TOP STORIES
Virus or Starvation: Hong Kong Suffers Under Worst Pandemic Wave
- 2022-03-28
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: REN Ziyi DavidEdited by: Editor
- 2022-03-28
Empty stores try to tempt customers with 20% discounts. Many more are closed, their shutters covered in thick dust. The previously bustling streets only see a handful of pedestrians, many of whom have sealed themselves off with surgical masks and even goggles. This was an early day in March in Hong Kong, in the third Covid-19. Hong Kong is suffering from the worst wave of pandemic with more than a million reported cases. Despite being one of the world's wealthiest cities, the Covid-19 fatality rate exceeds 0.5%, marking the highest death rate in the world right now. The city has shuttered bars, closed down late-night dining and schools, leaving hundreds of thousands without a job and little in terms of a safety net. According to Sze Lai-shan, deputy director of the Society for Community Organization, the situation is dire. "As most people can get vaccinated, the chances of dying from Covid are low, but starving to death is higher now," said Sze, whose group helps 40,000 people a day. Hong Kong's unemployment is surging amid the semi-lockdown, reaching 4.5% in February, the highest since September 2021. The government is trying to stem the disaster in the city, with Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po recently announcing a sixth round of the Anti-pandemic Fund of HK$27 billion to subsidize affected employers and individuals. Some HK$3billion is reserved for unemployment support. Eligible applicants must be unemployed for 30 consecutive days to get one-off HK$10,000 subsidies. Lam said to expand unemployment subsidy on Friday to benefit up to 1.3 million workers, covering three-quarters of workers earning HK$30,000 per month. Ronald Kong, 50, was recently temporarily laid off from his job at a barber shop, and had to make ends meet by giving haircuts in his apartment. While he's back at work now, he's deeply …
Surviving smart prison
- 2022-03-27
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Karmen LiEdited by: Tracy Leung
- 2022-03-27
Immigration detainees concern groups complain of intrusive use of technology. What is a smart prison Hong Kong’s first smart prison, Tai Tam Gap Correctional Institution (TTGCI) began operation in Sept 2021. Among the 160 inmates, 67 were immigration detainees. According to the Development of Smart Prison document presented to the Legislative Council by the Correctional Services Department in 2019. TTGCI operates a Passage Surveillance System. All prisoners have to wear a smart wristband. Officers can track the prisoners and are alerted if anyone strays from a designated route. Inmates have to wear a tracker that looks like a black digital watch without a screen. It monitors heart rate, physical conditions and medical needs. It also alerts offers of any suicide or self-harm attempt. Why are the immigration detainees there? Anna Tsui is a member of the CIC Detainees’ Rights Concern Group, an organisation that tries to improve immigration detainees’ living conditions and fight against unlawful detention inside the Castle Peak Bay Immigration Centre (CIC). “At least three of the immigration detainees inside TTGCI told me that the officers didn’t explain the functions and the purposes of wearing the black wristbands in advance. They asked the officers if they could remove the wristbands and the answer was ‘no’.” In an email response to The Young Reporter, the Correctional Services Department said that “upon admission to TTGCI, information leaflets explaining the function of the smart wristband are provided to detainees. Detainees may ask on-duty staff if they have doubts.” As of Dec. 2021, there were about 14,000 people who were refused entry into Hong Kong. These so-called non-refoulement claimants include illegal migrants or people who had overstayed their visas. Among them, 11,000 have had their claims rejected but 9,000 of them have applied for judicial reviews and of those, 300 were detained …
Feminists redefine gender equality
- 2022-03-23
- People
- The Young Reporter
- By: Clarice WuEdited by: Jayde Cheung
- 2022-03-23
Hilarie Fung Hiu-lam, a year 3 university student and her friends have been managing @medusasinnocent, an Instagram page dedicated to feminism since mid-September last year. “Do you believe in gender equality? If yes, then welcome to the family of feminism!” she said. It started off as an assignment, but Fung has enjoyed learning about feminism and proudly calls herself a ‘feminist’. “I think feminists are villainized, but all we ever wanted is for everyone to be equal,” said Fung. The name @medussasinnocent, comes from the Greek myth about Medusa, the maiden turn monster after she was raped by Poseidon in the temple of Athena. Even though Medusa is traditionally portrayed as a villain, she was actually a victim. Fung’s teammate thought there are similarities between the villiainization of Medusa and of feminists. “I have never understood why boys are not allowed to cry and girls should cover up to protect themselves,” Fung said bitterly, “it is quite obvious that society is morbid enough to normalise toxic masculinity and sexualisation. We should stop asking people to do or not do things according to their genders.” She emphasised that feminism is about providing support to all genders when they feel tied down by gender norms, rather then promoting females as the “better” gender. The Instagram page Fung and her teammates run also includes a link to their blog “Medusa”. It covers a wide range of topics, including the objectification of South Asian women, hyper-sexualisation of male idols and women not being able to wear what they want without the fear of being judged. The articles have accumulated hundreds of views and sparked healthy discussions online. Fung is delighted to see her efforts in promoting gender equality pay off. “My mother does not let me hike alone and my ex felt embarrassed because …
Justice for silent frontline cleaners
- 2022-03-21
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Jayde CheungEdited by: Clarice Wu
- 2022-03-21
