Lunch hour, Harcourt Road
Overseen by the People's Liberation Army?
The Golden Age of civil disobedience, near City Hall and the Hong Kong Club Building
Monday 29 September 2014
Sunday 28 September 2014
28 September 2014, Hong Kong
Fenwick Pier Street - Police officers stood behind the double yellow line. What exactly were they supposedly defending?
While the Police was surrounding Tim Mei Avenue and Lung Wui Road, Fenwick Pier Street was surprisingly occupied in the early afternoon. This, as the organisers described, was counter-surrounding.
Powers of officious bystanders: Harcourt Road in the afternoon
People donated umbrellas to protesters who were defending pepper spray.
Queensway in the afternoon
Saturday 27 September 2014
Sunday 14 September 2014
Can BN(O) vote in the Scotland Referendum?
It is perhaps fair to say that there was no practical benefit to use my BN(O) passport for the trips to Maldives or Singapore, compared with the HKSAR passport held by Mrs. Always Right. Both offer visa-free access and the same conditions of entry. It has been reported that the British embassies and Chinese embassies belong to different leagues but I would not mind these are never put to test. There are visible differences though. The HKSAR passport has a politically correct design: a national emblem of the PRC and the character "hua" on every page. For me this per se makes the renewal of BN(O) a real bargain.
The BN(O) is more than just passport. This, according to section 4B of the British Nationality Act 1981, is a status. Further, under section 37 of the 1981 Act as amended, a British National (Overseas) "shall have the status of a Commonwealth citizen." I had come across stories on the web regarding Commonwealth citizens' right to vote in the UK elections but it was still a pleasant surprise when I discovered that Commonwealth citizens, "who have leave to remain in the UK or do not require such leave", resident in Scotland, can vote in the Scotland referendum. It is not clear to me exactly what "leave to remain" means but there was a Guardian article published in 2010 which suggests that a three-year stay will suffice.
Coincidentally, having lived in Hong Kong for almost 34 years I was recently reminded by the Party that we do not deserve a genuine vote to select the chief of the city. All very well. we can still vote with our feet to travel with our BN(O) passports.
The choice of passport can be a vote of no confidence against Beijing and its puppets in Hong Kong.
The BN(O) is more than just passport. This, according to section 4B of the British Nationality Act 1981, is a status. Further, under section 37 of the 1981 Act as amended, a British National (Overseas) "shall have the status of a Commonwealth citizen." I had come across stories on the web regarding Commonwealth citizens' right to vote in the UK elections but it was still a pleasant surprise when I discovered that Commonwealth citizens, "who have leave to remain in the UK or do not require such leave", resident in Scotland, can vote in the Scotland referendum. It is not clear to me exactly what "leave to remain" means but there was a Guardian article published in 2010 which suggests that a three-year stay will suffice.
Coincidentally, having lived in Hong Kong for almost 34 years I was recently reminded by the Party that we do not deserve a genuine vote to select the chief of the city. All very well. we can still vote with our feet to travel with our BN(O) passports.
The choice of passport can be a vote of no confidence against Beijing and its puppets in Hong Kong.
Tuesday 9 September 2014
British Empire 2: Singapore
On the Singapore Airlines flight from Male to the SIN City. Lion Lager is a product of Ceylon, Tiger Beer of Singapore.
Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple, a Hindu temple
An umbrella inside the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple
Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, reportedly one of the oldest Hindu temple in Singapore, situated at the heart of Little India.
The back of Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple
Above the Tekka Centre is a "HDB estate".
The back of Sultan Mosque, taken from Arab Street
Haji Lane
A quiet man and a quiet cat in the Haji Lane
Yet another No Signboard Seafood Restaurant at Clarke Quay Central, yet another shopping mall in Singapore. The crabs of No Signboard had brought us to Singapore but it turns out that this city-state has a lot more to offer than just crabs.
There Mrs. Always Right ordered a crab from Ceylon.
Supertrees at the Gardens by the Bay
Inside the Sultan Mosque
Watching time fly at the Long Bar, Raffles Hotel
The hot kitchen of Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice, Maxwell Road Hawker Centre, Chinatown
The escalator of Clarke Quay Central, outside GOD Singapore
Sunday 7 September 2014
British Empire 1: Maldives
Seaplane by Maldivian at Male Airport
Taking off
Barefoot pilot
A seabird's-eye view of yet another atoll(?) in the southern Maldives
DHC-6 300 in the sky
Before Sunrise - Maldives
Sun rising from the Indian Ocean
3,000 miles away from Hong Kong on an obscure island in Maldives, I was presented with a copy of the hotel newspaper. A blunt reminder that there is no escape.
Beach, palm trees and two ladies
Baby shark near the jetty
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)