Hong Kongers who wish to flee the territory to escape Chinese oppression are welcome to start a new life in Taiwan, documentary director Chou Shih-lun (周世倫) said yesterday, as he launched an exhibition titled “Letters from a Thousand Miles Away” at the Legislative Yuan Cafe in Taipei to mark the anniversary of the first mass protest in Hong Kong against a now-withdrawn extradition bill.
The exhibition features hundreds of letters to Hong Kongers who have immigrated to Taiwan, as well as those written by the immigrants that could not be delivered due to the political situation in the territory.
A year after the first large demonstration against the bill, the protests in Hong Kong have continued, and many Hong Kongers have been bludgeoned, raped or killed by members of the Hong Kong Police Force, Chou said.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
“There are no such things as ‘mobs,’ only people rebelling against tyranny,” said the director of the documentary Civil Awakening (暴民).
Many Hong Kongers feel ashamed after leaving the territory and immigrating to Taiwan, Chou said, adding that he wants to tell them that they are not traitors, but people who have made personal sacrifices for Hong Kong.
Citing efforts by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and lawmakers to support Hong Kongers looking to flee the territory, he said Taiwan welcomes Hong Kongers and would forever accept them with open arms.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
Hong Kong democracy advocate Joshua Wong (黃之鋒) in a prerecorded video message told those standing up to Beijing’s despotism in Taiwan and elsewhere in the world that Hong Kongers have not forgotten about them and would keep fighting for freedom.
The situation in Hong Kong looks likely to become even more dire when Beijing’s national security legislation for the territory is passed, Wong said, adding that the legislation could lead to the secret police arresting people in Hong Kong and sending them to the mainland to stand trial.
He called on Taiwanese and Hong Kongers to help each other through desperate times.
In a separate video, Hong Kong actor Chapman To (杜文澤) said that he felt inferior to the young Hong Kongers of today.
When he was young, he fled to Taiwan to escape from loan sharks, but nowadays young Hong Kongers flee to find freedom and justice, To said.
Taiwan is a nation where people stand up for the right things, he said, adding that hopefully Hong Kongers would quickly acclimatize to life in Taiwan.
He asked Taiwanese to take care of his compatriots, before taking a bow.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Ho Chih-wei (何志偉), who helped arrange the exhibition, said that the legislature was chosen as its venue so that the letters could be guarded by the police.
Ho called on people who are protected by a constitution not to fear speaking up for Hong Kong.
Beijing is planning to turn Hong Kong into an “inferno,” and democratic Taiwan would always be ready to embrace Hong Kongers, he said.
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