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監製：Diana Wan

RTHK's English-language current affairs programme that takes "The Pulse" of Hong Kong ... and the world around it.

"The Pulse" is presented by locally and internationally known journalist and writer Steve Vines.

Its focus? The latest events and trends that affect Hong Kong - from the corridors of power and business boardrooms, to the streets and dai pai dongs.

"The Pulse" is politics. What's happening in the Legislative Council and on the streets right now.

"The Pulse" is the media, informing us how well or badly our press and broadcast organisations diagnose and reflect the society around us.

"The Pulse" is insightful, in-depth reports and interviews on current issues - examining those issues in depth, looking behind and beyond the news.

Its focus is on the timely. The Now.

Keep your eye ... and your finger ... on "The Pulse".

If you want to discuss anything you've seen in "The Pulse", or anything in the public eye right now, or just to talk about the show, why not join in the debate on our Facebook page, RTHK's The Pulse.

The programme is aired every Saturday on RTHK 31 & 31A at 18:00, and a repeat on Sundays at 06:30.

Archive available later after broadcast. ** Please note that the programme air-time on TV is different with webcast time.

Find us on Facebook: RTHK's The Pulse

重溫

CATCHUP

04 - 06

2019

Extradition massive protests & discussion with Margaret Ng

There has been, as everyone must now know, an unprecedented level of criticism aimed at the government’s proposed extradition law amendments. Most unusually it is coming from local and international business organisations, foreign governments, plus legal experts, human rights organisations and people from all walks of life.
Last Sunday, Hong Kong witnessed its biggest ever street protest. And it’s not just Hong Kong that’s wary of the mainland’s judicial system. On Tuesday, a New Zealand court blocked a Korean-born murder suspect’s extradition to China, saying that his human rights could not be guaranteed in the Chinese legal system. China’s foreign ministry has been busy denouncing foreign interference in Hong Kong affairs. State newspapers blame external forces for stoking the fires of opposition. Commenting on the protests on Wednesday, Chief Executive Carrie Lam characterised protestors as unruly children who should not be allowed to have their way.

With us to talk about the issue is barrister and former legislator Margaret Ng.

15/06/2019

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Extradition bill: discussion with Law Society Mark Daly & 30th anniversary of June 4th

Last Thursday, in the hope of reducing public opposition to its controversial extradition bill, the government announced three main changes. Two of them were in response to proposals from the business community and pro-Beijing lawmakers. Secretary for Security John Lee says these are the final concessions. The Chief Executive Carrie Lam insists that she won’t withdraw the bill because so much work has been done on it. Meanwhile, former governor Chris Patten said in a video statement that the government’s claim that the proposed bill plugged a “legal loophole” was “absolute nonsense”. He also said the changes will “strike a terrible blow against the rule of law”, against Hong Kong’s stability and security, and diminish its status as an international trading hub. With us to talk about the matter is Mark Daly, council member of The Law Society of Hong Kong and well known human rights lawyer.

In the run-up to the 30th anniversary of the June 4th crackdown in 1989, mainland activists, and the Tiananmen Mothers, were forced to take vacations and put under heavy surveillance, and the internet was even more severely censored. The current official line is that the crackdown was a “correct policy” to end “political turbulence”. The Global Times described it as a “vaccination” for Chinese society, an “immunity against any major political turmoil in the future”. In Hong Kong, former Tiananmen Square protest leader Feng Congde was barred from entering the SAR thus preventing him from attending the candlelight vigil. Beijing wants the world to forget; Hongkongers want the world to remember. Organisers say there was a massive turnout of 180,000 people for the candlelight vigil in Victoria Park this year.

08/06/2019

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EU UK elections: discussion with Philip Cowley & reporting in South East Asia

Last week, around 51 million people across the European Union went to vote for their representatives in the European Parliament. The elections are held every five years, and across most of Europe the turnout was the highest in two decades, at more than 50%. The results are being seen as an indicator of whether the far-right populist surge has abated. And the conclusions are mixed depending which countries you look at. Overall though, the centre-right and centre-left have come under attack as the Greens and the far-right have gained significant ground. In the UK, which had a lower election turnout at just under 37%, the results provided a short sharp shock for both the Conservative and Labour parties. With us is Philip Cowley, Professor of Politics of Queen Mary University of London to talk about the election results.

