Young, educated and furious: A survey of Hong Kong's protesters

HONG KONG, China — The vast majority of Hong Kong's pro-democracy protesters are university-educated, almost half are in their twenties and nearly everyone loathes the police, according to an academic survey that sheds new light on the movement.

Ten weeks of demonstrations in the financial hub have seen millions of people take to the streets, increasingly violent clashes breakout between hardcore protesters and police and, more recently, flights grounded at the airport.

The rallies that began in opposition to a bill allowing extraditions to mainland China have morphed into a broader bid to reverse a slide in democratic freedoms.

Researchers from four of the city's universities surveyed participants across 12 protests—including mass rallies and "fluid" and "static" demonstrations—between June 9 and August 4 and found 54 percent were male and 46 percent were female.

Overall, 77 percent of the 6,688 respondents said they had a tertiary (higher) education, with 21 percent saying they had a secondary (high school) education.


The 20-29 age bracket was the most represented with 49 percent, compared to 11 percent under 20 and 19 percent aged between 30 and 39. Sixteen percent were 40 and above.

Exactly half (50 percent) considered themselves to be middle class, while 41 percent said they were "grassroots".

When asked why they were demonstrating, 87 percent said they wanted the extradition bill to be withdrawn, 95 percent expressed dissatisfaction with police's handling of the protests and 92 percent called for the establishment of an independent commission of inquiry.

The survey, called 'Onsite Survey Findings in Hong Kong's Anti-Extradition Bill Protests' was published on August 12 and led by researchers from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Lingnan University, the Hang Seng University of HongKong and Hong Kong Baptist University.

source: philstar.com

Protesters control key roads after historic Hong Kong rally

HONG KONG, China — Holdout anti-government protesters remained in control of a major arterial road in Hong Kong on Monday a day after organizers said two million people flooded the streets in a historic rebuke of the city's pro-Beijing leader.

Vast crowds marched for hours in tropical heat on Sunday calling for the resignation of chief executive Carrie Lam, who has been forced to suspend a widely loathed bill that would have allowed extraditions to the Chinese mainland.

Critics fear the Beijing-backed law will entangle people in China's notoriously opaque and politicized courts and damage the city's reputation as a safe business hub.

Throngs of largely black-clad protesters snaked their way for miles through the streets to the city's parliament—with the organizers' estimate for the crowd size doubling an already record-breaking demonstration the previous Sunday in the city of 7.3 million.

The estimate has not been independently verified but if confirmed it would be the largest demonstration in Hong Kong's history.

Police, who historically give far lower estimates for political protests, said 338,000 people turned out at the demonstration's "peak" Sunday.

By Monday morning the crowds had dramatically dropped to just a few hundred largely young protesters occupying a major highway outside the city's parliament and some nearby streets.

Small lines of police, who had virtually disappeared the night before, were pleading with the protesters to go home but made no attempt to force them on.

Public rage

Opposition to the extradition bill has united an unusually wide cross-section of Hong Kong in recent weeks, from influential legal and business bodies to religious leaders.

And while the spark for the last week of protests has been the extradition bill, the movement has since morphed into the latest expression of public rage against both the city's leaders and Beijing.

Many Hong Kongers believe China's leaders are stamping down on the financial hub's unique freedoms and culture.

They point to the huge 2014 pro-democracy "Umbrella Movement" that failed to win any concessions, the imprisonment of protest leaders, the disqualification of popular lawmakers and the disappearance of Beijing-critical booksellers, as recent examples.

In recent years, the city's pro-Beijing leaders have successfully resisted bowing to pressure from large street protests led by the city's pro-democracy activists.

But the sheer size of the last week's crowds, and unprecedented violent clashes on Wednesday, has forced Lam into a major climbdown.

On Saturday she indefinitely suspended the unpopular extradition bill and apologised a day later for the attempt causing "conflict and disputes".

But the U-turn has done little to mollify protesters.

The Civil Human Rights Front, which is organizing the rallies, has called on Lam to resign, shelve the bill permanently and apologise for police using tear gas and rubber bullets on Wednesday. They have also demanded all charges be dropped against anyone arrested.

The violent crowd control measures on Wednesday, used by police as protesters tried to storm the city's parliament to stop the bill being debated, have proved enormously costly for Lam's government.

Political allies—and even Beijing—distanced themselves from her as public anger mounted.

"I think she has lost any remaining credibility or legitimacy to rule in Hong Kong because of her own mishandling of this whole affair," Charles Mok, a lawmaker, told RTHK Radio.

