What Tibet’s Situation Says About Hong Kong, Taiwan

This is the speech given by Ms. Roxanne Chang at the Tibetan Uprising Day commemoration in New York. Ms. Chang is a community organizer who grew up in Hong Kong and currently based in New York City. In addition to Hong Kong issues, she is learning about housing rights in the United States and bridging gaps between different movements and communities.

***

Hello everyone, my name is Roxy and I am from Hong Kong. I am honored today to be here with so many amazing activists who have been fighting for the Tibetan, Uyghur, South Mongolian and Taiwanese communities for a long time.

I would like to first start by acknowledging we are here because of the Tibetan community’s resistance from 60 years ago. At that time, thousands of Tibetans were on the streets of Lhasa, Tibet to protect His Holiness the Dalai Lama from the Chinese government’s invasion. That led to the exile of Tibetans to India and other countries overseas. But that has also led to our resistance today.

We have seen the atrocious human rights violations in China, whether it is the continual exile of His holiness and China’s attempt to colonize Tibet, the concentration camps holding one million Uyghur people, the kidnapping and imprisonment of human rights lawyers in China, activists from Taiwan such as Lee Ming Che, cultural producers like the Causeway Bay Books shopkeeper and staff in Hong Kong, and China’s increasing surveillance and censorship of its own people.

China’s authoritarianism is far reaching. We see that with the One Belt One Road Initiative where China is extending its political influence to countries across the world through economic means. They cause host countries to be in debt through building large infrastructural projects in contract with Chinese companies and cause direct exploitation of local workers and communities.

We see China’s influence in North America with Chemi who was cyber bullied for her belief in a Free Tibet and Canadian Uyghur activist Rukiye Turdush who was assaulted by Chinese students at McMaster University for speaking out on human rights abuses against Uyghurs in East Turkestan.

In Hong Kong, the state of “one country, two systems” has been deteriorating since the 1997 Handover. Just recently, the Chief Executive of Hong Kong is trying to pass the National Security Law again. Students at our local Polytechnic University have been punished for demanding an explanation from the school board, in regards to taking out the words Hong Kong independence on the campus democracy wall. Just last October, the Hong Kong National party was banned for its political stance on demanding Hong Kong independence.

A lot of these people who are vocal about sovereignty and democracy for Hong Kong are punished to the point where they can no longer study in local universities, find local employment or get jailed for speaking out. In addition to these structures of democracy falling apart, Hong Kong people also suffer from substandard housing that is becoming increasingly unaffordable, poor working conditions and insufficient health care — some of the many things that constitute a healthy livelihood. We see an increase in suicide among working adults and even young students. This is what happens when we live in a rigid and oppressive society.

Even then, as Hong Kongers, we should consider ourselves lucky because many have died and are still dying before us under the dictatorship of the Chinese Communist Party.

As a Hong Konger, I feel disheartened by the state of what is happening back home and what is happening to each of our communities. I sense that we share this same sentiment.

We must remember change does not happen overnight. While it is difficult for us to see progress under such repression, we are increasing in numbers and there is more awareness about the issues happening. Before writing this speech, I spoke to my dad about the opportunity of being here. It made me realize my family and I are very much ordinary Hong Kongers. We focus on working every day and we are not people who would normally speak  out on our beliefs. But my family and I are only some of the many ordinary Hong Kongers who support the resistance of Tibetan, Uyghur and Taiwanese communities for self determination. And today I am happy to represent my family and community, and stand here in solidarity with all of you.

We may not be free now, but we will be in the future. And we can only be free by continuing to fight alongside each other. Thank you.

(Feature photo by Joy Chang)