Hong Kong's A Symphony of Lights Bids Farewell

The 15-minute light show at the HKCEC

I was surprised to discover Hong Kong's 8pm "A Symphony of Lights" show has been running for 22 years! No wonder it was... not good.

At the appointed time, there's lasers and lights shining from various rooftops from buildings in Central, Admiralty and Wan Chai on Hong Kong Island, and in Tsim Sha Tsui and West Kowloon on Kowloon side for about 15 minutes. There's music that goes with it, but you can only hear it if you are near the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, and the Avenue of Stars.  

The lasers created a Star Wars effect

During the Covid-19 pandemic, after dinner, I would walk from Kennedy Town to get to the Convention Centre on time so that I could listen to the music. That's how exciting my evenings were, since restaurants were closed by 6pm. Bars, movie theatres, karaoke lounges had all shut down. 

While the lights and lasers give a kind of Star Wars effect, it gets old, really fast.

So it was a relief to hear the light show will finally get revamped.

Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui said the new show will feature 3D projections and various themes.

"Over the past 20 years, A Symphony of Lights has been optimised and updated many times, but relying solely on laser performances from buildings has become somewhat insufficient," she said.

"After gathering feedback over the past year, we have decided not to allocate resources for major modifications to it."

But A Symphony of Lights won't be slinking away right away -- Law promises there will be special farewell events to mark the end of the show that started back in 2004.

She suggested the new light show would be theme-based, such as Halloween and Mid-Autumn Festival to maximise effect, and would not be shown daily to encourage people to come out to watch it.

Good intentions, we will be keen on seeing what the government comes up with...

So Long, Sammy's Kitchen

Restaurant was an institution for over 50 years

The latest old school restaurant to close in Hong Kong is Sammy's Kitchen in Sheung Wan. It was well known for its giant neon cow sign which was taken down in 2015 after it was deemed an illegal structure, but thankfully it is preserved at M+ in West Kowloon.

It was sad news to hear of its impending closure, but it wasn't the first time the restaurant threatened to shutter.

One could have escargots in garlic butter sauce

Back in 2017 the owners announced they would close Sammy's Kitchen and like many others I rushed over to try it, not once but twice. It was so busy before the purported closure that it actually continued operating, until a few days ago on January 31.

The restaurant was best known for Hong Kong style western food, like beef Stroganoff, escargots with garlic butter baked in cheese, beef Wellington and even Chateaubriand for two. Don't forget desserts like peach Alaska, souffle, and banana flambe.

It was opened over 50 years ago by Sammy Yip and his friends, who had experience working in hotel kitchens and decided to strike out on their own.

When I went nine years ago, the cavernous, dim restaurant was run down and tired. Tables were covered in plastic sheets with a Burberry tartan design. 

Hong Kong style western food on the menu

The menu, presented in plastic binders had so many dishes, one wondered how the kitchen in the back could produce all those items, but apparently did, arriving piping hot at the table.

Did no one think to at least edit down the menu a bit to make it easier for the kitchen and control food costs a bit more?

Nevertheless, perhaps there is a time and place for things and the food at Sammy's Kitchen is long past it's due date. 

There are many other restaurants in Hong Kong that do beef Wellington and Chateaubriand much better, though I will concede probably cost more. And in general diners are more sophisticated and expect better quality, which is why they have also moved on from Sammy's Kitchen.

At least we'll have the neon cow sign to remember it by.

Picasso's Tenuous Link with Asia

Zeng Fanzhi's portrait of Picasso

I managed to squeeze in some time this afternoon to go to M+ in West Kowloon to see the Picasso exhibit called "Picasso for Asia: A Conversation" that's on until mid-July.

Tanaami Keiichi's interpretations of Picasso's art

The Spanish artist was a giant in the art world and has influenced so many following behind him, that this show not only showcases his work and how it evolved in his different periods, but also how other artists have been inspired by him.

More than 60 of Picasso's works were loaned from Musee national Picasso-Paris, which holds the largest and most significant collection of his art, and they are compared and contrasted with around 130 pieces of art by 30 Asian artists.

The opening painting is a portrait of Picasso by Chinese artist Zeng Fanzhi painted in 2011. It depicts Picasso as very intense with large eyes his hands muscular, and casually holding a cigarette in his right hand. 

