香港郵筒風波 Hong Kong's royal cover up stirs anti Beijing backlash

The humble postbox, as much a legacy of British rule as railways and cricket, has become the latest target of Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing establishment.

與鐵道和板球一樣，不起眼的郵筒是英國統治時期的遺產，現如今它成爲了親北京的香港當權派的最新目標。

The Hong Kong authorities plan to cover up royal insignias on colonial-era postboxes, deeming them inappropriate. But the move is stirring another clash with activists who say it is undermining the city’s autonomy.

香港當局認爲殖民地時代遺留下來的郵筒上的英國皇家徽號不合時宜，並計劃將它們遮蓋起來。但此舉讓政府與活動人士又爆發了一場衝突，後者表示，此舉損害了香港的自治權。

Campaigners are asking why it is only now, 18 years after the territory was returned to China, that the Post Office wants to change the remaining 59 colonial postboxes, a small fraction of the more than 1,100 in use.

活動人士質問，爲何在香港迴歸18年後的今天，香港郵政(Post Office)希望把殖民地時代遺留下來的59個郵筒（僅佔當今1100個在用郵筒的一小部分）改頭換面。

“This is a very bad idea,” said Sin Wai-man, who runs a group lobbying to preserve the old postboxes. “The only conclusion we can draw is that they are trying to remove the colonial history from Hong Kong. Maybe there’s some political agenda behind it, to push decolonisation to appease mainland China.”

一個致力於保護舊郵筒的遊說組織的負責人冼慧敏表示：“這是一個非常糟糕的主意。我們可以得出的唯一結論是，他們試圖抹掉香港的殖民歷史。或許背後有某種推動去殖民化以取悅中國內地的政治議程。”

Some lawmakers have written to the head of the Post Office asking for the decision to be reversed to protect Hong Kong’s heritage. The postboxes, which bear the Hong Kong Post Office logo, carry royal ciphers including those of George V, George VI and Elizabeth II, as well as one of the Scottish crown.

一些議員已經寫信給香港郵政署長，要求收回遮蓋決定，保護香港的文化遺產。這些上面繪有香港郵政署標誌的郵筒還繪有英國皇家徽號，包括喬治五世、喬治六世和伊麗莎白二世的徽號，以及蘇格蘭皇室徽號。

The Post Office said it was still finalising plans and that when it blocks out the royal symbols it will “take care not to cause any damage to these insignia”.

香港郵政表示，計劃還未最後擬定，在遮蓋皇家標誌的時候，將會“小心處理，旨在不對這些徽號造成任何損害”。

Hong Kong was guaranteed a “high degree of autonomy” from Beijing under the one country, two systems arrangement set up after the 1997 handover.

按照1997年主權移交後製定的“一國兩制”原則，香港享有“高度自治權”。

But opposition politicians and activists fear that the city’s freedoms, which are unique in China, are coming under increasing attack from the Hong Kong government and its allies in Beijing.

但反對派政客和活動人士擔心，香港的自由——這種自由在中國是極爲特殊的——日益受到香港政府及其北京盟友的攻擊。

They point to the government’s failure to implement truly democratic elections for the chief executive and to a continuing dispute over academic freedom at Hong Kong university.

他們的理由包括，香港政府未能實施真正民主的特首選舉，圍繞香港大學(HKU)學術自由的爭論也在持續發酵。

Adding to activist concerns, normally reticent mainland officials have shown an increasing willingness to express their frustration with Hong Kong

更讓活動人士擔憂的是，通常保持沉默的中國內地官員越來越願意公開表達他們對香港的失望。