Dokumentární film: Hongkong – Hledání světla (full EN)

The implementation of the national security law a year ago has changed everything in this city. The law is harsh and vaguely defined. The maximum sentence is a life in prison. With more than 50 people taken into custody on suspicion of violating the law. At the age of almost 80, John Clancy became the first American arrested under the national security law. Suddenly, the media is attacked. No one is clear where the line is drawn. It's the first time authorities have cited media articles as potentially violating the national security law. It's a political crackdown and it's also playing some sort of a psychological warfare. For the staff of the independent media, the Epoch Times and NTD Television in Hong Kong, how should they handle themselves moving forward? If Hong Kong really becomes like mainland China, can it continue here? Can I really pass this life and death test? For the Epoch Times reporter, Sarah Liang, May 11th of 2021 was an unforgettable day. In the morning, on the sidewalk outside her apartment, Sarah was attacked by an unidentified man with an aluminum bat. I saw a car across the street. A big man came out of the car with a bat. I thought he was playing. Then a woman was shouting, help, I'm being beaten. The assailant beat Sarah's leg repeatedly with the bat and then fled the scene in a black Mercedes. I think this is a signal to all the media members in Hong Kong, those who are still on the front line, that they want to silence us. They also want to intimidate Falun Gong practitioners and make us disappear in Hong Kong. So I think we cannot be silent. The Epoch Times and NTD Television were founded by Falun Gong practitioners in the early 2000s to break through the Chinese Communist Party's news censorship and report the truth. Under the non-stop surveillance of the CCP, the media's safety has been threatened, their facilities vandalized, and their advertisers harassed and intimidated. Sarah joined the Epoch Times and NTD when they were first established. As a volunteer for 20 years, she has experienced all kinds of difficulties, including verbal and physical attacks. After the attack, I felt weak both in my mind and body. It's hard to imagine that I would be attacked. As a woman, I feel vulnerable. A month before she was attacked, Sarah realized she was being followed and secretly kidnapped. She was also verbally harassed. On April 26th, Sarah released a video showing a man running away after she confronted him. At the same time, Falun Gong practitioners' booths were vandalized. The CCP's mouthpiece in Hong Kong, Ta Kung Pao, published a series of articles attacking Falun Gong. The Epoch Times printing press was also damaged by armed men. At the time, I was coming back from recycling some old newspapers. When I passed by the water machine at the door, I saw a man on the phone. He came up to me and said, ask Mr. Zhu to come out and talk. I said, there's no Mr. Zhu here. I looked to the door and saw Eva talking to a man. I didn't know this man. After talking to him, I went to close the door, but he blocked it with his foot. He said, go in, go in. I said, we don't have the person you're looking for. Would you please leave? Shortly after, some people rushed in. They all had sledgehammers. A lot of people, I don't know how many, but it felt like a lot rushed in. I thought, oh no, we're in trouble. Four men smashed printing machines, consoles and computers with sledgehammers. They also poured construction debris on top of the equipment. This was the fifth and most serious attack against the Epoch Times. Printing was not restored until a few days later. Terror is everywhere. Sarah's husband is well aware of his wife's situation. He said, who should I call if something happens to you? Then he said, do you want to pack some bags with necessities? If you were arrested, I wouldn't be in such a hurry. For Hong Kongers, the future seems bleak. Many have been forced to move to other countries. Even those who support the government are busy moving their financial assets abroad because they know that Hong Kong's status as a free port is gone. In the past, it was the Hong Kong people who supported democracy and the people of the mainland. During the Great Famine of the 1960s, when hundreds of thousands of starving Chinese poured into Hong Kong, Hong Kongers provided them with food and warmth. When natural disasters occurred in China, donations from Hong Kong were almost always the highest. After the Tiananmen Massacre, it was Hong Kongers who helped the protesters escape from the mainland. And have commemorated the victims year after year. But now, Hong Kongers are facing horrors similar to the people in mainland China. On June 4, 2020, the annual vigil that has been a tradition for 30 years was not approved by the police for the first time. A year later, Li Chouyin, the democratic movement leader who gave the speech and organized the rallies, was sent to prison, along with other politicians and activists. In 2021, the government once again refused to approve the vigil and vowed to punish the organizers and participants severely. If anyone takes part in or advertises or publicizes an unauthorized assembly, the maximum penalty is five years' imprisonment. Sarah understands what this political climate means. As a U.S. citizen, she could have chosen to live in the United States safely, but she has different plans for her life. As a journalist, I hope to record history. As a person of faith, I wish that we can bring hope to more people in the darkest of times. If I go to the United States, when they have something going on, I can't stand with them. Hong Kong needs people like us to stay here. Knowing the danger clearly, we still choose to stay here and keep going, withstanding the pressure every day. This is a constant test of our courage. Choosing to stay here is not an easy commitment. Even today I know it's not easy to make it. But I think, in fact, once people understand what they really want, they will not be defeated by fear. Like Sarah, despite the threats and intimidation, many of the staff at Hong Kong Epoch Times have chosen to persevere. As a Falun Gong practitioner, I'm not afraid. If I was afraid, I would not have worked here. Before coming here, the press had been vandalized many times. I wouldn't have dared to work here if I were afraid. I think, under the current situation in Hong Kong, more courageous people need to come forward and speak out. Our Hong Kong was a free place, but what we used to have seems to be completely gone. I am in my 60s. I will do as much as I can for the next generation. In March 2021, police harassed Epoch Times reporter Rachel Wong's family in China and warned her of violating the national security law. Are you concerned about your safety? Yes. In fact, I do have concerns. However, as I said in previous programs, both fear and courage exist. I need to transcend fear with courage. I don't want to say I'm very brave. I mean, I think that my motivation is higher than my fears. Although the leaders of the Democratic Freedom Movement were arrested one after another, Hong Kongers haven't given up hope. 47 people who participated in the