Lianain Films

Documentary filmmakers. If We Burn. Umbrella Diaries. Wukan. The Great North Korean Picture Show. Homeless FC. Aki Ra's Boys. Passabe. 40+ TV docs.

[Chung Ching Kwong 鄺頌晴 @chungchingkwong]

.@adamwithnall's piece does something deeply irresponsible: it takes a tragedy and uses it to push a simplistic conclusion--“the bamboo has to go” without evidence, without understanding HK’s construction practice, and with a clear cultural bias. It is Orientalism.

Anyone who has watched even one video knows the white plastic/fabric netting ignited first. It is highly flammable. It burns fast and drips fire.
The bamboo, by contrast, is still standing on multiple blocks even after the blaze. If bamboo were the problem, it would have collapsed.
Claiming bamboo “spread the fire” is simply false.

Bamboo isn’t a quaint “quirky throwback.”
It is a highly skilled, engineered system honed across decades, one that works specifically well because Hong Kong’s dense, humid, high-rise environment. If bamboo scaffolding were as unsafe as the article implies, Hong Kong would have had constant large-scale fires. We haven’t. This was the first Level 5 fire in 17 years.

Blaming bamboo because it “looks traditional” is lazy and prejudiced reporting.

Calling bamboo “quirky,” a “throwback,” and suggesting that Hongkongers should fear the sight of scaffolding the next morning is pure Orientalism. This is a textbook Western lens:
Western methods = modern, safe
Local methods = outdated, dangerous
Hong Kong uses bamboo because it works, not because the city is nostalgic or backward.

[101 East @AJ101East]

UPDATE: A Thai court has ruled to deport tycoon She Zhijiang to China, where he is wanted for allegedly running illegal casinos. In an exclusive interview from jail, Mr She told 101 East that he was a former spy who would be killed if he was extradited. https://t.co/0ZJmJSxCuU

[101 East @AJ101East]

A Chinese businessman says he is investing in the future of Paraguay’s government. Shi Dizi is an alleged criminal who claims to be acting on orders from Beijing. He alleges a former Paraguayan mayor was actively seeking political investment. https://t.co/TvBldIif0p

[Lianain Films @LianainFilms]

In a 3-year investigation, we unravel a web involving illegal crypto mines, attempts at elite capture, alleged corruption, identity theft, and plans to create a safe haven for some of the world‘s most dangerous crime bosses. 2/2

[Lianain Films @LianainFilms]

Our latest for @AJ101East

The head of a Chinese trade association claims he is Beijing’s man in Paraguay - Taiwan‘s sole South American ally. But he’s also an alleged criminal with a secret agenda. 1/2

https://t.co/3N6MLaFLkh

[Lianain Films @LianainFilms]

Proud to receive an honourable mention at the inaugural Henry Awards for Public Interest Documentary. Thank you @ShorensteinCtr for including 'If We Burn' in such a strong slate of films.

https://t.co/C5WhLU6MFI

[Lianain Films @LianainFilms]

Excited and honoured that ‘If We Burn’ is a semi-finalist at the inaugural Henry Awards. Thank you @ShorensteinCtr’s Documentary Film in the Public Interest Initiative for giving us a chance to highlight Hong Kong’s struggle again.

https://t.co/8o8s1ZZVAr

[101 East @AJ101East]

Montblanc is renowned for its luxurious pens, watches and leather bags. But the German designer label is facing scrutiny, as migrant workers allege labour exploitation. https://t.co/3O7e72QUWX

[Hong Kong Democracy Council @hkdc_us]

#HK47 sentencing hearing
The sentences are not being read out in court but distributed.
Sentences:
Benny Tai: 10 years in prison
Au Nok-hin: 6 years, 9 months
Andrew Chiu: 7 years
Ben Chung: 6 years, 1 month

[Holmes Chan @holmeschan_]

#BREAKING: Hong Kong jails legal scholar Benny Tai for 10 years for subversion, the longest sentence handed out so far under the city's national security law.

Tai and 44 others were earlier found guilty in Hong Kong's largest national security trial.

More to follow.🧵

[James Pomfret @jamespomfret]

The front of the queue for the NSL47 sentencing. These people, all dressed in black, have been dubbed the “queuing gang”, allegedly paid to take up the few public seats available in court. All refused to answer my questions on why they’re there

[Holmes Chan @holmeschan_]

With just two hours to go until the 45 Hong Kong democrats are sentenced for subversion, long lines have formed outside West Kowloon court.

Police are temporarily detaining some activists (including Bull Tsang, Raphael Wong) for search, as shown at the end of this clip.

[Hong Kong Democracy Council @hkdc_us]

The police siege of Chinese University of Hong Kong began Nov 11, 2019 & peaked the evening of the 12th. On that day, police used 1,567 canisters of tear gas; 1,312 rubber bullets; 380 bean bag rounds & 126 sponge grenades; injured 119 protesters & arrested 142.
#光復香港時代革命

[Holmes Chan @holmeschan_]

Hong Kong activists from the League of Social Democrats held a petition outside the government headquarters this morning ahead of city leader John Lee's annual policy speech.

They said policies for reform are "empty talk" when the government does not reflect the people's will.

[Barnaby Lo 吳宗鴻 @barnabychuck]

The full testimony of Wang Fugui on Gui Hua Ping and Chinese espionage at the Philippine Senate hearing:

[Barnaby Lo 吳宗鴻 @barnabychuck]

Embattled former mayor of Bamban in the Philippines, Guo Hua Ping (Alice Guo) arrives at a Senate inquiry for the first time since a jailed tycoon and self-confessed Chinese spy told Al Jazeera that Guo works for China’s Ministry of State Security.

Al Jazeera is here.

[Nick Olle @nick_olle]

Our team has blown this story wide open. Great work by @LianainFilms and @David_H_Boyle

[Phil Robertson @Reaproy]

"The fact that 6 cars of gendarmes swooped in to arrest journalist Mech Dara is emblematic of the Cambodian government's repressive, over the top reaction to any sort of criticism from the media" says Phil Robertson, Director of Asia Human Rights & Labour Advocates (AHRLA) today

[Radio Free Asia @RadioFreeAsia]

Award-winning Cambodian journalist Mech Dara, known for reporting on trafficking and cyberscam compounds, was arrested Monday in the country's southwest, according to rights groups and a journalists' association. His whereabouts remain unknown.

#Cambodia

https://t.co/NVIFCotOIS

[Kanis Leung @kanis_leung]

The 2014 Occupy movement catalyzed a profound political awakening among many young Hong Kongers and shaped the huge anti-government protests in 2019. Today, massive protests are deemed impossible. A now-and-then photo gallery with Chan Long Hei📸 https://t.co/wkg5Hlr8Ub