Protest-Free Visit

Xi, Peng will arrive at the railway station, closed since 2020

As July 1 edges closer, security around Hong Kong for President Xi Jinping's visit seems to have stepped up mainland style.

Whenever there are sensitive anniversaries coming up on the mainland, dissidents or critics of the government are usually rounded up and sent on a "holiday" for a few days -- escorted of course.

Or they are held under house arrest in their own homes.

The railway station is being decorated

It seems this practice has been imported to Hong Kong.

Earlier today Avery Ng Man-yuen, former chairman of the League of Social Democrats, one of the last pro-democracy groups still active in Hong Kong reported that some members, including himself were under "constant surveillance" by police. 

He said he was monitored by the police and some officers were stationed near his home. 

Ng wrote on social media on Wednesday that he was "imprisoned", without further details. He later clarified he was not under house arrest and that he was fine.

"Sorry I am imprisoned," Ng's original post read. "Those who understand would understand."

Nevertheless he later clarified to some media that he and other members were under "constant surveillance", but could not say much more.

Ng says he is under police surveillance

"It is obvious that right now in Hong Kong, basic personal freedom is not protected," said Ng, who was released from prison on April 30 after serving 14 months and 14 days on protest-related charges.

Ming Pao reported on Monday that former LSD chairman Raphael Wong Ho-ming said police searched his home and those of seven others in the group. The police also questioned them on what their plans were for July 1.

On Tuesday LSD announced they would not hold any protest marches on Friday after some volunteers met with officers from the national security police.

But the police would not confirm the meeting was held, and that its operations were conducted "on the basis of actual circumstances and according to the law."

LSD used to hold protest marches like this one

With protests pre-empted this year, it will be the first time there is no sign of dissent on July 1 in a long time.

Xi will be pleased.

Where's the Freedom to Report on July 1?

Who will report on the July 1 events after 10 media rejected?

Now that we've established that Chinese President Xi Jinping will come to Hong Kong for two days, but not staying overnight and in nearby Shenzhen instead, who will be covering the grand milestone of 25 years since the handover?

Hardly any media for hardly any good reason.

Media organisations had to be invited to attend the July 1 flag-raising ceremony and swearing-in ceremony for the next Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu.

Lee claimed press freedom is in back pocket

But then suddenly today at least 10 outlets that had been invited were now rejected because of "security reasons". They include Ming Pao, HK01, South China Morning Post, Now News, Reuters, Bloomberg and Agence France-Presse.

While these media organisations have the option of sending alternate reporters, they must fulfil requirements of testing negative for Covid-19 from a PCR test everyday between last Sunday and July 1 which is impossible now.

It is strange that Ta Kung Pao was also rejected, a very pro-Beijing paper, which is why the Hong Kong Journalists' Association chairman Ronson Chan finds it "perplexing" that all these outlets were rejected regardless of their editorial policy.

"The HKJA expresses utmost regret over rigid reporting arrangements made by the authorities for such a major event," the press group said.

"[C]iting a vague reason for rejection seriously undermines press freedom in Hong Kong. The HKJA urges the authorities to make remedial arrangements and protect the right to report," it added.

Chan finds reporter rejections as "perplexing"

The group is referring to incoming leader Lee's claim that press freedom was a given.'

In April he said that press freedom was already in the "pocket" of all Hongkongers so it did not need defending. That said he promised to pass a "fake news" law and a local version of the security law.

How can he say this when Reporters Without Borders has ranked Hong Kong 148 out of 180 places, when it was 80 last year, and in 2002 it was listed at no. 18?

Initially up to 20 journalists were invited to attend, averaging two per outlet. But then this was cut to one per organisation, and now none.

So it looks like only Chinese domestic media will be allowed to attend, to cover the event for Chinese audiences, not even for Hongkongers.

"China wants the world to see Hong Kong's 25th handover anniversary ceremony and project the narrative that stability has been returned to the city, meanwhile it has effectively banned most international media from covering this important event," said an international journalist who did not want to be named.

