Two mainland petitioners, Song Ningsheng (宋寧生) and Zeng Jiuzi (曾九子), were sentenced to a year in a labour camp (laogai) in Jiangxi province after taking
part in the political rally in Hong Kong on 1 July 2012 organised by the Civil Human Rights Front, and for later petitioning in Beijing for an inquiry into
the deaths of
their respective spouses in the mainland. It is alleged that they were
tailed all the way from their home towns and also in Hong Kong.
According to a page of the judgement, seen by the South China Morning Post, "Song Ningsheng and Zeng Jiuzi went
to Hong Kong in late June. They took part in protests during the
activities commemorating the anniversary of Hong Kong handover on July
1"; it also said that they had petitioned in Beijing on 9 and 11 July.
Zeng's son alleged that the police told him his mother was being
punished "for taking part in an 'anti-China protest' in Hong Kong"
By no huge a logical step, the 100,000 (give or take a couple hundred thousand) people who took part in that 1 July rally had, knowingly or unnknowingly, taken part in an "anti-China protest". These individuals still have safety in numbers. Nevertheless, they could have reason to be terrified of the border-crossing security apparatus. And this is what stokes fears of implementation of Article 23 of the Basic Law.
The leaders of our beloved country already have a notional wall around Hong Kong. They may choose to keep it in place until the dissidents are indoctrinated and assimilated – for resistance is futile – failing which they may have to indefinitely contain all the seditious criminals within the city (allusions to Escape from New York)
To conclude, and for good measure, I need to observe some political correctness. So I chant "中国共产党万岁！" (Long live the Communist Party of China!)
Further reading:
Mark McDonald "China Sends Two to Labor Camp for Marching in Hong Kong". New York Times
 |
| Song Ningsheng (left) |
By no huge a logical step, the 100,000 (give or take a couple hundred thousand) people who took part in that 1 July rally had, knowingly or unnknowingly, taken part in an "anti-China protest". These individuals still have safety in numbers. Nevertheless, they could have reason to be terrified of the border-crossing security apparatus. And this is what stokes fears of implementation of Article 23 of the Basic Law.
The leaders of our beloved country already have a notional wall around Hong Kong. They may choose to keep it in place until the dissidents are indoctrinated and assimilated – for resistance is futile – failing which they may have to indefinitely contain all the seditious criminals within the city (allusions to Escape from New York)
To conclude, and for good measure, I need to observe some political correctness. So I chant "中国共产党万岁！" (Long live the Communist Party of China!)
Further reading:
Mark McDonald "China Sends Two to Labor Camp for Marching in Hong Kong". New York Times