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?

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?