In recent months, some overseas Hong Kong people have organized a letter-writing program called "Flying and Staying", hoping that even across the vast ocean, Hong Kong people overseas will have a way to send letters to those inside the wall.
Cases related to the political movement in Hong Kong have not been interrupted. More than 1,000 people have been convicted during the anti-extradition campaign. For detainees, letters are the main channel for maintaining contact with the outside world. Even though some Hong Kong people are scattered all over the world, they still hope to encourage those inside the wall through letters, but not to mention being blocked by high walls, most of them are separated by a vast ocean. Therefore, some people in Taiwan and Hong Kong have launched the "Drift and Post" program, hoping to use letters to bridge the connection between the inside and outside of the wall. Because of their longing, they insisted that even if they emigrated or went into exile, they had not forgotten anyone within the high wall.
With the completion of various "reverse extradition"-related cases, more than 1,000 people have been convicted so far, and many political prisoners are in prison. For inmates, letters are the main channel for maintaining contact with the outside world. However, under the "Hong Kong National Security Law", even though these political prisoners have been imprisoned, the authorities' suppression has continued.
The Hong Kong Security Bureau criticized without naming names in September last year that some people on remand, together with outsiders, attempted to "build up forces" in the prison and sow seeds of harm to national security. Soon after, the Hong Kong prisoner rights support organization "Stonewall Flower" collapsed due to political pressure and other factors, and the existence of the organization seemed to be taboo. However, there are still local organizations shouldering heavy responsibilities, not forgetting the prisoners, receiving letters and recruiting pen pals for them in a low-key manner.
People in Taiwan and Hong Kong organize "Flying Posts" to send warm letters from overseas into the walls
In addition to Hong Kong locals, some overseas Hong Kong people have also organized a letter writing program in recent months, called "Flying and Staying". It is hoped that even across the vast ocean, Hong Kong people overseas will have a way to send letters to those inside the wall. Peter Zai (pseudonym), the person in charge of the "Drift and Stay", said in an interview with this station on Friday (12th) that although they are already overseas and can try a new life, there is still a group of people "trapped inside the wall". Siblings are very helpless", and even some of his acquaintances really feel that they are "discarded". He hopes to let the prisoners know that they are not abandoned through letters, and said, "Other places may not help, but writing such a simple and low-cost thing is exactly what the people inside the wall need and the only thing we can do. of".
Peter said: I didn’t think so before (some inmates are discarded after use), everyone will still discuss the environment around them, but gradually many people went to the UK, and the environment in the whole of Hong Kong has also deteriorated. It may be discussed. There are really fewer people. I heard that they (Correctional Services staff) will deliberately bully some younger siblings, especially when they have no credit, they will tell them, "Look, those people ignore you." Gradually, some inmates will really wonder if they really did something wrong, and why are people outside ignoring me. In fact, it is very difficult for us to feel that you are not the first, and you are not told by a friend. So if you listen to others to share, you will find that writing a letter is so meaningful.
Contact at home and abroad has weakened, hope to reconnect by writing letters
Living overseas, Peter agrees that due to various factors such as different living environments and the narrowing of news information, he feels that the distance between overseas and Hong Kong people who are still in Hong Kong is getting farther and farther. Therefore, he hopes to be a bridge in the middle. By writing a letter Reconnect overseas with Hong Kong people inside the wall.
Peter said: One of the reasons is news, there is less news, unlike the previous (there) "Apple", "Stand" and "News". And I think the environment on both sides is always different, and our environment in Taiwan and the UK is also very different. I think this government knows that this will be the case, so to a certain extent, it wants to force everyone to leave, so that you can't gather people. What I think is understandable is that I respect that everyone has to live their own lives, because if you don't have your own life, just thinking about the struggle is actually very difficult to maintain. So while living our own lives, we use the remaining strength to reconnect with (everyone).
Write a letter to remind yourself why you can't "go home"
Although the separated Hong Kong people also have their own difficulties in life, Peter said that he knows many friends not to care about the people behind the wall, but he has no way to start, and he does not know how to open the conversation. Therefore, he also hopes to hold some workshops in the future, so that not only overseas Hong Kong people can get in touch, but also people with more experience in letter writing can share their confidence in writing. More importantly, he believes that letter writing is also a way of refusing to forget.
Peter said: I would like to remind everyone that when I have time to write a letter, I remind myself why I can't go back to Hong Kong, I can't "go home".
In addition to Taiwan, Hong Kong people from about 5 countries can also join to write letters
Overseas mailing may have the risk of loss, but Peter chose to give up typing on a computer, and then a Hong Kong friend would help to photocopy it and send it by local mail. He insisted on writing letters by hand because he felt that writing every word by hand was warmer than typing on a computer.
In addition to collecting letters from Taiwan, they also cooperate with Hong Kong people living in the United Kingdom, Norway, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, so that more overseas Hong Kong people can participate in sending letters back to Hong Kong. For example, "Scotty" in the UK, "Hong Kong People in Germany Association" in Germany, etc., will assist in receiving letters locally.
When it comes to the fall of "Stonewall Flower", Hong Kong now has very little room to establish prisoner rights support organizations. Peter believes that the Hong Kong government should crack down on some high-profile and appealing organizations, but when you don't have a high-profile contact with people, you can Less, limited influence. Nonetheless, he said everyone wanted to continue to struggle to survive.