Hong Kong extradition bill officially killed, but move unlikely to end unrest

HONG KONG- Hong Kong's legislature on Wednesday formally withdrew planned legislation that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China, but the move was unlikely to end months of unrest as it met just 1 of 5 demands of pro-democracy protesters.

The rallying cry of the protesters, who have trashed public buildings in the Chinese-ruled city, set street fires and thrown petrol bombs at police, has been "5 demands, not 1 less," meaning the withdrawal of the bill make no difference.

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam had said many times the bill was as good as dead and said that other demands, including universal suffrage and an amnesty for all those charged with rioting, were beyond her control.

Protesters are also calling for her to stand down and for an independent inquiry into perceived police brutality during a long hot summer of running battles on the streets.

"There aren't any big differences between suspension and withdrawal (of the extradition bill)... It's too little, too late," said 27-year-old protester Connie, hours before the bill was withdrawn. 
"There are still other demands the government needs to meet, especially the problem of police brutality."

Police have responded to the violence with water cannon, tear gas, rubber bullets, and several live rounds.

Protesters are angry at what they see as Beijing encroaching on the former British colony's "1 country, 2 systems" formula enshrined during the handover in 1997, which permits the city wide-ranging freedoms not available on the mainland such as an independent judiciary.

The extradition bill would have allowed defendants charged with serious crimes to be sent for trial abroad, including to Communist Party-controlled courts in China.

The bill was seen as the latest move by Beijing to erode those freedoms. China has denied these claims and accuses foreign countries of fomenting trouble.

A murder suspect whose case Lam had originally held up as showing the need for the extradition bill walked free on Wednesday as the city's government squabbled with Taiwan over how to handle his potential voluntary surrender to authorities.

Chan Tong-kai, a Hong Kong citizen, was accused of murdering his girlfriend in Taiwan last year before fleeing back to the financial hub. Chan was arrested by Hong Kong police in March 2018 and authorities there were only able to find evidence against him for money laundering, for which he was sentenced to 29 months in prison.

Chan has offered to voluntarily surrender himself to Taiwan, but both Hong Kong and Taiwan have clashed over the next steps.

"There's no such thing as surrender," Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen told reporters. "There's only arrest... We will continue to ask for legal assistance from the Hong Kong government, including providing related evidence and to ask the Hong Kong government not to evade the matter."

Hong Kong Secretary for Security John Lee said Taiwan, which China claims as its own, was obstructing the case.

SPECULATION ABOUT LAM "WRONG"

China, which views Taiwan as a renegade province, has offered the "1 country, 2 systems" formula for it to unite with the mainland. 

Fiercely democratic Taiwan has rejected the offer with Tsai saying this month such an arrangement had set Hong Kong "on the edge of disorder."

China, which has many times expressed confidence in Lam and her government to end the unrest, was drawing up a plan to replace her with an "interim" chief executive, the Financial Times reported, citing people briefed on the deliberations.

Lam has become a lightning rod for protests and another of the protesters' demands has been for her to stand down.

The leading candidates to succeed Lam include Norman Chan, the former head of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, and Henry Tang, who has also served as the territory's financial secretary and chief secretary for administration, the report said.

A spokesman said Tang did not comment on speculation and that he supported Lam as chief executive.

A senior official in Beijing said the FT story was wrong and none of the suggested candidates listed in the story could possibly take over from Lam based on the Basic Law, Hong Kong's mini-constitution which came into force in 1997.

The law says that if the chief executive is unable to discharge his or her duties, such duties will be temporarily assumed by the Administrative Secretary, Financial Secretary or Secretary of Justice in that order, the official said. A new chief executive would be selected within 6 months, the law says.

But Beijing had prepared all kinds of contingency plans for different scenarios in Hong Kong, including Lam’s administration losing total control of the situation, the official said.

Over recent months, Beijing has set up a special team working from Shenzhen, just across the border from Hong Kong, to gather information and it acted as the major communication channel between Hong Kong and Beijing, according to 2 people familiar with the situation.

Lam’s office was authorized to talk to the team directly without going through Beijing’s Liaison Office, one of the people said.