Picasso's study of a horse for Guernica

The show is a good introduction to Picasso for those not familiar with his work. It first explains he learned to paint from his father, Jose Ruiz y Blasco, who was an art teacher and painter. Blasco quickly saw his son's artistic talent and helped him develop it.

In addition, the exhibition briefly addresses Picasso's detrimental relationships with women he considered his muses; he identified with the story of Pygmalion, a sculptor in Greek mythology who carved a statue of a woman so perfect that she came to life. He also identified with the Minotaur also in Greek mythology a character with a man's body and a bull's head, that was at times vulnerable or blind, or sexually charged and violent.

There are paintings that show his sketches for his masterpiece Guernica, and paintings of doves that soon became the global symbol of peace. The exhibition even points out that China used Picasso's paintings of doves on stamps and other propaganda.

The start of Picasso's Blue Period

Picasso's Blue Period from 1901 to 1904 is explained -- he was depressed following the suicide of his close friend, artist Carles Casagemas. Picasso expressed his sorry by painting him in Portrait of a Man. There are also works from Picasso's cubism period, how he began to see things in shapes that became more and more abstract.

One of the rooms invites visitors to sit down and watch videos of Picasso freely painting on glass, a vase of flowers, a bull, or a dove. At one point he stops and looks at the viewer before walking away. It's fun watching him painting quickly and easily, very sure of himself and carefree.

The show also demonstrates how Picasso was greatly influenced by masters before him, and shows his interpretations of paintings by other artists, like Francisco Goya and Edouard Manet. In that way the exhibition wants to show that Picasso wasn't just considered a master, but always an apprentice wanting to learn more from others.

Meanwhile Picasso's link with Asia is tenuous -- he made one painting that was related to the Korean War called Massacre in Korea, where one can easily see how he has made direct associations to Goya's work, The Third of May1808, and Manet's paintings depicting the execution of Emperor Maximilian.

Picasso painting a vase for the viewer

Nevertheless, while a few of the Asian artists' work are directly related to Picasso, others aren't so much, which makes the associations to him not quite credible...

The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Picasso for Asia -- A Conversation

Until July 13, 2025

M+

West Kowloon Arts Hub is Deep in the Red

Fung says the WKCDA is HK$1 billion in the hole -- again

Hong Kong's West Kowloon arts hub that includes M+ and the Palace Museum can't make money. In fact it's in the red by HK$1 billion, similar to last year.

CEO of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority Betty Fung also said the number of visitors to the district was lower than expected, and so revenue from ticket sales and museum merchandise fell 20 percent year-on-year.

The Sanxingdui show garnered lots of attention

How is this possible when M+ recently presented a well-received exhibition on late Chinese-American architect IM Pei and well-known Hong Kong-based designer Henry Steiner?

Likewise the Palace Museum had the Sanxingdui show and paintings from the National Gallery London.

While the MTR does go to West Kowloon (called Kowloon station), getting to M+ and the Palace Museum isn't really convenient.

But there's also restaurants in M+, in particular Mosu, the Michelin-starred restaurant helmed by Korean superstar chef Sung Anh who became famous as a judge in Culinary Class Wars. Because he had closed his restaurant in Seoul, he was pretty much focused on his Hong Kong branch, which drew a lot of fans to his restaurant.

However, Fung says the catering businesses at the West Kowloon district didn't bring in a lot of revenue either.

Chef Sung's profile drove fans to eat at Mosu

Is this a case of bureaucrats not having a clue how to run businesses? Or too many people involved and not making bold or innovative decisions?

The fact that the district is HK$1 billion in the hole like last year is very troubling. For years there were complaints that Hong Kong was a cultural desert, and now that this area has been developed and opened there's no interest in it!

Disappointing and frightening to see taxpayer dollars frittered away...

CE Lee's Proposals to Prop up Hong Kong

Lee promoting a green Hong Kong with his policy address

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu just finished delivering his Policy Address which clocked in at 2 hours, 31 minutes and 25 seconds, which is longer than it took 30 runners (25 men, 5 women) to complete the 2024 Hong Kong Standard Chartered Marathon.

The speech was filled with ways to bump up the economy, from developing the city into an aerospace research hub, cutting liquor taxes, attract more investment from the Middle East and Asean member states, and develop the Northern Metropolis.

