Author Archives: biglychee

Now it’s Jimmy Lai’s turn

A former chair professor of law at HK University makes a key point about the HK47’s trial: if it is illegal for lawmakers to reject a government budget, why does the Basic Law set out procedures that follow such an … Continue reading

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HK47 sentences – what you’d expect

Most of Hong Kong’s leading pro-democracy figures are sent to prison for trying to win an election. The sentences could have been even harsher. Maybe that’s going to be the narrative: government appeals for longer spells in prison after oh-so … Continue reading

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Hong Kong 47 sentencing starts

Full background from HKFP. Update here. People were lining up outside the court yesterday. There are only five seats available to the public in the main courtroom.  Reuters says… Jail terms are expected to range from several years for participants … Continue reading

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While we’re waiting for the HK47 sentencing starting tomorrow…

…a Standard op-ed from last week. The author argues that prison sentences for landlords who fail to upgrade subdivided apartments would be excessive… The ugly truth is that all possible solutions to this problem are tricky and contentious, not least … Continue reading

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Your tax dollars at work, again

From HKFP… The Hong Kong government has given new identification numbers to lamp posts that inadvertently referenced the date of the Tiananmen crackdown, with the numbers “8964” and “6489” erased in favour of new codes. Article includes a real, non-stock-photo, … Continue reading

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Does anyone watch TV(B) anymore?

Lingua Sinica on the decline of TVB – which you may or may not see as an allegory of the whole of Hong Kong. …In the “golden decade” of Hong Kong pop culture in the 1980s — when a small … Continue reading

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China worries about Trump

Three pieces that assume Donald Trump really will erect serious barriers to Chinese exports. (In other words, any attempts to manipulate him will fail.) The irony is that it would ultimately be good for the people of China – and … Continue reading

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HK loses another part of history

Participants in the Hong Kong Tycoon Demise Stakes have been losing money every year since 2020, when 98-year-old Stanley Ho died amid unseemly wives-and-kids bickering. Madam Kwok Kwong Siu-hing carries on as Sun Hung Kai matriarch at the age of … Continue reading

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HK’s wheels of justice

HKFP op-ed on the incredibly slow pace at which the legal system is dealing with people arrested five years ago… According to the latest figures, of the 10,279 people arrested [following the 2019 protests], 2,974 had been or were being … Continue reading

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More legislators’ brainwaves

Following the success of the ‘pictures of babies in civil service offices’ idea, lawmakers come up with new exciting suggestions: some all-patriots are proposing that young people should be able to draw on their MPF funds for down payments on … Continue reading

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