Hong Kong is pulling out the stops for its leader and yet its own people can't even report on the event... in other words, no negative reporting at all! An alternate reality will be promoted over and over forever and perhaps this is a signal of how things will be done from now on?!

Xi Coming to HK but not Staying Overnight

Xi will be coming, but not sleeping overnight in Hong Kong

It has been announced that President Xi Jinping will be in Hong Kong for two days, but zero nights. 

How is that, you ask?

He will be coming to Hong Kong on June 30 to a dinner hosted by outgoing Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, then going to Shenzhen for the night before returning to Hong Kong for the main event of marking 25 years of the handover and swearing in John Lee Ka-chiu and his cabinet before going back to Beijing.

Lam checks into the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong

In terms of the possibility of catching Covid-19, wouldn't the chances be higher moving around and crossing borders than just staying put in Hong Kong?

Or has the presidential suite in the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong been taken by someone else?

Speaking of which several senior officials including Lam were seen checking into that hotel for their hotel quarantine before Thursday...

She also made what she says is her last social media post, thanking all the people who left comments (maybe she's only referring to the good ones?),  as well as the staff at Government House as she will be moving out. To where, is everyone's next question.

Lam also reiterated that Xi will be attending the new government's inauguration, and according to RTHK, "She said the speech Xi made five years ago when she took office had given her faith when she faced difficult challenges."

Lam's last social media post before leaving office

She makes his words sound like some kind of religious scripture.

"Now that Hong Kong's resumed order and returned to the right track of 'one country, two systems', we look forward to President Xi's important speech on the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's handover to point to the right direction for the SAR to journey on," she said.

One that seems to be pointing towards greater security and repression of people's rights and freedoms? More people behind bars and zero criticism?

Waving the Patriotic Flag

Flag fanatics decorated Kam Shek House in red flags

In the run up to the 25th anniversary of the Hong Kong handover, someone in two housing estates in Kwun Tong decided to be very patriotic and decorated the entire Lam Shek House and Kam Shek House with alternating Chinese and Hong Kong flags hanging on every level of above the courtyard.

Some flags were found to be desecrated

Of course the Bauhinia flag is markedly smaller than the Chinese one...

Pictures of it went viral on social media and yesterday the police received a report that 12 of the national flags at Lam Shek House were desecrated, some with black stains on the big stars, while one flag at the housing estate and another at Kam Shek House were stolen.

Some uniformed police collected the desecrated flags, putting them in plastic bags for investigation and no one has been arrested yet.

Eventually all the flags were taken down probably as a precaution.

This exercise in extreme patriotism in Hong Kong is a touchy subject to say the least. While residents accept that the city is a part of China, it isn't quite ready for the show of nationalism that mainlanders expect. 

The push for patriotism is overwhelmingly red

And the government's efforts in trying to shove patriotism down residents' throats isn't helpful either, fuelling further frustration. The 2019 protests are still raw in people's minds, and they are still trying to process what has happened in the last three years, particularly after the implementation of the national security law.

Forcing people to celebrate an anniversary that seems bleaker by the day is hardly something worth rejoicing about. And the red flags seem to inflame people even more.

At least all the flags were removed and maybe the mastermind will have learned his/her lesson.

But wait -- the Hong Kong police are adopting the "goose-step" used in China from July 1.

"To promote patriotism and enhance the awareness of national identity, the Hong Kong Police Force will fully adopt Chinese foot drills from July 1," the HKPF said in a statement.

HKPF will debut its goose-stepping style July 1

Last year the People's Liberation Army trained Hong Kong police cadets the goose-step style where soldiers march without bending their knees.

Sounds painful... on the knees!

In the meantime it's been reported the two senior government officials who caught Covid-19 a few days ago have now tested negative.

Eric Chan Kwok-ki and Erick Tsang Kwok-wai have started to test negative, and if they have two more negative tests, then they could possibly attend Friday's ceremony at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. 

The government will have the final say if Chan and Tsang can attend in person. 

And still no word on Xi Jinping coming or not... 

