TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) blasted Hong Kong again Sunday, saying that the Chinese territory had “no free will.”
Ko was making a speech on politics centralized on virtues and values at a local news magazine The Journalist’s 30th anniversary ceremony when he made another verbal jab Hong Kong.
Earlier last month, Ko triggered a wave of criticism after he said that Hong Kong was a “boring place” and that “there’s nothing fun to do on such a small island,” during a trip to Southeast Asia.
Despite the controversy, Ko doubled down on the comments Sunday, saying “It (Hong Kong) isn’t just small, but (they) don’t even have the freedom to vote, what’s to envy about?”
Photo GalleryTear gas fired at chaotic Hong Kong democracy protests
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He also commented on several other countries he visited in Southeast Asia, including Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and India, saying that Taiwan’s liberty had become a model for Asia.
Gary Wong (黃梓謙), one of the founders of Hong Kong’s Path of Democracy organisation and who attended Sunday’s speech, said he was “disappointed” about Ko’s comment.
Wong said that even though Hong Kong was not democratic, its people had both “freedom and spirit.”
The younger generation in the territory was promoting cultural tourism on the island, proposing that local residents lead visitors in discovering true Hong Kong culture, Wong said.
“As a political figure, Ko should be more modest when speaking in public,” he said, adding that Ko’s comments originated from his previous visit to Hong Kong many years ago and was “rather unfair.”
