The Young Reporter

Barrister of Occupy Central founders: charges are over-complicated and overloaded
- 2017-09-20
- The Young Reporter
- 2017-09-20
The counsel for the three founders of the Occupy Central movement has criticised the prosecution for slapping "over-complicated" charges on them, saying they would have pleaded guilty had they been charged with "unauthorised assembly". Senior Counsel Gerard McCoy said Benny Tai Yiu-ting, Chan Kin-man and Reverend Chu Yiu-ming remained inclined to admit their responsibility had they been charged with the proper offence of unauthorised assembly. Instead, Tai, associate professor of law at the University of Hong Kong, Chan, associate professor of sociology at the Chinese University, and Chu are charged with the three charges : ‘Conspiracy to cause public nuisance', ‘inciting others to cause public nuisance' and ‘inciting people to incite others to cause public nuisance'. McCoy also questioned the court's decision to put them in a bound trial, as the alleged crimes might have happened in different locations. The defence then challenged the case's justifiability, stating ‘inciting people to incite others to commit public nuisance' was "‘curious and downright strange"'. He also raised that double incitement was unconstitutional by quoting a recent similar Australian case. He urges the court to reconsider if the charges are "lawful and proper". Before the hearing, ousted Legislative Councillor Leung Kwok-hung and other supporters chanted for jailed defendant Wong Ho-ming: "We miss you! Shame on political prosecution!" Prosecution Senior Counsel Leung Cheuk-yin condemned such acts as freedom of expression had its limits and warned that the conduct might be recognised as a criminal contempt. McCoy said such an act was ‘outrageous' and ‘intolerable'. The pre-trial review is scheduled for January 9 to 12 next year. (DCCC480/2017) Reported by Ezra Cheung Edited by Daniel Ma, Isabella Lo, Cecilia Wong and James Ho

60 anti-Japanese groups commemorate 86th anniversary of Mukden Incident
- 2017-09-18
- The Young Reporter
- By: Michael Shum、Erin ChanEdited by: Tracy Zhang、Daisy Lee
- 2017-09-18
60 anti-Japanese groups showed up in Central on Monday to commemorate the 86th anniversary of Mukden Incident which marks Japan's invasion in China. Organised by Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, groups including Association of Chiang Kai-shek - gathered outside the Exchange Square in response to Japan's development in military power. Social committee member of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, Kan Ming-tung urged Japan to face the history regarding the invasion of China on September 18, 1931. Kan said he felt regret that they were not allowed to enter the Consulate-General of Japan in Hong Kong and no representative from the office had accepted their letter.

Alleged drug found at venue of Road to Ultra Music Festival
- 2017-09-18
- The Young Reporter
- By: Erin Chan、Michael ShumEdited by: Angela Cheung、Daisy Lee
- 2017-09-18
One man died, two other men and a woman still hospitalised at Queen Elizabeth Hospital after collapsing at Hong Kong's Road to Ultra Electronic Music festival held last Saturday. Police found alleged drug during the investigation today at the Nursery Park in West Kowloon Culture District. Police said they found a small amount of substance- including one red and part of a light blue pill at the scene. However, they added that autopsy will be conducted later to confirm cause of death of the man. In response to the accident, West Kowloon Cultural District authority said they would discuss on how they can improve security checkups and relevant monitoring procedures at similar, large-scale events in the future. The authority stated that the four people had suffered from heatstroke. Some attendees were dissatisfied with the insufficient of water supply at the venue. The temperature was 32 degree Celsius on Saturday, while Hong Kong Observatory has raised ‘Very hot weather warning' to remind citizens the greater risk of heatstroke. Road to Ultra is an one-day electronic music festival held at Nursery Park, West Central Kowloon District last Saturday. According to the host, there were around 8,000 attendees on the event. Attendees had their bags checked at the security control of the festival. The organiser has set 15 house rules including strict prohibition of drugs. Spokesperson for Road to Ultra also added that there were around 100 security guards at the site to monitor the flow of the audience. There were three first aid booths to provide medical assistance. Four participants, aged between 21 and 29 collapsed at Hong Kong's Road to Ultra Electronic Music festival held last Saturday. They were all sent to Queen Elizabeth Hospital after the staff at the venue were alerted. One of the men, 27-year-old surnamed …