The Truth is Out There

Last look at Jumbo before it capsized in the South China Sea

Just when we thought Jumbo Floating Restaurant had sunk 1,000 metres in the South China Sea on its way to Cambodia, there was word yesterday that the vessel capsized, but hadn't sunk.

It is apparently still afloat near the Xisha (Paracel) Islands.

You'd think the owner of the massive vessel, Aberdeen Restaurant Enterprises, owned by Melco Group, which is majority owned by Stanley Ho's son Lawrence, would want to see exactly what state the floating restaurant is in.

Jumbo in its former brilliant glory

There are no photographs or video of it to prove that it has capsized and not sunk so it's still really fishy.

People joked on Twitter that if Apple Daily was still around, they would have already sent a helicopter there to take photographs and video of the capsized restaurant.

But alas, Hongkongers are deprived of knowing what really happened to Jumbo Floating Restaurant...

This mystery continues along with if President Xi Jinping is physically coming to Hong Kong or an impersonator would show up.

Meanwhile Rita Fan Hsu Lai-tai, a former Hong Kong delegate to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, is saying 50 years of no change is will continue unchanged under the "one country, two systems" framework.

So the 2019 protests against the extradition bill, which lasted for months that set the wheels in motion for the implementation of the national security law, and led to the exodus of over 100,000 people and counting didn't happen?

Fan claims 50 years no change will continue

"The so-called '50 years unchanged' is not only written in the Basic Law, but in fact, if you look at the comments of previous state leaders. Fifty years is really not a deadline, it's the initial stage," she told reporters.

"In future [50 years unchanged] will surely continue, unless the one country, two systems [principle] is not done well. But right now, the [principle] can be implemented well."

Gaslighting at its best.

And then there's former chief executive Leung Chun-ying who likes to provoke with interesting statements.

His latest? 

That Hong Kong is not a "show flat" for western-style democracy for China.

Leung doesn't seem to know his HK history

"Our place isn't a 'political show flat' for the country to demonstrate how so-called western-style democracy operates," Leung said. "No. Our country knows very well about these things. On political issues, many taxi drivers on the mainland know more about Hong Kong lawmakers."

What? Where does he even get this idea that taxi drivers in China are more knowledgable and what does this have to do with Hong Kong not being a "show flat" for western-style democracy for China?

So while Leung thinks he's created a clever catch-phrase, it's not even correct. Hong Kong didn't have democracy, but it did have lots of freedoms before 1997.

Perhaps he's been reading those updated textbooks that claim Hong Kong was never a British colony?

Is He or Isn't He?

Xi has yet to announce if he's attending in person or not

Hong Kong has had over 1,000 Covid-19 cases a day, today there are over 1,700. The Centre for Health Protection has warned it could go over the 2,000 mark soon.

It seemed the chances of Chinese President Xi Jinping coming to Hong Kong would be slimmer by the day.

So it was very surprising to the territory that a few hours ago Xinhua announced that Xi will attend the 25th anniversary of the handover celebrations and swear in John Lee Ka-chiu as the next chief executive.

Chan (left) and Tsang have tested positive

The key word is "attend", as it was not clear if he would come in person, or participate virtually. Zoom, perhaps?

Originally guests attending the event would have to quarantine in the hotels near the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre for seven days, but that has been cut to one day, but not the battery of PCR tests.

It was also reported yesterday that incoming chief secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki and constitutional and mainland affairs minister Erick Tsang Kwok-wai both tested positive for Covid-19. 

There were concerns that Chan may have infected Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor as he spoke to her on Monday, but the media was told that both were wearing masks and at a distance from each other so she was not considered a close contact.

No Penny's Bay for her...

Leung advises swearing-in ceremony kept simple

Infectious disease expert Leung Chi-chiu of Chinese University says it's hard to tell how quickly Chan and Tsang will recover and if they can attend the July 1 ceremony.

"Because most of our senior officials have been undergoing Covid-19 testing regularly, their recent positive tests might indicate that they have just developed the disease. For that, because of the new onset disease, it's difficult to tell at this moment whether their disease course will be short enough to have completed recovery by July 1," Leung said.

