Live data from Hacker News

Hong Kong Airport shuts down as protesters take over

news.rthk.hk

81–90 of 169 posts

Re: Hong Kong Airport shuts down as protesters take over

#81

HKIA is the critical lifeline of Hong Kong, the economy is already suffering, i think its matter of time before PLA gets involved. I'm very concerned for Hong Kong and its people.

What could force possibly accomplish? Do you think an economy would operate after you massacre thousands? Do you think people would show up to work? They could sack the city, guaranteeing no money would come out of it. If it’s profit they want then they will need to bend, not break.

Re: Hong Kong Airport shuts down as protesters take over

#82

I am a mainland-born Chinese who studied in the US and have been living in HK for over a decade. Just want to share what I saw recently: an overwhelming majority of Chinese people who grew up in mainland, regardless of where they live and work now, disapprove of the HK protesters' activities. Many mainland Chinese living in HK, who were largely not interested in politics in the past, have started donating money to pr…

I'd counter there're three reasons for the strong response from the general public of HK.

1. The suppression tactics used by the HK police affects both protesters and non-protesters.

Hong Kong is a very high density place. There was a recent incident where HK police threw tear gas in a residential district in Tai Wai; another one in Shum Shui Po. Let's say I'm not a protester and I live in some high density apartment complex nearby - I get gassed anyway. If I have someone with respiratory issues in my home it could be life threatening.

2. Triads are involved in protester suppressions

These people are lawless. If you appear in the wrong place at the wrong time, you get beaten, or worse, sliced. Again, this concerns both protesters and the general public.

3. The government is breaking the rule of law

It is one thing for some protesters to break laws, but it's quite another thing for the government to do it. It means the government is not keeping the peace and let everyday people carry on with their lives. Which again, concerns a lot of people who were originally not protesters.

Hong Kong is a different case from mainland China, because Hong Kong is a small place. If something bad happens in Causeway Bay, it's very close to home if you're in Wan Chai. Mass protests and crackdowns also happen in China. But let's say it happens in Beijing, it doesn't really concern you if you're in Suzhou or Xi'an.

Re: Hong Kong Airport shuts down as protesters take over

#83
post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is very interesting, but what does it have to do with the CIA?

Looks like an operation that CIA assisted in spiriting away protesters from the 1989 Tiananmen square massacre. The reader is expected to see that article and see that the CIA took some action in HK in the 90s and come to the conclusion that because they helped protesters to flee the country in the 90s they are behind the current protests by inference. I personally see a coincidence or red herring.

Do you claim that the establishment of precedent has no value in increasing the plausibility of a claim?

Re: Hong Kong Airport shuts down as protesters take over

#84

So far China has been extremely calm and restrained itself from doing anything premature and yet they are being portrayed as the absolute worst people. On the other hand there are governments like the US which immediately respond with military action even in countries where people protest which have nothing to do with the US and they are being portrayed as the heroes. It's funny how the HK protests and the immense me…

> governments like the US (...) are being portrayed as the heroes.

Where, exactly? Please demonstrate who and where is the US portrayed as a hero by more than a handful of non-Americans.

Re: Hong Kong Airport shuts down as protesters take over

#85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How are the ringleaders surviving? Not a lot of bank to made protesting I suspect. I resent the claim tho that my comment supports the "general narrative" - I explicitly disavow the Chinese regime as authoritarian that "deserves comeuppance". I'll add here that I think the protesters have a genuine cause that deserves support. I do, however, think that the CIA, the U.S. and the west generally - doesn't actually give…

Do you really think that a protest movement with such widespread support has leaders that need to be supported financially somehow by the CIA?

I'll grant that in these days of crowdfunding etc... your counter has more plausibility than it would have in days past.