Many in Legco wore green in support of policy

There's a lot of unease about Hong Kong's economy, with shops announcing their closures, people going across the border on the weekends for cheaper dining and retail experiences, and not many tourists coming back, particularly long-haul ones who spend more.

So there was a lot riding on Lee's shoulders in delivering this speech which had a green theme, and so many pro-establishment politicians sported green dresses for the ladies, and ties for the men, including the chief executive.

There were concerns about reducing the duty on liquor (priced over HK$200) from 100 percent to 10 percent. Those opposed were in the public health sector, including former secretary for health Sophia Chan Siu-chee, saying this only encourages people to drink more alcohol and will lead to more health problems; however, doctors in the Executive Council agree with the proposal, saying this will lead to people drinking higher quality alcohol.

Meanwhile Lee says Hong Kong should promote itself as an international hub for post secondary education. One way is by offering scholarships to 1,200 students enrolled in post secondary programs, and to entice students from Asean and Belt-and-Road countries to come to the city to study.

Can West Kowloon bring in droves of tourists?

But if many foreign professors have left Hong Kong because of national security fears, how will the city be able to lure students to study?

While Lee wants to promote the West Kowloon Cultural District as a must-visit landmark, and for the area to work with the Hong Kong Tourism Board to get more visitors to the district, the arts hub could run out of money by next year. Its budget of HK$21.6 billion is almost all spent, which is why Lee wants more tourist dollars flowing into the area. However, is the HKTB going to move fast enough to get visitors to the area when admission to M+ starts from HK$120, when it's free going to the Hong Kong Museum of Art...

And speaking of tourism, effective today, travelers going in and out of Hong Kong will no longer have to fill out those arrival and departure forms with pen and paper! Finally!

Picture of the Day: Hong Kong's Garbled Message

How much of this can you read in a few seconds?

The Vancouver International Film Festival began yesterday and sitting in the theatre waiting for my first film to start, there was a slide show of ads, and one of them was from the Hong Kong government.

As this slide was only shown for a few seconds, one had to take a picture of it to really read and understand what's going on.

What caught our attention was the tagline on the right: 

HK: Raise capital. Raise a family. Raise your heartbeat.

Hong Kong. A world of opportunities.

"Raise capital" refers to Hong Kong being a financial hub, we all get that. But "Raise a family" seems odd as the next sentence, though perhaps a subtle hint that the city's birthrate is plunging, where in 2023, a woman in Hong Kong gave birth to 0.75 children during her childbearing years.

What does "Raise your heartbeat" mean? Blood pressure from stress comes to mind... 

The words are set against some images promoting the arts, like a rock concert, Chinese opera and an art installation. What does that have to do with the tagline?

It is only when we read the words on the left do we see it is referring to the West Kowloon Cultural District or "WestK" as it's known these days.

"Sitting on more than 40 hectares of harbourfront land, the West Kowloon Cultural District is one of the world's largest preserves of art, culture and entertainment, positioning Hong Kong as the premier arts and cultural hub of Asia," it reads.

"Already it boasts breathtaking architecture: the Xiqu Centre, home of year-round Chinese opera; the iconic M+, the first global museum of contemporary visual culture in Asia; and the Hong Kong Palace Museum, which houses treasures from Beijing's Forbidden City. 

"With bike-friendly promenades, pet-friendly parks and indoor and outdoor performance venues, this exhilarating swirl of art, culture, lifestyle and nature adds a new dimension to the allure of Hong Kong as one of the most liveable, connected, family-friendly cities on earth."

Then there's the Toronto phone number for the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, and a QR code!

But really, this slide flashed on the screen for only a few seconds, once every five minutes or so. Hardly any of the viewers would have been able to read any of the text on the left column. And on closer examination, there are so many things going that it's quite confusing.

Perhaps a dramatic photo of Bruce Lee in Hong Kong would have gotten people's attention?

A Good Dose of Art at M+

Great Criticism: Chanel by Wang Guangyi

The Hong Kong contemporary art museum M+ opened just after I left the city two years ago so it was a place I wanted to visit. However, getting there is a hassle as the signage on the MTR station and in the Elements shopping mall are vague. I had a bit of a run around trying to find out the best exit to take until I looked up the directions on the M+ website. 

