CHINA DAILY | HONG KONG EDITION Monday, March 2, 2020 | 9 COMMENTHK Backing rioters, Western Police funding: Adequate media are, basically, resources vital to defend HK ver since violent protest- the United Kingdom and the ers launched their war United States. Again, net guns, on society last June, the which release material to entan- police force has had to gle suspects in a way that does anti-Chinese and racist Ebear the brunt. Although they not endanger life, are also used have valiantly sought to pro- Grenville Cross by the police in places like Japan, Andre Vltchek points out what the West and tect people, businesses, public The author is a senior counsel, Taiwan and the US, and can be of facilities and even courts from law professor and criminal great utility. its biased journalists term as ‘pro-democracy’ black-clad mobs, they have paid justice analyst, and was previ- The police, moreover, hope to a heavy price. O cers have been ously the director of public spend about HK$77 million on alays aggressively disrespectful of HK police attacked with petrol bombs, sav- prosecutions of the Hong Kong replacing six armored vehicles, agely assaulted, and even set on Special Administrative Region and, once achieved, this will also fi re, but they have not fl inched, government. strengthen their operational n Friday, I was having lunch with although many have been hospi- capability. the senior superintendent of the talized. on e ective policing. Although the government’s Hong Kong Police Force, Kit Tse Although the COVID-19 out- In his budget address, there- decision to modernize the force Tsui-yan, discussing philosophi- break has seen a lull in violence, fore, on Wednesday, Financial and equip it to protect Hong cally the riots and the role her the former chief secretary, Anson Secretary, Paul Chan Mo-po, Kong is absolutely vital, some men and women in uniform have Chan Fang On-sang, predicts announced that total funding lawmakers, who have previously been playing in this complex situ- that, once it abates, the strife for the force will rise by 25 per- whitewashed the protest move- ation. will resume, and she is probably cent over the previous year, to ment and its excesses, are up in OI asked her about Jimmy Lai Chee-ying’s arrest Andre Vltchek right. Not even for a second, HK$25.8 billion ($3.3 billion), arms. Whereas HK First’s Clau- and she replied: “We’ve charged three people, includ- The author is a novelist, fi lmmaker and investigative therefore, can Hong Kong a ord which is a welcome show of sup- dia Mo Man-ching fumed that ing Lai. We had put huge e orts into the investiga- journalist. to let its guard down. Anything port. It is anticipated, moreover, she was “disgusted” by the deci- tion before we decided to make the move.” The Western media is consistently the government does which the that an extra 2,543 posts will sion, the Democratic Party’s Wu A police press statement summarized the situa- protesters dislike could trigger a be added to the 35,000-strong Chi-wai spluttered that the gov- tion: twisting the facts. They are por- resumption of violence, and vigi- force in the next fi nancial year, ernment was ignoring concerns “Following investigations by o cers from the lance is therefore key. an increase of more than 7 per- over “the brutality of the police Third Division of the Regional Crime Unit of Hong traying Hong Kong police as the All the signs are that those cent, in order to “strengthen force”. Not to be outdone, the Civ- Kong Island, three local men, aged between 63 and ones initiating violence. It shows responsible for the violence are operational capability”. About 45 ic Party’s Alvin Yeung Ngok-kiu 72, were arrested in Sham Shui Po, Kowloon City simply catching their breath, tak- percent of the new o cers will fatuously called for police fund- District and Western District this morning (Feb 28). rioters as “responding” to police ing stock, and re-equipping, as help to “maintain law and order ing to be slashed, and threatened … The three men have been jointly charged with one much of their weaponry has been in the community”, while over to vote down the whole budget. count of ‘knowingly’ participating in an unauthor- attacks and using excessive force seized by police action. The pause, 400 new posts will be created to Quite clearly, Mo, Wu and ized assembly. — totally the opposite of what I had of course, has not stopped them “prevent and detect crime”. Yeung are not only being mis- “A 72-year-old man surnamed Lai is also sus- from planting explosive devices A new fi nancial crimes bureau, chievous, but actively malevo- pected of having verbally intimidated a man at a seen on many occasions on the in various places, including the moreover, is also planned, with a lent, presumably thinking that rally in Eastern District on June 4, 2017. He has been Shenzhen Bay Control Point and mandate