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Hong Kong young people struggle to rebuild their lives after being jailed under Beijing's crackdown

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Hong Kong young people struggle to rebuild their lives after being jailed under Beijing's crackdown
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Hong Kong young people struggle to rebuild their lives after being jailed under Beijing's crackdown

2024-08-01 10:38 Last Updated At:10:52

HONG KONG (AP) — After spending five months in jail for publishing seditious Instagram posts, Joker Chan returned to a harsh reality.

Chan, 30, was sentenced in 2022 for posts containing slogans like “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times,” which were popularly chanted during massive anti-government protests in the city in 2019. Authorities said such slogans could imply separating Hong Kong from China — a red line for Beijing.

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Joker Chan reacts during an interview, in Hong Kong, on June 28, 2024. Chan, 30, was sentenced in 2022 for posts containing slogans like “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times,” which were popularly chanted during massive anti-government protests in the city in 2019. Authorities said such slogans could imply separating Hong Kong from China, a red line for Beijing. (AP Photo/Billy H.C. Kwok)

Joker Chan reacts during an interview, in Hong Kong, on June 28, 2024. Chan, 30, was sentenced in 2022 for posts containing slogans like “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times,” which were popularly chanted during massive anti-government protests in the city in 2019. Authorities said such slogans could imply separating Hong Kong from China, a red line for Beijing. (AP Photo/Billy H.C. Kwok)

Joker Chan's socks embroidered with the words "Hong Kong" poses for photographs after an interview, in Hong Kong, on June 28, 2024. Five years after Hong Kong's massive anti-government protests erupted, the lives of many young people like Chan who were jailed or arrested during Beijing's political crackdown on the city's pro-democracy movement remain in limbo. (AP Photo/Billy H.C. Kwok)

Joker Chan's socks embroidered with the words "Hong Kong" poses for photographs after an interview, in Hong Kong, on June 28, 2024. Five years after Hong Kong's massive anti-government protests erupted, the lives of many young people like Chan who were jailed or arrested during Beijing's political crackdown on the city's pro-democracy movement remain in limbo. (AP Photo/Billy H.C. Kwok)

Joker Chan reacts during an interview, in Hong Kong, on June 28, 2024. After spending five months in jail for publishing seditious Instagram posts, Joker Chan returned to a harsh reality. Tattoos on his arms, legs and the sides of his neck, some related to anti-government protests, made his job search more difficult. (AP Photo/Billy H.C. Kwok)

Joker Chan reacts during an interview, in Hong Kong, on June 28, 2024. After spending five months in jail for publishing seditious Instagram posts, Joker Chan returned to a harsh reality. Tattoos on his arms, legs and the sides of his neck, some related to anti-government protests, made his job search more difficult. (AP Photo/Billy H.C. Kwok)

Joker Chan stands on the street of Hong Kong, on June 28, 2024. Chan, 30, was sentenced in 2022 for posts containing slogans like “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times,” which were popularly chanted during massive anti-government protests in the city in 2019. Authorities said such slogans could imply separating Hong Kong from China, a red line for Beijing. (AP Photo/Billy H.C. Kwok)

Joker Chan stands on the street of Hong Kong, on June 28, 2024. Chan, 30, was sentenced in 2022 for posts containing slogans like “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times,” which were popularly chanted during massive anti-government protests in the city in 2019. Authorities said such slogans could imply separating Hong Kong from China, a red line for Beijing. (AP Photo/Billy H.C. Kwok)

Joker Chan's tattoos including one of his inmate number can be seen after an interview, in Hong Kong, on June 28, 2024. After spending five months in jail for publishing seditious Instagram posts, Joker Chan returned to a harsh reality. Tattoos on his arms, legs and the sides of his neck, some related to anti-government protests, made his job search more difficult. (AP Photo/Billy H.C. Kwok)

Joker Chan's tattoos including one of his inmate number can be seen after an interview, in Hong Kong, on June 28, 2024. After spending five months in jail for publishing seditious Instagram posts, Joker Chan returned to a harsh reality. Tattoos on his arms, legs and the sides of his neck, some related to anti-government protests, made his job search more difficult. (AP Photo/Billy H.C. Kwok)

The words Hongkonger can be seen tattooed to the neck of Joker Chan as he poses for photographs after an interview, in Hong Kong, on June 28, 2024. Chan, 30, was sentenced in 2022 for posts containing slogans like “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times,” which were popularly chanted during massive anti-government protests in the city in 2019. Authorities said such slogans could imply separating Hong Kong from China, a red line for Beijing. (AP Photo/Billy H.C. Kwok)

