Recently, I had a dinner with several former employees of Next Media. One of them received news that Huang Weiqiang, the former executive director of Next Media who was imprisoned in the fraud case of Jimmy Lai, turned out to have quietly served his sentence a few days ago and became free. It can be said that Boss Li Among the many employees who were involved in official scandals, “Huan Qingsha” was the first person to be released from prison. Everyone at the table said that Huang Weiqiang was an honest man who did not talk about politics. He was tragically implicated just because he was loyal to his boss. I remember that the judge said this when he sentenced him more than a year ago, so the sentence was quite light and he was only sentenced to prison. After 21 months, due to his good behavior in prison, he could be released early. It was said that he immediately went out for a skiing trip, enjoying the blue sky and white clouds, and felt very comfortable.
As for other senior executives involved in national security law cases, several people “turned sides” to testify against Boss Li in court, including Huang Weiqiang’s immediate boss, CEO Zhou Tatquan. Friends who are familiar with Next Media analyzed that their unwillingness to defend the boss with both sides was not only to protect themselves, but also because Boss Li was too domineering and “one word” in the later period.
Huang Weiqiang, the first man imprisoned in the Jimmy Lai case, was quietly released from prison recently. His boss Zhou Tatquan was exempted from prosecution and did not have to suffer jail because he was willing to serve as a tainted witness. He will later appear in court to testify under the National Security Act.
Jimmy Lai was indicted in a fraud case in 2020, accusing his company, Ligao, of operating in Next Media’s newspaper building in Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate, violating the lease with the owner, the Technology Park, and constituting fraud. Because Zhou Tatquan and Huang Weiqiang were senior management officials at the time, they were arrested together.
The case was concluded at the end of 2022. Li Zhiying was convicted and sentenced to 5 years and 9 months in prison; Huang Weiqiang was only a “high-level handyman”. The judge said that he was loyal to Li, obeyed his words, and acted in accordance with instructions, so he committed the crime. I believe he did not receive any punishment. personal interests, so he was given a light sentence.
As for Zhou Tatquan, he has a higher position than Huang Weiqiang, but he was exempted from prosecution because he agreed to be a “tainted witness” in relation to the fraud case and the National Security Act, and will appear in court to testify later. Because he is the financial director of Next Media and controls the entire company, and he also knows about the monetary transactions of some companies under Li Zhiying’s name and how they connect with overseas countries, so the “secrets” he disclosed have no bearing on whether Boss Li Conviction will have a critical impact.
In terms of media operations, two of Jimmy Lai’s generals, Zhang Jianhong, CEO of Next Media, and Chen Peimin, vice president of Apple (former editor-in-chief), both served as prosecution witnesses under the National Security Act to testify against Jimmy Lai. Yang Qingqi, another editorial writer for “Apple” who was highly regarded by Li, also turned against him and disclosed in court his correspondence with Li and his internal conversations at the newspaper. The three people exposed in court how Jimmy Lai used “Apple” to incite the anti-extradition movement and how he had overt and covert ties with foreign politicians, which was very explosive.
They are all Li Zhiying’s confidants and have worked together for many years. They have always had high-paying jobs. Why did they all turn around when the big wave came? A friend who has long observed Jimmy Lai and is familiar with the operation of “One” analyzed that there are two possible reasons: 1. When a disaster strikes, everyone first considers self-protection, which is human nature. In the final analysis, they are just doing part-time jobs. , why do you have to work hard for your boss? Everyone has already pleaded guilty and is willing to serve as a witness for the prosecution. Their prison terms are expected to be greatly reduced, and they will not be too far away from regaining their freedom. The most optimistic thing is that some of them will be released from prison when the Li case is concluded.
The second possible reason is that in his early years when Jimmy Lai was running a newspaper and establishing himself in the country, he was very willing to listen to the opinions of his subordinates, encourage equal discussions, and “cross bridges” together, regardless of superiority or inferiority. But in the later period, he increasingly felt that he was “invincible” and had become the god of the media, so he became “a man of one word”. His instructions were imperial edicts, and no one dared to go against them. This can be clearly seen in the large number of details disclosed by Zhang Jianhong and Chen Peimin. For example, Sister Min said, “When Li Sheng is silent, we have editorial freedom.”
Several generals under Jimmy Lai’s command have “turned sides” to serve as prosecution witnesses to testify against Boss Li. Friends who are familiar with Next Media’s operations analyzed that Jimmy Lai’s management style changed in the later period and became too bossy and “one word”, which was one of the reasons.
A friend analyzed that in this environment, everyone trembles all day long to carry out the boss’s instructions. The atmosphere of the “brother gang” is getting weaker and weaker. Everyone can’t help but continue to work. Once faced with a crisis, they will naturally consider how to escape themselves first. I stabbed the boss in both directions.
