🌊Extradition for Ted Hui!
🌊Extradition for Ted Hui!
The MTR kills buses
Good morning,
[This email was sent out late due to a technical error]
Wednesday is meme day for our Instagram. Marion, who’s been doing our designs across the whole rebranding, is probably the best memelord I know and comes up with the absolute best stuff.
Also this is foreshadow for an exciting explainer we’re working on….stay tuned
~ Cyril
On Today’s Tide
Politics | ICAC working hard to extradite Ted Hui
COVID |
Restrictions loosening 1.5 (except pools)
HKU docs call for further loosening
Transport | East Rail extension cuts cross-harbour bus services
Behind the paywall:
Legco | Tik-Chi Yuen ‘1:89’ abstains budget vote
Tech | Factwire hacked (hide your emails)
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Extradition for Ted Hui
Self-exiled former law-maker Ted Hui is being chased by the ICAC for calling on citizens to cast blank balots in the December elections. In April 2021, openly calling for people to not vote, or to spoil/cast blank votes was outlawed with a steep punishment of $200,000 and 3 years behind bars.
Hui, who was already in Australia at the time with no intention of coming home, posted on Facebook (and reposted to Twitter) asking people to give blank votes so that the number of invalid votes outnumber valid votes. The government requested Facebook to take down the post in accordance with local laws, but at time of writing (like probably 3 hours ago from when you’re reading), it’s still there.
Yesterday, ICAC commisioner Simon Peh said that they’re still working hard on getting Hui extradited to Hong Kong. When pressed on how they plan on dragging Hui back from the land down under, Peh said that they can extradite in accordance with the UN Convention Against Corruption - Hui’s Facebook post amounted to corrupting the electoral process.
To date, 10 warrants have been issued for incitement against voting, with three arrests being made.
No one has yet made calls for blank or invalid votes in the upcoming 8 May CE elections. Although, I’m not sure what good it would do if someone really were bothered - it’s not like any of us are in the election committee.
COVID in Hong Kong
New cases: 313 (22 imported)
Total cases: 1,192,765
New deaths: 3
Total deaths: 9328
Loosening partially backtracked - pools to stagger opening
Today is the first day of restriction loosening level 1.5 - because 2.0 is on 19 May (refer back to our story…here)
Except pools won’t actualy open back up today. The LCSD announced yesterday that they need more time for deep cleaning. Instead pools will reopen ‘gradually’ from 12 - 16 May.
Ho Pak-Leung vs the Gov
HKU’s own professor Ho has come out against continued quarantine measures for incoming travelers, saying that 180 countries are gradually planning on, or have already, dropped isolation requirements.
He argued that instead of focusing on an immediate re-opening with the mainland, which will require sticking with dynamic-zero, we should instead open up to the rest of the world first and use that to build confidence with the mainland.
East Rail kills buses! (you won’t believe how)
Ok you’ll absolutely believe how. The Transport Department is making plans to reduce frequency or outright cut certain cross-harbour tunnel routes from 15 May - the day the East Rail extension to Admiralty via Exhibition will be completed.
The TD expect many passengers to take the train rather than buses. Route 301 which operates during morning rush hour from Hung Hom (Cross Harbour Tunnel interchange) to Sheung Wan (Wing Kut St) will likely be cut, while longer distance buses such as the 101 from Kwun Tong (Yue Man Square) to Kennedy Town will probably only see reductions.
Admiralty, the terminus for the extension, will be the MTR’s biggest interchange with the East Rail, South Island, Island and Tsuen Wan lines passing through.
Events and deals
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Cinco De Mayo with Roundhouse
Fried chicken, craft beer and a lesson in mexican history. The Roundhouse is celebrating Cinco De Mayo today with a special mexican menu, including Michelada cocktails made with Carbon Brewery’s Mexican Lager ‘El Crispy Boi’, as well as a Habenero Wing Eating Contest (which I will not be attending, not after last time….).
But first, check out their Instagram post on how to respectfully celebrate the festival (hint: you don’t need to buy a sombrero).
For other local events, check out our weekly roundup on Instagram
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