This was a good chance to teach those morons a lesson in what happens when you break the law. But no dice. It would have been refreshing to see an administration that sticks up for rule of law for a change but that’s hoping for too much. I hope Hong Kong doesn’t cooperate with the Korean governement, and make those a-holes rot in jail. What nerve of those morons.
Give’em the maximum, 5 years in jail for illegal protest and 14 years for destroying property. How much more for wielding dangerous weapons? Slap those on as well, I hope. I wouldn’t even mind if the PRC executes couple of the ring leaders and do South Korea a favor.
I agree that they should be allowed to go through the Hong Kong judicial system, but I think one reason the actions of the ROK government seem so outrageous is that, unlike a lot of embassies here in Seoul, the Korean government is actually standing up for its citizens. It just seems so strange.
Five years for an illegal rally and fourteen for destroying property are ridiculously harsh punishments.
Atacking police and detroying property should get them at least a few months jail time, and an illegal rally should get them a fine.
The protesters were warned before leaving for Hong Kong that, unlike Korea, most countries do not consider attacking police and destroying property to be part of a ritualistic game. Maybe a few months in a Hong Kong jail will teach them a good lesson about the world outside the well.
kushibo, there’s a typo in your post. it’s spelled “criminals,” not “citizens.”
gerry, 5 and 14 years may be ridiculously harsh by your standard, but those are the sentencing guidelines for hong kong regardless.
it is the responsibility of anyone, yes even “special” koreans, to know the laws of the country they’re traveling to and planning on committing crimes in.
just like i laugh every time i hear some dipshit backpacker whine and cry about a life sentence or death penalty for drug smuggling in malaysia or indonesia or some other southeast asian country, i think it’s hilarious for anyone to try and defend the dumbass farmers or clamor for lesser sentence. do the crime, do the time. i hope every one of them spends the maximum, and not a day less, in a hong kong prison. they and their agrieved brothers and sisters might think twice next time before they try exporting that “special korean culture” abroad.
and in case anyone thought that the korean foreign minister wouldn’t pull the “special situation” card (most recently pulled at the UN vote on North Korean human rights), here’s a gem from a South Korean official in Yonhap:
…violation of law can in no way be justified but Hong Kong’s authorities and pubic “should consider the farmers’ situation and show some sympathy for their suffering.”
Well, the idea behind forcing countries like South Korea to open their markets to foreign argicultural products is so that farmers in poor countries will be able to earn a living wage. It’s very hard to sympathize with Korean farmers who have profited from inflated rice prices despite government subsidies (ironically, they complain that American rice is cheaper because American farmers are heavily subsidized (actually, it’s they grow twice as much rice per square meter than the Korean farmers do because they have 2 crops per year)).
Eylmer Food, a division of Monsanto, wrote:
(ironically, they complain that American rice is cheaper because American farmers are heavily subsidized (actually, it’s they grow twice as much rice per square meter than the Korean farmers do because they have 2 crops per year)).
In Korea, a combination of factors make Korea’s annual crop yield fairly high: 5.18 tons per hectare in 1997. In North America, productivity is 5.27 tons per hectare, even though that includes two crops per year in some areas.
(This Coffee Bean has a slow connection, so I don’t have time to look for unified statistics from the same source.)
Can’t you just let Hong Kong keep ‘em?
- The Marmot
kushibo, there’s a typo in your post. it’s spelled “criminals,” not “citizens.”
gerry, 5 and 14 years may be ridiculously harsh by your standard, but those are the sentencing guidelines for hong kong regardless.
- iheartblueballs
I hope Hong Kong doesn’t cooperate with the Korean governement, and make those a-holes rot in jail. What nerve of those morons.
- Kimbob
Maybe a few months in a Hong Kong jail will teach them a good lesson about the world outside the well.
- Gerry Bevers
The same people who are railing against the North Koreans crushing democracy and oppressing their people are now cheering for the “Communists” in China crushing protests and jailing dissenters… Anything to wipe out those dirty leftists, huh?
It seems the Chinese “Communists” have earned many friends on the right since they decided to ditch Communist totalitarianism and go back to old-fashioned fascist tyranny. “Leftism”, whatever that means, provokes the right’s outrage. Democracy, human rights, and tyranny are just convenient fig leaves.
mix in a newspaper once in a while Travan, it’ll keep you from looking like an ignorant fool. had the mob of South Korean farmers stuck to their “3 bows and a step” or other forms of peaceful protest, the commies in Hong Kong would’ve sat back and allowed that “dissent.” instead the idiots decided to step it up to a violent mob destroying property and attacking police. that’s not “dissent,” it’s a crime, and deserves to be treated like one, even in commie Hong Kong.
if you can’t see the difference between a violent mob in Hong Kong and some poor saps in Pyongyang, stick to the kiddie message boards. someone might actually believe your bullshit equivalence on those.
