#FailedState #DistrictCouncil #WuhanPneumonia
Government halts District Council's distribution of Anti-epidemic Kits
Pro-democracy Councilor: “Politics overriding human lives”

The Wanchai District Council began the distribution of disinfectant packs from this week. However, the Home Affairs Department suddenly called off the campaign, claiming that the distributed brochures contained wrong information, as the “Wuhan Pneumonia” wordings printed on them should be corrected to “COVID-19”.

Chairwoman of the Wan Chai District Council Clarisse Yeung Suet-ying believed that such an action from the Home Affairs Department conveyed the message that citizens’ lives were worth nothing compared to political duty.

Yeung stressed that the major targets of the the packs were singleton elderly and families with low income, and the distribution campaign could not be halted only because of a name.

Source: InMedia #Mar20
https://bit.ly/3a7wIZf

#WuhanPneumonia #CoronavirusPandemic
Swedish Former Representative to European Parliament: China Should Apologize to the World for Coronavirus

In an opinion article published by a Swedish newspaper on 19
March, 2020, Gunnar Hökmark, Chairman of Stockholm Free World Forum and Former member of the European parliament, asks the Chinese Communist Party government and its leader to apologize to the world for withholding information of the coronavirus and "using its economic power, systematically threatens democratic countries in order to destabilize and silence criticism".

From China's imprisonment of Swedish citizen Gui Minhai (bookseller in Hong Kong) to Chinese tourists' behaviour, Hökmark wrote that:

"The aggressive Chinese attacks on Sweden for our handling of the Coronavirus should be seen against the fact that the Chinese Communist Party wants to escape all kind of responsibility for the spread of the epidemic. 

Lousy animal husbandry and poor food standards, along with fear of the dictatorship and its culture of silence, are the main reasons why the world is presently wrestling with a terrible global pandemic. Its background lies in the inability of a totalitarian system to take people's perceptions, security and life into account. It is not Sweden or Europe that is the problem in all this. It's China.

And it is China that, using its economic power, systematically threatens democratic countries in order to destabilize and silence criticism.

On Radio Sweden, the Chinese propaganda attack was incomprehensibly described as something very sharp and because of that worth listening to. They neglected that this is how the Communist regime for a long time has acted against Sweden, among other democracies.

We saw the same pattern of denials and false accusations when Iran shot down the Ukrainian passenger plane and when Russian air defense units in Ukraine shot down the airplane MH17."

Source: Expressen, (19-Mar)
https://www.expressen.se/debatt/china-should-apologize-to-the-world-for-corona/

Independent Journalist Condemns China’s misinformation and manipulation of data, calling the pandemic a “Jin-ping Coronavirus”
https://publielectoral.lat/guardiansofhongkong/19336

#Sweden #ChinesePropaganda #CCP #SharpPower #Censorship

#WuhanPneumonia #Death
"They Were Us": New York Times Frontpage Names Nearly 100,000 Deceased Patients of Coronavirus Outbreak

On the front page of The New York Times on May 24, 2020, nearly 100,000 names of those who died of COVID-19 in the United States were printed as a commemoration.

As of May 24, over 5.2 million cases of coronavitus are confirmed around the world.

Source: New York Times #May24 #US #CoronavirusPandemic

#Professionalism #Solidarity
5 Heads of i-Cable News and Entire China News Team Resign En Masse Against Laying Off of Journalists

On Dec 1, 2020, i-Cable News laid off 40 employees with immediate effect, angering staff at the TV news station.

According to the source, the head of i-Cable China News Szeto Yuen was the first to protest by resigning, followed by the rest of the journalists on the team. In total, one journalist was fired, and the other ten on the team, including Szeto, quit in protest. Some members from other teams also resigned to protest against the company's decision.

A senior journalist told Stand News that they felt it was better to take action together and alert the public that i-Cable News had deteriorated, instead being slowly and quietly weakened. He added that it was not worth staying anymore, since the management has intervened in the reporting again and again.

After recent salary cuts, a few junior journalists were only earning around 13,000 HKD a month. Operations at i-Cable News has nearly ground to a halt on Dec 1, 2020.

An upper-mid-level manager said that the top management had not consulted any department heads about this round of firing. The video editors and graphic designers who were fired were widely praised for their abilities by their colleagues. Many of the fired staff played important roles in middle and senior management.

i-Cable China News had investigated corrupt practices in China many times, and followed up the situation of activists; the team was long regarded to be in high reputation.

