2012-06-20     Li Wangyang & President Hu Jintao

All Hong Kong citizens, both local Chinese and people from other countries, have been moved by the many recent media reports about the death of Chinese activist Li Wangyang. Some people might say this story has been stirred up by the media. The obvious reply is: it's a story that needed stirring up.

Hong Kong citizens have been horrified to learn that during his twenty one years of imprisonment, Li Wangyang was put in a coffin-type container more than twenty times, each time for a month or more.

Some basic questions: who authorised such inhumane treatment?  Was it just some "unruly local authorities"? Did higher authorities know about it? Is the same sort of treatment still going on in many parts of China?
Is anyone doing anything about it?

Reports say that President Hu Jintao is coming to HK to officiate at the swearing-in ceremony of the new Chief Executive and the next administration on July 1. One doesn't have to be  a rocket scientist to realise that President Hu's coming to HK will be like red rag to a bull as far as demonstrations go. I feel sorry for the poor police who will be in the very difficult position of keeping law and order during Hu's visit....just as they were during the visit last year of Vice Premier Li Keqiang.

As long as the rule of law is not respected in China, and as long as citizens have freedom to demonstrate in Hong Kong, Mainland leaders should think twice about coming to Hong Kong....just as Pope Benedict recently decided not to go to Ireland for an international meeting which the Pope usually attends, because Irish people at the moment are not in the mood to welcome someone whom many of them see as responsible for current problems of the Church in Ireland.