Pro-Tibet protester hassled as Hong Kong torch relay begins
"HONG KONG (AP) — The Olympic torch began its relay through Hong Kong Friday before a flag-waving crowd that heckled a pro-Tibetan protester and jostled the police officers protecting her.
Officers eventually put university student Christina Chan into a police van and took her to a police station to protect her from the crowd. Many yelled obscenities and about 30 people pushed and shoved a dozen police surrounding her.
Chan was part of a small group of protesters who held Tibetan flags and signs calling for democracy and human rights in China but were far outnumbered by the pro-China crowd.
Chan said she didn't mind the hostile crowd, but she was upset about the police protection.
"What right do they have to take me away? I have a right to express my opinion," said Chan, 21.
Another group of seven pro-democracy activists were overwhelmed by torch supporters, who drowned out their slogans with insults like "running dog," "traitor" and "get out!" The activists, holding a banner that said "Return power to the people," were surrounded by 80 police and eventually ducked into a police vehicle for protection.
Many torch supporters were apparently from the mainland because they chanted slogans and hurled insults in Mandarin, not the local Cantonese dialect."
Several onlookers heckled Chan, shouting "What kind of Chinese are you?" and "What a shame!"
The 21-year-old Chan said, "Why can't we just respect each other and express our views."
I just got back a couple days ago from my 3 week trip to Southeast Asia and just missed the torch rally in Hong Kong. Incidentally instead of being in Hong Kong ont he day, I was being completely searched to the bone by PRC immigration. While this is the first time it's ever happened to me, the most interesting part of the search was when they found my lonely planet, my notebooks, and Vietnam city maps. Lonely Planet China is liable to confiscation because.. China and Taiwan are colored differently on the map. While I was carrying LP SE Asia, they still found the need to look at the map page for TWO MINUTES! Fucking hell! Thankfully China & Taiwan are shaded grey in this book. Then scrutinized my map of Hue, Vietnam issued by the "Mandarin Cafe". Would they have done the same if it was from the "Putonghua Cafe"? Guessing not. All this despite the fact I'm a Chinese holding a home return permit!
Anyway back to the Tibet issue. I've said before about having mixed feelings about it but the heavy handedness directed toward Christina Chan (陳巧文) seriously makes me want to join the Boycott Olympics camp. After the PRC immigration incident, I thought HK would still be the free speech oasis that I once knew it as. But what happened? Police protection or not, has it become illegal to have a differing opinion? Why is it the police drove Christina away but not those flag waving dai look los?
As for the crowd. I have met many friendly mainland Chinese on my travels there, but why is it when the issue of politics comes up, they are so stubborn as to refuse an opposing viewpoint? I have found even the Vietnamese, also ruled by a communist regime, to be much more open to debate about their government! (By the way, Vietnam was also once occupied by China for hundreds of years) It is sad that while China is jumping leaps and bounds in some areas, it is still in the stone age in others. I mean isn't blind patriotism even more damaging to your country? Yes you can wave your fucking flag and even force it down one's throat, but what are you doing to improve the image of your country? Do you think another June 4th would help your country's image? Who's the "traitor" now, eh?
UPDATE May 7 2008
I saw this in the Standard today. Holy fucking hell, so this how cheap we have become. Posting her private pictures online? Fucks sake, she was expressing her opinion on Tibet, does she really need some perverts and batgua magazines digging up her private life?
I highly encourage everyone to join this Facebook group supporting Christina: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=26379388672
Her interview with Hong Kong Reporter. In Cantonese. Good stuff.
