Former Democratic Party Leader Granted Six-Month Stay in UK

Wu thanks supporters in this video

Good news about former Hong Kong lawmaker and opposition leader Wu Chi-wai -- he is allowed to stay in the UK for six months.

Since being allowed into the UK last Wednesday, Wu was concerned that he would only be able to stay for seven days until this Wednesday and be deported back to Hong Kong.

However, it was confirmed by his lawyer, Paul Harris, that the immigration authorities had sent a letter to them of Wu granted stay as a visitor for half a year.

At the time the Associated Press reported this, Wu, 63, did not comment.

He later sent a video via UK-based outlet Green Bean Media, thanking Hongkongers for their concern and support.

"I know that, throughout this event, many Hong Kong people and friends everywhere have been working tirelessly during this period, speaking out for me and voicing opinions through various channels and methods.

"With everyone's assistance, today -- on the afternoon of July 27, 2026 -- I finally received a document issued by the UK Border Force officially approving my entry and granting me a standard stay of six months," he said in Cantonese.

Wu added although he was happy with this end result, he said his experience "failed to assauge Hongkongers' concerns regarding entering and exiting the UK," noting his arrangement was discretionary treatment, and not standard procedure.

"The government has made it very clear that this case itself does not constitute any precedent. The entry procedures still require further clarification to avoid causing distress to Hongkongers," he said.

"Once again, thank you to all the friends who care for myself and for Hongkongers. I have been separated from my family for five and a half years, and I long to reunite with them and live a peaceful life. I also hope that all Hong Kong people can live well and cherish their loved ones. Thank you, everyone." 

Wu's UK Visit to End on Wednesday

Wu has precious days with his wife and son in the UK

Looks like former Hong Kong lawmaker and opposition leader Wu Chi-wai's trip to the UK will be cut short. Instead of his hopes of spending time with his family for a few months, he will be leaving by Wednesday.

He flew to the UK last Wednesday after he served four years and five months in prison, but was held by immigration officials for what was described as an administrative problem with his paperwork.

Wu was jailed for conspiracy to commit subversion after he and 46 other political activists and politicians took part in an unofficial primary election in 2020.

According to the Associated Press, Wu was eventually allowed to enter the country, but the authorities only granted him a seven-day immigration bail, which means he will be removed on Wednesday and sent back to Hong Kong.

Wu had hoped to pre-empt problems with his criminal record by proactively contacting the British Consulate in Hong Kong ahead of his trip.

However, border officials thought he might have long-term plans of staying other than visiting, hence the seven-day stay.

While the visit is too short to make up for lost time with his wife and son, who moved to the UK in 2022, Wu is also concerned he may not be able to enter the UK again after this incident, and hopes the Home Office can reverse the decision and allow him to extend his stay.

"I am very worried about whether I have the ability or a chance to secure a reentrance to the UK to meet with my family again," he said.

The Home Office has said it does not publicly comment on individual cases. 

Originally Wu had planned to stay in the UK until November, but now he is expected to leave in a few days.

He told the AP that being behind bars taught him that life is short; he was unable to see his parents before they passed, only allowed to attend their funerals briefly.

"If at such a moment you are unable to see your parents off for the last time, the psychological blow is actually significant," Wu said.

Which is why it is all the more important to him to spend as much time with his family as possible.

"Start afresh and cherish the time I have to reunite with my family," he said. "I feel this is my most important task in the near future."

Former HK Politician Enters the UK

Wu was released from prison on June 30

Former legislator and leader of the Democratic Party Wu Chi-wai has now been allowed into the United Kingdom after he was initially told he would be deported within seven days.

About three weeks after he was released from prison, Wu arrived at London's Heathrow Airport, but was detained and his British National (Overseas) passport was confiscated. 

He spent four years and five months in prison

Other Hong Kong activists in the UK were concerned that if the 63-year-old former opposition leader was denied entry, that would signal a change in the government's stance on its treatment of those wanted by the police, including former lawmaker Nathan Law Kwun-chung, student activist Tony Chung Hon-lam, and former British consulate staffer Simon Cheng Man-kit. 

But now United States-based activist Frances Hui Wing-ting, and The Collective, an independent Chinese-language media outlet, have confirmed Wu has entered the UK. Apparently he was held by border officials over what has been described as an administrative problem with his paperwork.

What a relief.

Wu is one of 47 who were charged with conspiracy to commit subversion under the National Security Law when they organised and/or participated in pro-democracy primaries that were held in July 2020.

He was arrested in January 2021 and detained, charged the following month and his trial did not come to court until June 2022 when he pleaded guilty, and was sentenced November 2024.

Wu confronted riot police on June 12, 2019

During that period his father passed away May 2021, and mother died in March 2023.

Over seven years ago on June 12, 2019, Wu was on the front lines of the 2019 protests when the Hong Kong riot police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protestors. He tried to intervene and shouted, "Take me to your commander!" to the officers, who ignored him.

