📡Guardians of Hong Kong aka BeWater HK
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We provide translation of news in English from local media and other sources, for academic use.
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Bloomberg: Haze Fan, who is working as a journalist in Beijing, is still detained by the Chinese authorities for a year

Source: Stand News #Dec07

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Bloomberg: Haze Fan, who is working as a journalist in Beijing, is still detained by the Chinese authorities for a year

A journalist who works in the Office of Bloomberg in Beijing, Haze Fan, has been detained for a year by Chinese authorities. John Micklethwait, the Editor-in-Chief of Bloomberg, issued a short statement regarding Haze Fan's 12 months of detention, raising concerns of people within the company about her health status.

The statement also indicated that the company would continuously try their best to assist Haze Fan and her family. News editorial staff missed Haze so much, no matter whether as a colleague or friend.

Haze Fan is a Chinese citizen and has worked for many foreign media such as CNBC, CBS, Al Jazeera and Reuters. She has worked at Bloomberg since 2017. On 7th December 2020, after the last time of contacting the editor at 11:30 am, Haze was taken away from the apartment by plainclothes law enforcement officers. Bloomberg has been seeking Haze’s whereabouts from the Chinese government and the Chinese Embassy in the United States.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China confirmed that Haze Fan was detained by Beijing Municipal National Security Bureau, suspecting that she was involved in criminal activities that endangered national security.

Source: Stand News #Dec07

#Bloomberg #China #NationalSecurity #PressFreedom
#Censorship #Silencing
China's Internet censors suggested contents mocking #XiJingping

Source: RFA; #Jan12
https://bit.ly/31Y8HVK

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#Censorship #Silencing
China's Internet censors suggested contents mocking #XiJingping

On January 12, 2022, a Twitter account in the name of "New Youth" (新青年) twitted several screenshots showing possible censorship on #Baidu, the most used search engine in China.

The screenshots are lists of search results on Baidu, which is said to be automatically generated by AI based on most popular searches and most used keywords.

"New Youth" claimed that on Baidu's search bar, it used to prompt multiple AI suggested contents associated to "The incumbent" (現在這位) in its dropdown box, such like:-

"The incumbent is going to reign forever?" (現在這位是一直要坐下去嗎);

"The incumbent is not stirring up economy but movement" (現在這位不搞經濟搞運動);

"The incumbent craves for grandiose deeds" (現在這位好大喜功);

"The incumbent sucks in promoting economy" (現在這位搞經濟不行);

"The incumbent brags everyday, incredible!" (現在這位天天吹, 厲害了).

These suggested contents are seemingly pointing at the top CCP leader, Xi Jingping, criticising and mocking his leadership.

Currently, Baidu has removed all these suggested contents associated to "The Incumbent".

#CCP #Manipulation #Regime #ChineseInternet

Source: RFA; #Jan12
https://bit.ly/31Y8HVK
Chinese VPN app Quickfox caught exposing 1 million users’ data

The Quickfox VPN is mainly used by Chinese citizens living abroad who need to access Chinese websites as most of these sites are geo-restricted.

Wizcase’s team of ethical researchers, led by Ata Hakcil, discovered a “critical leak” that the researchers found to be exposing personally identifiable information of at least one million users of a Chinese VPN service.

The team revealed that the VPN leaking data is Quickfox, produced by Fuzhou Zixun Network Technology Co., Ltd.

Source: Hackread #Oct19

https://t.co/RyVkUvC1Rk


#Chinese #VPN #Websites #Restricted
New School for Democracy Announces Rebuilding #PillarofShame in #Taiwan: "One Pillar Falls, Thousands More Will Be Raised"

Source: RFA; Citizen News #Dec25

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#June4th
New School for Democracy Announces Rebuilding #PillarofShame in #Taiwan: "One Pillar Falls, Thousands More Will Be Raised"

In December 2021, #TiananmenMassacre memorials in three universities across Hong Kong were taken down within 48 hours. They included the Pillar Of Shame in the University of Hong Kong (#HKU).

On December 24, 2021, Taiwan's New School for Democracy announced their plan to rebuild the pillar at the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. They will also invite the pillar's creator #JensGalschiøt to unveil it on the June 4 night vigil in 2022.

"HKU tore down one pillar, but thousands more are being raised across the world," said the School. A 3D scan of the original pillar at HKU has been made available online for download.

The New School for Democracy also held a press conference titled "Don't Trample Human Rights and Affections with 'National Security'", in which they voiced their solidarity with Chinese human rights activists Zhang Zhan, Guo Feixiong, and Tang Jitian. The group called on Beijing to release the the three detained activists and let them be reunited with their families.

President of the New School for Democracy Association Zeng Jianyuan decried HKU's actions as destroying the university's spirit of autonomy.

Destroying "the Pillar of Shame for June 4", as he called it, is equivalent to erecting an invisible pillar of shame for academic freedom. Zeng announced that the Pillar will be rebuilt in Taiwan, and it will carry the memories of the Tiananmen Massacre as well as Hong Kong's Anti-ELAB movement.

