HK is dying

[Apple Tree Yard]

https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3027317/hong-kong-international-airport-posts-biggest-monthly-drop

[mngmt mole]

....and with it Cathay, as this article clearly shows. The coming world recession, combined with Beijing's animosity and the ever worsening economic and social state of HK mean that this airline is going in only one direction. Good luck to any who stay, you'll need it.

[Apple Tree Yard]

ACMS. MM is correct. If you think the current troubles are like anything experienced in the past 20 years you are dreaming. Do you, or for that matter, anyone believe that Beijing will ever allow "business as usual" to carry on in HK after this? If so, i've got a bridge in Brooklyn or a unicorn you can purchase. I might add that to the complete social breakdown in HK, you can add the economic damage to HK, CX and the fact that our management have effectively already turned us into a LCC. It's not about HK encountering a "speed bump", it's the fact that nearly every negative that could be conceived has arrived at the same time. So no, nothing like the past 20 years.

[TheGreenDragon]

I'm enjoying watching the ever worsening political situation in HK, from afar. Last year was my exit .

I'm happy CX is feeling the heat. They are arrogant to their employees, contemptuous with unfathomable nonsense spouted by their dilapidated pr machine.

Lets hope the protesters continue to have a very real and significant effect on the bottom line of these archaic organisations such as CX . The pilots will naïvely stand firm of course, but we know its a valiant but pointless stand. Numbers will have to be reduced, furloughed or whatever. The overtime pots will vanish and those milking the 100k housing and 300k schooling may have to reel in their excess.

which really is the reason for the protests. Too much for too few . Privilege and elitism.

What a horrible place Hong Kong has become. Good luck guys.

[Paul852]

The overtime pots will vanish and those milking the 100k housing and 300k schooling may have to reel in their excess.
which really is the reason for the protests. Too much for too few . Privilege and elitism.
Indeed so.
What a horrible place Hong Kong has becone.For those who have benefited from that privilege and elitism, perhaps so. For those who stand to gain from its overthrow this is a time of hope.

[Air Profit]

Anyone thinking this gives hope to CX employees is in need of AOD testing.

[nonsense]

If anyone else is locked out of the SCMP by Cloudflare, the article is also available here:
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/hong-kong-international-airport-posts-080105337.html

[OMAAbound]

Well this thread has escalated quickly!

OMAA

[beachbumflyer]

Im enjoying watching the ever worsening political situation in HK, from afar. Last year was my exit .

Im happy CX is feeling the heat. They are arrogant to their employees, contemptuous with unfathomable nonsense spouted by their dilapidated pr machine.

Lets hope the protesters continue to have a very real and significant effect on the bottom line of these archaic organisations such as CX . The pilots will naïvely stand firm of course, but we know its a valiant but pointless stand. Numbers will have to be reduced, furloughed or whatever. The overtime pots will vanish and those milking the 100k housing and 300k schooling may have to reel in their excess.

which really is the reason for the protests. Too much for too few . Privilege and elitism.

What a horrible place Hong Kong has becone. Good luck guys.



I don't see how you can enjoy watching this.

[Air Profit]

Hmm, this mornings SCMP front page. Rather gives evidence to make MM's point one would think.

[bringbackthe80s]

Hong Kong is a place where pure liberalism and capitalism showed the world how unfair a system can be. You don’t want to be old, sick and living in a cage that’s for sure. So yes, the elites will suffer, the others most likely too as the nice system they have in the mainland isn’t any more fair.
Having said that, Hong Kong was also one of the coolest, most exciting, interesting and diverse place on earth, so it really is a pity it had to end when it was given back decades ago. But to be honest I am surprised people expected anything different. It’d be like expecting Chavez’s Venezuela taking care of the European oil elite.
When you move to such a far (culturally and geographically) place, unfortunately political/social/economical shifts can happen. Some had it super good, a long time ago now. For the rest of us, like most things for our generation, it’s not what it used to be and it’s not getting any better. I’d get used to it or find a more suitable place.

[Cafe City]

I’d get used to it or find a more suitable place.


