TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Thai activists were seen on Tuesday (Nov. 24) waving the Taiwanese independence flag during a protest near the Chinese embassy in Bangkok.
On Tuesday, Thai activists staged a rally near the Chinese embassy in Bangkok waving the Taiwanese independence flag, Hong Kong pro-democracy flag, the Taiwanese flag, and the flag of Tibet in the spirit of the Milk Tea Alliance. The Milk Tea Alliance refers to an alliance of Thai, Taiwanese, and Hongkongese netizens originally formed in response to attacks by Chinese trolls against Thai celebrity Vachirawit Chivaaree and his girlfriend Weeraya Sukaram for their perceived support of pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong and Taiwan independence activists.
Thai journalist Patpicha Tanakasempipat (Twitter ID @patpichatan), posted a photo of the rally that same day and wrote that the activists wanted to demonstrate support for the three Hong Kong pro-democracy activists: Joshua Wing, Ivan Lam, and Agnes Chow. They have been remanded in custody for leading anti-government protests in front of Hong Kong police headquarters last year.
The green and white banner is the flag of the World Taiwanese Congress (WTC), which was formed in 2001 and is often used by pro-independence protesters in Taiwan. The black and white banner is known as the Black Bauhinia flag and is a modified version of the official flag of Hong Kong that first came to the forefront during the 2019 protests and is frequently used by pro-democracy protesters.
The flag of Tibet, also known as the "snow lion flag," was the banner for the polity of Tibet from 1916 to 1951. After the 1959 Tibetan Rebellion, the 14th Dalai Lama adopted the flag for the Tibetan Government in Exile, and it is now used by supporters of Tibetan independence.
Tanakasempipat wrote that Thai activists were grateful to their Hong Kong counterparts for being "allies" and supporting their protests. She added that the plight of Hong Kong dissidents has become a rallying point for Thais who compare the crackdown by Beijing to the authoritarian measures adopted by their own government.
(Twitter, @patpichatan photo)
