Aver

The defense emphasized that Cheng Kam-mun read the news reports about the situation at the library and he wanted to take action to protest. Perhaps this was a prank, but it should not be regarded as dishonest intent or permanent destruction of property.

The defense said that the anti-theft device in the books were not removed, so the books cannot be taken out. Ultimately the librarians found the books. Cheng Kam-mun also took videos and publish those. So if Cheng Kam-mun wanted to steal the books, he would not have been blasé. The magistrate said that supermarkets have closed-circuit television cameras but thefts still occur every day.

Although the books were ultimately found and Cheng Kam-mun claimed that his objective was to express his opinion, your goal is not your intent and therefore Cheng can still have dishonest intent to make the books disappear forever.

The prosecution said that under the Theft Ordinance, if the individual believes that he has the legal right to do something, then he is not being dishonest. However, the evidence presented showed that Cheng Kam-mun did not notify the librarians about the locations of those books and he also did not know how the janitors will handle the trash bin. Therefore those books can be lost permanently.

In his video, Cheng Kam-mun said : 「用特別方式銷毀殘體字書」 (use a special method to eliminate the deformed-character books). He agreed that "eliminate" can mean "destroy" but he said that he does not have the means to destroy the 600,000 simplified-character books in the public libraries. Cheng said that he did not think that putting a book in trash bin would cause it to be discarded. He said that he did not put the lid tightly on the trash bin because he wanted someone to find them.

Under cross-examination, Cheng denied that he wanted the books to be treated as garbage. He said that the janitor should be able to see the books in the trash bins. He said that he only he does not have the means to destroy all 600,000 simplified-character books in the public libraries.

Cheng Kam-mun testified on his behalf today. He said that he did not want to destroy the simplified-character books. He only wanted them removed from the shelves and he also wanted the public to be concerned about the many simplified-character books in the public libraries.

Cheng also admitted that he took some simplified-character books from the adult section of the library and hid them into fire hose cabinets so that readers cannot find them.

According to Cheng Kam-mun himself, he read that the public library system has 600,000 simplified-character books since 2005. Cheng was concerned that these books may "brainwash" children. So he went to the library that day to see if the situation was as bad. He was able to find simplified-character books easily in the children's library. So he took the video of the books as he tossed them into the garbage bin in order to express his dissatisfaction of the presence of these books in public libraries. He also wanted to tell the public "to resist the cultural invasion."

On April 2, Cheng Kam-mun uploaded a video on Facebook, showing himself putting the books one by one on the floor and then putting them into the garbage bin.

The trial of Cheng Kam-mun took place today. According to the facts not disputed by either side, the defendant Cheng Kam-mun was at the children's section of the fourth floor of the public library at the time of the incident on March 29, 2016. At the time, Cheng put 9 children's books in simplified characters into the garbage bin in the lobby. The total value of these books was $550. The act was recorded by a video surveillance camera in the library. Later that day, a janitor found those books while taking away the garbage. According to the janitor, she thought at first that it was a child's prank at first.

- This whole issue is preposterous. Look at the most fervent localists -- Edward Leung, Ray Wong, Leung Chung-hang, Yau Wai-ching, Nathan Law, Joshua Wong, Chu Hoi Dick ... when they go to Taiwan to liaise with pro-Taiwan independence people, what do they speak? Putonghua ! When Edward Leung and Ray Wong met with members of the US Consulate General in Hong Kong, what do they speak? Putonghua ! Because the foreign service officers of the United States are trained in putonghua when they are posted to the Far East. The reason why they want other Hongkongers not to learn putonghua is that they want to have exclusive rights to act as compradors .

This is why some Hong Kong parents face a dilemma over whether Mandarin is useful to their children.

Meanwhile, Margaret Chung, a Hong Kong resident in her early twenties, believes Hong Kong people are panicked that someday Hong Kong “will lose its values and freedoms”. ”This panic is based on some very solid grounds,” Chung said. ”I think Hong Kong people are most concerned about mainlanders coming to Hong Kong to work or study,” she said. “If the bosses are Chinese, they might hire Chinese workers instead of employing Hong Kong people.”

However, some parents prefer Mandarin as a medium of instruction for teaching Chinese. ”When the children grow up, they might end up working in China, Singapore or Malaysia. They need to be able to speak Mandarin,” said Helen, who has an eight-year-old girl.

Professor Tse Shek-kam, director of the Center for Advancement of Chinese Language Education and Research in the University of Hong Kong, thinks Mandarin will not only be a challenge for parents but will also increase the burden on students. ”Putonghua may not benefit Hong Kong children at all. Firstly, it’s not their native language,” he said.

Hongkongers also complain that Beijing is pushing its own agenda, for instance by making Mandarin the medium of instruction in Hong Kong schools. ”I learned Cantonese in school, so I can’t help my children with their Mandarin lessons,” said Estella Lung, the mother of a seven-year-old boy. “I don’t want to teach my children in such a way.”

Antagonism between Hongkongers and their mainland cousins has been building up since the handover to China. Many people think the main reason is Beijing’s iron-fisted policy on political reform in Hong Kong. That includes how its next leader will be chosen.

On a late night in Lan Kwai Fong, a woman asked Ivy where she was from and what she was doing in Hong Kong. When Ivy answered she was from the mainland and working, the woman blurted: “Why do you steal our jobs?” Ivy is a 22-year-old education consultant at a Hong Kong college and her case is not unique.

Malvern College does not teach Cantonese, because it is not regarded to be an internationally spoken language. Putonghua is where the future is.

An elite international school that has produced three Nobel laureates plans to accept applications from September, with parents and corporations paying between HK$800,000 and HK$3.5 million for nomination rights. The Hong Kong campus of Malvern College founded in Britain 150 years ago is located in Tai Po's Science Park. It will take in 380 students from five to 14 years old for Years One to Nine classes for the 2018-19 school year. The number of students is expected to increase gradually, with the full capacity up to Year 13 set at 960. Malvern College has produced three Nobel winners James Meade, economics, 1977; Frederick Sanger, chemistry, 1958; and Francis Aston, chemistry, 1922 as well as the renowned author of The Chronicles of Narnia , C S Lewis.

- ( Oriental Daily ) The Baptist University Student Union held a referendum on scrapping putonghua competency as a graduation requirement. 89% of the students voted to scrap putonghua . The student who started the referendum said that the will of the students is very clear on this issue and he wants the school to eliminate the requirement as soon as possible. By the way, the total number of votes is 1,544 which represents 12.17% of the student body. The rest of the student body went on with their studies and ignored this farce.

- Cheng Kam-mun was not telling people to deface simplified character books. He made it very very clear that he was only posting certain information onto the Internet for reference's sake. How can that be "dishonest use of a computer"? He can't be held responsible for what persons unknown do after reading his reference materials. The Internet is already filled with reference materials on making bombs, committing suicide, setting up gang rape, torturing animals, posting upskirt photos, sharing kiddie porn, etc.

- ( Oriental Daily ) April 6, 2016. Civic Passion said that a number of police officers went to Cheng Kam-mun's home this morning, but Cheng was not there. Cheng was later arrested at a Civic Passion street booth in Central. Cheng was taken down to the Chai Wan Police Station. Several Civic Passion members are outside the police station to voice their support of Cheng. It is believed that this was related to dishonest use of a computer to advocate certain actions at public libraries.

Con: "Why are you picking on books such as The Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Exegesis of Dream of Red Chamber ?" "Many reference books exist only in simplified editions. Why are they being destroyed?" "This is what the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty did -- he burned the books and put all the scholars to death." "Once this catches on, it merely puts a burden on the cleaning lady who has to carefully go through the trash bins to retrieve the discarded books. I am sure that she is going to be very grateful to Cheng Kam-mun for keeping her employed." "It means that the libraries will have to hire outside help to look for missing books." "Civic Passion leader Wong Yeung-tat's own novel has a simplified character edition. These guys change their tunes so quickly that they can't even keep up with themselves." "Well, I think that the Valiant Warriors can always borrow Deng Xiaoping's Black/White Cat Theory: It does not matter whether a book is printed in simplified or traditional characters; it only matters that the contents of the book have been vetted by the Valiant Warriors to be consistent with Hong Kong core values as only they know."

Pro: "It was effective and fun! Well done!" "I went down to the Tsuen Wan Public Library and slid some simplified character books into the cracks" "Set fire to them" "Use markers to deface the pages of the books" "Tear pages out of the books" "Swipe some feces inside the books"

- Based upon my personal observations of many hours spent at the public library, I can tell you that it is not efficient to dump the simplified character books into the trash bins or hide them in the cracks. It is more efficient to hide them in plain sight. My observation here in Hong Kong is that nobody ever uses the English-language section of the public library and yet that section is sizeable. So all it takes is to move the simplified character books en masse onto the shelves in the English-language section. The books have not been stolen or vandalized. They have only been misfiled. And the potential readers will not never find it because nobody ever goes into the English-language section.

- Chris Wat Wing-yin wrote about the mentally retarded people who started the Hong Kong National Party, and the Equal Opportunities Commission received complaints about her insulting that particular class of people. So everybody lay off Cheng Kam-mun's intelligence!

Why are the international schools doing this? Because they want their students to be useful internationally. Knowing Cantonese/traditional characters is not useful internationally; knowing putonghua /simplified characters is very useful internationally.

Here is the gist of the matter: At the international schools, they teach putonghua /simplified characters and they don't teach Cantonese/traditional characters. If Civic Passion doesn't like this, they can protest valiantly at the international schools.

Many schools identify with a particular country (such as Singapore, Canada or France) and offer separate English and foreign-language sections. There are also an increasing number of schools that emphasize a compulsory Mandarin Chinese component, reflecting Mandarin’s growing influence in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong also has private international schools, which vary in curriculum and teaching style. With a focus on sending their students to foreign universities, these schools can be very competitive — wait lists can approach 70 students per grade. Most international schools use an English-based curriculum and tend to be separated into the British, American, Canadian and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs.

The English Schools Foundation is subsidized by the Hong Kong government to provide an English-language education, with priority given to students who cannot speak Chinese. Starting in 2001, ESF schools started switching over to the International Baccalaureate system, after years of using the British curriculum. As of 2010, there were 20 ESF schools with about 12,000 students enrolled. The schools are delineated in geographical zones and only accept students who reside in their applicable zone. There is also an admissions process, which includes interviews and an application. Preference is given to non-Chinese speakers, students of alumni and siblings of students. ESF schools all have the same fee structure, which runs from HK$58,100 (with a $10,000 deposit) per year for primary school to HK$89,250 (with a $16,000 deposit) for secondary school.

Government schools are fully funded by the Hong Kong government and teach in Cantonese and English – though it is up to each school to determine how much of each language is used as the medium of instruction. Government schools are open and free for all children. There is a short application process in which students can select their top school choices, but assignments are generally made based on residency zones.

The Hong Kong education system, overseen by the Hong Kong Education Bureau, is divided into three types of schools: government schools, subsidized schools and private international schools. There are more than 1,100 schools in Hong Kong in total; as of 2010, more than 1,000 of them were local government schools. Primary and secondary education is mandatory for Hong Kong residents, but kindergarten is not.

- Most books on Chinese medicine are published in simplified characters in China. Does Hong Kong want to shut itself out from progress in Chinese medicine?

- The reason why some Hongkongers like to go to the Shenzhen Book City to shop for books is very simple -- there is greater variety. In China, they publish several hundred thousand new book titles per year. All sorts of specialist books are published because the mainland market is big enough. These books will not get published in Hong Kong, because the market is too small.

- Cheung Kam-mun and his friends are going to dump 600,000 books into the trash bins of the public libraries in Hong Kong. If you have to stack 600,000 books, how tall is that? Let's assume that each book is 10 cm thick. 600,000 books will be 600,000 x 1cm = 6,000 meters. You need a very very tall trash bin to hold those books.

- Simplified character books are used for brainwashing? Here is a set of traditional character books that is much more so than any simplified character book: The Selected Works of Mao Zedong . It is the message, not the media! - Cheng Kam-mun is confusing the message and the medium. He thinks that the medium is everything. You can publish The Selected Works of Wan Chin in simplified characters and Cheng would think that this will brainwash youngsters to become Communists.

- I also remember the case when the rumor first surfaced that Yoshinoya was serving radiation-contaminated Fujishima rice. Yoshinoya clarified that the company uses rice from Heilongjiang province, China. Immediately the localists aid that they would rather eat radiation-contaminated Fujishima rice than Heilongjiang rice. That was the perfect supporting proof for the WWII Japanese belief that they can always count on the Chinese to kill each other first.

- Yet another boycott campaign by Civic Passion? The last time they called for the people of Hong Kong to boycott Wong Jing's film, <From Vegas to Macau III>, that movie raked in HKD 27 million in Hong Kong and RMB 1.1 billion in mainland China (see #448 ).

- Cheng Kam-mun says that he hails from the city of Chaozhou, Guangdong province. And now he wants to fight against China and oust all mainland Chinese (including himself?) from Hong Kong.

- Legislator Wong Kwok-hing said that Cheng Kam-mun is being selfish here. Just because Cheng didn't like simplified characters himself, he is depriving all other persons from reading those books. "If you destroy these library books, you will be legally responsible and not Cheng Kam-mun."

Activist Alvin Cheng Kam-mun of the localist party Civic Passion pleaded not guilty on Thursday to one count of theft at the Kowloon City Magistrates’ Courts. There are nine prosecution witnesses, according to RTHK. The prosecution will also submit as evidence a 75-second video posted by Cheng on social media, and 1 hour and 35 minutes of closed-circuit television footage from the library. A pre-trial review is scheduled for May 12.

Civic Passion’s online news portal, Passion Times, said several police officers approached Cheng’s home in Mong Kok yesterday morning but he was not there. He was later arrested in Shau Kei Wan. Cheng was released on bail on Wednesday night and must report back next month.

Simplified Chinese characters, which are used on the mainland, are sometimes called “broken Chinese words” in Hong Kong. They have become more common in the city.

He also cited members of the public as saying the department had withdrawn some books in traditional Chinese characters to give room to books using simplified characters.

He said in the message: “The media recently reported that public libraries had bought 600,000 books in broken Chinese characters since 2006. Many were children’s books which praised the Chinese Communist Party.”

It showed dozen of books with simplified Chinese characters being removed from shelves and dumped in a rubbish bin or hidden inside a fire hose compartment or gaps between bookshelves. This apparently happened inside the library.

The clip, lasting just over one minute, was posted on Cheng’s Facebook page on Saturday. A male claimed on the video that he was Cheng and was in a public library in Mong Kok.

A police spokesman said they had received a report on Tuesday from the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, which operates public libraries in the city, that someone had removed books with simplified Chinese characters in a library and the act was recorded in an uploaded video clip.

Cheng was arrested for theft and “access to a computer with criminal or dishonest intent” in Shau Kei Wan as he worked at a roadside booth set up by the radical group.

A radical activist was arrested on Wednesday after he allegedly appealed to the public to remove books using simplified Chinese characters from public libraries.

Cheng uploaded a video to demonstrate tossing the simplified character books into trash bins, slipping them into cracks between book shelves, stuffing them into the fire hydrant boxes, etc.

Yesterday "Four-eyed Brother" Cheng Kam-mun published a Facebook post titled "The battle of the Hong Kong Public Library: spontaneously remove simplified character books from the shelves in order to resist brainwashing." Cheng said that the Leisure and Cultural Services Department had purchased 600,000 simplified characters, including many children books in praise of the Chinese Communist Party. Because library space is finite, they also removed certain traditional character books to make room for the simplified character books. Cheng said that this was brainwashing of the next generation. Cheng called on citizens to spontaneously remove the simplified character books.

However, Miyazaki was not affected by the earthquake because it is 185 kilometers away from the quake center of Kumamoto. Miyazaki is connected to Tokyo by expressway on which traffic had not been interrupted by the earthquake. So it is nonsense for this person to need to seek the help of the British consulate to reach Tokyo from Miyazaki and then to Hong Kong.

The source of Apple Daily's story is a comment left at Passion Times. A Hongkonger in Miyazaki (Kyushu) said that it was a waste of time to call 1868 (the Hong Kong Immigration Department help line) because the receptionist will only say to take good care of yourself. Fortunately, this person has a BNO passport. When he called the local British consulate, he was told how to proceed to Fukuoka. He also got help to book airline tickets at 8am to fly from Fukuoka to Tokyo and then transfer to fly to Hong Kong. Furthermore, the fare for the Fukuoka-Tokyo leg can be paid at the British consulate after he returns to Hong Kong.

But Wen Wei Po pointed out that Kumamoto was an isolated city after the earthquake. The airport was only reopened days later. Since the security screening equipment was damaged, there are still no outbound passenger flights. It was also impossible to exit by high-speed rail or expressway because the roads and the rails were damaged during the earthquake. All Hongkongers stuck in Kumamoto will have to wait for the airport, roads or railways to be repaired before they can leave.]

[After the earthquake, Apple Daily published an article titled "Thoughts about Hong Kong independence in terms of consular protection." A individual with a HKSAR passport called the Immigration Department for help after the earthquake and got nowhere. Meanwhile, a BNO holder called the British embassy and the British government helped the person to purchase tickets to fly to Tokyo and then leave Japan. The difference was night and day. The conclusion: "It was no wonder that the voices for Hong Kong independence (or even return to United Kingdom) have been so loud."

Truth: The Chinese embassy and the Hong Kong Immigration Department reached six Hongkongers stranded in Kumamoto and arranged for them to leave.

Apple Daily: According to a Hongkonger's post on the Internet, he sought help from the Hong Kong Immigration Department after the Kumamoto earthquake and received nothing. Instead, his BNO enabled him to leave by airplane with the help of the British embassy.

Ho said that he and Tam were acquainted 31 years ago. They are good friends and he does not believe that Tam would deliberately hurt or smear him. He accepted Tam's apology and "felt at ease." Tam is overseas at this time, but they will have lunch together once she returns home. Ho said that the Apple Daily has hurt both of them, and they will discuss joint action.

Ho said that Tam was astonished by the report title. The interview had gone on for three hours, and she does not recall how Ho came to be mentioned and she does not recall what she said. But she clarified that she has always thought that Ho spoke sincerely and responsibly. She will ask Apple Daily to clarify and apologize.

Last week Apple Daily published an article titled: "Winnie Tam: Leave the bootlicking to Junius Ho." In the interview, Bar Association chairperson Winnie Tam was quoted as saying: "There are many bootlickers. Look at Junius Ho. Leave it to him, right?" Last night Junius Ho disclosed on his Facebook that Winnie Tam has apologized to him. However, Tam said that the report title did not represent her views and she will ask Apple Daily to clarify and apologize.

In a case like this, the stakes are very high because a company can be destroyed. Guilty or not, the company will file a lawsuit. Everything about this report should have been reviewed many times by the reporter, editors and lawyers. How can this sort of elementary mistake be missed? You get the sense that they don't care at all. This is because the advertising revenues have far outstripped the potential penalties. For example, you can be fined for inaccurate reporting but the costs are less than one full-page advertisement for one day.

Once into the video, the protocol was tossed into the wind. For example, at 1:21, you can see the name of the female employee very clearly.

When the video began, the ID badge of the female worker was made fuzzy. The video was said to be taken by a hidden camera and the voice was distorted.

The Court of Appeals also said that the sworn statement by the Apple Daily reporter did not address anything about leaking the identifies of Choi Kwok-keung and the female worker. In considering this case, the courts noted that the sworn statements did not say that other sources have to be protected besides those who are already known. Therefore the court ruled the High Court was correct in ruling that Apple Daily must provide the original video to Hoi Tin Tong.