He suggested that the ceremony next week be kept as simple as possible, and everyone have their masks on and avoid mingling too much. 

But back to Xi... what are the chances of him actually coming in person next Friday? 

We Must Remember

Picking up the last edition of Apple Daily a year ago

Today marks the one year anniversary that Apple Daily shut down.

I remember waking up relatively early, there was light rain and I raced out to the nearby Circle K convenience store to see if there were any copies of the last edition of Apple Daily.

Luckily there was a massive stack of papers and I grabbed six of them, relieved to be able to get them no problem.

Staff waving to readers, many are unemployed

I went to the office and my colleague was distraught that she was unable to get the paper. I reached into my bag and gave her a copy. She was so grateful.

Why? 

Because it is the last physical piece of democracy that we can hold in our hands. The paper represented free speech, free press, independence, brashness, creativity, resilience and determination.

The Apple Daily website does not exist, and its founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying has been in jail for the past 18 months.

Six other executives have been held in pre-trial detention for 11 months.

Everyone at Apple Daily lost their jobs that day, and since then some other media organisations have shuttered, resulting in some 1,000 journalists out of work, or completely switching to other jobs like taxi driver or working at McDonald's.

Having worked at Apple Daily is either a badge of honour or a sign to be shunned.

Lai has been behind bars for 18 months

I still have that copy of the last edition of the paper even though I don't know what it means. But we need to preserve it to prove to ourselves that Apple Daily existed.

We have to tell ourselves that what we experienced, saw and read was real.

We have to do that because the government, and by extension Beijing is rewriting Hong Kong's history.

The authorities have scrubbed away anything in Hong Kong related to what happened in Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989. For 30 consecutive years there was a massive candlelight vigil held at Victoria Park with tens of thousands of people attending, each holding a white candle in their hands as they sang songs, shouted slogans and heard speakers talk about their experiences that horrible day.

But now those vigils are no more. There are no more statues or murals commemorating the incident, nor can people even gather at Victoria Park anymore that day. It's as if the authorities are trying to re-program people into thinking June 4 is like any other day, but Hongkongers are hardwired to think otherwise after decades of annual ritual.

The Pillar of Shame dismantled and removed

The same goes for the protests, scrubbing the city clean of graffiti, though there may be a few lingering... the protests are now called "social unrest", a euphemism for a cataclysmic event in the city's recent history that led to the implementation of the national security law that pushed many to leave Hong Kong for good.

There are no more signs of dissent, from the civil society groups, unions and grassroots organisations that supported the protests -- they have either shut down or gone underground. But shutting down hasn't ensured the peaceful end of these groups as they are still targeted by the police for things they have done retroactively. It's relentless.

A friend says it's good that I've left and can move on, but I can't.

I told him I spent 18 years of my life in Hong Kong, it played a huge role in my life and I cannot just turn my back from it.

And yet it is painful watching what is happening there day by day, as the government forms its own alternate reality, like Hong Kong was never a British colony.

It's such an absurd belief that the last governor Chris Patten had to do a double take.

Patten mocks China for denying HK colony status

In a recent letter to the editor of The Times Newspaper he wrote:

"Sir, it was with some relief that Ben Macintyre reassured me that I really was governor of the colony of Hong Kong from 1992 to 1997 before China, in President Jiang Zemin's words, "resumed the exercise of sovereignty".

"The attempt to rewrite Hong Kong's history in the territory's school textbooks claiming that it had never been a British colony but an "occupied territory" is on par with Beijing's efforts to expunge any memory of the Tiananmen murders in 1989.

"But if Hong Kong was simply an "occupied territory" perhaps President Xi and his communist stooges in Hong Kong should own up to the fact that the overwhelming majority of the people who occupied it were themselves refugees or the families and descendants of refugees from the brutalities of communism. 

"They found a safe haven in a British colony and established a hugely successful free society there under the rule of law."

See, we remember. We have to.

