Yonden Lhatoo says the multiple conspiracy theories surrounding the new, cross-border link show the unbelievable extent to which anti-China sentiment can travel in this city
And all of it has been conceived, nurtured, and perpetuated by opposition politicians and activists on the rampage in their China-hating tinfoil hats.
Politically driven opposition to the new rail link and the persecution complex it regularly whips up tend to border on the bizarre and encroach upon the ridiculous.
First there was, and still is, the whole conniption over the so-called co-location deal under which part of the West Kowloon terminus on the Hong Kong side has been handed over to mainland jurisdiction for checkpoint purposes. This means anyone who enters the port area leased to mainland authorities will be subject to national laws.
Not to mention Hong Kong exercises similar jurisdiction over mainland soil in the port area leased to it at the Shenzhen Bay checkpoint. More than a billion mainlanders don’t have a tit-for-tat problem with Hong Kong over that arrangement.
One of the saddest moments of this sorry saga was when the city’s leader had to give a public reassurance that mainland personnel would not be allowed to leave their port area for meals. Seriously? Are we talking about triad gangsters or customs and police personnel in uniform with whom Hongkongers are constantly interacting on a daily basis at multiple cross-border checkpoints?
I get the whole thing about the need to maintain Hong Kong’s unique identity and the freedoms that separate us from the rest of China, but this is getting out of hand. Some people really need to grow up.
Yonden Lhatoo is the chief news editor at the Post
