IAmA HKer. HK police just shot bean-bag rounds to protestors. AMA

Was the extradition bill or law in the works for a while already?

Is HK harbouring anybody of note from China, or are the the protests to protect HK and it's people from China?

What's the sentiment towards Carrie Lam? Is she deeply unpopular now?

Why are you protesting?

The extradition law exists now, but the gov. is launching an amendment to include China as one of the countries to extradite criminals to.

HK is not harbouring anyone from China now, as far as I know. The aim of the protest was to prevent the law from passing, which may cause HKers being arrested and extradited to China.

Carrie Lam as the Chief Executive, showed no concern about the protest. Over 1million people went on a demonstration on 9 June. And this today. She merely said "oh this is a controversial issue, I understand, but these protestors are trying create a riot and harm the benefit of HK." Her attitude is very infuriating. Also, a lot of HKers think that she is a puppet of the Chinese government, meaning that this could be coming from Beijing.

We're protesting to protect our future, and the future of our future generations. Theoretically, this is just another extradition law and political criminals should not be affected. However, the Chinese and HK judiciary system are not trustworthy at all. We're scared that the Chinese gov./HK gov. will frame dissidents of crimes included in the law (for instance, business-related laws), then extradite them to China for trial. This will severely harm the freedom of speech, freedom of press and rule of law in HK.

Fight on.

Thanks. Every bit of support means a lot to us now.

sending you our American energy

But seriously, is there anything we can do? Maybe a donation to a legal fund or something? Keep up the good fight!

Thank you for your support!

At this stage, we want this to get international attention and support. Please share it among your community and let's hope that pressure from the international society will influence the decision of the HK gov.

Stay strong, brother. Liberty is a light for which many men have died in darkness.

Thanks mate. I'd say one nice thing about this protest is to see how united HKers can be. The true light can only be seen in the dark.

Do you mean to say they're considering introducing a law that allows for Hong Kong citizens, who have never been to China, and have nothing to do with China, to be extradited to China?

If so, that's insane, and I wish you the best at stopping it!

Not saying that it must happen, but it CAN. Who knows what the Chinese government is up to?

Hey man, the mods decided to be assholes and removed the post.

They are asking for proof. I will try my best to give them the proof they want.

I just hope that this is as simple as it seems.

However, the Chinese and HK judiciary system are not trustworthy at all. We're scared that the Chinese gov./HK gov. will frame dissidents of crimes included in the law (for instance, business-related laws), then extradite them to China for trial.

If you (or HK people) question the integrity of the court system, what prevents HK citizens being send to China today, with or without this extradition law?

They can do it, and they already did. Take a look at the Causeway Book incident.

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We're trying to avoid more of these happening, and not giving the Chinese government a legit reason to do it.

what if there are criminals in HK that need to be extradited to China?

The reason why this all started was because a HK guy killed his gf in Taiwan, then he went back to HK. The HK gov. then used this as an example to prove the necessity of such amendment.

However, HKers think that this is just an excuse to execute the amendment and the ultimate goal is to persecute dissidents.

Of course it is possible that such things will happen, but what are the odds? and what are the odds of dissidents being sent to China? This may sound unethical, but to us, this is the Trolley Problem.

Apologies for the stupid/ignorant question but I imagine China eventually wants Hong Kong under Chinese rule, right? What’s stopping them from doing it, say, now?

This is not a stupid question at all!

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Technically, HK is part of China now (unlike Taiwan). HK is not recognised as a country by the international society, and it is now part of China under the principal of "One country, Two systems", meaning that China has no right to intervene with the operation/ decision making of the HK gov. or judiciary. So the Chinese government cannot exert direct control over HK.

It seems like the police force instigated the violence. Do people believe this is part of a larger plan? Are you concerned China might come in and declare martial law?

Edit: Dyslexia

I'm certainly scared that the Chinese army will be involved, but there is no evidence that they are involved tonight.

I hear China is trying to find ways to cut the 50 years so that HK is integrated as quickly as possible. How true is this and if true, how are they trying to do this?

There are a lot of immigrants everyday flooding from China to HK. I see that as a dilution of the HK population.

It should be that way, but China has already announced it does not intend to follow that agreement anymore.

Please share a link if you have it! Thanks.

gentleman's agreement/treaty with the UK following the withdrawal from the HK territory stipulates HK must retain its autonomy for 50 years or so.

What happens at the end of the 50 years (which is now only 22 years away)?

A little man comes out of a small door announces the time, farts, and leave a plate of biscotti.

The fart though ;)

Said the agreement, yes. But what next? Gotta prepare ourselves for the future right?

