Hong Kong Is Showing Symptoms of a Failed State

With empty supermarket shelves and rising public distrust, the coronavirus-hit city is ticking most of the boxes.

Crowds are irrational everywhere, and social media hardly helps. Yet the palpable anxiety in coronavirus-hit Hong Kong these days suggests worrying levels of distrust in a city where citizens have always expected private enterprise at least, if not the state, to keep things ticking over. Both have failed miserably, preparing inadequately even after the SARS outbreak that killed almost 300 people in the city in 2003.

A fragile state is usually defined by its inability to protect citizens, to provide basic services and by questions over the legitimacy of its government. After an epidemic and months of poorly handled pro-democracy demonstrations, Hong Kong is ticking most of those boxes. Add in a strained judicial system, and the prognosis for its future as a financial hub looks poor.

A snapshot of the situation first. Hong Kong is not, at least for now, as grim as parts of mainland China, where the outbreak of novel coronavirus has people building barricades, or being followed around by drones. This isn’t Wuhan….

Read the full article on here on Bloomberg

Soccer Sevens Cancelled

The 2020 edition of the HKFC Soccer Sevens scheduled for 22-24 May has been canceled due to the ongoing issues in Hong Kong.

Tournament director Chris Plowman said “the difficulty in securing the necessary commitments to be able to deliver an event of the scale and quality that is expected of the Soccer Sevens” left the organising committee no alternative.

Plowman continued “Naturally we are very disappointed and we would like to thank all the teams, sponsors, stakeholders and fans who had committed to the 2020 event. We will be back in 2021,”

https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2019/HK-Soccer-Sevens-HK-Football-Club-18-May-2019/i-KXsGgZx

Images: HK Soccer Sevens

The Same Sickness That Spread the Coronavirus Threatens to Bring Hong Kong to Ruin: the Chinese Communist Party

The core problem is that China, for all its high-tech gloss and high-speed trains, remains saddled with a communist-structured political system. However efficient this might look from afar, it is configured to promote repression, misery and ruinous error. Incentives are grossly skewed to promote the party line, never mind the realities. Inside mainland China, this is too often obscured by propaganda coupled with tight controls over any sign of dissent.
Continue reading on The Dallas News Website here

https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2020/02/02/the-same-sickness-that-spread-the-coronavirus-threatens-to-bring-hong-kong-to-ruin-the-chinese-communist-party/?fbclid=IwAR3TO16UxVzsAR219BVflH-UDap1erZRPycqYODfBGQiiKLewchpUHkx4oo

Women’s Rugby Results – 18 January, 2020

Premiership

HKFC Ice 7-10 Gai Wu Falcons
@ HK Football Club, Kick-off: 18:00

Kowloon 5-14 CWB Phoenix
@ King’s Park, Kick-off: 18:30

Tai Po Dragons 22-12 HK Scottish
@ Shek Kip Mei, Kick-off: 18:00

Valley Black 39-0 USRC Tigers
@ Happy Valley, Kick-off: 18:00

National League 1

HKFC Fire 65-0 HK Scottish Kelpies
@ HK Football Club, Kick-off: 16:30

Gai Wu Fawkes 53-5 Tin Shui Wai Pandas
@ KG V, Kick-off: 16:30

Revolution SRC 7-10 Valley Red
@ KG V, Kick-off: 15:00

HKU Sandy Bay Storm v USRC Tigers 2
@ So Kon Po, Kick-off: 13:00

National League 2

University 0-40 City Twinkles
@ King’s Park, Kick-off: 18:00

Kowloon v Gai Wu Hawks
@ King’s Park, Kick-off: 16:30

Image: hkrfu

Women’s Premiership Champions 2019-20: Valley Black

Congratulations!!

Sevens Challenger Series Launches

The match schedule and pools have been drawn for the inaugural men’s tournament on the World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series, which will take place in Viña del Mar, Chile, on 15-16 February, 2020.

Sixteen countries will compete across two match days in the first of two Sevens Challenger Series tournaments which will take place in Chile and Uruguay in February.

The new series has been launched by World Rugby to expand rugby sevens growth across the globe and to offer teams quality competition.

Hosts Chile are drawn in Pool D and will face Brazil, Mexico and Zimbabwe, while hosts of the second round of competition, Uruguay will be joined by Japan, Portugal and Tonga in Pool A.

Elsewhere, Hong Kong, Colombia, Jamaica and Papua New Guinea make up Pool B with Germany, Italy, Paraguay and Uganda completing the Pool C line-up.

Teams will travel to Montevideo, Uruguay, for the second round of the Sevens Challenger Series on 22-23 February before the top eight teams progress to the final play-off tournament at the Hong Kong Sevens on 3-5 April, 2020 where they will compete for a spot on the World Rugby Sevens Series 2021.

The promoted team will replace the bottom placed core team in the World Series rewarding the winners with an opportunity to play against the world’s best.

“We are incredibly excited at the opportunities that lie ahead for the players and unions participating in the inaugural World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series tournament in Chile,” commented World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont.

“The Sevens Challenger Series will provide a solid foundation for the emerging talent on the international rugby sevens scene as these individuals set their sights on the prospect of competing on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series and we look forward to seeing them in action.”

World Rugby Vice-Chairman and President of Rugby Americas, Agustín Pichot added: “The World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series will be a huge driver in developing rugby sevens within South America, a region where there are many passionate players and supporters of the game.

“I am delighted that this exciting new series is kicking off in South America. It is a huge opportunity for both Chile and Uruguay, who will be tremendous hosts and excellent advocates of this new and exciting competition.”

Teams who will compete in the 2020 World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series: Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Portugal, Tonga, Uganda, Uruguay, Zimbabwe.

Additional reporting and images: World Rugby

Lunar New Year Fireworks Cancelled

Home Affairs Secretary Lau Kong-wah announced that the fireworks display in Victoria Harbour, traditionally held on the second day of the Lunar New Year has been cancelled for security reasons.

It appears that the government is unable to exert enough control on the HK Police to ensure public safety. And that more video of police beating and arresting random people will further erode the tourism industry.

A mainland visitor, when asked if she was afraid of coming to Hong Kong, answered: “I’m afraid of being attacked or arrested for no reason”.

Police Use Warrant For Their Own Premises, to Search Protestors Phones

Judicial review application by photographer Lee Wing Ho reveals police abuse of warrants to illegally search phones.

//there was something not quite right about the warrants. First, Lee wasn’t served with them. Second, the warrants authorized the police to search the 22nd floor of police headquarters. Why would the police seek a warrant to search their own premises?

….

Lawyers representing Lee therefore inferred that the police “having arrested and confiscated a large number of smartphones and electronic devices from a number of suspects on different occasions and having brought them to the 22/f of Police Headquarters” sought two warrants “to access all of them without conditions or limitations.”//

Read the full article by Mary Hui here: hong-kong-police-use-vague-warrants-to-crack-into-phones