as the usual suspect media that be nyt, wsj, and such fret over predicted china interference w/ freedom hong kong, young edward is tee-ing up the scenario where team usa must attempt to interfere w/ same freedom hong kong
a potentially very interesting situation may soon envelop little freedom hong kong caught between supposedly unfree china and allegedly very-free usa
the ground rules, issues, and protocol
(i) hk and usa sports an extradition treaty, except for when the requested extradition involves an essentially political offense
(ii) china has veto on issues where national interest would be harmed should extradition be thumbed-up by hong kong
(iii) else china is not supposed to interfere w/ freedom hong kong
(iv) usa is certainly not supposed to interfere w/ freedom hong kong
(v) young edward has now vowed to fight any and all extradition attempts, and if so, the matter shall land in hong kong court should hong kong government attempt to extradite young edward
(vi) which then puts the hong kong and usa government on the spot, w/ beijing able to hang back at the mo per one country nuke-backing a freedom island, and sporting two very convenient systems
(vii) team usa must play after considering how much of the beautiful mask to tear off and lovely facade to pulverize, to show one and all the world
(viii) question outstanding, is capitol hill astute enough to even understand the simply elegant game it has been vortex-ed into?
(ix) the general population of freedom hong kong is certainly supportive of young edward, and there is no % for beijing to step on toes in order to extradite young edward.
(x) how would the hong kong authorities deal w/ the puzzle? the hk authorities would need to deal w/ the law, and there is simply no telling how the hong kong court would adjudicate.
(xi) let us also see whether true-freedom hong kong is any different from a supposedly-free singapore
what a mess :0)
let us watch
bloomberg.com
Alleged NSA Leaker Says He Will Fight U.S. From Hong Kong
With the U.S. Justice Department working on possible charges, the former National Security Agency contractor who disclosed secret information about U.S. surveillance programs vowed to fight extradition from Hong Kong, where he fled before revealing his identity.
Edward Snowden, in an interview published today in the South China Morning Post, said he hasn’t committed any crime and planned to fight the U.S. government in the Hong Kong courts.
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Supporters gather at a small rally in New York in support of National Security Administration whistleblower Edward Snowden. Photographer: Mario Tama/Getty Images
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June 12 (Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying talks about the outlook for the yuan and Edward Snowden, the U.S. contractor who says he leaked details of a U.S. electronic surveillance program. He speaks with Bloomberg Television's Sara Eisen in New York. (Source: Bloomberg)
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June 12 (Bloomberg) -- Bloomberg's Julianna Goldman looks into how NSA contract-worker Edward Snowden was able to gain access to so much top-secret information. She speaks on Bloomberg Television's "In The Loop."
“I’m neither traitor nor hero,” Snowden said. “I’m an American.”
The South China Morning Post said Snowden was interviewed in a secret location, after he checked out of a Hong Kong hotel on June 10. Asked about his decision to flee to Hong Kong, a semi-autonomous region of China that maintains a Western-style legal system, Snowden said: “People who think I made a mistake in picking Hong Kong as a location misunderstand my intentions. I am not here to hide from justice; I am here to reveal criminality.”
U.S. officials have refused to say whether they know Snowden’s location or discuss what charges may be brought against him, citing the active investigation into leaking of information about the federal government’s sweep of telephone and Internet data under a law passed after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Hong KongHong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying refused to comment on whether the U.S. had approached Chinese authorities about extradition or other assistance.
“We can’t comment on individual cases,” he said in a Bloomberg Television interview in New York. “We’ll handle the case according to our law.”
Should Snowden be charged or indicted, the U.S. would be required to present probable cause to Hong Kong authorities. As part of a 1996 extradition treaty with the country, the State Department would then make a formal extradition request to the country. Hong Kong officials would decide whether to extradite Snowden, according to the treaty.
Snowden’s disclosures, made to the U.K.’s Guardian newspaper and the Washington Post, have triggered a criminal investigation by the Justice Department, calls for the surveillance to be limited, and a lawsuit accusing the government of violating the privacy and free-speech rights of its citizens.
Demanding ProsecutionAs Snowden spoke to the media, lawmakers on Capitol Hill braced for possible further disclosures of U.S. intelligence secrets, after receiving classified briefings about the programs yesterday from FBI, legal and intelligence officials.
Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said he expects Snowden to release more classified data.
“Apparently he’s got a thumb drive,” Chambliss said, though its contents are unknown. “He’s already exposed part of it and I guess he’s going to expose the rest of it.”
While no direct mention was made of additional leaks in the Morning Post interview, Snowden alleged that the U.S. is trying to “bully” Hong Kong’s government into extraditing him “before the local government can learn of this.”
Security ContractorSnowden, 29, a former national security contractor and technical assistant for the Central Intelligence Agency, identified himself as the source of reports in the Guardian and the Washington Post about the program run by the National Security Agency. He arrived in Hong Kong from his home in Hawaii on May 20, after taking leave from his contractor position at Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corp. (BAH), according to the Guardian.
Snowden worked at the NSA for the past four years with government contracting companies after a stint with the CIA. He most recently worked for several months at Booz Allen, which has announced yesterday that he was fired from his $122,000 a year job working with the NSA.
Several U.S. lawmakers said they wanted to find out how Snowden got access to the classified information, including an order from the special court that reviews requests under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that few top government officials are allowed to see.
Robert Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, echoed many other lawmakers when he said in an interview that “the administration should ultimately pursue all the legal avenues they have against him and prosecute him.”
Texas Representative Mike McCaul, the Republican head of the Homeland Security Committee, said the disclosures were “a serious breach of national security law.”
To contact the reporter on this story: Lisa Lerer in Washington at llerer@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Mark Silva at msilva34@bloomberg.net |
