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Distrust of Beijing is at the heart of Hongkongers’ opposition to extraditing fugitives to the mainland
- Resistance in Hong Kong to the idea of transferring fugitives to the mainland stands in stark contrast to the openness to an extradition arrangement with Taiwan
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Are human rights in the Philippines worse than in China? Yes, says Beijing loyalist legislator Paul Tse Wai-chun. Are Indians not as smart as Hongkongers? Alliance of Golfers convenor Kenneth Lau Ka-lok seems to think so.
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Tse last week ridiculed the opposition for fearing an extradition arrangement with mainland China, caustically noting that Hong Kong has a treaty with the Philippines too, which he claims has a far worse human rights record than China.
Lau mocked demands to use part of the Fanling golf course for housing, on a radio show last month, saying even India would not hold a public consultation on taking back sports grounds. He asked if Hongkongers were less wise than even Indians.
Corruption is endemic in the Philippines and the judiciary is politicised but its tattered democracy still enabled the recent release on bail of journalist Maria Ressa, who then freely resumed criticism of President Rodrigo Duterte.
The extrajudicial killings in Duterte’s war on drugs stains the nation’s human rights record, but so does China’s internment of a reported 1 million Muslim Uygurs.
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