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HKFP
44 minutes ago
- Politics
- HKFP
Hong Kong's Catholic church declines to say if Tiananmen mass will take place after 3 years of cancellations
Hong Kong's Catholic church has declined to say if it will hold a mass this year to commemorate victims of the Tiananmen crackdown, after scrapping the event in the past three years. When asked if the church would resume the memorial mass on Wednesday – which is June 4, the anniversary of the 1989 crackdown – the communications office said it had held a service last week to pray for the Catholic church in China. The Hong Kong Catholic Social Communication Office said in an email on Friday that May 24 had been designated as the 'World Day of Prayer for the Church in China.' Cardinal Stephen Chow 'presided over a Solemn Mass on 24th May this year… at the Cathedral to devote to 'Mary Help of Christians' and to pray for the Church in China,' the office wrote in an email to HKFP. Last year, the Catholic church gave a similar email reply when asked if it would organise a mass. No mass was eventually held on the anniversary. The Catholic church's Tiananmen mass was part of Hong Kong's tradition of mourning the victims of the 1989 crackdown for more than three decades until it was cancelled for the first time in 2022. It has not resumed since. The church at that time cited concerns about members potentially breaching the national security law, which Beijing imposed in 2020 after the pro-democracy protests and unrest that began the year before. Last year, Cardinal Chow wrote in an open prayer that only through forgiveness would people be able to heal from events that took place '35 years ago in the capital city,' an apparent reference to the 1989 crackdown. Patriotic carnival to return in Victoria Park Public remembrance of the Tiananmen crackdown has become rare since the enactment of Beijing's national security law. In Victoria Park, where Tiananmen vigils took place on the anniversary for three decades, pro-Beijing groups are scheduled to run a patriotic food carnival for the third straight year in the days spanning June 4. The Hometown Market will be held from Sunday to next Thursday, according to the organisers' Facebook page. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic and the Beijing-imposed national security law, tens of thousands of Hongkongers gathered for an annual candlelight vigil on June 4 to mourn the bloody crackdown on student-led protests at Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The number of deaths is not known, but it is believed that hundreds, if not thousands, died during the People's Liberation Army's dispersal of protesters that day. Police banned the Tiananmen vigil gathering at Victoria Park for the first time in 2020, citing Covid-19 restrictions, and imposed the ban again in 2021, nearly a year after the national security law came into effect. The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, which organised the vigils, disbanded in September 2021 after several of its members were arrested. No official commemoration has been held since then. But HKFP reporters saw individuals lighting up the torch on their phones or holding LED candles in the vicinity of Victoria Park on June 4 last year, in gestures they said were in remembrance of the Tiananmen crackdown. A heavy police presence was also seen near the park as officers stopped people and conducted searches. In recent years, the Hong Kong government has referred to the Tiananmen anniversary as a 'sensitive date,' while statues and artworks paying tribute to the 1989 crackdown have also been removed from the city's university campuses.
HKFP
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- HKFP
Hong Kong parody musician Sunny Lam axes concert after ‘careful consideration'
Hong Kong parody singer-songwriter Sunny Lam, known for his satires on current affairs, has called off an upcoming concert after 'careful consideration.' Lam, who has 151,000 followers on Facebook and 122,000 followers on Instagram, announced on Friday that his two-day show – translated into English as 'Sunny Lam Birthday Concert in Hong Kong' – would be cancelled. In a post shared on his social media accounts, Lam said the decision to axe the concert, scheduled for Sunday and Monday, was made 'after careful consideration.' Those who purchased tickets would be contacted within seven working days for a refund, the musician added. 'We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience and disappointment this cancellation may cause and kindly ask for your understanding,' his post read. 'Thank you for your understanding and support. We will continue to work hard and look forward to seeing you again in the near future.' The concert was set to take place at Lau Bak Freespace Livehouse inside the West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD). Lam originally planned to host one show on Sunday only but added a second show after tickets sold out within a day in early May. Some netizens said the cancellation was 'expected,' while others urged Lam and his team to consider moving the concert online instead. According to Lam's YouTube channel, the musician began sharing songs he wrote on the video-sharing platform in November 2009. Many of his works are parody songs about political and social events in Hong Kong. His most popular hit, with 1.3 million views, was a song published in August 2022 about lawmaker Eunice Yung and her father-in-law Elmer Yuen, who has a HK$1 million bounty on his head for alleged national security offences. The song, based on the 1991 Cantonese hit 'Queen's Rd. East,' depicts the conflicts between Yung, a pro-establishment politician, and self-exiled activist Yuen, who stands accused of colluding with foreign forces and committing subversion by requesting sanctions on Hong Kong government officials and judicial officers. Yuen, who left Hong Kong in June 2020 before the national security law was enacted, was also said to have launched a 'referendum' to form 'The Hong Kong Parliament,' which Hong Kong authorities say aims to achieve self-determination and subvert state power. In recent months, Lam has also written songs about the US tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump, the controversial ports deal by Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing's conglomerate CK Hutchison, and Kai Tak Arena's decision in March to kick dozens of snooker fans out of the facility before a match at the World Grand Prix concluded. Past cancellations Musicians in Hong Kong have encountered venue cancellations for their shows. In December, Cantopop singer Pong Nan, known for his support for the 2019 extradition bill protests, announced he would scrap his concert due to a venue cancellation by the WKCD. The WKCD told HKFP at the time that it had no comment on the hiring arrangements for any individual events. In May last year, activist-singer Denise Ho announced that she would move her performance online after being unable to secure a live venue. Police showed up during the online gig. The singer, who was arrested in 2021 in connection with the Stand News sedition case, said it was very difficult for her to do a 'normal show' in an 'abnormal place.'
