🌊Lots of politics

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Good morning,

It’s been a while since my last food rec, so here’s this super easy, non-time-consuming tiramisu if that’s what you were craving. My pairing of choice, also an oldie but goodie (in honor of the school season starting soon for many):

Enjoy the good weather! While it lasts, i guess

-Charlotte

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On Today’s Tide

1. COVID |

   • 3+4 quarantine as the economy’s booster shot

2. Politics |

   • HK Government states that criticism of its defects is welcomed

   • Facebook pages for anonymous rants shut down

   • Former security minister passes away

3. Policy | Littering fines to be upped

4. Events

Behind the paywall:

1. Travel | Top 10 Most Frequented Asian Airports: HK Int’l Airport Misses Out

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COVID in Hong Kong

Hong Kong SAR Government News @newsgovhk

The Centre for Health Protection says it is looking into 4,764 additional locally acquired #COVID19 cases, of which 1,534 were directly identified through nucleic acid tests and 3,230 via verified rapid antigen tests

news.gov.hkHK reports 4.7k COVID-19 casesThe Centre for Health Protection says it is looking into 4,764 additional locally acquired COVID-19 cases, of which 1,534 were directly identified through nucleic acid tests and 3,230 via verified rapid antigen tests.

• New cases: 5,279 (215 imported)

• Total cases: 1,417,322

• New deaths: 3

• Total deaths: 9,565

Economy’s booster shot: 3+4

A surge of cases is expected with the reduced ‘3+4’ quarantine, though Financial Secretary Paul Chan says this will boost the economy, despite the overall outlook still not looking great for the remainder of 2022.

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“We welcome criticisms…”

Full quote: “We welcome criticisms and don’t see them as problems at all, if they can let us know about our defects and make us perform better.” Secretary for Security Chris Tang said this on Sunday a few days after his radio appearance, where he was asked about the “chilling effect” on free speech.

However, Tang distinguished that criticisms intended to promote hostility among people are not welcome. “But if your intention is to provoke and promote enmity between different classes of people so that they might abuse, attack each other, or even resort to violence, this might constitute a breach of the law.”

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Facebook pages shut down

Not just any Facebook pages. After Tuesday’s arrests of two administrators who ran the ‘Civil Servant Secrets’ page, several of these similar ‘confession pages’ have been shut down too. At least eight, as of Thursday, including pages for parents, Hospital Authority employees, and students at several universities, among other audiences.

Tuesday’s arrests concerned two government employees (aged 28, 29) who allegedly published seditious posts online. According to SCMP, “…One in five arrests by national security authorities in the past two years was made on the grounds of the colonial-era sedition offence rather than the four crimes outlawed by the Beijing-imposed legislation.”

Image via SCMP.

The ‘secrets’ pages are used by people in a community to voice their opinions anonymously, no matter the content. Admins collect these opinions and post them on the public page.

However, not all content on these pages are for whistle-blowing: “Many posts did not criticise the government at all and some even expressed support for a government decision,” according to a CUHK professor.

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Former Security Minister passes in sleep

At age 73, former HK Security Minister Ambrose Lee passed in his sleep on Sunday, as revealed by his ex-colleagues and former senior officials.

His passing was said to be sudden by many, with a recent visit to hospital to treat ribs broken in a fall revealing his otherwise healthy condition.

He was HK’s longest serving security secretary (served from 2003-2012), and has been lauded postmortem by John Lee. In a statement expressing his sadness, the CE praised the Security Minister’s “exemplary contributions” to the public office over the years, as well as the “respect and love” he commanded. Lee said:

“I was deeply impressed by his dedication and commitment to serving the people of Hong Kong when I worked with him in various positions in the past.”

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You litter, you lose (money)

Officials have recently marked HK’s street scene as having fallen into a “unremitting, nightmarish cycle” after inspecting street hygiene conditions on Sunday. This inspection in turn marks the beginning of the CE’s ‘Hong Kong New Cityscape’ campaign to increase liveability.

Campaign leader Warner Cheuk is perhaps considering raising the fine for littering from the current HK$1500, which has been in place for the past 20 years. Some members of the public have suggested HK$10,000 as the new punishing fee, though Cheuk says the figure must remain reasonable.

Image via SCMP.

This first phase of the campaign will focus on cleaning up and targeting the city, particularly the 600+ hygiene ‘black spots’. The second phase, scheduled for October, will focus on beautifying the city.

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Events and deals

Support Harbour Times, our friends and partners by attending these events! Let everyone know who sent you by tagging @harbourtimes

• German Films at the 46th Annual Hong Kong Film Festival

Our friends at the German Consulate and the Goethe Institut are premiering 4 German films in Asia including GREAT FREEDOM (GROSSE FREIHEIT), EVOLUTION, AXIOM and COME WITH ME TO THE CINEMA - THE GREGORS.

The full HKFF programme, which includes films from all over the world, is available here.

• Lifeline Mental Health Livefest at The Wanch

The uncertainty from the COVID-19 pandemic has made it exceedingly difficult for the music industry, particularly live music. Indefinite restrictions have taken a heavy toll on the mental health of not only the artists, but also the thousands of people who work alongside them.

On 20th August 2022, Musicians Foundation will be conducting an afternoon of TedX-style talks focusing on raising awareness on music and mental health.

When: Sat 20 Aug, 3-5pm
Where: The Wanch
Cost: Free
Sign up here (places limited for COVID regulations)

• Official media partner: ReThink HK returns 5-6 Oct

HT is proud to once again be a media partner for ReThink - HK’s biggest and most exciting sustainability conference. This year’s conference invites more than 300 expert speakers to share their visions and insights, covering important topics like economic progression while coexisting with nature harmoniously, efficient use of resources, transformation to a low-carbon society, and circular economy for future generations.

Sign up here using the code HTP22 for 40% off!

For more local events, check out yesterday’s High Tide.

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