At only 20 years old, Hong Kong student activist Joshua Wong has probably achieved more than you ever did at that age. He’s the head of his own political party, Demosisto, and was one of the main figures of Occupy Central, the mass pro-democracy protests in 2014 that saw thousands take to the streets.
Being the teenage face of the “Umbrella Revolution“, which brought parts of Hong Kong to a standstill, has made him a target of extreme political scrutiny as well. Already, the young activist has been “blacklisted” in a few countries around the region at the request of China — Wong was detained and deported in Bangkok, and refused entry into Malaysia. Officials from both countries were under orders not to speak to the media about why Wong wasn’t allowed in.
That’s not stopping the Demosisto head from talking about freedom of expression and civil rights in Singapore though. Wong will be one of the speakers in a conference held by local non-governmental organisation Community Action Network (CAN) on Nov 26. Entitled “Civil Disobedience and Social Movements”, it will see the likes of veteran journalist Kirsten Han and documentarian Seelan Palay speaking alongside Wong, who will be joining in remotely by Skype.
At least there won’t be any uncertainty whether Wong will participate in the event. Speaking to Yahoo Singapore, CAN spokesman Jolovan Wham said, “We don’t want to waste the air ticket and get him deported.”
“I think he’s also sick and tired of being deported.”
CAN’s conference will take place at The Agora next Saturday — details available on the Facebook event page.
Words: Coconuts Singapore
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