Carrying a blue cart of buckets and brooms, Luke Ching Chin-wai, 50, was supposed to clean the left-wing of Tai Wai MTR station. It is a two-storey building that includes four railways of the Tuen Ma and East Rail Lines, with stores on the ground floor. In addition to 11 rubbish bins, Ching is also responsible for cleaning the advertising lightboxes, handrails and gates, as well as the train area, all within two hours. Ching is drenched in sweat already before he’s even finished half of his duty, and he has yet to take a break. “What a nuisance to be sweaty,” he said while cleaning the entrance gate. Cleaning workers like Ching have to maintain the hygiene in areas such as public toilets and refuse collection rooms. However, frontline cleaners are not always well equipped, especially during the pandemic. They risk their health to earn meagre salaries, and their rights and welfare are often barely protected. But Ching is also a conceptual artist and a labour activist. He discovered the hidden welfare problems of cleaning workers working for the Mass Transit Railway after going undercover since November last year. Cleaners work under the MTR Corporation are outsourced to ISS Facilities Service Limited and Winson Cleaning Service Company Limited through tendering, according to the company’s website. Suppliers listed the business details on the tendering documents for MTRC to choose from, including the salary for the cleaners. The number of face masks dispensed is equivalent to the number of working days, but it is far from enough. “One is needed before the break, a new one is needed after that, and should be changed after work,” explained Ching. A minimum of three face masks are needed for an eight-hour shift. Hygiene work in an MTR station is not limited to wiping …
Online learning worsen the education inequality as grassroots children’s self-esteem lowered
- 2022-03-19
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Hamish CHANEdited by: Lokman Yuen
- 2022-03-19
Hazel Chung, a university freshman who has to study at home due to the pandemic, is forced to study at the same table with her sister, who just got into secondary school. They live in a public housing flat with their mother, who works six days a week at a supermarket. In a 15-square-metre apartment, the family uses a foldable table for dining, working, and studying. As the flat is not spacious, they will need to sit on the bunk bed for the lesson. Besides the physical environment, poor internet interrupts online learning as well. If one of the two sisters is answering questions from teachers, the other will easily be affected due to internet traffic jams, according to Chung. The intermittent internet connection often lasts for a minute and reconnects itself, repeatedly repeating every time Chung and her sister have online lessons together. “When both of us turn our cameras on, the video quality will drop significantly, making it very hard to concentrate,” said Chung. It is not just students who feel that students are not concentrating. Liz Li Tsing-wen, the head of Citizenship and Social Development in Pui Kiu College, said she noticed that students are not concentrated on online lessons. “It is very easy to see that some students are looking at the monitor but their mind has been distracted by other things at home,” said Li. “The only benefit is that I do not have to repeat ‘keep quiet’ a thousand times because they only turn on their microphones when I call their names.” Chung agrees with Li's comment and says, “even myself, as an adult and a tertiary education student, feels difficult to concentrate on online learning.” “If I have my own room and better internet, I can be more concentrated, and so does my …
St.Patrick’s Day celebrations return to Kingston, Ontario
- 2022-03-19
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Kiki LoEdited by: Jenny Lam
- 2022-03-19
Hundreds of students wearing green celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in Kingston, Ontario where Covid-19 restrictions have been lifted. The green clothes, green beer and clovers are back on the streets of Kingston, Ontario for the first time in two years. St Patrick’s Day festivities stopped in 2020 at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. But celebrations honouring one of the patron saints of Ireland are in full swing again. Students hold parties in their front yards and rooftops, many of them singing with drinks in their hands. All this is possible because from March 14, social gathering in Ontario has been increased to 50 people indoors, with no limit outdoor. Capacity limits for bars and restaurants have also been removed. But the University District Safety Initiative is in effect, which means individuals could be fined up to CAD$2,000 or even face university disciplinary action for creating, hosting or participating in a "nuisance party" under the Student Conduct Code. A Nuisance party includes undesirable behaviors such as excessive and disturbing noise, obstructing vehicular or pedestrian traffic, and illegally serving or selling alcoholic beverages and controlled substances. Last year, Covid restrictions meant parties were limited to five people. Businesses serving alcoholic beverages had to close at 11 p.m. Singing, dancing and live music were also banned. But now in 2022, students say they are happy to celebrate St.Patrick’s day with fewer restrictions. Cathy Chan, a student in Kingston got ready a few days ago by buying a green T-shirt and accessories. "My friends and I are really excited about this. We haven't had a big party in a long time," she said. Another student, Anna Morel, said she was going to a night club for the evening. "The club just reopened this month, and we can't wait to enjoy our time there," …
Summer holiday starts early for Hong Kong students
- 2022-03-18
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Phoebe LawEdited by: Lokman Yuen
- 2022-03-18
The Summer break for school kids around Hong Kong has started four months earlier than usual. The government announced the closure at the start of the fifth wave of the Covid pandemic in order to avoid students cramming onto campuses. The government said earlier that at least 400 schools will be used as Covid testing centres. But school is supposed to resume after the Easter holidays, with the academic year ending on Aug. 12. Sammi Lam Wing-yan, 45, is a mother of a 12-year-old and a 6-year-old. “My original plan was to take a few weeks off in July and August to accompany my kids,” said Lam. “But I am unable to apply for leave this month and need to find someone else to take care of my kids during the daytime.” Law Fung-sim, a kindergarten teacher, said the arrangement hinders the learning ability of preschoolers. “Kindergarten children need more social interaction to train their language and their basic knowledge. Online learning is not an ideal way to teach,” she said. “The sudden suspension of class is definitely not good since young children are forgetful and should constantly review concepts to consolidate their knowledge.” Joseph Law Kin-dat, a primary school teacher, said the sudden change of schedule affects students’ academic performance. “We can’t look after them outside school.oSome of them are unable to study on their own during the holidays,” said Law. “The only thing we can do is to leave the important lessons for now and teach them after the Easter holiday. Hopefully face-to-face classes will be allowed by then,” he said.
