Hong Kong Exiles Commemorate Tiananmen 36th Anniversary in Taiwan

TaiwanPlus News

A group of Hong Kong exiles came to Taiwan to start a new life after being charged with rioting in 2020 as a result of their participation in the 2019 protests. Their journey of advocating for democratic values continues in Taiwan as they pay respect to the victims of the June 4, 1989 Tiananmen Square Incident.

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00:00This is Fu Tong, an exiled Hong Konger now living in Taiwan.

00:04He's guiding visitors at this Taipei exhibition on human rights in his native land.

00:09Fu and his wife were one of the first demonstrators to be charged under a Hong Kong national security law

00:33after their participation in the city's 2019 pro-democracy protests.

00:38They came here to Taiwan, where they run a Muay Thai studio while continuing to fight for Hong Kong's freedom.

00:47Fu is among those in Taipei this year marking June 4th,

00:51the anniversary of Beijing's bloody 1989 crackdown on students and workers protesting in Tiananmen Square,

00:58an event rights groups say could have killed thousands.

01:02It's a commemoration still taboo in China and is now banned in Hong Kong,

01:10with memorials removed and museums shuttered.

01:13Fu says increased surveillance since Hong Kong's Beijing imposed national security law in 2020 has stifled dissent,

01:28creating an atmosphere of fear.

01:33Fu says increased surveillance since Hong Kong's Beijing imposed national security law in 2020 has stifled dissent,

01:39creating an atmosphere of fear.

01:52You don't know if you will lose freedom for a long time.

01:54This is what we are very afraid of,

01:57and the people of Taiwan are very afraid of what will happen."

02:01And as cross-strait tensions escalate,

02:03with Beijing ramping up military and political pressure on Taipei,

02:07many in Taiwan view Hong Kong as a warning.

02:11We are very clear that the government wants to do what we are doing.

02:15But for Fu and others like him,

02:25June 4th is not just about remembrance.

02:27It's a call to remain vigilant,

02:29especially as Taiwan's democratic future grows increasingly uncertain.

02:34I can't compare with Hong Kong,

02:36because I'm in the most comfortable situation in Hong Kong.

02:40In his pursuit to keep advocating for freedom and democracy far away from his home,

03:06Fu has found a new home here in Taiwan.

03:09Eastern Pan Admiral Stewart for Taiwan Plus.

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