NY Times Take on the HK11

The NY Times has a good article about everyone’s favorite Korean rioters. I like the Hong Kong government’s response to the demands from the Korean government, movie stars, and others for the immediate release of the criminal rioters:

The South Korean government has appealed to the Hong Kong government repeatedly to release the protesters, all of them men. But the Hong Kong authorities have refused, pointing out that the protest here on the night of Dec. 17 left 137 people injured, including 67 police officers.

“Hong Kong is a place where the rule of law is strongly upheld,” said Wong Yan-lung, Hong Kong’s secretary for justice, after meeting here on Monday with three opposition lawmakers from South Korea who complained about the prosecution. “This case is being processed in accordance with the laws of Hong Kong and our established and announced prosecution policy.”

Note the first key phrase: “Hong Kong is a place where the rule of law is strongly upheld”. Just because Korea won’t enforce their own laws to jail these people doesn’t mean Hong Kong should not have to as well. The other key phrase is: “This case is being processed in accordance with the laws of Hong Kong”. I find it ironic that a country that constantly complains about the US-Korea SOFA Agreement to punish American soldiers arrested for crimes in Korea would in turn demand that another sovereign country should not uphold their laws for Koreans committing crimes in that country.

Here is something else the Koreans can learn from Hong Kong:

Police officers have long maintained high social standing here, with excellent benefits – especially education benefits for their children – allowing thousands of working-class men and women and their children to move up the social ladder. Donald Tsang, Hong Kong’s chief executive, is the son of a police sergeant.

Korean government take note this is how policemen should be looked upon by the country, not punching bags for idiot rioters.

Don’t give in Hong Kong. Jail these people and they won’t ever come back.

Marmot as well has a great posting on the Hong Kong 11 that is also required reading.