In its ruling, the Court of Appeals said that the courts will protect the confidentiality of sources for the sake of public interest. However if the newspaper had already disclosed the identities of the sources, then it can no longer use that as a reason. In this case, Apple Daily published a video in which Choi Kwok-keung was identified as the source who brought the reporter to Hoi Tin Tong to film how a female worker processed the rotten turtle jelly. The video also showed the name badge of that female worker. Choi Kwok-keung also admitted that he arranged for the Apple Daily reporter to meet with the female worker.

Hoi Tin Tong filed a lawsuit against Apple Daily three years ago about a newspaper report in which Hoi Tin Tong was accused of selling rotten turtle jelly. During the civil trial, it was revealed that Hoi Tin Tong's former partner Choi Kwok-keung had provided the information to Apple Daily. The High Court ordered Apple Daily to turn over the unedited video to Hoi Tin Tong. However, Apple Daily appealed to the Court of Appeals.

Mr Chan, 41, drew media interest after his wife threw their two sons out of a window before leaping to her own death from their Sheung Shui home on October 19. She was reported to be upset about her husband's visits to mainland prostitutes. Soon afterwards, Apple Daily printed pictures of Mr Chan in bed with prostitutes in Dongguan. It said it had paid $5,000 to Mr Chan's associates.

The Apple Daily newspaper yesterday gave over its entire front page to an apology for its reports on controversial widower Chan Kin-hong. Owner Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, who signed the apology, said the incident had been handled improperly, although he insisted the paper had not, as alleged, paid $5,000 directly to Mr Chan. He described the reports as 'sensational' and pledged a review of the newspaper's practices. 'The inappropriate way of handling the stories made the readers and the public dissatisfied and led to strong criticism. I and the editorial management of the paper are uneasy and sorry about it,' he wrote.

Yesterday's attack came as Mr Chan burned the offerings at the back door of an undertaker in Winslow Street, Hunghom, after staff refused to let him inside. Passersby abused him as TV cameras filmed and shortly afterwards a group of men appeared and kicked and beat him. Mr Chan suffered bruises and a cut lip, but told police he did not want to report it. Mr Chan urged reporters not to follow him and said he was contemplating legal action against two newspapers for calling him 'names', and ruining his reputation.

'I was set up by a newspaper. I was greedy for $5,000 which was offered to me to have my picture taken in bed with two women. I did it as a floor show to get the press off my back,' Mr Chan said. 'I'm sorry for what I've done. I know I've wronged my wife and my two sons. I deeply regret that what I did in the past caused the deaths of my beloved wife and sons. I have been sacked from my job and I don't have any friends any more. All my relatives have been keeping away from me. I promise to turn over a new leaf. I have to find a job soon because I can't depend on the allowance from the Social Welfare Department.'

Yesterday, Mr Chan, 41, was attacked by four or five men as he burned offerings to his wife and sons, who were cremated on Wednesday. Mr Chan said he was afraid to travel to the mainland since the newspaper and television reports on him and his family.

Chan Kin-hong said that in the days after the deaths of his wife, Lam Man-fong, 41, and sons Ho-wai, six, and Ho-yin, 10, he accepted money from a newspaper, spending it on prostitutes in Dongguan. 'I was tricked into allowing the newspaper to photograph me with the women. I was greedy for the money,' Mr Chan said in a television interview last night. He has become a figure of hate since the media scrutiny of his sex life.

The husband of the woman who last week threw her two sons then herself to their deaths from a Sheung Shui building said yesterday he had been a victim of media trickery and his own greed.

- All this was supposed to stop in 1998 as Jimmy Lai promised, but it has actually gotten worse. A lot worse.

- This Apple Daily news story is as dumb as it gets. Everybody in China knows that it is a serious crime to trap a panda and hold it under captivity. Such being the case, would you pose for a group portrait to be widely distributed by a newspaper? Is there better evidence for a criminal conviction?

- When Apple Daily says that everything in China is fake, we encounter a philosophical conundrum. If Apple Daily is lying some of the time, then is everything in China fake or not?

- Apple Daily does not have any correspondents covering news in mainland China. They have dozens of writers sitting in a large room scouring the mainland websites. The writers look for stories which they rewrite with angles that are more aligned with the political inclinations of Apple Daily. This is the kind of journalism practiced in Hong Kong today. There is absolutely no reason to spend any time learning journalism at the Journalism and Media Studies Centre at Hong Kong University.

Zhaojiao country Liangzhou prefecture Sichuan province villagers found a 100-kilogram panda in the wilderness. Many villagers were excited and they pressed the panda on the ground in order to take photos with this "national treasure." This was the second time that a wild panda has been found here. The villagers found this panda very interesting. After the Forestry Department was apprised, they immediately placed the panda under protection, and they planned to send the panda into the Meigu Dafongting National Nature Preservation Area.

On the morning of April 1 in Sanpu village, Buyao town, Zhaojiao county, Liangshan prefecture, villager Ma Weiha sensed that his chickens and sheep seemed to be scared by something. So he went out to check and he found a panda hiding in his courtyard. Ma said that the villagers keep about a dozen mountain hunting dogs, and he was concerned that the panda might be chased and injured by the dogs. So he immediately informed the community director. Meanwhile villagers heard that a panda had been found. So they rushed over because they were all concerned that the panda might be endandered. So they used ropes to tie up the panda and formed a human wall to protect it. They also called the Forestry Department immediately. The panda was eventually released back into the wilderness.

Vendors should have the right to make a living (I like the vendors). People throwing bricks at the police is ridiculous. The police firing shots is even more ridiculous.

You are right. It was wrong to say: "Everyone who participated in the riot used masks to cover their faces, so they must be bad guys."

I found last night's Mong Kok riot to be ridiculous. Real Hongkongers don't do this. Everyone who participated in the riot used masks to cover their faces, so they must be bad guys. I have some suspicion that someone paid these people to use the vendors' issue to cause trouble as Hongkongers.

- Don't be silly. Gregory Rivers is a veteran performer, so he will always saying things that are wishy-washy. For example, here is what he has to say about the Mong Kok riot:

- Gregory Rivers spent more than 20 years licking TVB's boots and got nowhere with his career. But he is suddenly popular with Yellow Ribbons because of his anti-TVB, anti-government comments.

- ( Oriental Daily ) For the second day in a row, Apple Daily has apologized to Gregory Rivers. On March 31, Apple Daily's entertainment real-time news published a news report titled "Gregory Rivers's homemade cookies, free music video for ATV." However, the cookies in the video were computer creations which don't exist in reality. The video caused people to misunderstand and make inquiries with Gregory Rivers.

Our reporter went down to Jini Bakery in iSquare. The worker there said that everybody who visits Hong Kong will buy these "Little Bear" cookies. They line up to buy from us every day." However, the reporter did not find any other customer at the time. By contrast, Jenny Bakery located in the next block had more than 100 people queuing up outside. One mainland tourist waited for more than two hours to spend more than $1,000 to buy more than a dozen boxes of cookies as presents. Because of the popularity of Jenny Bakery Cookies, many other stores have risen to sell counterfeit products. Rather than producing their own counterfeit products, they are buying Jini Bakery cookies and selling them as Jenny Bakery cookies. This is a violation of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance.

- ( Apple Daily ) January 27, 2015. Recently Jini Bakery Cookies took out a full-page newspaper ad to say that certain people are selling their cookies under other brand names in an improper manner. Jini Bakery says that they only have two official retail outlets, one in iSquare (Tsim Sha Tsui) and the other in Tsuen Wan Citywalk. In the ad, Jini Bakery did not name the other brands. However, many people believe that this must be Jenny Bakery which is founded earlier than Jini Bakery.

After this incident, our company's reputation has been completely ruined ... At this time, this woman Apple has deceived you, Terry (at Apple Daily) and my company. After consulting my lawyer, I believe that this is a case of commercial fraud. It is a criminal act. I don't know if you have to join my company's lawyer to file a police report, so that the police can pursue this matter.

After my carefully analysis of the incident and seeing your whatsapp screen captures over at HK01, I conclude that the woman named Apple is not your manger (Terry told me that she is your manager) and she only paid you $2,000! She deceived you into coming to our company for a photo session!

During the session, Terry used whatsapp to inform me that Gregory Rivers believes that this event was an advertisement/spokesperson and wants to stop. I was obviously displeased because your reaction was completely different from what Apple said. But I can't force you, so I said to stop the session. However, I did not want Gregory Rivers to lose anything on account of this, so I offered to pay the $14,000. However Terry did not want my company to lose money so he offered to call Gregory River's manger to see if the session could be completed at a higher price. We finished our overseas telephone conversation. Afterwards, he called me and said that the session was successfully completed after negotiating an additional payment. Our company wired two sums of money into Terry's bank account, one for $14,000 and another for $4,000 in additional payment. Although Terry insists on paying the additional $4,000 because he said that it was his mistake, I stuck to my principles of not wanting anyone else to lose money so I made him take the additional sum.

It all began when our company worked with Apple Daily on an advertisement ... I asked the Apple Daily Advertising Department worker Terry to see if you will take part. He contacted a woman named Apple who claimed to be the manager of Gregory Rivers. After Terry sent her the advertisement, she said that Gregory Rivers has seen it, sees no problems and will take place. The asking price was $14,000 (Terry said that the whole sum was for you and the other costs will be billed elsewhere). I agreed to the price and arranged for the photo session. On that day, I was away from Hong Kong, so I asked Terry with whom I have worked many times before to assume full responsibility.

Netizens flooded Jini’s social media pages with angry comments and expressed their support for Rivers. Jini Bakery Cookies has been dismissed as a copycat version of Jenny Bakery, a popular pastry shop which operates in Hong Kong, Singapore and mainland China.

A day earlier, the bake shop published a photo of Rivers on its Facebook page, along with a note thanking him for “dropping by”. The post was subsequently removed.