Are you safe? Are you at risk from revealing your identity here? Has the mood got worse since the police started shooting people?

Honestly I don't even know if I am safe anymore. I suppose what I am saying online are pretty neutral and unbiased, just trying to present the facts to foreigners.

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The news are very depressing, I bet you can imagine. My social circle is mostly youngsters, and many got hurt. Some other people in the society, the pro-government people are pissed that a bunch of youngsters are trying to sabotage the safety of the society. But everyone is really angry, either at the government or at the protestors.

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I am posting this to raise attention. Putting political stance aside, attacking a member of the press is not right. Reporters and their colleagues should be protected from such brutal attacks.

Safety is an interesting idea. A lot of the protesters made a specific effort to buy MTR passes leaving fearing their safety, but the reality of the situation is, if they want us, they don't need a law to get us. Many had disappeared without any context.

The mood definitely soured as soon as the police came near the crowd. I got their a bit later and the riot cops were waiting to beat us. They got super agitated and we got a first hand taste of the reality that regardless of what kind of protest we were a part of, they were always going down today's path.

The tear gas was pretty awful. Not only was it awful for our senses, but it caused a crazy amount of panic for everyone. I was proud that folks I was with today didn't end up stampeding and hurting ourselves.

I agree. I'm just another powerless citizen. If they're going to get me, they'll most certainly get me. There's nothing I can do about it.

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What I'm trying to do is not starting a war, or spreading rumours. I'm just citing facts. If I get caught for that, there's really nothing I can do...

Do people have plans to leave HK before 2040? As an external observer, it seems things are just getting worst for HK and the PRC doesn't seem to give ground.

It will not be surprising to me that many HKers (the rich ones) are planning to immigrate. However, not everyone is able to do that.

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More importantly, HK is our home. This is where most of us were born in, raised in, and lived our entire lives in. It may sound silly to those who live in countries involved in actual armed conflicts, but we're just trying to protect our beloved city, because it is our home.

I come from a politically apathetic Asian country (Singapore), so its really heartening to see you guys fight for your rights. Wishing you guys all the best.

Singapore today is, in many ways, what the Beijing government wants for China in the future.

Singapore has a really unique political atmosphere, I have to say.

It is hard to tell whether it is uniquely-good, or the opposite though.

I get that, Tibet had many people who felt the same. If it was me in your shoes I would start looking at asylum programs.

You're up against a very experienced juggernaut, have a back up plan.

Yes, the persecution of ethnic minorities are terrifying.

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Two HK dissidents went to Germany for political asylum. I think they are trying to use their experiences to show HKers our possible plans.

Keep fighting friend. Don't let up, don't let your friends let up, don't give an inch. This is how revolutions start but complacency is how they die. You know the world is rooting for you to keep it up because so much bad shit gets left unchallenged. Your fight is humanity's fight against tyranny. Stay strong.

Thanks for your support. HK really needs some international support right now.

Is there anything we foreigners can do to help or show support?

Please help to share the news among your communities. Attention from the international society can be very helpful.

I would like to highlight that the police attacked a member of the press. The guy was hit while wearing the press vest. This is unacceptable.

Please stay safe out there. Being able to report all this is a civic duty too!

This is as much as I can do. :)

Not OP but ... Probably keep this in the news. That's the biggest impact any of these protest can do for us.

Continue to cycle this in the news. Post images, keep things circulating. Don't let this just die.

I will, and I'm glad to see that a lot of foreign media like CNN and BBC are reporting this.

What is being protested?

TL; DR: HKers fighting against a law amendment that could send anyone back to China.

The HK government is trying to amend the current fugitive law so that they can send criminals to China. Theoretically, political criminals will not be affected and cases will be heard and appealed in HK court before the criminal is sent to China.

HOWEVER, in reality, the Chinese & HK judicial system are not to be trusted. Most political criminals are framed by the government and were accused of other crimes (those included in the law, mostly business-related crimes). Therefore, if this passes, it will severely affect the freedom of speech and freedom of press in HK. Think all those disappearance of people in China. That could happen in HK too.

On 9 June, over 1m people joined a demonstration against this, but the gov. proceeded the hearing in LegCo. Hence, HKers decided to up their game. A number of companies and a lot of people from different industries are on a strike. Students are not going to school. Most HKers are showing their discontent in their own way.

^This is my comment from other post at r/pics

Given Hong Kong's political system has been rigged by Beijing so it can ignore the will of a democratic majority in Hong Kong, how likely do you think it is that these protests will force the Hong Kong government to shelve the proposed extradition law?

I have to admit the situation is not optimistic. It is an extremely long shot, but we have to try. This is our obligation to protect our own home.

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We had a small victory back in the National Education controversy.

