THE (ir)REGULAR RANT
The minimum read for the maximum knowledge.
Here we all were, thinking that you were going to hear from me weekly... soz bout that!
This email is long overdue, and I need to find time to write one about Iran, but do let me know if you have any suggestions of what I should cover/if you don't quite understand something you want to know more about.
Also, if you would like to share this with your friends, please do! You can also send them here.
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Hong Kong
What has been happening in Hong Kong the last month or so?
Well, the largest protests in the history of Hong Kong have occurred – possibly the largest in recent history against the Chinese government.
But why?
The government was going to pass an extradition bill, meaning that people convicted of crimes overseas would be sent to the country where they committed the crime in order to be tried. Hong Kong already has this agreement with some countries, but not all.
That doesn’t sound like such a bad thing?
You’re right! On the surface of it…
But it’s actually a little more complicated.
Because what this bill essentially means is that people could be sent to China to be tried, and given the track record, it is likely that China would charge people with crimes they hadn’t actually committed – potentially after torturing them.
Ohhhhh, that’s a bit more of a bad thing.
Yeah. China actually has a questionable history of crossing the line when it comes to the Hong Kong separation as legislated by ‘One Country, Two Systems’. This is the agreement in place for Hong Kong (and Macau) which allows Hong Kong to retain its capitalist system, people’s freedom, legal and legislative systems and economic agreements for 50 years from the handover by the UK, which occurred in 1997. So although China and HK are kinda the same country, there are actually measures in place to ensure they are governed very differently. And with those differences come – amongst other things – criticism of the government.
The most notorious case in recent years of China overstepping their jurisdiction is the Causeway Bay Books disappearances, where five staff members from a bookshop in HK all, at separate times, went missing. It was consequently discovered that they were apprehended and in custody in China, but never had the paperwork to cross the border. Furthermore, they were charged with crimes that they couldn’t have committed. This was during 2015 and there have been few sightings of any of the five since.
Causeway Bay Bookshop was well known for stocking political books that were banned in China (freedom of press & speech is protected in HK, unlike mainland China) and were in the process of publishing a book about President Xi Jinping and his numerous female lovers.
Okay. That all seems pretty sketch. Tell me more about the recent protests.
Well, Hong Kong CEO (yes, that is her title), Carrie Lam announced the extradition bill in response to a man from Hong Kong killing his girlfriend in Taiwan. But, wary of what the bill would mean, Taiwan stated that they would not extradite the man, even if the bill came in. The following week on the 28th April around 150,000 (1.5 full MCGs, for those of you in Melbourne) Hong Kong residents peacefully protested in the streets. Lam’s response was basically ‘great, but we don’t care, we’re still going to vote on the bill’. As you can imagine, this incensed the public, who considered Lam to be a puppet for the Jinping government. Protests continued with more people from all walks of life attending.
Protestors in Hong Kong opposing the Extradition Bill - Anthony Kwan, Getty Images
Wow. That’s impressive.
Yeah, it is. But Lam continued to ignore the protestors. The UK, Germany, the EU and the US publicly spoke out against the bill and the risk of Hong Kong remaining a separate system, and protests by Hong Kong expats were held around the world.
Yet Lam was determined for the bill to be voted on, with China supporting her and basically telling other countries to ‘shove it’ (my words). On June 9th there was to be an open debate on the bill, but it was delayed because protests shut down much of the city. Many people were arrested in the aftermath, but the peaceful protests didn’t subside.
The vote was postponed again on June 13th after police responded brutally to continued protests on the 12th. Then the bill was suspended indefinitely on the 15th after 2M people (two in every seven people!) marched across the city, with Lam apologising to the nation for not listening to their concerns, stating that she would “adopt a most sincere and humble attitude to accept criticisms and make improvements in serving the public”.
Okay, so it’s all done and sorted?
No – the protestors had always demanded that the bill be entirely scrapped, and the process of the last month had shown the cracks in the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ legislation. There was no trusts in the government anymore, so they were requesting:
A complete withdrawal of the extradition bill
The resignation of CEO Carrie Lam, who had the Chinese government’s support
The release of any arrested protesters
An investigation into alleged police brutality against protesters
The retraction of characterisation of protests as riots
On the 1st July, the protests turned violent when some vandalised the legislative chamber. The Chinese media and the Hong Kong government used this as an opportunity to condemn the terrible behaviour and arrest many protestors. Yet the majority continued to peacefully shut down the city. There were sub-groups protesting including journalists, lawyers and mums.
Protestors allow an ambulance through the crowd - Anthony Wallace, AFP
So what’s next?
Well, finally on 9th July, Lam announced that the bill was ‘dead’, but the protests continue until all of the above demands are met.
There have been four deaths during the protests – all four were people that committed suicide and that left notes decrying the loss of independence and freedom that the bill would cause.
It will be interesting to see how China responds to these protests and essentially being out-muscled by the Hong Kong population. Currently China are seemingly losing the battle, but the war continues for another 30 or so years.
Fun Things
Read:
I wrote a thing on my brief time in Mesa Verde, Colorado.
The copywriter at Oasis Bakery has the best job and they do it so well.
If I haven't harped onto you about how great this book is, then consider this me hassling you to read it. It is giving me solace that the world isn't all that bad, and there are ways for us to improve it.
Watch:
This cockatoo is all of us.
When you're almost 70 years old and it's your first time at footy training.
(Legit unsubscribe if you don't watch this and love it)
My brilliant friend Beth is going to be on the ABC at 9.00pm on Tuesday talking about it being 50 years since the moon landing. Do yourselves a favour. (No doubt I will send a link in the next email)
Listen:
An oldie but a goodie, John Mayer covering Beyonce's XO.