China forcing Hong Kongers to fight, surrender, or flee, says protester in Taiwan exile
China is forcing Hong Kongers to either fight, to surrender to its rule, or to flee the city, a Hong Kong protester living in exile in Taiwan said, adding that independence is the only viable option for the city.
Twenty-year-old Lewis — not his real name — was on the frontlines of the demonstrations against the extradition bill that flared up last June, blocking roads, throwing petrol bombs and setting fires, among other things. Three months ago, he heard that the Hong Kong police had discovered his identity and planned to arrest him, he told Apple Daily. Although he struggled with the idea of leaving, he decided his freedom was more important.
Commenting on the looming national security law, Lewis said it will limit freedom of speech and assembly enshrined in the Basic Law, and the limitations will become greater and greater.
“By taking away your freedom, isn’t the law forcing you to advocate for independence? ‘One country, two systems’ is being torn apart unilaterally. There is only one way out, and that is independence,” he said.
Lewis said China was smearing all protesters as rioters in order to send them to jail. It was also forcing people to surrender and obey its rule. Those who couldn’t accept China’s rule would be forced to leave Hong Kong, and their jobs would be filled by Beijing loyalists, Lewis said.
“There aren’t many choices for Hong Kongers. If you don’t take care of your own fate, you have only hell waiting for you,” he said.
Lewis said he was grateful to President Tsai Ing-wen and the policies that had helped Hong Kong people who fled to Taiwan, and that he wants to contribute something back to the island in return. He moved to the Greater Taipei area with help from a local NGO, and has been offered a place at a graduate school in Taiwan.
However, life is still not easy. Lewis said he tries to go out as little as possible to save money. He doesn’t have official status, which means he can’t open a bank account or get a local phone number. And while he had traveled to Taiwan in the past, he still struggles with the language.
Then there are the mental scars left by the protests. Lewis says that like many other Hong Kong protesters, he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and struggles to sleep, even with help of medication.
Key anniversaries in the anti-extradition protests bring back traumatic memories, such as days that protesters died, he said. “I feel down, but I can’t do much in Taiwan,” he said, adding that these feelings were shared by all the other Hong Kongers living in exile.
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