The words Hongkonger can be seen tattooed to the neck of Joker Chan as he poses for photographs after an interview, in Hong Kong, on June 28, 2024. Chan, 30, was sentenced in 2022 for posts containing slogans like “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times,” which were popularly chanted during massive anti-government protests in the city in 2019. Authorities said such slogans could imply separating Hong Kong from China, a red line for Beijing. (AP Photo/Billy H.C. Kwok)

Joker Chan poses for photographs after an interview, in Hong Kong, on June 28, 2024. Chan, 30, was sentenced in 2022 for posts containing slogans like “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times,” which were popularly chanted during massive anti-government protests in the city in 2019. Authorities said such slogans could imply separating Hong Kong from China, a red line for Beijing. (AP Photo/Billy H.C. Kwok)

Joker Chan poses for photographs after an interview, in Hong Kong, on June 28, 2024. Chan, 30, was sentenced in 2022 for posts containing slogans like “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times,” which were popularly chanted during massive anti-government protests in the city in 2019. Authorities said such slogans could imply separating Hong Kong from China, a red line for Beijing. (AP Photo/Billy H.C. Kwok)

Joker Chan poses for photographs after an interview, in Hong Kong, on June 28, 2024. Chan, 30, was sentenced in 2022 for posts containing slogans like “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times,” which were popularly chanted during massive anti-government protests in the city in 2019. Authorities said such slogans could imply separating Hong Kong from China — a red line for Beijing. (AP Photo/Billy H.C. Kwok)

Joker Chan poses for photographs after an interview, in Hong Kong, on June 28, 2024. Chan, 30, was sentenced in 2022 for posts containing slogans like “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times,” which were popularly chanted during massive anti-government protests in the city in 2019. Authorities said such slogans could imply separating Hong Kong from China — a red line for Beijing. (AP Photo/Billy H.C. Kwok)

Upon his release, Chan's criminal record barred him from returning to the hotel industry, where he previously worked as a chef. Tattoos on his arms, legs and the sides of his neck — some related to the protests — made his job search more difficult. Now, he works as a part-time waiter, earning about half of what he used to make.

Some of his friends severed ties with him, fearing their association might lead to police investigations. His family also expressed disappointment in him, and when he went out with other former protesters they asked him whether he planned to stir trouble.

“I felt helpless. I can’t understand this,” he said, wearing a black t-shirt that read “I am Hongkonger" and with a tattoo of his inmate number on his arm.

Five years after the protests erupted, the lives of some young people who were jailed or arrested during Beijing’s political crackdown on the city's pro-democracy movement remain in limbo. Unlike famed activists, these former protesters usually receive little attention from most of the city, even though their activism for the same democratic goals has exacted a similarly heavy toll.

Since the protests broke out five years ago, more than 10,200 people have been arrested in connection with the often-violent social unrest sparked by a now-withdrawn extradition bill, which would have allowed suspects in Hong Kong to be sent to mainland China. According to police, about one-fifth of them have faced or were facing “legal consequences” as of the end of May.

The government crackdown expanded after Beijing imposed a national security law in 2020 and the enactment of similar, home-grown legislation in March. About 300 others were arrested under the two security laws and other offenses linked to endangering national security as of June, with half of them already convicted by courts, the city’s security bureau said.

Chan fought for a more democratic Hong Kong, a goal that many in the city have yearned for since the former British colony returned to China in 1997. Reflecting on his actions, Chan said he would have been more cautious if he could go back in time, but he doesn't regret what he did.

“Regret can lead you to overturn what you originally firmly stood for,” he said.

Chan was an exception in agreeing for his full name to be published in this article. Two other interviewees The Associated Press spoke with asked to be identified only by partial names over fears of government retribution.

Another former inmate, also surnamed Chan, said he panicked every time he saw police on the streets after he finished serving his sentence in 2022, worrying he would be arrested again. Chan, who is in his 20s, refused to provide more details about his prosecution since he feared being identified by authorities.

Before he landed his current job in the creative industry, he sent applications to about 40 companies seeking employment, with only a handful offering him an interview. He said one interviewer was concerned that convicted people like him could affect their corporate image.

Even when he secured a position at another firm, he said he was treated unfairly by former pro-China colleagues. He said they also did not allow him to work on certain projects.

