Local authorities alarmed by labour force shortages amid an aging population. This is the other side of the brutal repression against pro-democracy groups in 2019 that drove thousands of people out of the city.
Five years now since the pro-democracy protests out of 10,279 people arrested only 28.8% have been remanded for trial. But for Justice Secretary Chris Tang, ‘the authorities must be given time to gather evidence’. Chow Hang-tung's request to call people living abroad to testify on video at the trial was rejected.
Chief executive John Lee made the announcement today in a keynote speech. According to publicly available data, more than 100,000 housing units fall in this category, which will be gradually eliminated. But the legislation does not include overcrowded flats where thousands live due to Hong Kong’s housing crisis.
Those who left office cited personal reasons as the cause of their departure or Hong Kong’s changed situation after Beijing imposed its security law. Hong Kong’s Deputy Secretary for Justice, Horace Cheung Kwok-kwan, blames the resignations on “inappropriate pressure” from the West.
Hong Kong authorities had previously denied a work permit to Louise Delmotte, a French photographer working for the Associated Press. Last year she took a picture of the Catholic businessman and pro-democracy activist in handcuffs. The Immigration Department, which now requires flight operators to send information on arriving passengers, has not provided an official explanation.
Mark Clifford and Gordon Crovitz, senior officials at Next Digital, filed a complaint against the global accounting firm. They allege BDO enabled rights violations by providing essential services to Hong Kong authorities. The case casts more than a shadow on the "assistance" the company provided to the government in muzzling critical voices.
