Hong Kong – Two lawmakers who want Hong Kong to split from China wrestled with security in parliament Wednesday, with one of them dragged from the chamber, as fears grow Beijing will step in over the saga.

There are widespread concerns in the semi-autonomous city that China is tightening its grip, fuelling an independence movement.

In the third consecutive week of chaos in the legislature, pro-independence lawmakers Baggio Leung and Yau Wai-ching entered the chamber despite being banned from doing so, pending the result of a judicial review into whether they can take up their seats.

Yau ran up to the lectern at the front, set up her own microphone and proceeded to read out her oath of office.

She was then surrounded by female members of security and carried from the chamber when she tried to resist.

Baggio was flanked by other pro-democracy lawmakers who pushed and shoved against at least five security officers who surrounded them in a cordon and tried to push them out.

The meeting was adjourned after security failed to eject Baggio from the chamber.

Pro-Beijing lawmakers shouted: “They are not qualified to take their oaths!” while the democratic camp chanted for them to be allowed to take their pledges.

“My mission today was to complete the oath,” Yau told reporters after she was taken out.

“I did complete my oath today.” Yau and Baggio won seats in citywide polls last month, in which a number of new lawmakers advocating self-determination or independence swept to victory.

Hong Kong elections 2016

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AFP

But they are yet to be sworn in to the Legislative Council (Legco) – Hong Kong’s lawmaking body.

Their oath-taking was put on hold and they have been barred from meetings, pending a judicial review into their first attempt at taking the pledge three weeks ago.

At that ceremony, they draped themselves in “Hong Kong is not China” flags and altered the wording of their pledges, including derogatory terms and expletives.

The judicial review, brought by the city’ leader and the justice secretary, into whether they should be disqualified will take place at Hong Kong’s High Court Thursday.

Local media reported Wednesday that China’s top legislative body will issue its own interpretation of the city’s constitution in a bid to bar the two lawmakers.

Asked whether she was concerned about Beijing stepping in, Yau said: “My concern is the destruction of ‘one country two systems’,” referring to Hong Kong’s semi-autonomous status.

“It means the dictatorship of the CCP government will come to Hong Kong, which no Hong Kong people want to see.” Pro-Beijing lawmaker Starry Lee blasted the pair for the Legco scenes Wednesday.

“Their behaviour today is unacceptable…the Legco in Hong Kong does not allow violence.”

BEIJING – A boy from East China who piled on 10kg in two months to save his sick father could soon finally be jetting off on his dream holiday to Australia.

Cao Yinpeng, eight, was hailed by family and friends as a hero in the summer after he gained the weight so he could donate bone marrow to his father, Mr Cao Lei, who was diagnosed with leukaemia.

Now, the family from Xuzhou, in Jiangsu province, is planning to re-book the holiday Down Under they had to cancel to cover medical bills.

Ms Zhang Lin, the boy’s mother, said the family had been forced to sell their apartment and they now share a home with her parents and in-laws.

However, thanks to donations from generous well-wishers, the family is back on its feet.

More than 5,300 people have donated a total of almost 200,000 yuan (S$41,010) since Mr Cao underwent a haematopoietic stem cell transplant at the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University on July 6.

“Many strangers visited the hospital to see us, bringing us fruit and flowers,” she said. “They’ve given me the strength to face this difficulty. We’re thankful that so many people offered to help us.”

Mr Cao, 35, was diagnosed with leukaemia in January, but by the time he finished his fourth round of chemotherapy in the spring, the only suitable donor was his son. However, the child’s weight was still far short of the minimum 45kg required to safely extract the vital cells.

Boy, 8, puts on 11kg in a month to save father with leukaemia

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Sina Weibo

“It wasn’t an easy decision to allow him to be a donor,” Ms Zhang said. But she knew he was her husband’s only hope for survival, she added.

Doctors said Mr Cao’s parents, in their 60s, were too old to be donors, while a nationwide search by the China Marrow Donor Programme found no other matches.

So, like a boxer, Yinpeng began bulking up to reach the required weight.

Despite potential health risks, Ms Zhang said the boy stuffed himself at every meal, and that she encouraged him by making all kinds of dishes, telling him: “You need to have more to save your father.”

He also spent more time exercising to build his strength. Every night, he would walk for at least an hour around his residential community.

By mid-June, Yinpeng had gained 10kg, which meant doctors could begin preparing for a transplant. Nurses extracted 700 to 800ml of blood every week in the run-up to the operation, leaving the boy sluggish and pale, Ms Zhang said.