The interview lasted five minutes but Rivers said he did not check the media credentials of the interviewer who asked just three questions. The photographer did not say whether they were from Apple Daily. On March 20, Apple Daily ran a full-page spread of Jini cookies with Rivers’s image and it was marked “advertorial”.

The investigation followed a Facebook post by Gregory Charles Rivers (河國榮) in which the 50-year-old Australian performer complained about being used in an advertisement without his permission. Rivers said he was approached in February to do an interview with Apple Daily in Jini Bakery Cookies, a local bake shop, on March 7. He was to be paid HK$2,000 (US$258) for expenses. He went to the venue on the appointed day and was quickly made to pose inside the shop by a photographer. Rivers repeatedly asked the photographer if the photos were going to be used in an article or in an advertorial and was told these were for the interview, according to news website hk01.com.

Apple Daily has been forced to apologize after running an advertorial featuring a renowned Hong Kong-based Australian artist who disavowed it. The newspaper said none of its editorial staff was involved but held an employee from its classified ads department responsible after an internal investigation. The employee has been suspended, according to media reports.

I am not advocating national education and bashing discussion of independence. My point simply is that if we have one, we should have the other. How can young minds be groomed to think for themselves if they are only exposed to one side? Let children discuss independence but let them also learn about their country. Let’s do it as part of their education, not as a back door to corrupt their minds.

For the record, I believe campuses should be places where young minds are exposed to all ideas so they can make informed choices. But that’s no longer what’s happening on our campuses. The political divide that is tearing apart our society has invaded our campuses. Increasingly, students are being taught not to think for themselves but to advocate. This was evident during Occupy. Many academics backing the uprising encouraged students to do likewise. If that’s civic education rather than brainwashing, why is national education brainwashing instead of civic education?

Let’s get this straight. Allowing discussion of independence is part of civic education but teaching the constitution is brainwashing? I am befuddled by this logic. Does it mean it’s good to teach children to decide for themselves if they want to break away from their country but bad to teach them about the country they may choose to break away from? How can you decide if you want to break away from your country if teaching you about that country is brainwashing? I’m keen to know if independence discussions would involve armed revolt as well. I know I’ll be labelled a Beijing bootlicker for writing this but that’s the price you pay nowadays for calling out hypocrites.

Listen up, all the hypocrites out there. This is about you. Here is a question: to teach or not to teach? When the government tried to introduce national education in schools you said it was a ploy to brainwash our children. Such was the outcry that the government had to ditch its plan. But now teachers and academics who opposed national education have organised groups to discuss Hong Kong independence on campuses. When the Education Bureau warned they would lose their teaching credentials if they promoted independence to students, they accused the bureau of white terror. They insist discussion of independence is part of civic education, which helps students make their own choices.

As Lennon said all those years ago, show us the plan if you want a revolution. There isn’t one. Our young revolutionaries are no doubt better at capturing Pikachu than PLA soldiers. But just talking about revolution has already taken Hong Kong where it has never gone before. Revolutions need not succeed to cause turmoil. So don’t make the mistake again of laughing it off.

Now they’re threatening a revolution unless Beijing changes the constitution to allow self-determination. But what kind of revolution? Mahatma Gandhi’s civil disobedience or Nelson Mandela’s guerrilla warfare? The 2014 “umbrella movement” didn’t make Beijing blink. Now civil disobedience has flopped, dare our independence fighters raise the stakes to armed revolt? They have shown they don’t fear the local police, but what match are they against the might of the People’s Liberation Army?

People laughed me off at the time. No one’s laughing now. Hong Kong’s nascent independence movement has so spooked the central and local governments that they even used what many consider dirty politics to bar independence advocates from contesting next month’s Legislative Council elections. Before Occupy few imagined that normally docile Hongkongers would seize key districts for 79 days. Before the Mong Kok riots few believed our youths took self-rule so seriously they would start fires, hurl bricks and attack police.

Call me a soothsayer but this is what I wrote six years ago: there’s anger in the streets. People, mostly demoralised young adults, feel they have been suckered for too long by the old order. Beijing should be scared. Property developers who squeeze every last dollar out of hard-pressed families should be scared. All those tai-tais cruising upscale malls for designer handbags should be scared. So wake up and smell the revolution.

What you’ve just read are selected lyrics from John Lennon’s 1968 hit song Revolution. Who would have thought that nearly 50 years later those words would come back to haunt our politics? Revolution is in the air. Doubters need only open their eyes to what happened so brazenly close to government headquarters last weekend. Thousands converged on Tamar Park for Hong Kong’s first ever independence rally where leaders electrified them with talk of a revolution. They even urged supporters to infiltrate the government, especially the police. Heady stuff.

You say you want a revolution. You say you’ll change the constitution. Well, you know, we’d all love to see the plan.

- Joe Chan's Facebook: In reality, the so-called Yellow Ribbon-Blue Ribbon dichotomy does not exist. I believe that most Blue Ribbons are not CY Leung fans and they have no ties to the Chinese Communists. Most of them just could not stand the sight of a bunch of crooks leading a bunch of idiots to back Hong Kong into a dead-end alley. This is a situation in which we are all on the same boat. Some people think that the captain is a thief, but they are not powerful enough to stop him. So their plan is to sink the boat in order to force the captain to abandon ship. The net result is that we all die. The worst part is that most people were not killed by the thief, but they were killed by the idiots who sank the boat. As for the assertion that the Blue Ribbons are intolerant of dissident views, they are only unhappy about being 'represented without permission' and hijacked by the idiots. Can you understand this, you 'very civilized and very democratic warriors'?

- ( HKYDS Facebook ) Baggio Leung (Youngspiration) said that since he was not a signatory to the Sino-British Joint Declaration, he is not bound to either learn about that Declaration or abide by it. Another guest said that this logic means that American citizens do not have to either learn or abide by their constitution (because the US Constitution was created in 1787 and ratified in 1788 when none of the current American citizens or even their parents were born yet). Leung could not come up with a riposte.

The forum speakers were Chan Ho-tin (convener of the Hong Kong National Party), Edward Leung (spokesperson for Hong Kong Indigenous), Chan Wai-yip (People Power), and Au Nok-hin (Democratic Party). The four were seated behind a glass wall while the audience watched them speak in the goldfish bowl. The school used the broadcasting system every five minutes to ask people to leave this unauthorized event.

The Shue Yan University Student Union organized a forum titled "Paths of Resistance Methods and Outcomes -- the Debate between Peaceful Non-violence and Valiant Resistance." The school declined to lend its facility for the event. So the event was co-sponsored by the Academy of Performing Arts Student Union. However, that school also declined to lend its facility. The forum was ultimately moved to the APASU meeting room. Both Student Unions deplore their schools for obstructing the forum. However, the Shue Yan University administrator said that the title of the forum was different from that stated on the application and therefore the Student Union broke their promise. Meanwhile, the Academy of Performing Arts said that they never received a formal application from the students. The students said that they had sent a Whatsapp message to the school.

- The Hong Kong National Party has promised that action will begin within one month. What action? No, it's not armed revolution. Instead, they will begin to pass out pamphlets in the street.

- Sorry that you miss the message from Occupy Central! In a revolution, there will always be a division of labor -- some people will charge headlong while others will stay behind to take care of command-control-communications, logistics, propaganda, media relations, etc. In Althea Suen's case, she will serve best as the spokesperson interviewed by BBC/CNN/VOA/Fox News instead of throwing bricks at PLA tanks. When the bullets start flying, someone has to be alive and speaking from the American consulate to tell the world that we are being slaughtered, so that our sacrifices will not go for nought.

- Yippee! Let Althea Suen lead the way on the assault of the PLA garrison in Admiralty! Millions will join and thousand will die, but the commies will be drowned with our blood!

- ( Commercial Radio ) Hong Kong University Students Union president Althea Suen proposed to adopt Hong Kong independence as a common goal, to gain the support of the international community and to achieve Hong Kong independence ultimately by overthrowing the existing government by revolution or force.

With the party not being a “society” or a “company”, those advocating for independence could be charged with violation of the Societies Ordinance, Cheung told Apple Daily. However, Cheung said that a lot of concern groups and alliances are also not registered. “The government cannot enforce the law selectively.”

The Hong Kong National Party announced its establishment on Sunday, and said that they were denied registration at the Companies Registry. “They said we could not register because of political reasons,” said party convenor Chan Ho-tin.

Regarding the newly-established, pro-independence Hong Kong National Party, Cheung said that their stance may not conform to the Constitution of China and the Basic Law, but the suggestion that it severely endangers the country is an exaggeration, according to a report by RTHK. Cheung said: “It’s the same as you suggesting that ‘defeat the Communist Party’ is against the Constitution of China, but this does not mean that people who voiced this kind of opinion have broken the law. The Basic Law and Bill of Rights protect freedom of speech.”

Talk of independence for Hong Kong could bring forward legislation to enact Article 23, the security law targeting subversion and sedition which was abandoned in the face of mass opposition in 2003, Hong Kong University law Professor Eric Cheung Tat-ming said on Thursday. He added that he was worried that such discussions could touch a nerve in the central government.

It’s highly likely that Beijing’s stern warning against Hong Kong National Party is actually directed at Joshua Wong and his new party.

The three Scholarism stalwarts have deep experience in political struggle and enjoy massive support from the youth, so it is expected that their new party will be at the forefront of the discussion on independence.

The new party has identified Hong Kong’s future after 2047 as its key advocacy, which is probably another way of saying that they will focus on the issue of Hong Kong independence.

There is also a political party being formed by Scholarism stalwarts Joshua Wong, Agnes Chow and Oscar Lai, which will be announced in mid-April.

Based on the Edward Leung’s 15 percent vote benchmark, it cannot be ruled out that radical young democrats can secure seats in the five geographical constituencies in Hong Kong, or five seats in total.

