I’ve landed in Hong Kong after flying from Paris CDG, via London Heathrow. I now have to wait ~8 hours before I get my #COVID19 test results and thus have ample time to tweet about my experience.
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Laurel Chor
@laurelchor
My name rhymes with Pharrell. Emmy-nominated journo, photographer & filmmaker from 
. Explorer. she/her. laurelchor.com
. Explorer. she/her. laurelchor.comLaurel Chor’s posts
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an old woman placed herself between protesters and police in Yuen Long yesterday and told the protesters to leave, and said that she wouldn't leave if they didn't leave h/t @charlesmok hk01.com/18%E5%8D%80%E6
please enjoy this picture of a dog trained to scatter seeds to help restore a forest damaged by fire
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“Why are you wearing an Indian flag?”
“Because India is fighting China. So India is my friend!”
He is now holding the flag above his head, shouting “STAND WITH INDIA! 印度加油!” The crowd is applauding him.
Several hundred at the peaceful Glory to Hong Kong rally in Chater Garden. #HongKongProtests
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I thought someone would swab me and wasn’t expecting a self-test but it was simple enough. When it came time to hock up deep throat spit, I was grateful for the thoughtful courtesy of the private booths.
This is Hong Kong lawmaker Jeremy Tam. He represents Kowloon East, including Wong Tai Sin. I took this photo of Tam marching up to confront riot police last night before he succumbed to the cloud of tear gas that had engulfed him.
One year ago.
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Replying to @Quicktake
WATCH: As police storm Hong Kong's Prince Edward Metro Station, a scene of arrests, beatings, and confusion occurs #HongKongProtests #香港
A yellow (pro-democracy) restaurant on Hong Kong Island took down its posters when the national security law passed, replacing them w/ blank pieces of paper & Post-its. The movement’s branding is so strong that it doesn’t even need text or illustrations to communicate a message.
I’m cringing. This is so embarrassing. A senior advisor to the WHO Sec-Gen appears to pretend his internet cut out when asked an uncomfortable question about Taiwan then just.... hangs up when the reporter presses on.
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It is an embarrassing scene. @WHO Director General, Bruce Aylward, hangs up in an interview with RTHK when he is asked about reconsidering Taiwan’s membership. Ironically, despite being so close to China, Taiwan manages to keep the #coronavirus infection and fatality rate low.
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A health dept official officially signed & stamped my quarantine declaration in duplicate. He was nice & friendly, explaining that I could go yumcha on the morning of the 28th. He asked if I had someone to take care of me & if I had a thermometer. When I hesitated, he gave me one
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At CDG, the check-in staff wore masks and gloves. Masks are mandatory inside the airport. But on the plane to London, and on my next flight to HK, no BA staff wore masks, surprisingly.
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I just went through this, but there were so many steps & stations upon arrival in HK that I’ve forgotten half. I filled in a quarantine order + a health declaration, was made to download an app, received a tracking bracelet, had it registered. Someone checked my phone # worked.
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Here’s a time lapse of me awkwardly doing my self-test in my booth: I made a “kruuuar” sound as instructed to hock up my deep-throat saliva & spit it into a tube (w/ the help of a paper funnel) and double-bagged it. Several ppl made sure the tube was upright when I handed it in.
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After receiving my bracelet and my thermometer, I went on through immigration and got my bags as normal. On the other side we were directed onto buses and young men in full protection gear helped load our bags onto the bus.
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He showed me how to fill in my symptom + temperature tracking table, explained that I needed to fill in another form with the details of my method of transportation home (eg license plate #). Everything was in a manila folder. He told me not to worry & wished me good health.
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Elderly citizen standing in front of the police line to defense #YuenLong demonstrators. She cried and asked riot police not to fire bullet towards youngsters. facebook.com/hkucampustv/vi
Just about everyone I’ve ever interviewed or photographed while covering the 2014 protests — at the start of my career — and the 2019 protests has been arrested, is in jail, or in exile. The entire cast of characters of the story of democracy in Hong Kong gone in one fell swoop.
