As a liberal progressive Democracy, we must offer sanctuary to Hong Kong residents
China, our largest trading partner, is abusing human rights at levels not since since Tiananmen Square…
China forces sterilisation, birth control, abortions on Uighurs minority
The Chinese government is taking draconian measures to slash birth rates among Uighurs and other minorities as part of a sweeping campaign to curb its Muslim population, even as it encourages some of the country’s Han majority to have more children.
While individual women have spoken out before about forced birth control, the practice is far more widespread and systematic than previously known, according to an AP investigation based on government statistics, state documents and interviews with 30 ex-detainees, family members and a former detention camp instructor.
The campaign over the past four years in the far west region of Xinjiang is leading to what some experts are calling a form of “demographic genocide”.
…add to this the mass surveillance state, repressive authoritarianism and a questionably obtuse response to the pandemic with the sudden clamp down on Hong Kong…
Jacinda Ardern, Winston Peters speak out against China’s new Hong Kong security law
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters have joined the global chorus of condemnation against China’s contentious new national security law for Hong Kong.
Beijing passed the legislation on Tuesday, bypassing the city’s local Parliament, which New Zealand politicians have suggested breaks the ‘one country, two systems’ framework Hong Kong has been operating under.
A statement released by Peters on Wednesday said the New Zealand Government is expressing “deep disappointment” at the passage by China’s National People’s Congress Standing Committee of a national security law for Hong Kong.
…as a liberal progressive democracy we have an obligation to offer sanctuary to anyone wishing to flee Hong Kong.
This will anger China who have already threatened us to stay out of Hong Kong, but our obligations to democracy impose upon us the need to offer that sanctuary.
It’s time to step up to the values our democracy demand of us.
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…as a liberal progressive democracy we have an obligation to offer sanctuary to anyone wishing to flee Hong Kong.
no. We are our own sovereign country. We don’t owe anyone anything. Let the UN and the superpowers sort it out. Oh, and, the ones who caused it in the first place.
“As a liberal progressive democracy we have an obligation to offer sanctuary to anyone wishing to flee Hong Kong.”
Absolutely. No-one will be able to say they were unaware of the crimes the Chinese Communist Party has been committing when the reckoning comes:
https://apnews.com/269b3de1af34e17c1941a514f78d764c
And no one will be able to say they were not aware of the crimes being committed on Palestinians for the past 70 years. But our country is blind to this, some little wimpy statement from Winston and that is it, why, because we must keep in favour with the American govt, who need the bullying Israelis in that part of the world.
China may prevent people from leaving anyway: Obstacles Prevent Exodus Hong Kong Free Press
In an interview earlier this week Raab admitted there was little London could do if China simply stopped Hong Kongers leaving.
“Ultimately we need to be honest that we wouldn’t be able to force China to allow BNOs to come to the UK,” he said.
Also, Many of those involved in the protests are youngsters from blue collar families with limited resources to upend their lives.
“Abandoning your home, friends and family, potentially forever, is not an easy decision,” Ben Bland, author of a book on young people and identity in Hong Kong, told AFP. “Setting up a new life overseas will be even harder in the midst of a global pandemic and deep recession. And many activists still want to stay and fight for their city.”
We need to be careful condemning Chinas treatment of Hong Kong citizens when we haven’t honoured our own Treaty of Waitangi and we still aren’t.
While no-one would deny that New Zealand’s justice system is far from perfect, especially for Maori, it’s still lightyears better than China’s which has a 99.9% conviction rate.
Michelle: “We need to be careful condemning Chinas treatment of Hong Kong citizens when we haven’t honoured our own Treaty of Waitangi and we still aren’t.”
And another commenter who clearly has absolutely no idea of what’s really happened in that part of the world.
Hong Kong is, and has always been, part of China. If you would know how it came to be a British colony, I invite you to go read some history. It’ll enlighten you as to the perfidiousness of Old Blighty – and Uncle Sam, come to that.
New Zealand and Hong Kong are in no way commensurate situations.