The Young Reporter

Hong Kong's embattled Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor held her first Community Dialogue Session on Thursday night at Queen Elizabeth Stadium in Wan Chai, meeting over 130 randomly picked citizens from some 20,000 applications. The public dialogue was among one of the four initiatives Lam had announced earlier on September 4 to alleviate public discontent sparked by a now-withdrawn extradition bill, as anti-government protests reach its 16th week. The two-hour session kicked off at 7pm amid heavy police presence, while hundreds of black-clad protesters gathered outside the venue -  forming human chains, holding placards and chanting slogans such as "Stand with Hong Kong, fight for freedom". Participants were banned from bringing umbrellas, gas masks or helmets - the trademark protective gear commonly used by anti-government protesters in Hong Kong's summer of discontent.  "The unrest was sparked by the government's decision to amend the bill. Therefore, this should be our biggest responsibility to initiate a direct dialogue. This is not a PR show. We want to find solutions to initiate change for the betterment of our society," said Lam in her opening remarks. The launch of an independent inquiry to investigate into the police's use of force has been at the centre of the discussion, while multiple speakers also raised concerns about allegations of police violation of human rights when detaining protestors in San Uk Ling Holding Centre. At least three participants have shown their support to Hong Kong's "One Country, Two Systems", but some said have already lost trust in the police force. "Hong Kong independence is not feasible in One Country, two systems," said Carrie Lam. She added that the five demands cannot be fulfilled as some of them violate the bottomline of "One Country, Two Systems".  A few participants don't think the dialogue session would have much …

Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor held her first Community Dialogue Session at 7 p.m.today at Queen Elizabeth Stadium in Wan Chai, meeting 150 randomly picked citizens from over 20,000 applications. [22:35] In an announcement on their official website, the police "warns protestors in the vicinity of Queen Elizabeth Stadium to stop illegal acts". They also urged the public to stay clear of that area and said that the protestors have "blocked the entrance of Queen Elizabeth Stadium, preventing certain participants of an event from leaving". [21:37] Protestors have set up barricades on Queen's Road East at the back door of Queen Elizabeth Stadium. [21:30] The dialogue has ended. The host reminded participants that they can leave their contacts for an "in-depth dialogue session" while some participants chanted "five demands, not one less". [21:20] Dozens of Riot police are heading towards Oi Kwan Road under a protesting crowd chanting "gangsters" as they passed by. [21:15] From a women who believes this to be a political performance: "I am afraid that you have missed the best timing for a dialogue. 1 million demonstrators, 2 million demonstrators, Lennon Walls everywhere, human chains, class boycotts, strikes, shops boycotts, MTR boycotts — all this is public opinion, but it feels as if you don't know that all this happened." [21:06] From a Secondary 6 student: "How have you felt, while the rest of us suffer from sleepless nights? More than a thousand arrested and 9 who took their own lives, yet you only care about broken MTR machines. Every time when something happens, you only know how to say 'condemn'." [20:55] A women in a burgundy blouse makes an appeal to young people: No matter success or failure, the future is yours. So when you fight for what you want with your …

At The Cat Tea room in Tsuen Wan, cats jump from table to table, sometimes lying beside a cup of tea while being petted by customers. The owner of the shop, Albert Lee, said he was inspired by a trip to Japan and Korea. Mr. Lee observed a lack of animal cafes in Hong Kong and seized the opportunity to open one. Most of the cats were once strays. Wanting to create a safe haven for cats, Mr. Lee took them under his wing to provide healthcare, food and shelter. "Before my business partners and I opened up this place four and a half years ago, there was only one cat cafe in Hong Kong," said Mr. Lee. "Now there are around 10 or more cat cafes and a wide variety of animal cafes." Animal cafes have sprung up in Hong Kong in recent years. Although it may seem like a dream come true for animal lovers, for one animal welfare expert, it is a nightmare. In Hong Kong, the government does not require a licence to run animal cafes. In fact, the Labour and Welfare Bureau released a statement that they have no plans to regulate pet restaurants. So instead, an animal cafe that serves food follows the health guidelines for restaurants, which only prohibit dogs or they are regulated as a licensed club. If the cafe only serves drinks, then they do not have to follow any rules at all. Owners have used these loopholes to introduce all kinds of animals to cafes. The Cats Tea room is only licensed by the Business Registration Office. There is no kitchen in the cafe and only beverages are prepared. Food that is served is not made by staff but instead ordered from nearby restaurants. "If they (animal cafes) are allowed …