Hong Kong 'Civil Human Rights Front' Yan Ho Lai, "If There Is No Political Reform, the Demonstrations Must Continue Through Generations"

[경향신문]

Yan Ho Lai, a member and former convenor of Civil Human Rights Front organizing the demonstrations in Hong Kong sits for an interview at the Kyunghyang Shinmun office. Kim Jeong-keun, Senior Reporter

In Hong Kong, you cannot ask, "Are you going to the demonstration?" because taking part in a rally has become illegal. "Last night, I dreamt of participating in the demonstration." This is how they express their intention to take part in a rally. This is the reality of Hong Kong citizens. The anecdote was introduced by Yan Ho Lai (31), a member and former convenor of Civil Human Rights Front, the civic group leading the Hong Kong protests.

Lai came to South Korea to attend a meeting with a South Korean NGO and we met Lai at the Kyunghyang Shinmun office in Jung-gu, Seoul on September 2. Throughout the interview, Lai frequently looked at his phone to check the situation of the Hong Kong protests actively being shared on social media.

This day, which was a weekday, there was another demonstration in Hong Kong. Over ten thousand middle and high school students from over two hundred schools boycott classes in protest of the Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation (Amendment) Ordinance (a.k.a. the extradition bill). Workers in twenty-one industries also launched a two-day strike. The demonstration against the extradition bill, which began in March, has entered week thirteen and is spreading in all directions. The situation has not changed much. The government opted to suppress the people using force instead of responding to the people's requests. The government fired live ammunition, fired water cannons and indiscriminately assaulted the people. Over forty Hong Kong citizens were injured and more than sixty were arrested by the police. Hong Kong, an international city with a beautiful night view, has become a battlefield where the smell of tear gas permeates the city and the sound of warning shots resonate every day.

Protesters recently fought back against the police force by throwing Molotov cocktails. Lai said, "The radical actions of the demonstrators were fueled by the Hong Kong government and the police." However, he said, "It is not violent compared to the violence committed by the government." In other words, the protesters were acting in self-defense against the excessive violence of the police rather than launching a preemptive attack.

Lai also said that the police even disguised themselves as protesters. "We found out that the police disguised themselves as protesters and threw Molotov cocktails from among the protesters. The police, dressed like citizens, are engaging in radical behavior and inciting violence so that the protesters would be condemned."

The police are more intent on arresting the protesters than on peacefully breaking up the protest. Lai said, "The objective of firing colored water cannons at the demonstrators is not to break up the demonstration. It is to arrest the people whose clothes are then marked." The indiscriminate violence by the police is another problem. On August 31, the Hong Kong police mobilized a commando unit and suppressed random citizens on board a subway using clubs and rubber bullets.

The police arrested politicians and leaders supporting the demonstrations, such as Joshua Wong, the secretary-general of the Demosisto Party. Lai said, "The situation is disconcerting. The government is attacking famous politicians and key figures. Recently, a member of Civil Human Rights Front was assaulted by a man armed with a baseball bat in broad daylight." He also said, "It sent out a message that citizens taking part in politics and expressing their opinions could threaten themselves and their personal safety." He added, "It's a sign that the Hong Kong government is becoming a police government, an authoritarian government."

The Hong Kong protests are currently at a crossroads. Lai said, "The Hong Kong administration is expressing willingness to stop political activities and demonstrations by declaring an emergency or martial law. The Chinese government is also threatening that they may use all means available on the National Day of the People's Republic of China on October 1." "If the demonstrations continue in a radical nature, the government will use this as an excuse and follow with brutal repression," said Lai, but he added, "It is important to continue the protests."

Lai believes the attention of the international community, including South Korea, is important. He said, "The Hong Kong demonstrations could continue because of the interest from the international community," and further said, "Hong Kong citizens watched films like 1987: When the Day Comes and want to know and exchange information on how the South Korean citizens fought dictatorship. We hope you will stay interested in Hong Kong, which is facing the pain that South Korean citizens experienced in the past."

There are five things that the Hong Kong citizens want. They want to abolish the extradition bill, hold a direct election for chief executive, conduct an independent investigation on the police suppression of the demonstrations, withdraw a regulation that defined the demonstrators as the "mob," and to unconditionally release and drop charges against the arrested demonstrators. Lai said, " "Many students are taking part in the demonstration. If there is no political reform, the demonstration will continue through generations. The Chinese government will not be able to rule with the trust of the Hong Kong citizens even after Hong Kong permanently becomes part of China in 2047."