Politics
2023-24 Budget: Tourism industry calls for sufficient financial support to revitalise businesses
- 2023-02-24
- Society
- By: Man TSEEdited by: Bella Ding、Zimo ZHONG、Yuchen LI
- 2023-02-24
Hong Kong is set to spend HK$350 million in organizing international events to attract tourists and offers fully guaranteed loans to revive tourism businesses. The funds are primarily for promoting major tourism events, including the first-ever Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival and the Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said on Wednesday. The Hong Kong Tourism Board will spend another HK$200 million hosting more international meetings, incentive travels, conventions and exhibitions in the fields of finance, innovation and technology and medicine. “Hong Kong has long been a world‑renowned events capital. Organisation of mega events, international conferences and exhibitions is especially crucial to drawing high value-added visitors,” Chan said. This is the first Budget under the current-term government’s administration and after the resumption of quarantine-free travel with the Mainland and the international community. Hello Hong Kong campaign, launched on Feb. 2, will distribute 500,000 free air tickets and various cash vouchers to attract worldwide tourists. Li Wai-pong, the operation manager of Hong Kong Travel Bus Company said that Hong Kong may not have the capacity to cater for visitors due to the labour and resource shortage in the tourism industry. “It will cost me around HK$90,000 each bus to repair the travel buses before operation,” said Li, “No transport operator could afford it without the financial help from the government, especially after a three-year business suspension.” The government announced the fully guaranteed loans worthing HK$2.7 billion for transport operators and travel agents on Wednesday, to support cross-boundary passenger transport and the tourism industry. Li said that this scheme’s effectiveness in supporting companies’ reopening is limited, since many companies can no longer afford new debts. The deficiency of manpower also exists among travel agencies. “Only 10% of our leaving bus drivers are willing to come back to …
New round of consumption vouchers and increased football betting tax centre Budget 2023’s discussion
- 2023-02-23
- Society
- By: Nga Ying LAUEdited by: Le Ha NGUYEN、Mei Ching LEE
- 2023-02-23
Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po released the budget speech for fiscal 2023-24, the first under the administration of Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, on Wednesday with major public concern surrounding the fresh round of consumption vouchers and raising the football betting duty of Hong Kong Jockey Club amid the government’s deficit. Eligible citizens will receive HK$5,000 electronic consumption vouchers in two instalments, HK$3,000 in April and the remaining in the middle of the year. The amount of consumption vouchers is reduced from HK$10,000 due to an expected deficit of HK$140 billion in the financial year 2022-23, said Chan. “HK$5,000 is the best we can do,” said Chan when asked why the amount of this year’s consumption voucher was lower than last year's during a press conference on Wednesday afternoon. Non-permanent residents who have come to Hong Kong through different admission schemes or to study will receive vouchers in half value, i.e. HK$2,500 in total. But whether inbound persons admitted recently to the Top Talent Pass Scheme with rich work experience and good academic qualifications are eligible to receive the vouchers is yet to be confirmed. The budget also introduced the annual special football betting duty of HK$2.4 billion on the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) for 5 years starting from 2023/24, a cumulative total of HK$12 billion. HKJC, a local non-profit unit providing horse racing, sporting and betting entertainment, slammed the policy in its latest statement, saying that “any permanent hike in betting duty rates will irreversibly create structural problems, which will only benefit illegal and offshore betting operators. The soccer betting duty was originally set at the rate of 50% of gross profit. According to HKJC, even the original rate is already the highest in the world. “Most importantly, such increase will adversely impact the Club’s ability …
Key takeaways of 2023-2024 Budget
- 2023-02-23
- Politics
- By: Bella Ding、Yixin Gao、Kin Hou POONEdited by: Bella Ding
- 2023-02-23
Paul Chan Mo-po, the Financial Secretary of Hong Kong, delivered the 2023-2024 Budget speech on Wednesday, announcing policies to support the economic recovery of the city while considering the financial affordability of the government. Here are the key takeaways you should know about this year’s budget plan.
