Students, Tear Gas, and Masks: Today's Hong Kong Extradition Protests in 42 Tweets

Photo taken by Chung-wah Chow of the protest in Hong Kong today before police cracked down

The march in Hong Kong two days ago against a proposed extradition bill was not the end.

Today in Hong Kong people continued to protest. Today in Hong Kong the police responded with tear gas and more.

Below is a series of selected tweets covering a variety of topics regarding the protests that I shared after checking into Twitter this afternoon. They are presented here in the order I shared them, not the order in which the tweets originally occurred, with the exception of the first two since they provide overviews of what has motivated then protests. As usual, if you are viewing this post through an RSS reader and the images, videos, or referenced tweets don't tweets appear, try viewing the original post.

The last tweet was made not long before publishing this post. As it indicates, the protests haven't ended. What will happen next isn't at all clear.

If you’re looking for a primer on why hundreds of thousands of people are demonstrating in Hong Kong, check out this thread 👇 https://t.co/PCVtsAtVXz

— Megha Rajagopalan (@meghara) June 12, 2019

Also a very good overview and analysis of the current Hong Kong protests, with some recent history to provide more context—this piece by @benjaminbland at @bopinion. https://t.co/x1duW3w3ze

— Maura Cunningham 马丽娜 (@mauracunningham) June 12, 2019

Long video thread documenting the anti extradition law protests going on in Hong Kong today.... https://t.co/NzXf0eClXH

— BenjaminRobertson李博岳 (@BMMRobertson) June 12, 2019

I havn't posted anything on WeChat except this one image, with a caption "tear gas". Friends in China tell me they cannot see my post. #censorshiptech pic.twitter.com/S5HqcaihdI

— SJ (@SijiaJ) June 12, 2019

Multiple tear gas rounds fired towards the backs of retreating crowd, almost sparking a panic. Credit to all the protesters for keeping calm while being overcome by tear gas. pic.twitter.com/Pw6Uu3HcLA

— Antony Dapiran (@antd) June 12, 2019

Enraged Lawmaker Charles Mok argues with police on disrespecting the legislature: “This is Legco! Do you think you’re the boss here? ... you’re beating up Hongkongers!” #HongKong #ExtradictionBill #HongKongProtests pic.twitter.com/LwLfZY43Qn

— Naomi Ng 吳家殷 (@ngnaomi) June 12, 2019

#LIVE: Hong Kong police chief has just declared the clashes a riot. That declaration will carry serious implications for anyone arrested. https://t.co/fpKl8rH1bn #extraditionbill

— SCMP News (@SCMPNews) June 12, 2019

He added that protesters would experience “regret the rest of their lives if they did not stop,” but there was no need - at the moment - to declare a state of emergency or curfew. Photo: @appledaily_hk
Full coverage: https://t.co/kmLJLFCnSX #NoToChinaExtradition pic.twitter.com/vmTe4cnr8j

— Hong Kong Free Press (@HongKongFP) June 12, 2019

Some #extraditionbill observations:
1. Super young protesters
2. Leaderless but very organised
3. Unlike #OccupyHK, they‘re v cautious to protect their identities with face masks & reluctant to give their full names - prolly bc what happened to the young activists over years pic.twitter.com/Yps0btPaw2

— Jeffie Lam (@jeffielam) June 12, 2019

#HongKong's largest teachers' union has just declared it's launching a territory-wide school strike#NoExtraditionToChina

— Yuen Chan (@xinwenxiaojie) June 12, 2019

Pepper spray hurts, but these young protesters keep hanging around; there are still thousands here blocking a major road artery. “If I don’t come out this time, there is no next time,” one of them told me. pic.twitter.com/tanR0tHqiJ

— Mike Ives (@mikeives) June 12, 2019

Me: Are you closed?
Apple staff: We are closed.
Me: When will you re-open.
Apple: We are closed for the day.
4:15 pm.
Stores closing at Hong Kong’s IFC mall as #AntiExtraditionBill protests continue. pic.twitter.com/9vpaywEo6k

— 🚶🏻Curtis S. Chin (@CurtisSChin) June 12, 2019

More scenes from retailers closing at IFC Mall in Hong Kong at 4:15 pm. Clearly an #economic toll is beginning as HK government seeks to push thru an #extraditionbill & speed #onecountryonesystem #AntiExtraditionBill @cherykang @fion_li @SCMPNews @HongKongFP @endacurran pic.twitter.com/BjP1vW4GjM

— 🚶🏻Curtis S. Chin (@CurtisSChin) June 12, 2019

1000s of bottles of water and sodium chloride for treating tear gas victiums, thousands of construction helmets, miles of cling film to cover exposed arms, all ferried person to person to the front line. Saw a guy at lunch handing out maybe 200 burgers from Maccy Ds from a box.

