A lifelong acquaintance with Hong Kong's resistance thinkers suggests that a crackdown by Beijing isn’t the end of the story
,” effectively reneging on the promise that it made in an international treaty to preserve Hong Kong’s way of life.But is it? Hong Kongers as a people are deeply proud of their unique status as citizens of a place that’s not just another city in Asia but a metropolis with cosmopolitanism in its DNA, built on global connections and a strong commitment to free expression.
For his role in political organizing, he faced a 16-month prison sentence, from which he was recently released. In hisbefore standing trial, with references to Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr., he remarked that when the nights were dark, all one could do was to look to the stars. Reading that, I thought of the time when I offensively asked him what the United States could do to help, his reply was blunt: nothing, just be an example to the world.
We stayed in touch over the years, but never saw each other again. When I first learned of his passing two years ago, what came to mind wasn’t so much his poetry or writing but his gratitude for Hong Kong as a platform where young people not only can speak freely but were also encouraged and conditioned to do so. He trained my thoughts on the next generation—to pay special attention to what they would say.
I got a hint of an answer about 10 years ago, when I sat down with Martin Lee, popularly known in Hong Kong as the father of its democracy,as part of China’s broader crackdown. I told him that on the last night of British rule, in 1997, I had returned to the colony as a young American journalist and had heard him speak from the balcony of the old British Legislative Council Building, declaring that the flame of democracy had been ignited in Hong Kong.
日本 最新ニュース, 日本 見出し
Similar News:他のニュース ソースから収集した、これに似たニュース記事を読むこともできます。
China's Hong Kong law set to bar foreign judges from national security cases: sourcesBeijing's planned national security legislation for Hong Kong is set to block its foreign judges from handling national security trials, people familiar with the matter said, which would exacerbate concerns about the city's judicial independence.
続きを読む »
Police surround Hong Kong legislature before anthem debateHONG KONG (AP) — Police massed outside Hong Kong's legislature complex Wednesday before lawmakers debate a bill that would criminalize abuse of the Chinese national anthem in the semi-autonomous...
続きを読む »
Taiwan's Tsai pledges support for people of Hong Kong after China proposes national security lawTaiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said Sunday evening that the self-ruled democratic island 'stands with the people of Hong Kong' as she pledged 'necessary assistance' to Hong Kongers who need help.
続きを読む »
Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong says Beijing's bill is about boosting Communist regime, not national securityProminent pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong called Beijing's proposed national security legislation 'more evil' than the scrapped extradition bill that triggered mass protests in Hong Kong last year.
続きを読む »
News Brief: Pandemic Death Toll, Hong Kong Protests, Florida LawU.S. approaches nearly 100,000 deaths from COVID-19. Thousands in Hong Kong protest planned security law. A federal judge rules Florida law restricting voting rights for felons is unconstitutional.
続きを読む »
Hong Kong's leader says security laws will not affect city's rights and freedomsHong Kong leader Carrie Lam on Tuesday added to a raft of attempts by local and Beijing officials to provide reassurance that proposed national security laws would not trample on the city's rights and freedoms, amid widespread concerns.
続きを読む »