Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community
Old 09-01-2019, 08:48 AM   #161
GirlySports
NOT breaking news
 
GirlySports's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Calgary
Exp:
Default

Either way, good or bad, it has to be resolved by Oct 1, the PRC's 70th birthday.

I think the army comes in, in a few weeks.
__________________
Watching the Oilers defend is like watching fire engines frantically rushing to the wrong fire

GirlySports is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-01-2019, 10:54 AM   #162
FlameOn
Franchise Player
 
FlameOn's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Calgary
Exp:
Default

Absolutely disgraceful by the HKPF to use force in the subways against people who were not armed. Notice they retreat and stop beating people immediately as soon as the cameras and press arrive. They also remove discarded cans of pepper spray, any anything identifying for the police.

It's been leaked that the HK government under Carrie Lam proposed to Beijing to open an independent investigation of police conduct and the withdraw the extradition bill, but both of these were rejected by Beijing with strong push back by the HKPF. Basically, Beijing's given the "Fix this or we will fix it for you" ultimatum and allowed the Hong Kong police force to use any means necessary.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-h...-idUSKCN1VK0H6

Hong Kong police say they oppose any independent review of their conduct.
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2019/08/2...ked-recording/

The most recent escalation of protests is both against the arrest of members of the legislative council, who were supportive of the anti-extradition bill anti-police tactic protests, and prominent pro-democracy leaders while they were in their homes or just on the subway by HKPF. One was just leaving for vacation to Tokyo.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...says-demosisto
https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/...ding-demosisto

Police tactics have also been much more abusive, including intimidation tactics, firing live rounds, etc. There have been more than one case of apparent "protesters" throwing Molotov cocktails at police, but these "protesters" were carrying firearms that were extremely prohibited and almost non-existent in HK. This was caught by press. Given the HKPF extensive use of officers dressed as protesters over the past couple of months, and the overall sloppy tactics employed by the HKPF, these are probably agent provocateurs pushing this as an excuse to crack down.

Last edited by FlameOn; 09-01-2019 at 11:26 AM.
FlameOn is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to FlameOn For This Useful Post:
Old 09-01-2019, 11:23 AM   #163
FlameOn
Franchise Player
 
FlameOn's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Calgary
Exp:
Default

Another sloppy use of force by the HK/Chinese PF threatening use of guns against protesters. Officer drops gun then threatens use of weapon against protesters, unarmed old man begs them not to shoot protesters and puts himself between the two sides, gets kicked in the chest.




Last edited by FlameOn; 09-01-2019 at 11:27 AM.
FlameOn is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-01-2019, 11:49 AM   #164
sharkov
Powerplay Quarterback
 
sharkov's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Exp:
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by FlameOn View Post
Absolutely disgraceful by the HKPF to use force in the subways against people who were not armed. Notice they retreat and stop beating people immediately as soon as the cameras and press arrive. They also remove discarded cans of pepper spray, any anything identifying for the police.

It's been leaked that the HK government under Carrie Lam proposed to Beijing to open an independent investigation of police conduct and the withdraw the extradition bill, but both of these were rejected by Beijing with strong push back by the HKPF. Basically, Beijing's given the "Fix this or we will fix it for you" ultimatum and allowed the Hong Kong police force to use any means necessary.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-h...-idUSKCN1VK0H6

Hong Kong police say they oppose any independent review of their conduct.
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2019/08/2...ked-recording/

The most recent escalation of protests is both against the arrest of members of the legislative council, who were supportive of the anti-extradition bill anti-police tactic protests, and prominent pro-democracy leaders while they were in their homes or just on the subway by HKPF. One was just leaving for vacation to Tokyo.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...says-demosisto
https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/...ding-demosisto