Vague directions to get to M+ in West Kowloon

From Kowloon Station, go to Exit C1 or Exit D1 and take the escalator to the 1/F and follow the signs to the Artist Square Bridge on 2/F, Metal Zone (as if going to the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong). However, when you walk through the mall, there isn't enough signage to give you the confidence you are going in the right direction. 

Eventually I found the bridge and from there the giant black building that looks like a massive computer hard drive was in front, and the entrance was signalled with a series of white lamps that echo the shape of those red plastic lamps found hanging in wet markets.

I had bought a ticket in advance, but could have gotten it at the front desk, though the website makes it sound like purchasing it ahead of time was a requirement. When you buy a ticket be sure you get the access to the special exhibitions you want to see otherwise you are not allowed in as the staff scan the QR codes to these rooms. 

Liberty Guiding the People by Yue Minjun

Speaking of staff, the place was crawling with them wearing M+ jackets everywhere. They hung around chatting with each other, or it seemed like they needed an army of people to repair something, or stand around and supervise the repair. They were all trying to look busy, but they didn't seem interested in welcoming visitors to the place and kept to themselves.

In any event, the first place I checked out was the Uli Sigg, a Swiss businessman, diplomat and art collector, who donated a big collection of Chinese contemporary art to M+. The pieces run the gamut from paintings to sculptures, and videos. 

Many of the art works either hark back to proletarian China, where idealistic Chinese communists fight for the motherland, inspiring patriotism, or at the opposite end of the spectrum and showing how capitalist the country has become, with propaganda-like paintings with brand names like Chanel on them, like Wang Guangyi's Great Criticism: Chanel.

Old People's Home by Sun Yuan and Peng Yu

Yue Minjun, known for his laughing self portraits, makes his own version of Eugene Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People, with him in a white T-shirt and gray shorts, complete with brown open-toe sandals and gray buildings in the cloudy and dusty background.

An eerie multimedia piece is Old People's Home by Sun Yuan and Peng Yu features 13 life-like sculptures who resemble politicians, admirals, generals, bishops, and dictators, but they look old and frail, dozing off in their wheelchairs. All the wheelchairs are supposed to move, but because this piece is pretty fragile, only one was moving.

Controversial works by Ai Weiwei were not shown, in particular the photographs of him giving the middle finger to places like the Gate of Heavenly Peace or Tiananmen Square, or even the photograph series of him dropping a vase. Instead there is a giant brown cube called Ton of Tea, made of pu'er tea leaves and wood. 

Kacey Wong on his floating apartment

Nevertheless, local artist Kacey Wong, who has gone into exile in Taiwan, has his work here. It's a video called Paddling Home, where he is dressed in a white captain's suit and a life jacket and gets into his tiny floating apartment, a satirical critique on Hong Kong's lack of affordable housing. 

Fashion designer Vivienne Tam's black and white Mao Suit from 1995 is also displayed here. She really made her mark with her Mao prints, and I still have my T-shirt of Mao with a bee on his nose that she designed.

Not only did I appreciate the works on the walls, but the building itself, designed by Herzog & de Meuron. The large expansive spaces allows a lot of room for the works of art to be exhibited without cramming them, while the views looking out are also panoramic, unlike the Hong Kong Museum of Art that only has one area facing the harbour.

Nice views of the harbour and city from M+

On the third floor is the Korean Michelin-starred restaurant Mosu, and there is also an outdoor garden for visitors to have a 180-degree view of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. I found out about this place thanks to a friendly staff member who encouraged me to go take a look.

Conspiracy Theories of Messi Missing the Match

More than 1,000 complaints made to the Consumer Council

The Messi mess continues to fuel the headlines and now some believe there is a conspiracy theory that "black hands" were involved in making Hong Kong look bad.

A lawmaker is threatening to take event organiser Tatler Asia to court if it doesn't give a proper explanation as to why football superstar Lionel Messi did not play on Sunday in Hong Kong.

Bill Tang Ka-piu gave the ultimatum outside the Small Claims Tribunal in West Kowloon, adding more than a dozen people were ready to file their claims and issue refunds to those who paid more than HK$3,000 (US$384) for each of the tickets.

