After getting stroppy over the HK Alliance’s refusal to hand over information on donors etc, the NatSec regime finds two more things to get hypersensitive and whiny about.
First, Digital Media board members resign and call for liquidation of the company. Their statement mentions that the authorities have used the National Security Law to freeze assets and arrest executives and writers – all with ‘no trials or convictions’. The directors express the hope that an orderly liquidation will enable staff and other stakeholders to be paid, and take the opportunity to thank Hong Kong people for supporting a free press while it was still allowed…
We are confident that the Company’s founder, majority shareholder and former chairman, Jimmy Lai, would join us in these expressions of gratitude if he were able to communicate from his prison cell.
The insinuation that stakeholders are victims of the NatSec Law clearly stings. The government responds with an angrily righteous statement saying…
…there is no such thing as Next Digital Limited being forced into liquidation due to a lack of funds arising from enforcement actions. By putting the blame of its operational decision on law enforcement actions, Next Digital Limited is trying to shift its responsibility, with law enforcement authorities which act in accordance with the law as scapegoat, and maliciously smearing the Hong Kong National Security Law.
Second, a pro-Beijing figure warns that the Democratic Party might be breaking the NatSec Law if it prevents members from running in the forthcoming elections. The NatSec regime is barring most pan-dems from elections through jailing, vetting or other means. Now it is worried that with none taking part, the charade might lack legitimacy. Make your mind up – do you want to silence opposition or not?
While we’re on the subject: an open letter from jailed speech therapist Lorie Lai; and from HKFP, an excellent summary of the dismantling of Hong Kong’s democracy movement.
On more trivial matters, Variety on Nicole Kidman leaving the set of blockbuster TV production Expats because her 40-foot Winnebago with jacuzzi couldn’t find a parking space anywhere around Fa Yuen Street.
“Kidman is an executive producer on the series through her Blossom Films production company and also stars in the show, which is adapted from a Janice Y. K. Lee novel about the privileged lives of a group of expatriate women.”
Poor Nicole. Just an example of art imitating life imitating art.
And here I was thinking that NSL stood for National (in)Security Law. When it turns out it actually stands for “Non-intentional Satire Law”.
The grammar alone is enough to convince me that these statements are not written by people from Hong Kong. These things are written in Beijing.
A film about the luxury, intrigue, tyranny and ritual humiliation experienced by rich Hong Kong women would be far more entertaining than a film about transient expat wannabe dreck, and would have the added benefit of being true.
Regarding heavyweights and having no more than two family members on the Election Committee: Do bastards count?
And somewhat linked to Stanley Lieber’s comment: Hear hear!
I’m sure the script to Kidman’s TV show could be enriched if it incorporated this plot arc:
https://www.biglychee.com/Hemlock/mus-expatwife.html
So, who did freeze the assets of Next Digital? It is but a small step from “maliciously smearing the Hong Kong National Security Law” to “hurting the feelings of the NSL police”. I can’t wait.
Browsing through the old Hemlocks (thanks Goatboy), what an innocent time.
Security Secretary Chris Tang on Tuesday warned that prison inmates are using treats such as chocolates to recruit followers and “build up forces” to endanger national security.
Time for the drugs squad to raid Chris’s office and home to find out WTF he is smoking.
Next on the NIS blacklist: chocolate manufacturers
Darn, TVB will not be allowed to air Willy Wonka for the umpteenth time.
And thus the great Chinese Empire fell … all because the ladies loved Milk Tray.