Police tactics have also been much more abusive, including intimidation tactics, firing live rounds, etc. There have been more than one case of apparent "protesters" throwing Molotov cocktails at police, but these "protesters" were carrying firearms that were extremely prohibited and almost non-existent in HK. This was caught by press. Given the HKPF extensive use of officers dressed as protesters over the past couple of months, and the overall sloppy tactics employed by the HKPF, these are probably agent provocateurs pushing this as an excuse to crack down.
Protesters are known to carry BB guns.
__________________
"Half the GM's in the league would trade their roster for our roster right now..." Kevin Lowe in 2013
sharkov is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-01-2019, 02:23 PM   #165
FlameOn
Franchise Player
 
FlameOn's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Calgary
Exp:
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by sharkov View Post
Protesters are known to carry BB guns.
Not very likely when cops are pulling guns with live rounds in these protests.
FlameOn is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to FlameOn For This Useful Post:
Old 09-01-2019, 04:04 PM   #166
midniteowl
Franchise Player
 
midniteowl's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Calgary
Exp:
Default

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgHE...R0R8xn7_b6jL3U
midniteowl is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-01-2019, 05:00 PM   #167
jeffman
Powerplay Quarterback
 
jeffman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Exp:
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by FlameOn View Post
Not very likely when cops are pulling guns with live rounds in these protests.
Don’t underestimate pure stupidity
jeffman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-01-2019, 10:58 PM   #168
FlameOn
Franchise Player
 
FlameOn's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Calgary
Exp:
Default

Aftermath of the MTR assault by police
NSFW!


Hong Kong police block medic from treating protesters after the MTR assaults in the last video. Medic begs cops let him in to treat wounded and is denied.


Amnesty International issues press release about recent police brutality and incidents where paramedics were blocked from doing their jobs.
Quote:
In response to the latest clashes between police and protesters in Hong Kong on Saturday night – which included police storming the platform of Prince Edward metro station and beating people on a train - Man-kei Tam, Director of Amnesty International Hong Kong, said:

“Violence directed at police on Saturday is no excuse for officers to go on the rampage elsewhere. The horrifying scenes at Prince Edward metro station, which saw terrified bystanders caught up in the melee, fell far short of international policing standards.

“Video footage shows police stormed the train carriage and used batons to repeatedly beat people posing no threat whatsoever. Pepper spray was used in a carriage where people had no means to retreat, while medics were barred from entering the station. It is also alarming that a police officer appeared to aim a sponge grenade launcher at close range to those inside the train. Such unlawful police tactics continue to inflame rather than deescalate the situation.

“There are also serious questions surrounding the deployment of undercover officers among the protesters and whether they played any role in inciting violence. Such officers should never act as agents provocateurs. It creates mistrust and suspicion, and sows divisions among people who have the right to assemble and associate.

“For the first time, police used a blue dye in water cannons, which can result in large numbers of people, including bystanders and journalists, being indiscriminately marked. These tactics pose a real threat to the freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly and the right to a fair trial. The police operation on Saturday only underscores the urgent need for an independent and proper investigation into the policing of the protests.”
https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-rel...e-investigated

Last edited by FlameOn; 09-02-2019 at 01:14 AM.
FlameOn is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-02-2019, 12:04 AM   #169
FlameOn
Franchise Player
 
FlameOn's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Calgary
Exp:
Default

Nvm

Last edited by FlameOn; 09-02-2019 at 01:06 AM.
FlameOn is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-03-2019, 03:55 PM   #170
Jeff Lebowski
#1 Goaltender
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Exp:
Default

Hong Kong Rioters Wage Sabotage Campaign To Press Congress Into Punishing China

Quote:
The Associated Press is doing its best to make the Hong Kong police look bad by describing an incident without its context:

Late at night Saturday, video from Hong Kong broadcaster TVB showed police on the platform of Prince Edward subway station swinging batons at passengers who backed into one end of a train car behind umbrellas. The video also shows pepper spray being shot through an open door at a group seated on the floor while one man holds up his hands.
Police officers said at a briefing Monday that they rejected accusations that they “beat up” ordinary citizens without first confirming their identities. They said they specifically targeted those who they believed to be rioters, including those who had changed out of their black protester outfits, and arrested 63 people on suspicion of illegal assembly and possessing explosives and offensive weapons.

The incident described in the first paragraph above did indeed happen. But it was only the last part of a larger story which the AP fails to mention. Here is how it started:

The violence in Prince Edward Station began during a dispute between protesters and some older men who were insulting them. One of the men swung a hammer at the protesters, who threw water bottles and umbrellas and later appeared to set off fire extinguishers in the car. After the clashes, the subway system suspended service across much of Hong Kong. Three stations remained closed on Sunday.

bigger
Some 30 black clad people with gas masks and helmets had entered a train to ride to another place to create another of their usual flash mob riots. The other passengers clearly disagree with the rioters' plans. Some made remarks the black clad youth disliked.

They later dismounted the train but an argument continued. The black clad people reacted quite aggressively. They stopped the train from leaving by blocking its doors. They threw stuff at the middle aged passengers and tried to hit them with umbrellas and sticks. Some of them rushed back into the train, hit at some passengers and were again pushed out. This went back and forth for a full ten minutes. Finally someone in the black clad crowd snatched a fire extinguisher and let it go off within the subway car. The passengers then tried to get out and more scuffle ensued.

A full 10 minutes long video of the scene can be watched here. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1232159630319881

It was the above incident that led the MTR, the public Mass Transit Railway operator, to stop the traffic at the station and to call up the police. When the riot police entered the station it immediately faced resistance:

This train then departed and protesters used umbrellas as a screen to change their clothes, before crossing the platform and boarding a Central-bound train. Before this train left, the Raptors arrived shortly before 11pm.
Protesters confronted the elite force with umbrellas and hard objects while police fought back with pepper spray and batons.

After the Raptors left the train, it was stopped at Yau Ma Tei station and all passengers were asked to leave. Police intercepted and arrested seven people and seized two bags of slingshots and metal balls on the platform.

A badly cut SCMP video of the event is here (scroll down).

The whole scene was not an isolated incident. Black clad folks ripped wastebaskets off the wall and threw them on the rail tacks. They smashed customer service centers, vandalized subway entry gates and hit regular passengers who disliked their behavior. This happened not only in one subway station but was part of a systematic attempt to disrupt the whole service:

The MTR Corporation later issued a statement strongly condemning the continuous vandalism at stations. It said a number of stations including Tung Chung, Tsing Yi, Lam Tin, Kwun Tong, Diamond Hill, Lok Fu, Tsuen Wan, Lai King, Sha Tin, Sha Tin Wai, Siu Hong and Tin Shui Wai were targeted on Sunday, with CCTV cameras, ticket issuing machines and other facilities damaged.
On Saturday, protesters severely damaged facilities at 32 stations.

The intent was obviously not to protest but a well planned and coordinated sabotage campaign against the city's indispensable mass transport system. Sabotaging infrastructure is an old CIA tactic to "harass and demoralize enemy administrators and police".

Which brings me to a Lambert Strether's piece at Naked Capitalism which he headlined:

Clever Tactics “Add Oil” to Hong Kong Protests (and not “Hidden Hands”).

Strether asserts that there are no outside forces fueling the protests in Hong Kong:

[T]his post will have a simple thesis: The people of Hong Kong have considerable experience in running protests, and we don’t need to multiply invisible entities (“hidden hands”) to give an account of what they’re doing. For example, it’s not necessary to postulate that the participants in the 2019 Hong Kong anti-extradition bill protests consulted CIA handlers on tactics; their tactics are often available, in open source, on the Internet; other tactics are based on Hong Kong material culture, things and situations that come readily to hand and can be adapted by creative people (which the protesters clearly are).
If one ignores the evidence of U.S. influence one can indeed come that conclusion.

