Opinion | The 'white terror' is sweeping through Hong Kong - The Washington Post

Steve Vines witnessed the arc of change in Hong Kong over the past 35 years. A veteran broadcaster for Radio Television Hong Kong, he hosted an English-language politics program, “The Pulse.” Among many changes in his time was the 1997 handover of Hong Kong from Britain to China, which promised to protect the territory’s traditions of free markets, self-governance and rule of law. Mr. Vines hoped China would keep its promise, but he now has fled Hong Kong, warning of the “white terror” of China’s rule.

In an email announcement of his departure to the United Kingdom, he told friends that when China passed a tough new national security law in Hong Kong to silence dissent from the pro-democracy demonstrations of 2019, he “thought that a space might still exist for people who still believed in the promises of granting Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy.” He added, “However, by the day these illusions are being shattered.“

The new law has been used to arrest and convict pro-democracy politicians and protesters. Mr. Vines told the Financial Times he became concerned after he received an informal warning through a third party from pro-Beijing figures in the city. “They have this band of people who are not officially sanctioned … who go around threatening anybody who has, so-called, stepped out of line. Unfortunately, I was one of those.”

Referring to China’s promise to maintain “one country, two systems,” Mr. Vines said, “Hong Kong is now in a very dark place as the Chinese dictatorship has slashed and burned its way through the tattered remains of the One Country, Two Systems concept.”

He also wrote, “The personal implications are clear for people who have been public advocates for democracy and liberty and have been engaged in what has become the very high-risk occupation of journalism. The white terror sweeping through Hong Kong is far from over and the near-term prospects of things getting better are simply nonexistent.” He added, “The institutions that ensure the liberty of Hongkongers are being dismantled by people who care so little that they don’t even flinch when it becomes abundantly clear that the very essence of the place is being destroyed.” The term “white terror” has been used in Hong Kong to refer to an insidious, creeping authoritarianism, resulting in dictatorship, and recalls Taiwan’s years of martial law and repression, 1947 to 1987.

Kacey Wong, an artist-activist who created a mock prison to carry through the streets in protest, has fled to Taiwan (which is now a democracy), saying it is “too dangerous to stay.” An independent digital news platform, Initium Media, said it is relocating to Singapore.

President Biden issued an advisory to businesses, investors, individuals and academic institutions last month about the deteriorating situation in Hong Kong. On Thursday, he offered temporary haven in the United States to Hong Kong residents, saying China “has continued its assault on Hong Kong’s autonomy” and is “undermining its remaining democratic processes and institutions.” As Mr. Biden likes to point out, a global contest is intensifying between democracy and dictatorship, and right now the despots are taking over Hong Kong.

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Opinion | The 'white terror' is sweeping through Hong Kong - The Washington Post
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