Occupy Central
Occupy Central is a civil disobedience movement which began in Hong Kong on September 28, 2014. It calls on thousands of protesters to block roads and paralyse Hong Kong's financial district if the Beijing and Hong Kong governments do not agree to implement universal suffrage for the chief executive election in 2017 and the Legislative Council elections in 2020 according to "international standards." The movement was initiated by Benny Tai Yiu-ting (戴耀廷), an associate professor of law at the University of Hong Kong, in January 2013.
Umbrella Movement
The Umbrella Movement (Chinese: 雨傘運動; pinyin: yǔsǎn yùndòng) is a loose political movement that was created spontaneously during the Hong Kong protests of 2014. Its name derives from the recognition of the umbrella as a symbol of defiance and resistance against the Hong Kong government, and the united grass-roots objection to the decision of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC) of 31 August.
The movement consists of individuals numbering in the tens of thousands who participated in the protests that began on 28 September 2014, although Scholarism, the Hong Kong Federation of Students, Occupy Central with Love and Peace, groups are principally driving the demands for the rescission of the NPCSC decision.
The movement consists of individuals numbering in the tens of thousands who participated in the protests that began on 28 September 2014, although Scholarism, the Hong Kong Federation of Students, Occupy Central with Love and Peace, groups are principally driving the demands for the rescission of the NPCSC decision.
POST OCCUPY CENTRAL - DAY 120:
Full coverage of the day’s events on 14-04
Rising to the challenge of the one-trip-a-week scheme
THE MULTIPLE-ENTRY PERMIT SCHEME for Shenzhen residents, which had been in place for six years, was replaced yesterday by a scheme that allows them to visit Hong Kong only once a week. This means that the number of visitors from Shenzhen is likely to decrease.
According to official statistics, of the 1.6 million or so Shenzhen residents holding multiple-entry permits, about 30,000 visit Hong Kong more than 52 times a year. While proportionally 30,000 is not a large number, the problem of parallel trading is no longer a purely economic issue, but has become a political one that is highly sensitive and is leading to conflicts between Hong Kong and the mainland. And with the so-called localist groups throwing themselves into the conflicts, the situation has reached boiling point. It is said that there are individual politicians and political groups that want to make an issue of the parallel trading problem in this year's district council election, which makes things even more complicated. To tackle the problem, the authorities have very rightly revised the multiple-entry permit scheme. However, other measures are needed if the situation is to be improved. And even if other measures are introduced, parallel trading cannot be stopped completely as long as certain objective factors remain unchanged.
First, parallel trading is primarily the result of mainlanders' lack of confidence in mainland products. As far as we can see, this lack of confidence is not likely to disappear in the near future. In other words, the climate for parallel trading is still there.
Second, given mainland China's large population, parallel trade syndicates can easily hire more people to work for them. Besides, according to the authorities, more than 60 percent of those actively engaged in parallel trading across the border are Hongkongers. As Hongkongers are not bound by the newly introduced one-trip-a-week scheme, they will probably play an even more important part in parallel trading between Hong Kong and Shenzhen in future.
The one-trip-a-week scheme is in fact a move to keep visitors away from Hong Kong, which strictly speaking is not advisable. If there is a special market for parallel traders, every party involved stands to gain. We should therefore set up shopping malls along the border where parallel traders may purchase what they need without disturbing the local residents, while other visitors to Hong Kong can shop at their ease and enjoy the delights of this shopping paradise. It will be a win-win situation for all.
Recently, there has been a marked slowdown in Hong Kong's tourist and retail industries, which will be further hard hit by the fundamental changes brought about by the one-trip-a-week scheme. It is hoped that the tourism promotion activities the government is soon to launch may offset some of the adverse effects of the scheme. At the same time, the government and the tourist industry must work to re-build Hong Kong's image as a hospitable city and offer tourists more comforts and conveniences as well as establish some more scenic spots so as to improve Hong Kong's status as a tourist destination. Finally, the handful of people who target their attacks against mainland visitors must restrain themselves from now on, for they have already greatly tarnished Hong Kong's image as a tourist centre. If they keep on acting wilfully, the authorities must take strong measures to keep them in check.
THE MULTIPLE-ENTRY PERMIT SCHEME for Shenzhen residents, which had been in place for six years, was replaced yesterday by a scheme that allows them to visit Hong Kong only once a week. This means that the number of visitors from Shenzhen is likely to decrease.
According to official statistics, of the 1.6 million or so Shenzhen residents holding multiple-entry permits, about 30,000 visit Hong Kong more than 52 times a year. While proportionally 30,000 is not a large number, the problem of parallel trading is no longer a purely economic issue, but has become a political one that is highly sensitive and is leading to conflicts between Hong Kong and the mainland. And with the so-called localist groups throwing themselves into the conflicts, the situation has reached boiling point. It is said that there are individual politicians and political groups that want to make an issue of the parallel trading problem in this year's district council election, which makes things even more complicated. To tackle the problem, the authorities have very rightly revised the multiple-entry permit scheme. However, other measures are needed if the situation is to be improved. And even if other measures are introduced, parallel trading cannot be stopped completely as long as certain objective factors remain unchanged.
First, parallel trading is primarily the result of mainlanders' lack of confidence in mainland products. As far as we can see, this lack of confidence is not likely to disappear in the near future. In other words, the climate for parallel trading is still there.
Second, given mainland China's large population, parallel trade syndicates can easily hire more people to work for them. Besides, according to the authorities, more than 60 percent of those actively engaged in parallel trading across the border are Hongkongers. As Hongkongers are not bound by the newly introduced one-trip-a-week scheme, they will probably play an even more important part in parallel trading between Hong Kong and Shenzhen in future.
The one-trip-a-week scheme is in fact a move to keep visitors away from Hong Kong, which strictly speaking is not advisable. If there is a special market for parallel traders, every party involved stands to gain. We should therefore set up shopping malls along the border where parallel traders may purchase what they need without disturbing the local residents, while other visitors to Hong Kong can shop at their ease and enjoy the delights of this shopping paradise. It will be a win-win situation for all.
Recently, there has been a marked slowdown in Hong Kong's tourist and retail industries, which will be further hard hit by the fundamental changes brought about by the one-trip-a-week scheme. It is hoped that the tourism promotion activities the government is soon to launch may offset some of the adverse effects of the scheme. At the same time, the government and the tourist industry must work to re-build Hong Kong's image as a hospitable city and offer tourists more comforts and conveniences as well as establish some more scenic spots so as to improve Hong Kong's status as a tourist destination. Finally, the handful of people who target their attacks against mainland visitors must restrain themselves from now on, for they have already greatly tarnished Hong Kong's image as a tourist centre. If they keep on acting wilfully, the authorities must take strong measures to keep them in check.
Coconuts
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