bc magazine

5:58, I am a HongKonger

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A year ago today at 5:58pm, police fired tear gas and pointed shotguns at HongKongers for expressing their right to free speech and demanding the right to choose and elect the people who represent and run Hong Kong.

Why do HongKongers have to stand up for these rights, because the people ‘picked’ to run Hong Kong are deliberately destroying the place we call home, while lining their own pockets.

https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2014/Student-Democracy-Protest/44617740_X2wFp2#!i=3571226440&k=fzFBQW4

Police Refusing To Identify Themselves

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Police refusing to identify themselves and wear their warrant cards clearly displayed have become common place over the last twelve months. If mr policeman you are doing nothing wrong, why do you worry about being identified as a policeman and held accountable for your actions?

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Tim Mei Avenue – 27 September, 2015

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Tim Mei Avenue – 27 September, 2015
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Racist Rule Removed by HK Rugby

A smidgen of common sense – amidst pressure from World Ruby, Asia Rugby and the fact that racial discrimination is illegal in HK – has begrudgingly seen the HK Rugby Union remove the ‘ethnic quota’ rule from it’s 2015/16 rule book.

Let’s hope that ‘we know best’ attitude of the Union doesn’t see it become an ‘unwritten rule.

A letter from HKRU Chairman Pieter Schats announced the change while claiming the ‘ethnic quota’ rule was introduced for the ‘good’ of the game. Two other club chairman David Knights of SCAA Causeway Bay Rugby Football club and Aaron Bleasdale of University Rugby Football Club – read their opinions below – have emailed bc claiming the same, that racial profiling is good for the local game. If that’s the case then there’s something seriously wrong with men’s rugby in HK!

There is and never will be any time when a person’s skin colour should limit their participation in sport or any other aspect of life. Kick racism out of sport!

Emails received by bc magazine in response to the article Active Racial Discrimination in HK Men’s Rugby dated 24 September, 2015

Email from SCAA Causeway Bay Rugby Football Club
Dear BC magazine,
I just read your article on the above subject and am appalled by the misguided, misinformed and inaccurate nature of the report which amounts to nothing more than a pathetic piece of sensationalism.

If your reporter had bothered to check the facts with anyone involved in the sport in Hong Kong they would have quickly realised that far from this being any form of racial discrimination it was in fact an attempt to foster the widest possible participation in the sport by players of all races,ages and abilities which is central to the strategic aims of the Hong Kong Rugby Union.

There is no barrier to participation in rugby in Hong Kong, players of any race can aspire to play at the elite level of the sport or simply enjoy a game with their (multinational) mates on a Saturday afternoon.

As Chairman of one of the largest rugby clubs in Hong Kong and also quite possibly the one with the most racially diverse playing membership of any club I think I know what I am talking about.

Rugby is making a huge effort to get Hong Kong kids of all races and backgrounds away from their X-boxes and into something more healthy. Why don’t you write about that, particularly during the Rugby World Cup rather than the ill conceived garbage contained in your article.

Yours sincerely
David Knights
Chairman, SCAA Causeway Bay Rugby Football Club

Email from University Rugby Football Club
Dear bc
Your accusation of “racism” by the HKRFU against non-Chinese players is based on a misunderstanding of the structure of Hong Kong’s domestic rugby leagues.

The men’s “Championship” division for which this ethnicity requirement would be implemented is a solitary division of play operating alongside the five graded “National” league divisions (NL1 – NL5). Players from both the Championship and National divisions are free to progress up to the Premiership, which is the primary feeder league for the Hong Kong National Team. An ethnicity requirement in the Championship division alone would not create a so-called “selection discrimination” against non-Chinese players because they would still be free to progress up through the National and Premiership leagues.

You should also consider the very good reason for which the Championship division’s ethnicity requirement has been implemented – to create a division that best fosters the development of local Chinese rugby talent. The HKRFU is extraordinarily committed to this goal, and should be applauded for their attempts to achieve it.

Further, to refer to the people driving the HKRFU as “white leaders” is, in addition to being insulting to the many non-caucasians that run the HKRFU, totally nonsensical in the context of an article complaining about racism against non-Chinese players, many of whom themselves are caucasian. A curious form of racism indeed!

Next time, check your facts before throwing around accusations and polarizing language.

Kind regards,
Aaron Bleasdale, Chairman, University Rugby Football Club

Image – please note the letter from Pieter Schats was two pages long – bc magazine combined the pages to create a single image for ease of reading the original is here.

KINO/15

This year’s KINO/15 film festival features 10 recently released German films. Organised by the Goethe Institut the festival takes place from 22 October to 2 November.

