#hongkong

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 …

Different Faces, Same Values
- 2017-05-24
- Culture & Leisure
- The Young Reporter
- Edited by: Jianne Soriano
- 2017-05-24
Located in Tsim Sha Tsui, Chungking Mansions is not only a landmark but also a hub of different cultures with many ethnic minorities. Walking out from Tsim Sha Tsui station, Muhammed Hussain is used to the hustle and bustle of the crowd. Many have East Asian faces, speaking Mandarin or Korean loudly with a draw- bar box in hand. Many of these tourists with money to burn love the emporiums where they can easily find popular designer brands such as Louis Vuitton or Gucci. It's 12:03pm. Hussain looks down at his watch as he waits for the traffic light to cross busy Nathan Road. In a few hours, white-collar workers and tourists will head to the nearby historic Peninsula Hotel for afternoon tea. But neither the Peninsula nor the emporium is Hussain's destination. Instead, he steps through an inconspicuous building entrance and heads upstairs to his mobile phone shop. Everyday Hussain, a 20 year-old Pakistani man, follows the same routine. He meets 20 to 30 customers a day until he closes his shop at 9 pm. He may go for a late lunch, usually curry and rice, not because he likes it but because it is a common menu in the building. Just like other commercial buildings in the neighborhood, there are many mobile phone shops, money changers and restaurants. But unlike other buildings, restaurants here mainly sell Indian food and most shopkeepers are South Asian and African men. The building's name is Chungking Mansions, and it's history is full of mystery and lore to even locals and the tourists who know it for its cheap accommodation. Located in Tsim Sha Tsui, one of the most prosperous districts in Hong Kong, Chungking Mansions has never been seen as a part of Hong Kong, even after being chosen as a landmark …