Be careful who you contact

Robert Chung of PORI opinion polls is questioned by NatSec Police for ‘assisting an absconder’ – his former deputy Chung Kim-wah, who is in the UK and is one of the latest batch of people to be declared wanted for ‘inciting secession and colluding with foreign forces’, with HK$1 million rewards…

Chung Kim-wah said on Facebook on Monday that he had not spoken to Robert Chung since leaving Hong Kong in April 2022, except for season’s greetings and during a PORI press conference at the end of that month, which he attended online as a commentator, and to exchange seasonal greetings.

The Security Chief goes to some lengths to stress that the authorities are not persecuting PORI for its polls, which do not always reflect well on the government. It is probably worth assuming that any communication with a wanted dissident in exile could invite trouble.

A post by another of the ‘absconders’, Carmen Lau…

Feeling weird when someone sent me these – A total of 19 wanted notice are now posted at ALL borders of Hong Kong, government buildings & almost every lobbies of public estates. Even a murderer or sexual perpetrator doesn’t receive such treatment. What have I actually done? Urgh.

The government hits back at negative overseas press coverage – not about NatSec or human-rights issues, but its housing policy…

The Housing Bureau on Monday clarified the varying quality of subdivided flats and announced significant plans to boost public housing and address the city’s housing challenges.

Their comments came after the Australian Broadcasting Company and The Guardian recently highlighted issues surrounding Hong Kong’s housing situation, specifically pointing out the 110,000 subdivided flats on the market and inaccurately categorizing them as “low-quality.”

In response, the bureau emphasized that the quality of these subdivided flats varies significantly. Some are of good quality and meet the needs of working-class individuals, small families, and students who prioritize convenience for work and school. However, they acknowledged that there are also smaller units of poorer quality.

Authorities also noted that economically developed cities worldwide face similar challenges in accommodating diverse living needs through various types of housing units.

Does anyone live in a subdivided apartment because of the convenience? (Actually, I know of two people who lived in such places some years ago and could in theory have afforded something slightly less horrible further away from Hong Kong Island. But to say 100-sq-ft hovels are ‘good quality’ is a joke. And this is a government-created problem, arising from a deliberate shortage of affordable housing, with a dash of increased Mainland immigration post-1997.)

The report goes on to describe the government’s plans to increase public housing supply. (Can’t see a press release at either the government’s central or Housing Bureau site.) 

Hong Kong launches a breast milk bank. Lactating mothers donate milk, which ends up at a central facility at HK Children’s Hospital and is distributed to other hospitals to feed premature and other newborn babies who would otherwise be given less-healthy formula. Site here.

This is no mega-event or vast infrastructure project. Nor is it groundbreaking: Singapore started such a service several years ago, and most developed countries have similar systems. But you would think that the Hong Kong government, if it is concerned about its popularity at home (or its reputation overseas), might have indulged in a little more self-congratulatory fanfare – for example by having the CE show up. This relatively small measure will provide more public benefit than ‘wanted’ notices for activists overseas, millions of panda bear stickers or desperate attempts to justify a half-trillion-dollar land reclamation.