At the time, Wu told The Sydney Morning Herald that in his 25 years of politics, it was the first time he came face-to-face with riot police and threatened with tear gas.

"To me it was a shock," he said.

"I try to separate both sides, so that police can hold their line of defence, and the demonstrators can keep their formation to express their will that the extradition bill be withdrawn."

How things have changed so much in seven years...

A Very Chinese Time in People's Lives

Jellycat's red plush horse with a golden mane 

Everyone's getting into the Year of the Horse -- Snoopy, Mr. Men, Sesame Street's Elmo, Miffy, Paddington Bear, even Jellycat issuing a red plush horse with a golden mane.

Are they all in a "very Chinese time in their lives", or Chinamaxxing? 

Or is it all a marketing ploy to appeal to Chinese fans that they are wishing them all the best in the Lunar New Year?

In some ways it's amusing to see non-Chinese recently discovering the benefits of drinking hot water, or demonstrating that they know to take off their shoes once they enter a home, and these days posting on social media, "Kung Hei Faat Choy"!

Snoopy celebrating the new year

It's great people are more accustomed or accepting of Chinese habits, but it doesn't make them experts on Chinese culture overnight.

It was brought to my attention that a guy from San Francisco on Facebook was explaining or maybe "mansplaining" that people should say "Lunar New Year" instead of "Chinese New Year" to make it more inclusive, as people from Korea, Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia also celebrate. 

He even talks about how this year is the "Fire Horse", elucidating about the five elements of water, wood, metal, fire and earth, and that a "Fire Horse" only comes around every 60 years...

Hence Chinamaxxing or being in a "very Chinese time in my life" is so bizarre. The latter assumes that one is Chinese for a period of time, unlike say ethnic Chinese who are Chinese their whole lives.

The former are those who look at all the cool things about China -- electric cars, high-speed rail, online payments, AI and Shein, without taking into account or even knowing about, say, the lopsided ratio of men to women, the high unemployment rate for fresh grads, and the restrictions of living in an authoritarian environment.

Elmo with his Korean and Chinese friends

All this just only a few years after China finally lifted its draconian lockdown measures to control the Covid-19 virus from spreading. People were literally sealed in their own apartment units, while everyone else got bags of food delivered to them, and people queuing up and opening their mouths to have their saliva swabbed.

And now China is super cool?

Quite the transformation, but now that Canadian and UK passport holders can travel to China visa-free until the end of the year, it would be great for people to see the country for themselves and then figure out of they really are Chinamaxxing.

If anything, they would be able to legitimately say their visit was a "very Chinese time in their life."

Review: Never by Rick Astley

His book is conversational, easy to read

Eighties pop songs are back on the airwaves thanks to young people who are discovering them for the first time. For me they bring back memories of my senior high school years. Classmates were totally into Michael Jackson, Duran Duran, A-ha, Depeche Mode, and Rick Astley.

He was a clean-cut guy who gave off the boy-next-door vibes, wearing a suit and singing Never Gonna Give You Up, and Together Forever, songs that had catchy, optimistic tunes that were sweet and endearing. 

The British singer became so big so fast, but also disappeared just as quickly.

Never Gonna Give You Up was a huge hit in 1987

What happened to him?

Turns out at the age of 27 he quit the music business and lived quietly with his wife and daughter.

But then in around 2006 Rickrolling became a thing -- people would prank others by sending a link on email that when they clicked on it was to Astley's music video for Never Gonna Give You Up, giving him a second lease on his music career.

He writes about all this and more in his conversationally-written autobiography Never that was published last year. I hear his interview on CBC Radio and thought I should read it.

Originally from Lancashire, Astley was born into a rough childhood; before he was born, one of his older brothers died at the age of five from meningitis. The child's death caused his parents' marriage to fall apart, his mother became distant and detached, his father's bipolar behaviour was stressful for Astley and his three siblings.

Astley had a strong interest in music, starting with the drums, but it was his voice that caught the attention of a music producer who signed him on to Stock Aitken Waterman, which became known as the "Hit Factory".

Astley with his wife Lene

In Astley's book Never he talks about how Never Gonna Give You Up came about and how it became so big so fast, and how he handled his sudden fame. The book also explains what the music industry was like at the time, what it was like touring around the world (lots of jetlag) and meeting the love of his life, his wife Lene who was in the music business but later pivoted to film.

It's not until halfway through the book where his career takes off where he describes some hilarious scenes where I actually laughed out loud. As a reader and sometime fan, it was endearing to read him recall what life was like at the time for him, and he constantly says in the autobiography he did not want to be perceived as a "twat". 

That part gets a bit nauseating, but he wants to remind readers that stardom did not go to his head -- he didn't want it to and was keen to live as normal a life as possible after such a chaotic childhood. 

In the second wind of his career in his 50s, Astley writes about how relaxed he was, and enjoyed performing for fun; readers can't help but feel happy for him to finally be comfortable in his skin. That's what growing up is all about.