Joshua Wong to walk free

The massive rallies—which come 30 years after the Tiananmen crackdown—also create a huge headache for president Xi Jinping, the most authoritarian Chinese leader since Mao Zedong.

Under the 1997 handover deal signed with Britain, China agreed to allow Hong Kong to keep unique liberties such as freedom of speech and its hugely successful independent common law courts for 50 years.

But the huge crowds this week illustrate how many Hong Kong's 7.3 million inhabitants believe China is already reneging on that deal and fear further sliding freedoms as the city hurtles towards that 2047 deadline.

Protest leaders have called for a strike on Monday and renewed demonstrations.

One of the city's most prominent protest leaders is due to be released from prison later on Monday morning.

Joshua Wong, who became the poster child of the 2014 "Umbrella Movement" protests, will walk free at 10:30 am (0230 GMT), his political party said.

Wong, 22, was jailed in May for two months on a contempt charge after pleading guilty to obstructing the clearance of a major protest camp back in 2014.

It was not clear whether his early release was a gesture from the authorities or procedure.

A release on Monday would mean he will have served exactly half his sentence, a common policy in Hong Kong for prisoners who exhibit good behaviour.

Chinese state media remained largely silent about Sunday's historic rally, with social platforms scrubbed clean of any pictures or mentions of the rally.

source: philstar.com

Napoles daughter back from Indonesia, to face US cases

MANILA, Philippines — Jeane Catherine Napoles, the youngest daughter of detained businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles, returned to the Philippines on Friday, one of the family lawyers said.

“Jeane arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport at exactly 3:35 a.m. on Friday. I personally fetched her for the reason that the family is concerned of any eventuality in light of her recent indictment in the US,” counsel Ian Encarnacion told The STAR.

On Friday, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra told the media that Jeane Catherine left the Philippines on July 27 based on records of the Bureau of Immigration.

Guevarra, however, said he had no knowledge of where Jeane was heading.

Jeane’s departure from the Philippines came days before the US Department of Justice announced on Wednesday her indictment by a federal grand jury for conspiracy to commit money laundering, domestic money laundering and international money laundering concerning the wealth that her mother supposedly amassed from the pork barrel fund scam.


Also indicted by the jury were Napoles, her two other children Jo Christine and James Christopher and her brother Reynaldo Lim and his wife Ana Marie.

Guevarra said that aside from Jeane, all the other indicted members of the Napoles family are still in the Philippines.

Encarnacion confirmed Jeane left for Indonesia on July 27, but stressed that the trip had no connection with her recent indictment.

“It was a purely business trip. She sourced raw materials for a clothing business of a friend. The flight was booked sometime in June when we had no knowledge yet of any indictment,” Encarnacion said.

Encarnacion said Jeane’s return on Friday was also scheduled and not out of fear that she might get arrested on foreign soil.

“She is ready to face the cases against her. We will exhaust all legal remedies available to prevent her possible extradition to the US. We maintain her innocence and we look forward to having these cases dismissed,” Encarnacion said.

Justice Secretary Guevarra confirmed Jeane Catherine returned to the country last Friday.

“She flew back yesterday from Denpasar, Indonesia via Zest Air,” Guevarra said.

Jeane Catherine has no pending cases in the Philippines following the Court of Tax Appeals’ dismissal of her P17.46-million tax evasion cases in December last year.

Encarnacion also revealed that he and some other lawyers were on the way to Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig to meet with Napoles and the other members of the family.

“We will be having initial discussions on our legal strategy, on how we will go about these new cases and the possibility of extradition,” Encarnacion said but refused to elaborate.

Napoles is detained at Camp Bagong Diwa on five counts of plunder and multiple counts of graft and malversation pending before the Sandiganbayan in connection with the multibillion-peso pork barrel scam.

Jo Christine and James Christopher are also facing graft and malversation cases at the Sandiganbayan in connection with the pork scam but they are currently out on bail.

Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang earlier said they have jurisdiction over the Napoles family members facing cases at the anti-graft court. This means their extradition may only come after the cases are resolved.

When asked if the Sandiganbayan can temporarily relinquish its jurisdiction over the Napoleses in light of an existing Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) between the Philippines and the US, Tang said: “That is something that has to be studied. There is no SC (Supreme Court) decision yet on that issue that can guide us.”

On the possibility that Napoles would be extradited, Guevarra said the DOJ would provide security for whistle-blower Benhur Luy if he would have to give his testimony before the US courts.

“If he’s requested to testify by US prosecutors, we can make the proper security arrangements,” Guevarra said.

Another option is for the prosecutors from the US government to come to the Philippines to personally get Luy’s sworn statement.