The Liaison Office, the symbol of Chinese rule, was attacked and daubed with anti-China graffiti in July.

In September, in response to a Reuters report about a recording of Lam saying she would step down if she could, she said she had never asked the Chinese government to let her resign.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Clashes in Hong Kong after police charge protesters with rioting

HONG KONG, China—Renewed clashes broke out between pro-democracy protesters and police in Hong Kong on Tuesday night after dozens of demonstrators were charged with rioting—an offense that carries a jail term of up to 10 years.

The city is reeling from 7 weeks of mass protest rallies—some of which have ended in violence—triggered by a controversial bill that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China.

They have evolved into calls for wider democratic reforms and a halt to sliding freedoms in the most significant challenge to Beijing's rule since the city's 1997 handover.

In the latest flashpoint, police used pepper spray and batons on Tuesday night against protesters who had gathered outside a police station in Kwai Chung district, an AFP reporter on scene said. 

Hundreds were protesting after police announced 44 people arrested in clashes on Sunday had been charged with rioting.

Protesters responded to the police charge by throwing plastic bottles and umbrellas. 

In footage broadcast live on Now TV, an officer could be seen aiming a shotgun at protesters throwing objects at him in a nearby bus station until he and his colleagues beat a hasty retreat. 

SURGE IN VIOLENCE

The last 2 weekends have seen a dramatic surge in the level of violence used by both protesters and police who have repeatedly fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse projectile-throwing crowds. 

A mob of pro-government thugs also attacked protesters putting 45 people in hospital. 

Tuesday night's violence was brief and less pronounced in comparison but tensions remained high with the police charge having little effect in dispersing the crowds. 

Before the clashes broke out, the crowds were chanting democracy slogans and spraying graffiti on the building's walls. The police station had metal shutters pulled down over the door and all public-facing windows. 

Rioting is one of the most serious public order offenses on Hong Kong's statute books and carries a sentence of up to a decade in jail. 

Edward Leung, a prominent activist, was jailed for 6 years last year after he was found guilty of rioting in clashes with police in 2016.

BEIJING WARNING

The move to charge the 44 protesters came a day after Beijing publicly threw its weight behind Hong Kong's unelected leader Carrie Lam and the police, saying violent protesters must be swiftly punished.

"No civilized society or rule of law society will tolerate rampant violence," Yang Guang, spokesman for the cabinet-level Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, told reporters in a highly unusual public press conference. 

Yang blamed the violence on a "few radicals" and said it "bumped into the bottom line" of the "one country, two systems" principle that governs the financial hub.

He also accused Western politicians of making "irresponsible remarks" to "mess up Hong Kong" and contain China's development.

Beijing has issued increasingly shrill condemnations of the protests, but has left it to the city's government to deal with the situation.

FEW COMPROMISES

Lam has shown no sign of backing down beyond agreeing to suspend the extradition bill and has made few public appearances.

Police have not released a detailed breakdown of arrests and charges since the protests began but an AFP tally of public statements shows at least 170 people have been arrested since 9 June. 

Protesters have vowed to keep their campaign going until their core demands are met. 

They include the resignation of Lam, an independent inquiry into police tactics, an amnesty for those arrested, a permanent withdrawal of the bill and the right to elect their leaders.

On Tuesday morning, activists held up trains on the city's subway system during the morning rush hour, leading to lengthy delays and long queues for buses. 

It was not the first time they have used those tactics, but the disruption was more widespread than previously. 

Under the 1997 handover deal with Britain, China promised to allow Hong Kong to keep key liberties such as its independent judiciary and freedom of speech.

But many say those provisions are already being curtailed, citing the disappearance into mainland custody of dissident booksellers, the disqualification of prominent politicians and the jailing of pro-democracy protest leaders.

Public anger has been compounded by rising inequality, the high costs of living and the perception that the city's distinct language and culture are being threatened by ever closer integration with the Chinese mainland. 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Lawmakers seek to regulate ride-sharing services

MANILA - Several lawmakers on Wednesday filed separate bills seeking to standardize the operation of ride-sharing companies targeted in a looming crackdown by transportation officials.

