More armchair quaterbacking from 411a allied to his preachey hatred of any unionised workforce. If I read him a'right then its OK for the company to screw the workforce on every element of the compensation and work contract, but woe betide the serfs if they ever do anything other than roll over and offer back more.
There's certainly a good lesson here - dont negotiate - leave the company with the passengers - go to the hotel and take legal rest. If you are fatigued, thats the end of the debate. Frankly, if you do anything else you are open to a law suit anyway. One touch of a wingtip when taxying and your career is most likely over. Its obvious - there is no debate.
Dont do their lying for them either - let the station manager or designated handling agent come up with a pack of bullcr*p about "no hotels". As to positioning back to HK - do you as a responsible Commander in a post 9/11 world place a crew of perhaps 18 to 20 plus American Citizens in uniform on what amounts to a public bus, presumably prior to being asked to operate? Note the tragedy of an American Citizen knifed to death at the Olympics by a random member of the Chinese public. I would be very hesitant to do that as a Commander with a duty of care to my crew.
And 411a's standard retort - all Captains are "prima donnas". I dispair, which is presumably what 411a wants. Are you a schizophrenic 411a, that you participate (presumably) in an industry where you hold such contempt for the participants? I suggest that there is something seriously wrong with your need to undermine and or attack "fellow professionals", (and I am assuming here that you do still fly in command on a large public transport aeroplane on international routes - hence the quote marks around my use of the term "fellow professionals"). If a Captain does anything other than roll over and accept an endless degradation of the terms of his career he's a "prima donna" - doubtless you like your serfs nice and compliant? I think you have an agenda fulled by a hatred of ALPA and a new-found sense that management's compensation package can be enhanced only by screwing over their "fellow professionals" on the line, (and I now use the quotes for irony), at each and every turn. I think this agenda colours everything you write and devalues it accordingly.