Briefings - 351. page

On April 26 and 27, the Hong Kong government refused to allow about 70 Taiwanese and Japanese citizens to enter Hong Kong. The Taiwan Affairs Commission solemnly protested to the Hong Kong government. President Tsai Ing-wen told the media on April 29 that the incident exposed the attitude of the Hong Kong government. She stressed that Taiwan would not accept it regardless of whether it is one country, two systems, or one country, one system.

On April 27, Falun Gong practitioners from Hong Kong held an anti-persecution rally to commemorate the 20th anniversary of “April 25th.” [Editor’s note: On April 25, 1999, 10,000 Falun Gong practitioners gathered spontaneously at Zhongnanhai in Beijing to ask the government to stop its escalating harassment of Falun Gong practitioners. They had learned that, the day before, over 40 practitioners in the nearby city of Tianjin had been arrested and beaten. They also asked to be allowed an open environment for their practice.] In 2019 in Hong Kong, nearly 70 Falun Gong practitioners from Taiwan and Japan were scheduled to participate in the April 27 event. However, after arriving in Hong Kong, they were refused entry. They held legal travel documents but were still denied entry and were forcibly deported.

In addition to the Hong Kong Government deporting Taiwan’s Falun Gong practitioners, 130,000 Hong Kong people took to the streets on Sunday to oppose the revision of the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance. Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said, “I feel that these things have happened repeatedly. For the Hong Kong people, the one country two systems is not the most desirable and acceptable solution. Whether it is one country two systems or one country one system, it is an impossible solution for us.” William Lai, former legislator in the Legislative Yuan from 1999 to 2010 called for international solidarity to defend universal values and support Falun Gong practitioners’ freedom of speech in Hong Kong.

Jian Hongzhang, President of Hong Kong Falun Dafa Association said that the actions of the Hong Kong Government were in violation of international norms and that the world should strictly condemn such actions.

Source: Epoch Times, April 30, 2019
http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/19/4/30/n11223272.htm

Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported that on the100th anniversary of the “May 4th Movement,” Beijing’s major universities stepped up their alerts. The police also took away five left-wing students who supported the labor movement activities. They currently have no contact with the outside world.

This Saturday, May 4th, was the 100th anniversary of the May Fourth Movement in China. Recently, most colleges and universities in Beijing increased inspections on campus. Every day, plainclothes police cars have been stationed at the entrance to Peking University. A local resident who did not want to be named told reporters on Friday that the university campus in Zhongguancun had recently stepped up its alerts. School personnel and students have had to present their credentials when entering the campus. Foreigners have been required to register personal identification cards and other information. The guard at the receptionist area would then further verify the details.

The “May 4th Movement” took place on May 4, 1919. Young students called on citizens and business people to participate in demonstrations, petitions, and strikes to protest against the then Chinese Beiyang government’s disregard of public opinion and they shouted to fight against the infringement of foreign countries’ powers and for the punishment of those officials who were pro-Japan while they advocated saving the country with science and democracy.

An RFA article stated that, 70 years later, in 1989, when college students in Beijing commemorated the passing of Hu Yaobang, general secretary of the Communist Party of China, they also called out the slogan of the May Fourth Movement. The government finally used force to suppress them. Since the 100th anniversary of the “May 4th Movement” is in this year, Beijing is extremely sensitive about this date.

Source: Radio Free Asia, May 3, 2019
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/renquanfazhi/ql1-05032019092522.html

Beijing made April 15 the “State Security Education Day for All People.” On that day, the CCTV had a high-profile promotion asking the general public to look for or report “spy” activities. People can report those activities via phone, online submission, mail, or directly going to corresponding government offices. The corresponding office will give out rewards, on three levels, based on the effect of the tips. The highest reward is 500,000 yuan (US $ 74,000).

An observer of Beijing’s affairs has commented that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been looking for spies in the name of “state security” and the result has been that students have reported their teachers and friends have reported on each other. “The CCP faces three big conflicts: the conflicts between the officials and the general public; the conflicts among the ruling group, and the conflicts between the CCP and Western countries. These conflicts have led the CCP to a feeling of great insecurity. To secure its power, the CCP has been looking for ‘spies.’ First, it wants to identify the insiders in the CCP system who are not loyal to the CCP. Second, it wants to arrest members of the general public who are against the CCP. Third, (it wants to identify) the ‘infiltration forces’ from countries overseas.”

Source: Epoch Times, April 18, 2019
http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/19/4/18/n11195737.htm