October 10 is the Double Tenth Day of the Republic of China, and there were National Day celebrations over the weekend in Taiwan. This year, Hong Kong people also would like to celebrate this event by exhibiting the national flag of the Republic of China (Taiwan), as a form of silent protest against the repressive and totalitarian People’s Republic of China(PRC) regime. However, the PRC regime and its Hong Kong puppet regime were not happy. A hundred days after the passing of the draconian national security law, the Housing Department of Hong Kong ordered all staff in public housing estates to identify and remove all traces of “Taiwan Flag” or banners for the sake of upholding the so-called One China Policy. This not only demonstrates that the CCP does not ever accept the existence of the Republic of China regime in Taiwan, but also would not allow people in Hong Kong to express their happiness on the anniversary of the Republic of China regime. Although there were very limited open exhibitions in the New Asia College campus of the Chinese University of Hong Kong and at the windows of certain residential flats in high-rise public estates, the government blocked the entrance of Sun Yat-sen Memorial Park (Red House) and prohibited pre-scheduled on-site celebration activities. Besides, several restaurants cancelled dinner celebration bookings under immense pressure, even after customers had committed no exhibition of the words “Republic of China”, “National Day” or “Double Tenth” during the celebrations. Orwellian autocracy in Hong Kong extinguishes any remaining trace of freedom of expression, with which the CCP regime feels unhappy, and our freedom from terror that the CCP regime creates.

Several decades ago, when Hong Kong was still a British colony, Hong Kong people were proud of living in a city named the oriental pearl of freedom and prosperity while Taiwan still being under white terror and authoritarian rule. At that time, many Taiwan pro-democracy activists sacrificed themselves for freedom and democracy, but their stories were unheard of by many Hong Kong people. Even after these stories had been told, Hong Kong people saw them as signs of backwardness and tragedy, rather than courageous sacrifices for freedom and democracy. Nevertheless, over the last thirty years, there have been fundamental changes in totally opposite directions. Taiwan has become a factually independent, free and democratic country, while Hong Kong has bitterly been crushed by China and the city’s regime has become dependent, autocratic and repressive with a rapidly deteriorating legal justice system, less than halfway through the 50-year no-change commitment by China. Under the current Xi Jinping regime, constitutional safeguards and fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong are gone. Many Hong Kong people are counting on help from Taiwan, among other foreign countries, with immigration, right of abode, education, employment, investment and citizenship, not the other way round. Hong Kong has become a sign of backwardness and tragedy, but Hong Kong people are not. We continue to strive for our freedom from terror, and our courageous sacrifices have touched the hearts of many people in free and civilized countries. The dawn will break.

Hong Kong is over, but Hong Kong people are not. Many reporters in the media are under huge pressure of being fired, or not being employed after probationary period, after they have asked officials some harsh questions. However, they stand firm and do not bend their knees. Besides, civil servants are required to make solemn declarations that they genuinely and honestly embrace and support the Basic Law, and pledge allegiance to the Hong Kong Special Administration Region, and will be threatened, one way or the other, that they will lose their jobs and will be vulnerable to sedition charges if they refuse to make such declarations. In other words, Hong Kong people not only have no right to speak honestly, but also have full obligation to speak in a dishonest manner. Frankly speaking, this would be a tough choice to be made by many civil servants, but many pro-democracy civil servants are still fearless to express their opposition publicly.

Hong Kong education sector suffers the most. Pooi To Middle School changed their school code in a low profile manner, so as to prohibit students from wearing black masks, disseminating politically undue messages or books, and wearing school uniforms when attending pro-democracy political activities on and off campus. Besides, a teacher of the Alliance Primary School, Kowloon Tong (APSKT), was sacked by the government and banned from being a teacher forever in Hong Kong. The alleged reason is that the teacher disseminated pro-independence messages in classes. Nevertheless, according to news reports, the teacher only prepared a worksheet a couple of years ago for primary school students that asked them what freedom of speech meant, why pro-independence advocates supported Hong Kong independence, and what the consequences would be if there was no freedom of speech. These are all fair and frank questions that the government is afraid to see. After the teacher had been dismissed, hundreds of letters coming from all over Hong Kong were sent to the school to express wholehearted support for the teacher. The principal of the school was touched and expressed her big thanks to all. Do you hear the people sing? Singing a song of angry men? It is the music of a people who will not be slaves again. Courageous Hong Kong people will preserve their faith in truth and righteousness. That time will come.

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