All-Party Parliamentary Group on Hong Kong & Stand with Hong Kong meet with various UK Government departments regularly to follow up on issues related to the #BNO visa. 1/7 In light of recent developments in Hong Kong, the @ukhomeoffice has further relaxed application rules for the BN(O) visa.

The new rules allow BN(O) visa applicant who has arrived in the UK as a visitor to apply for the visa from inside the UK. 2/7

The talented violinist performing our anthem is Ms Ruth Rogers, who is @BenedictRogers’ sister.

Thank you, for playing Glory to Hong Kong, especially on a day like today! It means a lot to HongKongers, especially those who are still in #HongKong.

https://twitter.com/hk_watch/status/1542677074338619392

@benedictrogers Meanwhile, in the new #HongKong🇨🇳, this is the ‘music’ that our young children are now taught to sing:

https://twitter.com/Byron_Wan/status/1542341573790224384

Companies in Hong Kong fear being crushed between China and US

Most US business orgs (@AmChamHK) care more about their bottom line and access to China markets, than about democratic freedoms and human rights—core values their business foundations rely on. ft.com/content/0d5600… @AmChamHK “A member of the US business community in HK said that while many were ‘horrified’ by police carting off pro-democracy activists in unmarked vans, they did not see it as relevant to their business.”

We talking about the same US companies here?

No paywall archive.is/OA3yv

US issued a new Hong Kong Business Advisory, and sanctioned 7 Chinese officials (deputy directors of the China Liaison Office in Hong Kong) under the Hong Kong Autonomy Act of 2020.

home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/… 1/ They outline 4 risks for business/individuals in HK
-risks for businesses following the imposition of the NSL
-data privacy risks
-risks regarding transparency and access to critical business info
-risks for businesses with exposure to sanctioned HK or PRC entities/individuals

“Revolution of our Times” — Official Trailer
《時代革命》預告片

Watch Full Trailer:

#Cannes2021🎬 #RevolutionOfOurTimes #時代革命 The Official #Cannes2021🎬 webpage for “Revolution of our Times” lists HONG KONG as a Country. 🔥🔥🔥

festival-cannes.com/en/films/revol…

Hong Kong’s Exodus Is Real and Painful

“The migration is accelerating and will likely be permanent. Officials and businesses are wrong to downplay the impact on a hub fast losing financial and global appeal.”

bloomberg.com/opinion/articl… “Authorities say that it doesn’t matter anyway. Enough residents will stay, mainlanders will arrive, and Beijing doesn’t need Hong Kong the way it did in the 1980s.”

No paywall link to the article: archive.is/UQan9

BREAKING: The Financial Times reports that the Biden administration will this week warn US companies of the increasing risks of operating in Hong Kong as China asserts greater control over the financial hub, citing three people familiar with the matter.
ft.com/content/8ca8fb… That the Biden admin is taking an official position means many US companies (i.e. American Chamber of Commerce, US I-Banks) are not taking the issue seriously enough.

“The move will mark the first time a US administration has issued a business advisory in relation to Hong Kong.”

HSBC finally has had enough of #CCP🇨🇳?

• “Every stop is a new start.”
• “Hong Kong is not a city. It's a story.”
• “Great stories can be made anywhere.”
• “Progress is never easy. But if you believe the story continues, it will.”

What do you think they are trying to say? ✈️

https://twitter.com/IlariaMariaSala/status/1334515362675781632

Is @HSBC telling Hong Kongers to emigrate?

Video surveillance software tailored for detecting Uyghurs.

Dahua Technology is a state-owned company which sells video surveillance products and services. They have played a role in the mass surveillance of Uyghurs in Xinjiang.

Their Java SDK on GitHub: raw.githubusercontent.com/gaomingbo/dahu… Why just Uyghurs and no one else?

Discussed on @ycombinator's Hacker News:
news.ycombinator.com/item?id=249607…

Like Hikvision, the US has sanctioned Dahua for its role in surveillance of Uyghurs in Xinjiang and of other minorities in China.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dahua_Tec…

https://twitter.com/q3k/status/1322943395497680897

Grandma Wong wasn't interested in politics growing up. She had even felt patriotic to China, where both her parents were born and had fled from to HK during WW2.

But all that changed 1989, when soldiers opened fire on pro-democracy protesters in Beijing.

edition.cnn.com/2020/10/31/chi… 1989 sparked a lifetime of political activism

Great interview with Grandma Wong, who attended nearly every protest last year. She was detained in China for 14 months, only recently has returned to HK.

“I want to protect the young people so they can emigrate to other countries.”

After Canada started accepting Hong Kong protesters as refugees, China responds by threatening the “health and safety” of 300,000 Canadians living in HK.

And you wonder why China is now viewed more negatively by countries around the world than ever before.theglobeandmail.com/politics/artic… Here is the earlier article about a front liner who escaped:

“Near the end of his time in HK, fearful for his safety, he ended up hiding in a cave under a building…He is very thankful for Canada’s decision, a country he said shares common values with HK.”

https://twitter.com/Stand_with_HK/status/1313656890052599809

Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong.(SWHK) has taken note of @finnlau_cd announcement yesterday.

Since July 2019, SWHK has been a grassroots activist organisation advocating for our city’s freedom and democracy amid unprecedented CCP encroachment.

1/17 We are the volunteers who've operated SWHK in the past 18 months. For branding purposes, we use SWHK for our anglophone constituency. We took on the name of Team Laam Chau (攬炒團隊) in Hong Kong with Finn’s blessing.

2/17

Letters from Chinese dissidents to Hong Kong protesters

“Living under totalitarianism requires you to live among lies, to hate those who bring danger, to praise your leaders, to feel happy, to hate democratic countries and love your autocratic motherland.”theguardian.com/world/2020/oct… “You must see that totalitarianism turns you into the kind of person you hate. Many people around you will be like that. Most likely, you will have to live that life in part but do not give up hope.

Do not believe that this is the life Hong Kong people should be forced to live.”

Seek, and ye shall find

The determination, bravery, blood and tears of every Hongkongers who #FightForFreedom are the strongest motivation for our 1 year long advocacy work.
Yesterday, one of our main call for actions has been met.

This is just the beginning of our story. 1/7 In June 2019, an exasperated LIHKG forum user called for help to revoke foreign citizenship of senior HK officials for trampling on #Hongkongers’ freedom. In less than a month, like-minded volunteers established this advocacy group *Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong.* 2/7

Dear fellow teammates,

As one of the few only surviving international organizations that have their roots firmly in Hong Kong, we will not back down.

We will double down on our fight for Hong Kong in the US, UK, Europe, Japan, and via @ipacglobal. 2/ We know that going forward will be difficult and would require sacrifices that we cannot fathom before, but we are sure that when we look back in the future, we will be proud to say that these are the finest hours of the #HongKongers.

Exactly 31 years ago at this moment, Chinese troops entered #Tiananmen Sq. after opening fire on peaceful protesters.

In memory of the 1989 victims, this is what Raymond Yeung, who lost an eye in a peaceful protest, has to say about the Chinese Communist Party (CCP): In June 1989, hundreds of souls in Tiananmen Square were lost in the fight for democracy from the CCP.

When bullets started flying and tanks moved through the streets of Beijing, Hong Kong became the last beacon of hope for freedom in China.