Visiting Capilano Suspension Bridge

Hold on as you walk across the shaky bridge!

With a relative in town I did a very tourist thing today -- we went to Capilano Suspension Bridge in North Vancouver. I can't even remember the last time I went, so this was a good refresher with many new features since 2004.

Tickets aren't cheap -- $72.95 for adults plus tax it's $76.60 -- but if you can get downtown, you can catch a free shuttle bus to the tourist landmark.

Stunning views of the bridge at various points

We caught it at the back of Hyatt Regency Vancouver and about 15 minutes later we had arrived -- along with another busload of people.

As we bought tickets in advance, we were able to walk in right away and soon join the relatively short line to cross the Capilano Suspension Bridge.

The bridge was originally built in 1889 and was made of hemp ropes and a deck of cedar planks. It was later replaced with a wire cable bridge in 1903. 

It doesn't look daunting at first, but once you step onto the bridge, held up with steel cables, it's unsettling because the foot bridge sways a bit. You have to at least hold onto the steel cable handrail, and traffic coming from the opposite side also adds complications to the steadiness of the bridge.

My cousin was pretty freaked out and held on for dear life. I just held on with my right hand and clutching my iPhone for dear life. I didn't dare take pictures!

We made it over to the other side of the bridge. and began exploring the massive park that is filled with Douglas Firs, Cedars and Hemlocks. You can hear a few birds here and there, and some running streams. 

We learned a lot about the banana slug today

At the Raptor Ridge, we met three people who had a different bird attached to their left hand glove. They sat there and rested their hand on an arm rest, the bird attached to the glove.

The expert trio fielded people's questions about a Great Horned Owl that is nine years old, and likes to vocalise; a 21-year-old Saker Falcon, and a Bay-Winged Hawk that is used to scare away seagulls from sports venues. They don't live in Capilano but Maple Ridge and come out periodically on rotation with several other predator birds.

We also learned about banana slugs. What? They are yellow slugs with two pairs of antennae, 27,000 teeth, when handled release a numbing agent, and would take 15 hours to slide across the Capilano Suspension Bridge.

There isn't just the bridge, but two other nature walks that take you up into the trees. One is called Treetops Adventure, where you walk along narrow wooden bridges between trees, and another called Cliffwalk, where you walk along a path secured onto the side of a rock face!

By the time we went through the entire park, it was just over two hours. We went through the gift shop which is very big, and sells a bunch of nice stuff including Herschel knapsacks, retro CBC T-shirts, honey and maple syrup products, fudge and ice cream.

Cliffwalk had scenic views too

As we were leaving there was a massive line to get onto the suspension bridge and I got a certificate certifying that I had survived the Capilano Suspension Bridge! A fun souvenir.

We encountered tourists from Taiwan, The UK, South Korea, and United States and luckily we didn't have to wait too long to get onto the shuttle to get back to downtown. 

The logistics of the park was very well managed and most of the staff are cheery and informative. They have an activity booklet for kids, and if you hang around for some informative sessions, you will be rewarded with a sticker or stamp.

Capilano Suspension Bridge

3735 Capilano Road

North Vancouver, BC

604 985 7474

Chretien's Words of Advice Dealing with Trump

Chretien says world leaders should ignore Trump's "crazy"

The G7 Summit will be held from June 15-17 in Kananaskis, Alberta, and a convicted felon by the name of US President Donald Trump will be attending.

Former Canadian prime minister Jean Chretien has some words of advice for not only current PM Mark Carney, but also other world leaders attending -- don't engage with the "crazy" from Trump.

Speaking at a conference in Calgary on Thursday, Chretien said leaders can't predict what the American president will do. Chretien said Trump can be a bully and it would be best if the other G7 leaders ignored his outbursts.

Carney had a relatively smooth visit with Trump

"If he has decided to make a show to be in the news, he will do something crazy," Chretien warned.

"Let him do it, and keep talking normally."

He cited the example of how Carney handled Trump during his visit to the White House last month.

"When Trump talked about Canada to be part of the United States, [Carney] just said, 'Canada is not for sale, the White House is not for sale, Buckingham Palace is not for sale," Chretien said.

"Trump said, 'Never say never,' [but Carney] didn't even reply. He just moved on with the discussion. It's the way to handle that."

On Sunday, leaders from France, Germany, Japan the United Kingdom, Italy and the European Union will be attending, as well as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

Hottest Toy Now Created by Hongkonger

The super hot Labubu doll that adults are clamouring to buy

Last week a brawl broke out in between a group of shoppers trying to get their hands on Labubu "monster" toys in the UK.

In a video posted on social media, several men throw punches at each other, while security guards desperately try to separate them.

Hong Kong-born Lung created Labubu in 2015

The men were trying to buy the highly coveted toys from Pop Mart, a Chinese toy store for adults. But after the melee, Pop Mart announced it would be pulling all of its Labubu plushies from its 16 UK stores until June to "prevent any potential safety issues."

What the heck is Labubu and why all the fuss?

Labubu is a mischievous monster with rabbit-like ears and a big grin showing his teeth. 

The creature the brainchild of Hong Kong-born artist Lung Ka-shing, 52, who created a whole family of the monsters in 2015. 

When he was young, his family moved to the Netherlands, where he became fascinated with Nordic folklore, which inspired Labubu and The Monsters, Zimomo, Tycoco, and Spooky.

"At that time, there were no game consoles or computers, so I had to draw dolls with a pen, so I had the idea of painting fairytales since I was a child," he said in an interview.

Blackpink's Lisa is a big Labubu fan

As an adult, Lung became an award-winning children's book illustrator in Belgium, where he created Labubu and The Monsters. They took off in 2019 when they were sold as plushies by Pop Mart.

But when Lisa, a member of the popular K-pop girl group Blackpink was seen with various versions of the toy last year, her fans could not get enough of Labubu.

And then the brawl in the UK broke out.

While my friend and I thought the fracas over this toy monster with bunny ears was crazy, our other friend wished he'd bought stocks in Pop Mart..

Foreign Governments Denounce HK$1M Bounties on Activists

Foreign governments spoke out about the bounties on activists

Reaction to the Hong Kong government putting a HK$1 million bounty on six activists was swift despite it being Christmas Eve and Christmas, depending on the time zone.

United States Consul General Gregory May said Washington denounced the Hong Kong authorities' latest move.

"We call on the Hong Kong government to stop using its national security laws to silence dissent," he said in a social media post.

The European Union spokesman for foreign affairs and security policy Anouar El Anouni posted a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, condemning "the new round of extraterritorial arrest warrants."

"The EU calls on China to respect its international commitments and the one country, two systems principle. The EU urges the Hong Kong authorities to stop the crackdown on pro-democracy forces and to uphold fundamental freedoms as enshrined in Hong Kong's Basic Law," he said.

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy also criticised the move as well, adding the UK government was committed to supporting Hongkongers who had relocated to the country.

"We will not tolerate any attempts by foreign governments to coerce, intimidate, harass or harm their critics overseas, especially in the UK," he said.

"We call on Beijing to repeal the national security law, including its extraterritorial reach. And we call on Hong Kong authorities to end their targeting of individuals in the UK and elsewhere who stand up for freedom and democracy."

Meanwhile Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly criticised the conducting of "transnational repression abroad" and vowed such "threats, intimidation and coercion" against Canadians and those in the country would not be tolerated.

In response, a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Canada slammed the "groundless accusations and wilful smear" against the Hong Kong authorities...

Bo Xilai's Son Turns up in Taiwan

A photo of Bo on his LinkedIn page

Wow a blast from the past.

Remember Bo Xilai and his quest for power, his police chief who fled to a US consulate begging for asylum, and an Englishman who was murdered?

Bo is behind bars for life after he was convicted in 2013 for abuse of power and corruption, and was removed from all party and public positions.

Gu, Bo and their son Guagua many years ago

His wife Gu Kailai is also in jail serving a life sentence for her involvement in the murder of the Englishman, Neil Heywood.

However, their younger son, Bo Kuangyi, or commonly known as Bo Guagua, is in Taiwan to visit his fiancee's family.

The younger Bo entered Taiwan with a British passport on November 13, as he will apparently marry the scion of the Hsu family; her grandfather was Hsu Wen-cheng, the founder of Lotung Poh-ai Hospital in Yilan and influential KMT member, who passed away in 2019.

The Hsu family is considered to have strong political and business connections in Yilan.

After Bo arrived, he had a health check at the Lotung Poh-ai Hospital on the morning of November 15 and met his fiancee's family. Apparently a visitor needs to have a health check if they want to apply to stay longer in Taiwan.

Lotung Poh-ai Hosptail in Yilan

The young couple met when they were studying in the United States (Bo graduated from Harvard in 2012) and kept a long-distance relationship for many years. He has not been back to China since, but has been working in Toronto, Canada.

Taiwanese media are speculating if Bo will be applying to live in Taiwan long-term, and what he's going to do after he gets married... 

A Strange Fluffy Find Behind a Wall

Imagine finding 115 stuffed animals stuffed in your wall

A man in Victoria, BC was renovating his garage and removed some drywall.

Instead of finding insulation, Connor Nijsse discovered stuffed animals.

Lots of stuffed animals.

Do any of these remind you of your childhood?

"You can't wrap your head around it," Nijsse told CTV. "This is weird."

He took pictures and showed them to his wife Brianne Hinkkuri and when she got home, she took a video of him removing another panel.

"[More] stuffed animals! Hinkkuri says off camera. "You can't make this up!"

In total they found 115 stuffed animals, the entire wall stuffed with stuffies.

They bought the house over a year ago and that was when they were in contact with the owners who had three children who grew up there, which led Nijsse to think that perhaps when the kids became adults and left, the stuffed animals were used to fill the drywall; he's seen sofa cushions stuffed in the wall before.

