
Hong Kong pro-democracy tycoon Jimmy Lai arrested - blisseyGo
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-53717843
======
dgellow
Duplicate:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24105311](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24105311)

------
roenxi
From Wikpedia [0]: Lai was born in Guangdong, China in December 1948. At the
age of 12, he entered Hong Kong as a stowaway on a boat. Upon his arrival, Lai
began work as a child-laborer in a garment factory for a wage of $8 per month.
... Net worth US$1.2 billion (2008)

What an incredible character. Arresting a man like that has to be one of the
most straightforward own-goals that a nation can manage.

[0]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Lai](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Lai)

~~~
Fishysoup
China is determined to run itself to the ground

------
dav43
It’s all over for Hong Kong as it has been in the past - a bridge between east
and west - a NYC of Asia.

I lived there for 4 years just after the GFC as the transition was slowly
continuing to stronger Chinese rule.

My view is nothing new. My gut feeling take away was that China will want to
run HK into the ground - as a middle finger to the west - and have the only
strong pillars on the region to be Shanghai and Beijing.

~~~
yomly
Don't sleep on Shenzhen. I think China will look to starve HK by moving as
much of the HK financial sector to the bay area.

I can't speak for what will happen wrt the international links that make HK
what it is, but if China pulls it off they will have hardware, software and
finance all in one place.

Imagine if NYC had a baby with SV...

~~~
gnusty_gnurc
> Imagine if NYC had a baby with SV...

 _shudders_

------
bmmayer1
This is clearly a signaling move for the wealthiest and most influential
business leaders in Hong Kong who might be tempted to subvert Beijing's
authority. If they can get the biggest and wealthiest pro-democracy tycoon,
they can get anyone.

This is like when Putin arrested Mikhail Khodorkovsky in 2003. The Russian
oligarchs fell into line shortly thereafter.

------
smnrchrds
NPR Planet Money had an episode about Hong Kong and Jimmy Lai a year ago. It
was a good listen, I learned a lot.

[https://www.npr.org/2019/07/19/743480237/episode-928-hong-
ko...](https://www.npr.org/2019/07/19/743480237/episode-928-hong-kong)

~~~
peanutz454
I would second this, really interesting episode. He was not afraid of getting
arrested he said, I still cannot completely understand a man like him, I wish
more people had those guts.

------
WaxProlix
I understand what they're getting at, I think, but "pro-democracy tycoon" has
to be one of the funniest oxymorons I've seen in serious print (at least on
its face).

~~~
philliphaydon
Why is it an oxymoron?

~~~
Shared404
In the US at least, many (most?) tycoons are involved with lobbying of the
sort that destroys the function of democracy, even though they leave the form.

~~~
kemonocode
Being rich and successful isn't inherently evil, nor anti-democratic. Weak and
corrupt governments who bend themselves to please evil people who are also
rich, however, are very much a threat to democracy.

~~~
dbtc
Agreed, but using the word "evil" in a political context tends to suck all of
the nuance out of the room.

The rich who attempt to bend the government are certainly ALSO a threat to the
democracy.