"Some (who were jailed) for political cases like me, when released, are treated as pariahs in society in a hidden manner,” he said.

Others who did not go to jail have also lived in fear for years. Nick, a former protester who was arrested in 2019, said he didn't know for years whether he would be charged until police this year confirmed they had dropped his case.

Brandon Yau, secretary of the prisoners’ support group Waiting Bird, said while some former inmates could return to the industries they previously worked in, many teachers, medical professionals and social workers — whose positions are linked to a license or public sector organizations — face greater challenges in returning to their old sectors.

Convicted students who were formerly jailed are concerned about whether schools will accept them. Some institutions have been unsupportive of their students after they were arrested, Yau said.

According to his group, many of the hundreds of convicts they supported are expected to be released in the next two years. Yau said the city should plan for ways to accommodate them.

Official data show hundreds of people were sent to correctional services facilities each year over offenses linked to the protests or for allegedly endangering national security between 2020 and 2023. By the end of 2023, about 780 people were in custody for such offenses, up nearly 50% from a year earlier.

Hong Kong's security minister Chris Tang previously said many young people who were jailed over civil disturbances were influenced or incited by others and went astray. He said local society won’t give up on them as long as they “genuinely” want to turn over a new leaf.

But critics say Tang's remarks overlook the deeper grievances and aspirations that drove young people to protest five years ago.

Paul Yip, a professor at The University of Hong Kong’s department of social work and social administration, said local employers were becoming more accepting of these young people, possibly after seeing former inmates perform well in their jobs.

Yip, also the director of a suicide prevention research center, said the young people he hired were enthusiastic about their future and usually had a strong sense of responsibility.

He said it is important to help such people get back on track.

“We say young people are our future. They are the young people. If you don't give them a future, then how will we have a future?” he said.

Joker Chan reacts during an interview, in Hong Kong, on June 28, 2024. Chan, 30, was sentenced in 2022 for posts containing slogans like “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times,” which were popularly chanted during massive anti-government protests in the city in 2019. Authorities said such slogans could imply separating Hong Kong from China, a red line for Beijing. (AP Photo/Billy H.C. Kwok)

Joker Chan reacts during an interview, in Hong Kong, on June 28, 2024. Chan, 30, was sentenced in 2022 for posts containing slogans like “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times,” which were popularly chanted during massive anti-government protests in the city in 2019. Authorities said such slogans could imply separating Hong Kong from China, a red line for Beijing. (AP Photo/Billy H.C. Kwok)

Joker Chan's socks embroidered with the words "Hong Kong" poses for photographs after an interview, in Hong Kong, on June 28, 2024. Five years after Hong Kong's massive anti-government protests erupted, the lives of many young people like Chan who were jailed or arrested during Beijing's political crackdown on the city's pro-democracy movement remain in limbo. (AP Photo/Billy H.C. Kwok)

Joker Chan's socks embroidered with the words "Hong Kong" poses for photographs after an interview, in Hong Kong, on June 28, 2024. Five years after Hong Kong's massive anti-government protests erupted, the lives of many young people like Chan who were jailed or arrested during Beijing's political crackdown on the city's pro-democracy movement remain in limbo. (AP Photo/Billy H.C. Kwok)

Joker Chan reacts during an interview, in Hong Kong, on June 28, 2024. After spending five months in jail for publishing seditious Instagram posts, Joker Chan returned to a harsh reality. Tattoos on his arms, legs and the sides of his neck, some related to anti-government protests, made his job search more difficult. (AP Photo/Billy H.C. Kwok)

Joker Chan reacts during an interview, in Hong Kong, on June 28, 2024. After spending five months in jail for publishing seditious Instagram posts, Joker Chan returned to a harsh reality. Tattoos on his arms, legs and the sides of his neck, some related to anti-government protests, made his job search more difficult. (AP Photo/Billy H.C. Kwok)

Joker Chan stands on the street of Hong Kong, on June 28, 2024. Chan, 30, was sentenced in 2022 for posts containing slogans like “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times,” which were popularly chanted during massive anti-government protests in the city in 2019. Authorities said such slogans could imply separating Hong Kong from China, a red line for Beijing. (AP Photo/Billy H.C. Kwok)

Joker Chan stands on the street of Hong Kong, on June 28, 2024. Chan, 30, was sentenced in 2022 for posts containing slogans like “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times,” which were popularly chanted during massive anti-government protests in the city in 2019. Authorities said such slogans could imply separating Hong Kong from China, a red line for Beijing. (AP Photo/Billy H.C. Kwok)