However, Beijing’s hard-line stance on the issue could only encourage more youngsters to register to be able to cast their votes in the September elections.

This means that most of the young voters have a tendency to support Hong Kong independence, and this is what Beijing authorities are most worried about.

That indicates that most of the supporters of radical democrats with independence leanings were first-time voters.

For example, in the polling station of Sheung Tak Estate in Tseung Kwan O, voters born after 1990 accounted for 23.1 percent, while in other polling stations, they accounted for 12 percent.

The top 10 polling stations where Leung secured the highest votes shared the same characteristic, which is the higher than average number of voters born after 1990.

Data provided by the electoral office shows that Leung’s votes mostly came from traditional public estates in Tseung Kwan O, Tai Po as well as the Northern District.

What apparently worries Beijing and Hong Kong officials is the profile of his supporters, which could provide some insight into the possible outcome of the Legislative Council elections in September.

In the by-election, for example, Hong Kong Indigenous candidate Edward Leung was able to secure more than 15 percent of the votes.

Though lacking in support from established politicians, these groups have proved their strong influence among the youth in the district council elections in November last year and the Legislative Council by-election for the New Territories East last month.

Not only that, it is composed mostly of university students and other political neophytes, just like Youngspiration and Hong Kong Indigenous.

Even local legislators said the government would be hard put to find an appropriate law to sue the National Party’s members for advocating independence.

However, the government did not say which law it is referring to.

That’s why we find it quite strange for the administration of Leung Chun-ying to issue a statement echoing Beijing’s official stance on the issue, warning that it “will take action according to the law”.

But for Hong Kong people, the discussion of a topic such as Hong Kong independence should be protected by our laws. Hong Kong, after all, highly values its freedom of expression and thought.

In a place where there is no freedom of expression, where people have long lived under authoritarian rule, any concept that goes beyond the official line is considered treason, an outright rebellion.

The paper said the idea of Hong Kong becoming independent is “completely unrealistic”, and called on Hong Kong people to simply ignore the group.

The office said the SAR government would handle the matter according to the law, and praised it for refusing to register the group.

In an interview with the state-owned Xinhua news agency, the spokesperson said “an extremely small number of people” have formed a pro-independence group, “threatening the national sovereignty and safety, as well as Hong Kong’s stability, prosperity and basic interest”.

A spokesperson for the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office strongly opposed any action related to Hong Kong independence, stressing that the Hong Kong SAR is part of the People’s Republic of China under the Basic Law, and the principles of “one country two systems” and Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong with a high degree of autonomy.

In fact, attacks on the group have fueled discussions about Hong Kong independence, prompting many people to consider the concept of independence as an option for the city as China tightens its grip on the territory.

However, official condemnation of the group has only made it well-known over a period of just a few days after its establishment was announced on Sunday.

The SAR government promptly rejected the group’s application for registration, warning that calling for independence is a violation of the Basic Law, the city’s mini-constitution.

Beijing appears to be sufficiently alarmed by the formation of Hong Kong National Party, which is advocating the creation of an independent republic and the repudiation of the Basic Law.

- The Localists have a saying that "they were born in a time of chaos and therefore they have a certain responsibility." "Born in a time of chaos"? Here is the banner with those words being displayed on bustling, prosperous Sai Yeung Choi Street South, Mong Kok district. Here is true chaos as it can be found in Syria. If you think revolution can only come rise from the ashes of chaos, you need to work harder in order to achieve chaos (according to international standards).

- ( Chris Wat Wing-yin ) When my daughter first posted a message to a forum about "a Hongkonger seeks pen pals," she got practically no response for the whole week. Then she added "China" to her profile. Suddenly, she got many requests from all over the world, including Slovakia, Lithuania, Croatia, Poland and Tunisia. So in the eyes of the rest of the world, Hong Kong is nothing but everything changes when Hong Kong becomes Hong Kong (China). Why are these people interested in Hong Kong (China)? What do they write to my daughter about? She said that it was mostly about daily life but many people also asked her about homework exercises. Say what? What kind of homework would a Polish girl need to ask my daughter about? "Chinese!" These are young people who are learning Chinese ( putonghua /simplified character system) in school and that is why they seek out Chinese people to become their pen pals. In this world, many people in faraway places are learning Chinese. Meanwhile in Hong Kong, some people are proud that they don't know Chinese ( putonghua /simplified character system). Good luck to the Hong Kong Nation! They don't know how insignificant they are in the world until Hong Kong leaves China. At 13 years old, my daughter found this out just by posting a message to seek pen pals.

Since independence will never be a realistic option for Hong Kong, nothing good will come out of extreme localism. This is a poison that is spreading in our body politic. But unless we can figure out a way to channel the anger and idealism of young people into fighting for more viable political goals, localism will look appealing to many of them.

But for argument’s sake, let’s say Beijing and the Hong Kong government are entirely to blame. Does it follow we should fold our arms, shake our heads and let the localists and their independence movement run berserk? It’s not in anyone’s interest to let such a movement take root in Hong Kong.

The latter are blamed for pushing people in Hong Kong towards extremism. I am not sure it’s really so simple.

Alas, too many people in Hong Kong nowadays are only too happy to make excuses for such inexcusable individuals, exploiting their misguided efforts to spite the government, Leung Chun-ying and Beijing.

They certainly deserve to be laughed off the stage. But as they say, it takes a village, that is, the whole community, to stop something like that.

But the question is, how should reasonable people respond to localist groups like this? Should they be treated like clowns or criminals?

I am no lawyer but it all sounds illegal. If you don’t recognise our constitution, how can you become a lawmaker? If you advocate violence, any number of local laws including the public order ordinance and the crimes ordinance will suffice to define a criminal offence.

“Staging marches or shouting slogans is obviously useless now. Regarding violence, we would support it if it is effective to make us heard,” Chan said.

Co-founder and former Occupy Central activist Chan Ho-tin said his party would use “whatever effective means” available to push for independence, including fielding candidates in the Legislative Council elections in September and coordinating with other pro-independence localist groups.

It’s just a matter of time. A new extreme localist group has been formed, calling itself the Hong Kong National Party. It repudiates the Basic Law, the city’s mini-constitution, seeks to establish independence for “the Republic of Hong Kong” and will use any means, including inciting violence, to achieve its goal.

- Here is the catalog of messages: "Donate more money!" "Democracy can solve all the problems!" "University students rule!" "I am your savior!" "Chicken soup of the soul!" "Yes! Yap Yat-tze fucking said David Tang said fucking whatever!" "You are the pig, not me!" "Born in a time of chaos, I am forced to eat buffet!" "It's all the fault of the government!" "America/Japan are the best! We're the worst!" "When big brother tells me to break the law, I do it immediately!"

- The share of voters for the radical Localists is fixed. More organizations coming in means greater competition. From here to September, it will be Localists attacking each other.

- ( Facebook ) When this Civic Passion member was challenged to a one-on-one fight, what does he do? He valiantly took out his telephone to call the Evil Police for help. Of course.

These Civic Passion t-shirts are being sold at $380 per piece. It is for certain that these t-shirts are not made in Hong Kong. It is most likely that they produced in China for less than $10 apiece. To not help China, the shirts can be ordered from Cambodia.

- More evidence that there is plenty of money to be made in the Hong Kong independence industry:

- Of course, the reason why they have to field a candidate for the Legislative Council elections is that the job pays $93,000 per month plus another $100,000 for staffing. By comparison, the average starting salary for a recent university graduate is only $11,000.

- There is so much preparation work that the Hong Kong National Party must perform in anticipation of Independence Day. Everything costs money (e.g. the rent for the office in the Tuen Mun industrial building), so it is time for all future Hong Kong Nation citizens to donate money to the Cause. Since the Hong Kong National Party has neither corporate registration nor bank account (because the name Hong Kong National Party contravenes the Basic Law), they will accept cash donations only. So send more money more frequently to them!

- You can't declare your overseas offices as embassies on your own. You have to establish diplomatic ties with the home countries first. What makes you think that they will risk making enemies with China?

- The assumption is often made that when the Hong Kong Nation comes into being, the first task is to immediately convert all the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices (HKETOs) into embassies. At this time, there are 12 HKETOs outside the Greater China region (in Berlin, Brussels, Geneva, Jakarta, London, New York City, San Francisco, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, and Washington DC). and eight in the Greater China Region (including one in Taiwan). Looking at this lineup, it looks like we need to set up offices in Moscow, Paris, Sao Paulo, Mexico City Johannesburg, New Dehli, Rome, Madrid, Stockholm, etc pretty soon in order to cover all the major powers.

- When the inevitable collapse of China occurs and the Hong Kong Nation comes into existence, we must be prepared to immediately form a Committee of Public Security / Revolutionary Tribunal . All existing laws should be vacated. In the interregnum, there should be a Law of 22 Prairial , which will forbid persons to employ counsel for their defense, disallow the hearing of witnesses and make death the sole penalty.

- Two types of people were entering Hong Kong at the end of this four-day Easter holiday. Firstly, they are mainland invaders. They obviously should not be allowed to come to Hong Kong and defecate/urinate in the streets/subways. Secondly, they are Hongkongers who spent their vacation in mainland China. They should not be allowed to spend their money over there. So sealing off the borders will be in the best interests of the Hong Kong Nation.

- ( TVB ) On March 28, 2016, the Immigration Department reported that more than 576,000 persons entered Hong Kong. Of these more than 170,000 entered via Lo Wu, more than 61,000 via Lok Ma Chau and another 90,000 plus through the airport. This is the reason why the people of Hong Kong are up in arms about! When the Hong Kong Nation is founded, all human traffic between borders will be halted pending studies to be performed by experts appointed by the transitional government.

- Basic Law Article 4 about "safeguarding the rights and freedoms of the citizens" shall be suspended indefinitely until as such time that all traitors and saboteurs are eradicated.

- Basic Law Article 2 about the National People's Congress will be erased. In its place will be "Article 1 of the Constitution of the Hong Kong Nation cannot be amended under any circumstance."

