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The Young Reporter

Society

154 candidates to fight for 90 seats as nomination period ends in first LegCo elections after Beijing overhaul

The nomination period for the 2021 Legislative Council general election ended Friday with 154 candidates getting enough endorsements to run, according to official statistics.  In the December election, 20 of the 90 seats will be directly elected by geographical constituencies. The Election Committee will appoint 40 seats. The remaining 30 are elected by functional constituencies. Though the overall number of lawmakers has increased from 70 in the city’s first Legco election since Beijing’s sweeping overhaul of the system earlier this year, the number of directly elected seats, chosen by residents from 10 geographic districts, decreased from 35. Motions in the Legislative Council need two-thirds consent to be passed, according to the Basic Law. Previously, many directly elected lawmakers were from pro-democracy parties.  Most have been disqualified. “Hong Kongers’ enthusiasm for participating in politics was quenched,” Francis Chau Yin-Ming, a former legislative council member and current district councillor, said. This year’s hopeful candidates vied for nominations from the city’s Election Committee, in which most members are from pro-establishment parties. “I started from scratch. I have to work very hard to promote my political platform to the public and the election committee,” said Wong Wing-Ho, a candidate from the moderate Path of Democracy party. “But now the atmosphere of discussion in the reformed electoral system is much more rational now.” This year, every constituency will be contested for the first time. Some non-pro-establishment candidates are confident in the new system. “Fortunately, there are no swing voters. So, there is no conflict between us and pro-establishment candidates,” another candidate from Path of Democracy, Chan Chun-Hung, said. “So, I am very confident that more normal Hong Kong people can vote.”   A handful of candidates are not from the pro-establishment camp, some with previous ties to the opposition or who define themselves as moderates. “In …

Society

HK Philharmonic Swire Symphony Under The Stars back in-person after 2 year hiatus

The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra returned to the Central harbourfront on Saturday for its annual Swire Symphony Under The Stars, after being moved online last year because of the pandemic and cancelled in 2019 because of pro-democracy protests.  The orchestra presented an exuberant programme of classical dance music with four philharmonic musicians performing as soloists: violist Andrew Ling and trumpeters Christopher Moyse, Douglas Waterston and Robert Smith.  "This year's event is very exciting because all the pieces are classical dance pieces," host Harry Wong said in his opening remarks.  Hong Kong conductor Wilson Ng led the concert after music director Jaap van Zweden was denied a quarantine waiver by the Hong Kong government. All of his remaining 2021 appearances have been cancelled. About 12,000 people attended the concert live at the Central harbourfront on Saturday night and around 2,000 attended the live screening at the West Kowloon Art Park, Wong said at the concert.  "It's a very artistic weekend in West Kowloon as the concert also coincides with the opening of the M+ museum of visual culture and other events," said Paul Tam, executive director of performing arts at the West Kowloon Cultural District.  "West Kowloon is not just an entertainment hub, also for civic engagement, you actually enjoy both inside and outside and it's pet-friendly.” "It's good that the event is free and it is socially distanced to give people access to the orchestra," said Marcus Scarlett, who watched the live screening of the concert from the Art Park. "It's really nice that the host engaged the audience to be involved in the dance music," said Vanessa Kwan, who also attended the live screening at the Art Park.  The concert was also shown online via Zoom and live streamed on  the philharmonic website, official Facebook page and YouTube channel.  …