Source: RFA; Citizen News #Dec25
http://bit.ly/3ql3TSt

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Related News:
Activists Preserve HK's Tiananmen Memorial Pillar in Digital 3D Model: "They Can't Silence Us All" [Oct 30, 2021]
https://publielectoral.lat/guardiansofhongkong/31330

The Pillar of Shame is being destroyed in these minutes : Jen Galschiot calls for public record on Twitter [Dec 22, 2021]
https://publielectoral.lat/guardiansofhongkong/31702

#Monument #Memory
#WhiteTerror #Censorship
Newspaper in Hong Kong States in Editorial: "No Intention to Incite Hatred"

Source: InMedia #Jan6

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#WhiteTerror #Censorship
Newspaper in Hong Kong States in Editorial: "No Intention to Incite Hatred"

In late December 2021, six former and current senior staff members of Stand News were arrested for "conspiracy to publish a seditious material". The authorities said that it contravened sections 9 and 10 of the Crimes Ordinance.

The former chief-editor Chung Pui-Kuen and the former acting editor-in-chief Patrick Lam Shiu-Tung were both detained and denied bail. Stand News immediately announced to cease operation.

On January 6, 2022, #MingPao, a Chinese-language newspaper in Hong Kong, stated in its editorial that the newspaper has no intention to "incite hatred, dissatisfaction, and hostility" and they are only "pointing out the wrongdoings and suggesting a legal improvement to the society".

Following #StandNews, #CitizenNews and other 5 media have been recently closed down.

The chief-writer in Citizen News Chris Yeung Kin-Hing worried about the unpredictable redline. He was not comfortable to be a journalist as any article, report and interview can be classified as incitement.

Chief Executive #CarrieLam, however, claimed that the number of media registered on the information service department has increased in the past year, when she was asked whether press freedom has declined.

"The shut down of the media is their personal choice that we should not directly connect it with #FreedomofPress. The government and the police force only act in accordance with the law."

The editorial posted by Ming Pao reads:

"Criticism in the journal was to point out the mistakes or weaknesses of the related systems, policies or regulations and aim to correct or to eliminate them with legal improvement. There are no hatred, dissatisfaction, or hostility incitement to the government or other social groups."

Source: InMedia #Jan6
https://bit.ly/3JLmArq

#CarrieLam #YeungKinHing #ChungPuiKuen #LamShiuTung #NSL #CrimesOrdinance #PressFreedom #MediaLandscape
Foreign media: Kosovo diplomatically boycotts Beijing Winter Olympics

Source: Stand News #Dec10

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Foreign media: Kosovo diplomatically boycotts Beijing Winter Olympics

Following the #UnitedStates, #Australia, #Britain, #Canada and other countries, foreign media said #Kosovo also expressed support for the US diplomatic boycott of the #Beijing #WinterOlympics and joined the boycott on Thursday.

According to the report from Alast, Kosovo President #VjosaOsmani supports the US decision on diplomatically boycotting #China, and she joined the boycott due to China's violation of #HumanRights.

Even though the Kosovo delegation will resist all official ceremonies and events during the Beijing Winter Olympics, the athletes will still participate in the game.

Source: Stand News #Dec10
#MassSurveillance #CCP
Security scanners across Europe tied to China govt, military

Source: Associated Press #Jan20

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#MassSurveillance #CCP
Security scanners across Europe tied to China govt, military


//At some of the world’s most sensitive spots, authorities have installed security screening devices made by a single Chinese company with deep ties to China’s military and the highest levels of the ruling Communist Party.

The World Economic Forum in Davos. Europe’s largest ports. Airports from Amsterdam to Athens. NATO’s borders with Russia. All depend on equipment manufactured by Nuctech, which has quickly become the world’s leading company, by revenue, for cargo and vehicle scanners.

Nuctech’s critics allege the Chinese government has effectively subsidized the company so it can undercut competitors and give Beijing potential sway over critical infrastructure in the West as China seeks to establish itself as a global technology superpower.

“The data being processed by these devices is very sensitive. It’s personal data, military data, cargo data. It might be trade secrets at stake. You want to make sure it’s in right hands,” said Bart Groothuis, director of cybersecurity at the Dutch Ministry of Defense before becoming a member of the European Parliament. “You’re dependent on a foreign actor which is a geopolitical adversary and strategic rival.”//

Read the full article:
https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-china-russia-europe-120b7dedacd8d545bf4521a1948bc31e

Source: Associated Press #Jan20

#SecurityBreach #Scanner #Europe #MadeinChina
Former Teacher Hosts Arts Exhibition to Recall Hongkongers' Memory on Pro-democracy Movement

Source: Inmedia #Dec23

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Former Teacher Hosts Arts Exhibition to Recall Hongkongers' Memory on Pro-democracy Movement

#Vawongsir, a former secondary school teacher and a cartoonist, has been hosting an art exhibition for 2 months at a cafe called Retold at Tsuen Wan's The Mill in Hong Kong since December 2021.

The exhibition displayed 12 artworks by Vawongsir, including one portraying a boy hiding his face, sobbing bitterly in bed at midnight.

Vawongsir sighs that people reduce their concerns about social movement and he hopes the exhibition can recall people's memory. "Hope people will not forget about me, as well as the past incidents."