- After the Revolution takes place, it is likely that there will be a great deal of hardship due to the expected embargo by mainland China and their ally toadies. If a referendum/plebiscite were held, it is likely that a Chinese Reunification Party will make a clean sweep. Therefore, Article 1 of the Constitution of the Hong Kong Nation must necessarily be: "Hong Kong is an inalienable part of the Hong Kong Nation."

- The more important point is to get people to join the Hong Kong Nation. As for those who refuse to join the Hong Kong Nation, they will be judged by People's Court and declared to be Enemies of the People. It is expected that a state of emergency will exist during the first days of the Hong Kong Nation. All Enemies of the State will be interned, expelled or executed.

- It is less important to define who is a Hong Kong Nation citizen. The important thing is to persuade others to join the Hong Kong Nation. But no exceptions should be given to anyone born in mainland China or whose parents were born in mainland China. These vermin belong to the hostile invasion forces sent down here by the Chinese Communists.

- Also, your Facebook will be closely studied for Blue Ribbon tendencies which is cause for expulsion from Hong Kong.

Here are some examples of the criteria: If you attended the pro-China Pui Kiu Middle School, you will be on the list of excluded people; if you work as a policeman, you are excluded; if your retired father worked as a policeman before, you are excluded; if your wife works for the Bank of China, you are excluded; etc).

- Even if you were born in Hong Kong, you will still have to be screened based upon your personal history (e.g. your schooling, your work, your family, your associates, etc). After all, CY Leung was born in Queen Mary Hospital and studied at King's College/Polytechnic University during the British colonial era but he is not a "genuine Hongkonger."

- Why is that a problem? Just march them over to Shenzhen and let them figure out to get home (by air, sea, land, whatever).

- About seven percent of those with right of abode in Hong Kong are not of Chinese ancestry. They are Europeans, Indians, Filipinos, Indonesians, etc. Unfortunately for them, many can't pass the civics test on Hong Kong language, history and culture. We will need the support of the United Nations Security Council members (United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia, etc) to recognize the Hong Kong Nation, so their citizens will be allowed to stay if they wish even if they can't pass the civics test. But all others (such as Indians, Pakistanis, Filipinos, Indonesians, etc) will be given a short period of time (e.g. 24 hours) to pack up and go home where they belong.

- When your household income falls because some household members lost their jobs, you won't go and eat out. This means that the catering industry will be devastated. Ditto cinemas, karaokes, department stores, consumer durables, etc.

- I don't know how your economics will work. You propose to eliminate 40% of the population, most of whom are elderly people. The immediate impact is to those who cater mainly to these people. For example, you won't need so many nursing homes. So most of the nursing homes will be closed and their workers will be jobless. And when the population shrinks by 40%, the overall economy will also shrink. For example, the 7.3 million Hongkongers are served by around 30,000 licensed restaurants which earn an average of 3% profit. If the population shrinks by 40%, there are that many people eating out and therefore the restaurants can't all maintain the same revenue levels. When they become unprofitable, they will raise prices and take austerity measures (such as reducing operating hours, employee head counts, salaries and working hours). A large number of these restaurants (maybe not 40%, but 20% is plausible) will be closed and their employees jobless. This is going to happen across most economic sectors.

- Those who were born in mainland China but came before July 1 1997 are Communist infiltration agents. It is true that some of them may be genuine Hong Kong Nation people. But during a state of emergency, there won't be time to sort things out. About 30% to 40% of all Hong Kong residents were born in mainland China. The simple solution is to march them to the border and order them to walk over to the other side. If they won't move, fire machine guns into the air. If they still won't move, fire machine guns at them. They will all be gone, one way or the other. Hong Kong will be a much better place to live in. Housing prices will plummet and everyone will have at least one apartment. Food and water will be easy to find due to reduced demand. Jobs will be begging for workers and wages will go through the roof. Happy days will be here.

- Whoever wins the final battle and exterminates all enemies will get to write history. Everybody knows that.

- Well, does American history begin with Eric the Red, Christopher Columbus. the Mayflower pilgrims or the native Indians? No, American history begins with the founding of the United States of America after the War of Independence, not a moment earlier.

- ( Wikipedia ) The genuine indigenous Hong Kong people are the five families with the names, Tang, Hau, Pang, Liu and Man during the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368). These are the earliest recorded settlers of Hong Kong. It is still an open question whether the revised history of the Hong Kong Nation will begin with these aborigines or the Treaty of Nanking.

- It is not necessary to ban all these traditional dishes. We only have to rename them. For example, Peking duck becomes Tsim Sha Tsui duck, Yangchow fried rice becomes Cheung Chau fried rice, etc. See Freedom Fries for international standard operating procedure (SOP).

- Culture always starts with the cuisine. In the Hong Kong Nation, the national foods shall be curry fish balls, shumai , fried pork intestine, chicken feet, fake shark fin soup, rickshaw noodles, the mixture of coffee and milk tea, pineapple bread, etc. All the foods of the Chinese colonizers will be banned, including Peking duck, Yangchow fried rice, Guangdong roast goose, Chung King hot pot, Wan Nam rice noodles, Shanghai stir-fried thick noodles, Shan Tung dumplings, Sichuan fried wontons, Mongolian lamb, Lan Chow beef noodles, Chiu Chao marinated meats, etc.

- What requirements? Firstly, there is the language test on reading/writing traditional Chinese characters, and speaking/listening to Kong-style Cantonese (note: Canton-style Cantonese is unacceptable). Secondly, there is the new Constitution and the revised history of the Hong Kong Nation where Year Zero is 1841 .

- After the Hong Kong Nation is founded, the new immigrants (=all those who came to Hong Kong after July 1, 1997) will not automatically become Hong Kong Nation citizens. Instead they will go through special screening and subject to re-education if they fail to meet the requirements.

- When the Hong Kong Nation is founded, we must immediately start a racial cleansing campaign to get rid of all impure, inferior racial types such as new mainland Chinese immigrants and South Asians!

- The Hong Kong National Party opposes Hong Kong Basic Law Article 1, which states that Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is an inalienable part of the People's Republic of China. The reasoning is that Hong Kong began functioning as a port in 1841, which was before the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

- Chan Ho-tin graduated from Polytechnic University six months ago. He is working full-time for the Hong Kong National Party. Is there more money in political party-building than a regular job?

- ( Oriental Daily ) How do you squeeze the toothpaste out of an empty tube? The press asked Chan Ho-tin how many members were in the Hong Kong National Party. Chan beat around the bush for a while. When finally pressed to the wall, he said that they have 30 to 50 members. When asked who these people are, he eventually said that half of them are students. But he won't say what the other half is. When asked where the money comes from (for example, to rent the office at which the press conference was being held), Chan said that all their members are funders.

- ( NOW TV ) The Hong Kong National Party says that they have 30 to 50 members at this time, half of them being university students. The convener Chan Ho-tin was the convener of the Polytechnic University Concern Group For Withdrawing From The Hong Kong Federation of Students. Chan said that the Hong Kong National Party will actively think about entering the Legislative Council elections. They do not exclude the possibility of working with other Localist groups.

Political commentator Johnny Lau Yui-siu said Beijing’s condemnation was “unnecessary” because pro-independence ­ideology had not gained support in the city. “The statement would in fact drive more Hong Kong people to care about the issue of independence. They may not support it but they will think about it,” Lau said.

A government spokesman ­replied: “Any suggestion that Hong Kong should be independent or any movement to advocate such ‘independence’ is against the Basic Law, and will undermine the stability and prosperity of Hong Kong and impair the interests of the general public. The SAR government will take action according to the law.”

But the party was undeterred. It issued a statement on Wednesday saying a constitution is supposed to serve as a proclamation on how citizens are to be protected. “It is ridiculous that the citizens are accused of violating the constitution,” the party said. It also dismissed as “ridiculous” a warning on Tuesday by the Department of Justice that it might take legal action against the party. “We will not be afraid of such draconian laws. Bring it on. We will push ahead with Hong Kong independence with Hong Kong people,” the party said.

The office said the Hong Kong government would handle the matter according to the law. “We are aware that the Hong Kong SAR government has ­already rejected the party’s registration. It was a suitable action,” the office was quoted as saying.

“The establishment of a pro-independence party by an extremely small group of people in Hong Kong has harmed the country’s sovereignty and security, as well as endangered the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong,” a spokesman for the office was quoted as saying. “It has also harmed the interests of Hong Kong. It is firmly opposed by all Chinese nationals, including some seven million Hong Kong people. It is also a serious violation of the country’s constitution, Hong Kong’s Basic Law and the relevant existing laws.”

The State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office issued a strongly worded statement through the official Xinhua news agency on Wednesday, after the Hong Kong National Party ­announced its formation on Monday. It has yet to be ­registered. The party, led by former Occupy activist Chan Ho-tin, has pledged to push for independence by, for example, fielding candidates in the Legislative Council elections in September.

Beijing’s office in charge of Hong Kong affairs has slammed the establishment of a new political party advocating independence for the city as a serious violation of the country’s constitution, the Basic Law and a threat to national security.

The Chinese colonialists often used racial characteristics to distinguish among races, so that they came up with absurd ideas such as "all those with yellow skin and dark eyes are Chinese." Today in Hong Kong, some people still think that they are "Chinese" which showed that they lack consciousness of Hong Kong nationhood. In the 1980's, the Hong Kong Nation was misled by the Greater China advocates, and their "democratic return to China" actually deprived the Hong Kong Nation of the right for self-determination.

The Chinese Nation is a deformed concept for nationhood. It is a political tool used by the Chinese colonists to rule. The Manchurian Empire used territorial boundaries to muddle up the definitions of nations, using economic and military invasions, religious and cultural infiltration to transform cultures and customs and destroying the sovereignty and uniqueness of the various nations and forcing them into submission. The Chinese Communists continued with the Manchurians' colonial policies to now. China used these excuses to invade and oppress the neighboring countries. Historically Mongolia, Xinjiang and Tibet and now Hong Kong today are the victims of the Chinese Nation.