They were among the few public broadcasters in Hong Kong with a dedicated team for China news; its 11 members, including the team leader, are responsible for the daily China news reporting and the night-time “China Report”. They also have journalists regularly stationed in Beijing and Guangzhou.

Their most visible reporting in recent years were the 2012 interview of pro-democracy activist Li Wangyang, who served the longest sentence among those from the 1989 Tiananmen protests.

After broadcasting the interview, Li died in Daxiang Hospital, where he was found dead and leaning against the window, with a rope wrapped around his neck, though his legs were touching the ground. The Chinese authorities initially reported that he committed suicide, but they later changed the conclusion to “accidental death”. This incident caused strong repercussions in Hong Kong, with over ten thousand Hongkongers marching in protest, believing that Li "had been suicided".

In 2017, journalist Lam Kin-Shing covered the memorial at sea for Liu Xiaobo by a group of dissenters, the event was broadcast on Facebook live. Afterwards, Liu’s friends were arrested by China police, and the driver hired by i-Cable China News was detained for three days. Lam was transferred back to Hong Kong and barred from reporting in China again; he resigned soon after.

At the early stage of the Wuhan Pneumonia outbreak last year, China News team sent journalists to Wuhan for investigation. They were among the very few Hong Kong media who sent journalists to Wuhan for on-site reporting.

Moreover, the iCable China News team's reporting had won many awards, including Human Right Press Award and awards in the School of Journalism and Communication in CUHK. Their award-winning programs included “Damage of Nuclear weapons tests”, “The land acquisitions incident of Wukan village”, “ Li Wangyang”, “Even China police are protesting”, “Decoding the future of 30 years later”, “Tiananmen massacre 30th year anniversary”, “Poison milk powder: 10 years later”.

Source: Stand News #Dec1

=====
Related News:

All Department Heads from iCable News Quit After the Company Sacks 40 Staff in News Team

https://publielectoral.lat/guardiansofhongkong/27039

#WuhanPneumonia #LiWangYang #ChinaNewsTeam #iCable #MassResignation #SzetoYuen #Respect #Integrity #Journalism

#Huawei #MengWanZhou Caught Wearing 'Made in Taiwan' Mask

//Meng Wanzhou, who is the daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, appeared in a Canadian court on Dec 21, 2020.

Most notable to Taiwanese observers was the fact that she was wearing a purple surgical face mask with the words "Made in Taiwan" in plain sight on the lower righthand corner of the face covering.

The fact that she was wearing a mask manufactured in Taiwan was extraordinary given that Meng is at the eye of the storm for an intense geopolitical rivalry between China and the U.S. and its ally — Taiwan. Meng's company, which is a national champion for China and has numerous ties to the Chinese Communist Party (#CCP) and People's Liberation Army (#PLA), has become a major target of sanctions and litigation by the Trump administration amid the trade war between the U.S. and China.//

Source: Taiwan News #Dec21

Read full article:
https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4019525

#WuhanPneumonia

#MadeinChina #WuhanPneumonia
63-year-old Man Dies After Receiving China-made #Sinovec Jab

On March 2, 2021, media in Hong Kong reported that a 63-year-old died lesd than 2 days after receiving the China-made Sinovec covid-19 vaccine on Feb 26, 2021. The man developed difficulties in breathing on Feb 28. He fell into a coma and passed away on the same day where he admitted himself to the hospital.

The health authorities in Hong Kong did not release any information of the case only two days later. The government issued a press release after receiving plenty of media inquiries. The authorities denied that the death is related to the vaccination and insisted that the China-made vaccine is "safe".

On Feb 26, 2021, the first day of the vaccination scheme, a 72-year-old man in Hong Kong suffered hypertension and heart palpitation after receiving the #Sinovec Jab and is still hospitalised as on Mar 1. An elderly lady also felt unwell for similiar reason.

Read more:
https://publielectoral.lat/guardiansofhongkong/28879

On March 1 alone, four people, aged 39, 45, 48 and 69, were reported sick after vaccination. They exhibited symptons such as dizziness, high blood pressure, fatigue and and were all sent to the hospital.

