The ongoing challenges to democracy in Asia – DW News

Many regions in Asia saw challenges to their democratic form of governance in 2021. But there were always people who stood up to abuses of power. We look at how in Myanmar, Hong Kong, India and the Philippines.

Student ‘Democracy Wall’ disappears as Hong Kong’s Chinese University removes protest posters

Only around half a dozen stickers – dating back to the 2014 Umbrella Movement protests – were still stuck on the message boards when HKFP visited on Friday. A pro-democracy message board at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has been reduced to a blank wall after school authorities stripped off protest posters and

Outcry as memorial to Tiananmen Square victims removed from Hong Kong University

Site of the Pillar of Shame at city’s oldest university under guard after workmen cut up statue Hong Kong’s oldest university and the territory’s authorities have been accused of rewriting history after cutting up and removing a statue mourning those killed in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. The erasure of the memorial from where it

Record low turnout for Hong Kong “patriots only” election

Pro-Beijing candidates claimed victory in Hong Kong’s Legislative Council (LegCo) election under the new “patriots only” system, per Reuters. Why it matters: This was the first LegCo since Beijing lawmakers passed a sweeping law to ensure only “patriotic” figures can run for positions of power — which U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken called a “denial of democracy.” Voter turnout was the lowest

Hong Kong press freedom is in ‘free fall’ as China’s journalism crackdown goes global, says Reporters Without Borders

In its latest report on the state of journalism in China, Reporters Without Borders says “the repression no longer spares Hong Kong, once a champion of press freedom.” A prominent international media watchdog says press freedom in Hong Kong is in “free fall,” as it voices concern over the increasing sophistication with which the Chinese

University of Hong Kong orders removal of Tiananmen Massacre statue after 24 years, artist ‘shocked’

“It is really difficult to remove it. It is really not fair to remove it in a week while it’s been there for 24 years,” artist Jens Galschiøt told HKFP, saying he may take legal action if it is destroyed. The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has requested the now-disbanded organiser of Hong Kong’s Tiananmen

Hong Kong: Police raid Tiananmen Square museum

A museum commemorating the deadly 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown has been raided by Hong Kong police. Officers were later seen carrying exhibits out of the June 4 Museum. Four members of the group that ran the museum, the Hong Kong Alliance, were detained on Wednesday – including prominent pro-democracy activist and barrister Chow Hang Tung.

Hong Kong’s Population Shrinks By 89,000 in Just 12 Months

Hong Kong’s population kept falling at a record pace over the past 12 months, as people left the city in the wake of the pandemic and the national security law that curtailed protest and dissent. The city saw an outflow of 89,200 residents in the year that ended in June, leaving its population at about

Hong Kong police arrest authors of a children’s book in latest free speech crackdown – PBS

Hong Kong authorities arrested the authors of a children’s book this week and accused them of sedition. The book, “Defenders of Sheep Village,” explores the politics of a protest movement, facing off against an increasingly assertive China using animals. Nick Schifrin has the story.

Hong Kong: PTU disbands after govt, state media accusations

The Professional Teachers’ Union (PTU) announced on Tuesday that it is disbanding, around a week after the government severed ties with the body as it came under attack by state media. In a letter to its members, the union described the decision to disband as “unwanted and difficult”, but said it was one made after