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights both have Articles that recognize the right of each nation for self-determination and that colonial imperialism is an evil act that isn't allowed by the international community. Every nation which was oppressed by colonialism, including Hong Kong, should have the right for self-determination. We support the Hong Kong Nation in order to let the world know that the Hong Kong Nation will shrug off Chinese colonization and become independent and self-sufficient.

Hongkongers do not have sovereignty and therefore cannot screen the values and cultural levels of the immigrants. Presently they are unable to block the immigrants. But any newly arrived immigrant in Hong Kong must go through a naturalization process before that meet the conditions to become part of the Hong Kong Nation. New immigrants must melt into the Hong Kong community through learning Hong Kong values and culture before they can become a member of the Hong Kong Nation.

Presently the Hong Kong Communist colonial government is using the one-way-visas and the births of infants whose parents are not Hong Kong residents to cleanse the Hong Kong Nation through a large-scale racial genetic transformation. Before the Hong Kong Nation retakes its own sovereignty, any immigrant approved by the Hong Kong Communist colonial government is an immigrant tool of the Chinese Communists.

Of course, we agree that persons of any nationality, color or race can become Hongkongers. But we must admit that non-Guangdong Chinese people are more marginal, so that they will have to spend more effort before they can be regarded as Hongkongers in practice. This reality cannot be altered in the short run, but it shows that the Hong Kong Nation has its own language and race. This can be frequently found in other nations. We believe that the nation should be restricted by race, but we also agree that a nation cannot be formed without any racial factors. We welcome persons of any race to become a member of the Hong Kong Nation by their efforts.

It is an undeniable fact that Hongkongers are Chinese people from Guangdong and their descendants. But history tells us that regional culture is inseparable from unique national characteristics. The Guangdong Chinese who were born and raised in Hong Kong will be known and regarded by the mainstream Hongkongers as more "Hongkonger" than those who speak putonghua or are non-Chinese residents.

Just holding values, culture and habits similar to Hongkongers isn't sufficient to become a member of the Hong Kong nation. The Hong Kong Nation are those who are dissatisfied with the colonial oppression of Hong Kong by China and want this oppression to stop or disappear.

He claimed the party was funded entirely by the donations of its 50-plus members, mostly university students and young activists.

“Staging marches or shouting slogans is obviously useless now. Regarding using violence, we would support it if it is effective to make us heard,” said Chan at a press conference he conducted alone on Monday at a flat in a Tuen Mun factory building.

Led by former Occupy Central activist Chan Ho-tin, the National Party will use “whatever effective means” available to push for independence, including fielding candidates in the Legislative Council elections in September and co-ordinating with other pro-independence localist groups.

Calling itself the Hong Kong National Party, the group said it would not recognise the Basic Law, the city’s mini-constitution, a stance that could have it mired in legal trouble.

A new group appearing to be at the extreme end of the localism movement is setting up a party to turn Hong Kong into an independent republic, swiftly inviting scepticism across the political divide.

In truth, the record showed the voter turnout was only 6.75% by March 20; on March 24, almost 900 persons voted and pushed the total to several dozen votes past the threshold.

However, the votes came about only because the student union pulled a number of tricks. On March 20, the Student Union said that they will have evening voting hours "at the request of certain members." Also the referendum was supposed to be held on nine days (March 11-23 minus Saturdays and Sundays) but they suddenly announced that voting will take place on March 24 too "so that more members can vote." On the evening of March 24, voting was extended 30 minutes past the stated deadline due to "technical problems." This kind of unscheduled "extra time" is even more amazing that the "Ferguson extra minutes" that are routinely given to Manchester United when the team is behind.

Recently the CUHK Student Union held another referendum. 17% of the students voted and that was more than the 16.66% (=2,816 votes) threshold so that all four motions were passed at approval rates between 54% to 97%.

- ( Wen Wei Po ) March 27, 2016. In February, the Chinese University of Hong Kong Student Union held a referendum on "the Chief Executive automatically becoming the Chancellor" and "increasing the representation ratio of staff/teachers/students on the board of directors". However the project was ruled invalid due to improper arrangements. Although 24% of the students voted, it was pointed out that the ballots were incorrectly printed and the voter identity was not recorded.

- Digression: How do you reconcile this photo of people trying to go from Hong Kong through the Futian Border Crossing into China with all the talk about the People of Hong Kong don't want China? - Hongkongers go to mainland China even though they know that: (1) you can't buy anything because everything is fake (2) you can't eat food or drink water because everything is poisoned (3) you can't find any entertainment because the place and its people are so backwards (4) you may find your body organs stolen (5) you have no freedom of speech (6) you are monitored by the Public Security Bureau the whole time (7) you cannot access Facebook (8) ...

- HKU Council chairman Arthur Li met with "elite" students and made the comment that while he does not oppose teachers and staff members being involved in politicking, he said that it was wrong to hold a press conference during the school week. Why? Because it means that that teachers and staff members are taking time off from their regular business to engage in extracurricular activities. He must be referring to next Tuesday's press conference ...

- The students don't have any proposals, because they are less concerned about the means than the ends -- they don't care who is on the council as long as it votes according to what the students want. In other words, they want domination.

- In society at large, it is commonsense to say that the universities are receiving huge amounts of public funding and therefore they must be subject to oversight from the outside. So it will never be allowed to have the university councils/trustee boards be dominated by teachers, staff members and students. What is left unresolved is where these outside council members and trustees are supposed to come from.

- "Institutional autonomy" takes two steps. The first step is the negation of the status quo in which the Chief Executive can appoint a number of of trustees and council members. Once the Chief Executive is out of the picture, who becomes the Chancellor? Who appoints the trustees and council members? There is no constructive proposal from anyone so far on this second step, because everybody knows that any proposal will be shot down by somebody or the other.

- ( Apple Daily ) The organization of this referendum is inconsistent across the institutions. At Chinese University of Hong Kong, the staff association set up two street booths (at the train station and by the cafeteria) operating during 8:00am-9:30am, 12n-2pm and 5pm-7pm. Student volunteers handed out leaflets to promote the referendum. At University of Science and Technology, Institute of Education and Baptist University, there are no booths and all voting is done over the Internet. At Baptist University, the only promotion is through posters on Democracy Wall and email.

And they are not going to hold any more of these Extraordinary General Meetings because of the backlash over the waste of time and money.

- Deep down inside, of course, everybody knows that the response was tepid. Even supporters are embarrassed by the organizers using such headlines in their press release. It also means that voter turnout will be even worse the next time. Just take a look at the referenda organized by the Hong Kong University Alumni Concern Group:

- A 17.2% voting rate? That is an improvement over the 17.1% voting for the 2010 mini-referendum ! Democracy is on the march to victory!

- And this is Ming Pao: More than 4,000 university teachers voted 90% agree to eliminate Chief Executive as Chancellor. - The Ming Pao person who wrote this must be still asleep at the time. The voters were teachers AND staff members who don't necessarily teach. The two motions do not include stopping the Chief Executive from becoming the Chancellor automatically. Wake up, already!

- Most of the newspapers took dictation from the organizers' press release. For example, Hong Kong Economic Times' title is: "Referendum on institutional autonomy": More than 90% of university teachers/staff members agreed to abolish the Chief Exeuctive's powers to make appointments. - At least, HKET put "Referendum on institutional autonomy" in quotes to show some reservation. - The two tables inside the HKET report conveniently leave out the base total. That is, you cannot deduce the voting turnout.

- 17.2% voted of which 92.0% voted for the motion. What is the headline? "92.0% voted for the motion."

The voting in this referendum can be done by one of two methods. Electronic voting requires the staff association to first send a invitation to which the staff member must provide staff ID and other personal information to confirm before registration is complete for voting. However, Hong Kong University declined to provide the email file to the staff association on privacy grounds. Therefore the HKU staff association had to use their own sources to send out the invitations. Individual staff members complained that they received these invitations without asking and have questions about where the senders obtained their email addresses from. The other voting method is to appear in person at the voting booth, present ID and cast the ballot.

The organizers declared that the approval rates were more than 90% across all the universities. This proves that the opinions of the teachers and staff members are "clear and consistent" across the universities. They said that they intend to hold a press conference next Tuesday about these results.

The staff associations at the eight universities held a joint referendum over three days. Today, they announced the results. out of 26,332 qualified teachers and staff members, 4520 voted at a rate of 17.2%. On the motion to "abolish the powers of the Chief Executive to appoint the university trustees/council members", 92% voted for. On the motion to "increase the ratio of representation of popularly elected teachers, staff members, graduate students and undergraduate students in the board of trustees/councils, 94% voted for.

Oddly enough, the Occupy Central instigators and the other principals have not gotten their day in court as yet. Meanwhile someone is already making a scare story out of some demonstrably false old information. Could it be that some people needed to raise the level of "character assassination" against the Chief Executive because they are interested in entering the election too?

The politician said that the particular Internet media outlet is moronic. If CY Leung wanted a bloody suppression, he would not have to wait for 79 days. Because Occupy Central was dragging on, certain Hong Kong media complained that the government response was too weak and they demand clearance by use of force. If the Hong Kong people and the Central Government both wanted clearance and this Chief Executive wanted to carry out a bloody suppression, he would not have to wait so long for the Occupy people to disperse on their own.

With respect to the Joseph Sung interview, he did not spell out what "sacrifice" refers to. Does it mean sacrificing their studies? Sacrificing their time? Or sacrificing their lives? Even if it is the latter, how did the Internet media outlet deduce that CY Leung wanted to do so? Logically the deduction is untenable. But in so doing, the Internet media outlet is doing "character assassination" on CY Leung as well as Joseph Sung.