HKFP
7 hours ago
- Politics
- HKFP
China establishes global mediation body in Hong Kong ‘on par with' International Court of Justice
China signed a convention on Friday setting up a global mediation body in Hong Kong, which aims to be comparable to organisations such as the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Beijing has taken a more proactive approach in international affairs in recent years, expanding its influence in global bodies such as the United Nations and the World Health Organization — especially as the United States has taken the opposite direction under President Donald Trump. The move is also being seen as an attempt to shore up Hong Kong's reputation as a leading place to conduct business, after Beijing's imposition of a wide-ranging national security law in 2020 shook confidence in the impartiality of the city's legal system. Initiated by Beijing, the establishment of the International Organization for Mediation Convention (IOMed) was co-signed by 31 other 'like-minded' countries ranging from Serbia and Pakistan to Papua New Guinea and Venezuela. 'The birth of IOMed will help transcend the zero-sum mentality of 'win or lose', promote the amicable resolution of international disputes, and build more harmonious international relations,' said China's foreign minister Wang Yi, who presided over the signing. Hong Kong's government said IOMed will be the first intergovernmental body dedicated to mediation, while Wang said it would 'fill a gap in the field'. Mediation is when a neutral third party intervenes into a dispute to help two sides negotiate a jointly acceptable resolution to a conflict, as opposed to, for example, political bargaining or litigation. The body will mediate disputes between countries, between countries and individuals from another country, and between private international entities. IOMed 'is on a par with' the United Nations' ICJ and the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, said the Hong Kong government. One of the latter's more well-known rulings was in favour of the Philippines against China over territorial claims in the South China Sea. Beijing refused to take part in the proceedings and has ignored the judgement. Paul Lam, Hong Kong's secretary for justice, wrote in an article that IOMed's establishment came as 'hostile external forces are attempting to de-internationalise and de-functionalise' Hong Kong. IOMed will start operating by the end of this year or early 2026.
HKFP
7 hours ago
- HKFP
Hong Kong government watchdog investigates amenities in countryside amid city's tourism push
Hong Kong's government watchdog has announced an investigation into amenities in the city's countryside, an effort to boost tourism amid complaints about hygiene and insufficient facilities in some nature spots. The Office of The Ombudsman said on Thursday that the probe is intended to align with the government's efforts to develop green tourism and the concept that 'tourism is everywhere' in the city – a notion put forward by Beijing's top official on Hong Kong affairs, Xia Baolong. The watchdog said it noted news reports of inadequate toilets and poor hygiene conditions in some countryside areas. Information on transport, water filling locations and toilet locations are also said to be lacking, the watchdog said in a statement. The Ombudsman added that it has also 'received complaints about the slow progress of countryside facility maintenance and insufficient supporting resources, such as delays in rain shelter repairs and insufficient publicity for visitor centres.' As part of the investigation, the Ombudsman will examine the operations of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD), as well as other departments responsible for managing country parks and ancillary facilities. The government watchdog's announcement came after the Labour Day Golden Week holiday earlier this month, when the city saw large crowds of tourists visiting the countryside, including Grass Island and the MacLehose Trail. Both places are widely featured in posts about Hong Kong travel tips on Xiaohongshu, a mainland Chinese social media app. In Sai Kung, the High Island Geo Trail saw over 3,000 tourists a day, most of whom came from mainland China, news outlets reported. Tourists in some countryside areas waited a long time for minibuses and some complained about inconvenient transport arrangements, according to local media. Jack Chan, the Ombudman, said he himself observed garbage accumulation and traffic congestion during the recent Labour Day holiday. Established in 1989, the Office of The Ombudsman is the city's independent watchdog for probing the government. Controversies emerged with the watchdog earlier in May after it was found to have removed decades' worth of annual and investigative reports, as well as other documents, from its website, saying the move is for 'more effective website management.'
HKFP
9 hours ago
- Business
- HKFP
China, Japan close to resuming seafood imports following Fukushima ban
China and Japan said Friday they were moving closer to ending a years-long dispute over Tokyo's handling of nuclear wastewater that prompted Beijing to ban imports of Japanese seafood. In 2023, Japan began gradually releasing treated wastewater from the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean. The move was backed by the International Atomic Energy Agency, but drew sharp criticism from Beijing, which banned Japanese seafood imports as a result. China indicated on Friday that it was edging closer to lifting the ban, saying talks with Japanese officials in Beijing this week had 'achieved substantial progress'. 'So far this year, the two sides have carried out several rounds of technical exchanges,' Beijing's customs administration said in a statement, without giving further details. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said Beijing and Tokyo had 'reached an agreement on the technical requirements necessary to resume exports of fishery products to China'. 'Exports to China will resume as soon as the re-registration process for export-related facilities is completed,' Hayashi said on Friday. 'We regard this as a major milestone,' he told a press conference. China previously said it had found no abnormalities in seawater and marine life samples it independently collected near the Fukushima plant in February, but indicated more tests were needed before revoking the ban. In 2011, a huge earthquake triggered a deadly tsunami that swamped the Fukushima nuclear facility and pushed three of its six reactors into meltdown. China, whose ties with Japan have long been strained by Tokyo's imperial legacy, vociferously opposed the release of the treated wastewater, casting it as environmentally irresponsible.