Source: InMedia#Mar2 ; Stand News #Mar1
https://bit.ly/3bTj51J

#Vaccination #Covid19

#KwaiChungLockdown #Omicron
Chaotic Mass Testing Stokes Fear of Rampant Virus Spread at Kwai Chung Estate

Thousands of residents at Kwai Chung Housing Estate were forced to undergo immediate and ongoing daily COVID-19 tests at makeshift testing stations, after authorities placed two buildings under a mandatory 5-day lockdown and at least 4 other buildings under overnight lockdown.

Over 10,000 residents live in the 4 buildings locked down for the overnight COVID-19 testing. However, only 4 makeshift testing booths were set up.

There was, however, no arrangement for residents to be tested in batches. This caused overcrowding at lift lobbies and elevators, as many headed out for their tests at the same time. A photo of elevator CCTV showed around a dozen people squeezing into elevators; the photo has since gone viral on social media.

Long, winding queues formed as residents filed patiently into the courtyard for their tests. Residents said that the queue snaked through some narrow passageways, and those returning home after tests had to go back the same way, squeezing past the long queue.

No social distancing measures were employed, residents said, and they feared that this virus testing would instead spread the virus even further.

Source: Whats News Media, #Jan22
https://www.whatsnewsmedia.com/6467/22/06/43/

#FailedState #WuhanPneumonia

#WuhanPneumonia #HumanitarianCrisis
COVID19 Quarantine Center in Hong Kong, a Torture to Patients: "No One would Remember Us"

A video of a distraught woman inside Hong Kong's COVID-19 quarantine center has gone viral on social media on Feb 22.

The video shows the woman in her flip flops at Penny's Bay, Hong Kong's main quarantine facility, breaking down in tears and yelling in desperation as she frantically looked for a way out.

Several staff members, clad in protective gear, tried unsuccessfully to calm her down and persuade her to return to her room. She eventually lashed out and kicked at a staff member who was apparently trying to approach her.

Online media Channel C interviewed another patient, Ms. P, who is also undergoing quarantine in the Penny’s Bay Center. Ms. P said that she totally understood the woman’s desperation, adding that she was also feeling very depressed during her stay.

In fact, distressed patients crying, shouting, yelling in their rooms or along the walkways are a daily occurrence in the center, she said.

A man even attempted suicide by drinking a bottle of disinfectant, Ms. P added.

“The worst thing here is you're easily forgotten,” Ms. P said. When she was admitted into the facility, she made tens of phone calls and waited for 4 days before her initial test bottle was delivered. No one came back to pick it up until she made another round of phone calls, until she finally reached medical staff.

When her quarantine period ended on Feb 19, the facility did not arrange for her to leave, and she spent another 3 days on the phone trying to contact staff - again, receiving no reply. She was elated when staff finally notified her on Feb 21 that she could leave.

However, just before she boarded the bus, she was turned away because she was not given a doctor's note. She watched all the buses leave before being sent back to her room.

"We were all very scared," she said on the interview, her voice breaking, "Once we're back in our rooms, no one would remember us."

However, she was sympathetic to the medical staff and other supporting staff members on the site. “They are suffering just like us. The staff member who came to deliver my documents was soaked in the rain.”

Ms. P questioned the purpose of putting Hong Kong people in quarantine centers where they are not properly taken care of.

She stressed that the costs and suffering inflicted upon so many citizens grossly outweigh any foreseeable benefits.

Source: Facebook; Channel C HK; #Feb23
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42SwTQPrtF8

#FailedState #PennysBay #Quarantine

#WuhanPneumonia
Hong Kong invokes emergency powers to allow in China medics Without Local Certification

Hong Kong government invoked emergency powers on February 24 to allow doctors and nurses from China to practice in Hong Kong, citing its struggle against a coronavirus outbreak that is spiraling out of control.

Chief Secretary John Lee will be empowered to allow exemptions to existing rules governing overseas medics.

Prior to this, Chinese mainland medics had not been allowed to practice in Hong Kong without passing local exams and licensing regulations.

The emergency powers “exempt certain persons or projects from all relevant statutory requirements” to operate “so as to increase Hong Kong’s epidemic control capacity for containing the fifth wave within a short period of time,” the statement said.