And that's the crux of it. Too many people on the planet now. Where exactly is a more suitable place any more? Everywhere seems to have "issues" now.

Oh, and then there'll be the impact of this for CX to contend with... don't tell me they hedged wrongly again...:ugh:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/oil-prices-soar-after-saudi-attack-11568585160

[deja vu]

It couldn't be a coincidence, could it? Every time the British leave a colony it soon goes down hill and ends up as miserable as Britain itself. So sad, probably the best years of my life were in HKG.

[Air Profit]

Quite unlikely that anyone will find the "best years" of their lives could be experienced in HK now. Sad.

[Flex88]

Quite unlikely that anyone will find the "best years" of their lives could be experienced in HK now. Sad.

And you can thank Mr. Xi and his HK Government lackeys for this, basically 2 persons. Those 2, on top of the CX lackeys that have for as long as your memory can stretch have
dry humped for favour..

[CodyBlade]

It couldn't be a coincidence, could it? Every time the British leave a colony it soon goes down hill and ends up as miserable as Britain itself. So sad, probably the best years of my life were in HKG.

Except Singapore ofcourse...

[cxorcist]

Can only lead a horse to water, can’t make ‘em drink.

[Oasis]

Hong Kong is dying? Just like when the British left, and when there was a currency crisis, and when there was sars?

Things always change, it is true, but Hong Kong is far from dying. As a matter of fact, a little revolution now and then is not bad, it shows the spirit of the people.

[Air Profit]

And Beijing is just going to let things carry on as before in HK. Ok, unicorns for sale right over here, get yours while you can. Unicorns for sale...

[Shutterbug]

Oasis isn't wrong... per se... it's just that Hong Kong will mainlandize faster. Hong Kong will become Shianggang. If the mainland were so splendifoursly awesome, why are none of us living right across the border. Guys rather commute from KL, MNL, BKK or even EUROPE than live in Shenzhen. Figure. It. Out.

We all know the score.

RIP Hong Kong

[anxiao]

Today one of the two supermarkets in our estate was shuttered as they could not get re-supplied. The other had queues for China outside and limited stocks. IFC Mall, a massive modern shopping precinct which has the next nearest was closed, and the MTR was shut down city-wide, with very limited bus services provided by MTRC.

I am uncertain whether MTRC are following government orders to create more civil chaos so as to justify the government crack down, or if the complete metro network was shut to enable a few stations to be repaired after the unrest.

Not a fun place to be right now.

[Flex88]

Today one of the two supermarkets in our estate was shuttered as they could not get re-supplied. The other had queues for China outside and limited stocks. IFC Mall, a massive modern shopping precinct which has the next nearest was closed, and the MTR was shut down city-wide, with very limited bus services provided by MTRC.

I am uncertain whether MTRC are following government orders to create more civil chaos so as to justify the government crack down, or if the complete metro network was shut to enable a few stations to be repaired after the unrest.
Not a fun place to be right now.

That's just Hong Kongs 'REAL" leader from North of the border saying "hello I'm here" in his own tried and proven vernacular !
Oh and by the way, no groceries at Taste and the other high end shops is simply CX's altruistic way of forcing cargo rates up.. IT's LEGAL and just take a wild guess who'll pay ?
Hong Kong, its government and hongs sold their souls many years ago to High End "clients" from the North and this to the detriment of those resident in Hong Kong. Looks likely now that nasty chicken may have come home to roost.. M Goi Sai ;-)

[TheGreenDragon]

Food shortages throughout HK. No fresh meat in many local supermarkets.


But thank god Sai Kung is not affected. Praise the lord the pilot wives are ok in DB, McSorleys is doing just fine.

Pumpkins are still selling at $200 a piece, our kids will be fine. Life is still good.

[Air Profit]

You still have kids in HK? OK, good luck with that.

[Paul852]

Kids grow up fast here:
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/600x800/index_8c1dd9f675fede1ffb2928d4983be4a5764291ca.jpg

[Slasher1]

I can think of nowhere worse for my family and loved ones to be during times of strife, civil insurrection, or natural disaster than a large mega city.

Simply amazing how communism (even commie light) destroys everything it touches.