A commentator to Strether's piece correctly notes that this is not a question of either - or:

I am genuinely puzzled, and I have to say concerned, about the way this issue has been framed here. One does not have to accept the argument that *either* (1) the protests are completely spontaneous and genuine; *or* (2) the protests are mainly the product of CIA manipulation of otherwise clueless dupes (a whole lot of them apparently!). This is a false dichotomy. None of the critics of the mainstream Hong Kong narrative that I am familiar with take a position any where close to (2). It is a straw-man position if applied to most reputable “skeptics.”
Rather, the argument I have seen most often among these skeptics (including some commenters here) is that, while the protests *were* authentic and directed at real issues of concern to protesters, there have also been efforts on the part of Western agents to manipulate this situation. This included support of particular, strategically significant leaders and groups and, of course, control of the Western media narrative. We have pictures and stories in even the mainstream press of US officials and representatives of western NGOs meeting with such individuals. Hell, we have US politicians bragging about it.

(There are indeed two distinct groups of protesters which I hope to discuss soon in another piece.)

To claim that the U.S. is not heavily involved in the events in Hong Kong is nonsense. It is obviously not by chance that the U.S. sponsored Hong Kong rabble rouser Joshua Wong gets published in the New York Times with a call for U.S. Congress action against China:

American legislators are supposed to vote on a bill, the Human Rights and Democracy Act, that would give the president of the United States power to penalize Chinese officials who interfere in Hong Kong’s affairs. The law could also allow the United States to revoke the special economic treatment that Hong Kong enjoys, as separate from the mainland.
If the United States Congress passes the bill, it will be delivering a firm message both to other silent allies of Hong Kong and to China’s dictators. The clock is ticking in Hong Kong. Our future is being determined now.

The Trump administration strategy towards the new super villain China is a general decoupling between the 'west' and China. The violent protests in Hong Kong are obviously one instrument it applies to achieve that.

The Trump administration and the rioters hope that the Chinese military will intervene and create another Tianamen situation:

Some of the frustration of the protesters – and I read this more than once in LIHKG.com, the go-to online forum for the city’s disaffected youth – comes from Beijing not having sent in mainland troops. For all their efforts and perceived self-sacrifice, many of them would rather face Chinese troops than Hong Kong police because the latter, though considered evil or illegitimate by some in the city, are at least seen as doing their job by most foreign observers. But the presence of Chinese troops in the city, no matter what they do, would immediately cause global condemnation while legitimising and glorifying the local resistance movement universally.
Well, if you wonder why the central government hasn’t sent troops, it’s because they think along the same line as the protesters.

Tianamen was, as we now know, a CIA led color revolution attempt, set up within a background of general protests, in which the U.S. regime change mastermind Gene Sharp was directly involved. The mostly falsely reported incident, during which soldiers were lynched and protesters gunned down, led to 'western' sanctions against China.

Beijing is not going to fall for the same trick twice.

The Joshua Wong op-ed shows that the aim has now been lowered. The riots and the inevitable police response to them are now supposed to push Congress to give the Treasury a tool to sanction Chinese officials for interfering in a Chinese(!) city's affairs.
https://www.moonofalabama.org/2019/0...hina.html#more
Jeff Lebowski is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-03-2019, 04:21 PM   #171
peter12
Franchise Player
 
peter12's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Exp:
Default

Moonofalabama??
peter12 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-03-2019, 04:33 PM   #172
troutman
Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer
 
troutman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Winebar Kensington
Exp:
Default

My friend working in China says now that she can't get any news about HK from Western Media. ex. CNN gets censored and switched to something else automatically if they mention HK.
__________________
https://www.mergenlaw.com/
http://cjsw.com/program/fossil-records/
twitter/instagram @troutman1966
troutman is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 09-03-2019, 04:36 PM   #173
Jeff Lebowski
#1 Goaltender
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Exp:
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by peter12 View Post
Moonofalabama??
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1232159630319881

judge for yourself
Jeff Lebowski is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-03-2019, 11:15 PM   #174
FlameOn
Franchise Player
 
FlameOn's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Calgary
Exp:
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeff Lebowski View Post
Tianamen is a CIA lead color revolution? Way to post some real clear Chinese Communist party propaganda hit pieces and falling for it. Hong Kong people skilled in deceptive rioting tactics? Really?