As a Hong Konger, I continue to be baffled by the public response in Europe. Though most are concerned, many are still acting like it's nbd. HK was in the news because of #COVIDー19 a month ago. There are travel advisories against HK. Peopled abroad asked me about it. 1/
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The captain on my LHR > HKG flight said there were about 100 of us on the plane. That means the Boeing 777 was at 1/3 of its capacity. Every single passenger (except someone who apparently had special permission to connect to Brunei) will enter some sort of quarantine.
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We were given bright orange lanyards to be marked as people to be tested. The testing and waiting take place in different giant halls at Asia World Expo. A tag # (associated with our test) would eventually be clipped to our lanyard.
Absolutely mind-blowing turnout for today’s march. The front of the march is about 4 subway stops from here. #HongKongProtests
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After dropping off our bags in one place and getting luggage tags; we got back on the bus as were dropped off at another facility. There we stood in line to get our testing packs. A health worker gave us our tag number, our packs, and explained how to conduct the self-test.
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Then we sat and watched a detailed helpful, video on how to conduct the self-test.
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About an hour ago, roughly 25 injured ppl were taken away by ambulances. Some were visibly injured or unwell. There were however about a dozen young ppl who did not seem visibly hurt & who were led away like prisoners: single file, hands on the shoulders of the person in front.
Disband the police. Hong Kong independence. One nation, one Hong Kong. Fight until the end. Chants are deafening at this mall protest marking the 1-yr anniversary of police using teargas on anti-extradition protesters. It’s estimated that they’ve since fired 16,000 canisters.
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I am negative for #covid19!!! I am free to go! I have to collect a sample again on May 25 and they’ve given me a folder with a test pack + other info. I’ll unbox all these goodies for y’all later but first I’m outta here!!
That was one of the craziest things I’ve ever seen. At PolyU now. This is after an armored vehicle made a charge for the protesters on the bridge only to get engulfed in flames after petrol bombs were thrown. It reversed, while on fire, as police fired teargas. #HongKongProtest
Two men who are visiting from the US were arrested in Tsuen Wan after they took photos of the police. One is a freelance journalist, the other is a photography professor. The police asked them for press IDs; they didn't have them (which aren't required by law, by the way). 1/
This photo by @studioincendo of a #HongKong police officer pointing a handgun at the camera is #1 on reddit's r/praisethecameraman sub, with 14k upvotes. #HongKongProtests
Local media are reporting that dozens of Hong Kong pro-democracy activists & politicians have been arrested under the National Security Law. This is the biggest crackdown so far under the NSL & the biggest ever wave of arrests of major pro-democracy figures in one day in HK.
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#BREAKING #HongKong wakes up to another round of arrests of pro-democracy activists. Several ppl, includ LSD's Leung Kwok-hung, Tiffany Yuen from disbanded Demosisto & Ventus Lau, were arrested over #NationalSecurityLaw, for joining pan-dems Legco primaries in July.
With no police being held accountable for their actions during protests and towards journalists, their behavior is getting worse and worse. #HongKongProtests
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Ming Pao has released footage one of its photographers took when kettled in Mong Kok last night. In the footage, police spray pepper at them and their camera, attempting to stop reporters from filming the scene. One says: “Stop spraying! I can’t see anything!” #HongKongProtests
At the Oslo City Hall, protesters posed in the hall where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded every year. Norwegian MP nominated #hongkongprotesters for the prize.
A family on my flight from Hong Kong to London was carrying a rice cooker, a printer, and a steamer 🥺
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It’s nice to be home where I am not seen an over-the-top germaphobe. Here ppl work collectively to get local transmission to ZERO. In France I felt like ppl saw the virus as an abstract lottery, believing they just need to follow govt guidelines best they can & hope for the best.
I don’t think I’ve seen this many people in my life. #NoExtraditionToChina #反送中 #ExtraditionLaw #HongKong
Hundreds gathered at London’s Marble Arch on the second anniversary of the June 12th #HongKongProtests.
