Return to the beating heart of Tokyo, three years after
When the National Security law was implemented about one year ago, the HK government kept repeating that its scope was limited and those concerned were few. One year later, it seems the scope is ever-expanding and the tentaculous reach of this law proved itself once … Continue readingHong Kong: The Fall of The Apple
On 24 May 2020, the day started with a failed attempt to mobilize protesters against the national anthem bill. This attempt was foiled by a huge police deployment in Causeway Bay and Admiralty and mass arrests. Despite this, protesters managed nevertheless to create a fiery … Continue readingFiery night in Mongkok
After a long lull for cause of coronavirus fears, last week-end the Hong Kong protests resumed, albeit in a very subdued form. Triggered by a coup de force in the Legco on Friday, protesters responded somewhat timidly to the call to action. While protesters played … Continue readingHong Kong protests resume… and freedom of speech suffers further
Since the beginning of 2020, the Hong Kong protests have focused on the “8 31 attacks” and the culture of outrage that is becoming a focal point of protesters. It did not help that police always reacts with overwhelming force and irritation to these “commemorations”. … Continue readingThe “8 31 attacks” and the culture of outrage
Since the start of the protests in Hong Kong, policemen have been seen on several occasions taking out their guns and in at least two occasions, shooting protesters. The actions which lead to impressive footage or action scenes must not lead us to forget that … Continue readingContext is king: when guns come out in Hong Kong
It was a couple of weeks ago that we found ourselves in one of the most intense fights of the time between protesters and police in Hong Kong (where even Wanchai looked tame). For six to seven hours, I was literally in the war zone, … Continue readingHong Kong Protests: in the war zone
As we entered another 11th week-end of protests in Hong Kong, on 17 August, the police prohibited or severely restricted all the protests taking place on Saturday and Sunday. Once again, it seemed that I would be reporting from the Hong Kong frontlines, instead of … Continue readingFrom the Hong Kong frontlines…
Sunday night was the last occasion on which Sai Yeung Choi South street was open to pedestrians. At 22hrs, the police invited performers and crowds to leave. On this last hooray, a huge crowd had come to bid farewell to karaoke street. Neighbor and business … Continue readingFarewell to Karaoke street
It was announced and it finally came: it seems all but certain now that the Sai Yeung Choi south street in Mongkok will be closed to entertainers. In fact, in a previous post, we mentioned that the decibels were causing a lot of complaints. In … Continue readingThe death of “Karaoke Street”?
The famous Sai Yeung Choi Street where performers show off karaoke performance and which is also known as Mongkok’s “karaoke street” came through as exploding the decibels. To counteract the noise level from the performers trying to outdo each other with louder volume, a shop … Continue readingMongkok’s “karaoke street” explodes the decibels