Missed Notifications

MISSED NOTIFICATIONS A round-up of Asian and Asian American news in 2019

3.31.19 HONG KONG PROTESTS BEGIN

In February 2018, while vacationing in Taiwan, 20-year-old Poon Hiu-wing was murdered by her boyfriend Chan Tong-kai. Both were residents of Hong Kong. Despite his confession, Chan could not be charged because the courts of Hong Kong did not have jurisdiction over the crime, which was committed in Taiwan. As a result, the Hong Kong government proposed an extradition bill that would allow the transfer of criminal suspects to any jurisdiction with which Hong Kong lacked a formal extradition treaty. These jurisdictions include Taiwan and China. Given China’s record of human rights violations, many Hong Kong civilians feared the bill would harm their judicial autonomy and allow the Chinese government to potentially target more than just criminals. In response, the Hong Kong protests began.

This past spring, the LGBTQ+ community celebrated the legalization of same-sex marriage in Taiwan. The bill was approved on Feb. 21, 2019 by Taiwan’s cabinet and then sent to Legislative Yuan, the unicameral legislature in Taiwan, for the final pass, making Taiwan the first Asian nation to allow same-sex marriage. Many who identified as LGBTQ+ were able to come out of hiding and show pride. Over 500 same-sex couples were married on May 24, the first day the Taiwanese legislation allowed them to do so. By June 2019, more than 1,000 couples officially married. 5.24.19 TAIWAN LEGALIZES SAME-SEX MARRIAGE

4.15.19 ANDREW YANG RALLY IN D.C.

6 | fall 2019 Rallying his supporters at the Lincoln Memorial, entrepreneur Andrew Yang inspires more Asian Americans to be involved in politics and even run for office. After announcing his presidential campaign on Nov. 6, 2017, Yang became the first Asian American candidate to run for president with the Democratic Party.

5.23.19 “ABOMINABLE” PREMIERES TRAILER Abominable,” the first co-production between DreamWorks and China’s Pearl Studio, is the first animated Asian-focused movie starring an Asian cast. However, the trailer drew criticism after it presented a South China Sea map that includes disputed sea territory. As a result, the film was banned in Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines.

7.15.19-Present MAUNA KEA’S THIRTY METER TELESCOPE After a decade of protests and debate, the 1.4 billion dollar Thirty Meter Telescope project resumed construction on Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano in Hawaii. The telescope’s site was first approved in April 2013 but was immediately met with criticism from environmentalists and Hawaii’s indigenous people. The land is part of an ancestral, cultural and spiritual area of the Kanaka Maoli, the aboriginal Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Their ancestry traces back to the original Polynesian settlers of Hawaii. Late October marked the 100th day since the protests began, but at this time, no final decision about the telescope has been made.

7.18.19 KYOTO ANIMATION FIRE 8.23.19-Present THE HONG KONG “CHAIN” Amidst months of protests, more than 200,000 people came together in Hong Kong, joining hands to create a human chain that was 50 kilometers long. These protesters were participating in “The Hong Kong Way” campaign, which aims to draw attention to Hong Kong’s five demands. The five demands include not characterizing the protesters as rioters, amnesty for arrested protesters, independent inquiry into alleged police brutality, implementation of complete universal suffrage and the withdrawal of the extradition bill. As of September, only the demand to withdraw the extradition bill has been met. As clashes and conflicts between protesters and the police force continue, protesters hope foreign pressures will help secure democracy in Hong Kong.

An arson attack occurred at Kyoto Animation studio in Kyoto, Japan, resulting in the death of 33 people and the injury of 36 others. The suspect, Shinji Aoba, claims the studio plagiarized his novel and work. Denying claims of plagiarism, the company has publicly extended condolences to all victims.