Lam Song-man: Forgiving the Authority-abuse Police is Out of the Question!

Forgiving the Authority-abuse Police is Out of the Question!

Translated by Karen L., Written by Lam Song-man  (林爽文)
Original: http://www.passiontimes.hk/article/05-17-2015/23011/ 

In 1978 Soviet Union, a nine-year-old girl was murdered. Kravchenko had been arrested, convicted, and put to death in 1983, though he had an alibi. As a matter of fact, the man was extorted confession under police's torture. 24 years later, he was proved innocent － It turned out to be a serial killer Chikatilo who ended the young girl's life. The case says, the arbitrariness of the police is accounted for Kravchenko's death.

With empowered authority, police forces are able to stop people, question them, interrogate them or hold them in detention within a specific period of time. During the course exercising these authorities, pepper sprays, guns, and so on － use of force － are allowed to be adopted. That is to say, a single imprudent mistake could lead to far-reaching drawbacks. In time of Soviet Union, there was Kravchenko killed being falsely accused; in the U.S., there were black youngsters executed in the street; in Malaysia, political figures from the opposition party were pushed from building; in mainland China, numerous housing clearance duties ended with violence.

In Hong Kong, a mentally handicapped person was forced to make a confession of a wrongly accused murder on the police statement. The case was dropped as the police officer fails to carry on his duty by the book. With higher authority than anybody else, upholding morality and strict manner are required in a police officer. Ordinary people lose clients, increase business cost, or harm their companies' reputation as a result of making mistakes, whereas one's freedom will be gratuitously restricted, will be racked from bodily harm or death, will be put in the wrong if a police officer makes mistakes.

A journalist suffered from rough treatment by seven police officers during the Umbrella Revolution, while the matter is still unsettled; a friend of mine was crookedly charged of drug possession (insufficient evidence before the court set my friend free, but it left a rather huge expense.); some activists were searched naked; some activists were beaten on the black maria; sex workers were made acquiesced to police's demands for sex without payment; some protesters were threatened as such "I will take you back to the police station and rape you"... Cases of abuse of authority are simply too many to count.

Originally, citizens empower police officers the authority to serve the society and maintain public order so that one's freedom is being protected. Their neglect of duty damages citizens' rights while they refuse to apologise for their own fault and exhibit arrogance on the public statement. To understand and forgive them for all this? This might be the best situation to quote the former Commissioner of the Hong Kong Police Force Andy Tsang Wai-hung's catchphrase "Out of the question!".

So Sam: Human Wave Attack

Human Wave Attack

Translated by Chen-t'ang 鎮棠, edited by K. Griffin, written by So Sam
Original: http://www.passiontimes.hk/article/03-30-2015/21967/ 

PLA's human wave attack during the Korean war.

Hongkongers are so forgetful. Whenever there is a breakthrough in our movement, there are people who will say “this leaves a bad impression on others”, and that our aim should be “to act justly and to love mercy” [Micah 6:8]. These are the people who changed their tacks as soon as the glass door of the LegCo was broken. The Berlin Wall did not fall by itself, and if Ukrainians dared not to break a glass, their very country would long be gone.

When two armies are involved in a battle, things get cut-throat. But when talk turns to the “human wave attack”, the KMT veterans will remain silent – they dare not remember the past. During the Chinese Civil War, the Communists used “human wave attacks”. They held assemblies where landlords and elders were killed. They forced innocent people to be at the frontline in battles so as to waste the KMT's ammunition – old and weak people, female and children were bound and forced to the front to be attacked by grenades. Trenches were exploded and filled up with bodies, and the Communist soldiers marched on. Some KMT soldiers did not want to shoot civilians, but as orders came, they did so with their eyes shut. The KMT base will all be taken to the Commies, with the slightest hesitation from the KMT soldiers.

Such tactics by the People's Liberation Army were said to be inspired by the Thoughts of Mao Zedong, but they were actually plagiarised from a battle in which the Soviet army crossed the Mannerheim Line and stacked many layers of bodies in front of its base. The Communists know, of course, that a coin has two sides. So in the 1979 Sino-Vietnam War, they ordered “Kill all those who march forward, irrespective of their age or gender”.

Mao Zedong once said, “A revolution is not a dinner party, or writing an essay, or painting a picture, or doing embroidery; it cannot be so refined, so leisurely and gentle, so temperate, kind, courteous, restrained and magnanimous. A revolution is an insurrection, an act of violence by which one class overthrows another.”

In the course of this action, it is either win or lose; if one succeeds, it's a revolution; if one fails, it is a riot. When active forces are suppressed, the entire movement can only die in silence. To fight for democracy and freedom under an authoritarian regime, you don't “morally impress your enemy”, you terminate your enemy.

Hong Kong is now in an invisible war. Being so gentle and temperate doesn’t help at all.

(Originally on the 28^th Issue of Passion Times [Printed Edition])