Hacker News Reader

Comment by Legogris | Hacker News Reader

There are several reports of people whom the CCP views as antagonistic having gone missing when flying into or through China. Bookshop owners, political activists and writers, for example.

The strong reaction against the extradition bill comes to a large part out of (reasonable) fear that it will be abused as a tool to get rid of dissidents and pro-independence elements.

View on HN

I'm only aware of Gui Minhai, a book store owner. He had to appear on TV in China and give a confession of guilt, but was afterwards free to go home. He is not missing. And he is not serving time, the GGP was mistaken.

(EDIT: I stand corrected, if reports of his continuing detention in mainland China are true. His is certainly a curious, unfortunately, and extreme case. It does not take away from the fact that Hong Kong still has a functioning judiciary system independent from mainland China, and the vast vast majority of Hong Kong citizens have no reason to fear the same fate.)

The extradition treaty has officially been withdrawn as a result of the protests.

That alone should tell you that Hong Kong has been able to maintain substantial autonomy from the central Chinese government.

After his release from prison, in October 2017, Gui Minhai has been under strict surveillance, living in a flat in Ningbo. His access to the internet and communication with the outside world has been limited, despite assurances from the Chinese authorities, on a number of occasions, that he was a ”free man and that the Swedish authorities could have any contact they wished with their fellow citizen”. Sweden’s Foreign Minister, Margot Wallström, made a statement saying that providing consular help to a Swedish citizen in need of medical care was ”perfectly in line with basic international rules, including the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations”.

[0]: https://www.hongkongfp.com/2018/02/21/enough-forced-confessi...

He is still on the mainland. I’m Swedish by the way and follow his daughter, Angela Gui. His daughter has been given very limited access to her own father, and the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs also has difficulty reaching him. For some reason, the CCP felt it necessary to use a Chinese businessman to try to make a deal with Ms. Gui where she would limit her media apperances and be given more contact with her father. Hardly respecting freedom of speech, in my own country no less.

And, again, this was because of a bookstore owned in Hong Kong, not the mainland.

> The extradition treaty has officially been withdrawn as a result of the protests.

No it still hasn't. The government claims they are going to withdraw it, but technically the bill is still in the Second Reading stage.

I can not point to any public references, but I have met individuals who have been involved in cases with people disappearing. When their relatives reach out to investigate their disappearances, there will be explanations along the lines that they eloped or disappeared at their own accord and they have no idea where they went. People who have fears that this could happen to them will agree with their SOs on hand signs and codes they can use when walking past security cameras to indicate that they are being forced somewhere. These cases don't end up in the news.

> It does not take away from the fact that Hong Kong still has a functioning judiciary system independent from mainland China, and the vast vast majority of Hong Kong citizens have no reason to fear the same fate.

This is the case today. The proposed extradition treaty would flip that around significantly.

Also, the treaty has not been withdrawn at all, it has been "suspended", meaning it can still be picked up again at any time when/if the controversy has died down. Lam said a month ago that she plans to withdraw the bill, but that has not yet happened.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com