People often talk about the protesters like they’re radical rioters out to cause trouble for the hell of it. I’ve seen adult women & men in suits break and stack bricks or form human chains to pass supplies to frontline protesters. This is a result of the failure of the HK govt.
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Some of Hong Kong’s bankers are taking their lunch break at protests inks.tn/dkvn
This makes me want to vomit. I’m not sure if it’s worse or better that most if not all of them had probably been waiting for this to happen. #HongKong #NationalSecurityLaw
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Shocking news out of Hong Kong this morning as “at least 50” pan-democrats are arrested, many for “subverting state power” under the NSL.
大批泛民遭警上門拘捕 疑與民主派初選有關 涉顛覆國家政權罪
hk01.com/article/570585
接收最快疫情警報！立刻下載App：hk01.app.link/LG71h8MfUbb
Police just fired pepper balls and a possibly a rubber bullet into a group of journalists. That was the first time I had to turn and flee from the police because they were aiming and firing directly at us.
At Southorn Playground in Wan Chai, people are Singing Hallelujah to the Lord. Someone just showed up dressed up as Moses. This is a “religious” event — protesters think that religious rallies are exempt from police authorization (though unclear if that’s actually true).
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I am now home & have inhaled a plate of dumplings smothered in my family chili sauce in literally 4 mins & have never been happier. To my great chagrin, I had not had Chinese food in 3 mos but at least I can count on racism to be there for me every day 🙏🏼
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In response to the arrests, 12 student unions have issued a joint letter: "Hong Kong has fallen into the Era of White Terror... We shall continue defending Hong Kong with hope until widespread of the flames of resistance." facebook.com/cityustudentsu
Sometimes when it feels like everything’s going to shit in Hong Kong (which is often), my irrational response is to love this city even harder. Yday I bought a pineapple bun for HKD8. The lady called me back & returned my HKD1 coin, bc the bun was a bit smaller than the others.
A reminder that #HongKongProtests and related police violence are still going on. This footage of police pepper spraying journalists and grabbing one by the neck is from tonight.
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Replying to @DCheng36387164
【3.21 元朗即時 | 元朗白衣人事件八個月 警方多次施放胡椒噴霧】
2255 警方於鳳翔路追捕數名市民，期間有警員不斷向記者群施放胡椒噴霧，並拉扯著一名記者離開，暫未知去向。
攝/ Chin Wa
城市廣播 cbc
#HongKong #PoliceState #HKPoliceTerrorists
Reminder: Here's a list of users tweeting about the #HongKong protests. Especially with the protests now spread out, it is impossible for any individual to cover them effectively. Thankfully, there are many talented & tireless reporters in HK. #antiELAB
twitter.com/laurelchor/lis
The front page of the Nov. 20 edition of , France's most popular sports newspaper. #WhereIsPengShuai
Hong Kongers, I am working on a project and would love your answers to the following question: what place makes you feel most connected to #HongKong?
I can’t believe that Jeffrey — someone who has done nothing but an incredible amount of good for Hong Kong, especially its ethnic minorities — has been arrested, with the possibility of life in jail, for coming dead last in an informal primary for an election that never happened.
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Replying to @laurelchor
I interviewed Jeffrey — ever optimistic — for a piece for @NatGeo: nationalgeographic.com/history/2020/0
Hong Kong lawmaker Ted Hui is one of the kindest and bravest people I’ve ever met. This makes my blood boil. twitter.com/journo_cyf/sta
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He was one of the ~50 arrested today during #HongKong’s worst crackdown under the #NationalSecurityLaw yet.
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This is Hong Kong lawmaker Jeremy Tam. He represents Kowloon East, including Wong Tai Sin. I took this photo of Tam marching up to confront riot police last night before he succumbed to the cloud of tear gas that had engulfed him.
If you needed additional reason to doubt the laughable report released by the Independent Police Complaints Council on the #HongKongProtests...
I’m off to Oxford University for a one-year MSc in Biodiversity, Conservation & Management! I know I’m going to be homesick, so I packed a bunch of books written and photographed by people I admire greatly in Hong Kong to remind me of home. Also pls send me recs for Chinese food.