A huge obstacle to Hong Kong recycling industry
- 2017-09-14
- The Young Reporter
- By: Elisa Luk、Erica Chin、Li Wing Kiu、Kobie LiEdited by: Celia Lai、Richelia Yeung、Tiffany Lui
- 2017-09-14
Hong Kong recycling operations can no longer export local scrap paper to the mainland due to a national ban on importing foreign solid waste. Issued in July, the policy notice stated that China will no longer import 24 types of waste including unsorted scrap paper and waste plastic by the end of this year. Despite being a special administration region, Hong Kong cannot export any waste paper to the mainland for recycling. A local recycling shop operator, Ng Siu-po, said the price of paper has already dropped by half due to the release of the policy. Ng said the price level of waste paper is now $500 per metric ton, which was a thousand per metric ton, and expected the price to drop further after it is put into practice. The profit his business gained has dropped a third. He is pessimistic towards the recycling industry in Hong Kong. "Selling waste paper is the main source of income of my business. If the mainland stops importing waste paper, there is no other places for us to sell the waste paper and I may need to close down my recycling shop," Ng said. Wendell Chan, the project officer of Friends of the Earth, added that China is the biggest importer of Hong Kong's recyclable waste, which constitutes about 98%. Chan predicted the recyclable will be sent to the landfills instead without the normal exit channels. Ms Au, who collects waste paper for a living, said that her income has fallen by half due to lowered price of scrap paper. She added that her monthly income was about $3000 to $4000 in the past but now her income is only about $2000. "I hope that the Hong Kong Recycle Materials & Re-Production Business General Association Limited can bargain with the …

Hong Kong tops the Japanese Pearl Export Market
- 2017-09-13
- Business
- The Young Reporter
- 2017-09-13
By: Tracy Zhang, Jade Li, Dorothy Ma Edited by: Winnie Ngai and Emily Xu Hong Kong has become a most sought-after and promising Japanese jewellery market as the city's growing appetite for pearl. The 35th Hong Kong Jewellery Fair opened on September 13th at AsiaWorld Expo. Organized by UBM Asia, the seven-day fair has attracted over 3,690 exhibitors from 56 countries and regions. As the largest Asian jewellery fair, it is expected to draw more than 56,000 visitors. Hong Kong has been the top market for Japanese pearl, accounting for 80 per cent of the country's pearl exports last year, according to the annual report of Japan's agriculture, forestry and fisheries exports. In 2016, the amount of exported Japanese pearl to the city was valued at 24,222 million yen (about HK$ 1,719 million)– about eight times of the value exported to the US, which ranks second. According to Hong Kong Merchandise Trade Statistics Import from January to July 2017, Japan takes the lead in the quantity and value of pearl trade in Hong Kong. Project Manager of Japanese Pearl trading company Hinata Trading Corporation Limited, Alexander Muller said this was his sixth time attending the fair. "Hong Kong is the centre of the Japanese pearl trade," he said, "Japanese pearl market is the most booming trading market in Hong Kong so I hope [this good situation] would keep on going." Muller believes that the high credibility of pearl quality and the reputable tradition of Japanese pearl make the business successful in Hong Kong. His company is expert in refining irregular shapes of pearl to meet the demand of its key customers from Europe and America. "People from mainland China and Hong Kong only account for a small part of our business sales since they are more interested in the perfectly round pearls," …