“US prosecutors may simply take his deposition in the Philippines in the presence of defense counsel,” Guevarra added.

Luy had testified that he sent government funds to the alleged accounts of Napoles in the US. He said public funds from former senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. reportedly went to the implementing agencies while some were wired to the US.

In its statement released on Wednesday, the US justice department said that based on investigation, Napoles had some $20 million she had amassed from the pork barrel fund scam transmitted to her US bank accounts. The amount was used for the purchase of assets including real estate and dozens of luxury vehicles.

The US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said Napoles and her family members attempted to quietly liquidate their assets in the US and secretly repatriate most of the resulting funds back to the Philippines and to other accounts in the US and the United Kingdom when the issue came to light in the media.

It also said part of the amount was withdrawn and used to finance the lifestyle and open a fashion business for Jeane Catherine.

Napoles, the report added, had also used the money for her real estate binge, purchase of shares in numerous businesses and for financing the lifestyle of her other family members.

It was reported that in 2015, the US government won a court order to freeze the $12.5 million worth of assets bought by Napoles and others using the alleged stolen funds.

The DOJ had earlier turned down Napoles’ application for witness protection in her bid to be a state witness in the pork scam.  – Evelyn Macairan

source: philstar.com

Who is Sarah Harrison and why is she holed out with Edward Snowden in Moscow?

LONDON -- Holed up with a fugitive computer expert and negotiating a legal minefield to avoid the US authorities -- WikiLeaks staffer Sarah Harrison has been here before.

As one of Julian Assange's closest aides, the blonde, willowy Briton is uniquely qualified to help US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden avoid extradition to the United States for exposing a massive surveillance program.

Snowden and Harrison have been stuck together in the transit zone of a Moscow airport since the weekend, after she accompanied him on a flight from Hong Kong as part of efforts by anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks to help the American.

Harrison has been closely involved in Assange's own battle to avoid extradition to Sweden to face allegations of sexual assault, which he fears will lead to transfer to the United States and possible prosecution over his whistleblowing activities.

She virtually lived with the Australian WikiLeaks founder when he was under house arrest in the English countryside, and there have been reports that they were in a relationship.

Harrison now acts as a kind of gatekeeper at the Ecuadorian embassy in London where Assange sought asylum last year -- a move that personally cost her £3,500 ($5,300, 4,100 euros) she had put up for his bail.

Friends said the researcher, believed to be in her late 20s, was an obvious choice to help Snowden.

"She's completely trusted," said Vaughan Smith, a video journalist who owns the house in Norfolk in eastern England where Assange lived under strict bail conditions between December 2010 and June 2012.

Harrison had her own room and was at the house most of the time, but Smith rejected suggestions she was simply Assange's adoring lackey.

"I don't think I ever saw her washing socks," Smith told AFP, referring to one newspaper report from the time.

"She's a key part of the team, she's one of the people who makes everything happen.

"She was very committed to the idea of greater government openness, very hard-working -- and put up with conditions of a very difficult job under great pressure."

Smith refused to comment on rumors that Harrison was Assange's girlfriend.

"I know everything about it, but I'm not prepared to talk about that," he said.

Both are fiercely committed to their cause and Harrison appeared to complement Assange during a recent visit to the embassy by AFP, seeming organized and efficient where he is dreamy and remote, and helping him to find documents he has misplaced.

Harrison has worked for WikiLeaks since late 2010 as a researcher, media organizer and occasional spokeswoman, and is now Snowden's constant companion as he seeks refuge from US law.

A former WikiLeaks intern who asked not to be named described her as "formidable."

"Miss Harrison has courageously assisted Mr. Snowden with his lawful departure from Hong Kong and is accompanying Mr. Snowden in his passage to safety," WikiLeaks said of her role.

Questions have been raised about how a journalist with no formal legal training can help Snowden, but one of Harrison's former employers said she had unique insight into his situation.

"This is all new territory, when you're treated like some kind of enemy of the state," Gavin MacFadyen, director of the Center for Investigative Journalism, told AFP.

"WikiLeaks has been treated like that now for two years, and everybody who's been through it would have much more experience than [someone] who's never been there, hasn't heard the legal arguments, hasn't been subjected to the attacks."

Harrison shares Assange's well-documented concerns that WikiLeaks is under surveillance, making careful arrangements for encrypted communications with journalists about any of the group's projects.

She spent 18 months working for CIJ, located at City University London, sifting through WikiLeaks data and contributing to an as-yet-unpublished report on multinational corporations.

Harrison then worked for a couple of months at the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, also based at City, analyzing classified US documents from the war in Iraq published by WikiLeaks.

