The Court of Final Appeal will consider the HK Alliance case in January. Chow Hang-tung, Tang Ngok-kwan and Tsui Hon-kwong were convicted of not handing over information to NatSec police in 2021…
Representing herself on Wednesday, Chow, who is a barrister, called her conviction “wrongful” and said there was uncontested evidence in the trial that the Alliance was not a foreign agent. By categorising the Alliance as a foreign agent, police were able to use powers granted under Article 43 of the national security law to demand information.
Robert Pang, who represented Tang and Tsui, referred to the fact that some of the documents used in the trial were heavily redacted as the prosecution said disclosing them could harm public interest.
“There were allegations that the Alliance was a foreign agent of various organisations. The organisations are not named,” Pang said.
In response, government prosecutor Jonathan Man said that if the prosecution were required to prove that a certain party was a foreign agent, it would “seriously hamper the effectiveness of the whole regime.”
After the appellants and the prosecution presented their submissions, Justice Roberto Ribeiro said the court would grant the appellants leave to appeal.
The appeal might in theory involve one of the overseas judges. Either way, it will be a chance for the top court to show some ‘soft resistance’.
Good title for a noir film: Another Miserable Night In Paris – a tale of hunger, fatigue and defeat. About China’s female gymnasts…
The women’s team came in sixth on Tuesday and left the venue in tears, while a star-studded US team, consisting of Simone Biles, Sunisa Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey and Hezly Rivera, clinched gold, followed by Italy and Brazil.
…Another [social media user] said: “I suspect they were malnourished during puberty and lack proper rest. They look like they are working hard but are so exhausted.”
Barring anything interesting happening tomorrow, I will declare an early weekend – for which, some reading…
RFA reports on Beijing’s problems with Burma’s latest military dictators…
Frustration with the junta’s military and economic incompetence is mounting.
To be clear, Beijing has never trusted Min Aung Hlaing, whom they are said to view as incompetent and an embarrassment.
Chinese leaders have consistently denied him an invitation since the coup, including to the sparsely attended third Belt and Road Initiative Forum in Beijing in October 2023.
Beijing appears more convinced that Min Aung Hlaing is unable to stabilize the country, no matter what, and has been more vocally pushing for elections as an off ramp to the military’s self-made crisis.
War on the Rocks asks why Beijing is going easier on Vietnam than the Philippines in the South China Sea…
…while China has been escalating with the Philippines at unprecedented levels around Second Thomas Shoal, it has exercised striking restraint toward Vietnam’s far larger and more militarized expansion of its South China Sea outposts.
The article offers five possible reasons why Beijing is less aggressive on Hanoi – all of them sort-of possible – plus some good background on China’s vaguely ambitious claims on the area.
Carried in the Macau Times, a Xinhua editorial on Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s visit to Beijing…
As two major countries with ancient civilizations that stand at the two ends of the ancient Silk Road, the time-honored friendly exchanges between the two countries have made significant contributions to the overall exchanges and mutual learning between Eastern and Western civilizations and to the progress of humanity.
…Marco Polo’s journey underscores the timeless value of cross-cultural interaction. His detailed descriptions of China’s innovations, governance and societal structures sparked curiosity and admiration in Europe, fostering a spirit of exploration and a quest for knowledge that transcended borders.
Today, Marco Polo’s legacy is a crucial reminder that mutual learning can break down barriers, inspire progress, and build a foundation of trust and respect.
Note adroit omission of longstanding spaghetti/noodles controversy. But it was the Mongol Empire, with Kublai Khan sending Polo on missions to various domains, such as what is now Iran.
re why Beijing is going easier on Vietnam than the Philippines… umm, could it be that the last time China attacked Vietnam (in 1979) they got spanked?
If the Phillippine military wants respect from China, they’ll have to earn it themselves. Good thing they kicked the Yanks out of Clark and Subic in ’92…
There’s a reason why the Roman Empire was called that and not the Italian Empire, the chunk of land now called Italy didn’t exist as a country until 1861. Previously it was a bunch of (usually) squabbling states and I guess much the same could be said of China. Marco Polo was a Venetian, not an Italian.
@Bork
“If the Phillippine military wants respect from China, they’ll have to earn it themselves.”
That’s the answer to the question.
Pinatubo blowing its top did more to “kick” the Yanks out of the PI than the Philippines gov.
@asiaseen
Well if we’re getting all technical, the Venetian guy actually visited the Mongol Empire. So no points for Italy or China: neither technically existed at the time.
government prosecutor Jonathan Man said that if the prosecution were required to prove that a certain party was a foreign agent, it would “seriously hamper the effectiveness of the whole regime.”
Come on chaps, we all know this national security lark isn’t going to work if we have to produce (so called) ‘evidence’….
Something more from the Australian ABC:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-01/hong-kong-is-being-remade-foreign-correspondent/104155496
You might even be able to watch the program on YouTube.
It is impossible to defend yourself in charge of colluding with a foreign power or being an agent of one if the prosecution won’t say who it is and what you have been doing.
But that’s the whole point, isn’t it?
With Hemlock lying flat, some distractions from the Borlympics.
https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3273032/judicial-review-san-tin-technopole-expansion-may-hurt-investor-confidence-planners-say
But as the print edition now costs a whopping $16 here is a poor man’s take:
1st August 2024 – (Hong Kong) The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) has received a judicial review application from Tse Sai Kit, the convenor of the Save Lantau Alliance, regarding the department’s conditional approval of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report for the San Tin/Lok Ma Chau Development Node project.
In a statement, the EPD said it has not yet received formal notice of the judicial review application. The department stated that it will study the content of the application in detail and handle the judicial review in strict accordance with statutory procedures. The EPD added that it would be inappropriate to make further comments at this stage.
The Save Lantau Alliance has alleged that the EIA report for the San Tin/Lok Ma Chau Development Node project violates the EIA Ordinance, procedural fairness, and the technical memorandum requirements. They claim the report fails to adequately mitigate the environmental impacts of the project and argue that the EIA process has not followed the legal procedures.
The applicant, Tse Sai Kit, has requested the court to overturn the EPD’s decision to approve the EIA report. The Civil Engineering and Development Department, which submitted the EIA report, has been listed as an interested party in the application.
The key issues raised by the Save Lantau Alliance include: the EIA report is based on an outdated project profile that does not cover the government’s expanded development area; the public consultation and environmental advisory committee were unable to provide input on the expanded project; and the EIA report fails to adequately consider alternative options to avoid or minimise environmental impacts, explore all feasible mitigation measures, or provide sufficient compensation for the loss of high-ecological value fishponds.
The EPD has stated it will handle the judicial review application strictly according to the statutory procedures. The department emphasised that it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage as it reviews the details of the application.
Plus the harbour under siege again, petition going on
https://www.change.org/p/save-victoria-harbour-protect-our-legal-rights-against-large-scale-reclamations?signed=true
As the saying goes, Honkers, the city where you can never sleep
Hong Kong: “Asia’s World Node Hub”