Fu Tong (湯偉雄) and his wife, Elaine To (杜依蘭), were among the first demonstrators in Hong Kong to be charged with rioting in 2020, after pro-democracy and anti-China protests started in 2019.
After leaving for Taiwan, Fu continued his activism and is now preparing to mark the anniversary of Beijing’s bloody crackdown on protesters in and around Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989.
Fu has cohosted a Hong Kong human rights exhibition in Taipei, showcasing artwork from the protest movement, and leads guided tours of the displays.
Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters
“When Hong Kong can no longer hold the June 4 vigils, and can no longer even mention it, Taiwan’s existence becomes very important,” 43-year-old Fu said.
“It’s one of the very few places in Asia where people can openly commemorate the incident on June 4, discuss it and even condemn the Chinese Communist Party [CCP]. The existence of such a space is already hugely significant,” he said.
Taiwan is the only part of the Chinese-speaking world where June 4 can be remembered openly, although Chinese communities in the US, the UK, Australia and other Western countries also mark it.
In Hong Kong, a national security law has outlawed such events, which previously drew tens of thousands of people.
Fu said he remains committed to advocating for Hong Kong’s issues and the values of freedom.
“I really feel like I have been chosen to be in this era. If I do not step up to do things that seem foolish and unrewarding, then who will? As long as I can, I am willing to keep going,” he said.
Before dawn on June 4, 1989, Chinese tanks rolled into Tiananmen Square, crushing weeks of pro-democracy demonstrations by students and workers.
China has never provided a full death toll, but rights groups and witnesses say the figure could run into thousands. Public discussion of what happened is taboo in China, which blamed the protests on counter-revolutionaries seeking to overthrow the CCP.
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Hualien Branch of the High Court today sentenced the main suspect in the 2021 fatal derailment of the Taroko Express to 12 years and six months in jail in the second trial of the suspect for his role in Taiwan’s deadliest train crash. Lee Yi-hsiang (李義祥), the driver of a crane truck that fell onto the tracks and which the the Taiwan Railways Administration's (TRA) train crashed into in an accident that killed 49 people and injured 200, was sentenced to seven years and 10 months in the first trial by the Hualien District Court in 2022. Hoa Van Hao, a
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the