“The father is recovering well so far,” said Dr Sang Wei, one of the doctors treating Mr Cao.

He added: “The boy impressed medical workers a lot with his optimism.”

MANILA – Ex-Philippine leader Fidel Ramos has resigned as special envoy to China after criticising President Rodrigo Duterte’s tirades against the United States and deadly war on crime.

Duterte said late Tuesday he had received a resignation letter from Ramos, an elderly stalwart of Philippine politics who had been a trusted ally of the new leader but recently branded his rule as a “huge disappointment and let-down”.

According to the president, the pair had disagreed on US relations and the domestic crime war, which has claimed more than 4,000 lives in four months.

“I know he is pro-Western. He is a military man who studied there (in the US). You must remember Ramos finished his (studies) in West Point. He really does not want to fight (with the US),” Duterte told reporters.

Duterte appointed Ramos, president from 1992 to 1998, as his envoy to mend relations with Beijing, which had soured under the previous administration over competing territorial claims to the South China Sea.

Ramos, 88, travelled to Hong Kong in August on an “icebreaker” trip to meet with senior Chinese officials.

But Ramos did not join Duterte in Beijing last month for a state visit that cemented better ties and secured billions of dollars in Chinese investments and loans.

Ramos told GMA7 television this week he had resigned because he had done what was needed to improve ties with China.

But Duterte’s comments pointed to a much deeper falling out with Ramos, who he had repeatedly publicly thanked for supporting his bid to become president.

Ramos, a former police and military general, has for decades been a powerful political force in the Philippines, and as armed forces vice chief of staff, he was key in turning the military against dictator Ferdinand Marcos during the 1986 “People Power” revolution.

Ramos has in recent weeks been openly critical of Duterte’s attacks on the US and threats to end the two nations’ military alliance.

Duterte’s tirades have been partly in response to American criticism of his war on crime.

“So, what gives? Are we throwing away decades of military partnership, tactical proficiency, compatible weaponry, predictable logistics and soldier-to-soldier camaraderie just like that,” Ramos wrote in a newspaper column to mark Duterte’s 100th day in office.

Ramos has also been one of the few prominent political figures to directly criticise Duterte’s anti-drugs crackdown.

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Duterte in China to promote economic ties

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Reuters

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Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba changed the name of its travel website to cater to the younger generation, its primary customer group, the company announced on Tuesday (Nov 1).

The group announced last week that it was rebranding its travel portal, changing the name of the website from Alitrip.com to Fliggy.com. The new name is feizhu, or “flying pig” in Chinese. The company also introduced a cartoon-like image of a pig as its new logo.

“A key goal of the rebranding is to appeal to a younger demographic that accounts for more than 80 per cent of our customer base,” Alibaba said in a statement.

About 80 per cent of the users of Fliggy.com are born after 1985, and the company will aim to provide services for the group in the future, Li Shaohua, CEO of Fliggy.com, told National Business Daily on Tuesday. The new name is more identifiable and easier to remember, the report said.

The decision sparked heated discussions in the past few days, especially among Muslims, who consider pigs unclean.

Adili Maimaititure, a Uyghur food industry entrepreneur in Changsha, Hunan province, said on Friday on Sina Weibo that he used to support Alitrip, as it makes booking train or air tickets for people of ethnic groups more convenient, but he will choose to delete the app as the name has been changed to feizhu. He said pigs are taboo for Muslims, and Alibaba should have considered this before changing the name. He said he believes that other Muslims would also take the same action.

Peng Gaocheng, a retired ethnic studies expert in Shanghai, said Maimaititure’s concern is reasonable. “I think Alibaba should be more cautious about changing its name in case some Muslims feel offended,” Peng told Sixth Tone, an English website owned by ThePaper.con.

Alibaba said in its statement: “We embrace diversity, and respect all creeds and religions. The name change is meant to reflect the demographic’s aspirations to pursue dreams, sit back and enjoy life.”

A netizen named Han Dongyan said on Sina Weibo, “Alibaba has the right to change a name, and it is wrong to call on others to boycott it just because of a symbol.”

Later, Maimaititure said on Sina Weibo that he apologised for his “improper expression” over the name change.

Feizhu is just a name and it has no substantial meaning,” another netizen said. “It is nonsense to boycott the company just for changing its name.”

Ma Si contributed to this story.