Business

Hong Kong stocks close higher, blue chips performance varies

Hong Kong stocks rose for the fourth day in a row on Friday, with the blue chip index ending the week above the 25,000 mark boosted by technology stocks, while other blue chips recorded diverse performance. The Heng Seng Index opened up 1.09 percent but gains were pared at noon. The benchmark index was up 0.32% to end the day at 25,327, the highest close of the week in a four days winning streak.  Technology stocks led the market rally as Tencent surged 1.59% to HK$458.2. Meituan followed by jumping 2.6% to HK$289.8. JD.com rose 5.17% to HK$329.4 as it’s sales during the Double Eleven Event achieved a record high of 349 million yuan. Alibaba dropped 0.49% to HK$162.4 as gross merchandise volume from its online shopping platform, Tmall, dropped. Mobile device stocks recorded diverse performances. Sunny Optical was the best performing blue chip stock, rocketing 4.72% to HK$226.0. Meanwhile, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) dropped 3.8% to HK$22.6. SMIC’s deputy chairman of the board and executive director Chiang Sheung-yee announced his resignation on Thursday. Haidilao decreased 9.01% to HK$20.2, making it the biggest loser among all blue chips. The economy in mainland China remains weak due to inflation. This might affect enterprises’ profitability, Yiu Ho-yin, managing director of Cash Wealth Management told Oriental Daily News. HSCE and the SSE Composite Index grew 0.73% and 0.18% respectively, while the CSI 300 Index fell 0.21%.

Society

Art museum M+ showcases two artworks by Ai Weiwei that have ‘complied with the law’, holds back controversial photo

  The M+ museum did not shy away from displaying artworks by the controversial Chinese artist Ai Weiwei on its opening day today, despite previous accusations that one of Ai's works violated national security law. The exhibition currently features two of Ai’s works, including Whitewash, a series of ceramic urns, some painted white, and Chang’an Boulevard, a video that captures the environment of Beijing from a rural village to the business district and the political core.  “By displaying, adapting and destroying historical artifacts, Ai reinstates, transforms, and also questions the value placed on objects, in a criticism of both politics and tradition,” M+ Museum wrote on its website. These two pieces will not be taken down, and curators will stand up for core artistic values and principles “within limits,” Tang Ying-yen, chairperson of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, said at a press conference on Thursday.  “We will uphold and encourage the freedom of artistic expression and creativity,” Tang said. “On the other hand, our dedicated curatorial team will ensure the exhibitions comply with the law, including the Basic Law, the national security law, and all other laws in Hong Kong.” He confirmed that one work in particular, Ai's photograph Study of Perspectives, which drew criticism from the pro-Beijing camp, will not be shown to the public in the museum opening.  “Any display of the photo would require further review,” he added. The photograph depicts Ai raising his middle finger at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, the site of a crackdown on pro-democracy protesters on June 4, 1989.  The picture of this artwork has also been removed from the M+ website. When searching for the work, it returns a description of the piece without the image. John Batten, president of the International Art Critics Hong Kong, said the decision is necessary …

Society

Path of Democracy member secures nominations for Legco election after open letter on social media; three others still waiting as nominations close Friday

A member of the moderate political party and think-tank Path of Democracy, Wong Wing-ho, said he will run in the Legislative Council election after the party called on Election Committee members to nominate their four candidates yesterday. Environmental and sustainability expert Wong, with 10 nominations from the Election Committee, will fight for a seat in the New Territories North East geographical constituency, according to a Path of Democracy social media post on Monday morning. Candidates in the same district include Chan Hak-kan of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong and Lee Tsz-king of the New People's Party. The party released an open letter on social media Sunday saying that none of their members had enough nominations to run in the Dec. 19 election. A minimum of 10 nominations is required to run for the election. Environmental and sustainability expert Wong, with 10 nominations from the Election Committee, will fight for a seat in the New Territories North East geographical constituency, according to a Path of Democracy social media post on Monday morning. “Since the release of yesterday’s open letter, we have been receiving calls from various constituents, some of whom, after learning about the think tank's philosophy, were so impressed with our aspirations and sincerity that they decided to nominate our candidates to run in the Legislative Council, ” the letter said. With nominations closing on Friday, the party continued to call on the Election Committee to nominate three other candidates to run in the Legislative Council Election in December, including Yao Jie-ning, Chan Chun-hung and Mak Hing-fun. Mak, who wants to run for the legal sector in the functional constituency, said she only got three nominations. “The election committee members I contacted told me to wait. But there are only four days left in …