Joker Chan's tattoos including one of his inmate number can be seen after an interview, in Hong Kong, on June 28, 2024. After spending five months in jail for publishing seditious Instagram posts, Joker Chan returned to a harsh reality. Tattoos on his arms, legs and the sides of his neck, some related to anti-government protests, made his job search more difficult. (AP Photo/Billy H.C. Kwok)

Joker Chan's tattoos including one of his inmate number can be seen after an interview, in Hong Kong, on June 28, 2024. After spending five months in jail for publishing seditious Instagram posts, Joker Chan returned to a harsh reality. Tattoos on his arms, legs and the sides of his neck, some related to anti-government protests, made his job search more difficult. (AP Photo/Billy H.C. Kwok)

The words Hongkonger can be seen tattooed to the neck of Joker Chan as he poses for photographs after an interview, in Hong Kong, on June 28, 2024. Chan, 30, was sentenced in 2022 for posts containing slogans like “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times,” which were popularly chanted during massive anti-government protests in the city in 2019. Authorities said such slogans could imply separating Hong Kong from China, a red line for Beijing. (AP Photo/Billy H.C. Kwok)

The words Hongkonger can be seen tattooed to the neck of Joker Chan as he poses for photographs after an interview, in Hong Kong, on June 28, 2024. Chan, 30, was sentenced in 2022 for posts containing slogans like “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times,” which were popularly chanted during massive anti-government protests in the city in 2019. Authorities said such slogans could imply separating Hong Kong from China, a red line for Beijing. (AP Photo/Billy H.C. Kwok)

Joker Chan poses for photographs after an interview, in Hong Kong, on June 28, 2024. Chan, 30, was sentenced in 2022 for posts containing slogans like “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times,” which were popularly chanted during massive anti-government protests in the city in 2019. Authorities said such slogans could imply separating Hong Kong from China, a red line for Beijing. (AP Photo/Billy H.C. Kwok)

Joker Chan poses for photographs after an interview, in Hong Kong, on June 28, 2024. Chan, 30, was sentenced in 2022 for posts containing slogans like “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times,” which were popularly chanted during massive anti-government protests in the city in 2019. Authorities said such slogans could imply separating Hong Kong from China, a red line for Beijing. (AP Photo/Billy H.C. Kwok)

Joker Chan poses for photographs after an interview, in Hong Kong, on June 28, 2024. Chan, 30, was sentenced in 2022 for posts containing slogans like “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times,” which were popularly chanted during massive anti-government protests in the city in 2019. Authorities said such slogans could imply separating Hong Kong from China — a red line for Beijing. (AP Photo/Billy H.C. Kwok)

Joker Chan poses for photographs after an interview, in Hong Kong, on June 28, 2024. Chan, 30, was sentenced in 2022 for posts containing slogans like “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times,” which were popularly chanted during massive anti-government protests in the city in 2019. Authorities said such slogans could imply separating Hong Kong from China — a red line for Beijing. (AP Photo/Billy H.C. Kwok)

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The Gulf of Whatnow? Mapmakers grapple with Trump's geographic renaming plans

2025-01-23 15:31 Last Updated At:15:40

What's in a name change, after all?

The water bordered by the Southern United States, Mexico and Cuba will be critical to shipping lanes and vacationers whether it’s called the Gulf of Mexico, as it has been for four centuries, or the Gulf of America, as President Donald Trump ordered this week. North America’s highest mountain peak will still loom above Alaska whether it’s called Mt. Denali, as ordered by former President Barack Obama in 2015, or changed back to Mt. McKinley as Trump also decreed.

But Trump's territorial assertions, in line with his “America First” worldview, sparked a round of rethinking by mapmakers and teachers, snark on social media and sarcasm by at least one other world leader. And though Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis put the Trumpian “Gulf of America” on an official document and some other gulf-adjacent states were considering doing the same, it was not clear how many others would follow Trump's lead.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum joked that if Trump went ahead with the renaming, her country would rename North America “Mexican America.” On Tuesday, she toned it down: “For us and for the entire world it will continue to be called the Gulf of Mexico.”

Map lines are inherently political. After all, they're representations of the places that are important to human beings — and those priorities can be delicate and contentious, even more so in a globalized world.

There’s no agreed-upon scheme to name boundaries and features across the Earth.

