The Washington Post - 22.08.2019

A10 EZ SU THE WASHINGTON POST.THURSDAY, AUGUST 22 , 2019

The World

CHINA

U.K. consulate staffer’s

detention confirmed

China confirmed Wednesday
that it is holding an employee of
the British Consulate in Hong
Kong for allegedly violating the
law but did not give details about
his suspected crime.
Geng Shuang, a Foreign
Ministry spokesman, told
reporters that the official, Simon
Cheng, was being held under
administrative detention for
15 days by police in the mainland
city of Shenzhen because he had
violated China’s penal code on
public order management.
Geng did not say what part of
the code Cheng is alleged to have
breached, nor whether China
planned to release the 28-year-old
when the 15-day period expires
later this week.

The case has injected new

tension into already strained

relations between Beijing and

London, which the Chinese

government accuses of stoking

anti-government protests in

Hong Kong, a former British

colony.

Cheng disappeared Aug. 8 at an

immigration checkpoint trying to

return to Hong Kong after

attending a technology conference

in Shenzhen.

The Chinese statement came a

day after Cheng’s family went

public with an account of his

disappearance.

Cheng reportedly holds a

British National Overseas

passport, like many in Hong Kong,

but entered China on a Chinese

travel permit — meaning that he

would not be granted consular

access to British diplomats as a

British traveler would.

— Gerry Shih

SYRIA

Security forces besiege

rebels, Turkish post

Syrian government forces

marching from different

directions in southern parts of the

opposition-controlled province of

Idlib converged around sunset

Wednesday, after laying siege to

several rebel-held towns and

villages as well as a Turkish army

post, a war monitor and pro-

government activists said.

The rapid advance by the Syrian

army in the northwest province

marks a major blow for insurgents

in their last remaining stronghold.

A day earlier, the main

insurgent group in Idlib pulled out

of Khan Sheikhoun, a key rebel

town, as government forces slowly

advanced in the area.

Government forces have been

on the offensive in Idlib and in

northern parts of Hama province

since April 30, forcing nearly half a

million people to flee.

Since early Wednesday,

government forces had captured

Teraei Hill, east of Khan

Sheikhoun, and moved west until

they reached troops marching

from the other side, according to

the Syrian Observatory for

Human Rights and a pro-

government activist collective.

That meant rebel-held towns

and villages in Hama were now

besieged. A Turkish observation

post in the village of Morek also

was under siege. Turkey is a strong

backer of the Syrian opposition.

— Associated Press

Uganda, Rwanda agree to cease

hostilities: The leaders of

Rwanda and Uganda signed a

pact aimed at ending a long-

running rivalry that led to

conflict in the past and closed

their busiest border crossing for

six months. The two sides agreed

to respect each other’s

sovereignty, refrain from actions

that destabilize the other’s

territory and resume cross-

border activities. Rwanda has

repeatedly accused Uganda of

supporting anti-Kigali rebel

movements, a charge Uganda

denies. Tensions boiled over in

February, when Rwanda closed

their main border crossing.

Death toll in Kabul wedding

attack rises to 80: The death toll

in a suicide bombing at a Kabul

wedding claimed by the Islamic

State affiliate in Afghanistan has

risen to 80, an official said. The

initial toll in Saturday’s blast was

63, but 17 people later died of

their wounds, Interior Ministry

spokesman Nusrat Rahimi said.

Thirty people were in critical

condition. Meanwhile, the NATO

mission in the country reported

the deaths of two U.S. service

members. No details were

provided.

S. African court restricts display

of apartheid-era flag: South

Africa’s Equality Court has

restricted the display of the old

apartheid-era flag, ruling that its

gratuitous use amounts to hate

speech and racial discrimination.

Judge Phineas Mojapelo said that

the ruling was not a complete ban

and that use of the flag is

protected by law for artistic,

academic, journalistic or other

purposes deemed in the public

interest. The orange, white and

blue flag of the earlier white-

minority regime, which enforced

the system of racial discrimination

known as apartheid, was replaced

when the country achieved

majority-rule democracy in 1994.

