Source: ejinsight.com/CBC.ca

Thank God, the mass protest in Hong Kong on Sunday was a peaceful one as police kept their distance from the demonstrators. In Canada, meanwhile, pro-democracy demonstrators and Beijing sympathizers were just a heartbeat away from actual fisticuffs – or worse – as they gathered in the same venue to air their respective sentiments about the political crisis in Hong Kong.

About 500 black-clad people, adopting the color of protest in Hong Kong, trooped to the Broadway-City Hall SkyTrain Station in Vancouver on Saturday to show their solidarity with those fighting for democracy in a city more than 10,000 kilometers away. However, to the surprise of the pro-democracy demonstrators, a larger pro-Beijing crowd was also at the scene under the “Love Hong Kong, Love China” banner. Mostly wearing red shirts and waving Chinese flags, the demonstrators shouted slogans against violence and independence in Hong Kong.

According to a Sing Tao Vancouver report, the two sides even shook hands at the beginning, but soon their opposing views about what is happening in Hong Kong came to the fore. The black-clad crowd asked those in red what they were fighting for or protesting against as both of them wanted peace and no violence. But the red shirts started calling those in black “traitors” and asked them to remove their masks and sing the Chinese national anthem. The black shirts would not take such taunts sitting down and started responding in kind. “This is Canada!”, they shouted. “Go back to China!” “Shame!”

It was not the first time that opposite demonstrations by Hong Kong immigrants and those from mainland China happened in Canada. This summer, similar protests were held in Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary, Halifax and St. John’s, although the one in Vancouver was the most tense. Still, it’s unlikely that differences between the two sides would erupt in violence. Despite their opposing views, they manage to hold their tempers and live peacefully with each other. Besides, tolerance and mutual respect are the abiding traits that guide Canadians, although Beijing thinks that Canadian officials should mind their own business and stop meddling in the affairs of Hong Kong and China. 

Source: Coconuts HK/On.cc

 

A pro-democracy political party has accused Hong Kong police of torturing an elderly suspect by smearing his face with a urine-soaked cloth and punching him repeatedly in the genitals, among other things, while the man was tied to a hospital bed.

The man in question, a 62-year-old surnamed Chung, was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer at about 11pm on June 25 after allegedly getting into a drunken fight in Sheung Shui. When police arrived at the scene, he reportedly yelled “dirty cops” or “black cops” — increasingly common insults for the force amid Hong Kong’s ongoing protest movement — before allegedly assaulting an officer. After his arrest, Chung was sent to North District Hospital to recover, and was tied to a hospital bed and put in a single room as he was behaving erratically.

The video shows the officers using a police baton to prod Chung’s genitals, punching him repeatedly in the crotch and abdomen, shoving their batons in his mouth, twisting his wrist, flashing a strobe light in his eyes, and rubbing his face with what Chung’s children later said was a piece of clothing soaked in his own urine. At certain points in the video, a third police officer can be seen entering and leaving the room, but doesn’t take part in the assault.

Chung’s two sons attended this morning’s press conference, where they said their father had wet himself because he was not allowed to use the toilet. “They wanted him to drink his own urine, that’s what they told him,” the youngest son said, adding that his father said the officers threatened him and his family members, saying they knew their full names and addresses. The eldest son even accused the officers of planning the assault beforehand, adding that the officers can be seen wearing surgical gloves throughout the ordeal. The youngest son said that on top of the physical injuries their dad sustained — which included bruises and a broken right-hand ring finger — the incident affected him psychologically as well. After he came out of the hospital, the relationship between my parents got worse. My mom is unable to sleep at night, and he’s too scared to go out because the officers revealed they knew our full names and addresses,” he said. The youngest Chung said that they asked Democratic Party lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting for help as they felt they had no other choice, and didn’t feel confident that police would handle their complaint properly. Lam told reporters that after being approached by the family, he and his colleagues had been lobbying the Hospital Authority for footage from the ward for the past two months, but only got the footage last week

Although Chung’s arrest was not related to the city’s long-running pro-democracy protest movement, police have come under intense fire in recent weeks for alleged brutality in dealing with demonstrators. Lam today expressed concerns that those who were arrested for taking part in the demonstrations may also have been subjected to similar treatment or worse by police officers. Lam accused the officers of abusing their power, saying it was “extremely disgraceful and shameful for any police officer to commit the offense of torturing.”

Lam described the incident as “one of the darkest moments in the history of Hong Kong police,” and urged Police Commissioner Stephen Lo to suspend the officers involved and carry out an independent investigation. He also encouraged Lo to bring criminal charges against the men, accusing them of misconduct in public office and torture, which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. Calling the incident a “serious scandal,” Lam said it raised questions as to whether the behavior on display was “just the tip of the iceberg, and the other arrestees in recent months may be tortured by other police officers.” “I urge all the police officers to learn a painful lesson from this case: stop your colleagues’ or your own brutality at once.” He added that he and the family would be reporting the incident to police headquarters today, and that Chung remembered the police identification number of one of the officers.

