HK to Crackdown on "Soft Resistance"

Patriotism is a sign of agreement with Beijing

The Chinese Communist Party is determined to win at all costs.

After implementing the national security law in July 2020, Beijing thought it would defeat all dissent in Hong Kong following the 2019 protests.

However, people have found ways to continue their "soft resistance" in various ways, such as patronising the "yellow economic circle", refusing to sing the Chinese national anthem, not registering for organ donation because of its mainland links, and openly jeering at mainlanders in the city.

There is word Beijing is not pleased and wants to continue further repressing Hongkongers who refuse to bend in the CPC way.

Tang says soft resistance will be tackled

Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung said on July 25 that "soft resistance" must be tackled, and even hinted that some media, and people in arts and culture may be culprits of this soft resistance.

Earlier this month on July 3, Tang told Ta Kung Pao newspaper that Article 23 will include provisions to deal with "soft resistance", as he believed discussion about this would radicalise people... There are plans to pass Article 23 next year. 

Readers may remember the Hong Kong government under then chief executive Tung Chee-hwa tried to pass this legislation in 2003, but a mass street protest resulted in it being shelved -- until now.

There is the constant comparison that other countries like the United States and Canada have national security laws too, but these democratic countries do not weaponise it like Hong Kong and China.

So far 270 people have been arrested on national security charges in Hong Kong since mid 2020, around 70 have been tried in court, and all of them found guilty, says former lawmaker and journalist Emily Lau Wai-hing.

"This is a 100 percent conviction rate. I'm not casting aspersions on anybody," she said.

However, pro-Beijing senior counsel Ronny Tong Ka-wah claims the city continues to uphold free speech, saying: "Rest assured you can say anything you like in Hong Kong."

Lau says NSL has 100 percent conviction rate

Hard to believe Tong, previously a democrat who co-founded the Civic Party before doing a 180-degree turn towards Beijing.

In any event, there are concerns that the existence of "soft resistance" in Hong Kong gives Beijing a mandate for further repression in the city in a bid to extract complete submission.

"It's almost as if the government is saying the word 'patriot' is code for you agree with us. If you agree with us, then you can be in the district council, you can be in LegCo, you can be in the election committee and all these things. But if you don't agree with us, then you're resisting," says John Burns, an honorary professor of politics and public administration at the University of Hong Kong.

The people who are left in Hong Kong are seeing their space for resistance quickly diminishing... how much longer can they keep going? 

Regina Ip on Yellow Economic Circle

Ip says the five arrested were "supporting illegal activities"

Convenor of the Executive Council Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee is adding her voice in condemning not only the eight pro-democracy activists and lawmakers who have a HK$1 million bounty on their heads, but also the five who were arrested on Wednesday and Thursday for allegedly assisting them.

She said sending money or food from Hong Kong to the eight with arrest warrants was akin to "supporting their illegal activities."

Mee app featured yellow businesses

When a TVB host asked Ip if the arrests of the five men signalled the government was cracking down on the "yellow economic circle", she said "maybe not only the yellow economy, but the activities that involve sending money overseas."

The five reportedly worked on the app Mee which directed users to support shops and restaurants that were sympathetic to the democratic cause and supported exiled politician Nathan Law Kwun-chung financially in the UK. 

"As far as I know, some of the wanted people are very active in the UK," Ip said. "They hold tea parties in areas where many Hongkongers live. On the surface they are Hong Kong-style tea parties, but actually they are designed to brainwash and confuse politicians and to encourage them to condemn and sanction China."

Interesting accusation from Ip without any evidence.

The eight with HK$1M bounties on their heads

"Sending food to the wanted people for their tea parties may also be supporting their illegal activities and the police should investigate thoroughly and stop these activities," she added.

How far the Hong Kong police can investigate these allegations without going to the UK remains to be seen...

Crackdown on Yellow Economic Circle

The "yellow economic circle" app disappeared on Friday

On the heels of Hong Kong police announcing HK$1 million bounties for the arrest of eight pro-democracy lawmakers and activists living in the United Kingdom, United States and Australia, national security police arrested five people in Hong Kong for allegedly working on an app that promoted the "yellow economic circle".

Called Mee, the app was developed during the 2019 protests as a way to support pro-democracy businesses. The app not only directed people to restaurants and shops that were "yellow", but also these places gave customers the opportunity to express themselves with a mini Lennon wall featuring colourful post-it notes, or protest-themed posters and figurines as decoration.

One of the arrested was Ivan Lam

Some landlords are sympathetic to businesses in the "yellow economic circle", and many people patronise these shops and restaurants; some people only eat and shop at these places. Some better known ones were Chickeeduck and AbouThai.

Nevertheless, it was perhaps only a matter of time until the authorities would begin to crackdown on this "yellow economic circle".

Four were arrested on Wednesday, the fifth the next day at Hong Kong International Airport. They are all former members of the defunct political party Demosisto started by Joshua Wong Chi-fung, Agnes Chow Ting, and Nathan Law Kwun-chung. The five were also behind the Mee app, which stopped operating on Friday. 

Chinese state media reported the arrested allegedly used profits from Mee to provide funding for Law living in the UK. The app made money by businesses paying to be featured on the platform, and now these businesses fear they could be future targets. However, their political leanings are open secrets, and it wasn't as if the app was not general knowledge. 

This "yellow" store sells products from Thailand 

Following news of the arrests, some shops immediately took down the Mee sticker on their store fronts to make them easily identifiable to consumers, while others did not... yet. In general they noted an uptick of inspectors from various government departments coming in to check out their businesses with many tedious warnings.

Despite the challenges, these yellow businesses intend to stay open as long as they can, as long as people are coming to support them.