— From news services

DIGEST

BY SHIBANI MAHTANI

AND TIMOTHY MCLAUGHLIN

hong kong — Seats upright,
belts on and tray tables up. As the
pilot announced “30 minutes to
landing,” the cabin crew on the
Cathay Dragon flight to Chengdu,
China, ran through their usual
checklist. Then they rushed to the
rear of the jet for a new precau-
tion: They locked their smart-
phones in sales carts, hiding the
devices between bottles of per-
fume and whiskey.
As the Chinese state zeroes in
on individuals suspected of sup-
porting ongoing protests against
Beijing’s influence in Hong Kong,
it has singled out Cathay Pacific,
the flagship Hong Kong airline
that is among the city’s biggest
employers and most globally rec-
ognized brands, subjecting its
staff to unprecedented scrutiny.
“We are panicked,” said one
flight attendant who has worked
for the airline for seven years.
Airline staff describe a climate
of fear and mistrust in their ranks,
as Chinese officials target flight
crews with thorough searches of
their luggage and personal devic-
es — including deleted files and
secure messaging apps — for any
signs of protest sympathies. Some
have had their phones’ content
downloaded by Chinese authori-
ties. Others have seen their private
information published in public
messaging groups, their anti-
government inclinations laid
bare.
The Washington Post inter-
viewed almost a dozen current
Cathay Pacific employees, who
spoke on the condition of anonym-
ity for fear of reprisal, and re-
viewed several internal staff mem-
os, social media groups and mes-
saging channels to compose a por-
trait of this time of turmoil at the
flag carrier.

Pressure from Beijing forced

out Cathay’s chief executive, Ru-

pert Hogg, along with one of his

deputies on Friday. Two pilots

have been fired, along with two

ground workers. This week a third

pilot, who made an in-flight an-

nouncement of support for Hong

Kong, left the company under un-

clear circumstances, according to

several employees.

“I feel so scared, like we have

lost our ability to voice our opin-

ions, our concerns and our hopes

without feeling the authority of

China,” said another flight atten-

dant, age 26.

The ongoing tumult at Cathay

has implications that stretch be-

yond this current wave of protest,

analysts say. It has sent the clear-

est signal yet that even global con-

glomerates based in the territory

can be compelled to bow to Bei-

jing’s will — leading to doubts

about whether the “one country,

two systems” arrangement that

allows Hong Kong a degree of

autonomy within China can con-

tinue to hold.

Cathay’s predicament “shows

that when China wants to put the

pressure on, it doesn’t really mat-

ter whether you are based in Hong

Kong or whether you are based in

Shanghai. This is all still China,”

said Duncan Innes-Ker, the re-

gional director for Asia at the

Economist Intelligence Unit.

Cathay Pacific did not respond

to detailed emailed questions. The

Chinese aviation authority did not

respond to multiple phone calls

and faxed questions.

In the early days of Hong

Kong’s leaderless summer of pro-

test, aviation workers, including

Cathay staff, were among those at

the forefront, understanding that

they had a disproportionate abili-

ty to get the attention of their

government.

They participated in a general

strike that forced the cancellation

of hundreds of flights, angled for a

three-day airport sit-in that would

further embarrass Hong Kong

Chief Executive Carrie Lam and

her backers in Beijing, wrote open

letters and set up secure messag-

ing groups to organize further ac-

tion.

Beijing’s impatience with their

involvement became clear on

Aug. 9 when China’s aviation regu-

lator issued a warning directed at

Cathay of a “major aviation safety

risk.” The airline had failed to bar

staff who took part in “violent

protests” from flying to the main-

land or through Chinese airspace,

the regulator said, adding that it

wanted the airline to make swift

changes.

Not complying wasn’t some-

thing Cathay could afford. Cathay

Pacific passenger and cargo

routes, and those flown by sister

brand Cathay Dragon and low-

cost arm Hong Kong Express, in-

clude more than two dozen main-

land cities. Passengers from the

mainland account for a significant

chunk of revenue. State-owned

Air China is Cathay’s second-

biggest shareholder, after the

Hong Kong- and London-based

Swire group.

