Secretary for Home Affairs Casper Tsui, Immigration Director Au Ka-wang and a political assistant are released from quarantine at Penny’s Bay. It seems there will be no serious punishment for officials or lawmakers who attended the Witman Hung birthday bash. On the other hand, two Cathay Pacific cabin crew – already fired by the airline – are arrested for breaking anti-Covid rules. The ‘loyal trash’ at the birthday party were victims, and it’s all Cathay Pacific’s fault for inflicting the Omicron variant on Hong Kong.
It could have been worse. The party-going ‘elites’ and the errant flight attendants could have been a 17-year-old producing leaflets calling for a ‘Federal Republic of Hong Kong’. He is facing sedition charges that are likely to attract harsher penalties than violating disease-control rules.
(I’m intrigued about how a federal system could work in Hong Kong. If half a dozen US states (Dakotas, Vermont, potentially DC, etc) can function with populations of less than a million, couldn’t regions like HK Island, Shatin, Kowloon and Tuen Mun/Yuen Long in theory support separate legislatures and governors? Or maybe a borough system like London’s – where councils and mayors run local schools, parks and public housing – would make more sense. Obviously, I would never propose such possibly seditious ideas.)
A few more details on the Party-gate attendees. And some more digging into a Hong Kong angle – featuring Ethiopia and shoes – to the UK Christine Li story.
And a little reminder that, for all the misery out there, we still have at least one reason to be thankful…
So the new catch all if you want to fuck someone’s life up is to simply accuse them of “spreading hatred”.
Reminds me of the Salem Witch Trials of 1600s Massachusetts.
” If half a dozen US states (Dakotas, Vermont, potentially DC, etc) can function with populations of less than a million, couldn’t regions like HK Island, Shatin, Kowloon and Tuen Mun/Yuen Long in theory support separate legislatures and governors?”
HOW DARE YOU!
So if it is OK to reduce quarantine from known infectious contacts to 14 days, what about arrivals from overseas still having to do 21 days at their own expense even if testing negative? Or is it all just a scam to put money in the pockets of the hotels whilst HK has seen a 97.4% year-on-year drop in tourists?
So, efficient contact tracing of people who find they’re Covid positive is best served by .. arresting those who honestly account for their movements?
@Probably: it’s a scam to keep foreign visitors (potential troublemakers) out.
Re the hamsters. On the bright side if it deters and reduces the deplorable trade in caged animals then the 2,000 can be remembered as sacrificial lambs.