Banning EdU students from taking up jobs would potentially be "not fair"
- 2017-09-13
- Politics
- The Young Reporter
- By: Zoya Zhao、Raphael Blet、Scout Xu、Windy LIEdited by: Lam Ka Sing
- 2017-09-13
Timeline of Education University's democracy wall saga Banning The Education University of Hong Kong's (EdU) students from taking up jobs would potentially be unfair, said a spokesperson of the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC), referring to the university's recent democracy wall saga. Employers should avoid applying non-essential requirements, conditions or making groundless assumptions, EOC said. Some school principals sent emails to EdU saying they would never hire the university's graduates, said the university's student union. "If these claims happened to be true, it would be unfair", said EOC. However, EOC also pointed out that due to the lack of details, there was no evidence to show that these possible actions would be against the Discrimination Ordinance. "To prevent discrimination in the workplace, the EOC encourages employers to make all employment decisions based on merit, job experiences and education qualifications regardless of a person's gender, marital status or other irrelevant criteria." Student unions of some other universities have been criticized for not openly denouncing the incident. However, some students also studying education did not approve of what was posted on the university's democracy wall. "I feel a bit ashamed actually. Cursing and mocking the deceased son of a person is never appropriate" said Joanna Wong, a student of English Language Education in a local university. Nevertheless, she does not think that the claims of internship cancellation will be true. " I don't think the principals who joined the petition really meant that they are not hiring those from EdU" About 10 internships at the university have been cancelled, said Lala Lai Hiu-ching, the president of the university's student union. "Some institutions claimed that they were "cancelling" internships and would "never" hire EdU students," Lai said. If these claims are true, this would affect all students in this university. "This is …

Groups call for prompt legal actions on pro-independence students
- 2017-09-13
- The Young Reporter
- By: Erin Chan、Michael ShumEdited by: Tracy Zhang、Daisy Lee
- 2017-09-13
A number of anti-independence groups urged the Police Force to take legal actions on activists who put up banners calling for independence of the city on university campuses days before on Tuesday morning. Gathering outside Hong Kong Police Headquarters, one of the pro-Beijing groups reiterated that "discussion of Hong Kong Independence is a sheer violation of the basic law". Anti-independence group Protect Hong Kong member Mrs. Lam, one of the protesters on the scene, said that she hopes law enforcement would "pursue legal action" against pro-independence activists on campuses. "July 1, 1997 is the indication that Hong Kong has fully returned to China ever since. The pro-independence messages posted on campuses are simply sugarcoated poison that distort the values of [university] students," she said. Solicitor Chong Yiu-kwong said it is a hot potato to judge whether putting pro-independence posters on university campuses is illegal. "In the context of Hong Kong's legal system, generally speaking, criminal liability will arise only when you have committed something the law mentioned specifically as illegal. So [In my opinion], it is highly unlikely that simply posting a poster with pro-independence message will cause the subversion of a country [China]," he said. "Even if the expressions made by university students on pro-independence can be justified in the current law of Hong Kong, the Beijing government might interpret "freedom of speech" differently," said Chong. Chinese University student union leader Au Tse-ho, described the action of putting up pro-independence banners on university campuses as a "healthy practice". "According to my knowledge, these actions happening in universities are all liable and are conducted in a rational way that is not hurting anyone," Au said. Former convenor of Civil Human Rights Front Eric Lai Yan-ho said universities should allow a high level of freedom of expression. Reported by Alexander Lin, Erin Chan …

Yuen Yuen Institute accident exposes loosely regulated furnaces
- 2017-09-13
- The Young Reporter
- By: Caroline Kwok、Holly Chik、Michelle Ng、Elly WuEdited by: Isabella Lo、Daisy Lee
- 2017-09-13
Yuen Yuen Institute accident exposes loosely regulated furnaces Loose regulations towards furnace are revealed as a woman died two days after leaping into an unattended temple incinerator. Temples and religious event organisers do not need to obtain permits from Environmental Protection Department for furnaces used for burning joss paper, incense and other rites , since these activities are not regulated by the Air Pollution Control (Open Burning) Regulation. Currently, no regulation or ordinance deal directly with the safety issue of furnaces other than the temple itself, said Wong Wai-kit, the Vice Chairman of the Tsuen Wan District Council. "We do not know which government department is responsible for the regulation", said a spokesperson for the Fire Services Department. According to the spokesperson, the department is not directly responsible for regulating the burners but can provide advice to the design and location of furnaces upon other government bodies' requests. The department can only take action if the incense burners pose threat to fire safety such as the width of fire escapes. Other departments can only exert limited control to the operation of furnaces. Environmental Protection Department can serve an Air Pollution Abatement Notice to require the owner of the furnace to take remedial action to cut down or even eliminate the smoke emission. Food and Environmental Hygiene Department can charge anyone who committed littering up to $1,500, including ashes after burning paper offerings. Compared to that in Yuen Yuen Institute, the "Qing Yan" Eco-joss paper furnace developed by Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) has a smaller opening. Temples operated by Tung Wah Group of Hospitals (TWGH) have trained staff to handle the burning for the public, especially when there is a high demand for the service, said the HKPC, who designed the burners for TWGH. The HKPC also said they usually …