The regulator’s warning also ex-

tended to any Cathay aircraft fly-

ing through the portion of Chinese

airspace that surrounds Hong

Kong, complicating travel to other

parts of the world.

Cathay staff interviewed by The

Post said the aviation authority’s

warning changed their environ-

ment significantly. Before it was

issued, they had not been chided

by management for protest partic-

ipation, even after the strike in

early August forced the grounding

of flights.

But at least six emails from

Cathay management warning

against illegal protest participa-

tion and urging compliance with

Chinese authorities have come

since Aug. 9, all of which were

obtained by The Post. The latest

was an internal memo sent by new

chief executive Augustus Tang on

Monday, stating that the company

would comply “100%” with all di-

rectives issued by Chinese avia-

tion regulators.

“The way every single one of us

acts, not only at work serving our

customers but also outside of

work — on social media and in

everyday life — impacts how we

are perceived as a company,” he

wrote.

The past two weeks have also

brought scrutiny — and what

some believe to be harassment —

of Cathay Pacific and Cathay Drag-

on crews flying to mainland cities.

Phones and bags are being

searched upon landing at cities

from Hangzhou to Xi’an. When

Cathay employees pushed back,

their company sent a note on

Aug. 17 saying authorities “have

the right to inspect personal elec-

tronic devices.”

Many are now trying to swap

routes to avoid flying to the main-

land altogether.

“We don’t think what the com-

pany is doing is supporting or

protecting us,” said the flight at-

tendant who has worked at Cathay

for seven years. “We think our

personal safety is in danger.”

What has scared employees

most is a Telegram channel with

almost 13,000 members that

claims it is collecting information

on protesters to pass along to Chi-

na’s Ministry of State Security, ac-

cording to the group’s description.

Set up in July, the group has since

changed its focus from protesters

in general to specifically tracking

airline and aviation staff, posting

photos of them in their uniforms

alongside social media posts in

which they express support for the

movement.

One post reads, “Stupid flight

attendant of Cathay,” followed by

her full name, which The Post has

withheld for her privacy, and pic-

tures of her with her young child.

“She has even sent her little kid to

the protest!”

Staff members are “very, very

panicked because of this” Tele-

gram channel, said one Cathay

ground worker. “I’m 42 years old

and I’m just panicked like a teen-

ager.”

Others believe their colleagues

who support the Hong Kong gov-

ernment and the police are moni-

toring them and reporting them to

company officials. It has made for

tense conversations in the galley

and before flights, when jovial

flight attendants usually chat with

each other to pass time.

“Even today on my flight, a very

long flight of 12 to 13 hours, no one

in-flight is talking about politics,”

said one flight attendant. If they

dare broach the subject, he added,

“we will ask beforehand, ‘Are you

supporting the protests?” just very

softly.”

Jeremy Tam, a pro-democracy

lawmaker, resigned from his posi-

tion at Cathay on Monday, a diffi-

cult decision he said he made to

shield the company from further

political attacks. Tam was a pilot at

the airline until 2016, when he

switched over to a consultancy

role.

“This is a company I love,” he

said in an interview. “And now

[authorities] are destroying the

company just like that, over free-

dom of speech and political

views?”

One 24-year-old flight atten-

dant pushed back on the notion

that as a Cathay employee he

should be barred from political

protest.

“When we are on the flight, we

won’t say, ‘Do you like chicken or

beef? And by the way, please sup-

port Hong Kong.’ We are profes-

sionals,” he said. “But we should

have the freedom to join any pro-

test, we should have our freedom

of speech when we land.”

[email protected]

Gerry Shih and Lyric Li in Beijing and

Tiffany Liang in Hong Kong

contributed to this report.

Shaken up at

Hong Kong’s

top airline

Cathay Pacific workers feel pressure as China

seeks to quell city’s pro-democracy protests

VERNON YUEN/NURPHOTO/GETTY IMAGES

A flight prepares to land at Hong Kong International Airport. Pressure from Beijing forced out Cathay Pacific CEO Rupert Hogg last week. Workers describe a climate of fear and mistrust at the airline.