Thailand detained teenage activist Joshua Wong because China asked it to

       

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       Thailand detained teenage activist             Joshua Wong because China                                  asked it to!

In 2014, activist Joshua Wong became the face of Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests, also known as the Umbrella Movement, which brought key parts of the city at a standstill and drew international attention for more than two months.

Two years later, his activism earned him a detention in Thailand for 12 hours. Thai media reports that an immigration official confirmed that China had sent the government a formal request to deny Wong entry into the country, effectively barring him from the country.

He had flown to Bangkok to speak at Chulalongkorn University for a series of events commemorating the October 6, 1976 massacre of at least 46 students by government forces.

The student leader, who turns 20 years next week, claims that he was stopped in the early hours of Wednesday as he approached the immigration counters and told that he was "blacklisted" from the country without an explanation. Officials allegedly took away his passport before keeping him in a detention room for 12 hours. He was then deported back to Hong Kong later that day.

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This is not the first time Wong has suffered travel issues for his activism. Last year, he was denied entry into Malaysia, where he was supposed to speak about democracy. Wong wrote in a Facebook post that he had been worried his experience would be repeated, with his fears realized when he found "more than 20 law enforcement officials" waiting for him at the immigration area. Representatives approached him and asked whether he was Joshua Wong before confiscating his passport and bringing him to a detention room.

"I hadn't felt this kind of fear in a long time," wrote Wong, adding that the last time he felt like his "heart was going to jump out of his chest" was when he was arrested the day before the Umbrella Movement protests began.

He further explained that If such an incident had happened in Hong Kong, he would have been able to contact his lawyer, the media and friends to help. But because he was in an "unfamiliar" environment and didn't even have the chance to connect to the airport Wi-Fi, he had no means of communicating with the "outside world".

"The result was that I obediently handed over my passport..." said the post.

He added that out of the little English they spoke to him, all he understood was the word "blacklist."

When he repeatedly demanded to know the legal justification behind his detention and to see a lawyer, he recounted that all the officials would reply was "NO."

He claims he complained to the police about their failure to follow legal procedures, and that a police officer replied: "You know that this is Thailand, the conditions are the same as China, and different from Hong Kong."

They also told him: "You know that we can treat you well like we are right now, or we can make things very difficult for you, we're sure you understand what we can do."

A year ago, Gui Minhai, a Chinese-born Swedish publisher, mysteriously disappeared while on vacation in Thailand. He was one of three shareholders of a Hong Kong publisher that was known for selling books banned in mainland China. Three months later, he appeared on Chinese state-owned television confessing to a fatal car accident that occurred in 2003.

In response to an email inquiry, the Hong Kong government said: "We respect the right of other jurisdictions in exercising immigration control and making decisions in accordance with their laws. We will not, and should not, interfere."

"After learning that Mr. Joshua Wong was refused entry and pending repatriation, staff of the Embassy requested the Thai authorities to ensure Mr. Wong's legitimate interests be protected."

Wong concluded in his Facebook post that more and more young pro-democracy activists around the world are uniting and learning from each other, and hopes they can fight for democracy, equality, and justice together.

The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment did not respond to a request for comment.

Want to give a huge thank you to VICE NEWS for the story. I do not own the rights to this story I only shared it on Traveling Activist to share this brave Activist story with the blogs million viewers. Go to VICE NEWS to discover more about this story.

Behind bars, Hong Kong political activist Joshua Wong remains in good spirits

Behind bars, Hong Kong political activist Joshua Wong remains in good spirits

“We are here to visit a friend,” I said to the guard at the entrance.
Tiffany, Joshua Wong Chi-fung’s long-time girlfriend, trailed behind me. It was our first time visiting Joshua at Pik Uk Correctional Institution and neither of us quite knew what to expect.

Tweet posted by Joshua Wong Chi-fung

After a brief registration process, Tiff and I headed straight to the main building, almost sprinting to evade a pair of paparazzi. Once inside, we deposited our belongings in a locker and walked through an X-ray gantry. Tiff held on to a bag of personal supplies for Joshua.
Ex-Bar Association head wants Hong Kong justice chief to clear the air on jailing of activist trio

Visitors are permitted to bring basic items for inmates, but they must meet stringent prison requirements. Tiff knew the only way to guarantee compliance was to purchase everything – from notebooks to batteries and undergarment – at the general store near Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre, where Joshua spent his first night after his sentencing.

A short wait later, an officer called our number. Tiff and I located Joshua’s booth and there he was: the same scrawny boy with a different haircut. He flashed a Cheshire cat smile, clearly elated to see his girlfriend. In an instant, I went from second visitor to third wheel. Tiff picked up the handset to chat. I saw Joshua’s lips move but couldn’t hear him. The thick glass walls separating prisoners from visitors were certifiably soundproof. What did come through, however, was his good spirits.

Pik Uk Correctional Facility is located in Sai Kung in the New Territories. Photo: AFP
Tiff spoke in rapid-fire spurts, updating Joshua on personal and political matters with determined efficiency. While they talked, a smiling prison guard saw me standing behind Tiff and walked over to offer me a chair. I declined but thanked him profusely. “Your turn,” Tiff said, handing me the handset after some 10 minutes. Mindful that every second I took would be one fewer for the two of them, I rushed through what I needed to discuss.

Image from Vice News

I was most concerned about Joshua’s living conditions and bombarded him with questions. He told me the juvenile ward was surprisingly airy and that most nights he could barely feel the summer heat. “I even need a thin blanket at night,” he said. “It’s much better than sleeping on concrete during Occupy.” He worried somewhat about the physical training as he ... doesn’t answer well to strict commands

I asked him about any abuse, and he assured me there had been none whatsoever. He had just completed a seven-day “orientation”. He was expected to begin language and maths classes with other young inmates. He worried somewhat about the physical training – jogging and marching – as he isn’t the athletic type and doesn’t answer well to strict commands.

I asked him what the hardest part was about being behind bars. “Passing the time,” he sighed. “Every day I rack my brain to keep myself occupied.” He had nearly finished the six books that visitors are allowed to bring him each month. I wanted to know if he had a message for his supporters.

“Please tell everyone I’m doing fine and not to worry about me. Instead, ask them to help Demosisto in any way they can,” he said, referring to his pro-democracy political party. “The majority of our core members are, or will soon be, in jail,” he added. “But we won’t give up.”
The rest of the 30 minutes went by quickly. We knew time was up when several uniformed officers suddenly appeared to escort the inmates back to their cells. Joshua got up and waved goodbye, training his eyes on Tiff and still smiling from ear to ear. It was sweet and heartbreaking. Two student activists jailed along with Joshua Wong in Hong Kong moved to separate prisons

All things considered, Joshua has adjusted well to the new environment.
What’s more, based on my limited interaction with the staff, everyone in the juvenile ward seemed to be courteous and helpful. Nothing suggested Joshua was being treated with anything but respect and professionalism. Perhaps his fame had afforded him some protection.
All that may change after Joshua turns 21 in October, when he will be transferred to the adult ward. There, he will be required to work every day – be it carpentry, laundry, kitchen duties or repairs and maintenance – to earn his keep. And he will have to adapt to a new routine all over again.

Jason Y NG

This Article was created by Jason Y Ng, a columnist and author of several books, including Umbrellas in Bloom: Hong Kong’s Occupy Movement Uncovered. I own no rights to the work above I am only sharing this on the Traveling Activist to keep the followers informed of current events involving Activist all over the world.