Society

Hong Kong International Literary Festival focus on quarantine and mental health

The 21st Hong Kong International Literary Festival launched today is titled “The Rebound Edition”. The theme this year is  resilience, recovery and mental health amid the ongoing pandemic. The annual event features 50 online and on-site forums and webinars. “We want a theme that reflects the challenging times that the world is going through at that moment with the pandemic,” said Festival Director, Catherine Platt who went through three weeks of mandatory quarantine in Hong Kong. One panel titled “Behind Closed Doors: The Hong Kong Quarantine Experience” is moderated by Kate Whitehead,a journalist and therapist, who won the Mind HK Award for the best English-language journalism coverage on mental health issues in 2019 and 2020. Ms Whitehead will interview  three Hong Kong exporters who weigh up the long term impact of quarantine and their personal experiences of being locked up for 21 days in a hotel. They will also explore issues on mental health as a result of the longest quarantine in the world. “It's really obvious that some people find it very difficult to cope. A discussion can maybe help people and put forward some resources and some ideas for coping with it,” Ms Platt said.  This panel is available both online and on-site and ticket prices vary depending on the type of participation.  Chen Yuanxiang, a Hong Kong resident, finished a 14-day quarantine two months ago. She returned to Hong Kong from the mainland to take care of her husband who is in hospital. Ms  Chen felt anxious and was unable to do anything during the quarantine. She is considering attending the panel to listen to other people’s experiences and get some inspiration to survive her anxiety.  Ms. Platt said because of the current state of the global epidemic, the 21st HKILF cannot bring all of the event …

Society

Court of Final Appeal rules joint enterprise inapplicable to unlawful assembly and riot

In view of riot charges against Tong Wai-hung and To Elain in July 2019, The Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal held that defendants absent at the scene of an unlawful assembly or riot cannot be found guilty grounding on the “taking part” element. As the centrally important element of the two offences, “taking part” in criminal assembly is required for conviction to riot and unlawful assembly. While the element cannot be overridden by the doctrine of joint enterprise, the presence of defendants in the criminal scene is not legitimate to convict them with unlawful assembly or riot.  According to the judgement, application of  the joint enterprise on unlawful assembly and riot will “give rise to duplication and possible confusion” without fulfilling the element of “taking part” in the criminal assemblies. The Court of Appeal also held that people taking part in an unlawful assembly or riot may not share an “extraneous common purpose”, so this is not a legitimate reason to convict defendants of the two offences.  However, defendants who are proved to have participated in or encouraged any criminal assemblies by words, signs or actions are counted as “taking part” in the offences. They can be convicted under secondary and inchoate liability offences, applicable to anyone presented or not at the criminal scene. Tong and To were accused of taking part in a riot in the area of Des Voeux Road West in Sheung Wan on 28 July 2019, but found innocent on 24 July 2020. The Department of Justice then asked the Court of Appeal of the High Court of Hong Kong to clarify whether joint enterprise in common law is applicable to riots and unlawful assemblies, in which defendants can be found guilty even if they are absent from the criminal scene.  On 25 March 2020, …

Business

Hong Kong retail sales continue to rise supported by consumption voucher, government says