Health Minister Criticised for Pandemic Fifth Wave Response

Chan shed a few tears in her last meeting with Legco

Yesterday at her last meeting with the Legislative Council, outgoing Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee shed a few tears as she thanked Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-gnor for having trust in her.

When she leaves office on June 30, Chan will have completed 10 years in the civil service, the last few years undoubtedly the most challenging on her career in having to deal with the response to Covid-19 in Hong Kong.

However, many believe she and her department could have done much more, particularly prior to the fifth wave in getting more elderly vaccinated, which could have mitigated the number of deaths during this period, as well as handed out rapid antigen tests and masks to the vulnerable.

Ho criticised government's response to fifth wave

How can anyone forget the scenes outside public hospitals where elderly patients were left there in the elements because there wasn't enough bed space. Those images were shocking and shameful.

Microbiologist Ho Pak-leung called on the government to apologise to residents for its failure to deal with the city's outbreaks.

On a radio show, he slammed Chan for failing to prepare appropriate Covid responses, even though Hong Kong had long been achieving Covid-zero before the fifth wave of the epidemic started.

Ho said Chan wasted time in not getting more of the elderly vaccinated before the fifth wave, which resulted in a spike in deaths. Ho said this taught Hong Kong a "painful lesson".

He called on the current government to issue a formal apology to its citizens or build a monument in memory of those who died during the city's fifth wave.

While a formal apology would be nice, the monument would be overboard... unless for propaganda purposes...

Seniors lying outside hospitals with no space

Yesterday Hong Kong recorded 1,323 cases, and Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan from the Centre for Health Protection is warning the number could go up to 2,000 soon.

"We are seeing a slow increase, a gradual increase in the number of cases recently and there have been no signs of decreasing in the past few days," Chuang said. "We expect the cases will be going up and may exceed 2,000 in the near future."

But she also noted the number of hospital admissions and severe cases and deaths is stable.

This does not bode well for the upcoming July 1 anniversary... it looks less likely Chinese leader Xi Jinping will come down here for mark the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's handover to China.

Does this mean Premier Li Ke-qiang is going instead?

The intrigue continues...

More Hongkongers Identify as Chinese

Emigration, change of mindset may explain poll results

For the first time since 2018, more Hong Kong residents identify as "Chinese" compared to "Hongkonger" in previous years, according to a poll by the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute (HKPORI).

While "Hongkonger" is still popular, there seems to be more people over 30 years of age who are identifying as Chinese.

One thousand Cantonese-speaking adults were surveyed from May 31 to June 5 by telephone.

The survey is conducted every six months

Those who identified as "Chinese" had increased from 56.8 to 61.5 when compared to Pori's similar study six months earlier. The latest results were the highest rating since December 2018.

Those who identified as a "member of the Chinese nation" rose from 60.7 to 65, and as "member of the PRC" also climbed from 53.6 to 59.1.

Meanwhile, those who described themselves as "Hongkonger", "Asian" and "global citizen" decreased across the board. "Hongkonger" got a rating of 75.4, the lowest since June 2017.

Additionally, more respondents over 30 identified as "Chinese" since 2020, while only 2 percent of those aged 18 to 29 did.

Current affairs commentator Derek Yuen, said during a press conference releasing Pori's findings, the results for Beijing were encouraging.

More people over 30 identify at Chinese

"Without Beijing implementing significant policies [to raise national identity recognition], it is already seeing favourable results," Yuen said.

He said the shift could be due to emigration, and people's changing mindset, especially those aged 30-49.

"These people recognise this is China's international financial centre," Yuen said. "In order to survive, prosper and thrive... you have to adjust your mindset."

However, Paul Wong, a lecturer at the University of Wollongong College Hong Kong's Faculty of Social Sciences, said during the same media briefing, that it was uncertain "if respondents were totally free of fear" when responding to recent surveys.

He hinted perhaps the national security law had impacted the survey findings as freedom of speech and thought were being constrained in the city.

"We don't know how many of them are speaking their true feelings," he said.

The explanations are plausible... or they just happened to call up pro-establishment respondents?