[Oasis]

Who lets kids that young go to these kinds of protests. Bad parenting.

[lucille]

Who lets kids that young go to these kinds of protests. Bad parenting.

They are fighting for their future and liberty , something that you (and I) take for granted. It’s worthwhile taking the effort to understand what is at stake here before making unkind comments like these.

[Paul Lupp]

The passenger numbers look interesting... 5.99 million passengers in August translates to approx 8050 per hour or 134 per minute, 24/7.

That seems exceedingly high and is a 12% drop from previous months ??
Not sure why there is such a rise in civil unrest, not just in HK but some other places..... all I know is that from what I have read, these protests and unrests could go on for years.
HK was on my bucket list for places to visit for a short holiday. I am not sure I would risk going there for quite a while now, maybe never in my lifetime.
I have some very old scanned transparencies scanned somewhere taken by one of my late aunts back in the 1930s or 1940s and it would have been very interesting to visit HK and to try to match up where they were taken.

I do hope that things settle down very soon without any more injuries

[Apple Tree Yard]

Paul. I wouldn't hesitate to visit, even now. The picture of HK that you perceive on the television isn't quite the reality of day to day life here. Yes, on weekends there are protests, usually at selected parts of town. Advised well in advance. The rest of HK, life goes on as normal. To be quite honest, it's almost a form of entertainment at this point (not denigrating the seriousness of the issue however). HK is still one of the safest and most interesting cities on earth. Just a shame that it's cursed with a useless and tone deaf leadership. They deserve all the condemnation coming their way. If you ignore the needs of your population long enough, this is what you end up with. Regardless, come and enjoy HK. It's still a great city.

[Paul852]

I live here, as I guess you do, and have done for the last 20 years. I fully understand that for most of HK, most of the time, life goes on as normal. Although in the last few days we have been under a semi-curfew with the MTR and most shops closing by early evening, (7-Eleven have closed the last 3 nights in a row - that is unprecedented - 7-Eleven never closes!)

Yes, there's a "reality TV" aspect to it if you're not actively out on the streets protesting (I was in the earlier big legal marches). And yes the "leadership" (which is no such thing of course) is utterly useless.

When 12 year old girls feel strongly enough to get arrested on the street then the road back is going to be long and hard.

[cxorcist]

I wonder if HK isn’t now on a slow, painful, and irreversible slide towards being like every other Mainland Chinese city. Business will decline, gradually, to a new normal which is far less robust and dynamic than in decades past. Popularity with Westerners, and even other Asians, will decline and be more from nostalgia than excitement. This will lead to a worse economy, lower wages, and a lower standard of living. Communism (socialism) always ends in the same fate. Centralized government can only compensate for so long, and then.... Venezuela!

China’s future isn’t great either. The rest of the world has caught onto their scam, and the cheap labor isn’t that cheap anymore. The population has a horrific demographic problem, and the natural environment is essentially poisonously toxic. There is a precarious lack of natural resources, and pretty much everybody sees China for what they are now. The ostriches of the world are finally pulling their collective heads out of the sand, except for the most ideological, short-term greedy, and obtuse.

Is it over for HK? No, but it is dying a slow, painful death. What remains will be a mere shell of its prior self. If anyone can see a different ending, please spit it out because I’m struggling to find positives at this point.

[Pickuptruck]

I wonder if HK isn’t now on a slow, painful, and irreversible slide towards being like every other Mainland Chinese city. Business will decline, gradually, to a new normal which is far less robust and dynamic than in decades past. Popularity with Westerners, and even other Asians, will decline and be more from nostalgia than excitement. This will lead to a worse economy, lower wages, and a lower standard of living. Communism (socialism) always ends in the same fate. Centralized government can only compensate for so long, and then.... Venezuela!

China’s future isn’t great either. The rest of the world has caught onto their scam, and the cheap labor isn’t that cheap anymore. The population has a horrific demographic problem, and the natural environment is essentially poisonously toxic. There is a precarious lack of natural resources, and pretty much everybody sees China for what they are now. The ostriches of the world are finally pulling their collective heads out of the sand, except for the most ideological, short-term greedy, and obtuse.