In Reporters Without Borders latest World Press Freedom Index, the Asia Pacific region is described as one of the world’s deadliest regions for journalists to work. It’s the region, says the report, with the biggest number of “Predators of Press Freedom”, as journalists try to work under some of the world’s worst dictatorships, authoritarian governments and military rulers. Conditions for journalists in the Philippines are acutely bad as a result increasing efforts by the government to control the media, using a compromised judiciary imposing which has shown itself willing to impose fines and prison sentences on journalists who do not toe the government line. The Philippines is also literally a life threating place for journalists. The situation in Malaysia is less acute but journalists are well aware of the knife edge on which they operate.

01/06/2019

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Extradition laws controversy: discussion with James Tien & animal welfare consultation

In April, the government launched a three-month consultation on improving animal welfare in Hong Kong. We’ll look at whether the proposals go far enough to prevent animal cruelty.

The government might give the public three months to comment on animal welfare but a mere 20 days’ worth of consultation was deemed to be sufficient for changing extradition laws for places where there is little or no human rights protection.
Meanwhile –and to no one’s great surprise - Beijing says it fully supports the HKSAR on this matter, adding that people who spread “made-up” fears over the extradition laws are doing so “with an ulterior motive”. With us to discuss the extradition laws controversy is James Tien, Honorary Chair of the Liberal Party.

Many people keep pets for more than just good company, they are also part of the family. A study released in 2016 estimated that 289,000 Hong Kong households have pets. Census and Statistics Department figures also indicate animal ownership has risen 72% over the past decade. The department expects the number of dogs and cats in Hong Kong to reach 545,600 this year. But in a city as crowded and space-restricted as Hong Kong the quality of life for animals, whether as pets, wild animals, or livestock, is far from guaranteed.

25/05/2019

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Chaos in Legco Fugitive Offenders Ordinance bills committee: discussion with Paul Tse & Alvin Yeung

Both the Hong Kong and Beijing governments are determined to get legislators to pass the amendment to Hong Kong’s fugitive offender laws. They’ve set a deadline of July to get it done. At the moment pro-government and pan-democratic legislators are deadlocked and unable to start scrutinising the bill. Initially, democrat James To presided over the first two meetings of the bills committee. However, he was unseated by the pro-government camp through a written vote arranged by Legco’s secretariat.

Last Saturday, tussles broke out when both sides held separate meetings to fight for control of the committee. On Tuesday, another scuffle occurred when both sides tried to start their own meetings. Former Legco president Andrew Wong, an expert on Legco’s rules and procedures, has challenged the legality of the secretariat’s involvement and the pro-government lawmakers’ action. On Friday we went to Legco to discuss these matters with legislators Paul Tse and Alvin Yeung.

18/05/2019

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The continuing Fugitive Ordinance debate: discussion with Christopher Gane of CUHK & Cedric Alviani of Reporters Without Borders

On the show this week, we continue to discuss the on-going debate of the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance. The highly controversial attempt to amend Hong Kong’s extradition legislation continues with concern centred on the rendition of suspects from the SAR to the Mainland’s judicial system. To discuss the issue are Christopher Gane, Dean of the Faculty of Law of the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Cedric Alviani, East Asia Bureau Director of Reporters Without Borders.

11/05/2019

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Interview with Kurt Tong, U.S. Consul General to Hong Kong and Macau

For months, the United States and China have been at loggerheads over issues of trade and technology transfer, highlighted by the controversy over the telecoms company Huawei. Now it looks as though the two countries could be about to announce a trade deal but neither side will officially confirm this. A Chinese delegation will arrive in Washington on Wednesday to ramp up the negotiations. Meanwhile, recent political events in Hong Kong, give rise to concern over whether the United States will still treat Hong Kong as an entity distinct from China under as specified in the Hong Kong Policy Act. On March 21st, the U.S. Department of State released its report on developments in Hong Kong since May last year. One of its key statements is that, “Hong Kong maintains a sufficient – although diminished – degree of autonomy under “One Country, Two Systems”. But the mood is changing and to gauge how far this is so we went to talk to Kurt Tong, the U.S. Consul General to Hong Kong and Macau.

On Sunday, tens of thousands of people took to the streets to protest against the proposed Fugitive Offenders Ordinance. Again, the difference in turnout estimates by the organiser and the police was huge: 130,000 and 22,800 respectively. There is however common agreement that this was the largest demonstration since the end of the Umbrella Movement three years ago.

