It is an organisation synonymous with secrecy, but one trying hard to change its image. However, confidential documents from the inner sanctum of Hong Kong Freemasonry – seen by the Sunday Morning Post – appear to show the task may be a tough one. Some of the brethren have broken ranks to reveal what they … Continue reading »
Tag Archives: Joanna Chiu
China’s Fake Gay Marriages
Xiaojiong has the ultimate online dating success story. On a Chinese matchmaking forum, she not only found her current husband—she found her current girlfriend, too. This article was published on Newsweek/The Daily Beast on April 19, 2013. Born in Shenyang, a city in the northeastern province of Liaoning, Xiaojiong grew up not knowing another lesbian. … Continue reading »
Never the Twain Shall Meet
When Pankaj Mishra picked holes in historian Niall Ferguson’s ode to imperialism, the Indian author kicked off a feud that has seen both antagonists call Hong Kong to the witness stand. Joanna Chiu steps into the fray. This article was published in the South China Morning Post’s Post Magazine on January 6, 2012. Pankaj Mishra, … Continue reading »
Jordan, home to a battling Nepali community
Once their fathers fought for the British as Gurkhas. Now, members of Hong Kong’s Nepali community are fighting poverty and low expectations This “Neighbourhood Sounds” feature was published in the South China Morning Post on Dec. 7, 2012. Tourists and shoppers throng Nathan Road. But life is very different in the densely populated blocks down … Continue reading »
Refugees at their wits’ end without status in Hong Kong
Hong Kong’ refusal to accede to the UN Refugee Convention is forcing asylum seekers into an existence of suffering and despair, critics say This Focus story was published in the Sunday Morning Post on Dec. 2, 2012. — When security guards pushed him out of the UNHCR office and locked the glass door behind him … Continue reading »
“SlutWalk” march challenges bias about rape victims
This was published in the South China Morning Post on November 26, 2012. Hundreds of conservatively dressed men and women marched yesterday in “SlutWalk”, a protest against social attitudes that blame victims of sexual assault for being attacked. Some wore full-body fluorescent suits and held signs saying, “Oh sorry, does my dress make you feel … Continue reading »
Canada’s Closed Door Policy
This column was published in Herizons magazine’s Fall 2012 issue, and was originally titled “Kenney’s Closed Door Policy.” In Hong Kong, so many people aspire to immigrate to Canada that, every July 1, locals join in an annual parade in the city’s bar district in celebration of Canada Day. But this year, some people were … Continue reading »
Lesbians from mainland China revel in Hong Kong’s freedom
This was published in the Sunday Morning Post on November 11, 2012. When Fanta, 25, from Shenzhen, attended her first Les Péchés party in a Lan Kwai Fong nightclub last year, she was not even sure she was a lesbian. “But the people here are so welcoming, it totally changed my life and I became … Continue reading »
Irshad Manji’s Moral Courage
This interview was published in The Vancouver Observer on November 6, 2012. A longer version of this interview first appeared in Herizons magazine’s Spring issue. At four, Irshad Manji arrived in Montreal with her family, wearing clothes so unsuitable for Canadian weather that the immigration agent sent the family to Vancouver. “The closest thing we … Continue reading »
Marchers call for fairer treatment of refugees in Hong Kong
Marchers demanding fairer treatment for refugees under UN convention accuse the government of psychological torture This story was published in the South China Morning Post on October 31, 2012. Protesters accused Hong Kong bureaucrats of inflicting “psychological torture” on refugees seeking protection under a UN convention. In a demonstration organised by the NGO Vision First, … Continue reading »
