The participant of the “Great Translation Movement,” post-90s Hong Kong youth Yuen Hong Tam, has been detained in an immigration prison in Los Angeles for almost four months, with no knowledge of when he might be released. According to his friends, Tam Yuen Kang’s current condition is very poor, filled with anxiety and worried about being sent back to Hong Kong.
The Great Translation Movement was initiated in early 2022, with most of its members being post-90s individuals. At that time, Chinese official media frequently made statements against universal values to brainwash the domestic population, leading to a surge of anti-Japanese and anti-American sentiments in the Chinese-speaking community. Participants of the Great Translation Movement translated these remarks, especially those spread by the “little pink” supporters and pro-government media, into various languages such as English and Japanese, exposing them through self-media platforms worldwide. This has angered the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
After a report by Epoch Times in May, the situation of Tam Yuen Kang has garnered attention from his friends and the Los Angeles democracy movement. Zheng Cunzhu, the chairman of the China Democratic Party headquarters, is in contact with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in hopes of vouching for Tam Yuen Kang. However, the feedback received was that the evidence provided to the immigration authorities was insufficient. The next steps in this case remain uncertain.
Zheng Cunzhu believes that the main reason for the CCP’s crackdown on the Great Translation Movement is that the movement “has made more people in the international community understand the real Chinese society and the true face of the CCP”. The exposure of the CCP’s deception in education and propaganda has angered the authorities.
“Because the CCP has its Great Firewall, it hopes to confine such anti-Japanese, anti-American, and anti-universal values rhetoric within the Chinese-speaking community,” said Zheng Cunzhu. “The CCP does not want the outside world, or the entire globe, to know what values the Communist Party propagates, including concealing historical truths, illogical theories, and propaganda.”
Since the middle of 2022, participants of the Great Translation Movement in mainland China have been arrested or gone missing. Despite being from Hong Kong, the enforcement of the “National Security Law” under Article 23 of the Hong Kong Basic Law in March this year has made Tam Yuen Kang worry about his safety. Out of fear, he flew to the United States before the end of March and applied for asylum at the airport, leading to his transfer to the immigration detention center in Los Angeles.
According to Zheng Cunzhu, Tam Yuen Kang exposed some defamatory propaganda by the CCP during the Hong Kong anti-extradition movement through the Great Translation Movement. If he were repatriated to Hong Kong, it could be detrimental to him.
Using the pseudonym “Sydney Winnie,” Aaron Chang, another member of the Great Translation Movement alongside Tam Yuen Kang, is currently in the United States. He is very concerned about Tam Yuen Kang being sent back to Hong Kong, “He has been detained for three to four months now, and I don’t know when he will be released.”
“People who entered illegally are not detained, he (Tam Yuen Kang) entered with a valid visa and has actually made practical contributions against communism; yet, he is the one being detained, which is unbelievable,” he said.
“If he returns to his country, there is a high possibility that he will be persecuted,” Aaron Chang said. “I’m not against those who came through the wires; the domestic situation is very bad now, and many people do indeed deserve asylum. However, in compared to them, my friend has more reasons to seek asylum.”
He criticized the authorities’ practice of arresting participants of the Great Translation Movement, stating, “We are just translating what the CCP has done, I don’t understand why they are afraid of it.” Aaron said, “If they have the courage to do these things, to say these outrageous things, then they should have the courage to bear the consequences.”
Hong Kong teenager “Fragile Lord,” who came alone to the United States in August 2022, has been closely following the situation of Tam Yuen Kang and has communicated with him in prison. “His current state, it’s like waiting for death, that serious,” Fragile Lord, who got to know Tam Yuen Kang online, expressed. He hopes that more people will lend a helping hand.
During a phone interview from prison, Tam Yuen Kang also expressed deep concern about his future, stating, “I dare not imagine what would happen if I were repatriated.”
Jie Lijian, Vice Chairman and Executive Director of the China Democratic Alliance, introduced that they are paying attention to the persecution of participants in the Great Translation Movement.
According to him, to suppress the Great Translation Movement, the CCP’s National Security Bureau has set up a team to search and arrest participants across the country. Some overseas participants have also faced harassment of their relatives in China. The National Security Bureau of the CCP has even taken over the accounts of some members of the Great Translation Movement and then set traps.
“The CCP is really afraid of the Great Translation Movement, and they have set up a task force, indicating that the movement has touched a sore spot for the CCP,” Jie Lijian said. In this context, if Tam Yuen Kang is repatriated to Hong Kong, he will undoubtedly face severe persecution, potentially “disappearing” or even torture, “They (the CCP) will give you a charge, saying you have committed subversion of state power or colluded with foreign forces, then they can sentence you to more than ten years.”
Zheng Cunzhu also believes that most participants of the Great Translation Movement are ordinary netizens, and there is not enough attention from society regarding the persecution they face. “I hope everyone can pay attention to this group’s existence and the oppression they face in China and Hong Kong, and provide support for them.”
Currently, the China Democratic Party headquarters is in contact with the Chairman of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), Federal Representative Chris Smith, hoping to urge the U.S. government to support the community of the Great Translation Movement.
Jie Lijian also hopes that the CCP will immediately release the arrested members of the Great Translation Movement. He questioned, “They just translated the information issued by the CCP, without saying they wanted to overthrow the Communist Party or the government, so why arrest them? What crime did they commit?”
Additionally, Jie Lijian is preparing to launch a global petition with “Sydney Winnie” to support the Great Translation Movement, to bring more attention to the persecution faced by its members.