Pro-democracy HK lawmaker undeterred by threats скачать в хорошем качестве

Pro-democracy HK lawmaker undeterred by threats

(20 Sep 2016) Soon after pro-democracy candidate Eddie Chu won a stunning Hong Kong legislative election victory earlier this month, the death threats starting arriving. Middlemen conveyed the messages to Chu, a rural reformer and environmentalist who campaigned independently on a shoestring budget. They outlined the assassin's recruitment, how much he would be paid and when the hit would be carried out. Chu moved his family out of their home and asked for police protection while he prepares for his new role as a lawmaker in Hong Kong's semi-democratic Legislative Council. The threats are unsettling, but he says they're a bracing reminder of the risks he faces carrying out his campaign pledge to smash collusion between the government, real estate developers, organised triad crime gangs and rural kingpins, who benefit from suburban redevelopment projects at the expense of ordinary villagers. While the former British colony, now a specially administered city under Chinese rule, is best known for its neon-lit skyscrapers, not far away are the New Territories: rugged mountains, lush farm fields, parks and, increasingly, new suburban public housing estates built for an expanding population. Chu pulled in 84,000 votes, more than any other candidate in the September 4 election, despite a low-budget campaign that used hand-painted banners. He became the election's biggest surprise and earned the nickname "king of votes" from the Hong Kong media. But he still hasn't been able to return to his village home and his wife and daughter haven't been able to resume school and work. A former freelance journalist who speaks Farsi, Chu made a name for himself campaigning for environmental and heritage preservation causes. A decade ago he joined the fight against government plans to demolish the historic Star Ferry Pier and Queen's Pier, chaining himself to other activists in an attempt to stop the wrecking crews. In 2010, he and other activists walked and kneeled across the city to stop the government from flattening a village to make way for a high-speed rail line connecting Hong Kong with mainland China. Both campaigns failed, as did his two previous attempts to run for a neighbourhood council. This time around, analysts said, Chu's grassroots campaign struck the right chord with residents frustrated by political stalemate after the 2014 pro-democracy "Umbrella Movement" protests, which failed to yield concessions from Beijing. Green activism is a way for Chu to build support for another rising cause: the democratic self-determination of Hong Kong's future status. He isn't advocating independence - a popular notion among some more radical groups - but he says he wants Hong Kong to get the right to rewrite the Basic Law, the charter outlining its relationship with Beijing under a "one country, two systems" formula. Chu wants to take on Hong Kong's most powerful special interest group, the Heung Yee Kuk, a statutory advisory body representing indigenous villagers in the New Territories. Chu says the first thing he'll propose once he is sworn in is the democratic reform of the pro-Beijing body, which has been accused of corruption and environmentally unfriendly practices. The group has its own legislature seat as well as a hand in selecting the city's top leader. Its members benefit from special policies entitling male heirs to land ready for three-story houses. These rights are often sold for a profit, stirring resentment among the rest of Hong Kong's 7.2 million residents who live in shoebox apartments and face some of the world's highest property prices. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...