Social Stability - 82. page

The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Lingnan University, the Hang Seng University of Hong Kong, and Hong Kong Baptist University conducted a study called the “Onsite Survey Findings in Hong Kong’s Anti-Extradition Bill Protests.” The study was published on August 12.

Researchers from the four universities surveyed participants who had been in 12 demonstrations between June 9 and August 4 and found that 54 percent were men and 46 percent were women. These demonstrations included large-scale gatherings, as well as “fluid” and “static” demonstrations. Overall, 77 percent of the 6,688 respondents indicated that they had received a higher level of education and 21 percent had received a secondary education (that is, a high school education). Among the protesters, the proportion of people between 20 and 29 years old was as high as 49 percent, compared to 19 percent who were between 30 and 39. Only 11 percent were under 20 years of age and 16 percent were 40 and above. Half of those who responded (that is, 50 percent) considered themselves to be middle class, while 41 percent considered themselves to be “grassroots commoners.”

When asked why they participated in the demonstration, 87 percent said that they demanded that the Hong Kong SAR government withdraw the Extradition Bill amendments; 95 percent were dissatisfied with the way the police handled the protests, and 92 percent asked for the establishment of an independent investigation committee (to investigate the police and other actions).

Source: Central News Agency, August 14, 2019
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/201908140361.aspx

Starting on Friday August 9, at one of the busiest airports in Asia, the Hong Kong International Airport, a large-scale assemblage of citizens who are against the extradition law have gathered. They have been there for the last three days. During the rally, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) issued a major aviation safety risk warning to Cathay Pacific Airways, the flag carrier of Hong Kong.

CAAC said that it is concerned that some crew members of Cathay have been charged with rioting because they have participated in violent attacks, but they were not stopped from flying. In addition, CAAC believes that some Cathay employees have maliciously leaked passenger information, posing a serious threat to aviation safety.

CAAC demanded of Cathay Pacific, starting from the early hours on Saturday morning, that all personnel who participated or supported the “illegal” parades and protests and violent attacks and exhibited “excessive” behaviors should be stopped immediately from performing all duties on the mainland flights. Starting in the early morning on Sunday, Cathay Pacific was required submit to the mainland Chinese authority the identity information of all crew members on routes arriving at or flying over mainland China. Beijing would not accept the flight unless approval was given to the crew members.

At the same time, hundreds of Hong Kong citizens have been participating in anti-extradition law rallies at the arrival area of the Hong Kong International Airport. Most people wear black clothes and some wear masks. They have been explaining to travelers what has happened in the past two months in Hong Kong. They have used posters, pictures, songs, slogans, and printed materials. Some people expressed the belief that the event at the airport can help attract international attention.

The BBC reported that, in a statement on Monday afternoon, Hong Kong’s Airport Authority said it was cancelling all flights that were not yet checked in. “More than 160 flights scheduled to leave after 18:00 local time (10:00 GMT) will now not depart.”

Sources:
1. Radio Free Asia , August 9, 2019.
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/gangtai/gf1-08092019081926.html
2. BBC, August 112, 2019
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-49317975

In recent years, communist China has continued to expand its persecution of religious groups. It was disclosed that the authorities have established a system in which it rates religious sites. Those that have a low score could face a temporary shutdown. If the points continue to fall below the threshold, they will be closed completely.

According to a document that the United Front Work Department of the Henan Provincial Government issued, the authorities have asked officials to rate each religious site from 1 to 5 stars. The document shows that religious sites that scored 95 or more will be rated 5 stars. If the scores are between 50 and 75 for two consecutive years, they will be forced to stop operations for 1 year for internal restructuring and the management will be replaced. If they refuse to make changes or if their score is less than 50 points for two consecutive years, their license will be revoked, which means that they will be completely closed.

The scoring criteria are quite strict and there are numerous ways for points to be reduced. For example, the authorities regard the illuminated cross as a “missionary act.” If a religious place displays signs with neon, a horn, or an illuminated cross, it will lose ten points. If the relevant personnel are unfamiliar with the religious policy, 5 to 10 points will be taken off. If the party members enter the church for personal reasons, 5 points will be taken off. If religious print materials are distributed, 10 points will be taken off.

It is expected that the social credit system will be fully launched and implemented nationwide next year. The rights of the religious personnel could suffer further infringement.

Source: Aboluowang, August 4, 2019
https://www.aboluowang.com/2019/0804/1324416.html

The residents of Yangluo Street, Xinzhou District, Wuhan, on the outskirts of Hubei Province, have been protesting on the streets because the authorities expressed their intention to build a large-scale waste burning power plant. Some media said that the number of protesters was more than ten thousand people. The local police used force to disperse the demonstrators and some people were reportedly injured. The protest started on June 28 and lasted until July 2 and 3 when images taken from the protest scene started to circulate on the Internet. According to the local residents, the authorities plan to build a power plant that can burn 4,000 tons of waste each day. The location of the plant is in an area with a population of over 300,000 people and there are two large size colleges. People are concerned about the toxic quality of the air from the plant and the fact that the authorities did not communicate with the locals about the project.

From the video and photos taken at the scene, it can be seen that the public protest went into the late evening. Thousands of people were on the streets. The uniformed police force is seen standing next to them. After a fight broke out, the police took away a number of residents. Some of them were injured and had blood flowing from their heads. Meanwhile there are inconsistent messages from the local officials. One official’s open letter said that the news about the power plant was fake news and there were no plans to build such a plant. However based on public information, in June, officials from Wuhan City responded to a question and stated that the existing landfill in the region of Yangluo Street would stop operating by the end of 2020 and would be replaced with a waste burning power plant that can burn 2,000 tons of waste each day.

Source: Radio France Internationale, July 6, 2019
http://cn.rfi.fr/20190706-%E6%AD%A6%E6%B1%89%E4%B8%87%E4%BA%BA%E4%B8%8A%E8%A1%97%E5%8F%8D%E5%AF%B9%E5%BB%BA%E7%84%9A%E5%8C%96%E5%8E%82-%E8%AD%A6%E6%96%B9%E5%BC%BA%E5%8A%9B%E6%B8%85%E5%9C%BA%E8%A7%81%E8%A1%80/