#FailedState #DynamicZero #ZeroCovidStrategy

Sources: Inmediahk, HKFP; #Feb24
https://bit.ly/3v9iqEN

#PressFreedom #Accountability
Now news ‘deeply sorry’ over reporter’s question to HK leader about complaint mechanism for medical staff from China

As the government waived registration requirements for mainland Chinese medics coming to Hong Kong to help treat COVID patients, questions of medical accountability begun to surface. During Carrie Lam's daily pandemic briefing on March 16, a #NowTV reporter asked about the process by which a patient could lodge a complaint, in case of a medical mishap while being treated by a mainland medic.

The question, however, was not well received by the government and the pro-Beijing camp in Hong Kong.

While Carrie Lam stressed a sense of gratitude for China should come first, former chief executive Leung Chun-ying lashed out at the reporter on Facebook, questioning if "her brain had a problem, or her morals had a problem".

Other pro-Beijing groups went on to describe the reporter's question as "unprofessional" and "spreading hate speech."

Politihk Social Strategic, a group of pro-Beijing activists formed to support former CE Leung, claimed that the NowTV reporter had triggered “public anger” with her question.

The group posted photos of the female reporter online, and called for an online petition condemning her conduct as unprofessional and a possible violation of the #NationalSecurityLaw.

Owing to public pressure, the TV station issued a statement of apology on the same day.

“We are deeply sorry that the question about mainland medics at yesterday’s Covid-19 press briefing caused concern and discontent among citizens,” the statement read. “The fifth-wave outbreak is still severe, and we are extremely thankful to the central government and the mainland’s selfless support.”

The Hong Kong Journalists Association (#HKJA) expressed regret for Now TV's apology, as well as concern that such attacks on a journalist's question would exacerbate the self-censorship among editorial staff. The association noted that a similar question was posed by pro-Beijing LegCo member Tang Fei on March 15, the day before the press conference.

The association stressed the journalistic value of posing these questions at press conferences, as it gives officials an opportunity to explain their policies to the public. Furthermore, the question received informative replies, showing that government officials also recognized the question's value. The association hopes that the public could better understand the workings of journalism, and would view the work of reporters without political preconceptions.

#WuhanPneumonia #RuleByFear #GratitudeEducation

Source: Inmediahk; #Mar17
https://bit.ly/3IiqAh0

#ShanghaiLockdown
Shanghai Violinist Leaped to his Death after COVID Restrictions Denied him Medical Assistance

71-year-old amateur violinist Chen Shunping, who lived in #Shanghai, had taken his own life after being denied medical help for his suspected pancreatitis during the city's month-long lockdown. He was a member of the Shanghai Pops Orchestra.

Three #COVID19 deaths had been recorded [Ed: as of April 18] since Shanghai's lockdown began in late March, all of whom were seniors with chronic illnesses.

However, reports often surfaced on Chinese social media surrounding deaths of patients not being able to get medical treatment.

According to chat messages from Chen's family, he began to feel unwell in the evening of April 13, with stomach pains and vomiting; from experience, he suspected it was pancreatitis.

His family called an ambulance, who took Chen to two separate hospitals, but both turned him away, citing COVID restrictions. Unable to endure the severe pain, Chen left suicide notes for his family before leaping to his death from his apartment.

Chen's wife was stricken with grief as she remembered him as a cheerful and kind man, with a passion for life and music: "This society had taken an ordinary, lively man and pushed him to his death!"

His death also sparked outcry online; netizens commented that he "didn't get COVID, but died because of COVID."

A separate incident of a pregnant Shanghai woman who died from blood loss during a premature birth also circulated on social media. Shanghai police quickly refuted it as "fake news", announcing that the woman successfully gave birth to twins, and that they had arrested the spreader of the rumor.

Netizens were quick to react: "Why don't you refute Chen Shunping's fake news?" "Chen's case still hasn't been refuted, so it must be true."

Source: In-Media HK
https://bit.ly/3OeDLUx

#HumanitarianCrisis #WuhanPneumonia #ChenShunPing

China is set to open reopen its borders on January 8 after scrapping its draconian zero-COVID strategy as large-scale outbreaks sweep through its population.

WHO criticized the nation of 1.4 billion for under-representing the severity of its outbreak, calling China's data "incomplete".

Many countries have since imposed restrictions on travellers from China, a response the WHO has called "understandable". The list of countries continues to be growing.

source:

Al Jazeera
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/1/2/which-countries-have-placed-covid-curbs-on-travellers-from-china

Time
https://time.com/6243967/covid-travel-restrictions-china/

#ChinaReopening #WuhanPneumonia #COVID19 #TravelRestriction