Sen. Grace Poe, Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles and his brother, Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta (PBA) Party-list Rep. Jericho Nograles, proposed separate measures aimed at fixing the licensing and fare calculation systems of transport network companies (TNCs), whose unregistered units are under threat of being barred from plying thoroughfares. 

The government has said it would apprehend starting July 26 some 50,000 drivers from TNCs Grab and Uber who have no operating licenses.  

Applications for new permits have been suspended since last year, and regulators accused the two firms of taking in new drivers despite a moratorium.


In Senate Bill No. 1501, Poe, chair of the Senate committee on public services, proposed requirements for the accreditation of ride-sharing vehicles, guidelines for their operations, and possible penalties.

The Nograles brothers also made similar proposals under House Bill No. 6009.

Under both bills, TNCs will be required to secure operating permits from the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

The proposed law will also task TNCs to:

    to create an application process and maintain a database for drivers;
    implement a zero tolerance policy for drug and alcohol use;
    establish regulations for vehicle safety and;
    disclose the fare calculation method

"Prudent regulation is necessary for government to ensure the highest degree of service for the general public," Poe said. 

"The concept of Uber and Grab is new to us so, therefore, new regulations must be set to ensure that they are properly managed," said Jericho Nograles. 

The Philippines was the first country in the world to regulate ride-sharing services. Uber and Grab are especially popular in Metro Manila, where traffic jams, faulty trains and selective or overcharging taxi drivers are a constant source of misery for commuters.

Poe earlier said her committee would investigate the row between regulators and ride-sharing companies.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Malta says yes to same-sex marriage

VALLETTA - Malta's parliament voted Wednesday to allow same-sex couples to marry, three years after passing a law permitting civil partnerships in the overwhelmingly Catholic country.

Lawmakers gave near-unanimous approval to the bill, which represents a major step for LGBT rights on the island, which legalized divorce only in 2011 and where abortion is outlawed.

Malta, the EU's smallest nation, becomes the bloc's 15th member to legalize same-sex unions.

The vote was one of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat's first actions following his election victory last month.

"It's a historic vote. This shows that our democracy and society have reached a level of maturity and we can now say that we are all equal," he said after the text was passed.

"Pledge delivered, future secured," he later tweeted.

The Catholic church was solidly opposed to the bill but gay rights activists on Wednesday hailed the result, rallying outside the premier's office in downtown Valetta.

The facade of the building was lit in rainbow colors and the slogan: "We've made history".

'WHOEVER THEY LOVE'

All but one lawmaker supported the new law, which will now open the door for same-sex couples to adopt. Previously this was possible only if one person applied rather than as a couple.

Though Malta scores relatively well in European-wide freedom indexes, society in the tiny Mediterranean island is still influenced by religion.

A major bone of contention ahead of the vote was a change in legal jargon to replace terms such as husband, wife, mother and father with more gender-neutral phrasing such as partner or parent.

On Tuesday evening, opponents of the measure held a silent vigil outside parliament, but Wednesday's vote was hailed by many commenters on social media.

"Now I'm proud to be a dad who can tell my boys that whoever they are and whoever they love, they can still call Malta home," said one Twitter user.

Since gay unions were approved in 2014, 141 couples have taken advantage of the partnerships, while 22 others who had gotten married outside the country had registered their unions.

The Netherlands was the first European country to legalize same-sex marriage, in 2001, with the most recent being Germany on June 30 after a surprising shift on the issue by Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Gay marriage has also been approved in Canada and the United States, and in four South American countries, though it remains illegal in most of Africa and Asia.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Duterte pushes lower tax rates, free WiFi

MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday gave a rundown of his reform agenda which includes lowering taxes, solving traffic jams, and relaxing bank secrecy rules as he vowed economic growth that is felt by the poor.

In his first State of the Nation Address, Duterte said he hoped to leave an economy that is “much stronger” by the end of his six-year term in 2022.

“My administration will continue and maintain current macroeconomic policies and even do better,” he told lawmakers, top government officials and diplomats.