Maybe we'll have to check-in again in six months...

Jumbo Sinks to its Demise

Jumbo docked in Aberdeen harbour before it left June 14

Today came news that the Jumbo Floating Restaurant, that left Hong Kong's Aberdeen harbour on June 14 has sunk in the South China Sea.

According to a press release issued by Aberdeen Restaurant Enterprises Limited, the floating restaurant passed through the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea when it "encountered adverse conditions" and water entered the vessel, causing it to tip.

Marine engineers inspected the vessel before it left

"Despite the efforts of the towing company responsible for the trip to rescue the vessel, unfortunately it capsized on Sunday (June 19)," the statement said. 

It added no crew members were injured and because the vessel sank to a depth of 1,000 metres, it will be extremely difficult for the company to conduct a salvaging operation.

When people found out about the news, they immediately latched onto it as a metaphor for Hong Kong's demise.

Really? Is the city a rundown has-been bloated vessel that only catered to tourists served crappy food?

Definitely not.

There are sneaking suspicions on social media that the company -- which is owned by late casino magnate Stanley Ho Hung-sun's family -- may have accidentally sunk for insurance purposes.

Ah To's prescient cartoon of Jumbo's fate

Its insurance is probably worth more than the scrap metal...

Interesting the restaurant had a press release ready for the media too...

What did political cartoonist Ah To know? When he heard news on June 1 that Jumbo Floating Restaurant would be towed away, he drew the sinking Jumbo Floating Restaurant together with the Goddess of Democracy and Lady Justice at the bottom of the ocean to represent the end of the June 4 candlelight vigils in Victoria Park and the rule of law.

And another artist known as SurrealHK made a computer manipulated image of the Jumbo Floating Restaurant sinking in Victoria Harbour... coincidence? Inspiration?

Building van Gogh Brick by Brick

Van Gogh's The Starry Night in Lego form by Truman Cheng

One of the latest products to come from Lego is a reproduction of Vincent van Gogh's The Starry Night -- in the colourful bricks.

The swirl of the clouds in blues, grey and yellow is cleverly recreated using straight, thin bricks, but perhaps what's so fascinating about it is that the piece is its three-dimensional look.

Even better? It was designed by a Hongkonger.

Cheng likes van Gogh's paintings

Twenty-six-year-old Truman Cheng is a PhD student studying medical robotics and magnetic controlled surgical endoscopes.

During his free time however, he loves playing with Lego, something he's done since he was a child.

"To me, Lego is more than 'toys', it's something similar to painting," he said in an interview with Lego. "I can express myself, create characters and sculptures from my imagination. It's a very relaxing experience where I can forget about the petty troubles in daily lives, and get lost in my own imagination."

He later explained that he's always loved van Gogh's work and that The Starry Night is such a well known piece. 

"I had wanted to make a Lego creation based on the artwork for a long time but never thought of a good execution-style for it.

"One day I was just playing with Lego parts, and I realised stacking Lego plates together in random intervals look a lot like van Gogh's iconic brush strokes!

A figurine of the artist himself

"I couldn't help but wonder what the full painting would look like with this build style. I kept building and modifying, and eventually created the model you see in the project."

There are over 1,500 pieces for this particular Lego set and the company teamed up with the Museum of Modern Art -- which houses the original art work -- to produce the set, which retails for US$159.99.

One wonders what royalties Cheng will get!

But in the meantime it just shows how playing can get those creative juices going!

Picture of the Day: Oatmeal Cookies

These oatmeal cookies are vegan and only use four ingredients

One thing I couldn't do in Hong Kong was baking so now it's nice to have access to a large oven and make something from scratch.

Scrolling through Instagram I'm seeing more short cooking videos and they post the recipe too. 

The one I saw the other day was for oatmeal cookies -- using just four ingredients: oatmeal, chocolate chips, peanut butter and bananas.

After buying a bag of chocolate chips, I tried out this recipe.