Were there any South Korean protesters getting down and dirty in the anti-WTO protests during “the Battle for Seattle” in 1999?
Are any of the fourteen South Korean citizens major players among the chinbo farmers or the chinbo students? If so, how much of a blow would it be to their movement if they were left to rot in a Hong Kong jail?
If any of them destroyed property or physically assaulted cops or others, they deserve to remain in jail.
Oh, and while Beijing may be “communist,” Hong Kong is not and never was. “One country, two systems,” or is it “One hammer, two arms”?
if you can’t see the difference between a violent mob in Hong Kong and some poor saps in Pyongyang, stick to the kiddie message boards. someone might actually believe your bullshit equivalence on those.
- iheartblueballs
Obviously, the situation is not the same. However, right-wing people are very quick to cheer the police in stifling unruly, democratic protest in Hong Kong, because they don’t like the protesters’ views. By so gleefully welcoming the jailing of protesters, the right is standing shoulder to shoulder with the Chinese Communist Party.
As for “the kiddie boards”, are those the ones where people use polite language, don’t insult one another, and leave out pornographic references in their screen names? Rudeness and profanity are the hallmarks of uncultured, thuggish brutes. When you have read as many newspapers as I have, and studied East Asian history and culture as much as I have, you may realize the advantage of not sounding like a drunk in a bar when discussing serious matters.
Oh, and while Beijing may be “communist,” Hong Kong is not and never was. “One country, two systems,” or is it “One hammer, two arms”?
- kushibo
I’m very glad you caught on to my sly dig at “communism”, kushibo. Hong Kong has retained some precious freedoms, but it is ruled, in the end, by Beijing, which has abandoned Communism totally. Mainland China may have harsher controls on protest and free speech, but it is at least as capitalist as Hong Kong. One must be very careful not to confuse “communism” with tyranny or dictatorship.
Actually, I’d say China is more capitalist than Hong Kong in many ways. For example, China is fast dismantling its social welfare programs, while Hong Kong still retains a strong welfare system, which includes subsidized housing and health care for the poor.
So, this is my justification for calling Hong Kong “communist”. It really is just an attempt to mock China’s claims to be communist in any sense besides being a tyranny. “One hammer, two arms” is very accurate. “One country” means that all decisions will be made by the rulers of the Communist Party in Beijing. “Two systems” means that as long as those rulers keep the party in complete control, any political system is acceptable.
11 Comments
This was a good chance to teach those morons a lesson in what happens when you break the law. But no dice. It would have been refreshing to see an administration that sticks up for rule of law for a change but that’s hoping for too much. I hope Hong Kong doesn’t cooperate with the Korean governement, and make those a-holes rot in jail. What nerve of those morons.
Give’em the maximum, 5 years in jail for illegal protest and 14 years for destroying property. How much more for wielding dangerous weapons? Slap those on as well, I hope. I wouldn’t even mind if the PRC executes couple of the ring leaders and do South Korea a favor.
I agree that they should be allowed to go through the Hong Kong judicial system, but I think one reason the actions of the ROK government seem so outrageous is that, unlike a lot of embassies here in Seoul, the Korean government is actually standing up for its citizens. It just seems so strange.
Five years for an illegal rally and fourteen for destroying property are ridiculously harsh punishments.
Atacking police and detroying property should get them at least a few months jail time, and an illegal rally should get them a fine.
The protesters were warned before leaving for Hong Kong that, unlike Korea, most countries do not consider attacking police and destroying property to be part of a ritualistic game. Maybe a few months in a Hong Kong jail will teach them a good lesson about the world outside the well.
kushibo, there’s a typo in your post. it’s spelled “criminals,” not “citizens.”
gerry, 5 and 14 years may be ridiculously harsh by your standard, but those are the sentencing guidelines for hong kong regardless.
it is the responsibility of anyone, yes even “special” koreans, to know the laws of the country they’re traveling to and planning on committing crimes in.
just like i laugh every time i hear some dipshit backpacker whine and cry about a life sentence or death penalty for drug smuggling in malaysia or indonesia or some other southeast asian country, i think it’s hilarious for anyone to try and defend the dumbass farmers or clamor for lesser sentence. do the crime, do the time. i hope every one of them spends the maximum, and not a day less, in a hong kong prison. they and their agrieved brothers and sisters might think twice next time before they try exporting that “special korean culture” abroad.
and in case anyone thought that the korean foreign minister wouldn’t pull the “special situation” card (most recently pulled at the UN vote on North Korean human rights), here’s a gem from a South Korean official in Yonhap:
…violation of law can in no way be justified but Hong Kong’s authorities and pubic “should consider the farmers’ situation and show some sympathy for their suffering.”
http://english.yna.co.kr/Engne.....003E8.html)
translation: we know the law, we broke the law, but we’re korean and therefore special, so you can’t punish us.
throw the book at the poor suffering farmers. it’ll learn em.
