From Asia’s Finest to Hong Kong’s Most Hated

The Atlantic ^ | Sep 1, 2019 | Suzanne Sataline

[Zhang Fei]

HONG KONG—Moments after a gasoline bomb arced over a police-station wall, officers began shooting rounds of rubber bullets at protesters here. One struck a young woman in the eye, leaving her with a bloody orb. Elsewhere, police stormed a subway station, blocked its exits, and launched tear gas inside as demonstrators fled onto trains. At another metro stop, officers in gas masks fired at close range toward the backs of young people, appearing to hit at least one.

This was Hong Kong on just one day during this relentless and stunning summer of dissent. The latest salvo was a renewed attack on pro-democracy leaders, including Joshua Wong and Agnes Chow, both among several people arrested the day before violent weekend clashes entangled demonstrators and the authorities. The fight for democratic rights has become distracted by the actions of the government’s most potent and toxic symbol of dysfunction: its police.

“Some of us are quite tired. I’m tired,” Harry, a 20-year-old undergraduate, told me. Sitting on a subway platform after yet another standoff with police, he offered a wistful smile. “They keep arresting us. But they are the ones who are against the law.”

It is hard to say who Hong Kongers despise more right now: their chief executive or their police force. The former, Carrie Lam, has spent months pushing for legislation that would allow the city to hand over criminal suspects to other jurisdictions, including to mainland China, where the legal system sways to the Communist Party’s beat. Yet because Lam has denied the public any say in the bill’s language, and hid when residents’ anger blew, it is the police who serve as the government’s voice, the front line of defense.

Hong Kongers go to the streets to vote. Residents have no right to choose their chief executive

[Zhang Fei]

Atlantic article suggests that Beijing has completely suborned the Hong Kong police force. If Beijing decides to slaughter the demonstrators with massed fires, it may be the Hong Kong police that carries out these orders, not People's Armed Police (essentially the Chinese troops charged with slaughtering civilians on command in the Party's behalf) brought in from across the border.

[Zhang Fei]

In essence, when the Chinese actress in the new live action Disney production Mulan expressed her support for the Hong Kong police, she was expressing support for Beijing’s thugs. It might not be a bad thing to send a signal to Chinese actors who hope to make it in Hollywood while kissing up to Beijing by boycotting this movie.

[KC_Lion]

Thank you for posting Zhang Fei.

Prayers for Hong Kong.

[trebb]

Any bets on what happens to China tariffs if that happens?
Trump already has the squeeze on their balls - might put them in a vise and start cranking....that’s probably the only reason the streets aren’t flowing in blood right now....

[Tai_Chung]

It wouldn’t surprise me if PLA members were disguised as Hong Kong police

[Mark was here]

American cops will have no problem shooting us. Their desire to use unmarked / undermarked cars tells me all I need to know about their attitude towards the people.

There are people around the world that I admire. The HK protesters, and the Iranian women protesting being forced to hear hijabs are at the top of my list.

[Waverunner]

No need for disguises, Carrie Lam can just swear them in and issue badges. They become the legitimate police. Good Bye Hong Kong, the mainland is a WTO member and doesn’t need you as a conduit for western capital and goods. And they don’t want you as an example of freedom for Tibetans and the Uyhgurs.

[PGR88]

Recruitment of British police into the HK forces ended in 1995, but there’s several remaining on the force who have moved up the ranks.

I saw a photo of one recently directing an anti-riot squad shooting tear-gas at protestors.

One would love to hear their perspective on all this.

[sauropod]

Article states that Hong Kong police is receiving training from mainland China. Hence the escalation in extra-legal actions we are seeing occur.

[Fai Mao]

Fal Lun Gong is behind a lot of protest

[gaijin]

52 min, but amazing interview..!

His English stinks but his message is amazing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cwXifDaCjE

He sez...

1. Chinese Commie party has maybe 2 years at most, then bust

2. China and the people rock but the CCP is now simply a yuge, drug-dealing money-laundering op

3. Jack Ma of Alibaba will be killed or in prison within one year

4. The USA is in great danger and the CCP has a 3-point program to destroy us

[Zhang Fei]

[Jack Ma of Alibaba will be killed or in prison within one year]

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Jack Ma owns the South China Morning Post, the English language HK paper catering to British and American expats. It had pretty hard-hitting coverage of China prior to Ma taking over. Since the takeover, they’ve added some Beijing stooges to the editorial page, but the news section remains as hard-hitting as ever. My guess is that Jack Ma was forced to resign in much the same way that other magnates have been forced aside (or worse) throughout much of Chinese history. The First Emperor’s chief backer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%BC_Buwei went out much like Socrates after falling out of favor with the man he put on the throne*.

* The presence of a royal harem with hundreds of court women at the king’s/emperor’s disposal meant no shortage of male heirs. Since primogeniture was not the rule, each prince jockeyed for a shot at becoming Crown Prince. In this contest, it helped to have the financial backing of wealthy merchants or aristocrats to buy the support of court officials, who would then make approving noises before the emperor about the prince who was behind the cash payments or expensive gifts.

A Freeper recommended the series Nirvana in Fire as a primer on these machinations. I found it absorbing and well-written. There’s now an English language dub available on Viki. When I watched it, though, I was reliant on English subtitles all the way through.