A lawmaker threatening to sue Tatler Asia

In addition, the Consumer Council has now logged 1,004 complaints (up from the 629 the day earlier) with claims totalling HK$6.9 million.

Tang hopes that by taking Tatler Asia to court, it will force the lifestyle platform to reveal the contract that it signed with Inter Miami with regards to Messi playing.

Chinese state media are now saying Messi not playing in Hong Kong was a foreign plot to embarrass the city. Ta Kung Pao says it's because the father of Inter Miami's owners was apparently a former anti-Castro CIA operative.

The Global Times questioned why Messi had no problem playing in Tokyo but sat out the game in Hong Kong and said Inter Miami gave an explanation that was "unconvincing for the public".

"One of the theories was that there were political motives behind his behaviour," it said in an opinion piece. "Hong Kong has intended to promote a mega-event economy and there might have been foreign forces that deliberately wanted Hong Kong to look bad.

"Judging from the development of the matter, one cannot rule out such a possibility."

So why should Hong Kong even bother to try to entice foreign performers, athletes, musicians and artists if there is a fear of "black hands" meddling in the city's affairs?

Back to square one... 

Mainland Tourists Flooding Back to HK

Tourists visit West Kowloon, but not M+ and Palace Museum

Back in 2013 there were a growing chorus of complaints from Hongkongers when the city was flooded with mainland tourists dining in residential areas like Hung Hom and Tokwawan, tour buses clogging the streets and pharmacies had to limit the amount of milk powder they sold to each customer.

Ten years later it's deja-vu with the mainland visitors back and doing the same things. Many are retirees who haven't been to Hong Kong before and want to see what's so great about this former British colony.

Why are tourists eating rice boxes on the street

Perhaps what's most shocking is how cheap their tour packages are.

When interviewed by a reporter, one said their trip was HK$3,288 including accommodation for two days in Hong Kong, a day trip to Macau, and a day each in Shenzhen and Guangzhou..

Another said their tour cost HK$1,888 for a five-day trip, including accommodation for two days in Hong Kong, two in Macau, and tickets to Ocean Park.

For a seven-day trip with two days each in Hong Kong, Macau and Zhuhai, the package costs HK$2,588 each.

You can eat a dinner in a Michelin-starred restaurant in Hong Kong for that cost!

Many of these tours stop in restaurants in Hung Hom and Tokwawan for lunch. There were complaints by residents that some tourists standing as they ate rice boxes on the street, cigarette butts were all over the sidewalks, and tour buses caused traffic jams.

How is having tourists eating rice boxes on the street hospitable? Yes it cuts costs, but how does that give a decent impression of the city? It's downright deplorable. There's cheap and then there's unsightly.

A photo with the Golden Bauhinia is a must

Meanwhile other residents were relieved to finally see tourists coming to the city to inject some money into the economy.

Nevertheless because these tour packages are so cheap, it's no wonder they didn't have tickets to go to M+ and the Palace Museum, two new landmarks within a stone's throw of each other on West Kowloon that opened up during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Perhaps these tourists are not the kind of visitors these museums would appreciate? Funny, as they are both government run... one would have thought they would warmly welcome these mainlanders in to see real quality art?

The bottom line is -- are these the kinds of tourists Hong Kong wants to have? Are they really going to jump-start the tourism sector? 

Cardinal Zen to Fly to Rome, Chinese Raring to Party in HK

Zen allowed to travel to Rome to attend former pope's funeral

A bit of good news coming out of Hong Kong -- the courts have allowed Cardinal Joseph Zen to fly to Rome to attend the funeral of former pope Benedict at the Vatican.

Zen's lawyers made the application in a closed-door hearing at West Kowloon Court, asking for the former bishop's passport so that he could attend the unprecedented funeral that will be held on Thursday morning local time.

Former pope Benedict passed away on Saturday in a monastery on December 31 at the age of 95. He was the first pope in almost 600 years to resign citing failing health. He stepped down in 2013 after succeeding John Paul II in 2005.

Zen's application met no objections in court

It is understood that Principal Magistrate Peter Law Tak-chuen, one of the jurists approved by Hong Kong's Chief Executive to oversee national security proceedings, had allowed Zen to travel between Wednesday and Sunday, after the prosecution raised no objection.