Re: Hong Kong Airport shuts down as protesters take over

#86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In response to the protests, the government line has been to continue to stall and to claim that everything happening in Hong Kong is magically just the result of foreign interference by actors like the CIA, that way they don't have to actually listen to their own people, they can just plug their ears and say lalalalala the CIA did it all. This comment appears to support that general narrative, so I suspect people ar…

How are the ringleaders surviving? Not a lot of bank to made protesting I suspect. I resent the claim tho that my comment supports the "general narrative" - I explicitly disavow the Chinese regime as authoritarian that "deserves comeuppance". I'll add here that I think the protesters have a genuine cause that deserves support. I do, however, think that the CIA, the U.S. and the west generally - doesn't actually give…

My apologies for painting with too broad a brush. I do believe that the same sort of people who downvoted the original comment jumped to the same conclusion I did, which was that your comment was intended to support the government line about foreign interference and function as a distracting debate rather than commenting on the merits and effects of the HK protests.

I personally think the CIAs involvement is limited to none, completely without evidence and fueled by optimisim that the HK protesters are doing all this completely by and for their own people.

Re: Hong Kong Airport shuts down as protesters take over

#87

I am a mainland-born Chinese who studied in the US and have been living in HK for over a decade. Just want to share what I saw recently: an overwhelming majority of Chinese people who grew up in mainland, regardless of where they live and work now, disapprove of the HK protesters' activities. Many mainland Chinese living in HK, who were largely not interested in politics in the past, have started donating money to pr…

May I ask you why you are against the protests? Also would you support the CCP making a public statement taking a step back and agreeing to listen to the protesters' concerns?

Cannot speak for OP but my Chinese mainland friends do not condone of the protests because they simply do not want to rock the boat in any way. Just live life, make money (preferably lots of it, so expensive brands can be bought), raise a family, help your neighbor. Let the gov run the country and keep your interests and discussions out of it. They believe HK will be a better, easier, more organized and more peaceful place when it joins the motherland. Normal people will be able to get houses again as the gov will redistribute them and life will be organized; no need for all this noise and violence.

Re: Hong Kong Airport shuts down as protesters take over

#88
post #43

The new protests happened because a new round of violence from the HK Police, towards both protesters and people unrelated to protests. e.g. Firing less-lethal rounds directly at head level, causing permanent blindness https://www.reddit.com/r/HongKong/comments/cowgje/a_female_p... e.g. Planting evidence into protester's backpack https://www.reddit.com/r/HongKong/comments/coypg7/police_put... e.g. Firing tear gas in…

I will add that there is now suspicion of police infiltrating protest to start violent clash: https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1474213-20190812.h... I wouldn't be very surprise if it was the case as it is often a tactic use, even in our western democracies, to justify stronger and more violent police operation and also tarnish the image of the protest.

> justify stronger and more violent police operation and also tarnish the image of the protest.

Agent provocateurs. And, yes, that's exactly what they're doing.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_provocateur

Re: Hong Kong Airport shuts down as protesters take over

#89

I am a mainland-born Chinese who studied in the US and have been living in HK for over a decade. Just want to share what I saw recently: an overwhelming majority of Chinese people who grew up in mainland, regardless of where they live and work now, disapprove of the HK protesters' activities. Many mainland Chinese living in HK, who were largely not interested in politics in the past, have started donating money to pr…

May I ask you why you are against the protests? Also would you support the CCP making a public statement taking a step back and agreeing to listen to the protesters' concerns?

Regarding the second question, I felt humiliated by the protestors' vandalism on the Chinese flag and emblem, which are symbols of our national identity. If my government ended up making concessions to the protestors' demand, it would be a hard pill for me to swallow.

Re: Hong Kong Airport shuts down as protesters take over

#90

So far China has been extremely calm and restrained itself from doing anything premature and yet they are being portrayed as the absolute worst people. On the other hand there are governments like the US which immediately respond with military action even in countries where people protest which have nothing to do with the US and they are being portrayed as the heroes. It's funny how the HK protests and the immense me…

Why would mainland China do anything? They have complete control over HK and plan on doing what they did in 2014: waiting. In the default case they win and they know it. If everyone in HK knows this too and wants change the protests will continue to grow in size until mainland China has to come to the table.

Edit: also proposing that anything other than believing a stretch conspiracy qualifies as “naiveté” is a waste of typing. People will come to their own conclusions, as you clearly have.

Post reply on HN