The couple posted the video online and it immediately got 5 million views. They followed up with videos showing the stuffed animals freed from the wall and asked people if they recognised them from their childhood.

Some stuffies have found new homes

One woman in Ontario immediately recognised a fluffy yellow duck that she loved as a child. Nijsse mailed not one, but two of the fluffy ducks to her so that her two young children could have them. A few others have found new homes as well in the United States and United Kingdom.

"Honestly it feels like the Canadian spirit to me," she says, reporting that she received the two ducks. "It's spreading joy to so many families. It's wonderful."

"If you can make a difference, why not?" says Nijsse.

Indeed.

Picture of the Day: The Northern Lights Show Again

Ethereal-looking colours in the sky tonight

Tonight we were able to see the northern lights again after seeing them in May.

It turns out there is a severe geomagnetic storm happening these few days and since tonight was clear, I took the opportunity to check it out.

At first I drove to the outskirts of Pacific Spirit Park, a forest that has no lights. But while it was relatively dark, the trees were in the way!

A colleague took this in Scotland

So I drove to a park and even though there was some light pollution, I was still able to get some decent pictures, including some with the moon hovering very low.

The US-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center says storm watches this far south are rare, so it's worth trying to see it.

The northern lights are not visible with the naked eye -- you need to use your smartphone or digital camera to be able to see it. People in the UK seem to have more vibrant colours than in Vancouver, or perhaps I need to go to a darker place?

Will try again in the next day or so!

Review: Among the Braves

The book covers the 2019 protests through four activists

There are many books written about the 2019 protests in Hong Kong, such as Antony Dapiran's City on Fire: The Fight for Hong Kong that documents practically every single incident that happened, to Indelible City: Dispossession and Defiance in Hong Kong,  Louisa Lim's memoir that is woven together with detailed history of Hong Kong.

One of the latest books is Among the Braves: Hope, Struggle and Exile in the Battle for Hong Kong and the Future of Global Democracy by journalist couple Shibani Mahtani and Timothy McLaughlin, the former with The Washington Post, the latter a contributing writer to The Atlantic.

Ho is a journalist turned activist, now in jail

It's complicated to explain how the protests exploded on the street in the summer of 2019 without a lot of history and context, and the authors do this through Reverend Chu Yiu-ming's life, how he came to Hong Kong from the mainland, became a pastor and was involved in Operation Yellow Bird, smuggling Chinese student activists in Tiananmen Square out of the country, and then in 2014 the Umbrella Movement, calling for universal suffrage.

He was prosecuted for his involvement in the 79-day occupation of parts of the city, and five years later the next generation takes up the mantle to continue the fight for democracy. 

The book follows four main characters and how they were involved in the 2019 protests: Chinese-American Samuel Chu Muk-man, a protester named Tommy, journalist turned politician Gwyneth Ho Kwai-lam, and UK-based activist Finn Lau Cho-dik.

Lau advocated online for laam chau

July 21 is the fifth anniversary of the horrific events that happened in Yuen Long, when triad members wearing white shirts attacked people in the MTR station with rods. It was a horrific scene watching the video clips posted on Twitter that night.

In particular it was Ho's live-streamed video that was shocking. She was the reporter who bravely recorded a middle-aged man assaulting her and she continued filming the incident live. Among the Braves reports how local residents in Yuen Long knew days in advance the attacks would happen, and so did the police, and yet nothing was done to stop or mitigate the attacks.

When Ho decided to run for the pro-democratic primaries in July 2020, she was mentally prepared to go to jail... where she has been since January 2021.

The book also has a harrowing account of Tommy, who decided to take the risk and flee to Taiwan... by boat and what happened after, and how surveyor Lau became an activist in the UK to raise awareness of what was happening in Hong Kong and proposing "laam chau", the concept of mutual destruction. That resulted in a HK$1 million bounty on his head.

Chu's activism was inspired by his father

Samuel Chu is also profiled in the book as an activist in the US who is... the son of Reverend Chu. Like his father he studied to become a pastor and was active in promoting several causes which gave him experience to set up the Hong Kong Democracy Council, which is he as since left.

Nevertheless Among the Braves follows these four along with then Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and the numerous missteps she made in handling the 2019 protests and how this resulted in Beijing taking control over the situation and the city.

It's quite impressive how Mahtani and McLaughlin were able to reconstruct these people's lives, in Ho's case with as many people they could talk to, as she was behind bars. Their back stories help explain their motivations for being involved in the 2019 protests and the authors are sympathetic towards the pro-democracy protesters.

McLaughlin and Mahtani

A minor quibble is how some shocking events that were part of the protests were mentioned in passing to avoid criticism if they didn't include them, such as the young man who was shot by a policeman and protesters setting a man on fire.

In any event Among the Braves is a page turner for sure; those who were in Hong Kong can relive the events in their minds, while hopefully it will enlighten others about what happened in 2019.

