Groups made up of Hong Kong students in Taipei are to hold an event on Tuesday to thank Taiwanese for supporting the territory and to draw attention to the importance of unity against Beijing’s ever-increasing oppression of the two regions.
The “6.9 Thank You Taiwan Festival” (感謝台灣祭), to be held on the anniversary of the start of last year’s Hong Kong protests against a proposed extradition bill, is designed to get people concerned with the region’s democratic movement to interact with each other, organizers said on Facebook.
The organizers include the Hong Kong Outlanders, stores and restaurants operated by Hong Kongers, and the Facebook groups for National Chengchi University’s (NCCU) and National Taipei University’s “Lennon walls.”
Hong Kong students are grateful to be able to come to Taiwan, and would stand by Taiwanese to protect its democracy, said one of the organizers, a Hong Kong student who uses the pseudonym “N.”
His comments came amid concerns that the unemployment rate would rise and the nation’s resources would be strained if Hong Kongers were to seek political asylum in Taiwan.
Beijing’s promise of maintaining its “one country, two systems” framework for 50 years for Hong Kong is an outright lie, as its totalitarian rule has not changed 31 years after the Tiananmen Square Massacre, N said.
He said he hoped to stay in Taiwan after graduation, saying that the nation has opened his eyes to the world.
Hopefully, the event would show Taiwanese that Hong Kongers do not want to be a burden to Taiwan, but want to be a part of it so that they can contribute, too, a message on the NCCU “Lennon wall” said.
Facing domineering oppression from the Chinese Communist Party, it is time for Taiwan and Hong Kong to unite to safeguard their values of freedom and democracy, it said.
“Our power might be limited and our voices might not be loud, but silence is never an option,” it said.
The event is to start at 1pm at 8 Meters Coworking Space in Taipei.
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