When Zen returns to Hong Kong he must surrender his passport to the police. He is believed to be the first person arrested on suspicion of a national security law offence to be allowed to travel while under investigation.

Wonder if Zen will be able to meet with Pope Francis to talk? 

It's a slim hope...

Meanwhile China is not pleased that other countries have imposed negative Covid-19 tests on its citizens when they travel to places like Canada, Australia, the United States, Italy, and Malaysia to name a few.

China claims it may retaliate.

However, anyone travelling to China needs to show a negative polymerase chain reaction or PCR test, so what's the difference?

Chinese Blackpink fans eager to see them in HK

Nevertheless, it looks like many Chinese residents will travel to Hong Kong to party.

Many have snapped up tickets way above the listed price to see South Korean girl group Blackpink, who will be performing at Asia-World Expo from January 13-15. Tickets were sold out within two hours in November and many were being resold by scalpers. 

One ticket bought for HK$2,999 (US$383,60) is now on sale for HK$25,000, which includes a seat that is 13 rows from the stage and VIP access to the group's pre-show rehearsal and other benefits.

Others are keen to attend the music festival Clockenflap that was unable to hold shows for three years. The three-day event will now be staged in early March (previously it was in mid-November). 

Mando-pop stars JJ Lin and Jay Chou will also be having concerts in Hong Kong in March and August respectively.

And these are only the people who want to fly to Hong Kong to attend concerts. What about those eager to shop and eat?

Hope everyone there has their bivalent vaccine shots...

Chow Continues Legal Fight Behind Bars

Chow has applied for a judicial review to allow open reporting

Chow Hang-tung, a former leader of the group that organised the annual June 4 candlelight vigil is still fighting to the end.

A barrister herself, Chow is using the law to fight in the public interest even though she herself is in the dock for charges that the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China incited subversion, a violation of the national security law.

It has been difficult for journalists to report on everything that occurs in a national security law case, and Chow wants to blow it open for public record. Today she handed in an application for a judicial review on Monday against a magistrate's decision not to lift reporting restrictions on national security cases.

She is one of the organisers of the candlelight vigil

The application was made against the decision of Principal Magistrate Peter Law, who is also a hand-picked national security judge, not to lift reporting restrictions on committal proceedings for the Alliance's national security case.

When a magistrate restricts reporting of a national security case, written and broadcast reports are limited to only including the names of the defendants, magistrates and lawyers, the alleged offence, the court's decision, whether legal aid was granted, and future court dates.

In the application, Law denied Chow's application to lift reporting restrictions on committal proceedings on April 25. The principal magistrate ruled that the court had discretion to reject such applications. 

Law also said if restrictions were lifted, it would lead to "widespread critical discussion or even attack" of the case because the whole proceedings could be reported.

"Further, due to the disruptive behaviour of the public, the lifting of reporting restrictions will give immense mental pressure or even fear to potential witnesses. This is damaging to a fair trial," said Law, according to the application.

Ho has also been charged with inciting subversion

But Chow refutes back: "The risk of intimidating potential witnesses is neither real, nor linked to whether reporting restrictions are lifted or not," she wrote on the application.

"More detrimentally, the Principal Magistrate gave no consideration at all of the importance of maintaining public confidence in the administration of justice, both locally and internationally," the application continued.

"It is precisely when a case has attracted widespread attention that the court should be doubly careful to ensure that justice is seen to be done. Banning reporting because of public interest would only fuel distrust and suspicion."

Chow, along with two other Alliance leaders, Lee Cheuk-yan and Albert Ho Chun-yan are charged for allegedly inciting subversion. 

On Tuesday they appeared at the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts, where the case will be transferred to the Court of First Instance, where the maximum penalty for inciting subversion is 10 years in prison.

As Chow stepped out of the dock, she shouted, "Never forget June 4th, resist to the end."

Lee is also one of the Alliance leaders

However her fellow colleagues Lee and Ho only waved to the gallery, as people who have clapped before have been arrested and charged for "causing a nuisance".

This is what attending court has come to -- no outward expression is allowed.

Nevertheless, Chow is not giving up without a fight -- and thinking of any legal means to retain some kind of rule of law.

On June 4, there will be no public remembrances -- Victoria Park is apparently closed for repairs. The last two years no one was allowed to gather because of the pandemic.

What will the authorities think of next year?