“We will achieve this through prudent fiscal and monetary policies that can help translate high growth into more and better job creation and poverty reduction,” he said.

A strong economy, Duterte said, is characterized by “solid growth, low and stable inflation, dollar reserves and robust fiscal position.”

TAXES, BANK SECRECY

Duterte said he would lower personal and corporate income taxes and shift to a “simpler, more equitable” tax system.

He did not elaborate, but his economic managers have said income tax rates could be lowered to 25 percent from as high as 32 percent.

“At the household level, there must be sufficient income for all Filipinos,” he said.

Duterte also said he would “relax” the bank secrecy law.

Last February, hackers shifted $81 million from Bangladesh’s foreign reserves to the Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. and then laundered in casinos, taking advantage of loopholes in the country’s banking and anti-money laundering laws.

TRANSPORT WOES

Duterte asked lawmakers for “emergency powers” to untangle crippling traffic jams in Metro Manila and listed down his plans to improve commuting in the capital city of 12 million people.

 "If you give it [emergency powers], fine; if not, we take the longer route, slowly, and tanggapin ko ‘yung pagmumura ninyo," he said.

The country loses P2.4 billion daily due to the traffic problem.

Additional powers may include doing away with public bidding for some projects and opening private subdivisions to traffic, according to his economic team.

Duterte said the transportation department would increase the number of trains on the Metro Rail Transit to 20 from the current 16 and increase train speeds to 60 kph from 40 kph.

Operating hours at the Light Rail Transit will be extended by an hour at night to 10:30 p.m. from 9:30 p.m.

The Pasig River ferry as an alternative mode of transport will be revived, he said.

General aviation will be transferred to Sangley Point to help decongest the main airport in Manila, and a railway will be constructed from the capital to Clark International Airport, an alternative gateway.

INTERNET, RED TAPE

Duterte ordered the drafting of a plan to install a national broadband infrastructure and said free wireless internet would be made available in public places.

He said he would reduce the processing time for issuing business permits and licenses "to the barest minimum," as he reiterated his order to crack down on red tape.

"In my city, it is always three days for local governments, that will bind the Office of the President down to barangay level," said the former Davao City mayor.

Motor vehicle plates should also be issued at the point of sale to prevent backlogs at the Land Transportation Office, he said.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Democrats stage sit-in protest on House floor over gun control legislation

WASHINGTON - Talks intensified in the U.S. Senate on Wednesday on compromise legislation to stop gun sales to people on some terrorism watch lists, as Democrats shut down the House of Representatives to protest their chamber's lack of action.

Several dozen U.S. House Democrats pushing for action on gun control protested on the floor of the House, chanting "no bill, no break!" and demanding that the chamber put off an upcoming recess until legislation is debated.

The protest was the latest move by Democrats to persuade the Republican majority in Congress to take up gun control in response to last week's mass shooting in Orlando, Florida, the deadliest in modern U.S. history.

The Democrats stood or sat at the front of the chamber, where such disruptive tactics are relatively rare. When the presiding House officer, Republican Representative Ted Poe, entered the chamber at about noon EDT (1600 GMT), he declared the House not in order. After banging the gavel several times in an attempt to clear the protesters, he announced the chamber would be in recess and left.

The Democrats remained on the House floor, calling for action before a vacation recess scheduled to start at the end of the week and run through July 5.

Assistant Democratic Leader James Clyburn, likened the push for gun control action to the civil rights movement of the 1960s when sit-ins and other civil disobedience prodded Washington to act on new protections for African-Americans.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton tweeted her support for the sit-in, saying, "This is what real leadership looks like."

Democrats in the Senate last week took control of that chamber for nearly 15 straight hours as they called for gun control legislation.

On Monday, the Senate failed to advance four gun measures, including one that would have prohibited gun sales to people on a broad range of government watch lists.

Senators from both parties now are pushing for a compromise. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he would schedule a vote on the measure by fellow Republican Senator Susan Collins that would prevent about 109,000 people on "no-fly" and other surveillance lists from purchasing guns.