Hong Kong running out of coffins, funeral industry says
- 2022-03-17
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Lokman YuenEdited by: Phoebe Law
- 2022-03-17
Funeral Hung Hom Company has only enough coffins left for two or three days, Roy Fan, who works at the funeral home said. He said he hopes a new supply from the mainland will arrive soon. Daily cremation has almost doubled because of Covid-19 deaths, he said. “It is a big problem, “ he said. “Without coffins, other procedures will be affected,” said Fan, referring to funeral delays. The government is working with the mainland to increase the supply, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said in a press conference on Wednesday, adding that she expected 730 coffins to arrive by Friday.
Stigma over mental health issues causing workplace discrimination
- 2022-03-17
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Tracy LeungEdited by: Karmen Li
- 2022-03-17
Nancy Chan is a qualified kindergarten teacher, but had trouble finding a job. “They didn’t hire me when I confessed to my potential employers that I had a history of psychosis,” she said. “When I stopped revealing my mental health history, job opportunities started to come,” she added. An estimated one in seven people in Hong Kong experience some form of mental disorder at any given time, according to Mind HK, a local mental health charity. “Ten to 20 years ago, there was not much public education on mental health illnesses. Patients have often faced discrimination and were excluded from mainstream society,” said Chris Wong, Head of Professional Services from the New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association. Her organisation provides services such as vocational rehabilitation and employment services for patients in the autism spectrum and for those rehabilitated from mental illness. In 1977, the government published the first Rehabilitation Policy White Paper to help mental health patients. But in 1989, the government abandoned the rehabilitation service, which further delayed the comprehensive review and reduced the government’s commitment to the service. Wong said rehabilitated psychiatric patients often face unfair treatment during recovery. “People may use “crazy man” to describe psychiatric patients. When a person feels mentally ill, people will think they are crazy during the recovery process,” she added. Rehabilitated patients may have residual symptoms such as refractions, uncontrollable body movements and facial expressions during recovery. In recent years, some local celebrities have raised awareness on mental illness by sharing their experiences with the public. “The community gradually understands what really happens to mental illness patients,” Chris Wong said. In March 1992, the government launched a public consultation on Rehabilitation Policies and Services. In 2010, NGO community support services were enhanced and the Integrated Community Centre for Mental Wellness service was started. …
Coronavirus pandemic adds to the burden of special education needs(SEN) students and families
- 2022-03-15
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Kate ZhangEdited by: Nick Yang
- 2022-03-15
Kelvin Wong, 35, is looking for a tutor for his 8-year-old daughter, who has dyslexia. His daughter is a student in a mainstream school. She is in the bottom of her class because she reads slowly and has difficulty in writing. The girl's teacher was often dissatisfied with her grades. This caused her to be fed up with school. She had not been to school for three months before the suspension of the face-to-face lessons due to COVID-19. "My daughter often cry and tell me that teachers and classmates think she is stupid. She said she tried very hard to write correctly, but she still wrote the words upside down," said Wong. Despite thinking the school does not provide adequate care for his daughter, Wong understands a school with limited teachers cannot take care of children with different needs at the same time. "I think my daughter needs more care and patience, and that is why I very much hope to find a tutor to help her," said Wong. In Hong Kong, students with special educational needs (SEN), who have learning difficulties or disabilities, can access mainstream schools. However, like Wong's daughter, many are treated unequally. For instance, they lack adequate care and are discriminated against. With the outbreak of COVID-19, SEN students are learning online at home, forcing school offered training and rehabilitation courses to stop. The suspension of normal on-campus classes and training exacerbates the inequalities they face. Some SEN students displayed poor learning results from online classes. Some even noticed their illnesses gradually worsening. Without the school’s educational support, extra remedial and training courses are needed. Some families experienced huge financial burdens in this regard. There were at least 82,858 confirmed SEN children in Hong Kong, representing more than 8% of all children in Hong Kong, according …