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Hong Kong: The Umbrella Revolution
|by Nilantha Ilangamuwa( September 30, 2014, Hong Kong SAR, Sri
Lanka Guardian)The Hong Kong Wall of Shame is filling up with
yellow ribbons which are giving a sharp tone to the true sound of
freedom. The barrier is no longer a barrier, it has turned into a
tool of expression and expectation of the future. Iron bars
surrounding the legislative council, known as LegCo, has been
renamed the Hong Kong Wall of Shame by the protestors. Admiralty,
Hong Kong, September 29, 2014 - Photograph by Nilantha
IlangamuwaThe mass movement was unimaginably in Hong Kong and
filled the major roads in this global economic hub. Most of the
protestors are by young eager youth with smart phones, urging the
government to accept their demand; the demand, for total democracy.
In other words the right to vote and elect the ruler of their
choice by democratic means, which, has been denied since the
handover in 1997.The protest is not an accident but rather a
well-planned act of opposition to what the people in general dont
want. It is an act of civil disobedience in an hour of need.Bob
Kraft, who is sitting in front of the Hong Kong Wall of Shame and
helping those are coming forward with their symbol of solidarity.
Bob has lives in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR)
for over twenty years and is actively involved in the many
political and social movements. Like most of the protestors he also
using his smart phone to convince the people of the importance of
the protest and urging more to join while spreading messages among
social networks.They, the protestors came into the streets as the
central government maintained a hardline on what the majority of
Hong Kong people have been dreaming about for years.The students
are not only protesting against the government. Hundreds of them
are helping others while supplying essentials and cleaning the
streets. They are taking care of their Motherland while urging for
universal suffrage in 2017." Hong Kong Wall of Shame" Admiralty,
Hong Kong, September 29, 2014 - Photograph by Nilantha IlangamuwaI
walked inside the protest areas, along with two friends, and we
were able to cover a large section of the protest in the three
hours we were there. However, it was an impossible task to cover
the entire protest as hundred thousand people gathered and
non-violently engaged in this mass mission of what they hope will
achieve, total freedom through the Umbrella Revolution.Many who
joined the protest are students. Most of them have an idea of why
they were joined the protest and what made them to join. None of
them are blindfolded.It was hundred times more than what I
experienced (click here to read my previous article titled,
Scholarism: Walking The Frontier) in 2012, when the group of
students raised their voices against what they called, educational
reforms introduced by the central government.
But unfortunately most of student leaders, including Joshua Wong
Chi Fung, a seventeen year old student, who was a driving force of
organising students in 2012, against the Beijing sponsored National
Education Curriculum, were arrested and later released. The latest
reports indicated that over 80 people were arrested by the
police.Meanwhile, the reports has been widely reproduced the
numbers of those who wounded and the use of tear gas. However, some
protestors reported that the police used rubber bullets as
well.Admiralty, Hong Kong, September 29, 2014 - Photograph by
Nilantha IlangamuwaWe dont have anger against police, we understood
they are doing what they were ordered to do, one of students
said.The tension erupted in this semi-autonomous region, months
after Leung Chun-ying, who is the third and present Chief Executive
of the Executive Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative
Region was installed in the post by the central government. His
unpopularity and political beliefs pulled him into a hot pot of
many issues.Nevertheless, there were fearful speculations among
people in Hong Kong that the Chinese military may be directly
involved to quell the non-violent protest. But Leung denied the
rumour and carried on with is work while ignoring what most of
protestors think as essential.He must come down and talk to the
people, Hiew Sik Ho (16), high school student from Kowloon, said.He
went on to say, if he (the Chief Executive) really thinks about
people in this country, he must resign then we have to find a way
to solve this very problem in Hong Kong.I wish if we could finish
the protest and start our normal life tonight, but it all depends
on the Chief Executive and his government, he added.Hong Kong,
September 29, 2014 - Photograph by Nilantha IlangamuwaHowever, as a
daily newspaper based in the territory pointed out in its editorial
today (30 September), the options are rather limited. First, it
could escalate the use of force at all costs to crack down hard on
the protestors to reopen the roads. But use of greater force will
risk plunging Hong Kong into turmoil, a very dangerous course to
take.The fears are spread, and some of parents did not allow their
children to participate in the protest as they understood potential
cruelty of the Chinese government. But students had no alternative
but to ignore their parents warnings and join the protest.Mavis
Kam, a student at the Lingnan University where she studies Human
Resource Management, had to ignore her parents strong warning to
join this remarkable civil disobedience of mass action.My parents
were opposed to me when I was seeking permission from them to join
the protest on last Sunday. They immediately mentioned about what
happened in Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989, where thousands of
innocent people were killed. They are still living with fear, so
they dont want to see us as next victims of the Chinese government,
Mavis told while a part of the protest in front of LegCo with her
colleagues.However; it is neither, Beijings Tiananmen Square on
June 4, 1989 nor the Leftist riots against British colonial rule in
1967 where dozens of people were killed. The situation in Hong Kong
is different from the past as the global economic hub is explored
internationally, unlike China.But an ongoing protest may create a
unique history in the former British colony against the mainland
China, as it already created global awareness and it was able to
reach every citizen in this territory to be a part.Hong Kong,
September 29, 2014 - Photograph by Nilantha IlangamuwaHours are
left, after the protesters set the deadline as the 1st October. The
National Day celebration has already been cancelled by the
government. However, the 1st October, can be turned into a day of
political turmoil if the government does not listen carefully to
the people.The moment of sensitiveness is very much important and
it must be read carefully and act wisely. One small incident can
trigger huge and an unimaginable explosion.The moment when the
people lost their trust in the government and their leadership will
be rectified when the people will not get hurt but regain their
trust. Then the positive hope will arise, allowing them to move
forward.Hong Kong, September 29, 2014 - Photograph by Nilantha
Ilangamuwa
The use of tear gas by the government revealed its unwillingness
and poor judgement to undermine the people power. Its looks like
the Chief Executive and the government are not capable of reading
the real sentiments of the public in Hong Kong while acting behalf
of the central government.I can do no better than take the words
from the late Pete Seeger to understand the energetic moments of
the youth in Hong Kong..look, I got a hammerand I got a belland I
got a song to singall over this landits the hammer of justicea bell
of freedom yeahits a song about lovebetween my brothers and my
sistersall over this land ( - Pete Seeger and Lee Hays )( The
writer can be reached at ilangamuwa@gmail.com)Posted byThavam
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