The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) would not change its dictatorial and authoritarian nature, a group of Hong Kongers living in Taiwan said yesterday as they condemned Hong Kong authorities for arresting people who called for accountability for the deadly Wang Fuk Court fire.
The blaze at Wang Fuk Court, a high-rise residential complex housing thousands in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district, killed at least 159 people and took nearly two days to extinguish after it broke out on Nov. 26.
China’s Office for Safeguarding National Security in the territory has said it would crack down on any “anti-China” protest in the wake of the fire and warned against using the disaster to “disrupt Hong Kong.”
Photo: Chiang Ying-ying, AP
Authorities have detained several people who pushed for greater government accountability.
Seven people had been arrested as of Thursday last week for inciting others not to vote in yesterday’s legislative election, the territory’s anti-corruption body said.
Hong Konger Henry Tong (湯偉雄) yesterday told a news conference in Taipei that the Hong Kong government did not accept accountability for the fire, but arbitrarily arrested people under its national security law.
Those who share disaster relief information and speak out are regarded as “using the disaster to disrupt Hong Kong” by the authorities, Tong said, calling it a violation of human rights and international law.
They condemned the Hong Kong government for using the national security law to suppress rights, voicing support for those who were silenced for seeking the truth.
They also called for resettlement of all disaster victims, an open investigation into the fire, and a thorough probe into the dereliction of duty by officials and those responsible for engineering supervision.
Taiwan Hong Kong Association director-general Sang Pu (桑普) said the fire reflected the territory’s institutional collapse, as people who call for investigations are smeared by the national security department.
The tactics used by the Hong Kong government are the same as those used by the CCP, as those calling for improvement and accountability are arrested, he said.
He criticized the territory’s government for holding a “performative” election yesterday.
The turnout after six hours of voting was 15 percent, with the full-day figure likely below 40 percent, reflecting widespread refusal to vote, he said.
The CCP is using corrupt governance and inept officials to destroy Hong Kong, where the absence of democracy, freedom, human rights and rule of law means officials answer to their superiors, not the people, leading to catastrophic outcomes, he said.
“Taiwanese should recognize that the CCP’s dictatorial and authoritarian nature would not change, and the lie about ‘one country, two systems’ would not change,” he said.
The illusion of peaceful unification is all too real, and the framework of “one China” is absurd, he said.
If Taiwan considers cross-strait issues as internal affairs, the nation is doomed, as no country would be able to save it from China’s “Anti-Secession” Law, he said.
He urged Taiwanese to learn from Hong Kong, warning that they must not sacrifice freedom, democracy and sovereignty in exchange for a unification fantasy.
Freedom and democracy are Taiwan’s last line of defense, said Eric Tsui (徐承恩), a Hong Kong historian who obtained Taiwanese citizenship in 2022.
Taiwan should not allow the neighboring authoritarian empire to undermine its democracy, freedom or sovereignty through any form of coercion, he said, adding that only by safeguarding Taiwan can the nation avoid Hong Kong’s limitless tragedies.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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