TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A National Taiwan University (NTU) student was arrested in Hong Kong on Saturday (June 3) as she commemorated the Tiananmen Square Massacre, prompting protests by fellow students in Taipei on Sunday (June 4).
On Saturday, the eve of the 34th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, Lau Ka-yee (劉家儀), an NTU student and member of the activist group Tiananmen Mothers, was spotted at the fountain in Victoria Park wearing a t-shirt that had a candle and the Chinese word for "truth," according to Hong Kong Free Press. Lau also had affixed red tape across her mouth and held six white roses to represent June and four red roses to mark the fourth day of that month.
Hsu Kuan-tze (center) leads protest. (CNA photo)
Lau had reportedly been preparing to go on a hunger strike for 89,643.4 seconds starting at 6:04 p.m. to commemorate the anniversary of the atrocities committed in China in 1989. However, she, along with fellow activist Kwan Chun-pong, were arrested by police on suspicion of committing "sedition."
Lau is a Hong Kong citizen who once participated in the Hong Kong District Council elections. She is a student at the NTU's Graduate Institute of Building and Planning, but since 2019, she has been on an academic leave of absence.
Hsu Kuan-tze (center) leads protest. (CNA photo)
Hsu Kuan-tze (許冠澤), the head of the NTU Graduate Student Association, and a number of fellow students at Liberty Square on Sunday publicly condemned the arrest of Lau and called on NTU administrators to provide assistance, reported CNA. They called for Lau's immediate release, NTU to take a stand, and a return to Hong Kong's freedoms.
Hsu said that it can be seen from Hong Kong media reports that Lau expressed her opinions in an artistic and peaceful way, but it was regarded by authorities as "seditious behavior," which is "ridiculous." As a free university, Hsu said NTU should take a stand and defend the right to pursue freedom.
Hsu Kuan-tze (center) leads protest. (CNA photo)
The head of the NTU Student Association, Sun Yu-chien (孫語謙), told the news agency that the NTU student was expressing her opinion peacefully in Hong Kong and condemned her "indiscriminate arrest" by police. "From this incident, we can learn that China's authoritarianism is not just their family's business. If people don't stand up, authoritarianism will spread and NTU should pay close attention to this matter," said Sun.
Hsu Kuan-tze (center) leads protest. (CNA photo)
