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‘They have shamed Hong Kong. Their dirty tricks are just appalling.’—Chui Pak-Tai, Council member of Hong Kong’s Wong Tai Sin District.
Supporters See Broken Promises
Lam Wing-Yin, the Democratic Party’s former Sai Kung District council member, said he was concerned over Hong Kong’s independence from China as shown in the apparent political interference in this case.
“China promised that Hong Kong would remain unchanged for 50 years,” he said, referring to the 1997 pact between Britain and China when Hong Kong was returned to Chinese rule, which stipulated that Hong Kong would remain under the British system of governance for 50 years.
“Nothing in our life here should have changed, including our freedom, culture, and art,” Lam said. “Exactly because of this … Hong Kong can continue to be a unique place in the world.”
Supporting Human Rights in China, an NGO based in Europe, also sent an open letter to the Hong Kong government. It said, “‘One country, two systems,’ obviously does not work, in the light of this discriminatory decision. If Hong Kong wants the rest of the world to view it as part of the free world, this decision needs to be reconsidered quickly, to demonstrate that the same laws apply to everyone.”
Chui Pak-Tai, Wong Tai Sin District Council member, condemned the Hong Kong government.
“The Hong Kong government is so incompetent,” Chui said. “They have shamed Hong Kong. Their dirty tricks are just appalling.”
Well-known senior journalist Ching Cheong said the Hong Kong government’s actions were unfortunate.
“Hong Kong has been a place where legal entrance and exits are protected, and we Hong Kong people should cherish such freedom,” said Ching, who was jailed for over three years in China under the State Secrets law. “I do not want to see such freedom being interfered with by political forces,” he said. Mr. Cheong urged Hong Kong citizens to pay attention to the incident.
Along with making a public announcement to ticket holders in Hong Kong and providing refunds, local organizers said they will probably also stand at the theater on the nights the show was scheduled to perform. The show organizers will provide refund to those who had bought tickets, along with disclosing the reasons the show could not go on as planned.
The Shen Yun press release was optimistic that the cancellations are only a temporary setback: “We are grateful to the thousands of Hong Kong people who were looking forward to seeing our performance. We look forward to returning to Hong Kong for shows on an even larger scale soon.”
