Josh Siegel
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‘Never Discouraged’: Pro-Democracy Newspaperman Joins Hong Kong Student Protesters
Josh Siegel / @JoshDailySignal / November 01, 2014 / 0 comments
Jimmy Lai (second from left), founder of Next Media, addresses pro-democracy demonstrators immediately after police released tear gas outside government headquarters. (Photo: Todd Darling/Newscom)
In mid-October, during the peak of the democracy protests in Hong Kong, decidedly different demonstrators congregated outside the printing plant of Next Media, publisher of the Apple Daily newspaper.
These demonstrators called for the fall of Jimmy Lai, the outspoken founder of Apple Daily, a pro-democracy newspaper despised by the ruling establishment in Hong Kong and China’s central government in Beijing.
The pro-Beijing demonstrators, who were annoyed by the ongoing democracy protests, blocked Apple Daily’s delivery trucks from leaving the printing plant, delaying distribution of the newspaper.
>>> Hong Kong Democracy Leader Faults China for Shattering Peace, City’s Elegance
Covering the protests in Hong Kong has not been enough for Jimmy Lai.
Lai and Apple Daily have been vocal and active in support of the protest movement. Lai has even been seen hanging among the mostly student protesters.
A little more than a month after the pro-democracy protests began — with no end in sight — Lai corresponded with The Daily Signal in an email interview.
In the Q&A below, Lai, an entrepreneur who also founded Giordano, an Asian clothing retailer, describes the challenge of reporting on the Hong Kong protests and predicts a democratic future for his adopted city.
The Daily Signal: A month into the protests, what do you see as the factors still driving them? What must the protesters do to achieve their goals?
Lai: One objective in the heart of the young people is that they don’t want to live their life with their heads down.
>>> Reasons This Pro-Democracy Leader Says Hong Kong’s Young Protesters Have Won Already
So either they fight their utmost to have true universal suffrage, or, if at the end they fail, they leave and migrate to somewhere where they share the same universal core value.
Q: You were born in China. You escaped to Hong Kong at age 12 and started a newspaper. Why did you go to Hong Kong? How “free” is the city compared to how you envisioned it might be?
A: [We came] because of our family background and bad pedigree in the eyes of the Communist regime. We were treated like animals in China. With my whole life in front of me so bleak, I had to escape.
(Jimmy Lai is a different type of business tycoon: He engages with pro-democracy student protesters in Hong Kong. )
When I escaped from China and came to Hong Kong, the contrast was that China was like hell and Hong Kong, like heaven.
Though I was very poor, I smelled the air of freedom and was full of hope for the future. That’s the way I thought heaven is.
Q: What are the challenges related to running a pro-democracy newspaper in Hong Kong?
A: Just to stand firm and don’t treat it just as a business. You run it with your own conviction. In this way, no pressure or temptation can erode your stand. And besides, it feels great to be doing the right thing.
Q: What has been the strategy for Apple Daily’s coverage of the protests? With China blacking out media coverage on the mainland, do people there find ways to read your coverage?
A: Just to be on the right side. The right side is the future that these protesters are fighting for. We fight together with them.
People inside China can read [Apple Daily] some by using proxies.
Q: Behind the scenes, how do Hong Kong’s tycoons feel about the protests? Why are they not more involved?
A: They’re annoyed by it. Because to them, democracy means free lunch. They don’t want it.
Q: Your paper also publishes in Taiwan. What has been the reception in Taiwan to the protests? Why is the democracy movement in Hong Kong important to Taiwan?
A: We have received positive response from the Taiwanese. But the response has been tepid.
They’ve long been disillusioned about China’s “one country, two systems” rhetoric.
>>> Hong Kong’s Former No. 2 Official Fields 7 Questions on the Future of Her City
They don’t believe a whit of it anyway, so Hong Kong’s Umbrella Movement has little impact on them.