Is it over for HK? No, but it is dying a slow, painful death. What remains will be a mere shell of its prior self. If anyone can see a different ending, please spit it out because I’m struggling to find positives at this point.
Positives are that the rioters want either distribution of wealth through some sort of socialist facist democratic country, or everyone who has any wealth to lose it all as they burn the place down. So you could say, as the place burns to the ground and companies relocate offices to mainland China, that a positive is that the rioters will get what they want and all those that supported them with their "peaceful" marches can also pat themselves on the back.

https://criticalspectator.com/china/joshua-wrong-the-butcher-of-hong-kong

[bringbackthe80s]

Positives are that the rioters want either distribution of wealth through some sort of socialist facist democratic country, or everyone who has any wealth to lose it all as they burn the place down. So you could say, as the place burns to the ground and companies relocate offices to mainland China, that a positive is that the rioters will get what they want and all those that supported them with their "peaceful" marches can also pat themselves on the back.

https://criticalspectator.com/china/joshua-wrong-the-butcher-of-hong-kong

Can you blame them? Does it sound fair to you that 5 people got 23.6 billions in dividends only last year?

[1200firm]

Can you blame them? Does it sound fair to you that 5 people got 23.6 billions in dividends only last year?

Not fair at all but that's capitalism for you. Sounds like Wall Street. Sounds like most democracies.

[iceman50]

1200firm

Not quite, Wall Street they will pay tax, here they don't!

[bringbackthe80s]

Not fair at all but that's capitalism for you. Sounds like Wall Street. Sounds like most democracies.

Absolutely correct.
And I know they won’t let them, but it seems to me like a bunch of 20 years old are at least trying. Unlike in many other parts of the world.

[airdualbleedfault]

So, some of the worst pollution in the world AND police shooting protesters (rioters), so wish I'd stayed and raised my kids in this :yuk:
If it wasn't for COS18 I'd be back in a heartbeat :}

[cxorcist]

Not fair at all but that's capitalism for you. Sounds like Wall Street. Sounds like most democracies.
The problem with democracy... Eventually the people figure out that they can vote themselves the right to other peoples’ money.

Is this what’s going on in HK? Or is it something else? There is a big difference between fighting against fascism for the rights of freedom and democracy AND fighting for “social justice” to combat “income inequality”. It can be argued that the forced transfer of wealth and “rights for me but not for thee” is quite fascist too.

[Paul852]

To make a long and complicated story short and simple, basically the HK Government, because it is not elected and hence need not act in the interests of the demos, is, in practice, a means of syphoning more and more of the people's money to a small cartel of hyper-rich property developers and the construction industry. The HK Government has a huge amount of money, gathered essentially through "land premiums" which is a tax passed on to the people through inflated property prices, which it then spends on white elephant infrastructure projects (bridge to Macau, high-speed rail link, forthcoming "East Lantau Metropolis") thereby transferring that money to the construction/property cartel. The established career path on (early) retirement from the HK Civil Service (already one of the highest paid in the world) is to directorships and other senior positions within that cartel, where they are richly remunerated (yes, even more than the most senior Cathay A scale captain!) for their earlier cooperation.

[The Old Swedish]

Except Singapore ofcourse...

Err, wait 1 decade..

[Slasher1]

To make a long and complicated story short and simple, basically the HK Government, because it is not elected and hence need not act in the interests of the demos, is, in practice, a means of syphoning more and more of the people's money to a small cartel of hyper-rich property developers and the construction industry. The HK Government has a huge amount of money, gathered essentially through "land premiums" which is a tax passed on to the people through inflated property prices, which it then spends on white elephant infrastructure projects (bridge to Macau, high-speed rail link, forthcoming "East Lantau Metropolis") thereby transferring that money to the construction/property cartel. The established career path on (early) retirement from the HK Civil Service (already one of the highest paid in the world) is to directorships and other senior positions within that cartel, where they are richly remunerated (yes, even more than the most senior Cathay A scale captain!) for their earlier cooperation.

Ironic that the ChiComms (and their surrogates) are coming full circle toward becoming the Kuomintang that got ousted in the first place.