A major issue currently facing Germany as well as other European countries is the tide of refugees. ‘Rescuing’ refugees is the humanitarian thing to do, but doing so can cause social pressures and anti-refugee sentiment in existing communities. KINO/15’s opening film We are Young. We are Strong looks at this controversial issue by recounting the violent xenophobic riots in Rostock in 1992, a time when hundreds of thousands of refugees arrived in Germany from the Balkans. Taking the helm is Burhan Qurbani, who’s family fled Afghanistan in 1979 to seek political asylum in Germany.

In October this year Germany celebrates the 25th anniversary of its reunification. Christian Schwochow’s film Bornholmer Straße (director of KINO/14’s Opening Film Westen) recounts the moment the Berlin Wall falls on 9 November 1989 when officers at the border checkpoint in Bornholm Street were absolutely clueless on how to handle the situation.

Germany in the 80s is also in the focus of the documentary film B-Movie: Lust & Sound in West Berlin. To quote The Hollywood Reporter, “B-Movie: Lust & Sound in West-Berlin is a clumsily titled but highly engaging documentary about Berlin’s vibrant post-punk underground scene, as filtered through the personal story of British-born Berliner Mark Reeder.”

KINO/15 also includes Christian Zübert’s Tour de Force which gracefully combines a road movie with an incurable disease as an example of how to embrace and celebrate the fullness of life. Uwe Janson’s To Life! sees Jonas, a young man on the run, and Ruth, an ageing Jewish cabaret singer tortured by her past, helping each other to stand on their own feet again.

Other films: A Godsend, Jack, Who am I –No System is safe, Sanctuary, Concrete Love – The Böhm Family

Kino/15
Date: 22 October – 2 November, 2015
Venue: HK Arts Centre, HK Science Museum, the Grand Cinema, the University of Hong Kong and Comix Home Base.
Tickets: variou$
More info: screening schedule www.goethe.de/ins/cn/en/hon/ver/hon15.html

HK Cricket Match Reports – 19-20 September, 2015

Saturday, 19th September 2015

Four matches were played in the Saturday Championship withHong Kong Cricket Club Nomads and Kowloon Cricket Club Saracens making bold statements of intent in Division One with strong early performances while USRC/MCC and Kai Tak also enjoyed victories in Division Two.

Saturday Championship Division 1
At Hong Kong Cricket Club, defending champions HKCC Nomads got their title defence off to a winning start with a strong performance against Pakistan Association. Electing to bowl after winning the toss, Nomads dismissed PACC for 194 in the 34th over, with Ravi Mulchandani picking up 3/39 from his 7 over spell. For PACC, Zamir Ali top scored with 55 while Mehtab Ali scored 40.

A 50-run opening partnership saw Nomads away to a positive start with skipper Kym Graham hitting 30 and from there the HKCC batsmen were seldom troubled. A 97-run third wicket partnership between Kabir Sodhi (41) and A Shephard (84*) lifted Nomads to the brink and victory was eventually achieved in 30.1 overs.
At HKCC: Pakistan Association 194 from 33.2 overs lost HKCC Nomads 4/198 from 30.1 overs runs

At Kowloon Cricket Club, a new-look KCC Saracens unit achieved a bonus point victory over Centaurs thanks to a dominant batting performance. Saracens notched up an impressive 5/233 from their 35 overs after electing to bat first. Chris Cater (85) and Ninad Shah (78) shared a 138-run third wicket partnership while Simandeep Singh (61) and Carter added another 76 for the fourth wicket.

In reply, Centaurs made a good start with the openers putting on 57. Four of the top five batsmen scored over 20 but none reached 30 and Centaurs slumped from 3/103 to 135 all out. Ansh Lulla mopped up the tail with 4/29 from five overs.
At KCC: KCC Saracens 5/233 from 35 overs beat Centaurs 135 from 34.5 overs by 98 runs.

Saturday Championship Division 2
Kai Tak bounced back from their loss to SCC Lancers to beat CCC Hung See by 90 runs at Police Training College. Batting first after winning the toss, Kai Tak scored 6/189 from their 35 overs with Ali Williams top scoring with 93. In reply, CCC Hung See were dismissed for 99 with Kai Tak skipper Mohsin Naqvi claiming 3/6 off seven overs.
At PTC: Kai Tak 6/189 from 35 overs beat CCC Hung See 99 from 34.3 overs by 90 runs.

At PKVR Park, USRC/MCC and HKU fought out a close game with USRC/MCC prevailing by 29 runs. USRC/MCC batted first and they scored 213 off 34.3 overs with Umar Mohammad hitting an impressive 72 while Sikandar Zafar scored 45. Ashwin Dokania led HKU’s reply with 41, but his was a lone hand as six other HKU batsmen posted double figure scores but none could go past 17. HKU were eventually dismissed for 184.
At PKVR Park: USRC/MCC 213 from 34.3 overs beat HKU 184 from 33.5 overs by 29 runs.

Sunday, 20th September 2015

One-Day Premier League
A thrilling One-Day Premier League match was played at Hong Kong Cricket Club with defending champions HKCC prevailing in the end by the narrowest of margins.