Vawongsir was accused by the authorities of "professional misconduct", due to his support of the pro-democracy movement.

Recently, he hoped to return to teach by working as a substitute teacher to support his family; however, no school is willing to employ teachers who had been issued a warning letter by the government . All applicantions he sent out had been rejected.

In midst of his hard time, his laptop, which he used to produce illustrations, have also broke down.

Source: Inmedia #Dec23
https://bit.ly/3J29FAZ

#NSL #AntiELABMovement #Teacher #Education #PoliticalSuppression #PoliceState #ProtestArt
How China spies on the West

In December last year Oxford University students were offered £15,000 in prize money if they could solve challenges relating to the surveillance and tracking of devices and their users.

‘Huawei welcomes a selection of top-of-the-class students to their 2021 University Challenge’, the invitations read. The company added that the technology would be used for ‘business intelligence’ and ‘security services’.

Source: Spectator #Jan23

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/how-china-spies-on-the-west

#China #West #Oxford #Huawei
#ProtestArt
Revolution of Our Times Wins "Most Influential" & "Best Cultural Image" Awards at FIPADOC Festival in France

Source: Commons HK; #Jan24

#RevolutionOfOurTimes #FIPADOC #Film #Award

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#ProtestArt
Revolution of Our Times Wins "Most Influential" & "Best Cultural Image" Awards at FIPADOC Festival in France

Revolution of Our Times, a documentary banned in Hong Kong chronicling the 2019 Anti-ELAB Movement, has won two awards at the 2022 FIPADOC International Documentary Festival in France, in the catagories of "Most influential" and "Best Cultural Image".

This is the second time the film has won an international award, after taking home the Best Documentary at Taiwan's Golden Horse Film Festival in November last year.

Documentaries from Germany, France, and Belgium were also nominated at the FIPADOC awards, which honor films that inspire social justice, environmentalism, and human rights. The annual festival specializes in non-fiction films, and is now in its 34th year, having first been held in Cannes, France in 1987.

Since its premiere at Cannes Film Festival, every showing of "Revolution of Our Times" has attracted public attention and filled seats at film festivals around the world.

Director #KiwiChow, who resides in Hong Kong, had previously stated that he does not have a copy of the film on hand. The film is scheduled to be screened in Taiwan's theatres on February 25. It will be the first territory where the film is shown in public.

The documentary shows multiple angles of the Anti-ELAB protests from seven different iconic groups in the movement: former reporter turned activist #GwynethHo, who is now held in custody; professor #BennyTai; social workers; the seniors group #ProtectOurChildren; volunteer drivers; first aiders; university students turned frontline protesters; and high school students who left behind their wills before going out to fight.

The film weaves their stories together with now-classic images of the movement, and paints a realistic portrait of Hong Kong's fight for freedom and democracy.

See also: Hong Kong's "Revolution of Our Times" Wins Best Documentary in Taiwan Film Awards; Director: "This Film Belongs to Every Hongkonger Who Cried for Hong Kong
https://publielectoral.lat/guardiansofhongkong/31526

Source: Commons HK; #Jan24

https://bit.ly/3IDxMVA

#RevolutionOfOurTimes #FIPADOC #Film #Award
#FailedState
Hong Kong police job vacancies rise for 4th consecutive year

//Vacancies in the Hong Kong Police Force have risen for the fourth straight year, recent government figures showed.

... the Secretary for Security said in a written response that there have been 5,706 openings during the 2021-2022 financial year so far – an 8 per cent increase from the previous year when there were 5,258 vacancies.

The number of vacancies in 2018-2019 and 2019-20 were 1,440 and 2,235, respectively.

The figures – up until December 31 last year – show that most vacancies were for rank and file, or junior police officer, positions. The 2021-2022 recruitment target for junior police officers was 1,350. Just 423 have joined the force.

Months-long protests and unrest in the summer of 2019, initially against a controversial extradition bill, caused the city’s trust in the police force to plummet...//

Source: Hong Kong Free Press #Jan21

#Police #Recruitment
Production of Judgement for all activists court cases. Young Lawyers to gather community powers to fill the gap of Hong Kong History.

By Translated by Guardians of Hong Kong – August 23, 2021 • 19 January 2022

https://telegra.ph/Production-of-Judgement-for-all-activists-court-cases-Young-Lawyers-to-gather-community-powers-to-fill-the-gap-of-Hong-Kong-Hist-01-19

Within 2 years, there have been over 2,608 Hongkongers being arrested and charged since the outbreak of 2019 - 20 social movements. Apart from serious cases, Magistracies deal with most of the cases. There is growing public awareness on these cases.

However, while cases in Magistracies do not have judgements for public search, record of these court proceedings can only be relied on reporters and members of public in the courts. They take notes manually and publish the contents in Telegram channels. Yet, no proper complete records of the entire proceedings are kept.  

Source: The Stand News #Aug07

#Production #Judgement #Court #HongKong #History
#June4th #Tienanmen
June 4 Slogan Outside HKU Swire Hall Barricaded; University Cites Maintenance Reasons

Source: WhatsNews Media, Undergrad; #Jan29

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