The majority of Hong Kongers who sought asylum in Taiwan show signs of trauma related to political violence, while most have trouble adapting to life in their new home, a source who works with them said.
“Many of the victims were beaten by Hong Kong police, or were close with someone who was shot or killed during the protests,” the source said. “Their experiences have left them scarred and unable to return to where they came from.”
Many Hong Kongers who participated in anti-extradition protests in 2019 saw support for Hong Kong expressed in Taiwanese media, and by Taiwanese politicians in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election.
Photo: Reuters
“They thought that there would be plenty of social support for them in Taiwan, but after coming here they found that most Taiwanese don’t really care about Hong Kong,” the source said.
Those who fled to Taiwan from Hong Kong have had trouble finding a secure social network, and often find themselves feeling lonely, the source said, adding “their hearts remain in Hong Kong.”
Some of the asylum seekers came to Taiwan shortly after the protest movement started, others applied after the introduction of Hong Kong’s National Security Law, and yet others found themselves unable to leave Hong Kong at all after its government implemented strict border controls to stem the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, the source said.
Photo: Reuters
“Some of those who made it to Taiwan safely feel guilty that they were able to leave while others are still trapped in Hong Kong. Taiwanese are unable to understand those feelings,” the source said.
Part of the frustration of Hong Kongers in Taiwan stems from feeling powerless to face up to the Chinese Communist Party, which destroyed the freedoms that Hong Kong enjoyed in the past, the source said.
“Most Hong Kongers of all age groups experience difficulties finding suitable employment and adapting to life,” the source said. “Some have opted to return to Hong Kong, only to be arrested when they arrive.”
Academia Sinica researcher Peng Jen-yu (彭仁郁) said there are concerns that Hong Kongers who experience trauma due to political violence could develop symptoms, including substance abuse and self-isolation, if adequate social support is absent.
“Some people who participated in the protests have witnessed partners or friends being injured by the police while they are powerless to help,” she said. “They also might have family members who don’t support their participation in the protests.”
Some Hong Kongers reported being ostracized by their families, she said, comparing the situation to protesters involved in Taiwan’s Sunflower movement who were scolded by parents and relatives for their involvement.
In some cases, Hong Kongers who were at the protests knew that police had made a record of their participation, so they decided to flee to Taiwan while they could, Peng said.
“Some were lucky enough to have family support, and their families sometimes send them money, but others are not so lucky and must rely on nongovernmental organizations for assistance,” she said.
The number of Hong Kongers who come to Taiwan and who see a future for themselves in the country is relatively low, Peng said, adding that most see Taiwan as a temporary home.
Prosecutors in New Taipei City yesterday indicted 31 individuals affiliated with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) for allegedly forging thousands of signatures in recall campaigns targeting three Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers. The indictments stem from investigations launched earlier this year after DPP lawmakers Su Chiao-hui (蘇巧慧) and Lee Kuen-cheng (李坤城) filed criminal complaints accusing campaign organizers of submitting false signatures in recall petitions against them. According to the New Taipei District Prosecutors Office, a total of 2,566 forged recall proposal forms in the initial proposer petition were found during the probe. Among those
ECHOVIRUS 11: The rate of enterovirus infections in northern Taiwan increased last week, with a four-year-old girl developing acute flaccid paralysis, the CDC said Two imported cases of chikungunya fever were reported last week, raising the total this year to 13 cases — the most for the same period in 18 years, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The two cases were a Taiwanese and a foreign national who both arrived from Indonesia, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Deputy Director Lee Chia-lin (李佳琳) said. The 13 cases reported this year are the most for the same period since chikungunya was added to the list of notifiable communicable diseases in October 2007, she said, adding that all the cases this year were imported, including 11 from
China might accelerate its strategic actions toward Taiwan, the South China Sea and across the first island chain, after the US officially entered a military conflict with Iran, as Beijing would perceive Washington as incapable of fighting a two-front war, a military expert said yesterday. The US’ ongoing conflict with Iran is not merely an act of retaliation or a “delaying tactic,” but a strategic military campaign aimed at dismantling Tehran’s nuclear capabilities and reshaping the regional order in the Middle East, said National Defense University distinguished adjunct lecturer Holmes Liao (廖宏祥), former McDonnell Douglas Aerospace representative in Taiwan. If
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) today condemned the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) after the Czech officials confirmed that Chinese agents had surveilled Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to Prague in March last year. Czech Military Intelligence director Petr Bartovsky yesterday said that Chinese operatives had attempted to create the conditions to carry out a demonstrative incident involving Hsiao, going as far as to plan a collision with her car. Hsiao was vice president-elect at the time. The MAC said that it has requested an explanation and demanded a public apology from Beijing. The CCP has repeatedly ignored the desires
RSS