They were holding private talks on the bill and Collins said it could be voted upon this week.

"We're doing some refinements, reflecting some suggestions that we've had from both sides of the aisle," Collins told reporters. She said one of the issues being negotiated was the question of protecting the constitutional rights of gun buyers.

Senator Orrin Hatch, a senior Republican, said there was a "robust discussion" of the Collins measure but he will not be voting for Collins’ proposal.

"I'm a pro-gun guy," Hatch said.

Senator John Thune, a member of Senate Republican leadership, told reporters: "I think it’s going to get a vote ... whether it can pass or not at this point is kind of a moving target."

The powerful National Rifle Association said it opposes the compromise bill and called it unconstitutional.

PRIMAL SCREAMS

House Republicans have declined to advance gun control legislation and House Speaker Paul Ryan said earlier on Wednesday he was "waiting to see what the Senate does" before discussing the topic.

Many House Republicans say they see the problem differently than Democrats. "We don't view the fact that someone becomes radicalized and decides to kill a bunch of Americans ... as a gun problem," Representative John Fleming of Louisiana said on Wednesday. "We view that as a terrorist problem."

The Orlando gunman, Omar Mateen, pledged allegiance to Islamic State during the June 12 rampage in which he killed 49 people and wounded 53 with an assault rifle and pistol at a gay nightclub before being fatally shot by police.

House Democrats frustrated by inaction on guns have staged several actions on the House floor in recent days. They interrupted a moment of silence in honor of the Orlando victims and unsuccessfully sought recognition to bring up bills on expanding background checks and preventing people on "no-fly" and other surveillance lists from buying guns.

Democratic Representative Bobby Rush, in a news conference with House leadership and gun control groups on the steps of the Capitol on Wednesday, recounted his son's 1999 shooting death in Chicago and the mother's primal scream when the doctor said the man had died.

"It's time to end this chorus of primal screams in our nation and the time to end it is now," Rush shouted. - report from Susan Cornwell and Timothy Gardner, Reuters

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Canada announces ban on transgender discrimination

MONTREAL - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced legislation Monday to protect transgender people from hate speech and discrimination, as debate rages in the United States over laws restricting their rights.

"Even today, despite all the obstacles we have overcome, the battles we have won, and the victories we have celebrated, we are still witnesses, and in some cases, victims of injustices," Trudeau said in a speech at a Montreal event hosted by gay rights group Fondation Emergence.

"We must continue to demand true equality," he said. "We must carry on the legacy of those who fought for justice by being bold and ambitious in our actions."

The bill is to be officially unveiled by Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould on Tuesday, the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.

It will add "gender identity" alongside race, religion, age, sex and sexual orientation as prohibited grounds for discrimination under the Canadian Human Rights Act, and add transgender persons to a list of groups protected from hate-mongering under the Criminal Code, according to Wilson-Raybould's mandate letter from the prime minister.

The Canadian parliament's previous attempts to pass similar legislation failed. But this time, due to a Liberal majority in the House, the measures are expected to pass easily.

Trudeau's father, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, was Canada's justice minister when Ottawa introduced a Criminal Code amendment to decriminalize homosexuality. He famously commented at the time (two years before it became law): "There's no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation."

In July, Justin Trudeau will be the first sitting prime minister to participate in a gay pride parade, in Montreal.

Following his speech, Fondation Emergence honoured him with an award for his promotion of gay rights, including allowing sexually active gay men to donate blood, and pardoning gay men who were convicted of gross indecency before homosexuality was decriminalized in 1969.

South of the border, meanwhile, a debate on equal rights in the United States has been raging over a flurry of initiatives targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities since a historic Supreme Court decision last year legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.

Last week, the US federal government and North Carolina's governor launched dueling lawsuits over a state law restricting transgender Americans' use of public restrooms.

The North Carolina law, passed on March 23, requires transgender people to use public restrooms corresponding to the gender listed on their birth certificate.

It provoked a public outcry and led several high-profile entertainers and big companies to join activists in denouncing the measure, pulling the plug on events and investments in the state.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com