“Andy Li, who is charged alongside Lai but is testifying against him in the high-profile national security trial, said on Wednesday that he had never directly communicated with him via any means.”

'England empowers the subaltern, recentring the Eurasian community as a key source of power and influence in late 19th and early 20th century Hong Kong.'
chinabooksreview.com/2024/04/04/in-…

Welcome back, Transit 🇭🇰 Jam !

`Any official acknowledgement of #HongKong ’s unique history,' says Antony Dapiran, 'seems unlikely when the ruling party of the nation state of which it forms a part regards any independent sense of identity as an existential threat' chinabooksreview.com/2024/04/04/in-…

'It is perhaps trite to say that a book of history helps us to understand the present. Yet this work gains greater urgency because it cuts against an ethno-nationalist narrative already ascendent in mainland China.' Excellent book review essay by Antony Dapiran:
chinabooksreview.com/2024/04/04/in-…

'Notwithstanding the obvious evils of colonialism, the PRC narrative never sat comfortably with the millions of Chinese who had sought refuge in the British-administered city…from the Taiping Rebellion…through to…the Cultural Revolution.'
Antony Dapiran
chinabooksreview.com/2024/04/04/in-…

Excellent wide ranging essay by ⁦Antony Dapiran⁩, focuses on Vaudine England’s engaging new history of Hong Kong; good attention to how it fits into larger lit on the city, reviewer argues it both illuminates the past & helps us think about recent tragedies chinabooksreview.com/2024/04/04/in-…

I review Vaudine England’s “Fortune’s Bazaar” — a history of Hong Kong centered on its ethnic minority communities — for China Books Review

8 weeks jail for what was essentially an undergrad practical joke // A 19-year old student has pleaded guilty to criminal damage after filing a withdrawal on the website of the Organ Donation Registry in the name of TVB actor Cho Wing-lim, known for his support of the police.

He might just be onto something here… // Hong Kong leader John Lee says ‘too early’ to judge whether waste charging scheme roll-out needs changes scmp.com/news/hong-kong…

“Chris Tang Ping-keung, the security secretary, said that, apart from someone’s statements, investigations could be carried out to gather any supporting evidence, such as items found in an individual’s home or their behaviour.” via South China Morning Post scmp.com/news/hong-kong…

Quite an extraordinary slur on the legal profession from HK’s secretary for justice:

This will be an important ruling on the scope of sedition law in HK as it comes after the Privy Council decision on Trinidad & Tobago’s equivalent laws. Context: hongkongfp.com/2023/11/15/ver…

“Since the weekend, Beijing has denied Taiwan’s designation of “prohibited or restricted waters” near Kinmen, while its coast guard has launched regular patrols around the islands…On Tuesday, a Chinese coast guard vessel intruded into Taiwan-controlled waters near Kinmen…”

Today in “Hong Kong’s least surprising news”: “The majority of [people who have given their opinions] support Article 23 enactment,” CE John Lee said.

Whenever people ask me what are some of the “canaries in the coalmine” to assess the health of HK’s rule of law I always point to judicial appointments as a key area to watch. On that topic, here is Pak Yiu for Nikkei Asia: