Beijing Protecting Hong Kong From Terrorism

"Hong Kong has flourished as a bastion of freedom."
"[The security law would ] curtail the Hong Kong people's liberties, and in doing so, dramatically erode Hong Kong's autonomy and the system that made it so prosperous."
Joint statement, United Kingdom, United States, Australia, Canada

"This is the death knell for Hong Kong, make no mistake of it, this is the end of 'one country, two systems' ...the Hong Kong that we loved, a free Hong Kong'.
Dennis Kwok, pro-democracy lawmaker

Watching a TV news show about the new national security legislation in Hong Kong on Thursday.    Credit...Lam Yik Fei for The New York Times

The National People's Congress, voting in the Great Hall of the People, just west of Beijing's Tiananmen Square, loudly approved and applauded the vote that took place on Thursday, a tally that indicated 2,878 votes supported moving forward with legislation, with one vote opposed and six abstentions. While the world has been distracted and busy attempting to ward off the worst advances of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, Beijing has immersed itself in finalizing the death knell of autonomous Hong Kong, cancelling the formula that recognized its unique status since 1997.

The imposition of a new security law on Hong Kong will now criminalize any such activities like protesting and criticizing Beijing. Either of which is analogous in Beijing's opinion to secession and the detested 'splittism'. As the Communist Party elite explain it to any who might not understand, the purpose of the legislation is to cope with secession, subversion, terrorism and foreign interference in Hong Kong. The plan had sufficed to instill fear into Hong-Kong's pro-democracy factions, triggering large protests.

And those protests brought out the riot police in huge numbers even while its own lawmakers engaged in debating an entirely other piece of legislation with a like purpose, to criminalize disrespect of China's national anthem. Police made 360 arrests while thousands of Hong Kongers marched in protest in the streets over the anthem bill and the national security legislation. It is abundantly clear that Beijing is imposing its authority, eroding the autonomy of Hong Kong in the process.

China’s National People’s Congress  Photograph: Andrea Verdelli/Getty Images

An assurance was issued by China's Premier Li Keqiang, that the "one country, two systems" formula is meant to remain a national policy, but the new law would provide for Hong Kong's long-term stability and prosperity. Enactment of the law is anticipated prior to September, as details are being drawn up in the coming weeks. But no threat exists to the city's autonomy, Chinese authorities claim, backed by the Hong Kong, Beijing-approved government.

According to Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam, the legislative work would be completed as soon as possible as she works with Beijing: "The law will not affect the rights and freedoms enjoyed by Hong Kong residents". Somehow, the pro-democracy element finds her statement as reassuring as that emanating out of Beijing.

"We urge China to step back from the brink", stated British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.
Britain plans to change the status of British national overseas passport holders, should China not suspend the new law, enabling such BNO passport holders to come to the United Kingdom for periods in excess of six months, an effective pathway to eventual citizenship.

Anti-government demonstrators in Hong Kong scuffle with riot police Wednesday during a protest as the second reading of a controversial national anthem law takes place. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

Hong Kong in Extremis 

"If they [protesters] continue such dangerous actions, we would have no choice but to use minimum force, including live rounds."
Louis Lau, Hong Kong police spokesman

"The protesters have been reacting to the police."
"We haven't fought back as much as we could. I would be prepared for jail. We are fighting for Hong Kong."
Joris (last name withhold) 23, civil engineer

"Hong Kong's Chief Executive has the responsibility to do everything possible to prevent a massacre. She must order the police to exercise restraint and not to use live ammunition or other forms of lethal force."
"A bloodbath on a Hong Kong campus would be devastating for Hong Kong as a whole."
Malcolm Rifkind, former British foreign secretary

A protester arrested while trying to leave the campus  Reuters

The demonstrations have been ongoing for five months. While Beijing denies it has been interfering in the civil operations of Hong Kong, blaming foreign influences for inciting the people of Hong Kong to engage in violent riots against the police, demonstrators attest to the fact that it is the hand of the Chinese Communist Party exercising its options from Beijing under the direction of President Xi Jinping to wrest total control into the mainland orbit that has caused them to react to protect the island state's semi-autonomy.

Over the weeks of protests vociferous claims and counter-claims, actions and reactions have escalated with violence on both sides turning Hong Kong into a totally disrupted metropolis in virulent discontent with the status quo. Beijing's move to impose greater authority precipitated the unrest and its obvious agenda has strengthened the resolve of protesters. Adult children whose parents are in support of the status quo, including Beijing's transparent entitlement aspirations join the protests in defiance of authority while not disclosing their involvement.

Trapped inside Hong Kong's Polytechnic University with police water cannons and armoured vehicles laying siege on the periphery, raging battles have continued day and night with students determined to escape arrest and incarceration and to carry on with their chosen path of defiance. Students have responded to police tactics by making petrol bombs and hurling bricks with improvised catapults. Someone shot an arrow through a policeman's leg.

Normalcy is elusive; neither the police nor the demonstrators are willing to cede to the other; not to restore calm and reassurance to the business community and international investors, nor to placate the wild emotions of defiant rage against authorities imposing their stealth agenda on the city and its millions of residents. There are injuries aplenty among the protesters.

Some people on the front lines have been injured; scalding chemical burns from the water cannon jets have injured others; the chemicals no doubt related to the colours in the water jets, to enable police to identify those involved in the protests; if they're on the front lines, they must be protest leaders and therefore arrests are mandatory to interrupt the leaders' influence.

Frantic to escape the university siege, activists trapped at the Polytechnic were anxious for release. "If we can only hold on till dawn, more [protesters] might come", one exhausted protester said with faint hope. Among the protesters there were some busy, building fires inside campus buildings. China's financial hub in wild disarray, with major highways blocked off, the tunnel link between the Kowloon peninsula and Hong Kong disrupted, has created chaotic confusion.

Three of the protesters have so far been shot. Universities abroad have recalled their students, enabling their transfer out of Hong Kong, to return to their places of origin, in the U.K. and Canada, leaving the exchange programs in Hong Kong behind. "We've been trapped here, that's why we need to fight until the end. If we don't fight, Hong Kong will be over", 19-year-old Ah Lung declared.

Masks of any kind were outlawed by the administration weeks ago, but that hasn't stopped the wearing of gas masks or the use of handkerchiefs to tie over mouths and noses as protection from the miasma of tear gas floating about. Protesters on the university roof fired arrows and threw flaming projectiles with their catapults toward police lines.

Petrol bombs played havoc on Sunday when violence was at a high-water mark setting fire to armoured police vehicles.

More than 200 devastated parents are sitting outside #PolyU and hoping to see their kids. Several hundred students are still locked in PolyU and these parent are helpless. They can only wait. Nathan Law, Hong Kong