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Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch
At the end of the day, this is a horrific situation. But you're dealing with a government that really doesn't give a crap about individual rights and privlidges. You're realistically dealing with a government system that's built around a government defined concept of law and order and structure. And a government that doesn't care all that much about external opinion.
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In dealing with the mainland government, you could say that's true. HK has not been that way though. The reason that HK became a financial centre for Asia and the world is fundamentally that it has had a strong rule of law that could be counted on by international businesses and that made it an ideal entry point to business with China and APAC. That is also what is being killed in HK right now as the the city is being throttled by the mainland.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch
We also have to realize that for the most part the police over there aren't trained the same way that we are here. Its enforcement at all costs, and human rights are defined by what the government defines them as during this situation.
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I disagree with this, whether in HK or in the mainland. Again, HK's police have had an excellent reputation for a long time as part of HK's very reliable rule of law. What's happening now is the result of being put in an untenable situation of conflict with the public without any actual government support for resolution. Also, there are many indications that the PLA troops are now actively mixed in with the HK police force, so it's very hard to tell what is being done by the HK police and what is being done by members of the PLA.
In the mainland too, the police are also much less enforcement oriented than I would say the police are in North America. The Chinese approach to policing is typically more about smoothing things over, reducing conflict and ending confrontations without any charges laid or enforcement action. Generally, I think this is a good approach and I like it more than what you see in NA, especially compared to policing in the US. It only becomes enforcement oriented when pressure is applied from the top with a specific focus. That's what we're seeing now.
Quote:
Originally Posted by savemedrzaius
Patten the last governor had this to say in 1992. It's not condescending at all.
"People in Hong Kong are perfectly capable of taking a greater share in managing their own affairs in a way that is responsible, mature, restrained, sensible"
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It is a pretty common narrative inside China that the Chinese people couldn't handle democracy. How do you view that?