Wanted Former Hong Kong Councilor Carmen Lau: 'Fighting to Protect the Future'

(Central News Agency, Oslo, 3rd) The Oslo Freedom Forum opened on the 1st, and former Hong Kong district councilor Carmen Lau was invited to give a keynote speech. Lau, who is currently wanted by the Hong Kong government, told Central News Agency that the core of the democratic struggle lies in the pursuit of freedom and the future, not merely passive 'anti-communist' resistance. She noted that the democratic resilience shown by Taiwanese society in recent years is evident to all, and that Taiwan and Hong Kong should continue to support each other in the transmission of daily culture and identity.

The Oslo Freedom Forum is held annually in Oslo, the capital of Norway, bringing together human rights defenders from around the world. Carmen Lau was one of the main speakers on the first day. In her speech, she revealed that there are currently 1,946 political prisoners in Hong Kong, who have been convicted for 'wanting to have a say in their own future.'

Lau was elected as a Hong Kong district councilor in 2019 at the age of 24, with the pro-democracy coalition winning 388 out of 452 seats. After the implementation of the 'National Security Law,' Lau was forced to resign and left Hong Kong in 2021, subsequently facing multiple arrest warrants.

Now 31 years old, Lau was placed on a wanted list by the Hong Kong government on Christmas Eve 2024 for allegedly violating the National Security Law, with a reward of one million Hong Kong dollars (approximately NT$4 million) offered for her capture.

In her speech, she pointed out that even while in exile in the UK, she faces severe cross-border repression, including neighbors receiving fabricated images generated using artificial intelligence (AI) technology to defame women. She described this as a gendered psychological warfare tactic designed to isolate and unsettle victims within their communities.

Regarding the common discussion in Taiwanese society about 'Today's Hong Kong, Tomorrow's Taiwan,' Lau told a Central News Agency reporter after her speech that Taiwanese people have witnessed Hong Kong's experiences and transformations since 2014. They have absorbed lessons from the Umbrella Movement and the 'Anti-Extradition' protests, internalizing them as their own social resilience and defense mechanisms. She stated that this achievement is now visible to everyone in the international community.

Lau emphasized that the key to democratic advocacy and struggle lies in a shift in thinking. 'We are not just opposing something; we are actually fighting for democracy and freedom,' she said.

She stated that resisting a specific enemy is relatively easy, but if the struggle is based solely on 'opposition,' actions can easily lose direction when the enemy changes form or disappears. Therefore, it is crucial to clearly understand what kind of future one is fighting to protect.

Asked how Taiwanese people can provide practical assistance to overseas Hongkongers, Lau said that for the Hong Kong diaspora scattered across the globe, 'existence itself is a form of resistance.' The most direct help Taiwan can offer is to remember and pass on its own identity and culture together with Hong Kong people, allowing the seeds of democracy to continue on free soil.

She also called on global consumers in her speech to examine their daily habits, warning against the authoritarian algorithms and propaganda control behind browsing Douyin (TikTok China) or Xiaohongshu (RED), or purchasing cheap goods from Shein and products made with forced labor.

Facing a million-dollar bounty and cross-border harassment, Lau said the driving force that sustains her in spreading 'hope' comes from 'people.' Defending democracy is not a single-region issue. Just as activists from various fields around the world contribute their efforts at the Oslo Freedom Forum, 'This is not just a Hong Konger's struggle, or a Taiwanese person's resistance. Democracy is the same for everyone; we all converge on the same path,' she said. (Editor: Tang Shengyang) 1150603