— Mike Bird (@Birdyword) June 12, 2019

Brawl now pic.twitter.com/MLgPkOnHmx

— Mike Ives (@mikeives) June 12, 2019

Tear gas surrounds demonstrators carrying umbrellas as they clash with police outside Hong Kong's government HQ #ExtraditionBill #香港 #反送中 pic.twitter.com/s7e0C6S3OK

— TicToc by Bloomberg (@tictoc) June 12, 2019

“Special conditions” and “large scale activities” in Hong Kong today mean cross border buses from Shenzhen are being rerouted. It’s incredible that Shenzhen is only a 14 minute train ride from HK yet almost everyone I’ve spoken to here in SZ doesn’t know what is going on pic.twitter.com/foK2uixG4n

— Sue-Lin Wong 黄淑琳 (@suelinwong) June 12, 2019

The scene descended to chaos as the police move on the protestors. #ExtraditionLaw #HongKong pic.twitter.com/0Gy38xlrIo

— Katherine Li (@Katherineli1997) June 12, 2019

British consulate opens door to protesters needing sanctuary. #HongKong #antiELAB

Other consulates should do the same, immediately. pic.twitter.com/tdNF5XitqX

— Adam Ni (@adam_ni) June 12, 2019

So much tear gas was used by Hong Kong riot police that commuters waiting at nearby subway stations and people in shopping malls were coughing and tearing up, and many sought medical attention https://t.co/11vfkcurTe

— The New York Times (@nytimes) June 12, 2019

Ice cream break #hongkongextraditionlaw #hongkongprotest pic.twitter.com/Gex98Srd5A

— Hannah Dormido (@hannahdormido) June 12, 2019

Hong Kong police have just fired tear gas on protesters who demand the withdrawal of the #ExtraditionBill

TicToc's @JosieWonghk is there #香港 #反送中 pic.twitter.com/Q4C7ls66Of

— TicToc by Bloomberg (@tictoc) June 12, 2019

Powerful quote that shows how the motivations of the protestors in HK today go far beyond the extradition bill. https://t.co/z41aNc8thS

— Sui-Lee Wee 黄瑞黎 (@suilee) June 12, 2019

pic.twitter.com/ean6ZgOlsN

— Nathan VanderKlippe (@nvanderklippe) June 12, 2019

Tear-gassed and pepper-sprayed out of Admiralty, protesters close streets of Central. pic.twitter.com/97nZXvH1cy

— Sheridan Prasso (@SheridanAsia) June 12, 2019

There is usually never a line at the train ticketing machines. Judging from an overheard convo, it appears that people are reluctant to use their rechargeable Octopus cards for fear of leaving a paper trail of them having been present at the protest. pic.twitter.com/s1rsgSnCqL

— Mary Hui (@maryhui) June 12, 2019

"We're afraid of having our data tracked," one female protester told me.

She said that this ticket-buying was't as prevalent during the 2014 Umbrella Movement. Five years on, however, people are more wary & aware.

— Mary Hui (@maryhui) June 12, 2019

A quirk of history: it used to be too humiliating for China to even ask for extraditions from Hong Kong. How the tide has changed with the passing of time. It would unquestionably be an embarrassment for China if the extradition bill were shelved now. https://t.co/NDHb7KNA8M

— Mary Hui (@maryhui) June 10, 2019

Hong Kong protests on the front page of Wednesday's New York Times Live coverage here https://t.co/t86Q43LG4u pic.twitter.com/Yf1j5epy18

— Austin Ramzy (@austinramzy) June 12, 2019

Asked if she will withdraw the #ExtraditionBill, Carrie Lam said as a mother, she cannot budge every time her son demands something #HongKong https://t.co/nO92qsIy0o

— RTHK English News (@rthk_enews) June 12, 2019

Central is occupied right now, full of people checking their phones, trying to figure out what is happening. Teams are giving out water and bread. pic.twitter.com/aCmvJmiTL5