That day, I talked to several former employees of Next Media about Huang Weiqiang’s release from prison, and we were all happy for him. He was just a “stupid” wage earner who followed the boss’s instructions. He was involved in the registration for no reason, and now he has finally “paid off”. Seeing the light of day again, even if it was a nightmare, let’s live a good life from now on.
Tokito Monogatari
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Garbage levy is a “first-in-progress trial” and has been launched in 14 pilot projects recently. “Washing wheels” are very common. If it is implemented on August 1, the chance of trouble is very high. Most of the friends I have contacted in the political circles are aware that something is wrong and are worried that it will cause public resentment. They hope that the government will hold it in for now. Several of them unanimously urge the government to “come up with a move”. If it can be implemented, the pressure on waste reduction can be greatly alleviated. , the garbage levy is no longer urgent and can be shelved for the time being. It is said that the government has started discussions with the mainland. Preliminarily, this cooperation can be “win-win” and should be favorable.
The garbage incinerators in several cities in the Greater Bay Area have spare “capacity” to help Hong Kong deal with waste. The Zhuhai incinerator is one of them. People in the political circle have unanimously proposed that the government use this method to “reduce waste.” If it can be implemented, the garbage incinerator will The levy can be put on hold.
Friends in the political circles pointed out that several cities in the Greater Bay Area have been actively building garbage incinerators in recent years. Because they use the latest technology, they have extremely low pollution and can “convert waste into energy” to increase power supply. According to the current plan, its production capacity is higher than the amount of local garbage, and it can absorb Hong Kong’s waste. If cooperation can be implemented, the electricity produced will belong to the other party, and Hong Kong can solve the problem of garbage disposal and avoid filling up landfills. This is an excellent “Mutually beneficial” transactions.
Vice Chairman of the Democratic Alliance for Betterment of China Ge Peifan visited the Zhuhai incinerator earlier. He told me that the first and second phases of the incinerator can process 3,000 metric tons of garbage per day. When the third phase is completed more than a year later, the total capacity can be processed 5,200 metric tons of garbage, and the city disposes about 3,000 metric tons of waste every day. By then, there will be excess capacity, and there will be surplus to help process some of Hong Kong’s garbage.
Legislative Council member Ge Peifan once visited Zhuhai to observe the incinerator and urged the government to consider transporting waste northward and using incinerators in Zhuhai and other places to process waste to avoid landfill filling.
The current daily volume of garbage in Hong Kong is 16,410 metric tons, 70% of which is sent to landfills. Without new methods of waste treatment and significant waste reduction, the landfills will be full by 2030. The first phase of the incinerator to be built in Shek Kwu Chau will not be commissioned until 2025. It can only process 3,000 tonnes of garbage per day, which is a drop in the bucket. The second phase of the incinerator will have to wait several years. Distant water cannot put out a nearby fire.
In addition to Zhuhai, Jiangmen, Huizhou and other places in the Greater Bay Area have also built high-efficiency and low-pollution incinerators, which can cooperate with Hong Kong to solve the garbage problem. Wong Kam-fai, a member of the Legislative Council and deputy dean of the School of Engineering at CUHK, has been to Jiangmen to visit the garbage incinerator. He said that the local garbage for incineration is also not enough, and the remaining amount can absorb external garbage. If Hong Kong opens a “green channel” with the local ”, the waste can be transported north for processing.
For these cities, if the electricity generated by incineration of Hong Kong’s garbage belongs to them, they are expected to be willing to do this “deal”, but the final decision still has to be made by the central government.
It is known that some members of the Legislative Council are actively promoting this matter, and some deputies to the Hong Kong People’s Congress also have the same opinion. Both are urging the government to follow up. It is known that the government has also begun discussions with relevant parties in the mainland.
Friends in the political circle said that there are still a lot of unresolved issues with garbage levy. “Changing customs” cannot be done in a short time. They believe that “first try” will reflect this situation. If it is implemented hastily in August, there is a chance of chaos and resentment. If the government can find an effective way to deal with waste, such as incineration of part of the Beiyun transportation, the pressure of “waste reduction” will be greatly reduced, and there will be time to make better arrangements. There will be no need to urgently implement garbage levies.
Shao Jiahui, a member of the Legislative Council who represents the retail industry, told me that the catering and retail businesses have been greatly affected recently due to people’s large-scale consumption in the north. For them, the implementation of garbage levy in August is a very bad timing because of the lack of manpower for garbage disposal. Costs will increase, which will inevitably add to the burden and worsen the wave of bankruptcies. He believes that the government should seriously consider the operating difficulties of small, medium and micro enterprises before deciding whether to implement it, and it is best to wait until the situation improves before implementing it.
Secretary for the Environment Tse Chin-wan said earlier that the government has an “open attitude” towards the implementation of garbage levy and will deal with it pragmatically. He believes that the government will seriously consider the concerns raised by various sectors and solutions and will not “force them”.
2024-04-05 11:18:16
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