rioter was shot, the riot police officer was acting in self defence. Notice the other riot police officer who was on the floor, being beaten by a few rioters.

And to think, the rioters are enraged by this shooting. They're throwing petrol bombs and starting fires. Let's get real,the rioters are wrong. The ones who are throwing petrol bombs and starting fires, they should be arrested and detained.

At the end of the day if. a police officers life is in danger he. Is lawfully entitled to use lethal force

Edited October 6, 2019 by kingdong

[Opl]

"'The consequences of being identified can be severe. In Hong Kong, demonstrators charged with rioting face up to 10 years in prison (among their five demands is a halt to characterizing the protests as “riots”). In mainland China, displeasing the government can land one in even more trouble. The Chinese Communist Party is busy exporting its surveillance capabilities to like-minded regimes, while also promoting its authoritarian system as a political model for other nations to follow. '

such efforts are still in their early days. Beijing is just getting started

 

'The country's 1.4 billion population are set to be carefully watched by 626 million CCTV monitors - many having facial-recognition functions - as early as next year, a recent study revealed. '

that's one camera for every two people

 

Edited October 6, 2019 by Opl

[tonbridgebrit]

57 minutes ago, Opl said:

"'The consequences of being identified can be severe. In Hong Kong, demonstrators charged with rioting face up to 10 years in prison (among their five demands is a halt to characterizing the protests as “riots”). In mainland China, displeasing the government can land one in even more trouble. The Chinese Communist Party is busy exporting its surveillance capabilities to like-minded regimes, while also promoting its authoritarian system as a political model for other nations to follow. '

such efforts are still in their early days. Beijing is just getting started

 

'The country's 1.4 billion population are set to be carefully watched by 626 million CCTV monitors - many having facial-recognition functions - as early as next year, a recent study revealed. '

that's one camera for every two people

 

So China might have the technology regarding surveillance capability. And the Chinese Communist Party is busy exporting the stuff ?

Okay, Britain does not have a like-minded regime. Britain is a democracy, with lots of freedom of speech and lots of freedom of religion. And plenty of sexual freedom, and the right to have as many children as you want.

But London does have a huge amount of knife crime, with young men stabbing each other to death. And drunken violence is always happening in the city centres every Friday night. Throw in the small number of Muslims who might detonate bombs. If China does have the technology for surveillance, then surely, it would be a good idea for Britain to import this technology ? Or if Britain has already got this technology, the surely, Britain should put up a vast number of surveillance cameras ?

I mean, it would make all of us feel more safe, right ?

[HLover]

1 minute ago, tonbridgebrit said:

I mean, it would make all of us feel more safe, right ?

Meh, border control and cease free housing and monthly stipends for fighting age immigrants would raise the feeling level of safety.