— Louisa Lim (@limlouisa) June 12, 2019

Earlier inside Pacific Place shopping mall in Admiralty as #extraditionbill protest continues into evening. (courtesy of witness there) #HongKong

Police Fire Tear Gas, Rubber Bullets at Hong Kong ‘Riot Situation’ https://t.co/gwRbD0AhqQ @bpolitics @tictoc pic.twitter.com/NtreEhlxV9

— Fion Li (@fion_li) June 12, 2019

“A person residing in the U.S.—or any country that has an extradition agreement with Hong Kong—could technically be transferred from the city to mainland China, according to Jerome Cohen, a law professor at New York University.” https://t.co/RyOKe6U7MS

— Muyi Xiao (@muyixiao) June 12, 2019

Some incredible photojournalism by @LamYikFei for @nytimes of the Hong Kong extradition protests. https://t.co/pbtYxMpgv9

— Andrew Peng (@TheAPJournalist) June 12, 2019

New barricades are being erected. The occupation does not appear to have dispersed, just moved further into the CBD. pic.twitter.com/Br6TwjFV2f

— Louisa Lim (@limlouisa) June 12, 2019

The view in Central tonight. pic.twitter.com/n6lakjvpY8

— Louisa Lim (@limlouisa) June 12, 2019

What a timing?! Telegram is the key plateform for #HongKong #antiELAB protest organisers. https://t.co/dSBVnX3AXv

— Adam Ni (@adam_ni) June 12, 2019

When you're joining the revolution but also need to prepare for your math test. #HongKong #NoToChinaExtradition #extraditionbill pic.twitter.com/f9xSog9uDm

— Christopher McCandless 🇫🇷🇪🇺 (@ChrisMcCandl) June 12, 2019

I’m not sure it is a miscalculation: starting from the post-SARs Article 23 protests in the early 2000 Beijing seems to have taken the tack that to give an inch is to invite a mile.. their MO seems to be to possibly allow mild concessions but press on. #2047

— Mei Fong/ 方凤美 (@meifongwriter) June 12, 2019

The view, a stonesthrow away from the HSBC building. You can see the lines of peaceful protestors stretching back from Central to the frontline close to the Government HQ @SCMPNews pic.twitter.com/p3ejoMc27Z

— Danny Lee (@JournoDannyAero) June 12, 2019

One scene from HK’s streets, which still reek from the gusts of teargas via Instagram: https://t.co/ApYlz1HA9H pic.twitter.com/Ptx8L1wteq

— Louisa Lim (@limlouisa) June 12, 2019

This truck just rolled through in Centra with additional supplies, to cheers from the crowd. People are now helping to unload& unpack boxes of bottled water. The crowd claps. #HongKongProtest pic.twitter.com/EbFyUlsgOu

— Mary Hui (@maryhui) June 12, 2019

Added note: Although there were relevant reports, the word "blood" in the original title was changed to "masks" since none of the above tweets directly mention them.

Protesting Against Extradition in Hong Kong

There was a big march in Hong Kong today:

Over a million people have joined a mass protest against the Hong Kong government’s controversial extradition bill, according to organisers. . . .

The protesters marched towards the legislature over an issue that has underscored divisions in society over trust in the legislature and the Chinese judicial system.

Hong Kong’s government first proposed legal amendments in February to allow the city to handle case-by-case extradition requests from jurisdictions with no prior agreements, most notably China and Taiwan.

To add to the many already out there, with permission I will pass on some photos of the protest shared by friends in Hong Kong. A few were shared publicly, and those are attributed. Most were shared privately, so out of care and such they aren't attributed.

Source: Chung-wah Chow

Source: Chung-wah Chow

Source: Chung-wah Chow

A Cantonese Opera in Hong Kong About Donald Trump

About a month and a half ago in Hong Kong, as I left the Yau Ma Tei metro station I noticed an advertisement for the new Cantonese opera "Trump On Show".

Yes, this really exists:

Start with a performer playing President Trump. Then bring in a long-lost brother who was raised in China.

Throw in castmates portraying a ping-pong-loving Mao Zedong, a deal-seeking Kim Jong Un, Ivanka Trump and Mao’s power-hungry fourth wife.

They are singing. Opera. In Cantonese.

And, well, it’s complicated.

