Gweilo's Hong Kong Freedom Briefing: 2003-07-23

Winds of Change.NET Regional Briefings run on Tuesdays & Wednesdays. This Regional Briefing focuses on China, courtesy of The Gweilo Diaries.

Today we focus on recent political protests in Hong Kong: their story, and their repercussions. These important events have been almost ignored thanks to the brouhahas in Iraq and Iran, but we need to pay attention. The protests in HK and circumstances with other bloggers left Conrad as almost the only local blogger on post, so I specifically asked him to do a synopsis even if that meant lots of links to his own site.

July 1, 2003: The Hong Kong Freedom Story

• On July 1st, 500,000 peaceful protestors took to the streets of Hong Kong ostensibly to protest the proposed Article 23 anti-subversion legislation but equally to express discontent with the Beijing imposed Tung Che-hwa administration and to express their desire for increased democratization. Mr. Tung's usually reliable allies the Liberal Party (pro-business, pro-Beijing) bolted, and their chairman James Tien Pei-chun resigned his cabinet position and called for withdrawal of the legislation. Tung and Beijing backed down and pulled the bill.

• English-language expat bloggers in Hong Kong and China covered the unfolding story extensively:
  - July 2nd: Can you count?
  - Burnt Flag, Burnt Folks
  - Hemlock's rolling coverage from June 29-July 5
  - July 4th: Hong Kong Batting 1.000, America 0.00, and
  - July 7th: Fallout.

This is only the beginning of the story...

• In the face of smaller protests over the following days, two of Tung's most despised ministers, Secretary for Security, Regina "boomhead" Ip and Anthony "I needed that luxury car for my pregnant, gold-medal winning, nymphet wife" Leung were forced to resign.

• JK: If you want to thank someone responsible and recognize both extraordinary courage and effectiveness, here's who. That's margaret, at margareteng.com, for electronic correspondence.

• Hong Kong blogger Preston Whip, meanwhile observed the transformation the demonstrations have provoked in Hong Kong's normally apolitical residents:

"Returning from lunch, my secretary casually informed me that Dong Jianhua's days are numbered. As political analysis goes, it's not exactly the sort of thing that stuns editors. However, coming from a woman who confuses Legco with a company that makes building blocks for kids, thinks Wen Jiabao plays gangster roles in mainland movies, and once asked me if Mao was still alive, this is red hot stuff. "

• Indeed, so traumatic were the protests on Hong Kong's leadership that even the reliably pro-Beijing "Democratic Alliance" did an abrupt about-face, with its leader calling for actual democra tic elections and reconsidering its close relationship with Beijing.

• The lasting effect of this display of "people power" remains uncertain as Beijing continues to send mixed signals (like hints of reform, alternating with demonstrations of remarkable clelessness and political ineptitude.

• JK: Meanwhile, the people back on the mainland have noticed Hong Kong's example, and this analysis of the underlying issue by Toronto's Globe and Mail is a good one. Which is one reason why Conrad's "you've won, now cool it" advice strikes me as sound. Fortunately, That seems to be the game plan.

• Blogosphere news: Richard of Peking Duck has received a facelift and escaped Blogspot, and can now be found at PekingDuck.org