With public anger towards the police force at what is likely an all-time high over their 

, pro-democracy protesters have included an independent investigation into the police as one of their key demands. However, in her weekly press briefing this morning, Chief Executive Carrie Lam once again dismissed calls for an independent probe, repeating that the Independent Police Complaints Council — which is staffed by appointees of the chief executive — was capable of dealing with alleged misconduct. Lam also pledged to expand the time frame being examined by the IPCC to include more recent events — including police’s failure to respond to   — and to enlist the help of foreign experts in the investigation. While Lam said she was taking steps to initiate a “dialogue” with protesters, she did not specify with whom, and yet again refused to substantively engage with protesters’ other demands.

Source: Jaynestar/MingPao

 

The star of Disney’s Mulan, Crystal Liu was met with controversy after the actress reblogged a post supporting Hong Kong police on Weibo. The reblogged Weibo post read, “I support the Hong Kong police. You can beat me up now. What a shame for Hong Kong.” Crystal’s reblog sparked outcry outside of China, especially among pro-democracy netizens. 

Hong Kong protestors, who said they will boycott the film when it will be released on March 26, 2020, were backed by many international supporters, and the hashtag “BoycottMulan” trended on Twitter.  The irony of the situation, as Crystal is a naturalized U.S. citizen. “Real ironic for a naturalized American citizen to sh*t on people fighting for freedom and democracy,” said 

. 

Mulan, which is Disney’s live-action adaptation of its own 1998 animated film, was not warmly received when it premiered its first trailer earlier this year. Opinions of the film were divided, as many felt that the film was not entirely historically accurate.

Source: Coconuts HK

French “spiderman” Alain Robert this morning scaled the 283-meter Cheung Kong Center to unfurl a banner depicting a handshake between Hong Kong and mainland China and an adorable smiling sun — in a move that appeared to be equal parts anodyne call for political unity and zany stunt promoting an “unconventional” rum brand. Videos of the stunt —including some from inside the building — were quick to appear on social media.

But while the sheer skill involved in the feat was impressive, the “Can’t we all just get along?” message was enough to put off some people, including the prominent dissident artist Badiucao. “This flag shows how ignorant and stupid for some westerns [sic] understanding of Hong Kong and China,” he said in a tweet. “Stop normalising Beijing ok? Do u really want shake hands with butchers and dictators.” What has so far escaped mention, however, is that Robert was wearing climbing gear emblazoned with the logo of Dead Man’s Fingers, a British spiced rum brand. Robert also appears to have undertaken a similar stunt on behalf of the brand at London’s Heron Tower last November. The brand prides itself on its “unconventional” character — indeed, there’s an entire section of their website under the heading “Unconventional” — but is not known for its trenchant observations on thorny political questions.

As of press time, the brand had not responded to a request for comment seeking details on their involvement with the stunt, as well as their stance on the current unrest in Hong Kong, which has seen 

 in protest of Beijing’s perceived erosion of the territory’s civil liberties. Prior to the ascent Robert put out a statement saying the message of his climb was to make “an urgent appeal for peace and consultation between Hong Kong people and their government”. “Perhaps what I do can lower the temperature and maybe raise a smile. That’s my hope anyway,” Robert said in his statement.

Today’s ascent was the third time Robert has climbed the building. The Cheung Kong Center is owned by mega-tycoon Li Ka-Shing, who today took out ads in local newspapers featuring calls for unity, such as “Love Hong Kong, love China, love yourself.” Several police were on the scene at today’s stunt, and a large inflatable cushion was deployed in case Robert fell. However, when contacted by Coconuts HK this morning, a police representative said they were unaware of the stunt, let alone whether Robert would face any legal action. 

Source: On.cc

The “YF Life Jr. Space Camp Program”, exclusively organized and sponsored by YF Life Insurance International Ltd. (“YF Life”), selected eight outstanding finalists from some 2,000 candidates as the 21st YF Life Jr. Astronauts. The 8 finalists has successfully completed the  9-Day Space Exploration Journey  programme in NASA 's Space Camp and Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. Among the 8 candidates, one has recovered from Leukaemia . 

The 8 Jr. Astronauts, each with one parent, set off for the space-exploration journey in the US on July 24. 8 year- old Cheng On Sang is the youngest candidate , she told reporter that it's her dream to become an Astronaut. Her father revealed that at the age of 4, Cheng started reading on space related books. 11 year-old Chan Ao Tin had leukaemia when he was 3 years old. He  battled his illness for 3 years. He is now having regular check up. He said it is his dream to  explore the space and hopes one day, he can take his family to travel in space in a rocket.