Last edited by FlameOn; 09-05-2019 at 12:31 PM.
FlameOn is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to FlameOn For This Useful Post:
Old 09-03-2019, 11:18 PM   #175
FlameOn
Franchise Player
 
FlameOn's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Calgary
Exp:
Default

Impact of excessive police violence on regular Hong Kong bystanders around MTR incident.
FlameOn is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-04-2019, 04:25 AM   #176
Jeff Lebowski
#1 Goaltender
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Exp:
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by FlameOn View Post
Tianamen is a CIA lead color revolution? Way to post some real clear Chinese Communist party propaganda hit pieces and falling for it. Hong Kong people skilled in deceptive rioting tactics? Really?
Quote:
Among the most central influencers of the demonstrations is a local tycoon named Jimmy Lai. The self-described “head of opposition media,” Lai is widely described as the Rupert Murdoch of Asia. For the masses of protesters, Lai is a transcendent figure. They clamor for photos with him and applaud the oligarch wildly when he walks by their encampments.

Lai established his credentials by pouring millions of dollars into the 2014 Occupy Central protest, which is known popularly as the Umbrella Movement. He has since used his massive fortune to fund local anti-China political movers and shakers while injecting the protests with a virulent brand of Sinophobia through his media empire.
https://thegrayzone.com/2019/08/17/h...-violence/amp/

Perhaps all part of larger US - China issues:

Quote:
Decoupling the U.S. and Chinese economy would be a significant milestone in the new cold war against China.


That’s because decoupling is at the heart of containment classic.


US China hawks have always pushed the talking point, we don’t have a containment strategy.


That’s because the essence of containment against the Soviet Union as formulated by US diplomat George Kennan in 1946, was that the USSR had chosen the path of autarky—self-sufficiency instead of integration with the economies of the West—in order to sustain its repressive domestic system.


Therefore, Kennan successfully argued that the United States and its allies should quarantine the USSR until it collapsed under its own weight and the stress of confrontation with the United States.


The People’s Republic of China, on the other hand, recognized the limitations of autarky and pursued integration with the world economic system through engagement with the capitalist states, and by membership in the World Trade Organization.


Therefore, People’s Republic of China did not remain a nation of impoverished farmers, albeit a billion farmers with nuclear weapons, globally isolated and vulnerable to U.S. containment, foreign and domestic subversion, and eventual overthrow.


Instead, we got a Communist government on the mainland that accounts for 40% of the world economy and has enough financial, social, and police state juice to stay on top of the heap domestically and compete with the United States for influence internationally!
https://chinamatters.blogspot.com/20...TAGYQ_uYM4&m=1

Last edited by Jeff Lebowski; 09-04-2019 at 04:39 AM.
Jeff Lebowski is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-04-2019, 08:17 AM   #177
FlameOn
Franchise Player
 
FlameOn's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Calgary
Exp:
Default

Hong Kong Executive Carrie Lam motions to withdraw the extradition bill completely ahead of the October 1st China National day celebration. This is a sad attempt to look like the HK government is trying to meet the first of the Hong Kong protester demands, though there is nothing from stopping her eventual replacement from re-introducing the bill at a later point. She is not declaring the bill withdrawn, which is within her power to do as executive, so this appears to be just a stall tactic.

Quote:
Embattled Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has formally withdrawn the much-despised extradition bill that sparked the nearly three-month long protest crisis now roiling the city, confirming the Post’s exclusive report earlier on Wednesday.

She will also set up an investigative platform to look into the fundamental causes of the social unrest and suggest solutions for the way forward, stopping short of turning it into a full-fledged commission of inquiry, as demanded by protesters.

The decision to withdraw the bill will mean that the government is finally acceding to at least one of the five demands of the protesters, who have taken to the streets over the past 13 weeks to voice not just their opposition to the legislation, but the overall governance of the city in demonstrations that have become increasingly violent.
https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/...mal-withdrawal

Though at this point, the protest is mostly fueled by increasing police brutality. The matter of police indiscriminate assaults still needs to be addressed and protesters currently are saying they will keep up pressure until that is resolved.

