Zhang Xinyan was a member of the 'Hong Kong Parliament' wanted by the Hong Kong police. She was first detained by Thai police.
But on August 3, she was allowed to fly. She left Bangkok for Vancouver, Canada.
Zhang Xinyan, a wanted member of the 'Hong Kong Parliament'.
The Globe and Mail reports Zhang is a Falun Gong practitioner. In China, Falun Gong is banned. It is listed as an illegal organization.
Zhang had been living in Thailand since 2014. In May, Thai police discovered she had overstayed her visa. They detained her in Bangkok.
Zhang was originally scheduled to fly to Vancouver. But at the last moment before boarding, Thai police discovered her and detained her.
The 'Hong Kong Parliament' is an illegal outfit based in Toronto. It recruits worldwide. Zhang, living in Thailand, signed up. She became one of 15 members.
Then the Hong Kong Police National Security Department put a price on their heads. A HK$200,000 bounty was offered for several members, Zhang included. The charge: subverting state power, a crime under the Hong Kong National Security Law.
Reactions: Canada as a 'Gathering Place for Scum'
Zhang was reportedly applying to immigrate to Canada when she was detained.
Canada later confirmed it would take her, the thinking goes. So Thailand sent her on her way.
Canadians are split on taking in these political refugees. Some Hong Kong immigrants in Canada say the more political dissidents Canada accepts, the more it stirs up local resentment toward ethnic minorities.
Some netizens commented: Sending scum to Canada is actually quite good, making Canada a scum haven!
Ariel
** 博客文章文責自負,不代表本公司立場 **
Hong Kong police recently searched several bookstores under national security law provisions. That single police action has now snowballed into a full-blown political storm in Taiwan, with the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) working the levers behind the curtain.
A Coordinated Campaign Unfolds
Taiwanese online opinion leaders fired the first shots, flooding social media with the story. Lai Ching-te then jumped in personally, posting criticism of Hong Kong and claiming that "Taiwan once endured martial law and an authoritarian regime" and that "thought and words should never be imprisoned by political pressure."
Lai Ching-te posted his criticism within moments of the story breaking.
The DPP government's memory proves conveniently short here. It still has not explained its own refusal to renew the broadcast license of the pro-blue Chung T'ien Television (CTiTV).
One social media post was not enough for Lai. He also sent out Kuo Ya-hui, spokesperson for the so-called "Presidential Office," to deliver a joint press statement. Kuo declared that "no country should be afraid of its citizens reading, nor should it suppress freedom of speech in such a manner." She added that Taiwan will keep watching the situation in Hong Kong together with its "democratic allies."
The whole green camp then mobilized on a much wider scale. Several Taiwanese "legislators" and civil groups held a joint press conference insisting that the professional duties of bookstore and publishing staff should never be politicized or "criminalized." They called for protecting basic freedoms of reading and creative work.
The pro-green entertainment sector joined the fray, as another cog in the same propaganda machine. During a massive concert at Taipei Arena, the band Fire EX. performed "City of Two," a song co-written with Hong Kong lyricist Albert Leung (Lin Xi) that narrates the so-called democratic waves in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Mid-performance, the giant center-stage screen flashed six oversized characters reading "I am a bookstore clerk" (我是書店店員), a staged political statement disguised as a live moment.
Fire EX.'s concert took on an unmistakably political charge.
Election Season Playbook
An expert points to a clear pattern behind these "solidarity actions." The DPP government is the real orchestrator, using the Hong Kong bookstore incident to build momentum ahead of the Nine-in-One local elections on November 28. Whenever election season arrives, the DPP reliably dusts off this same playbook: amplify a Hong Kong political incident, attack the Chinese Mainland, stir up pro-independence sentiment, and harvest votes from the resulting noise.