Well, the idea behind forcing countries like South Korea to open their markets to foreign argicultural products is so that farmers in poor countries will be able to earn a living wage. It’s very hard to sympathize with Korean farmers who have profited from inflated rice prices despite government subsidies (ironically, they complain that American rice is cheaper because American farmers are heavily subsidized (actually, it’s they grow twice as much rice per square meter than the Korean farmers do because they have 2 crops per year)).
Eylmer Food, a division of Monsanto, wrote:
(ironically, they complain that American rice is cheaper because American farmers are heavily subsidized (actually, it’s they grow twice as much rice per square meter than the Korean farmers do because they have 2 crops per year)).
In Korea, a combination of factors make Korea’s annual crop yield fairly high: 5.18 tons per hectare in 1997. In North America, productivity is 5.27 tons per hectare, even though that includes two crops per year in some areas.
(This Coffee Bean has a slow connection, so I don’t have time to look for unified statistics from the same source.)
Can’t you just let Hong Kong keep ‘em?
- The Marmot
kushibo, there’s a typo in your post. it’s spelled “criminals,” not “citizens.”
gerry, 5 and 14 years may be ridiculously harsh by your standard, but those are the sentencing guidelines for hong kong regardless.
- iheartblueballs
I hope Hong Kong doesn’t cooperate with the Korean governement, and make those a-holes rot in jail. What nerve of those morons.
- Kimbob
Maybe a few months in a Hong Kong jail will teach them a good lesson about the world outside the well.
- Gerry Bevers
The same people who are railing against the North Koreans crushing democracy and oppressing their people are now cheering for the “Communists” in China crushing protests and jailing dissenters… Anything to wipe out those dirty leftists, huh?
It seems the Chinese “Communists” have earned many friends on the right since they decided to ditch Communist totalitarianism and go back to old-fashioned fascist tyranny. “Leftism”, whatever that means, provokes the right’s outrage. Democracy, human rights, and tyranny are just convenient fig leaves.
mix in a newspaper once in a while Travan, it’ll keep you from looking like an ignorant fool. had the mob of South Korean farmers stuck to their “3 bows and a step” or other forms of peaceful protest, the commies in Hong Kong would’ve sat back and allowed that “dissent.” instead the idiots decided to step it up to a violent mob destroying property and attacking police. that’s not “dissent,” it’s a crime, and deserves to be treated like one, even in commie Hong Kong.
if you can’t see the difference between a violent mob in Hong Kong and some poor saps in Pyongyang, stick to the kiddie message boards. someone might actually believe your bullshit equivalence on those.
Were there any South Korean protesters getting down and dirty in the anti-WTO protests during “the Battle for Seattle” in 1999?
Are any of the fourteen South Korean citizens major players among the chinbo farmers or the chinbo students? If so, how much of a blow would it be to their movement if they were left to rot in a Hong Kong jail?
If any of them destroyed property or physically assaulted cops or others, they deserve to remain in jail.
Oh, and while Beijing may be “communist,” Hong Kong is not and never was. “One country, two systems,” or is it “One hammer, two arms”?
if you can’t see the difference between a violent mob in Hong Kong and some poor saps in Pyongyang, stick to the kiddie message boards. someone might actually believe your bullshit equivalence on those.
- iheartblueballs
Obviously, the situation is not the same. However, right-wing people are very quick to cheer the police in stifling unruly, democratic protest in Hong Kong, because they don’t like the protesters’ views. By so gleefully welcoming the jailing of protesters, the right is standing shoulder to shoulder with the Chinese Communist Party.
As for “the kiddie boards”, are those the ones where people use polite language, don’t insult one another, and leave out pornographic references in their screen names? Rudeness and profanity are the hallmarks of uncultured, thuggish brutes. When you have read as many newspapers as I have, and studied East Asian history and culture as much as I have, you may realize the advantage of not sounding like a drunk in a bar when discussing serious matters.
Oh, and while Beijing may be “communist,” Hong Kong is not and never was. “One country, two systems,” or is it “One hammer, two arms”?
- kushibo
I’m very glad you caught on to my sly dig at “communism”, kushibo. Hong Kong has retained some precious freedoms, but it is ruled, in the end, by Beijing, which has abandoned Communism totally. Mainland China may have harsher controls on protest and free speech, but it is at least as capitalist as Hong Kong. One must be very careful not to confuse “communism” with tyranny or dictatorship.
Actually, I’d say China is more capitalist than Hong Kong in many ways. For example, China is fast dismantling its social welfare programs, while Hong Kong still retains a strong welfare system, which includes subsidized housing and health care for the poor.
So, this is my justification for calling Hong Kong “communist”. It really is just an attempt to mock China’s claims to be communist in any sense besides being a tyranny. “One hammer, two arms” is very accurate. “One country” means that all decisions will be made by the rulers of the Communist Party in Beijing. “Two systems” means that as long as those rulers keep the party in complete control, any political system is acceptable.