"She came very highly recommended," recalled Rachel Oldroyd, deputy editor of the bureau. "She was very, very young, in her early 20s. She was a good researcher, very diligent."

Harrison's job is demanding and badly paid, but like everyone else working with WikiLeaks, money was never a factor. "She believes what she is doing is in the public interest," Smith said.

source: interaksyon.com

Snowden still at Moscow airport; Ecuador asylum decision may take weeks

MOSCOW - A former US spy agency contractor facing charges of espionage remained in hiding at a Moscow airport on Wednesday while the prospect grew of a protracted Russian-US wrangle over his fate.

Ecuador, where Edward Snowden has requested asylum, said a decision could take weeks and asked Washington to argue its case for extradition.

Russia said Snowden, whose flight is proving a growing embarrassment for President Barack Obama, was still in the transit area of Sheremetyevo airport.

Snowden fled to Hong Kong after leaking details of secret US government surveillance programs, then flew on to Moscow on Sunday. There was no sign on Wednesday of him registering for onward flights out of Russia.

"They are not flying today and not over the next three days," an Aeroflot representative at the transfer desk at Sheremetyevo said when asked whether Snowden and his legal adviser, Sarah Harrison, were due to fly out.

"They are not in the system."

The logical route for Snowden to take out - and one for which he at one point had a reservation - would be an Aeroflot flight to Havana and a connecting flight to Ecuador.

The choice of alternative flights, while the United States presses other countries not to take him in or to arrest him on arrival, would appear to be be limited.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov repeated Putin's stated opinion that he should choose a destination and fly out as soon as possible, state-run Itar-Tass news agency reported.

But Ecuador's foreign minister indicated a decision on Snowden's asylum request could take two months.

"It took us two months to make a decision on Assange so do not expect us to make a decision sooner this time," Foreign Minister Richard Patino said in Kuala Lumpur, referring to the founder of anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks, Julian Assange.

He added that Ecuador would consider giving Snowden protection before that if he went to Ecuador's embassy - but Russian officials say Snowden does not have a visa to enter Russia, and the United States has revoked his passport.

Snowden, with his surveillance information, remains within the grasp of a Russian state clearly not in a hurry to dispatch him from its territory. Ecuador, which has not in the past flinched from taking on Western powers, is similarly not rushing to banish the uncertainty now plaguing US authorities.

Behind the scenes US officials have been meeting Russian counterparts on a resolution.

‘Ravings and rubbish’

Snowden has not been seen in the transit area - the zone between the departure gate and formal entry into the country.

Putin denied he was being interviewed by Russian intelligence and said any US accusations that Moscow was aiding him were "ravings and rubbish".

That prompted a new extradition demand by Washington, which said there was a clear legal basis to do so.

Putin says he will not extradite Snowden. By declaring that he is in the transit area, albeit unseen, Russian authorities maintain the position that he has not formally entered Russia - a step that would take the dispute to another level.

The row could, however, further fray ties between the United States and Russia, which have argued over human rights and Putin's treatment of opponents in a third term and have squared off over the Syria conflict in the UN Security Council.

Snowden, who worked as a systems administrator at a US National Security Agency facility in Hawaii, has been called a "traitor" in the United States for revealing its secrets.

Putin, a former KGB officer, may feel little sympathy for someone who has broken the secrecy code. He has suggested the surveillance methods revealed by Snowden were justified in fighting terror, if carried out lawfully.

But Snowden could be a useful propaganda tool for Moscow, which accuses the United States of violating rights and freedoms it vocally urges other countries, including Russia, to protect.

Russia's upper parliament house said it planned to investigate whether US intelligence agencies had violated the rights of Russians by collecting data from Internet companies.

Snowden was the source of disclosures about US government surveillance, including details about a program that collected emails, chat logs and other types of data from companies such as Google Inc., Facebook Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Apple Inc. - all widely used in Russia.

Upper house speaker Valentina Matviyenko said a working group would be formed to look into the Russian operations of Internet companies to determine "whether human rights have been violated, whether there has been interference in the personal lives of citizens," Itar-Tass reported.

A member of the Kremlin's advisory Human Rights Council, anti-corruption activist Kirill Kabanov, appealed to colleagues to ask Putin to invite Snowden to remain in Russia.

"We have shown that we are a weak country," state-run RIA quoted Kabanov as saying. "We could provide him with some kind of asylum. Surely we are not weaker than Ecuador." (Additional reporting by Gabriela Baczynska in Moscow and Siva Sithraputhran in Kuala Lumpur)

source: interaksyon.com