🌊 Freest economy

The end of Wall-fare

Sep 14, 2021

Good morning.

On the High Tide menu today we have:

Another pro-democracy group disbands
800 rooms booked in a flash
HK’s economic freedoms ranking
National security updates
Living without porpoise(s)?
and more

Also, have you seen my free book yet? It’s a collection of photos from my personal archives from my trip to Ghana in 2018. Give it a read and let me know what you think.

— Jasmine Lee

Prisoner group disbands post-chocolate fiasco

Wall-fare, a prisoners’ rights group, has disbanded a week after Security Secretary Chris Tang reported of groups bribing prisoners with chocolate to commit national security-related crimes.

When asked about whether political pressure had anything to do with the group’s end, Wall-fares founder, Shiu Ka-chun, said, "We can't say more. I'm sorry. I think we all understand what's happening."

Wall-fare was behind the letter-writing campaigns (paywalled) where members of the public were encouraged to send words of encouragement to those arrested in the protests of 2019 and 2020.

Hong Kong SAR Government News @newsgovhk

The Centre for Health Protection says it is investigating two additional imported #COVID19 cases involving a woman and a man who arrived from the Philippines and Qatar and had both been vaccinated

news.gov.hk2 imported COVID-19 cases reportedThe Centre for Health Protection says it is investigating two additional imported COVID-19 cases involving a woman and a man who arrived from the Philippines and Qatar and had both been vaccinated.

If you were present at these 11 specified premises in the specified period (scroll to the bottom and see Annex 1), you have to get tested for COVID.

Keep up with daily COVID stats here

The 800 rooms at Penny Bay made available for domestic helpers coming in from the Philippines and Indonesia were all snatched up minutes after bookings went live (paywalled).

Freest economy goes to…

Hong Kong SAR Government News @newsgovhk

The Govt welcomes the ranking of Hong Kong as the world's #FreestEconomy by the #FraserInstitute, saying the decision affirms the city's steadfast commitment to building a free economy with a level playing field

news.gov.hkHK ranked freest economy againThe Government welcomes the Fraser Institute’s ranking of Hong Kong as the world’s freest economy, saying the decision affirms the city’s steadfast commitment to building a free economy with a level playing field.

Hong Kong! But not for long, the Fraser Institute warns. The Canadian think tank’s report said that an "increased insecurity of property rights" and "the weakening of the rule of law" may affect its top ranking down the line.

National security law will be expanding on its list of offences! According to Secretary of Security Chris Tang, new legislation defining more security law offences is underway.
The Apple Daily Charitable Foundation (yes, that Apple Daily) has been removed from HK’s list of charities for reasons relating to national security.

Something to do with porpoises and an important man who went missing.
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Events

The HK Lesbian and Gay Film Festival has already begun, and one of the films on the roster is one coming from down under:

The Australian Consulate-General Hong Kong is proud to support the Hong Kong Lesbian & Gay Film Festival (HKLGFF), presenting the Australian coming-of-age feature My First Summer. Opening on 17 September, the film is about two isolated teenage girls finding in each other solace, companionship and possibly even love.