  Hong Kong retail sales as of September have grown for the eighth straight month as residents spend their HK$5,000 consumption vouchers intended to boost the local economy, announced the government today. Retail sales in September rose 7.3% from a year earlier to HK$28 billion. August also saw 11.9% growth from last year, the data showed. “The stable local epidemic and improving employment and income conditions, together with the Consumption Voucher Scheme, should remain supportive to the retail sector in the near term,” the announcement said. For the first nine months of this year, before the consumption vouchers were given out,  retail sales increased 8% in value and 6.8% in volume with an estimated increase of 43.5% in online retail sales from last year, according to the report. Sales of jewellery, watches, clocks and valuable gifts, which heavily depended on tourists from mainland China before the pandemic, continued to recover, as the value of sales climbed 16.2% from a year earlier, compared with 28% growth in August, the report said. “However, the virtually frozen inbound tourism will continue to constrain the extent of revival. To pave the way for a broader-based recovery of the retail sector and the overall economy, it is essential for the community to strive towards more widespread vaccination,” the spokesperson added. The government started allowing fully vaccinated non-residents from medium and low risk countries to enter Hong Kong in August. Previously only residents were allowed to enter the city. Hong Kong’s economy saw a “more moderate” growth in the third quarter of this year as the GDP increased 5.4% compared with last year, as the local pandemic stabilized and global economic activities continued to revive, said the government report. The government disbursed the second consumption vouchers of HK$2,000 and HK$3,000 to around 810,000 eligible residents on …

Society

Halloween partygoers dressed as “Squid Game” guards carry fake guns on streets despite police ban

Halloween revellers dressing up as characters of Squid Game - the viral Korean dystopian drama on Netflix -  carry imitation guns on the streets on Sunday, despite police warning that possession of fake firearms may violate the law.  Phoebe Ng, 24, dressing up as one of the guards in Squid Game, wore a red hooded red jumpsuit and pair of black leather gloves - and held a fake gun labelled “TOY” by herself.  “The label can lower my risk of being suspected by the police. I don’t think it looks like a real gun,” she said.  Squid Game, the first Korean drama that hit the No.1 spot on Netflix, features a story of 456 indebted players completing a series of Korean children’s games to win a reward of KRW$45.6 billion (HK$301.1 million). The guards shoot the participants who lose in the games.  “According to past experience, some members of the public would wear costumes or pose as TV or movie characters during Halloween and bring all kinds of theatrical props with them. In this regard, police urge members of the public not to carry any imitation firearm as props,” a police statement released on Friday read.  Offenders may face a maximum of two years of imprisonment if convicted of owning any imitation firearms.  “I don’t think the police statement has stopped people from buying fake guns as part of their props to celebrate Halloween,” said Kelvin Li, a shop owner of a wholesale and retail of soft guns which he has run for over 10 years.  “The sales of our imitation and toy guns have grown drastically this month compared to September,” he added.    Firearms arms are defined as an air gun, such as an air rifle, air gun or air pistol from which a bullet or missile can …

Society

No haunted house at Ocean Park's Halloween Festival this year

Ocean Park’s Halloween Festival ended last Sunday without the traditional haunted house because of the pandemic. It’s the first time in  20 years that the spooky experience is missing  since the annual event started in 2001. Instead, visitors were treated to  “ghosts” performances in open space and three themed interactive games.  On top of the regular entrance fee, visitors who wanted to play the games had to pay an extra HK$280 for all three or HK$100 for one. "I lined up for more than two hours for a game, but I only played for five minutes, and it was over," said Christy Lau, 23, who paid for one of the interactive games. “I don’t think the games were worth my time and ticket money.” The three games include “Forbidden Rainforest Treasure Hunt”, in which participants have to protect their treasure maps from water gun attacks. The other two are “Survivors of the Undead” in which players go on a treasure hunt in a mock up wasteland while under attack, and “The Supernatural Ghost Tour,” where they are haunted by soul catchers.  “I don't think the Halloween events this year are as fun as the haunted house before,” said Yu Jin, 19, who had spent four Halloweens at Ocean Park in the past. “The games are all basic and not scary at all. I think Ocean Park is perfunctory about Halloween this year.” Tourists can also join the free outdoor attractions during specified time slots, and “ghosts” with different costumes will scare people in and around the park. Timothy Ng, executive director of Ocean Park said in a press release that Halloween events are mainly carried out in open space this year due to Covid prevention measures. Ticket prices have gone up because more resources and manpower were needed to host …