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HKFP
2 days ago
- Politics
- HKFP
Hong Kong activist Lui Yuk-lin stages solo protest on Handover anniversary
Activist Lui Yuk-lin staged a one-person protest in Causeway Bay on Tuesday, as Hong Kong marked the 28th anniversary of its Handover to China with celebrations across the city. Arriving at Victoria Park at around 3.45pm, the activist wore a Chinese sign reading, 'Hong Kong people are very sad.' She chanted slogans to protest the government's imported labour schemes, which have attracted workers – mostly from mainland China – to work in the city. 'Stop importing labour. Increase employment [opportunities] for [local] workers,' she chanted in Cantonese. Lui – known as 'Female Long Hair' for having similar political ideals to ex-lawmaker Leung Kwok-hung, himself nicknamed 'Long Hair' – also held up a clay pot. She said it symbolised how imported labour schemes were affecting the livelihoods of Hong Kong people. Plainclothes and uniformed police officers, including those from the force's media liaison department, followed and filmed the activist as she walked through the park. She questioned why there were so many officers watching her, saying that she was not violent and would not attack anybody. Victoria Park was the site of a Handover celebration on Tuesday, a public holiday commemorating the former British colony's return to China. Parts of the park were booked out by the Hong Kong Celebrations Association, which set up installations – including giant egg tarts and mini panda sculptures – for people to take pictures with. A small exhibition displayed photos of key landmarks in Hong Kong and the years they were built. Among those highlighted were Golden Bauhinia Square in 1997, the Avenue of Stars in 2004, West Kowloon Station, which connects Hong Kong to the mainland, in 2018, and Kai Tak Stadium this year. Lui did not set foot in those parts of the park, which were cordoned off by security checks. Speaking under a sheltered area opposite the clothing store H&M on Paterson Street, where Lui walked after it started raining, the activist told reporters that Hongkongers were struggling to get by in the poor economy. Many businesses, like theatres and restaurants, had been forced to shut, she said. Lui said the government should force landlords to lower their rents by 50 per cent so that people could hold on to their jobs. Authorities should also offer retirement benefits, she added. Monday marked five years since Beijing imposed a national security law in Hong Kong following a year of protests and unrest sparked by a controversial extradition law. Prior to 2020, the park was the starting point of pro-democracy marches on the Handover anniversary, during which civil society groups walked from Causeway Bay to Central to call for democracy. Dozens of groups, however, have disbanded since June 2020. On Sunday, the League of Social Democrats (LSD), a political party co-founded by Leung, announced that it would dissolve due to 'tremendous political pressure.' The demise of the LSD makes it the third major pro-democracy party to meet its end in recent years. The Civic Party folded in March 2024, and the Democratic Party, the city's largest opposition group with a history of three decades, announced in February that it would begin steps to disband.
HKFP
2 days ago
- Business
- HKFP
In Pictures: Hong Kong celebrates 28th Handover anniversary
Hong Kong celebrated the 28th anniversary of the city's return from British colonial rule to China on Tuesday, with the food and beverage sector offering July 1 promotions and discounts to mark the Handover. About 4,100 restaurants and shops participated in offering customers discounts, according to the government. Restaurant chains like Tai Hing Group offered a 29 per cent discount on all dine-in meals, meaning customers only needed to pay 71 per cent of their bills. Four senior government officials, led by Deputy Chief Secretary Cheuk Wing-hing, had dim sum at a Chinese restaurant in Wan Chai on Tuesday morning and enjoyed the discount after attending the annual flag-raising ceremony and reception for the Handover, the government said in a press release. In a speech delivered during the reception, Chief Executive John Lee said national security would safeguard Hong Kong's development amid global uncertainty. 'High-level security will safeguard high-quality development,' Lee said in Cantonese. 'We will steadfastly safeguard national security and seize upon national opportunities under the One Country, Two Systems framework.' Lee also pledged to expedite the development of the Northern Metropolis – a megaproject that the government says will be home to a third of the city's population, but environmental groups have called for better protection of the surrounding wetlands. In Tsim Sha Tsui, dozens of people lined up to board fishing boats adorned with bright red Chinese national and Hong Kong flags, which paraded around Victoria Harbour in celebration of the Handover. Led by the Hong Kong Fishermen Consortium, the group waved China's and Hong Kong's flags outside the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. In Tai Kok Tsui's Olympian City shopping mall, panda-shaped balloons were given to children as part of the Handover celebratory promotions. 'Hong Kong has changed a lot' Across the harbour, in Causeway Bay's Victoria Park, some braved the rain at an event marking the Handover anniversary. Prior to the national security law, the park was the starting point of pro-democracy marches on the Handover anniversary, during which civil society groups walked from Causeway Bay to Central to call for democracy. On Tuesday, parts of the park were booked out by the Hong Kong Celebrations Association, which set up installations – including giant egg tarts and mini panda sculptures – for people to take pictures with. A small exhibition displayed photos of key landmarks in Hong Kong and the years they were built. Among those highlighted were Golden Bauhinia Square in 1997, the Avenue of Stars in 2004, West Kowloon Station, which connects Hong Kong to the mainland, in 2018, and Kai Tak Stadium this year. A woman in her 50s, who asked to remain anonymous, told HKFP she had come to the park to celebrate the Handover anniversary. She was holding a Hong Kong flag and a China flag, which she said were being given out for free at Lee Tung Avenue, a shopping and dining area in Wan Chai. 'As a Hongkonger, I'm here to support local Hong Kong events,' she said in Cantonese. She told HKFP that Lee, the city's chief executive, has been doing a good job as Hong Kong's leader. His policies have made the streets cleaner and Hong Kong more attractive to tourists, she said. Asked how she felt about the political developments in recent years, the woman said she did not pay much attention to politics. L, who was at Victoria Park with his girlfriend, told HKFP he wanted to 'check out what's going on' and take some photos. He asked to be identified only by an initial. He said that prior to 2020, he used to spend Handover anniversaries at protest marches. One of the first marches he took part in was in 2003, when his parents brought him out to protest against the government's plans to enact a local security law known as Article 23. That year, plans for legislation were suspended due to opposition. The law was passed last year in the city's opposition-free legislature. 'Hong Kong has changed a lot since 2019,' L, who is in his mid-20s, said in Cantonese. 'The changes seem inevitable nowadays.' Another man – who only gave his surname, Lam – was at the park with eight family members, including his grandson. Lam said he believed Hong Kong was less chaotic now, but that the stability had come at a cost. He said he had seen the news that the League of Social Democrats (LSD) – one of the city's last pro-democracy groups – announced their disbandment on Sunday. 'It's a pity that there are fewer opposition voices now,' he said. 'It was good to have those voices around because they bring about change. Otherwise, change will take a long time to happen,' Lam told HKFP in Cantonese.