to combat money laun- there are votes to be had in trot- charged with one count of criminal intimidation. ground in Hong Kong. Lo Wu MTR station, and blowing dering and terrorist fi nancing, ting out such nonsense. Indeed, “The two cases will be heard in Eastern Magistracy up public lavatories in Cheung Sha areas where Hong Kong’s law anyone listening to the rantings on May 5.” describe as “pro-democracy” is basically anti-Chi- Wan and Jordan. It is, however, enforcement e orts have fallen of this malicious trio could be Almost immediately after the arrest, spiteful nese, even racist, but always aggressively patron- also enabling them to recalibrate behind other places. forgiven for recalling the words attacks by the Western mass media against both the izing. their strategies, and liaise with It is, of course, the front-line of Shakespeare’s King Lear, that Hong Kong government and Beijing began. And again, put this into context: “Anti-government their global backers. o cers who are tasked with “wisdom and goodness to the vile The very same day, US-based CNN started fi r- protests, printing fl yers and posters in its pages that Anti-China elements, of course, confronting the mobs, and they seem vile”. When, moreover, poli- ing Cold War-style salvos, insulting the Hong Kong people can cut out and take to marches.” Can you are here for the long haul, and, must obviously have the latest ticians of such low quality are government, while portraying Lai as a media mogul imagine if this would happen in Paris (Yellow Vest as their record shows, they do equipment. Chan’s announce- elected to the Legislative Council, and a hero: “While focusing on celebrity gossip and Movement), Barcelona (movements for independent not mind how much damage ment, therefore, that the force’s it is hardly surprising if many other tabloid fare since the handover, the paper has Catalonia) or any other Western country? A news- they cause, or who they kill and budget for specialist supplies and people fi nd themselves losing emerged as one of the fi ercest critics of the local gov- paper providing such “services” to protesters would maim. As they try to destroy equipment, including weapons, faith in the future of democratic ernment and its Beijing masters. It has openly sup- be shut down immediately, and dragged through Hong Kong, all that stands in ammunition, shields and protec- development. ported the pro-democracy movement and anti-gov- courts, totally discredited. And what if it would be, their way is the police force, tive gear, is to almost treble to Once the budget is approved, ernment protests, printing fl yers and posters in its on top of it, supported by Russia or the PRC! Or just which, particularly since the HK$612 million, will hopefully the police force will hopefully be pages that people can cut out and take to marches.” simply recall the fate of people like Julian Assange or appointment of Chris Tang Ping- provide the force with signifi cant able to fully discharge its obliga- Notice the language, “local government and its Edward Snowden! keung as commissioner on Nov encouragement. Indeed, John tions to society. It should, that Beijing masters” — a naked, insulting propaganda Compared to all these, and considering what he 19, has enjoyed increasing tacti- Lee, himself a canny former is, be able to contain subversive style of writing, which does not even bother to hide has committed, Lai is being treated in Hong Kong cal success against them. This director of crime and security activity, to protect lives, and to itself behind the thin veil of “objectivity” anymore. with kid gloves. explains why the deeply unpa- of the Hong Kong Police Force, safeguard our streets, as well as Even CNN had to admit that Lai has been Or, perhaps, the rioters and Lai’s followers have triotic Civic Party, along with its will likely have discussed with to clamp down on global money extremely close to the US right-wing and extreme never heard anything about Assange and Snowden, local collaborators and foreign Tang exactly what equipment his laundering and terrorist fi nance. right-wing politicians: “Lai’s closeness to right-wing about how Western dissidents get exiled, tortured allies, has done all it possibly can o cers need, and they will have To weaken the force, or leave it politicians in the United States — he met with US and forced to fi ght for their lives? That is very pos- to besmirch their reputation and agreed that, to achieve the force’s underfunded, is simply not an Vice-President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike sible, given their extremely limited understanding undermine their morale, even objectives, it will have to be state- option, and the black-clad mobs Pompeo and then-National Security Adviser John of how the West and its neo-colonialist system func- to the extent of blocking their of-the-art, but non-lethal.