The Other Side of the Story: A Secret War in Hong Kong

by Nury Vittachi

One of the World’s most peaceful, orderly communities is suddenly struck by a sustained outbreak of violent radicalism. Police unmask the youths they’ve arrested to find many are children, as young as 10 years old. Behind them are shadowy groups with millions of dollars. And at every battle are pictures of the world’s most powerful Xi Jinping and Donald Trump. Hong Kong’s civil unrest was the most reported news story of 2019 – yet every salient detail presented was incorrect. There was never a proposed law to deport Hong Kong dissidents to China. The city’s freedoms had not been removed. No two-million-person march took place. Police killed no one. No trains took arrested students to mainland jails. and agents from a global superpower were intimately involved – but it wasn’t China.

Genres: Politics

486 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 16, 2020

About the author

Nury Vittachi is a journalist and author based in Hong Kong. His columns are published daily, weekly in a variety of newspapers in Asia as well as on his website. He is best known for the comedy-crime novel series The Feng Shui Detective, published in many languages around the world, but he has also written non-fiction works and novels for children. He is also noted for his role in founding the Asia Literary Review, the Hong Kong International Literary Festival, the Man Asian Literary Prize, and was the chairman of the judges of the inaugural Australia-Asia Literary Award in 2008. Vittachi currently lives in Hong Kong with his English wife Mary-Lacey Vittachi and their three adopted Chinese children. Also writes under the name Sam Jam.

Reviews

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much of the things that Nury has pointed out in this book is blatantly obvious for someone like myself whose heart has always been with Hong Kong. And yet I was still able to learn a few things that the big Uncle Sam still does to this day to shakily maintain his position at the top of the world.
But if you still think that the city is still under authoritarian regime and is uninhabitable, then I suggest that you read this book and see how the western media has bent the situation that between 2019 and 2020 completely out of shape to paint China in a dark light. Oh, and also come to the city and have a look for yourself (you could probably come during the Pandemic and you'll still get better treatment here than many places around the world).

Thank you very much Mr. Vittachi for being an honest and normal journalist.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally an investigative journalist who has gone beyond the headlines and the spin.... The truth about the outside funding and influence attempted to create a revolution in Hong Kong. Fascinating!!

[Vijay · Rating 1 out of 5]

Had to stop reading it a quarter way into the book. Didn't understand what the book was about. Not that it was totally incoherent but it seems to be a piecemeal approach in trying to convince you that the western media was so one-sided against China. It fails miserably on that account.

Just the section on the Extradition Bill which completely whitewashes the whole controversy. Vittachi suggests no one he spoke to read the law and complains all the western press including the SCMP had it all wrong. That the judiciary had control over the extradition process. He even tells us that we should believe his version and the HK government version. At this point I put the book down. The whole mess is caused by the government. The judiciary does not have any control over the extradition process, and by this it means it only acts to ensure all the boxes are checked. It's the Chief Executive who makes the decision on extradition and the courts see if the CE has taken the necessary procedural steps. Courts do not review the cases by any means.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the lone voice in the desert.

1. The extradition law happened because Hong Kong did not have any. So criminals can just hide in Hong Kong. This specifically referenced a high profile case where a man allegedly killed his girlfriend in Taiwan and then escaped to Hong Kong and the Taiwan government could do nothing.
2. However, there was so much distrust and hate in Hong Kong about China, that people went to the streets to protest.
3. Some radical rioters were recruited by American agencies such as the National Endowment for Democracy, a CIA-funded operation with millions in the accounts. They paid well, US $6k plus for 2 months of rioting. Training was also provided. A Serbian regime-change specialist group were also there. They directed the violent acts: rods, arrows, petrol bombs. The rioters burned one man to death.
4. Meanwhile the Western media and lots of Hong Kong media portrayed one-sided accounts of police brutality, but downplayed the violence committed by rioters.
5. In the end the protesters occupied Polytechnic University and were trapped and then gradually arrested.
6. The Police was always trying to use minimal force. In any other parts of the world, injury would have been much higher.

Epilogue: now the National Security Law has been passed, people disgruntled have left. Protests like these are going to be unlikely.

Most Western media will criticise the author for being pro-Beijing. But he writes as a local.

[Natasha Tara Miles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a super insightful book. As a Hong Kong-er born and bred with a majority of my family still living there, it was refreshing to see an account that more accurately portrayed the violence and mishandling of information in the media. As I was traveling between Hong Kong and the UK over that period, it was truly alarming to me to see the media coverage globally did not depict what I was seeing and hearing when I was living in Hong Kong. The media have a responsibility to pursue and report events accurately, but how they portrayed the Hong Kong Police was shameful, harmful, and indefensible. Equally, the assumption that the radicals and protestors were aligned was a gross misrepresentation, like this book explores. Though the style of writing may not be everyone's cup of tea, I highly recommended this book for a fuller picture of the situation that Hong Kong endured and still endures; and for a balanced journalist's outlook.

[xkdlaej]

Even though I know it should be trash, still have to read it first in order to judge it...
Let's see how "thoroughly researched" this book is...

As with every pro-CCP supporter, reviews emphasised how it presented the TRUTH! (Why they are so obsessed with the word, I don't know. Perhaps it's because they share huge similarities with cults that proclaim their knowledge of the divine truth?) But from what I've read, I guess I already know what to expect... But still, wait till I have the time to get through this piece of garbage, borrowed from the library of course.

[Mike Sherman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoughtful alternate view from main stream media of events in Hong Kong. One credible explanation of how peaceful protests became a battlefield. Next we need some investigative reporting to confirm (or refute) the existence of the dark, external forces feeding the radicals - I'm surprised there was not at least a few interviews with the supposedly many paid agitators.

[Mark Beech · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read, having lived through it in Hong Kong. It certainly gives a more balanced view of what has happened over these challenging times. However, I must move in different circles to the author as my understanding of Hong Kong people's perspectives is slightly different. I do agree with him on the point that most Hongkonger's are know are not Anti-Mainland Chinese.

[Becca N · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absolute rubbish. Deserves 0 stars.

[Bob Aikenhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting account of recent event in Hong Kong, written in a chatty style.
Aside from the book itself, well worth reading, also very interesting is the fact that the book, print and Kindle, has disappeared from Amazon sites worldwide.

[Merilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything I didn't understand about Hong Kong in 2019 broken down into layman's terms. Lays out the facts plain as day, giving a voice to people that were sadly under-represented by most media at the time. As with everything Vittachi writes, it provided lots of laughs and kept my eyes glued to the pages, and I'd absolutely read it again.