In March, Yuen Hong Tam, editor of the “Great Translation Movement,” flew directly from his home in Hong Kong to San Francisco and was subsequently detained in an immigration prison in Los Angeles after seeking political asylum at the airport. With the attention and assistance of overseas democracy activists and Hong Kong human rights groups, he was granted bail this Monday.
The chairman of the China Democratic Party Headquarters, Zheng Cunzhu, stated that last Friday afternoon, they handed over the raised $12,500 bail money to the immigration authorities and later learned that the bail was approved. However, due to the immigration officers in New York having already left work, it wasn’t until Monday that the news of Yuen Hong Tam being released from the Golden State Annex prison finally arrived.
The Hong Kong immigrant known as “Fragile Gentleman,” who has been closely following Yuen Hong Tam’s situation, expressed great joy upon hearing the news: “Finally, a huge weight has been lifted off my chest. I am quite excited, having spent so much time and energy to help him, and finally, he is out.” According to him, Yuen Hong Tam has now arrived in a city with a large Chinese community and is taking care of matters such as getting a SIM card and renting a place.
Yuen Hong Tam participated in the Great Translation Movement in 2022, which translated the Chinese Communist Party’s internal propaganda and the extreme rhetoric of “little pink” supporters regarding global affairs and hot topics into multiple languages for release on overseas social media platforms, exposing the stark contrast in narratives crafted by the authorities domestically and internationally. The Chinese Communist Party criticized the movement for “smearing China” and labeled it a “color revolution” through a series of articles in the party’s media outlet, Global Times.
According to unofficial sources, more than forty editors involved in the Great Translation Movement have been successively arrested by the Chinese Communist Party. Yuen Hong Tam, residing in Hong Kong at the time, expressed concerns about his safety due to the Hong Kong National Security Law enacted in 2020 and the Article 23 legislation passed in March this year, prompting him to seek asylum in the United States. However, he did not anticipate being detained in an immigration prison and needing to post bail for release. After Zheng Cunzhu revealed the need to raise bail money for Yuen Hong Tam, a Hong Kong human rights organization responded positively.
To expedite Yuen Hong Tam’s release, the China Democratic Party Headquarters designated a portion of party funds, and some individual members generously contributed. “We hope he will be released soon so he can prepare his case and relevant evidence,” said Zheng Cunzhu, noting that much of Yuen Hong Tam’s information is stored on his personal computer and phone, which are crucial for his case and a fair trial.
The Great Translation Movement has been targeted by Chinese authorities with propaganda smears, with Global Times even considering it a part of China’s “peaceful evolution,” which led to the arrest of certain editors by Chinese police.
The Great Translation Movement, along with the earlier Blank Paper Movement, erupted following the start of the Russia-Ukraine war and around the end of the epidemic, with predominantly young participants, including those born after 2000. Zheng Cunzhu stated that movements opposing authoritarianism in China share this characteristic.
“Young people are more concerned about social and political issues; moreover, they have the ability to bypass censorship and are more willing to access information from various sources and overseas,” Zheng Cunzhu explained. “After all, they are young and in the stage of seeking knowledge, either actively or passively, they will gradually encounter real information.”
He and his fellow activists hope to utilize Yuen Hong Tam’s case to gather relevant information on the Great Translation Movement. “We plan to provide this information to members of Congress, the U.S.-China Commission, and U.S. government authorities to raise awareness and importance of this movement, and include the situation of Chinese Communist oppression in the next year’s human rights report on China.”
“Fragile Gentleman” remarked that with every social change, there will always be a small group of passionate individuals willing to sacrifice without counting personal gains or losses. He hoped that Yuen Hong Tam would be granted political asylum in the United States, stating that this decision is not only based on humanitarian considerations but also aligns with the interests of the United States. ◇