First Chinese-born MP in the UK

Yang on election night after she won her seat

The results of the UK election are devastating -- the Conservatives were literally booted out of office and Labour is in, led by Keir Starmer.

But while Labour won by a landslide, a closer look at the numbers reveal the party won 63 percent of the seats with 34 percent of the vote.

It's not a confident position for Starmer, which is why he knows he needs to get to work right away to fix the UK.

Yang's book profiles four women born in 1990s

One of those helping him do that is Yuan Yang, the first Chinese-elected MP. She was born in China and at the age of four moved with her family to the UK. She is in her mid-30s and is a former journalist, having worked at the Financial Times in the UK and in Beijing as deputy bureau chief. 

Not only that but she has just published a book called Private Revolutions: Four Women Face China's New Social Order, profiling four women who were born in the 1990s and how they faced overwhelming odds to find success, or they clinched success and now find the current economic atmosphere very challenging. 

She had a planned book tour to promote Private Revolutions because she had to go campaigning for the election that was on July 4.

On NPR she talked about her book, but also her time in Beijing, and how she felt going back and forth between the UK and China. She said people in the west don't appreciate what they have until they lose it. 

Yang said she was answering questions from residents and one remarked how she had an optimistic disposition when she talks about the future.

"I thought about this and I think I'm optimistic by personality but I also think that my optimism, my hope, a renewal of British democracy comes from seeing the exact opposite, which is the rise of authoritarianism in China, the crackdown on protesters in Hong Kong in 2019 and onwards, and the tightening of restrictions around speech, around what journalists can do, and the closing down on China from the outside world. 

"And coming back to the UK has been a breath of fresh air in terms of our ability to write, to knock on somebody's door and ask them who they might vote for and what they think of the prime minister. These are the kinds of things that are unimaginable for activists and journalists in China," she said.

We're excited to see how Yang does as MP for the new constituency of Earley and Woodley in Reading. She won the seat with 18,209 votes, just beating Conservative candidate Pauline Jorgensen with 17,361 votes. 

Three Men Charged in the UK under National Security Act

Three men have been charged under the National Security Act

Three men have been charged under Britain's National Security Act for allegedly assisting the Hong Kong intelligence service according to the London Metropolitan Police on Monday.

The trio are Peter Wai Chi-leung, 38, Matthew Trickett, 37, and Bill Yuen Chung-biu, 63. Yuen is of particular interest because the Hong Kong government confirmed he is an office manager at the Hong Kong Economic Trade Office in London.

Yuen is the office manager at the London HKETO

They are alleged to have carried out surveillance, gathered information, and forced entry into a residential address in the United Kindom.

Yuen is believed to be a former police officer, while Wai is understood to be a city of London Police special constable and the director of D5 Security Limited, and has over 20 years' experience in the British military, police and private security sector.

Finally Trickett was an immigration enforcement officer, and also a director of MTR Consultancy, a security, surveillance and private investigation firm.

With these charges, particularly on Yuen, some countries may review the roles of HKETOs on their soil; in the meantime this latest development could further sour relations between the UK and China.

Nevertheless, pro-China experts were quick to be on the defensive. 

Lau Siu-kai of the semi-official Beijing think tank, the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies, said: "It is indeed reasonable for the Hong Kong authorities to look into the anti-China activists," he said.

Wai has police and military experience

"Britain might want to demonstrate their responsibilities in protecting these anti-China activists now settled in the country, but is this so-called information really that significant which could threaten national security?"

Meanwhile Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu warned countries against their attempts to interfere with Hong Kong's trade promotion outposts overseas.

"Any attempt to interfere with the work of the [HKETOs] in different places will be against free trade and free economy, and will be harming the economy of the countries that try to do bad things to the operation of the [HKETOs]," Lee added. 

"We will of course, do our best to protect the rightful interest and the rights that [HKETOs] enjoy as a result of legitimate officials working for the Hong Kong government, and we'll urge all governments to respect the rightful duty of our [HKETOs] in their economies."

Trickett has a private investigation firm

In the meantime, Tom Tugendhat, Britain's security minister, said Monday that the National Security Act, which was passed last year to target threats from foreign states, was a game-changer in terms of the country's ability to crack down on foreign intelligence services and hostile actors.

Currently Hong Kong has 14 HKETOs outside China, including one in London, three in the United States, and two in Canada, one in Toronto and the other in Vancouver. These offices enjoy some of the privileges and immunities of diplomatic missions.

Who's Happy and Who's Not in the World

Are you happy where you are, according to the report?

The World Happiness Report 2024 is out and perhaps no surprise the Nordic countries are at the very top with Finland, Denmark, Iceland and Sweden in the top four spots respectively. Israel is ranked at no. 5, as the surveys were completed before the deadly Hamas attack on October 7 last year.