Hong Kong Free Speech
- 2017-09-13
- The Young Reporter
- 2017-09-13
Reporter: Susan Gao, Maggie Liu, Melissa Ko and Lloyd Hewitt-Robinson Editor: Susan Gao and Melissa Ko The Hong Kong independence banner saga continues at local universities after the student unions of 13 higher institutions issued a joint statement condemning Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and university authorities for "making an explicit effort" to limit free speech. "The regime is now making an explicit effort to limit our freedom of expression through exerting pressure on university authorities to punish those whose speech may have intimidated the people in power," the joint statement wrote. Student unions reiterated, "everyone enjoys the freedom of speech, and this is the line that we shall never compromise." Last week, the banners declaring Hong Kong independence were put up on the Chinese University's democracy wall, but later they were replaced with other banners while anti-independence posters were also put up. This action has provoked a heated debate over the freedom of speech after the banners advocating Hong Kong independence were shown on noticeboards at various universities. According to Amnesty International, freedom of speech applies to ideas of all kinds despite what may be offensive and it comes with responsibilities. The three universities, which are City University, Baptist University and Chinese University, all agreed that freedom of speech is the right to express one's own ideas without censorship. City University's student union external secretary, Ng Chung-hing, said, noticeboards managed by the student union, serve as a platform for student members to express their own opinions freely. The student union itself is independent from the university, which does not have the right to take down the posters. Baptist University's student union external secretary, Mak Kwan-wai, said, BU students are welcome to discuss whatever they want, including the Hong Kong independence issue because the principal promised that the school is not allowed …

Traditional crafts, modernised production in Russia
- 2017-09-13
- The Young Reporter
- By: Michelle Ng
- 2017-09-13
Ranging from Matryoshkas to Filimonovo toy, Russian traditional handicrafts have been a favourite souvenir of tourists. Even with its unfailing popularity, the making of these folk arts has also gone through transformation owing to the country's urbanisation. Dmitry Vainshtein, the shop owner of Suveniry SPb said the most sold souvenir is the Russian Doll, which they can sell about 50 crafted toy every day. Yet, a nesting doll requires tedious procedures to finish which include detailed painting and polishing for 7 times which takes a worker at least one day to finish one layer on average. The manufacturing process of Matryoshka has certainly gone through industrialisation, said Nadia Aliyeva, the product sourcing manager of "Souvenirs antiques paintings amber", "We have bought in more from factories in a big batch for the recent 20 years." By Vystavochkina, daughter of Matryoshka artist Vera Vystavochkina often sell her mother's work in an online shop and bring them to souvenir stores. "I am not interested inheriting the mantle," she said, "I would rather live an office worker's life to ensure a stable income." According to statistics from Russian Federal State Statistics Service in 2015, the average monthly wage of a manufacturing worker is 31839 rubles, which is 54% less than those who pursue a career in Finance sector and 26.6% lower than the average monthly income in Russia. Apart from the Russian dolls, Filimonovo toys also face the challenge of reduced number of workers. The white toys are originally hand moulded by women in the village of Dymkovo as plaything for kids. Under urbanization, more villagers opt for working in the cities, reducing the number of filimonovo workers. "Many factories would pay children to do the clay moulding nowadays," Vainshtein said, "so more workers can do the painting work instead." He said it …