This makes me sick. All of us who have covered the protests has seen this blind lawyer braving the frontlines. #HongKongProtests
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A blind lawyer was forced to remove her artificial eyes to prove her loss of eyesight after being arrested during an #antiELAB protest in Sha Tin on May 1, says @appledaily_hk. Her complaint receives no response from the police until now, the paper adds.
hk.news.appledaily.com/local/20200514
This photographer who was covering #GeorgeFloyd protests has permanently lost vision in her left eye. She thinks she was hit with a rubber bullet. This is exactly what happened to journalist #VebyMegaIndah during the #HongKongProtests, which is why I now own a ballistic mask.
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Hey folks, took a tracer found to the face (I think, given my backpack) and am headed into surgery to see if we can save my left eye
Am wisely not gonna be on Twitter while I’m on morphine
Stay safe folks
Human chain in Kowloon is still going strong, now having reached the heart of Mong Kok. Some of the new chants: “October 6th, see you at Victoria Park!” and “I have the right to wear a mask!” #hongkongprotests
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Horrifying development with mass detaining of journalists in HK.
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There are currently throngs of protestors & journalists being detained on the streets of Mong Kok by riot police *all being shown on the HK Police’s own livestream*. Hi-vis jackets & helmets emblazoned with ‘Press’ clearly seen. HKPF animals targeting anyone & anything tonight.
I rode in a pro-democracy taxi this morning. There were free masks, wet wipes and snacks: “Together we fight the epidemic, go Hong Kongers!” I knew there was a yellow taxi calling service on Telegram, but she told me an app launched a few days ago.
Carrie Lam has made it abundantly clear that she does not give a shit about regular Hong Kong people and that she cares a lot more about keeping powerful people happy. She alone makes the case for the importance of people being able to elect their own leader.
Seeing children in school uniform running in fear and getting tackled by the police is horrifying. #hongkongprotests
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Replying to @joshuawongcf and @Fight4HongKong
Some students went to another school to support students' strike. That principal CALLED THE POLICE and they caught the students in the way as if they'd robbed the school or killed someone. Dont get it. #hkpolicebrutality #HongKong #HKPoliceTerrorism
Met with just now in London. He is relieved to be safe and free in London, though his family is still adjusting — especially to the cold. He is determined to be “a voice for Hong Kong” and says he will work hard to lobby politicians here and elsewhere.
This photo shows how laughable it is when ppl accuse "Western media" of "distorting the truth" by calling some #HongKongProtests peaceful. There has been violence. But there are have also been 100s of 1000s of ppl who have expressed their views peacefully, time & time again.
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Lunchtime on a Wednesday in HK’s busiest shopping district.
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French man addressed the group and says he’s lived here for 15 years and supports the protesters. He says that as a double amputee he can’t do as much as he would like to, but told them to stay united and never give up.
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There is a atmosphere of patient cooperation. We are all HK residents returning home, who got on our planes knowing (vaguely) what was ahead of us upon arrival, including the mandatory 2-week quarantine. After 2.5 months in Europe (mostly in France), it’s a relief to be back.
Quite the turnout for the rally for Uighurs/Tibet/Hong Kong outside the Chinese Embassy in London for the 100th anniversary of the CCP and the 24th anniversary of the HK Handover. It’s a sharp contrast from the somber day that Hong Kong had.
I’m home 😭 but seriously why is everyone rushing to get off this plane literally every single one of us is going into a 3-week hotel quarantine
The deeply personal story I worked on for 2 months is up on . My favorite part: having Hong Kongers show me where they feel the most connected to the city.
Thank you , & for your guidance & editing!
nationalgeographic.com/history/2020/0
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They have announced they are releasing my flight and will be calling out tag numbers and seat numbers! It’s been almost 7 hours since I arrived here. They are on tag #349. I’m #423. This is like the best game of bingo ever
Hong Kong independence was once a fringe movement. Now, many HKers feel like it's the only way out.
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Replying to @EricCheungwc
Crowds in the hundreds are gathering in Central, chanting “#HongKong independence, the only way out.”