Australia is at no. 10, and New Zealand close behind, and Canada is at no. 15 (previously 13), the United States at no. 23 (previously 15). It was found people in the US and Canada are happier if they are over 30 years old. The United Kingdom is at no. 20, France no. 27. 

Singapore is at no. 30 behind Kosovo, but before Taiwan at no. 31 which is described as "province of China", and then a block of Asian countries -- Japan, South Korea, Philippines and Vietnam at nos 51 to 54 respectively.

Nordic countries rank the top four happiest in the world

China is ranked a bit further down at no 60, but Hong Kong (SAR of China) is waaay down at no. 86.

The worst? Afghanistan is at the bottom at no. 143, and Zimbabwe is no. 138.

In general women were not as happy as men, but in east Asia, it's the women who are happier than men. The survey found in general people are happier living in countries where the equality of happiness is greater.

In Taiwan, those 30 and younger were happier, while the older generation were less happy. Meanwhile in China, the elderly were happiest enjoying the fruits of their labour, though lower middle class were least happy, perhaps finding it hard to deal with inflation, or housing costs, or not having the means to immigrate.

For Hong Kong, it's the upper middle class who are very happy, the lower middle class not happy. 

Loneliness does affect happiness, and the report says social interactions add to one's happiness, that in turn helps increase social support, and reduce loneliness.

Nevertheless in broad strokes it is promising to see people around the world do care about others. The report has graphs that show people from boomers to Gen X and Millennials are more helpful to strangers, donate more and volunteer more post-pandemic than before 2020.  

Perhaps there is still hope for humanity after all!

HK Activist Now in the UK Seeking Asylum

Chung wrote on social media that he is now in the UK

Another pro-democracy activist is seeking asylum in the UK, after managing to leave Hong Kong via Japan.

Tony Chung Hon-lam, the founder of the now defunct Studentlocalism revealed his situation in two Instagram posts. Chung, who had advocated independence, was one of the first to be convicted under the national security law for secession and money laundering, and was sentenced to 43 months in prison. He was the youngest person sentenced under the national security law.

One may remember he was arrested outside the US Consulate in Hong Kong in October 2020, allegedly seeking asylum along with two other Studentlocalism members.

He had founded Studentlocalism for independence

After Chung was released he had to regularly check-in with national security authorities about where he had been, who he had met and the nature of the conversations he had. Chung said the authorities even offered to pay him for information on others to prove that he had reformed himself.

The authorities also asked him to go to the mainland, like Agnes Chow Ting, but Chung refused; the authorities asked if it was because he was still involved in activities violating national security.

Chung also had to sign a document that barred him from disclosing his conversations with the authorities so he could not seek help from lawyers or tell anyone about his situation.

"Under enormous stress and fear, I can only endure silently," he said.

As a result, this pressure put a lot of strain on Chung's mental health. Since October he was not feeling well, and both western and Chinese doctors said it was due to his immunity weakened by the mental toll on his body.

Chung managed to persuade correctional services authorities to allow him to travel to Okinawa, Japan for a holiday to take care of himself. When he arrived in Japan, he began contacting overseas organisations to help him. From there he traveled to the UK.

"This also means I can no longer return to my home, Hong Kong, in foreseeable future," he said. "Although I had anticipated the arrival of this day in the past, I had a heavy heart when I made up my mind."

He said in the future he would devote himself for his city as a "Hongkonger in exile."

"I believe only when Hong Kong people don't give up, the seeds of freedom and democracy will sprout again one day," he said.

Five More Activists Have HK$1M Bounties

Five more people have HK$1M bounties on their heads

The Hong Kong government continues its fear campaign by putting HK$1 million (US$128,000) bounties on another five people living abroad for violating the national security law.  

There are arrest warrants for Johnny Fok and Tony Choi, who host a YouTube channel on current affairs, and pro-democracy activists Simon Cheng Man-kit, Frances Hui Wing-ting, and Joey Siu. They are either in the United States or Britain.

Siu, an American citizen, wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter that she woke up to the news about the bounty on her head "for exercising my freedoms in my own country", adding, "I will never be silenced, I will never back down."

Li says the five have betrayed Hong Kong

These five people join the eight other activists also abroad, where the Hong Kong authorities claim they will pursue them for life with these bounties. This declaration has drawn criticism from western governments.

Steve Li Kwai-wah is the chief superintendent of the police national security department and said they have received some 500 pieces of information since the first round of bounties were announced, but this has not led to any arrests -- yet.

The five activists added to the list have allegedly committed various offenses, including colluding with foreign forces and incitement to secession.

"They all betrayed their own country and betrayed Hong Kong," he said in a press conference. "After they fled overseas, they continued to engage in activities endangering national security."

To add further fears, police arrested four other people on Wednesday on suspicion of funding former pro-democracy lawmakers, Nathan Law Kwun-chung and Ted Hui Chi-fung through an "online subscription and crowdfunding platform." The four were alleged to have provided financial support to the pair. The amounts ranged from HK$10,000 to HK$120,000 (US$1,280-US$15,400). 

