#LIVE: The relative harmony has been disturbed by police as they suddenly stormed the New Town Plaza in Sha Tin without any warning. Police pointed rubber bullets and deployed pepper spray at the atrium. They also entered same mall to beat up #antiELAB protesters in late June.
#LIVE: Riot police abruptly stormed into New Town Plaza. They chasd shoppers and #antiELAB protesters inside the mall, waved their batons and pointed rubber bullets at them. At least three people have been arrested. Police said they had received reports of vandalism inside.
#LIVE: Another scene where riot police point rubber bullets at protesters at the shopping centre. #antiELAB#HongKongProtests
#LIVE: A woman has been startled when she sees police in front of her. Riot police have abruptly stormed Sha Tin’s New Town Plaza. Shoppers are reminded of the brutal fight between police and #antiELAB protesters on Jul 14. Police stormed the mall and beat up protesters that day.
#LIVE: After the police left, four black-clad people are seen vandalising a restaurant and a Starbucks café at the mall. Both shops are owned by Maxim’s Caterers, Hong Kong-based food, beverage and restaurant chain targeted by #antiELAB protesters. #HongKongProtests#AntiMaskLaw
#LIVE: Peace resumes as riot police left New Town Plaza. Aiming to bring peace and freedom to the city, people have started to fold origami cranes. #antiELAB#HongKongProtests
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
#BREAKING: A horrible accident erupted as a Hong Kong singing and dancing boy band was hosting their first concert, injuring at least two dancers. Both were said to be conscious when being sent to the hospital.
#BREAKING: Hong Kong’s leader has ordered authorities to investigative after 2 dancers performing with Canto-pop boy band Mirror were struck by a fallen screen during the show. One performer in serious condition in intensive care, suffering neck injuries. scmp.com/news/hong-kong…
Meanwhile, the concert organisers have announced to call off the remaining eight shows after the government ordered the remaining concerts to be suspended until stage sets at the venue were checked and proved to be safe.
The Wednesday victory of Olympic silver medallist Siobhán Haughey has revealed the very essence of Hong Kong’s decades-long success: openness, pluralism and meritocracy. It doesn’t matter if one is of Chinese descent or European origin. It’s about whether one works hard enough.
Instead of Hong Kong, the 23-year-old could have chosen to represent Ireland, which definitely puts more focus on athlete development. Yet, she insists on Hong Kong, saying in Cantonese: “I was born in Hong Kong, and live in Hong Kong......
... I am always connected with Hong Kong. I am proud to represent Hong Kong.”
#BREAKING: Beijing will give the “Hong Kong Chief Executive Election Committee the new power to nominate all candidates for Legislative Council members and directly elect some members to the legislature,” Wang Chen, the National People’s Congress Standing Committee vice-chairman.
Instead of the 35:35 balance between the Legislative Council’s geographical and functional constituencies, the overhaul will adopt a new 20:30:40 proportion and divide the legislature into three components, pro-Bejing media HK01 reported. hk01.com/article/595515
Meanwhile, with 40 seats, representatives from the Chief Executive Election Committee will be the most powerful division among the three. As pro-democracy voices are expected to be eradicated in the shake-up, pro-Beijing voices will likely overwhelm the new 90-seat legislature.
#BREAKING: Beijing is planning to increase the number of seats for the Hong Kong Chief Executive election committee from 1,200 to 1,500, and the Hong Kong Legislative Council from 70 to 90 seats, local news outlet Now News cites sources. #HongKongProtest
“The development in recent years show that the electoral system needs to be improved to keep abreast with the times and......
provide sound institutional guarantee for the full and accurate implementation of the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ and the principle of ‘patriots administering Hong Kong’,” says Zhang Yesui, spokesperson of the National People’s Congress annual plenary session which starts Friday.
#THREAD: As a Hong Kong freelance journalist, I’d like to say something other in-house journalists may not dare say due to their code of conduct. Forgive me for being sentimental tonight. But it is important, as today, Sept 23, marks the darkest day for Hong Kong’s #PressFreedom.
Today is the first day when the new definition of media representative is applied to the police protocol. The new definition disavows credentials from the city’s most acclaimed journalists’ unions the HK Journalists Asso. and the HK Press Photographers Asso.
The police would only acknowledge media which had registered under the Government News and Media Information System and “internationally recognised and reputable” foreign media organisations in the name of “facilitating frontline duties of police officers”.
One of the 12 illegal border-crossers arrested by China on Aug 23 appeared to be Andy Li, a defendant arrested under the national security law: @RFA_Chinese. Mr Li was arrested the same day media mogul Jimmy Lai @JimmyLaiApple was arrested. He is now detained by Guangdong police.
Radio Free Asia continues that Andy Li, together with the 11 passengers, went aboard on the Kwo Chau Islands in Hong Kong. Meanwhile, other sources reveal that their destination was the Kinmen Islands, a Taiwanese enclave opposite to the Chinese Fujian province.
However, their boat was stopped as they were en route to Kinmen. It is suspected that Andy Li would want to leave Hong Kong before he had to report to the police on Sept 1, because he would not be granted a court bail if the police took him to the court directly that day.