There have been some attempts to set up barriers on Peddar Street.
I am numb. I want to vomit.
“...they are killing Hong Kong, killing one country, two systems, and using social distancing rules to keep people from coming out to protest... This is the most devastating thing to happen to Hong Kong since the handover.” - lawmaker Dennis Kwok
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This is the story of the day --> China signals plan to take full control of Hong Kong, realigning city’s status. @annafifield and @ShibaniMahtani washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pac
Find yourself a partner who loves you the way Xinhua loves the way Xi Jinping loves the people the way he loves his parents
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Disgusting.
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Replying to @VerbatimHKG
Another officer commented, "This one got screwed for rioting before, awesome." He responded, "On Instagram, her tits usually look big. They're actually really small."
Wong was given a ticket and recalled the police’s excuse for unlocker her phone was that the phone was stolen..
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For those who are calling my experience the “future of travel”, keep in mind this is Hong Kong trying to find a solution to allow residents to come home without endangering the entire city. I don’t see how this could become scaleable before a vaccine is developed and distributed.
It’s been a while since I have been in a Hong Kong taxi proudly displaying pro-democracy protest symbols…
A Hong Kong teacher posted this today after Beijing eviscerated any remaining legitimacy that the city’s legislature had. He requested anonymity after recalling ex HK leader CY Leung “trying to rat out teachers” for their involvement in the pro-democracy protests...
I left my Octopus on the bus at 8:15pm and called the bus company at 8:30pm. At 8:39pm they called me back to say it's waiting for me at the depot and to come get it before 10pm 😭❤🇭🇰
I am so sad and angry that I can't even read straight right now, but here's an important thread about the #NationalSecurityLaw that's now been in place in Hong Kong for less than 2 hours. twitter.com/alvinllum/stat
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These ladies just yelled at protesters walking by in Wan Chai, calling them names. I took their photo & the second woman from the left HIT ME. (And took my photo, which is fine.) I am wearing a bright orange PRESS vest and I am carrying a helmet plastered with PRESS all over it.
Sidewalk march happening on Yee Wo St in Causeway Bay despite heavy police presence. #hongkongprotests
Tens of thousands of protesters came out despite the pouring ran, and of course, most are wearing masks despite the ban. One man was shouting a slogan about disbanding the when he stopped abruptly: “Anyone have a throat lozenge??” #hongkongprotests
This is so difficult to watch.
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Another clip from RTHK shows that one of the arrestees (in brown) was dragged on the ground across the street after he was subdued, another was seen with a bleeding head. The police was also seen frantically and uncontrollably pepper spraying journalists and the crowd around. twitter.com/rhokilpatrick/…
So did the US orchestrate the #HongKongProtests or did the HK protesters orchestrate the #GeorgeFloyd protests? You can't have it both ways, dude. This is the editor-in-chief of a Chinese state-owned media org. This is the kind of ludicrousness that Beijing wants ppl to believe.
The police are standing at Victoria Park warning people that assembly is illegal.... while hundreds if not thousands of people stream into the park in front of them to commemorate the 31st anniversary of the Tiananmen massacre. #HongKongProtests #June4
Activists and Ivan Lam speaking to the press before their court hearing in relation to a protest in June 2019. Joshua: “this is not the time to surrender... we will not live in fear”. #HongKongProtests
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There are STILL only ~130 cases in Hong Kong. There are now 798 cases in the UK & ppl are still out & about as if nothing is wrong. When I was in Milan (at a time when there were 3,000 cases), I was shocked at the lack of concern, including from police & health workers. 2/
HK govt: This is A-OK but god forbid you go to the beach, a playground, or a sports field
I wrote a piece for (featuring some of my photos) about the surreal experience of watching firefighters and medics try their best to help desperate protesters in the first few days of the siege:
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When the world has time to look back, it'll be fascinating to look at the role that culture played in the public reaction to the pandemic & the effectiveness of health communication. (BTW, I majored in international health, so I'm extra conscious of this stuff to begin with.) 6/