For more about those complications, read Mary Hui's piece about the Trumpian opera in The Washington Post, which includes some perspectives from the opera's creator, Li Kui-ming:

Li also studied the president’s quirks and habits — his penchant for fast food and television-watching habits — to develop Trump’s character.

Li, however, was struck by similarities between Mao and Trump.

“What they share in common is they both started a cultural revolution,” Li said.

Oh boy.

Trump wasn't the only Republican U.S. politician that I recently noticed in Hong Kong. Admittedly, it was a bit confounding to turn around at a bus stop in Kowloon Bay and think "Is that really Dick Cheney?".

I don't expect to attend any "Trump on Show" performances, which opens April 12, or have anything worth saying about the movie "Vice". So this post is probably all you'll find about them here. I will update if I see any indications of a Hong Kong musical about George W. Bush though.

An Apparent Mismatch for a Name: Mini Jumbo Wuzhou Buses in Guangxi, China

Hong Kong formally names its minibuses, like the one which appeared in the previous post, "public light buses". Wuzhou, a city in the Chinese autonomous region Guangxi, also has minibuses. But instead of "public light bus" they have another name on them.

The "Wuzhou" and "Bus" parts of the name "Jumbo Wuzhou Bus" make obvious sense. "Jumbo" is less clear, though, since these are minibuses. If that is the jumbo size then what's the mini size?

A larger bus can help begin to clear up the mystery.

They have the same name on them, which is the name of a bus company. This is clearly stated in smaller Chinese print elsewhere on the buses.

Like buses in Hong Kong, some buses have advertising.

However, you won't see advertising quite like what's on the minibus in the previous post. Hongkongers have greater political rights and more freedom of speech than people in mainland China. The "Tell Right From Wrong, True From False" slogan was part of a campaign for the Labor Party's attempt to win a 2018 Kowloon West by-election. But China still limits Hongkongers' rights to a degree that leads some people to claim Hong Kong doesn't have real democracy. These limitations were evident in Kowloon West election when the Labor Party's original candidate, Lau Siu-lai, was barred from running due to her previous stances regarding Hong Kong's self-determination.

Back to more mundane matters . . . in Wuzhou there are buses in between the mini Jumbo Wuzhou Bus and the regular-sized Jumbo Wuzhou Bus in terms of size. So here are two mini-plus Jumbo Wuzhou Buses:

The word "珍宝" in the Chinese name for Jumbo Wuzhou Bus would often be translated as "treasure". But it is also a loanword in Cantonese meaning "jumbo" because of its similar sound to the English word. Like in Hong Kong, Cantonese is a commonly spoken language in Wuzhou.

I can't shed more light on what inspired the choice of "jumbo". But if you want to dig more, it might be worth looking into the Guangzhou buses with a similar name and logo.

Advice from a Minibus in Hong Kong

A Cameo Appearance on Graham Street

A moment today in Central, Hong Kong

Trump's Tweets in the Hong Kong News

Tonight on the news as I waited for a ferry tonight in Hong Kong:

Just a basic point that is part of a larger picture: Trump's tweets receive close attention, even here.

Auspicious Construction in Hong Kong

A view from Lee Tung Avenue

An Unexpected Visit to the Sunshine Kowloon Bay Cargo Centre in Hong Kong

I hadn't expected to arrive in Prince Edwards, Hong Kong, at 11:30 a.m. yesterday.

Oh, the location was expected. But the time was not since I had departed Jiangmen only 3.5 hours before, and a similar recent trip from a closer location, Zhongshan, had taken longer. Arriving earlier than expected was grand though.

I had expected to stop by the Mongkok Computer Centre yesterday afternoon. I had also expected during this visit I wouldn't be able to fully resolve the problem which had brought me there. But I hadn't expected that after some assistance, I would head to Kowloon Bay.

And I hadn't expected that yesterday I would find myself at the Sunshine Kowloon Bay Cargo Centre.

Some readers must be wondering if the Sunshine Kowloon Bay Cargo Centre is a fine building. It is.

After entering the building, I hadn't expected that finding a way to the upper levels would be slightly tricky. Here is a later photo I took which which I believe captures somebody receiving friendly assistance to reach those levels:

After finding the elevator and exiting it on the 2nd floor (what would be labeled the 3rd floor in the U.S.), I hadn't expected to see no signs of my intended destination. So I picked a direction and found myself in a distribution centre for Circle K, a convenience store chain.

Soon a person who hadn't expected me to be in the Circle K distribution centre explained (hollered) that I shouldn't be there. Then an older man who presumably wasn't surprised to see yet another person in the wrong place immediately guessed my intended destination and directed me there.

Thank you, sir.

Shortly after that, I found my destination.

When I left Hong Kong during the Lunar New Year holiday I hadn't expected to return so soon. I also hadn't expected that I would have significant problems with an external hard drive I had bought there. I had expected that having discarded the box would make resolving the problem more challenging. It did, but I hadn't expected that things would go as smoothly as they did nonetheless.

In short, the external hard drive I had bought has been replaced. As soon as I feel reasonably confident all is OK with it, I will be heading out of Hong Kong once more. While I wish the drive I had bought before had lived a long life, at least the experience of replacing it afforded opportunities to open my eyes to new things.

More about some of those things and also the new travel options in and out of Hong Kong someday.

I expect.

40 Photos Taken With a New Camera and Lens in Hong Kong

I had not originally planned to spend time in Hong Kong so early this year, but an urgent need for a new camera and lens changed things. Both in terms of options and prices, purchasing a camera in Hong Kong was a far better option than doing so in mainland China, especially given what I was seeking and that I was relatively close to Hong Kong. My previous camera and lens had both been in far-from-ideal states for some time. Although I found workarounds for some problems such as malfunctioning dials, dust buried deep in the sensor, and problematic autofocusing, their state certainly had affected how and what I photographed for a period of time. So there was some good that matters had reached a state where I was forced to upgrade (repairs weren't sensible given what they would cost).

I only stayed in Hong Kong long enough to purchase the camera & lens and to feel reasonably confident all was well with them. So below are 40 photos presented in the order they were taken with the theme "photos I took while testing my new camera and lens for a few days in Hong Kong", although I hope in the process to share yet a little more about Hong Kong. I won't get into technical details, but I'll share that all of the photos are unaltered "as is" from the jpeg files the camera produced, except reduced in size.

Scenes and locations were motivated by a variety of factors, including simply testing the camera under certain conditions and other pragmatic matters. I would have set the camera differently if I took some of these photos now or if I had known all of those pigeons were going to suddenly take off in my direction. I covered far fewer locations than typical for a Hong Kong stay. Still, I managed to capture scenes in areas such as Wan Chai, Causeway Bay, Central, Tsim Sha Tsui, Mong Kok, and Kowloon City.

Anyway, the photos are what they are. And of course, more will come.

Red lanterns at Lee Tung Avenue

Photographic moment at Lee Tung Avenue

Birds at . . .

Kwan Kee Birds & Small Animals

Tram and Five Guys

Vendor in Wan Chai

Arsenal Street tram stop on Hennessy Road

Playing in the fountain at Hong Kong Park

Playing in the sand at Hong Kong Park

Running at the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Garden

De Brazza's monkey spotting a human at the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Garden

Below the Glenealy Flyover

The Glenealy Flyover

Above the Glenealy Flyover (and a change of light)

Looking up from the parade ground at Tai Kwun

A local Young Master IPA at HK Brew Craft

Fruit loops cones at Emack & Bolio's

Topman and Topshop

The Lunar Fantasy with Ancient Auspicious Animals at Times Square

Sea of flowers at the Lunar Fantasy with Ancient Auspicious Animals

Advertising in front of Times Square

Multistory escalator in Hysan Place

View of Ma Tau Wai Road from the upper level of a Hong Kong double-decker bus

Herbal tea stand in Kowloon City

Art at the Cattle Depot Artist Village

Ma Tau Kok Road

Footbridge on a Sunday in Mong Kok

Fish for sale at the Fa Yuen Street Market

Junk in Victoria Harbour

Lunar New Year pig sculpture at Harbour City

Photographing the Symphony of Lights from a Star Ferry boat

Pedestrian subway in Tsim Sha Tsui

Looking down at the ground floor of the Chungking Mansions

Top of the The Masterpiece skyscraper seen through the Victoria Dockside

Photographic opportunity with the pig cartoon character McDull at the Avenue of the Stars

Pigeons taking flight at Kowloon Park

Miss 13 Dots at the Hong Kong Avenue of Comic Stars

Looking down at a multistory escalator in Langham Place

Fa Yuen Market

Minibus and crowd in Mong Kok