Just before putting the cookie dough into oven

It's simple enough -- mashing up two bananas (the more ripe the better), and adding a quarter-cup of peanut butter, a quarter-cup of dark chocolate chips, and one and a half cups of oatmeal.

After I mixed them thoroughly together, I scooped the dough onto the baking sheet, making 12 cookies. I flattened them a bit and then baked them for 15 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.

When my timer went off, the cookies seemed very soft and baked them for another five minutes, but they hadn't changed much in terms of firmness and turned off the heat and left them there.

They were still soft, but they were already golden brown so they should be done.

Nevertheless they taste delicious. You can taste all the ingredients, and not one overpowers the other.

Would You Like a Raid with Your Dinner?

Imagine having your dinner interrupted by screaming officers

On the Instagram account of Hong Kong restaurant group Black Sheep Restaurants the latest post is this message:

"We had a bit of an intense night at Carbone yesterday, we think we were in compliance with the current regs and we are checking with our lawyers."

One of its restaurants is Carbone, a New York-style steakhouse above Lan Kwai Fong in Central that pays homage to the mid-20th century. Suited waiters may entertain guests with funny comments as they dine on American-sized portions of food, mostly meats, pastas and sides, while desserts are presented on a trolley.

Carbone is above Lan Kwai Fong in Central

Last night in the middle of dinner service, inspectors from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and police officers suddenly appeared in the restaurant and apparently screamed at guests to stay where they were and shut up. No one was allowed to talk or even go to the washroom for 45 minutes. Nor were they allowed to touch their phones.

Apparently the staff were each fined HK$5,000 (US$637) for contravening the latest Covid-19 regulations of not inspecting guests' rapid antigen tests.

However, the restaurant did not violate any rules -- it is a restaurant and not a bar or nightclub, which now require each patron to present a negative RAT result before entering.

So why did the FEHD and police raid this place? Did they not know it was a restaurant and not a bar?

Did FEHD do their homework on Carbone first?

Someone either did not do their homework about Carbone, or were using it as an example to other places.

While Black Sheep Restaurants are checking with their lawyers, there isn't much they can do -- the FEHD can pretty much flaunt its power without much oversight or accountability. 

It's intriguing none of the guests were fined, but the staff were, and it seems Carbone was the only restaurant targeted last night.

The incident must be sending chills to every restaurateur in Hong Kong -- which guest wants to endure an experience like that when they're already paying big bucks for a good dinner?

Is this raiding restaurants and screaming at guests going to be the norm now? If so it will definitely turn off people from wanting to dine out again. 

A police raid at another restaurant recently 

It also begs the question if guides like Michelin and Asia's 50 Best Restaurants feel confident enough to continue to promote Hong Kong restaurants when diners can be subject to an outrageous interruption to their meal out of no fault of the dining establishment?

If it is the new normal, surely more people are going to be fed up by this and want to leave Hong Kong...

The government seems intent on killing its own city. And it's doing a really good job of it.

Carrie's Impromptu Press Conference

Lam gathers media to tell them she is transparent

The media in Hong Kong were alerted to the Chief Executive holding a press conference in 90 minutes.

What was she going to talk about?

When reporters assembled and waited for Lam to come out at 2.30pm, it was about Covid-19. 

"Since the daily positive confirmed cases have escalated to over 1,000, although I'm coming to the end of my term, I'm still shouldering the responsibilities to fight Covid-19," Lam said.

Farry shows squeezing his name on RAT

"So I chaired a high level, cross bureau meeting this morning together with the chief executive of the Hospital Authority, and in line with the spirit of transparency, I thought I should let you know the outcome of the discussion. So that's the purpose for holding this press conference." 

Really? That could have just merited a press release.

Meanwhile people are staying away from bars and nightclubs like the plague. That's because in order to enter these premises, patrons must conduct a rapid antigen test, some how scrawl their name and the date on it (within 24 hours), and take a photograph of it before showing it to the bar staff for entry.

Many are complaining about not having enough space to write their names on RATs which is totally understandable as no one thought of that beforehand.

When it came to schools, there are infections here and there, but not enough to merit a full school shut down.

