A flagging campaign: Can gaffe-prone Han Kuo-yu recover his Taiwan poll lead to beat Tsai Ing-wen?

Originally published by the Hong Kong Free Press on 28/10/2019.

Another price-gouging scandal made its way into Taiwan’s English-language press this week after a tourist was duped into handing over a stack of cash for a meagre meal at Shilin Night Market. The victim of this skulduggery was quick to share her outrage online, alongside a photo of the two portions of grilled beef cubes which she purchased for NT$600. A price which is roughly equivalent to HK$150. More shockingly still, that’s four pints of táipí (臺啤), Taiwan’s most favoured tipple, and a (couple of) very early morning shāobǐng yóutiáos (燒餅油條). Basically, she got ripped off.

She will not be the last person to be taken advantage of at a tourist hotspot. This is life! People will try deceiving you wherever you go. You expect a cheap meal – and are left with a crippling bill. The builder tells you the job will take two days – and it takes two weeks. You elect a man to run your city – and he buggers off to run for president.

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Lam’s HK strategy unlikely to be effective

Originally published by the Taipei Times on 15/10/2019.

The introduction of emergency powers in Hong Kong show that embattled Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam (林鄭月娥) has listened to at least one of the protesters’ cries: jia you (come on, 加油).

Not only does the new law banning face masks at public gatherings curtail Hong Kongers’ precious right to protest, but the move looks likely to douse an already fiery situation with generous lashings of gasoline.

Over the past few months, the scenes from Hong Kong beamed around the world have defied the territory’s traditional image as a straight-laced commerce hub. Not that this stereotype had much truth to it.

As readers of Antony Dapiran’s new book City of Protest will know, Hong Kongers have always been a political bunch. Yet the fallout from an extradition bill that was controversially proposed earlier this year has ushered in a new era of unrest.

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE.