I have become an “accidental activist” since the Occupy Central/ Umbrella Movement days of 2013–2014 in Hong Kong. With political persecution getting more intense in the once-famed financial city, I have stepped out of my comfort zone and spoken vehemently on human rights and democracy over the last ten years.
Do not get me wrong. I did not go to every demonstration or protest when Hong Kong still allowed it; I would instead use the pen to contribute writing at Hong Kong local publications like the Hong Kong Economic Journal (HKEJ), the Apple Daily, and the internet radio platform of D100 Radio, voice out the social and political concerns of the city.
My first taste of self-censorship and “political interference” came when HKEJ axed my weekly opinion column at the beginning of September 2014, after it had been running for years since 2007, weeks before the Occupy Central movement started. I was then warned by the editor-in-chief at HKEJ that “I should write more about finance and investments, but not politics.” I got the warning two weeks before HKEJ axed my final column contribution in the summer of 2014.
Unlike the “Occupy” event in the United States, which condemned the “ruling class” and corporate greed, Hong Kong people demanded genuine autonomy under the framework of “one country, two systems” during “Occupy Central in the city.” Together with what we later called the Umbrella Movement, Hong Kong had 79 days of “Occupy Event.” The demands of Hong Kong people for a genuine election without pre-screening were never met. Beijing has never wanted to give real freedom and autonomy to Hong Kong people.
For those interested in drilling deeper inside the press freedom situation of Hong Kong, let me give you an update on the fate of HKEJ. Like many other local media in Hong Kong, the majority must toe the “Party Line” now under the National Security Law ( NSL). The founder of the HKEJ newspaper, Lam Shan Muk (林山木), an influential columnist in the city, stopped contributing his opinion column a few years ago. The newspaper has not been controlled by Lam Shan Muk since 2006.
There is believed to be “no more room” for objective criticism in Hong Kong or free speech. Influential columnists were told to stop writing, or they just quit due to political pressure. One can easily find the deterioration of “free speech” in Hong Kong, as witnessed by reports written by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) or other outlets that monitor free speech and press freedom in different countries. It is obvious to see the extreme makeover when news agencies are also relocated from Hong Kong to Taiwan for security reasons.
I continued to write for Apple Daily and Next Magazine, both controlled by the now-dissolved Next Digital, founded by entrepreneur Jimmy Lai. As most of us from Hong Kong still vividly recall, Lai’s media group was shut down by brute force in 2021 by the Hong Kong government, with Beijing’s backing.
The last print copy of Apple Daily came out on June 24, 2021. The English editor in charge of Apple Daily was arrested at the airport on June 26, 2021. Among the other arrests, another five in the senior management and editorial board of Apple Daily are still being detained for more than two years and waiting for trial. The totalitarian regime will put the “Apple Daily Seven,” including Lai, on trial in September.
As a contributing writer for Apple Daily, I made the tough decision of “relocating” outside of Hong Kong in June 2021 to continue to write and voice out fearlessly. The Epoch Times is one platform to continue reaching the audience with the real Hong Kong story, and I am happy to be part of it. Another platform to reach out is through my YouTube channel@EdChinWorld, for those who want to understand the actual Hong Kong situation.
I believe the “calling” now is to support the diaspora community of Hong Kong, speaking loudly for those that are unjustly detained and imprisoned because of the NSL. This has become my “highest purpose” since leaving the city.
We cannot have a pretense that Hong Kong is “back to normal” when the most compassionate, spirited, and loving people of Hong Kong are jailed because they believe in freedom and democracy. Do not forget the sons and daughters of this city, activists from all disciplines: teachers, students, entrepreneurs, lawyers, social workers, legislators, and district councilors of Hong Kong. They have sacrificed their freedom, and we need to support them. It is also our fight: we, the people of the free world. Otherwise, Hong Kong will never be free again if we all give up.
As we approach the 34th commemoration of the June 4 Tiananmen massacre, let me recall stories of what happened in 1959, 1989, and 2019 in chronological sequence: focusing on the sufferings of Tibet, the tragedy of Tiananmen, and the fight of Hong Kong. This is all from a Hongkonger perspective to the best of my recollection and research.
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) way of suppressing and monitoring its people has been more than surreal, especially for those who are of ethnic minorities. Take the Panchen Lama as an example, the second most important religious figure in Tibetan culture after the Dalai Lama. The CCP took away the 11th Panchen Lama at the age of six, and has remained in China’s custody for over 27 years. The then boy now must be a 32 years old man if he is still alive. Tibetan issues might seem far too distinct for Hongkongers to fathom, but in terms of suppression and “the fall,” there are a lot of similarities.
Tibet was a country that got annexed, and the spiritual leader, the 14th Dalai Lama, had to flee Tibet from the CCP arrests in 1959. Tibetans outside Tibet were able to rebuild the Tibetan government in exile in India, but the population was small. When the Dalai Lama fled in 1959, around 80,000 Tibetans were able to follow.
Interaction from the Tibetan diaspora, a community estimated at less than 100,000, especially with those living in New York and Toronto, after the “great escape of 1959” and until now have been heard in the international community, especially during the Tibetan Uprising in March each year. March 10 of every year since 1959 has become a “headache” to the CCP, as the Tibetan people and the free world are reminded of the atrocities of the CCP.
As a Hongkonger, I understand the Tibet story as follows: Tibetans have been in exile since 1959. Around six million Tibetans lived inside Tibet during the time that the 14th Dalai Lama fled 64 years ago: 1.2 million of the Tibetan population out of the six million were executed by the CCP, a form of ethnic genocide since the occupation.
The 14th Dalai Lama (1935-present) remains an important voice for the Tibetan people and mankind. Tibetans these days still have vivid memories of how they lost their country: the religion, the uprising, and the selfless sacrifice of Tibetans through self-immolation: to remind the whole world that they are still fighting for their freedom.
To the CCP, purging the Dalai Lama’s memories from the Tibetans and demonizing him is part of their “dirty job.” Tibetans, however, could not be easily brainwashed. That said, some people believe that the Dalai Lama, at 87, is approaching the end of his life, but the true Tibetan story will prevail—the Tibetan race and suffering will not be forgotten.
Let us fast forward 30 years to focus on the Tiananmen massacre in 1989. When this opinion piece is out, we will approach the 34th Tiananmen suppression in 1989. The political atmosphere is tense in Hong Kong, and as expected, with the imposition of the NSL for almost three years now, the city has been silenced.
The Hong Kong Alliance, which organized the Tiananmen Memorial at Victoria Park in Hong Kong for over three decades, was forcefully dissolved by Hong Kong and the CCP.
The CCP has now made it clear that any large-scale gathering is a big no-no, and communist Hong Kong’s protest or public assembly treatment is no different from the rest of communist China. Those who tried to enter Victoria Park over the last few years after 2019 have already paid a hefty price—the key organizers of the Hong Kong Alliance are either serving prison terms or are detained, something no one would have imagined in the past.
It is tragic to see Hong Kong’s autonomy fading so quickly that the Tiananmen suppression from 34 years ago would not be commemorated in the city. While there are distinct differences between people from Hong Kong and those from China, we see a lot of similarities now between the prisoners of conscience in communist China and those in Hong Kong. The demands of Hong Kong people cannot be heard, and those who try will be heavily punished. That has been the same for China. Hong Kong people and those inside China are all fighting against the evil totalitarian regime.
Former paramount leader Deng Xiao Ping was a man of controversy. After the Tiananmen massacre, people looked at this strong man in a different light. Deng came up with the idea of economic reforms that attracted foreign investments. And with that should come law and order that the international community would trust. After the Hong Kong 1997 handover to China, Deng promised that “horse racing continues, dancers still dance, and one could criticize the CCP, and even if you do, the Party will not topple.”
Fast forward the clock a few decades. In the 2023 context, it is evident that Deng’s idea of keeping Hong Kong autonomous from the rest of communist China failed badly. The CCP even “disqualified” Deng’s idea of keeping Hong Kong free for 50 years. Under Xi Jinping, Hong Kong has entered a dark age, which doesn’t need further elaboration.
Things get darker each day for Hong Kong, and there is no point in reminiscing about the “glory days” of our colonial past. We should all continue to “speak very loud” for Tibet, Tiananmen, and Hong Kong. There is no shortage of information that can be extracted from the web about the wrongdoings of the communist tyranny of China, of its wrongdoings in 1959, 1989, and 2019. My final message is: we all hope that freedom will come to Tibet, Hong Kong, and a democratic China someday.
