Several Hong Kong democracy protesters have arrived in the United States via Taiwan seeking asylum, according to the New York Times. The Hong Kong Democratic Council, a U.S.-based organization for Hong Kong residents, announced in a statement on January 15 that a group of young Hong Kong protesters had arrived in the United States after an arduous and dangerous journey to freedom.
The statement did not mention the word “Taiwan” or indicate the number of protesters who had arrived in the United States seeking asylum. However, the commission’s director, Zhu Mumin, said in the statement that “the protesters, all under the age of 30, participated in the ongoing pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, faced arrests and charges related to the protests, and fled Hong Kong by boat last July.”
Taiwanese media reported last year that five Hong Kong “anti-China” protesters were detained by the Taiwan Land Commission after arriving in Kaohsiung via Dongsha Island on July 18. The news sparked a storm in Taiwan at the time, with the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) thought not to be as supportive of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protesters as it thought. Taiwan’s executive president Su then said that both the government and the private sector cared deeply about Hong Kong people. He also said that “there are some cases we can’t disclose” for the assistance of Hong Kong people, hoping to give them the most substantial assistance. However, Taiwanese officials have kept a low profile on the case, refusing to comment.
Mass pro-democracy protests took place across Hong Kong in 2019, leading to the arrest of more than 11,000 people. Beijing implemented a Hong Kong version of the National Security Law in late June last year to suppress dissidents.
The New York Times reports that those Hong Kongers, who intend to seek asylum in the United States after months in Taiwan, arrived at New York’s Kennedy International Airport on Wednesday (Jan. 13).
With U.S.-China relations now at their lowest point in decades, analysts believe that the five Hong Kong protesters coming to the U.S. to seek asylum at this time could exacerbate U.S.-China tensions and put the incoming Biden administration to the test.
After the Hong Kong version of the national security law was passed in late June last year, the law’s four charges (“secession, subversion of state power, terrorist activities and collusion with foreign powers”) have sparked fear and uncertainty among Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protesters, with some “Hong Kong independence” activists fleeing the city.
“In a statement, the director of the Hong Kong Democratic Committee, Mr. Zhu Mumin, said he welcomed Hong Kong pro-democracy activists to the United States and would assist them in seeking asylum and starting a new life.
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