Democratic primary election were arraigned at the West Kowloon Magistrate's Court today. More than a thousand people came to support them. In the past, the government banned all rallies and marches in the name of social gathering restriction. But today, we make our voices heard by lining up. In the past, the government didn't allow us to vote. So we will use our numbers to show our support for our leaders. When people tell you Hong Kong is finished, that is not true. We're not finished. The situation is tense, but we have to be brave, but we have to be wise. And you tell the world, Hong Kong is not finished. No way. Starting March 1st, the bail hearings for the 47 Democratic activists lasted four days. Several were sent to the hospital due to exhaustion. On the fourth night, the magistrate announced that 15 defendants were granted bail, but the Justice Department appealed the decision. The defendants' family members were devastated. Charging primary election candidates under the national security law is already absurd. The trial over the past few days has not only tormented the defendants, their families and friends, but also the Hong Kong people who are fighting for democracy and freedom. Hong Kong's rule of law has degenerated. It's dead. Since its establishment, Hong Kong has never been so dejected. However, although we are miserable, we will surely be reborn from the fire. But the Communist Party won't. It will face doom. By the first anniversary of the national security law, Hong Kong authorities have arrested 117 people. More than 60 have been charged. Under the reign of terror, Hong Kongers are silently resisting. An umbrella, a poster, expresses their voices. But even this small gesture seems intolerable to the authorities. On May 6th, national security police officers searched the Chickie Duck store because the owner, Herbert Chow, was displaying and selling resistance souvenirs. I'm visiting Herbert Chow's new store. It is the fourth day of opening. After the national security police's search yesterday, I can see that the business is especially good today. This is also targeted. Just now I interviewed some people. They said that this store is not big enough. You need to open a bigger one and open more stores. They also said that the more you are told to be silent, the more you should speak out. Yes, Hong Kongers are always like that. From my Deepark store to this one, they are so supportive. I don't know how to express my appreciation. I can see that at this depressing time, so many business owners are still willing to come forward and openly support the suppressed students and activists. As students or Hong Kongers, we are obligated to support them. I myself believe that it is meaningful to stay here. After all this land, Hong Kong is our home, our hometown. It is too sad to leave here. I believe that as long as we persist and encourage those around us, we will one day overcome this fear and get over this low point. In Hong Kong, there are many businessmen like Herbert Chow. Hello, everyone. Today, we have invited singer Sunny Lam. If we are familiar with the movements in Hong Kong, we know that many of his songs are quite popular. So far, I'm satisfied. But I still have a long way to go. I think the success of this song is the result of the participation of many pro-democracy stories. Yeah, it is so touching. Every scene makes people feel that Hong Kongers haven't given up, even under the current circumstances. After the national security law, do you feel any creative constraints and pressure? Absolutely. The national security law has given me a lot of pressure. While I am afraid, I don't think I should be. I have to go on. I cannot fall into the trap of fear. I'll go on as long as I can. I'll sing whenever I can, until the day I can't go on. Hong Kongers are very special. They have been through many hardships and trials. They have walked a similar path as Falun Gong practitioners, whose tribulations began 20 years earlier. As a Falun Gong practitioner, Sarah has experienced the CCP's persecution for 20 years. The policy of destroying practitioners' reputations, incomes and bodies has led to their vilification, isolation, loss of financial resources, loss of freedom and even death. But those who have righteous beliefs will not give up. No matter how difficult, they will persevere. Today, the Hong Kongers really feel that. What the CCP has done to Falun Gong practitioners will be applied to them as well. The response of practitioners has enlightened them that with truthfulness, compassion and forbearance, they can tackle the dark force. In the days of suffering, I learned to improve myself through forbearance and achieving spiritual advancement. When I was a child, I saw posters of Falun Gong. Truthfulness, compassion and forbearance. I have begun to understand forbearance better since 2019. What do I think about Falun Gong practitioners? They must be suffering. They must have gone through a dark time. But I see that every one of them is holding on to the light and continuing to light up the darkness. This is what I really appreciate. Many people truly believe that Falun Gong is good. Even if they don't cultivate, they remember the three words, truthfulness, compassion and forbearance, how to deal with persecution with compassion, insist on telling the truth and how to face suffering with forbearance. Security was tight overnight Friday in Hong Kong as police locked down a park that hosts an annual vigil for the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown on pro-democracy protesters. Police in the thousands patrolled the streets. Small scuffles flared in one part of the city and at least six people were arrested in total. Despite fears, some assembled holding lights near the cordoned off park. I'm both a little nervous and scared. But you still come out. Yes. Whenever someone is showing some determination, others will come out. If we all accept the state of affairs, eventually a day will come when things that take place in the mainland will happen in Hong Kong. Nowadays, I just wish my songs can bring Hong Kongers a little more strength. In the end, it may become very dark and we may need to look for a new way out. But I think Hong Kongers will find a new way. I think Hong Kong is still a blessed place. The blessing lies in the fact that its people see the Communist Party's evilness clearly and they refuse to be with it. This is what makes Hong Kong truly precious. This land, when we compare it to a battlefield, then Hong Kongers are at the foremost front line. The people who are fighting here need to go through many hardships in order to fight like an elite force and hold the line. Those who remain in Hong Kong may have made a wish in history that they would play such a role in this battle, in the front line of resisting the CCP. Therefore, we Falun Gong practitioners will also stay in Hong Kong and stand with you. We are connected in our destiny. So we often say that we connect. Different people with different beliefs can connect together. Because we all want this land to have freedom and our hearts to have compassion. The light of truthfulness, compassion and forbearance will fill Hong Kong with hope.