Whilst President Obama was in his second term (during 2015) – destroying the regimes of other countries (through ‘Colour Revolutions’) and busy constructing a Neo-Nazi Junta in Ukraine (and similar dictates throughout Eastern Europe) – an interesting story broke throughout the Western media! On November 12th, 2015, the Associated Press (AP) gleefully announced that Hong Kong was awash with ‘homeless’ people – and that many of these unfortunates spend their days (and nights) within the precincts of 24-hour McDonalds Restaurants (something I never saw when I was in Sai Kung)! A young man – Edward Goh – who had reported his widowed mother ‘missing’ in 2011, discovered that ‘Mary Seow’ (Ma Li Xiao – 玛丽·肖) was living as a ‘homeless’ refugee in Hong Kong through media reports! Not only this – but the Hokkien Mary Seow was living in a 24-hour McDonalds Resuarant in the Jordan District!
Like most of these ‘anti-China’ news stories – a little context is called for. During 2022, official figures state that around 582,000 men, women and children experienced (or are still experiencing) homelessness in the United States! Most McDonalds operated in the mainland USA strictly prohibited the ‘homeless’ bothering the ‘homed’ whilst eating (indeed, videos abound online of Police beating and shooting any ‘homeless’ who attempt to penetrate these establishments)! By way of comparison, AP reported that as of November 2015, Hong Kong had around 806 homeless people. The problem is that when the UK handed Hong Kong back to Mainland China in 1997 – the British insisted that the main aspects of the (unjust) capitalist system should be maintained unchanged for next 50-years! The PRC cannot, under the auspices of this agreement, redistribute wealth in a manner that could solve this capitalist injustice overnight. Homelessness in Hong Kong is a consequence of ‘capitalist’ (and NOT ‘Socialist’) injustice!
Mary Seow is a Christian who attended the Paya Lebar Methodist Church. Christianity is not an indigenous belief system in Asia – certainly NOT in China – and is the religion of the Western imperialist invader and usurper (it is important to establish these facts whilst we are discussing inherent criminality). Although the Western media (and Western-friendly press in Asia) tout this story as a Mainland Chinese-perpetuated ‘scam’ – something is very odd about the details. For instance, how many ‘scams’ take 11-years to perpetuate? According to Mary Seow – she met a ‘Chinese National’ woman at her local Church during 2000 – and befriended her. Just ‘8-years’ later, (in 2008) this ‘friend’ had persuaded the widowed Mary Seow to marry her uncle – one ‘Li Shiren’ – yet another ‘Chinese National’. What seems to be holding this ridiculous story together is the presence of two ‘evil’ Chinese Nationals – but we must proceed!
Li Shiren moves in with Mary Seow during 2008 and the two spend six blissful months together in her four-roomed Boon Keng flat. Li Shiren then ‘disappears’ never to be seen again (not even in a McDonalds Store). Mary Seow’s family express no concern over Li Shiren’s disappearance. To date – Li Shiren has never reappeared. Meanwhile, the ‘Chinese National’ (female) friend (who is never named) then ‘works-on’ Mary Seow. This woman of suspicious character ‘persuades’ Mary Seow to ‘sell’ her four-room (Boon Keng) flat and use the proceeds (together with her lifesavings) to ‘invest’ in a transportation company situated within Mainland China. A mere 2-years later (during 2010) – Mary Seow – starts making business trips to Mainland China. Between 2008-2010, Mary Seow appears NOT to have suffered any loss of money.
Press reports make much of the dramatic fact that during February 2011 – Mary Seow had dinner with her son (Edward Goh) – whilst announcing that she would be making another trip to China – this time lasting about a month. It is the last time her son sees her – except it is not. Her son fills a ‘Missing Persons’ report with the Singapore Police during June 2011. Edward Goh, however, then received a telephone call from his mother in China telling him that she is okay – but that she has lost ALL her money! His mother is safe and well – but destitute. What does Edward Goh do? How does he react? What would any desperately worried and concerned son do about his missing mother? He does NOTHING. He knows where she is and what she is doing – and yet he merely goes back to the humdrum of his daily existence. Of course, the story must unfold in this way because the emphasis is upon the supposed criminality of the Mainland Chinese and any inconvenient (or illogical) facts must not be allowed to divert the attention of the reader from this fact. Edward Goh is Teflon – an attribute he must have inherited from his erstwhile mother.
A mere 4-years later – on November 12th, 2015 – an Associated Press report on Hong Kong’s homeless situation (a supposed indictment of China’s ‘Socialist’ system) actually quotes Mary Seow! Drunk with the success of an AP interview (and a free meal soon to be followed be a free air ticket) – she decides to tell the world that she was ‘scammed’ by two Mainland Chinese Nationals! She describes herself as a ‘McRefugee’ (implying that the ‘compassion’ of capitalist America is the only life-line available for the beleaguered Hong Kong population forced to live under the tyranny of Chairman Mao) whilst NEVER offering an iota of material evidence to back up and support the story she has told! In just fifteen short years – this lady’s life was turned upside down by two terrible, scheming Mainland Chinese Nationals whose untrustworthy characters were forged within the furnaces of Chinese Communism! Of course, the take-away message (every pun intended) is that predatory capitalism is the ‘perfect’ system and that if you have nowhere to live – pop on down to your local ‘Golden Arches’ – where a warm welcome will be waiting!
Chinese Language References:
https://www.sohu.com/a/512786649_120078003
https://m.huanqiu.com/article/9CaKrnJRED8
English Language Reference:
https://tnp.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/son-surprises-singaporean-mcrefugee-mum-visit-hong-kong
https://tnp.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/son-surprises-singaporean-mcrefugee-mum-visit-hong-kong
SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR) 