Originally posted by JJJ37
Last time in HK I noticed military looking (thought) police walking around in the very early AM looking at hand bills posted on walls, lamp posts, etc. and ripping down the ones they didn't like.
Hi bro, can you tell us what sort of uniforms they were wearing? If the unis were light blue and they were wearing berets, that's the PTU branch of the HKP. They patrol streets, and the early AM hours are when people from Hong Kong's, shall we say...underbelly...are out and about. It's not a dangerous situation, more like two tribes patrolling the same turf.
There's a balance here, and part of the issue is visibility. Authorities in HK don't really care what you do behind closed doors, but there used to be lighted yellow/purple sign-boxes on knocking shops along Shanghai Street in Mongkok, and at one point the cops came and ordered them all taken down. The establishments are still there, but after that they simply posted a sign inside the hallway. You still have lighted boxes, but they're typically on side-streets: again, visibility.
So you might have cops tearing down flyers, but visit one of the known buildings and it's business as usual. However, some of these older buildings are on expensive real estate. King Hing is a prime example: on Argyle Street in the heart of Mongkok. There, the cops broke down doors and rousted everyone--twice this year if I'm not mistaken. That's a signal that KHB likely isn't balancing the equation with its current business model.
Hing Loong Building in Sheung Wan is different. They've done renovations on this structure, which has been in operation at least twenty years. Renovations may be ongoing. Note there are no signs on HLB, just a doorway. Again, visibility.
The "floating world" of Hong Kong is in a constant state of flux, but I wouldn't worry about "thought police." That said, I doubt HLB will be in the same sort of biz twenty years from now.
JtB |