Q: You have been the subject of legal, personal and physical attacks from China due to your pro-democracy views. How do you deal with that abuse? Does it ever discourage you?
A: When you have a firm conviction, those [attacks] are just a nuisance that can’t hurt you. No, I’ve never been discouraged. Actually this movement has encouraged us. We know we’ve done the right thing all along. This movement gives us the greatest career reward.
Q: Why do you still have hope for Hong Kong?
A: This movement gave me hope. These young people’s steadfast fight for their future can move mountains. If we keep this civil disobedience peaceful as it’s been, I think we have a chance to get something back.
After some days occupying in Hongkong's busy streets, some occupiers made a cleaning movement(the 1st, Nov, 2014).
http://www.appledaily.com.tw/realtimenews/article/international/20141102/498791/香港機師空姐 睡在街頭守護學生
And in this video(the 2nd part), it talks about some people who work in aviation industry, support the occupying movement after they are in their spare time.
参考： http://www.appledaily.com.tw/realtimenews/article/international/20141102/498791/香港機師空姐 睡在街頭守護學生
A new banner was hung on the highest mountain of Hong Kong on the 1st, Nov, 2014.
参考： http://www.appledaily.com.tw/realtimenews/article/international/20141101/498415/「我要真普選」 高掛香港大帽山
Several middle school boys(Big Boyz Club: a group of Secondary 3(Grade 3) middle school boys) sing some songs to show their feelings for Pro-democracy, after they went to the meeting of Pro-democracy & face the tough moment.
参考： http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4qbNOdBz6c8
http://www.appledaily.com.tw/realtimenews/article/international/20141007/483483/《?起雨傘》少年版 《催?彈》紀念928
咁大個仔冇諗過有生之年，會係香港見到真正既 催淚彈
呢個彈最大 既威力 就係將香港既歸屬感都全部打散
係鏡頭前見到學生好慘 好多人唔係現場睇電視都忍唔住喊
點解政府唔會聆聽一番 令我諗起中史既領袖會虛心納諫
【本段大意：長這麼大未想過有生之年。會在香港見到真正的。催淚彈。
這個彈最大的威力。就是將香港的歸屬感都全部打散。
在鏡頭前見到學生好慘。好多人。不在現場的人。看電視都忍不住哭。
為何政府不會聆聽。令我想起中史的領袖會虛心納諫。】
＃街道上路人在慌張走散 為城市(改革)願落力承擔
煙霧在蔓延夜空中飄散 情緒與感觀的災難
我流過的淚 傷痛一堆 手法決定使我最心碎
眼淚流過也要繼續追 群眾的呼聲 力竭不衰
那流過的淚 迫我隱退 民眾的聲響在我心裡
全城臉頰佈滿了淚水
四面楚歌亦要爭取＃ 我未累
（催淚彈本來用來保護人民 如今卻令道路鋪滿著灰塵）
（催淚彈令人要再拔足狂奔 究竟點先叫做到和平抗爭）
諗深一層香港人點解唔可以 揀一條自己選擇既 道路
制度發展條路有人會幫我鋪 點解自己既事唔係 由自己做
日日夜夜唯有周圍去投訴 投到幾時先有真正既 出路
民主精神係一齊同撈同煲 一齊討論決定究竟野 係最好
【本段大意：想深一層香港人為何不可以。選一條自己選擇的。道路。
制度發展條路有人會幫我鋪。為何自己的事不是。由自己做。
日日夜夜唯有周圍去投訴。投到幾時才有真正的。出路。
民主精神是一齊共同謀劃。一齊討論決定究竟什麼。是最好。】
重複＃
我流過的淚 傷痛一堆 難行亦要無畏面對
願望冀盼繼續列舉 群眾的呼聲千秋不衰
那流過的淚 迫我隱退 民眾的響聲你要面對
全城臉頰偏滿了淚水
四面楚歌亦要爭取 我未累 你未累 夠催淚