China says HK will never be calm unless violent protesters removed

MM Online:

China says HK will never be calm unless violent protesters removed

An anti-extradition bill protester is detained by riot police outside Mong Kok police station in Hong Kong September 2, 2019

Reuters pic 

BEIJING, May 6 — China’s Hong Kong affairs office warned today that the city will never be calm unless “black-clad violent protesters” were all removed, describing them as a “political virus” that seeks independence from Beijing.

The strongly worded statement comes amid mounting concerns among democracy activists that China is tightening its grip over the former British colony, while a lockdown to prevent coronavirus infections has largely kept their movement off the streets.

The Hong Kong and Macau Affairs office warned that China’s central government will not sit idly by “with this recklessly demented force in place” and that China’s central government has the greatest responsibility in maintaining order and safeguarding national security.

“The scorched-earth action of the black-clad violent protesters is a political virus in Hong Kong society and a big enemy to ‘one-country-two-systems’,” the office said in a statement today.

“As long as the protesters are not removed, Hong Kong will never be calm,” it said.

The Asian financial hub was rocked in 2019 by months of massive, and sometimes violent, political protests over a now-withdrawn extradition bill that would have allowed people to be sent to mainland China for trial.

Many young protesters dressed in black fought running battles with Hong Kong police as the demonstrations evolved into calls for greater democracy.

Protesters said Beijing was seeking to erode the “one country, two systems” style of governance that guarantees broad freedoms for Hong Kong since its return to Chinese rule in 1997.

Beijing rejects criticism that it is seeking to encroach on the city’s much-cherished freedoms.

Hong Kong riot police dispersed a crowd of 300 pro-democracy activists, some wearing black, late last month — the first sizable protest since the government imposed a ban on public meetings at the end of March to curb coronavirus infections.

The arrests of 15 activists in April, including veteran politicians, a publishing tycoon and senior barristers, thrust the protest movement back into the spotlight and drew condemnation from Washington and international rights groups.

Beijing’s top representative office in Hong Kong on Saturday condemned what it described as extreme radicals for holding illegal assemblies over the Labour Day holiday and accused them of undermining the rule of law.

A war of words has intensified in the past few weeks, with Beijing’s top official in Hong Kong urging the local government to work to enact national security legislation “as soon as possible”, fuelling worries over what many see as encroachment on the territory’s freedoms.

Fear that Beijing is flexing its muscle over Hong Kong risks a revival of anti-government protests after months of relative calm amid social distancing rules to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Hong Kong’s economy recorded in the first quarter its deepest annual contraction since at least 1974, as the coronavirus pandemic dealt a heavy blow to business activity, already in decline following the anti-government protests.

The Hong Kong and Macau Affairs office said that while there were many factors contributing to Hong Kong’s economic woes, the main problem was anti-government protests.

“Hong Kong’s biggest trouble comes from within, that is the violent forces openly calling for and engaging in ‘lanchao’,” said the office, referring to a scorched-earth tactic. — Reuters.

The protests have come mainly (though not completely) from idealistic youths. Initially they protested against an extradition bill which frightened them enormously. Then from there (perhaps seeing the success of their protests) they went for broke and now demand full independence - nothing wrong with that though it's a la bajak rindu bulan (Chinese saying: Sai3 Gu2 Barng3 Gueh1 - an impossible dream).

Years back, as 1997 approached the British were wondering how to shed off 7 million of their slant eyed yellow skin citizens, having experienced the trauma of African Indians (British citizens) pouring out of Uganda, Ghana, etc into Mother England. Their families in India and Pakistan subsequently joining them in the UK were further headaches for the British - nasty racist jokes like the "OHMS" ("On Her Majesty Service" punned into enveloped dole for "Only Hindus, Muslims & Sikhs") and "How do I know a bus is just around the corner" (Answer: "I can smell curry") became rife in the 70's. Thus, an additional 7 million Chinese migrating from HK to UK a la the African Indians would have been just too much for the British to bear.

Their (then-PM John Majors') solution? A man called Chris Patten, the last GG of HK.

Much against the 1997 Handover agreement between Margaret Thatcher and Deng Xiaoping (though it was Chinese Premier Zhao Ziyang who signed it), HK Governor-General Chris Patten deliberately introduced the idea of democracy and independence for HK (but in reality and politically an impossibility) - his covert aim was to tell HK-ers: "Look you can be independent - there's no need to migrate to UK". The Chinese (Mainlanders) were of course furious, as democracy and independence were NEVER part of the Handover Agreement signed by Thatcher and Zhao, but the die were cast, and HK-ers bought that Patten lie outright, partly because the HK-ers themselves wanted it that way rather than migrate to UK.

Britain ruled Hong Kong for 156 years but without any iota of independence and democracy

Though the more senior and elderly HK-ers have been more realistic (pragmatic) and accepted a new master (from colonial Britain to its original Chinese master), the Youths and younger generations decide they want to be free of China. As mentioned, Britain ruled Hong Kong for 156 years but during that period  there was no clamour by pro-democracy activists for independence and democracy, wakakaka.

Strangely (or perhaps not), today (prior to the violent protests), HK-ers enjoy far more liberty and privileges than the times their parents had under the British, but that's not good enough for the younger HK-ers who want independence, no doubt fueled by Patten's sinister agitation. For example, look at Macau - she is no different from HK other than size, and it's quite peaceful there where even the casinos and the way of life still operate under a benign Beijing.

But the reason why Beijing has thus far tolerated the HK exceedingly violent protests has been the issue of Taiwan. Beijing wants to show Taipeh through the HK SAR (Special Autonomous Region) model that 'One nation, Two systems' can work peacefully without too many interference from Beijing. If Taiwan ever 'returns' to China, then the HK-ers should be more careful in their violent protests. HK is nothing more than a pimple on China's behind, and thus far their eff-ups have been indirectly saved by Taiwan (China's concerns over its willingness to 'return' back to the political embrace of China).

But in a protest, waving a foreign flag is shameful. If those HK-ers had waved their own Island flag (below) I would have respected them. But to wave foreign flags like the Union Jack and Stars & Stripes would be akin to Chinese Malaysians waving the flag of China and Indians waving the flag of India - outright lackeys of foreign powers.