“Denali” is the mountain's preferred name for Alaska Natives, while “McKinley" is a tribute to President William McKinley, designated in the late 19th century by a gold prospector. China sees Taiwan as its own territory, and the countries surrounding what the United States calls the South China Sea have multiple names for the same body of water.

The Persian Gulf has been widely known by that name since the 16th century, although usage of “Gulf” and “Arabian Gulf” is dominant in many countries in the Middle East. The government of Iran — formerly Persia — threatened to sue Google in 2012 over the company’s decision not to label the body of water at all on its maps. Many Arab countries don’t recognize Israel and instead call it Palestine. And in many official releases, Israel calls the occupied West Bank by its biblical name, “Judea and Samaria.”

Americans and Mexicans diverge on what to call another key body of water, the river that forms the border between Texas and the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas. Americans call it the Rio Grande; Mexicans call it the Rio Bravo.

Trump's executive order — titled “Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness” — concludes thusly: “It is in the national interest to promote the extraordinary heritage of our Nation and ensure future generations of American citizens celebrate the legacy of our American heroes. The naming of our national treasures, including breathtaking natural wonders and historic works of art, should honor the contributions of visionary and patriotic Americans in our Nation’s rich past.”

But what to call the gulf with the 3,700-mile coastline?

“It is, I suppose, an internationally recognized sea, but (to be honest), a situation like this has never come up before so I need to confirm the appropriate convention,” said Peter Bellerby, who said he was talking over the issue with the cartographers at his London company, Bellerby & Co. Globemakers. “If, for instance, he wanted to change the Atlantic Ocean to the American Ocean, we would probably just ignore it."

As of Wednesday night, map applications for Google and Apple still called the mountain and the gulf by their old names. Spokespersons for those platforms did not immediately respond to emailed questions.

A spokesperson for National Geographic, one of the most prominent map makers in the U.S., said this week that the company does not comment on individual cases and referred questions to a statement on its web site, which reads in part that it "strives to be apolitical, to consult multiple authoritative sources, and to make independent decisions based on extensive research.” National Geographic also has a policy of including explanatory notes for place names in dispute, citing as an example a body of water between Japan and the Korean peninsula, referred to as the Sea of Japan by the Japanese and the East Sea by Koreans.

In discussion on social media, one thread noted that the Sears Tower in Chicago was renamed the Willis Tower in 2009, though it's still commonly known by its original moniker. Pennsylvania's capital, Harrisburg, renamed its Market Street to Martin Luther King Boulevard and then switched back to Market Street several years later — with loud complaints both times. In 2017, New York's Tappan Zee Bridge was renamed for the late Gov. Mario Cuomo to great controversy. The new name appears on maps, but “no one calls it that,” noted another user.

“Are we going to start teaching this as the name of the body of water?” asked one Reddit poster on Tuesday.

“I guess you can tell students that SOME PEOPLE want to rename this body of water the Gulf of America, but everyone else in the world calls it the Gulf of Mexico,” came one answer. “Cover all your bases — they know the reality-based name, but also the wannabe name as well.”

Wrote another user: “I'll call it the Gulf of America when I'm forced to call the Tappan Zee the Mario Cuomo Bridge, which is to say never.”

FILE - President Donald Trump speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)

FILE - President Donald Trump speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)

FILE - Peter Bellerby, the founder of Bellerby & Co. Globemakers, holds a globe at a studio in London, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)

FILE - Peter Bellerby, the founder of Bellerby & Co. Globemakers, holds a globe at a studio in London, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)

FILE - A boat is seen on the Susitna River near Talkeetna, Alaska, on Sunday, June 13, 2021, with Denali in the background. Denali, the tallest mountain on the North American continent, is located about 60 miles northwest of Talkeetna. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)

FILE - A boat is seen on the Susitna River near Talkeetna, Alaska, on Sunday, June 13, 2021, with Denali in the background. Denali, the tallest mountain on the North American continent, is located about 60 miles northwest of Talkeetna. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)

FILE - The water in the Gulf of Mexico appears bluer than usual off of East Beach, Saturday, June 24, 2023, in Galveston, Texas. (Jill Karnicki/Houston Chronicle via AP, File)

FILE - The water in the Gulf of Mexico appears bluer than usual off of East Beach, Saturday, June 24, 2023, in Galveston, Texas. (Jill Karnicki/Houston Chronicle via AP, File)

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