As a French that got used to be shot at with 40mm "rubber" projectiles, good luck.

That being said how is the local medias covering the situation? Do they hide police violence?

what u/PapaBee said basically.

With pressure from the HK gov/Chinese gov, it is inevitable that media companies are doing self-censorship. They tried to paint a picture of protestors being too violent, so the police had to scale up their actions to keep peace.

Hello,

Would Xi the Pooh move millions into HK to change the majority?

HK is receiving 150 new Chinese immigrants everyday.

Primary school kids talk to each other in Mandarin, as opposed to Cantonese, the local HK dialect. When you go outside, you can hear Mandarin more often then Cantonese.

This is already happening, but we're trying to stop it from worsening.

Are you taking pictures or video of people as they are detained? They may not be seen again. You need proof that they were detained.

There are a lot of photos and videos coming from protestors everywhere, I'm sure these will pop up soon.

I wonder how many of the officers attacking protesters may have been sent down from the CCP and are not official members of the Hong Kong Police?

There's no proof of this.

Some people suspect this as well, but again, no evidence to support this claim.

Are the police that we see in the protest videos from China, or local HK police?

They are local HK police.

Why do the local police seem to be siding against the protesters? It would seem to me that the local police should also be opposing the mainland influence on their home. I’m surprised that the HK police aren’t joining as protestors themselves

We're as surprised as you're. You have to understand that there is a group of pro-gov people in HK, and policemen tend to fall into that spectrum. Some believe that protestors were trying to sabotage the safety of the society, mess with the economy, etc...

What direction do you see HK's political future going? It seems the CCP has been increasingly trying to revoke all the privileges HK has in comparison to the mainland.

I believe most HKers are not optimistic about HK's political future, that's why we're trying to change that.

Yes, the CCP wants to make HK "another city of China", which do all harm but no good. HK will lose its competitiveness in the global society, economically speaking. Culturally, HK is a unique mix of Easter and Western culture, with its colonial background.

How true are the rumours that PRC security forces have entered HK dressed as HKPF and are now part of the riot police deployed against the protestors on the ground?

There is no evidence to support this claim at this moment. Will update if there is.

Why are they shooting their own people, surely they understand the significance of this law?

A lot of HKers are asking the same question.

Not everyone understands the possible consequence of this law amendment, especially the elderly people. They believe that if you did nothing wrong, there's nothing to be scared of. However, we're not sure that the HK gov/Chinese gov. are going to execute the law as faithfully as written.

Frontline policemen obey orders from their superiors, who obey orders from their superiors. I don't want to direct any hatred, but I have to admit, this picture is very painful to watch. The youngest injured protestor is only 15 years old.

Probably some rationalization that they're "only" shooting rubber bullets and a narrow-minded focus on their own jobs.

It is hard to stomach though, HK police were actually really well respected in the past for their professionalism, but their role in the crackdowns these past years has made things so much more muddy.

True. As a local, I remembered that when I was a kid, policeman was someone reliable, someone you can always go to when in trouble (like when you are robbed or got lost). Now, my heart will skip a beat when I see a policeman walking towards me, even I did nothing illegal.

Are you frightened by what police might do to stop you? I also want you to know that you are not alone. The world is watching, closely.

I'm pretty stoic about this. I'm no one powerful, or in relation to anyone powerful. If they're going to get me, they'll and I can do nothing about it.

I make sure what I said online is pretty neutral and unbiased, because I'm not trying to start a fight online, just want to share with the world what is happening in HK.

I am safe now, and will try my best to keep myself safe. Thanks anyway! :)

When the agreement of HK independence runs out in 2047 or whenever it is, will HK agree to become part of China or will they continue to resist?

The 2047 deal is not about the independence of HK. It just explains the relationship of China and HK will be under the principle of "One Country, Two Systems".

What are you doing on reddit while being shot at!? Take cover!

I am at a safe place, no worries.

The spread of information is very important as well.

Are the riot police that are at the protests actually Hong Kong police, or have they been brought in from elsewhere?

They are local HK police.

Some suspect that they were sent from the CCP, but there isn't any evidence supporting that claim at this moment.

Proof?

https://edition.cnn.com/asia/live-news/hong-kong-protests-june-12-intl-hnk/h_453b786151ee5e04b5fe72aafb1f7c80?fbclid=IwAR2HiYuo9uuFv9bMboRdXWtpVmcTTcpZktK8TG0jTb8khn97thM5l0mI5Ws

Video appears to show police using long range pepper spray on a photojournalist who got too close to them.

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https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3014104/thousands-block-roads-downtown-hong-kong-defiant-protest

This is an updated report of the incident.