Lam said that since schools had their holidays in the spring, they won't get another break this summer. Talk about students going to school endlessly. But perhaps it's better than learning online...

As many of the clusters are from large gatherings, she has cancelled the upcoming Legislative Council farewell lunch on June 21 -- did lawmakers want to eat with her anyway?! -- and has suggested that families not have large gatherings for the upcoming Father's Day.

Talk about putting a spoiler on weekend plans.

25th anniversary banquet supposedly going ahead

However -- when asked if the 25th anniversary banquet will go ahead, Lam seemed to indicate it would, which is why the government cannot ban multi-household gatherings without being hypocrites.

So she is not outright banning gatherings, but strongly suggesting people wear masks as soon as they finish eating, not participate in big gatherings, and remain vigilant.

She wants to look like she is concerned about the issue, and yet she cannot act too paranoid because a supposed banquet may happen in two weeks and so she can't ban large gatherings, like the one on July 1.

Neither did she indicate Beijing officials would not want to come to Hong Kong if the number of cases exceeded 1,000 when the zero-Covid strategy is taken literally.

What exactly is Lam trying to achieve here? Telling others to cut down on their gatherings so that she can have her big bash on July1? 

Definitely sounds like one city, two systems...

Rewriting Hong Kong's History

Two million people came out to protest on June 16, 2019

The Hong Kong government has moved quickly to rewrite the city's history in textbooks.

The newly revamped liberal studies textbook now says that Hong Kong was never a British colony because the Chinese government didn't recognise unequal treaties that ceded the city to Britain.

It also says the United Nations removed Hong Kong from a list of colonies in 1972 after China made the demand.

Textbooks claim HK was not a British colony

In addition the textbooks have adopted the government's version of the 2019 protests, saying they were a threat to national security and that external forces were behind the unrest.

Veteran Chinese history teacher Chan Chi-wa explained most local textbooks in the 1990s and before mentioned Hong Kong as a "British colony", and later on it was described as Britain exercised colonial rule over Hong Kong in 1997. 

Sounds like the same thing, but more wordy, no?

Chan said last year at a briefing by education officials stated clearly that Hong Kong was not a colony, and this concept needed to be taught to students. He also noted only the Chinese perspective was presented in the revamped textbooks.

When it came to describing the 2019 protests, one textbook claimed protesters had openly challenged the central government by asking foreign forces to interfere in Hong Kong affairs, and impose sanctions on the city.

Another textbook liberally mentions national security more than 400 times, saying legislation was imposed out of "urgency" due to violent activities in Hong Kong in 2019. The textbook said the central authorities believed foreign forces were involved in the unrest and that the city's government could not handle them on its own.

People like Maria Tam are mentioned in textbook

As if that wasn't enough, the textbook highlights key pro-Beijing politicians, including Basic Law Committee vice-chairwoman Maria Tam Wai-chu, Lau Siu-kai of the semi-official Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies think tank, and Professor Priscilla Lau Pui-king, a former Hong Kong deputy to the National People's Congress.

Yet another textbook claimed the 2019 protests disrupted social order, disrupted law-abiding awareness of some people and serious endangered national security. 

A teacher of liberal studies for 10 years who spoke on condition of anonymity said they already expected the textbooks to entirely quote official information on how the national security law came to be imposed.

"Discussing the issue with different perspectives and critical thinking only happens in liberal studies, but not this subject," the veteran educator said, adding the guidelines did not require them to teach details like police performance during the protests.

Meanwhile Scientia Secondary School principal Wong Ching-yung said textbooks should not go into details of the unrest as people would have different views...

Liberal Studies aims to instil nationalism 

Isn't that part of the point of education? To be able to freely and openly discuss different points of view to promote a pluralistic society and teach students tolerance and diversity?

But when it comes to history, it seems the government already has the upper hand in trying to whitewash history. But as it is only the third anniversary of the June 16 protests, where 2 million people came out on the streets against the extradition bill, memories and emotions are still raw -- young and old participated.

It will take several generations to try to completely change the narrative.