Original protester demands.

Quote:
1. Full withdrawal of the extradition bill 徹底撤回送中修例

2. A commission of inquiry into alleged police brutality 成立獨立調查委員會 追究警隊濫暴

3. Retracting the classification of protesters as “rioters” 取消暴動定性

4. Amnesty for arrested protesters 撤銷對今為所有反送中抗爭者控罪

5. Dual universal suffrage, meaning for both the Legislative Council and the Chief Executive 以行政命令解散立法會 立即實行雙真普選

Last edited by FlameOn; 09-04-2019 at 10:25 PM.
FlameOn is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-05-2019, 12:51 PM   #178
FlameOn
Franchise Player
 
FlameOn's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Calgary
Exp:
Default

Hospital worker's leaked conversations seem to show one of the three missing protesters Prince Edward MTR subway police beating incident on August 31st is dead. If true, add another one to the growing number of "mysterious" protester deaths so far.
https://twitter.com/user/status/1169329226996047872

Video of the incident aftermath at the ~3 minute mark and the two cops looking at each other like "oh crap" with the protester foaming at the mouth unconscious or already dead on the ground. Suspicion is that he was struck on the neck by officers before falling to the ground.
https://www.facebook.com/hk.nextmedi...4119284717359/

Police and MTR authorities are refusing to release CCTV footage of the incident to press and the public. Station remained closed for three days after the incident occurred. Medical staff have been forbidden to discuss the incident by police.

Medical workers protesting the incident and are shown wearing black ribbons in protest against police.

Last edited by FlameOn; 09-05-2019 at 01:00 PM.
FlameOn is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-05-2019, 04:30 PM   #179
GirlySports
NOT breaking news
 
GirlySports's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Calgary
Exp:
Default

They won until after Oct 1 when China fires Carrie Kam for a better puppet.
__________________
Watching the Oilers defend is like watching fire engines frantically rushing to the wrong fire

GirlySports is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-08-2019, 11:41 AM   #180
Jeff Lebowski
#1 Goaltender
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Exp:
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by AnonymousStranger View Post
Kinda hard to rationalize it as a conspiracy theory when you literally have photos of American diplomats (ie. CIA. Seriously just google her history of where she’s worked and during what periods of time in those countries) meeting with protest organizers. Yes, I know RT is Russian State media, but western news reports on this meeting being revealed have chosen not to publish this photo. Gee I wonder why.

https://www.rt.com/news/466078-hong-...s-joshua-wong/

Ah, John Bolton:

https://twitter.com/user/status/1149066052917178373

Quote:
Leaked emails revealed that Lai poured more than $1.2 million to anti-China political parties including $637,000 USD to the Democratic Party and $382,000 USD to the Civic Party. Lai also gave $115,000 USD to the Hong Kong Civic Education Foundation and Hong Kong Democratic Development Network, both of which were co-founded by Reverend Chu Yiu-ming. Lai also spent $446,000 USD on Occupy Central’s 2014 unofficial referendum.

Lai’s US consigliere is a former Navy intelligence analyst who interned with the CIA and leveraged his intelligence connections to build his boss’s business empire. Named Mark Simon, the veteran spook arranged for former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin to meet with a group in the anti-China camp during a 2009 visit to Hong Kong. Five years later, Lai paid $75,000 to neoconservative Iraq war author and US Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz to organize a meeting with top military figures in Myanmar.

This July, as the Hong Kong protests gathered steam, Lai was junketed to Washington, DC for meetings with Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, National Security Advisor John Bolton, and Republican Senators Ted Cruz, Cory Gardner, and Rick Scott. Bloomberg News correspondent Nicholas Wadhams remarked on Lai’s visit, “Very unusual for a [non-government] visitor to get that kind of access.”
https://thegrayzone.com/2019/08/17/h...ce/#more-13591
Jeff Lebowski is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 06:15 PM.

Calgary Flames
2023-24




Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright Calgarypuck 2021