I checked with a politician who is familiar with Hong Kong as well as the mainland. He said that some media outlets reported during the Occupy Central period that the central government was going to send troops out to deal with it. They even spelled out that those PLA soldiers will be coming from the Guangzhou military district. However, this person heard a different version: At the time, CY Leung guaranteed that the Hong Kong Police can handle the matter and he asked the central government to wait patiently for the HK SAR government to deal with it. CY Leung had the trust of the central government, and no PLA troops were sent. In the end, the PLA never came and Occupy Central was dispersed peacefully.

An Internet media outlet immediately seized on this to come up with their exclusive report titled: "One word in Joseph Sung's interview disclosed that Chief Executive CY Leung wanted bloody suppression of Occupy Movement." Where is the evidence?

Previously CUHK vice-chancellor Joseph Sung spoke to Ta Kung Pao. Sung spoke about his feelings when he went down to the Occupy Central site in October 2014: "... at the time, our only thoughts is that these students are like our children. We don't want to see anyone hurt, even sacrificed ..."

News coordinator Fung Wai-kwong recently said that Chief Executive CY Leung is facing "character assassination" by the opposition on a daily basis. Commentators made fun of this effort to protect his master. But here is an example of what this "character assassination" can be.

When the sun rises up tomorrow, can we stop having these intangible matters that have not happened or cannot possibly happen? Please?

As for Hong Kong independence, it is summarized as: If they want to be idiotic, why do you have to be idiotic with them too? The Castle Peak Psychiatric Hospital patient wants Earth to become independent of the solar system. Are we going to conduct a feasibility study?

CY Leung has given no indication that he is interested in a second term. He is like someone who hasn't entered the Miss Hong Kong pageant, but every day people are debating whether she is beautiful or not? Elegant or not? Composed or not? Suitable to be crowned Miss Hong Kong or not? Don't you think that this is absurd?

Whether someone supports CY Leung for a second term as Chief Executive, and whether they support Hong Kong independence share the same answer: It is a waste of time to talk about it.

Isn't this bothersome? Isn't this boring? Isn't this annoying? Is there really nothing new under the sun? Do these questions have to be repeated again and again day after day? Clearly the reporters are waiting for somebody to make a mistake, or for somebody to lose patience and blurt out something straight. That is what news is made of.

In Hong Kong, every time that CY Leung, John Tsang, Regina Ip Lau, Jasper Tsang, Starry Lee etc show up, the reporters will ask them again; when Rita Fan, Tam Wai-chu, Elsie Leung, Chan Chi-shi, Ambrose Lee show up in Beijing, the reporters will ask them again; even at company shareholders' meetings where Li Ka-shing, Li Siu-kei, Ng Kwong-ching and Chan Kai-chung show up, the reporters are still asking them these things.

"What is your view on young people today? What is your view on the Mong Kok riot? ..."

"Recently some people are advocating Hong Kong independence? Do you approve or disapprove Hong Kong independence? Do you think that Hong Kong can become independent? But some people say that it is possible? ..."

"What you think about John Tsang as Chief Executive? Somebody says that the Central Government has anointed our Secretary for Finance already? Have you heard that?"

"What do you think of CY Leung's performance? Do you support him for a second term? Do you think that the Central Government supports him for a second term?"

Nowadays no matter where or whom, as you as you finish speaking, the reporters will fire rapid questions at you:

Are the Hong Kong media sick? Are the Hong Kong reporters losing their minds? Why else are they reiterating the same mumbo-jumbo every day?

- ( HKG Pao ) Each year TVB's news department hires mainland student interns. But these interns are not taking over the positions of local Hong Kong students, because the former will be with the putonghua news programs while the latter are with the Cantonese news programs. Generally speaking, local Hong Kong student interns won't be able to speak putonghua flawlessly. Furthermore, the putonghua audience are liable to call in to complain if the intern speaks atrocious putonghua !

- The Heritage Foundation ranked Hong Kong as the top 'country' in the world on its 2016 index of economic freedom. But what economic freedom is there if TVB's decision to hire a summer intern has to be approved by a special interest group, the Hong Kong Journalists Association? PLEASE!

- I consider it a far worst suppression of freedom of press if TVB's decision to hire a summer intern has to be approved by Organization X.

- Regular workers are obviously more important than the interns in turns of producing news. Why stop at full disclosure of the intern-hiring decisions? We want full disclosure on the hiring of all workers at all the media organizations in Hong Kong!

- What is an intern? The TV news broadcast hostess says that she needs coffee before the show goes on and the intern rushes over to fetch her a cup. That intern isn't going to change the lead story on 6:30pm news. Please do not equate intern hiring with freedom of press.

- TVB has several hundred people in its new department. They are hiring eight interns for the summer to assist their regular workers and to learn from that experience. Perhaps some day these interns might be hired after they graduate, or perhaps not. Get real!

- This is the same issue with the case of Johannes Chan, an applicant for the pro vice-chancellor of academic staffing and resources. If the university made a full disclosure of his entire C.V. plus all the comments from the referees and peers, many relations and careers may be broken.

Now the point is not so much whether you would choose Candidate #1 over Candidate #2 or vice versa. The point is that the lives of both candidates will be ruined forever afterwards when the data dump at this level is done. This is a serious violation of the privacy of the candidates. When they came in for the interview, they never expect everything will be posted on the Internet. You don't really want FULL DISCLOSURE, or else nobody is ever going to apply for internship again.

Q. (in English) I have doubts whether you can understand my articulations on this particular issue as they involve certain complex considerations of socio-cultural issues. A. (in English) I believe that your statement is a test of my grasp of the English language and my ability to respond in such situations. I assure you that this is totally unnecessary.

Q. Would you feel comfortable interviewing someone in English? A. Why not? At my university, most of the journalism are taught by foreigners using English. Our students are all supposed to be multi-lingual.

Q. How do you communicate with your friends? Whatsapp? WeChat? A. If I have to communicate with someone, I will use whatever suits them. I can use Whatsapp and I can use WeChat. Whatever they prefer. The communication medium is only a means. The message itself is the ends.

Q. Do you have a Weibo? If so, what's it about? A. Indeed I do. On my Weibo, I talk about my personal experiences as a mainland student in Hong Kong. I have a following of about 20,000 individuals at this time. I will only post what I believe is useful or interesting to others. People say that while my posts are infrequent, they appreciate the thoughtfulness.

Q. Do you have a Facebook account? If so, please describe what you typically post on? A. Indeed I do. Every student at the university has a Facebook page, and we are all involved in various special interest groups. My personal Facebook is a collection of the big world news stories. I find that maintaining such a Facebook forces me to keep up with what is going around the world. Unlike my peers, I am not interested in posting about myself.

Q. What do think about the unlicensed cooked food vendors in Hong Kong? Should they be allowed to operate? A. Hmm. As an outsider with no detailed knowledge, I don't have any positions. Here is what I know off the top of my head. On one hand, people should be allowed to make a living without unnecessary restrictions. On the other hand, unlicensed and uninspected vendors seem to pose certain risks to public health and safety. This is not a Hong Kong-only problem, as the situations exist all around the world, whether it is my hometown Suzhou or wherever else. In the end, it depends on the particular details.

Q. Tell me about Yiwu . What, if anything, do you know? A. Hmm. That's interesting. Yiwu is a medium-sized city in Zhejiang province, but it has assumed mythic status in China as the city of trades. I have not been there yet, but this is one of the places that I mark down as one that I must visit. If you haven't been to Yiwu, you can't understand China.

Q. With your university entrance exam marks, you would have been accepted by all the top universities in China. Why did you choose to come to study in Hong Kong? A. I had lived in China all my life. What is the point of more of the same? I wanted to see what the rest of the world was like and experience the lives of others. Hong Kong is a midway point, because it is still Chinese enough not to be completely exotic.

Q. On your resumé, you claim to know French. How did that come about? A. My father is a university professor in linguistics. He told me that the French language sounds very much like the Suzhou dialect that I grew up with. Therefore I decided to study French as an elective. It is always good to open up your eyes to look at the rest of the world.

Q. (in English) And I decline to make any response to any further questions at this time as I feel that you are maligning my character. A. Eh ... (in Cantonese) I think that it is totally unfair for you to spring some English on me like this.

Q. Would you feel comfortable interviewing someone in English? A. Well ... I don't think that will come to pass. TVB Jade is a Cantonese-language station. There is no reason to interview in English. If it has to be, then I am confident that I can read off the questions according to the script.

Q. Do you use WeChat? A. What for!? This is Hong Kong. Everybody uses Whatsapp.

Q. Why not? A. Because I don't know anyone who uses Weibo. And I don't know how to read or write in simplified Chinese characters. Besides I hear that everything on Weibo are lies. Why should I bother?

Q. Do you have a personal Facebook page? What do you write about? A. Of course, every Joe has a personal Facebook page. I love to write about what I eat. I post pictures of every dish at every meal that I eat. I want to make a total record of everything that I eat.

Q. What do think about the unlicensed cooked food vendors in Hong Kong? Should they be allowed to operate? A. The cooked food vendors represent a way of life in Hong Kong and they must be allowed to operate without interference from those government bureaucrats.

Q. What is the difference between Qianhai and Hengqin ? A. Eh. I don't know. They may something to do with places in Shenzhen. I don't know.

Q. ... only if you get this internship? A. Eh ... I am not sure. It depends.

Q. You are a Hongkonger. Do you have a Home Visit Permit to visit China? A. I don't have one. I have never applied for one because I have never thought about going there. But I am willing to apply for one if I get this internship.

Q. Many others of your generation choose to study overseas (United States, England, Australia, etc). Why did you choose to stay in Hong Kong? A. Because this is the place that I have known all my life. I love Hong Kong and I want to be here forever.

So what if on the next day, TVB uploads the particulars of all candidates, plus the video interviews. Here are some samples that I made up:

First, TVB issues a statement to the effect that it hire interns on the basis of the best talents from among the pool of