Prosecutors in Hong Kong’s largest national security trial allege unofficial political election could have harmed stability
- 2023-02-08
- Politics
- By: Junzhe JIANG、Juncong SHUAIEdited by: KOO Chi Tung 顧知桐
- 2023-02-08
Prosecutors on Tuesday said the unofficial 2020 Hong Kong pro-democracy legislative primaries diminished the city’s livelihood and stability in the trial of 47 defendants charged with subversion. Prosecutors listed the details of how defendants organized the Legco primaries in May 2020 and showed videos and posts in their opening remarks during the first two days of Hong Kong’s largest national security trial. The prosecutor said the 47 defendants were inspired by Hong Kong legal scholar Benny Tai Yiu-ting’s article outlining 10 steps of lam chau, a slogan used by democracy activists often translated as “burn together”, to control the Legislative Council through the pre-election. Deputy director of public prosecutions Anthony Chau Tin-hang said the objective of the group was to snatch at least 35 out of 70 Legco seats and then vote down the government budgets, forcing Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor to resign. Evidence shown in court on Tuesday included a statement signed by some of the accused from Kowloon East and New Territories West asking the then-Chief Executive to respond to the “five major demands”. Sixteen out 47 defendants pleaded not guilty on Monday. Of the defendants who have not pleaded guilty, six are on remand, four of whom have spent more than 700 days in custody. Former member of the Yuen Long District Council Ng Kin-wai and founder of local retail chain AbouThai Mike Lam King-nam plead guilty on Monday. Lam will testify for the prosecution with three other organizers of the primary. In August, Security for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok ordered a non-jury trial because of “involvement of foreign factors” and “the protection of personal safety of jurors and their family members”. From midnight, hundreds waited outside the court for public seats. Long queues caused the judiciary to extend the trial to the entire fourth floor and …
Five arrested after yelling in store linked to 47 democrats case
- 2023-02-07
- Society
- By: KOO Chi Tung 顧知桐Edited by: Yu Yin WONG
- 2023-02-07
Police arrested five men over the past 48 hours for alleged disorderly behaviour at the Mong Kok branch of AboutThai grocery store. The chain store was founded by Mike Lam, one of 47 defendants currently being tried for a national security law case. The five, aged 14 to 28 years, were taken away by police on Monday night and early Tuesday morning in Kwai Chung, Kowloon City, and Hung Hom. Staff at AbouThai told police that the five were yelling and harassing customers last Friday and two of them returned on Sunday. An online video shows one entering an AbouThai store and yelling Mike Lam King-nam’s name. “Lam King-nam, come out! Where are you, betrayer?”, the man in the video said. Lam was charged in February 2021 with 46 other pro-democracy activists under the national security law after he stood for election in an unofficial 2020 Hong Kong pro-democracy primaries. He pleaded guilty on Monday and has agreed to be a prosecution witness at the West Kowloon Magistrates Court. Some businesses which claimed to be on the pro-democratic side announced that they would no longer trade with AbouThai. “MeeApp”, an application which provides rewards for people spending at “pro-democratic” stores and restaurants, announced on their Facebook page on Monday that they would remove AbouThai from their platform. “AbouThai is one of the most popular businesses on the platform and Mee purchased their vouchers with money for members to redeem. We have spent tens of thousands of dollars,” the statement reads. “As fellows, we could understand each other’s hardships and circumstances.” “However, this should not include pointing your knife at fellows as it is the foundation for being ‘fellows’.” Chapman To, a Hong Kong actor with a food importing business, said on Facebook that he won’t be selling his products at …
Hong Kong stock market plunges as Sino-US tension rises
- 2023-02-06
- Politics
- By: Yixin Gao、Kin Hou POONEdited by: Bella Ding、Mei Ching LEE、Zimo ZHONG
- 2023-02-06
Hong Kong stocks slumped on Monday amid growing concerns over the spy balloon incident between China and the US and the bet on Chinese full border reopening. The Hang Seng Index opened 311 points lower this morning and dropped 2.1% to 21,222 at the close of Monday trading with a HK$136.02 billion turnover. The Hang Seng Technology Index went down by 3.7%. The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index dipped by 2.7%. A US military fighter jet shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon on Saturday, while the Chinese government said it was a stray civilian airship blown off course. “The Hang Seng Index had been rising since November last year, once up over 8,000 points. Therefore, the market is sensitive to adverse news. Friday's incident about China's ‘spy balloon’ made investors feel uneasy, leading to a fall in today’s stock market,” said Sam Chi-yung, Strategist at Patrons Securities limited. Bilibili(09626) decreased by 5.4% to HK$186.6. Meituan(03690) dropped 5% to HK$164.1. Tencent(00700) slid 2.1% to HK$376.8. Southbound Stock Connect trading funds, however, bucked the trend, buying a net of nearly HK$2 billion for the day. The Chinese authorities announced on Feb. 3 that mainland China would fully reopen the borders with Hong Kong and Macau from today. The travel and tourism industry performed a 0.5% increase under the overall negative performance of the stock market, according to AASTOCK. Feiyang Group(01901) increased by 10.1% to HK$1.31. Guangdong Nan Yue Logistics Company Limited(03399) went up 5.5% to HK$1.15. Global MasterMind Securities Limited(08063) rose 4.6% to HK$0.068. “There will be more opportunities for both personal and corporate business travel. With relatively weak business operating dynamics in the previous three years affected by COVID-19, the industry should see a more pronounced upturn in the future,” said Harris Wan Kong-sing, Vice President of iFast Global Market.