Cheng is "honoured" to be hunted by HK police

It is believed the online platform the police are alluding to is Patreon.

Cheng, who some may remember, worked for the British Consulate in Hong Kong and was detained on a business trip to Shenzhen. He was arrested by Chinese authorities for allegedly "soliciting prostitutes" and after he was released told of how he was physically tortured in a bid to make him confess he was a spy for Britain. He eventually fled to the UK and has been there since.

On X he wrote of his reaction to having a bounty on his head: "Being hunted by China (Hong Kong)'s secret police, under a one-million-dollar bounty, is a lifelong honor."

Even though these activists say it's an honour to have a bounty on their heads, surely this is counterproductive to the Hong Kong government's efforts to try to lure people to visit the city? By creating an atmosphere of fear, how can they entice people to a "Happy Hong Kong"?

Adapting Well in the UK, Thank You Very Much

The change of lifestyle is a welcome one for many HKers

Some pro-Beijing media are trying to find the narrative that Hongkongers who migrated to the UK have had a tough time surviving, with a recent survey that revealed 52 percent of the 2,000 BN(O) holders interviewed were unemployed and 47 percent worked in jobs that barely matched their work experience and skills.

But when other Hongkongers there were interviewed, many of them said that while they might be making less money, they are happier with their work-life balance, and their children are enjoying school.

Many were making less money that was exacerbated by inflation. One man named Jeffrey Lau said he and his family had a better lifestyle in Hong Kong as their double income allowed them to go out to eat more, but living in a small northern English town called Dewsbury meant his seven-year-old daughter had a less stressful education and didn't need to commute three hours to and from school.

He said less academic stress meant his daughter learned more in a year in the UK than in Hong Kong. Can you even put a price on that?

Another, 59-year-old Walter Cheung used to work in a high-end hotel in Hong Kong and in the UK was a food packer and then a restaurant waiter.

"I don't care [that it is a step backwards]. In Hong Kong, I would regularly work overtime, with no extra pay," he said. "Here, I'm asked if I want overtime, and I'm paid for it."

Cheung has even improved his health by losing 7kg. 

He was surprised by the survey as Cheung found there were lots of jobs available and the government assisted people to find work.

Meanwhile Paul Leung, a freelance delivery driver who used to have an office job, is adapting to his new life well. He is even making more money than he did in Hong Kong and spend more time with his wife and child.

"I need to look after my family, I need to accept this. It is not like I can starve to death," Leung said. "You have to adapt to people's culture when you go to another country. You also need to accept new things when you leave your own comfort zone."

Well said.

How about celebrating people's achievements instead of trying to find failures? That's the true Lion Rock spirit.

UK Navy Ditches Chinese Laundrymen

No more Chinese washing and pressing Navy uniforms

Last week there was news from the United Kingdom that the Navy is ending its almost century-long tradition of hiring Chinese laundrymen on British ships. It dates back to the 1930s when men from Hong Kong were hired to wash and press sailors' uniforms and officers' white tablecloths.

One Hongkonger, Chick Shun-chui, even toiled for 53 years before retiring at the age of 72 in 2002. Not only did he iron an estimated 3 million shirts, but also survived a bomb attack during the Falklands War between Britain and Argentina in 1982.

Chick worked for 53 years for the Navy

He was even made a Member of the British Empire and honoured British citizen when he finally returned to Hong Kong.

Now the laundrymen are being replaced by Nepalese Gurkhas.

The reason? There are concerns Beijing could threaten the laundrymen's family back home by making them spy on the Navy.

This comes after MI5 spy chief Ken McCallum said China has increased efforts to steal secrets from British nuclear submarines.

When the HMS Queen Elizabeth -- the Navy's flagship aircraft carrier was on the way to the contested South China Sea, three Chinese nationals were barred from going on board.

A fourth Chinese laundryman was dismissed this month -- after 39 years' of service -- as his family lives in Hong Kong.

Former First Sea Lord Admiral Lord West said, "If it is a question of security, the Navy has no choice. But it's sad as Chinese laundrymen have fought wars with us, some have died for us."

First of all it's shocking to find out the British Navy has had Chinese people doing their laundry for them.

Second, if the Navy was concerned about espionage, why didn't it end the practice of using Chinese men back in 1997?

McCallum warned of possible Chinese espionage

But it seems the Navy was so used to having the Chinese laundrymen that in May 1997, a deal was signed between the Ministry of Defence and a Hong Kong company called Worldwide Laundry Services (a partnership between Serco and Shao Brothers of Hong Kong) to continue having these civilians work on these battleships.

Despite the hard work, these jobs were apparently in demand because almost all the pay could be saved, while getting free accommodation and meals. The individual servicemen paid for their laundry bills which was around US$1,200 per month for an officer.

Just as well no one from Hong Kong is going to do this menial work anymore, but surely one would think by now the Brits would wash their own clothes?