The Independents batted first after winning the toss but they got off to the worst possible start, losing three wickets with just one run on the board. A 108-run fourth wicket partnership between Jonathan Foo and Akbar Khan lifted the Independents’ score to 109 before Khan was dismissed for 23. The 25-year-old Foo, who represented Guyana in the 2010 and 2013 Caribbean T20 competitions, went on to score a brilliant 109 with the score on 180. Foo received useful support from Awais Mohammad who finished unbeaten on 38 as Independents reached 8/217 from their 50 overs. Tim Cutler and Daljeet Singh picked up two wickets each for HKCC.

In reply, HKCC also lost an early wicket and they were reduced to 4/61 before a 50-run partnership between Nizakat Khan and Matt Twomey lifted them over the 100 mark. A flurry of wickets then saw the hosts slip to 7/113 but Nizakat Khan engineered a rear-guard battle with the tail-enders to get HKCC back into the match. Nizakat was eventually dismissed for 106 but his wicket soon saw the last wicket pair at the crease with still 16 runs needed. In a tense finish, Giacomo Lamplough (17*) and Anton Bunton (9*) secured the final few runs needed for a one-wicket victory. Jonathan Foo and Mudassar Hussain were the best of the Independents’ bowlers, with two wickets apiece.
At HKCC: Independents 8/217 from 50 overs lost to HKCC 9/221 from 42.1 overs by 1 wicket.

Pink Dot @ Tamar Park – 20 September, 2015

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Pink Dot a celebration of love and equality – 20 September, 2015
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Red Dragons Finish Runners Up at East Asia Cup

Hong Kong’s Women’s T20 team the Red Dragons lead by Captain Emma Lai ( 賴穎琪) lost a hard fought final against China by 38 runs at the East Asia Cup held in Korea from the 15-20 September.

The four team tournament, held at the Yeonhui Cricket Stadium in Incheon featured Hong Kong, Japan, China and hosts Korea. The first thee match days featured the round robin games with the final on the last day.

Hong Kong Red Dragon’s Results

Match Day 1
China 104/4 from 20 overs beat Hong Kong 41/9 from 19.4 overs. China beat Hong Kong by 63 runs.

China 104/4 (20 overs)
H Zhou 42*, S Fengfeng 32, Markio Hill 3/14

Hong Kong 41/9 (19.4 overs)
Ruchitha Venkatesh 11, Lai Wing Ki 9, W Meng 3/3, R Xiang 2/4, L Yingying 2/4, S Fengfeng 1/4
China won the toss and decided to bat first.

Match Day 2
Hong Kong 100/9 from 20 overs beat Japan 74/7 from 20 overs. Hong Kong won by 26 runs.

Hong Kong 100/9 (20 overs)
Kary Chan 25, Shanzeen Shanzad 21, Mariko Hill 13, Y Kitamato 2/3, A Nakayama 2/9, K Takashashi 1/5

Japan 74/7 (20 overs)
K Ota 24, E Yamaguchi 14, Pull To 3/15, Mariko Hill 2/13, Annie Ho 1/8
Hong Kong won the toss and decided to bat first.

Match Day 3
Hong Kong 59/0 from 20 overs beat Korea 58/8 from 20 overs. Hong Kong won by 10 wickets.

Korea 58/8 (20 overs)
P On 15, Annie Ho 3/14, Pull To 2/13, Markio Hill 1/7, Kary Chan 1/8, Marina Lamplough 1/11

Hong Kong 59/0 (20 overs)
(Kary Chan 26*, Pull To 15*)At Yeonhui Cricket Stadium, Incheon, Korea won the toss and decided to bat first.

East Asia Cup Final
China 123/2 from 20 overs beat Hong Kong 85/4 from 20 overs. China beat Hong Kong by 38 runs.

China 123/2 (20 overs)
S Mengyo 61, H Zhuo 27*, Pull To 1/20, Annie Ho 1/31

Hong Kong 85/4 (20 overs)
Pull To 45*, Mariko Hill 24, W Juan 1/17
China won the toss and invited Hong Kong to field first

Hong Kong Squad
LAI Wing Ki, Emma 賴穎琪 (Captain), TO Yee Shan, Pull 杜綺珊 (Vice Captain), CHAN Ka Ying, Kary 陳嘉瑩, CHEUNG Hiu Ying, Lemon 張曉瑩#, HO Hung Ying, Annie 何虹瑩, KWOK Lau Ping, Amanda 郭柳萍, LEE Sheung Yu, Patricia 李湘瑜#, WONG Ki Yan, Corn 黃麒恩#, Jenefer DAVIES 戴麗珠, Shanzeen SHAHZAD 李芷心, Mariko HILL, Marina LAMPLOUGH, Ruchitha VENKATESH#
# Players making their Hong Kong debuts in this tournament.