Multimedia: Urumqi's vigil in Hong Kong
- 2022-11-29
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Karmen LiEdited by: Jayde Cheung
- 2022-11-29
Demonstrators gathered in Central at around 7 pm to mourn the victims of a fire accident in Urumqi amid strict lockdown in mainland China. Mainlanders from provinces including Shanghai and cities like Guangzhou and Chengdu held blank sheets to protest against the COVID-19 measures, and chanted slogans to oust Chinese president Xi Jinping since last Saturday. After the ten mainland Chinese students mourned at the University of Hong Kong last Sunday, protestors in Central held blank papers and sent flowers to pay tribute to the ongoing protests in mainland China despite the police’s social distancing checks. Youtube Link: https://youtu.be/03HI_DwUHzY
Commemoration held in Central for victims of Urumqi's fire
- 2022-11-28
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Jayde Cheung、Tracy LeungEdited by: Clarice Wu
- 2022-11-28
More than 100 people in Central mourned the fatal Urumqi fire last Thursday, following the unprecedented backlash against the rigorous zero-COVID measures in mainland China. Participants held white papers to resemble the “A4 revolution” that went viral in the mainland, expressing their discontent with the censorship on state-controlled social media with a blank white paper, alongside chrysanthemums tied with white ribbons for commemoration. “I need to support mainlanders who are speaking and fighting for their basic living rights,” said Ying who speaks on condition of anonymity. “The containment has gone too far that has affected the grassroots too much.” At around 8:15 pm, activist Alexandra Wong Fung Yiu, known as Grandma Wong, fell on the ground when her yellow umbrella was grabbed by an unidentified man. She has been sent to hospital and the man has been arrested by the police. Last Thursday night, a fire broke out in a residential building in Urumqi, causing 10 deaths and 9 injuries. Chinese netizens said the victims in the building were unable to leave due to COVID-19 restrictions, while the entrance door was locked and firefighters were blocked by the barriers set for pandemic prevention when they wanted to enter the building. But it has been denied by the city officials in the press conference held on Nov 25, who said that residents could go outside but lacked safety knowledge and the parked vehicles had blocked firefighters' access to the burning building. “None of the unit doors was locked and all the blockade images circulating online are fake news,” the spokesman said at the press conference. Snap lockdowns perpetuated in China, sparks anger across the country. As of yesterday, protests erupted across 51 universities in China including Tsinghua University and the Communication University of China, Nanjing, according to Hong Kong media Ming …
Creativity inside the red lines: Hong Kong artists adapt to National Security Law
- 2022-11-21
- Politics
- The Young Reporter
- By: Tsz Yin HO、Le Ha NGUYENEdited by: Malick Gai
- 2022-11-21
Ng Kap-chuen, a cartoonist who goes by his artist name Ah To, left his native Hong Kong for the United Kingdom in April this year for fear of being jailed for his art. Ng, 39, is known for being critical of Beijing and the Hong Kong government. He has produced a number of artworks since 2014 expressing discontent over controversial issues, such as the National Security Law, social unrest, and COVID-19 measures. Some artists, including illustrators and cartoonists such as Ng, whose works tend to challenge and criticise the government in a satirical and controversial manner said they fear being accused of violating the NSL, implemented in 2020 after anti-government protests broke out across the city in 2019. The NSL aims to prevent, stop and punish subversion, secession, collusion with foreign forces and terrorist acts, with critics warning it could silence dissent and erode freedom in the city. “The immense pressure, terror, and uncertainty of not knowing when I would be arrested really tortured me mentally and made it hard for me to be in a good mood for creation,” said Ng, a pro-democracy artist who still draws cartoons about Hong Kong’s social issues and politics from the UK. “I don’t feel comfortable if I can only make artwork that doesn’t express all my feelings. Self-censorship is not my way,” said Ng. “I am working on some sensitive topics that other artists in Hong Kong avoid talking about. They draw about local policies while I focus on sensitive political issues.” While no artists in Hong Kong have been arrested under the NSL, in September, five speech therapists were sentenced to 19 months in prison for conspiring to write and distribute books with seditious intent. The case involves a series of illustrated cartoon books about wolves and sheep, symbolising Chinese authority …
Remembrance Day ceremony in Central honors fallen war heroes
- 2022-11-13
- Politics
- The Young Reporter
- By: Tsz Yin HOEdited by: Malick Gai
- 2022-11-13
Hundreds of people gathered at the Remembrance Day ceremony at the Cenotaph in Central on Sunday, with government officials, representatives of the Commonwealth countries and embassies, veterans, and their families in attendance. It was November 11 of 1918 when the German Empire surrendered to the Allies, therefore ending World War Ⅰ. Remembrance Day is observed on this day each year to commemorate those who died in both World Wars. The estimated casualties of military and civilians in World War Ⅰ and Ⅱ are at least 16.5 million and 60 million, respectively. This year, a complete format of the ceremony was restored, after having been changed to a simplified rundown because of the pandemic, with the presence of the Police Marching Band. The band played the traditional British piece “Colonel Bogey March,” at the start of the ceremony. A two-minute silence was observed at 11 am. Government officials and representatives then laid their poppy wreaths beneath the Cenotaph. Ex-serviceman put down donated wreaths on behalf of members of the public. The wreaths will remain in place for three days. Representatives of different religions, including the Catholic church, Taoist and Muslim community led the prayers along with veteran representatives. "This is an annual occasion for me and it is remembering those that went to war and did not come back to their homes," said John T. Siewert, a 98 year-old veteran, who served on the USS Satterlee Destroyer in 1944. Siewart is believed to be the only one at the ceremony who participated in the war. He steered the Destroyer during the landing of Normandy to break the German defenses. Siewert said that he is fortunate to be able to attend the ceremony, as some of his comrades were sacrificed, and he was able to retire safely from the battlefield. “I have …