🌊 Free Tide: Beware the National Security Scam
🌊 Free Tide: Beware the National Security Scam
Chinese-Canadian author featured at literary festival
Good morning.
Our Halloween podcast episode is the treat you didn’t ask for but never knew you wanted. Learn about how Cyril’s friend went from a pessimist to a supernatural believer during a nighttime bike ride in Tai Po:
Woman loses over $10 million in national security scam
A 58-year-old woman was accused over the phone of involvement in a national security case by someone who claimed to be a Chinese law enforcement agent. She was then coerced into opening a new bank account and handing over her personal banking details and subsequently was scammed out of HK$10 million (US$1.28 million) (paywalled).
Cyril and I wouldn’t be too worried about something like this because most millennials don’t answer the phone these days, but scams of all types online or otherwise are getting more creative and complex. Be careful and stay vigilant if something doesn’t seem quite right.
Other national security-related updates
Five students from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) received jail sentences of up to five years for their participation in the November 2019 riots that took place on the school campus. They were also charged and found guilty of violating the mask ban, implemented in October 2019 to prohibit face coverings during public gatherings.
COVID-19
New cases: 2 (imported)
Five more hotels will be added to HK’s roster of designated quarantine hotels. This makes for a total of 40 hotels on the list and an additional 1,500 rooms (11,500 in total).
More tests will be mandatory for airport and hotel staff. As of next week, they will have to undergo testing every three days, and daily if unvaccinated.
A man who experienced facial paralysis after receiving his COVID-19 jab was rejected for compensation from the government (paywalled) because the medical professional responsible did not report his case to the Department of Health.
Compulsory testing notices were gazetted for those who were at the two specified premises during the times noted in Annex 1. Testing centre information in Annex 2.
Elbow injury gives Carrie Lam first break in years
After falling on the stairs of the Chief Executive’s residence, Carrie Lam reported on social media that she chipped her elbow and it will need about two to three weeks to heal. According to Lam, she slipped while heading down the stairs before a goodbye dinner for some retiring officials. Chief Secretary John Lee will be taking over her duties while she takes the time to ‘recharge’ (apparently her first time taking time off in three years).
I guess one could say her funny bone will be out of commission for a while.
Keeping up with the Consulates
The latest in consular and diplomat news in HK are exclusive to our Paid Tide readers. You can upgrade to a monthly or annual plan to not miss our current and future updates!
Events / Exhibitions etc.
This year’s Hong Kong International Literary Festival features a Chinese-Canadian author Pik-Shuen Fung and her book Ghost Forest.
The festival page’s description of Ghost Forest:
In Ghost Forest by Pik-Shuen Fung, the protagonist revisits memories of her “astronaut” father who stayed to work in Hong Kong after the rest of the family emigrated to Canada, and wonders how do you grieve if your family doesn’t talk about feelings?
When: 5-15 November
Where: Online and at multiple venues
All SPARK events are free to attend online, but you may need to register for some. SPARK events will run from today through Saturday (20-23 October).
HK is hosting seven trade fairs at the same time (paywalled). On this “hybrid platform”, both online and in-person events intend to capitalise off of what the Hong Kong Trade Development Council calls “peak sourcing season”. Now that’s a lot of trade fairs.
Appointments
Clement Woo has been appointed as the Chief Executive’s new undersecretary for constitutional and mainland affairs. Woo is a member of the pro-Beijing Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) who previously lost his seat in the 2019 district council elections.
Remember to listen to our Halloween podcast special
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