HONG KONG -- It was not the first time "Headliner," a popular political satirical show in Hong Kong on the RTHK public broadcasting channel, had pushed the boundaries of taste and political speech.
In one of its first episodes in 1989, the hosts bitterly lampooned the country's leaders for their actions in the recent Tiananmen Square massacre. "Chinese Premier Li Peng said the troops fired on June 4 because the military did not have enough rubber bullets and tear gas." Why is China out of rubber, asked the other host. Because it had all been used up in rubber stamps, said the first -- a jab at China's government unimaginable today.
