In Hong Kong, Xi Releases A Dissident But Sends Him to Pyongyang

HONG KONG — Twenty years ago, the United Kingdom turned this one of a kind colony over to the Peoples’ Republic of China, in faithful adherence to the Second Convention of Peking of 1898. By its terms, Hong Kong was leased to the UK for ninety-nine years, at the conclusion of which it would become part of China, with limited autonomy. To mark twenty years of Chinese rule, Chinese President Xi Jinpin arrived here today to celebrate. To the surprise of some, he released twenty-year old Joshua Wong from police custody. Wong was a leader of the Umbrella Movement which protested China’s breaches of its promises to allow Hong Kong autonomy. The Umbrella Movement spawned massive street protests which paralyzed much of the city three years ago.

 

In public, Hong Kong’s Chief Executive, Leung Chun-ying, lavished praise on Xi for releasing Wong. But behind the scenes, associate solitary reporter Ko Il-sun heard Xi showing Leung his true colors. Xi told Leung, “I know you don’t want troublemakers like Wong to stay here, so this is what you do: send him to Pyongyang. If he thinks we in Beijing are oppressive, he’s really in for it up there. He will get a twenty minute show trial and he’ll be sent to the same prison that Otto Wambier was in.”

 

Leung nodded in quiet approval. Wong was not happy and asked to be sent to Beijing for self-reform training, but Xi wouldn't hear of it.