#MediaControl #Censorship
More Former Management of Pro-China Channel Join NOW TV Newsroom, Inviting Beijing Loyalists to Host Program and Allegedly Censoring News Reports

After rounds of major personnel change since June 2020, 4 former management staff of TVB, a pro-Beijing free-to-air channel in Hong Kong, have already landed in NOW TV Newsroom.

They are Bill Chan Tit-piu, Lee Wai-leung, Queenie Ng Yee-Ting and most recently, Yip Wai-man, who has retired for more than 7 years.

Moreover, on September 27, 2020, NOW TV's news and finance information chief Bill Chan confirmed that pro-Beijing political party leader Starry Lee Wai-king, of DAB, will co-host the "Now Forum", a 30-minute interview programme aired on NOW News twice a week. As a prominent Beijing loyalist, Lee will be accompanied by former Chairman of Hospital Authority, and Chairman of Sunrise Diagnostic Center, Anthony Wu Ting-yuk in the show.

Sparking heavy criticism from the staff and the public, concerning, it is worried that Lee's political stance might undermine the credibility of the programme. Chan, former TVB, now Now News chief, defended that Lee could bring "political heavy-weights and other guests that only she can contact and invite" to the station.

Chan also mentioned that, all news headlines and news concerning constitutional, political and other 'sensitive' issues should go through the new Editorial chief, Yip Wai-ming, who used to work in pro-China TVB.

All materials are supposed to be vetted by respective assignment editors. Chan claimed that the additional vetting could "minimize potential error, despite foreseeable delay in news release."

Source: Citizens News #Sept27
Stand News #Sept28

#NOWTV #PoliticalOppression
#NewsControl #CCTVB

========
Related News

200+ employees petition for i-Cable management to reveal reasons behind dismissal of engineering team heads
https://publielectoral.lat/guardiansofhongkong/24432

Human Rights are Fading Away in Hong Kong as the Power Authorities Erode the Freedom of Press Further

https://publielectoral.lat/guardiansofhongkong/24221

#PoliticalOppression
#HKU Student union: Appointment of Chinese Academics as University's Pro-vice-president is a “Black-box Operation”

Along with several pto-democracy lawmakers, President of the Hong Kong University Students' Union, Yip Zi-lam held a press conference on October 26, 2020.

Yip comdemned the appointment of the university’s pro-vice-presidents as a “black-box operation” which lacked transparency to the stakeholders.

Yip pointed out that both candidates were closely connected to China and the arrangement is detrimental to the University’s autonomy.

In fact, one of the candidates is reportedly a Chinese Communist Party member:
https://publielectoral.lat/guardiansofhongkong/26187

The Students' Union called for a petition. As at 8pm on October 26, 2,100 signatures were collected from the University’s staff members, students and alumni.

Source: Stand News #Oct26

#Collusion #University #Academia

#PoliticalOppression
Lands Department Declares "Save 12 HK Youths" Banner Illegal; Outrageous: Helena Wong

The West Kowloon Government Offices informed pro-democracy lawmaker Helena Wong Pik-wan that her two banners hanging at Princess Margaret Road Prince Edward were illegal and that she needed to remove them in 2 days.

Two slogans, “#Save12HKYouths” and “Boycott brainwash education”, were printed on the banners with her name and LegCo logo. Wong chastised the decision, calling it outrageous and that she wouldn’t remove them. Also, she denounced the government for slowly transitioning to an autocracy, and stated that they wished to “force everyone to shut up and to not have any descent negative opinion on the government.”

Source: Inmedia #Oct27

#Breaking #MassArrests
HK Police Arrest At Least 7 Incumbent and Former Lawmakers

On the early morning of Nov 1, 2020, Hong Kong police arrested pro-democracy activists and former lawmakers Ray Chan and Chu Hoi-dick.

Meanwhile, at least 5 incumbent lawmakers including Fernando Cheung, Kwok Wing-kin and Democratic Party's Wu Chi-wai, Wan Siu-kin and Wong Bik-wan were also arrested, reportedly for contempt and obstructing the duty of #LegCo staff

According to the administraor of Chu's facebook page, the arrest was reportedly connected to a Legislative Council meeting that involved Beijing loyalist Starry Lee on May 8, 2020.

[Editor's note: Chan and Chu were elected lawmakers. They refused to carry out the "extended" term according to the Chinese Communist Party's decision, after the Hong Kong government cancelled the Legislative Election which was originally scheduled on Sept 6, 2020.]

Source: InMedia; Apple Daily; Commercial Radio #Nov1

#RayChan #ChuHoiDick #PoliticalOppression #PoliceState

#GoHKGraphics
Hong Kong Police Force and the Department of Justice insisted that the arrests made during protests were fair.

The Stand News has followed up with 594 of the concluded cases, in an attempt to figure out the truth: Were the arrests excessive?

#PoliceState #Arrest #AntiELAB #HongKongProtests #PoliticalOppression #DoJ #StandWithHK

Source: https://www.thestandnews.com/politics/%E5%8F%8D%E9%80%81%E4%B8%AD%E6%A1%88%E4%BB%B6%E7%B5%B1%E8%A8%88-%E8%BF%91-600-%E9%A0%85%E6%8E%A7%E7%BD%AA%E8%BF%BD%E8%B9%A4-22-%E6%92%A4%E6%8E%A7%E6%88%96%E7%84%A1%E7%BD%AA/

We fight hard for the future generation in Hong Kong but their freedom is diminishing by the day. We fear for the future and the brainwashing that will occur in this coming generation of HK children.

#brainwashing #politicaloppression #GoHKGraphics #HKEducation

How many more will they put behind bars? The HK government is imprisoning anyone who goes against them, trying hard to silence HKer's cries for freedom and democracy.

#StandWithHK #politicaloppression #GoHKGraphics #suppressionoffreedom

#FailedState #PoliticalOppression
Gov't Stops Incumbent #DistrictCouncillor's Salary and Office Income, #TedHui: Lack of Legal Basis shows the Panic of Hong Kong’s political power”

The Home Affairs Bureau of the Hong Kong SAR government is stopping the payroll, the allowance and the expense reimbursement of district councillor Ted Hui from December 3, 2020. The government cited Hui’s self-exile as a reason.

Hui responded to the Hong Kong government’s decision as “No legal basis at all”. He also states that his HSBC bank account has been frozen, making it impossible to withdraw any of his salary since then.

Hui said the government’s treatment of him is a political statement but should be considered useless. The government’s action is severely impacting the district councillor's office that has continued to serve Hong Kong citizens.

Hui said that the government should not stop any payment of the payroll when the councillors are still serving their term of office. He is very disappointed with how the government wields political power and ignores the public interest.

Source: Stand News #Dec16
#HSBC #DistrictCouncil

#Breaking
#PoliticalOppression #Censorship
HK Government Bans Pro-democracy Group's Flower Stall in Lunar New Year Market

Founded in Hong Kong in 1989, The Alliance in Support of Democratic Patriotic Movements in China organizes the annual June Fourth candlelight vigil at Hong Kong's Victoria Park, in commemoration of the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre in China.

The Alliance has been running a flower stall at the annual Lunar New Year Market in Hong Kong since 1990 for more than 30 years.

However, after midnight on Feb 6, 2021, the Hong Kong government suddenly terminated the contract for their stall, claiming that they have displayed "irrelevant banners".

In the evening before, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (#FEHD) had ordered the Alliance to remove "banners with political messages" within 2 hours, but without naming them.

The Alliance told Apple Daily that they had no idea which banner carries "political message" in the eye of the government. In the end, they covered the word "donation" and the slogans "Vindicate June Fourth" and "For Freedom, Fight Together".

Despite their willingness to co-operate, the authorities decided to ban the stall completely before they could open. At around 8:30am on Feb 6, the government sent staff to cordon off the area with plastic tape, leaving no ground for discussion.

The chairman of the Alliance Lee Cheuk-yan said that in the past 32 years, the Alliance was able to display similar messages.

Source: Apple Daily; RTHK #Feb6
https://bit.ly/2Ln5K8J

#CNYMarket #VictoriaPark #PoliceState #JuneFourth #FlowerStall #LeeCheukYan

#PoliticalOppression #MassArrest
Arrested Pro-Democracy Figures tell Hongkongers: "Hang in there", "Be a Human, be yourself"

On Sunday, Feb 28, 2021, in Hong Kong, Tsuen Wan district councillor #RoyTam Hoi-pong of Neo-democrat and former lawmaker #WanSiuKin of Democractic Party reported to the Tsuen Wan Police Station in the afternoon, as instructed by the Hong Kong Police 2 days ago.

They are among the 55 pro-democracy activists who were arrested on Jan 5, 2021 on suspicion of "subverting state powers" and violating the #NationalSecurityLaw.

As the group was ordered to report to the police over 1 month ahead of the scheduled date, many had prepared for the worst. It was proven to be the case, as on the afternoon of Feb 28, the Hong Kong police announced charging 47 pro-democracy figures with "conspiracy to subverting state powers", and that they would be detained overnight before sending them to court the next day.

Before walking into the Tsuen Wan Police Station to face whatever plans the authorities have for them, Roy Tam, who came hand in hand with his wife, hugged his friends and families. He told the media that he would "face it with a calm spirit". Tam raised his fists high and said, "Hongkongers, hang in there!"

Wan Siu-kin arrived moments later. He said he was not surprised, as arbitrary arrests are nothing new in Hong Kong. A former lawmaker himself, he firmly believed that he did not violate the #NationalSecurityLaw, nor the Hong Kong's Basic Law. He told his friends that he is not afraid and will embrace the challenges. He hopes all the pro-democracy figures arrested would show the same fighting spirit.

Wan added, "To be frank, I don't know what to tell you, if you ask me for methods to resist against the authoritarian regime. But there is one thing you can do: Be a human-being, be yourself."

When asked to comment on Beijing's reported plan to amend Hong Kong's electoral system, Wan said, "I cannot comprehend the logic of the authoritarian regime, and do not want to."

Wan emphasized that the crux of the problem is the erosion of the social, economic, and political structure of the city. He concluded that the "#OneCountryTwoSystems" policy should be genuinely practiced, but "not by way of any twisted interpretation".

Source: InMedia #Feb28

#PoliceState #Authoritarianism

=====
Read more:

Hong Kong Pro-democracy Activist #LesterShum: We've Decided to Not Surrender to the Authoritarian Regime and We'll Continue with this Road

https://publielectoral.lat/guardiansofhongkong/28804