161–169 of 169 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is how extradition cases are heard everywhere (including Hong Kong, which has extradition treaties with several countries) They are not trials. They are meant to decide whether the person should be extradited following a request to do so from another country.
Yes, except extradition assumes they will have a fair trial. Which is where the problem lies.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Making simplistic caricatures won't help the cause. There is a constitutional path towards having these demands discussed off the street, but some people have no respect for process while denouncing the same of the other side. "My way or the high way." No sympathy for either side.
Is there? Because as far as I can tell, the protesters believe that they are under foreign occupation. And I tend to side with them? “Constitutional path”? Hong Kongs self rule has been gradually eroded since 1997.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
They had that chance in 2014, but rejected all compromise or incremental improvement.
Elections aren't free if you can only vote for candidates that have the government's blessing.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Hong Kong is a matter of national security to China. Something countries go to wars till the last man over. So what you mentioned is nothing, China has a lot more goodies in the bag. Here's one: Granting pardons or giving immunity to top criminal gangs as a long as they kill xxx revolt leaders.
Hong Kong is viewed as a matter of national security to China. The only way it threatens the "national security" of China is by opening the door for people to question the goodness and wisdom of the Communist Party.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Have they tried doing an improvised vote? Even just among protesters, too see what the level of support for certain positions is? I genuinely don't know. Regarding being allowed to vote, the Hong Kong government is certainly taking a hardliner stance, but I'm not sure whether they could justify it to themselves to criminalize stuffing a piece of paper into a ballot box.
Are you aware that people officially voted for pro independence representatives and those representatives were dismissed for being insulting to China? https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jul/14/hong-kong-pro-...
Earlier quoted context omitted.
You are being way too charitable. The five demands materialized out of one demand ("don't rush the bill") after Carrie Lam made a concession to suspend the bill. Middle-of-the-road concessions are not what the protestors are looking for now, if they ever were. Indeed they have indicated a strategy to use this moment to extract the maximal concession. That's a fairly extremist position that is probably unwise, and lea…
> concession to suspend the bill Suspending the bill with the implication of rushing it through when the protests have ended is not a concession, merely a move achieve PRC goals more quietly. Protesters have recognized and called it out as such. The fact that you don't seem to know that makes your statements suspect.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Luckily, for their own sake the people of Hong Kong aren't cowardly and acquiescing to the loss of their freedom. Letting China get away with dominating Hong Kong isn't going to do them 1 tiny iota of good long term, if they ever hope to make a stand, the time is now.
> Luckily, for their own sake the people of Hong Kong aren't cowardly and acquiescing to the loss of their freedom. Luckily how? They’re going to lose. If they want freedom they’re going to have to leave China for it, emigrate. All the protest isn’t going to buy them victory. The CPC isn’t going to allow Hong Kong to publicly defeat it; that would be domestically politically disruptive. They’d rather abrogate the one…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Elections aren't free if you can only vote for candidates that have the government's blessing.
Ask the question whether CE being elected with more direct votes is a better or worse outcome than now. There is an element in HK that only has one possibility in mind, ending up with nothing. That's called extremism.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
His point stands when you compare the streets of the major cities to the onslaught of Western propaganda that ignores everyday life. Propaganda against "communism" which just isn't there. A large portion of the lawmakers in Beijing are industrialists.
Can you point to some representative examples of that onslaught of Western propaganda against communism in China?