04/05/2019

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The Progressive Lawyers Group's "Hong Kong Rule of Law Report" & discussion with Craig Choy, Independent watchdogs appointment, Occupy Central sentencing

Hello and welcome to The Pulse. When Justice Kemal Bokhary retired from the Court of Final Appeal in 2012, he warned of a “storm of unprecedented ferocity” gathering over rule of law in Hong Kong. Seven years on, the storm clouds have intensified. The Progressive Lawyers Group formed in 2015, in the wake of the Umbrella Movement, now includes more than 100 solicitors, barristers, law practitioners, law students and scholars as members. Two weeks ago, the group published its first “Hong Kong Rule of Law Report”. The 322-page bilingual report covers judicial issues, law enforcement, anti-graft initiatives, business, media, academia, individual rights, and events in other key areas last year. It also makes 60 recommendations for improving Hong Kong’s legal environment. With me is former convenos of the group, Craig Choy.

Welcome back. Rather predictably the nominally independent watchdogs, the Equal Opportunities Commission or EOC, and the Ombudsman’s office have faced considerable controversy arising from the way they handle human rights issues and how they interact with Hong Kong’s administration. This month both bodies acquired new leaders coming from disciplined service backgrounds. Human rights concern groups and lawmakers are worried about the suitability of these appointments.

On Wednesday, the District Court sentenced eight leaders of the Occupy Movement. The three co-founders of Occupy Central, Benny Tai, Chan Kin-man and Reverend Chu Yiu-ming received 16 month jail terms. Chu’s sentence was suspended for two years due to health issues. Legislator Shiu Ka-chun and the League of Social Democrat’s Raphael Wong were jailed for eight months. Democratic Party member, Lee Wing-tat and activist Eason Chung received suspended eight-month sentences, while Tommy Cheung was ordered to do 200 hours of community service. Legislator Tanya Chan’s sentencing has been adjourned until June as she needs surgery for a massive brain tumour. We’ll leave you with images of the scene outside the court on the day the sentences were handed down.

27/04/2019

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Interview with British Consul General to HK & Macao, Andrew Heyn

Since the Handover, the United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary has reported to parliament every six months on the implementation of the Sino-British Joint Declaration.
The latest report, released last month, covers the second half of last year. Among matters mentioned are the banning of the Hong Kong National Party, the political screening of election candidates, and the expulsion of the Asia News Editor of the Financial Times. It suggests that Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy is “being reduced”, and that there’s a “move towards a mainland Chinese interpretation” of civil and political freedoms. The UK Parliament’s Human Rights Committee also published a report last month. It says the government’s six-monthly reports “appear insufficient” to protect the basic freedoms of people in Hong Kong, and that such freedoms are eroding. With me is the British Consul General to Hong Kong and Macao, Andrew Heyn to talk about it.

And that’s it for this week but we’ll leave you with images of the massive fire that broke out on Tuesday at the iconic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris which has towered over France’s capital since the Middle Ages. President Macron promises it will be rebuilt within five years but for now the people of France are still shocked by what appears to have been a tragic accident.

20/04/2019

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Interview with Carmen Cano, Head of the European Union Office to HK & Macau on Brexit & Occupy Movement leaders' convictions

There’s been a flurry of activity between the European Union and China recently with a major summit seeking to reset relations and some marked divisions emerging in Europe as to how China’s emerging strength should be addressed. Meanwhile the EU has also been looking at events in Hong Kong and expressing misgivings over a direction of travel which includes the introduction of an extradition law that potentially threatens the security of overseas companies and their personnel doing business in the HKSAR. And then there’s the elephant in the room - Brexit casting its ever confusing shadow over the future of the EU. With us in the studio is the Head of the European Union Office to Hong Kong and Macau, Carmen Cano.

At 1.45 am on the 27th of September 2014, Benny Tai announced that Occupy Central had begun, building on a two-day protest during which students had occupied the streets outside the government headquarters in Tamar. The sit-in ended up lasting 79 days and spread to other areas. It was an act of civil disobedience, involving hundreds of thousands of people demanding political reforms and the universal suffrage Hong Kong had been promised in the Joint Declaration and the Basic Law. Scholars, students, legislators and other members of the public have since been arrested and prosecuted for their involvement in the movement. Nearly five years later, on Tuesday this week, nine leaders of the movement were found guilty of a number of public nuisance charges. Hong Kong’s last governor Chris Patten says he found it “appallingly divisive to use anachronistic common law charges in a vengeful pursuit of political events”. The central government has supported the court’s ruling and the move “to punish, according to law, the main plotters of the illegal Occupy”.

13/04/2019

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