Hongkies are not just keyboard warriors, they take to the streets

[JohnnyCage]

Hong Kong journalists take to streets to march for press freedom

PUBLISHED : Sunday, 23 February, 2014, 4:50pm
UPDATED : Sunday, 23 February, 2014, 6:50pm

Jeffie Lam [email protected]

Journalists march on the streets of Hong Kong to defend the city’s press freedom. Photo: Felix Wong

Throwing down their pens and voice recorders, thousands of journalists switched roles from observers to active rally participants as they marched on the streets of Hong Kong on Sunday to defend the city’s press freedom.

The “Free Speech, Free Hong Kong” protest was organised by the Hong Kong Journalists Association, who said 6,000 people had participated - six times their original estimate of 1,000 attendees. However police said there were 2,200 at the peak of the rally and 1,600 at the peak of the march.

The rally came amid a recent series of events which the group say form an attack on the city’s freedom of press and speech.

Incidents include the abrupt dismissal of Commercial Radio host Li Wei-ling, an outspoken critic of the government, and revelations by Chinese language newspapers Apple Daily and AM730 that mainland-backed companies and banks had pulled adverts because of their editorial stance.

Protesters hold banners calling for press freedom. Photo: Felix Wong

“If the freedom of press and speech is lost, other rights and freedom that Hongkongers are entitled to would also be affected, as the media would no longer be able to speak for the people,” said Ken Lui Tze-lok, committee member of HKJA.

“The media in Hong Kong is currently under severe threat, and our union understands that the work of public broadcast could not stand alone,” Bao Choy Yuk-ling, chairperson of the RTHK programme staff union, added.

“We hope a united action could help safeguarding the freedom.”

Former lawmaker and former Ming Pao publisher Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee was at the protest. Photo: Jeffie Lam

Over 30 staff and ex-reporters of Ming Pao newspaper have also joined the rally, holding up a big banner that read “Safeguarding the sky of freedom”.

Protesters gathered at Charter Garden in Central before proceeding to the Chief Executive’s Office in Tamar, Admiralty, where they will stage a rally to urge Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying to uphold the city’s free speech.

The city’s press freedom has drastically declined from 18th position in 2002 to this year’s 61st out of 180 countries and territories, according to an annual report by Reporters Without Borders released earlier this month.

Rally participants calling for press freedom. Photo: Felix Wong

A government spokesman said that the Chief Executive had publicly stated in the past that both he and the Hong Kong government had attached great importance to Hong Kong's freedom of press and speech, and would continue to do so in the present and in the future.

"As freedom of the press and freedom of speech are the major elements in sustaining Hong Kong's status as an international metropolis and continuous development, the Hong Kong government will continue to strive to safeguard these vital core values," the spokesman said.

Regarding staff changes at media organisations, the spokesman stressed that the government would not and could not interfere with the editorial freedom, independent operation and internal management of media organisations.

 

[yellowarse]

Press Freedom Index 2013:

HK: 58th
Singapore: 149th

 

[tonychat]

They got balls.. they do not spit on the mrt card during protest..

they go to the mrt HQ and demand and answer or else they will not leave.

 

[kezgtree]

...Hongkong press don't belongs to the government...SPH who owned???

 

[@rmadill0]

Do they also sell t-shirts and caps during the marches?

 

[Asterix]

Do they also sell t-shirts and caps during the marches?

Why? You got no money to buy arh? :oIo: :kma:

The strike has just ended and the dock workers got some concessions - 9.8% pay rise as opposed to original 5% and improved working conditions. What is amazing is the degree of public support that the strikers got and we are not talking about cheapskate Sinkie style "moral support". We are talking about cold hard cash - Hongkies put their money where their mouths are. The fund set up by the union to support strikers and their families raised HK$8.54 million. That's equivalent to about 1.35 million Sinkie dollars! Enough to pay a Sinkie Ministar for one year! And that's not including the tents, food, drinks, blankets, etc that members of the public gave to the strikers. No wonder Georgie Boy is happier living among Hongkies than rotting together with Sinkies. Cowardly Sinkies have only themselves to blame if Zorro and his "union" sides with employers and they are too ball-less to do anything about it.

Below is the first of two articles from today's South China Morning Post:

40 days on, dockers reflect on fight for dignity

Before March 28, they were just a bunch of contract dockers at the Kwai Tsing Container Terminals who were dissatisfied with their wages and conditions but had never made their voices heard.

That day they told themselves they had had enough and walked out on strike - not realising the industrial action would last for 40 days.

Some of the 430 strikers working for contractors under tycoon Li Ka-shing's port operator Hongkong International Terminals said they had thought about giving up but stuck it out because they were touched by the support of Hongkongers.

"I never thought that it would last so long," a docker from contractor Everbest Port Services said. "I thought it would end after a few days. I thought about giving up. But I did not, because of the support from the public."

The man, giving his name only as Lee, recalled the touching sight of an old man pulling a trolley with two boxes of Spam luncheon meat to their initial strike base at the terminals.

"He came three times," Lee said. "I know he is not a rich man. He lives on social welfare. Every time he came, he just told us that we had his full support and left."

On the first day of the walkout, it was wet and cold as the strikers slept at the terminals. "It was so cold and everywhere looked flooded because of the rain," Lee said. "But the next day the public started to send us tents and other resources. They have supported us throughout."

Another Everbest docker, who asked not to be named, said he had come under pressure from his family to go back to work and let the rest of the strikers fight for the wage increase of about 20 per cent that they were seeking.

"I thought about quitting. But that would have let my 'brothers' down," he said.

"All these years working at the terminal, I have slept with my brothers more than with my wife. We always have to sleep at the terminal between shifts. My brothers and my wife are equally important."

Yet another Everbest docker, Ng Siu-keung, said the action actually gave dock workers the chance to gripe about their grievances at work - an opportunity they hardly ever had during long and exhausting days on the job.

"We did not sleep much every day. We all chatted till late after midnight.

"It was quite a precious opportunity for us, all gathered here," Ng said.

"It was not just a fight for a wage increase, it was a fight for dignity and respect."

The dockers raised HK$8.54 million from the public in their strike fund. Now that the action is over, the fund has HK$2.3 million left, which will be distributed back to them.

The strikers received their 11th subsidy from the fund yesterday. Combined with this and their share of the remainder, each will get about HK$18,840.

http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1232522/dockers-reflect-fight-dignity