🌊 Free Tide: Gay Games now a 'threat to national security'
🌊 Free Tide: Gay Games now a 'threat to national security'
Lawmakers speak out against Gay Games, Tiananmen Square vigil organizers under investigation, billions of yuan worth of Chinese bonds set to be sold in Hong Kong and Macau, and more...
Good morning
Hey everyone! Get prepared for a NSL-heavy Tide this morning. Seems like everything is a ‘threat to national security‘ nowadays…
~ Sze Yu
Lawmakers object to Hong Kong Gay Games, cite NSL
At least three pro-establishment lawmakers—including Junius Ho—have warned the Hong Kong government against hosting next year’s Gay Games. Ho called the event a “wolf in sheep’s clothing“ and argued that the Office for Safeguarding National Security should be consulted. Ho also cited Article 23 of mainland China’s NSL, which states that the country should carry forward the traditional culture of the Chinese people and guard against the impact of harmful culture.
“On the surface, it is about equal opportunities, it is about inclusion. But it does not take a genius to figure out it is a wolf in sheep’s clothing”
— Hong Kong lawmaker Junius Ho
Other legislators expressed concern that the Games would encourage same-sex marriage in Hong Kong. The Liberal Party’s Peter Shiu Ka-fai said “Hong Kong adopts the one man, one woman marriage system. We can tolerate homosexuality. But we should not promote it.“
The Hong Kong Gay Games are scheduled to be hosted in November next year, with 12,000 people from 100 countries and regions expected to take part in various sports, arts and culture activities.
COVID news
Coronavirus in Hong Kong
New cases: 5 (imported)
Total cases: 12,075 cases so far (91 active cases, 212 total deaths, 11,772 total recovered)
Tiananmen Square vigil organizers suspected of ‘collusion with foreign forces‘
National security police have begun investigating the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China (paywalled)—the main group behind the annual Tiananmen Square vigil. Though the group is rumored to already be disbanding, police sent letters to 12 members of the Alliance demanding information about its membership and activities.
Shenzhen and Guangdong authorities eager to issue offshore bonds in Hong Kong & Macau
The Shenzhen Finance Bureau is planning to sell up to 5 billion yuan worth of bonds via Hong Kong(paywalled), while provincial finance authorities for Guangdong say an unspecified amount of bonds will be sold via Macau. These would mark the first direct offshore debt sale by local-level authorities in China.
Other updates
Infectious disease experts say it would be impossible to achieve long term herd immunity given the Covid-19 coronavirus’ constantly mutating strains. University of Hong Kong microbiologists Yuen Kwok-yung, David Lung and Kelvin Chiu also urged Hongkongers to get vaccinated as soon as they can while the city’s zero-infection streak lasts.
Hong Kong Law Society liberals suffer election defeat. All five solicitors representing the pro-establishment leaning “professionalism” camp successfully won seats on the Law Society of Hong Kong’s council. The five winners admitted they had ties to Beijing’s Liaison Office in Hong Kong but said that such ties were irrelevant in the election, RTHK reported.
HKU has asked student leaders to indicate their roles in the controversial student council meeting that passed a sympathy motion on the suicide of a police attacker in July. Students who attended a student union (HKUSU) council meeting on July 7 were asked via email to describe their “role[s] and manner of participation” in the event. A group of former HKUSU council members said it was "unreasonable" for the university to ask students to declare their roles in the meeting.
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