Epoch Times - Why Four Men Set Fire to The Epoch Times Printing Office in Hong Kong
Aired: 2021-01-14
Duration: 07:55


=== Epoch Times Attack (07:47) ===

[00:00:03]  My guest is Dana Chang.
[00:00:05]  She is Senior Editor, China News for Epoch Times.
[00:00:08]  Dana, what happened a few days ago at the printing press in Hong Kong?
[00:00:16]  Yesterday, 3.40pm, The printing press of Epical Time is about to roll out the newspaper and putting the newspaper to the street.
[00:00:30]  And four men came into the facility with their face covered, dressed up as protesters.
[00:00:39]  And they came in with a retractable baton, that's like a police baton, and one man with two buckets of gasoline.
[00:00:47]  He poured gasoline on the paper and on the printing machine, and the third man started the fire.
[00:00:54]  So in front of everyone, they set the fire on Epoch Times newspaper.
[00:00:59]  And this is not the first time printing facility of Epoch Times got attacked.
[00:01:04]  This is the third time over the years.
[00:01:07]  But last few months, because of extensive report on Hong Kong protest, and because of truthful report of Hong Kong protest, it is obvious that Beijing is very upset.
[00:01:24]  Dana, you mentioned that they were dressed in black.
[00:01:27]  I assume you believe that they were dressed in black to give you the impression that these were protesters, when in fact you believe these were government officials?
[00:01:35]  Or government workers?
[00:01:39]  This has happened in the last few months.
[00:01:42]  People have caught on the camera that some protesters act violently.
[00:01:48]  And they have gone.
[00:01:50]  But Hong Kong people do not have gone.
[00:01:53]  Only police have gone.
[00:01:55]  So there are police dressed up as protesters.
[00:01:59]  Police chief even admitted that.
[00:02:02]  They dress up as protesters, infiltrate into protesting groups and trying to confuse people.
[00:02:09]  And this is a strategy CCP has done over many years.
[00:02:14]  They play both sides.
[00:02:17]  They want to give people an impression that protesters are violent and give the excuse to the police that they can crack down and they have a reason to crack down.
[00:02:27]  Dana, you said this is not the first time this has happened.
[00:02:30]  Are the Epoch Times workers in Hong Kong worried about their safety?
[00:02:36]  They work under pressure.
[00:02:38]  Yes, there are a lot of pressure.
[00:02:40]  They work under pressure, but they are determined to bring the truthful report to Hong Kong people.
[00:02:48]  And Dana, tell me exactly why you believe that Epoch Times has become such a target.
[00:02:55]  Well, Epoch Times is the only independent Chinese media at the global stage.
[00:03:02]  When we started in the year 2000, Thank you.
[00:03:18]  the Chinese media outside China, they are also greatly influenced by China.
[00:03:25]  So to have the courage to report independently for years, we have all won the appreciation and support from people.
[00:03:35]  And Communist Party is very, very afraid.
[00:03:37]  Dana, how much damage did this attack on the printing press do?
[00:03:42]  Did it stop the publication of Epoch Times for a period of time?
[00:03:48]  No, actually yesterday some paper hit the street so readers could read what's reported and we will not stop.
[00:03:59]  The damage and we are still in the process of assessing.
[00:04:06]  What precautions are you taking now for the future?
[00:04:12]  We will continue to report.
[00:04:14]  I think our truthful report is the best to defend and we'll be more careful.
[00:04:21]  Dana, what do you think ultimately will happen with these Hong Kong protests?
[00:04:27]  I think many of those students are prepared to give up their life for freedom.
[00:04:34]  And I think their fight for their freedom will win the hearts from the free world and they will get a lot of support.
[00:04:44]  And I think it will greatly weaken the power of Communist Party.
[00:04:49]  Actually, Communist Party is facing crisis from every direction.
[00:04:55]  It's political infight among themselves.
[00:04:58]  It's economic trouble.
[00:05:01]  It's the trade war with U.S. It's the Hong Kong.
[00:05:05]  And there are protests inside China every day because of control of the media, control of the social media, even phone conversation.
[00:05:15]  Those truths are not spreading outside China.
[00:05:20]  But my friend inside China told me that people are ready for Communist Party to fall apart.
[00:05:27]  When Soviet Union fell apart, nobody expected that.
[00:05:31]  The same thing would happen in China.
[00:05:35]  Dana, talk to me about President Trump's position on Hong Kong.
[00:05:40]  Has he said or done anything?
[00:05:45]  Yes, actually, a few months ago, the top diplomat, Yang Jiechi, came to the United States with a long list of shopping items.
[00:05:56]  They want to make sure that the U.S. stays out of the Hong Kong issue.
[00:06:01]  But Pompeo and Trump both said no.
[00:06:05]  And because of that, it has won time for Hong Kong people.
[00:06:10]  So for Hong Kong to stay peaceful and have a good resolution, it needs support from free world, from U.S., Europe, and democratic countries.
[00:06:24]  Hong Kong is the frontier of the whole free world.
[00:06:29]  And Dana, do you believe that President Trump has been tough enough on China?
[00:06:34]  Yes, I think he has done very well.
[00:06:36]  He's the first president in the last three decades that stood up to China and defend the interests of United States.
[00:06:45]  China has stowed between 300 to 600 billion intellectual property from U.S. every year.
[00:06:54]  If it continues, then we will have a Communist Party.
[00:06:58]  Ruling the whole world.
[00:07:00]  China has always seen the free world as a threat.
[00:07:04]  That's why they see Hong Kong people as a threat.
[00:07:07]  Hong Kong people have the concept and the system of a free world and it's based on universal value.
[00:07:15]  They see that as a threat to communist ideology.
[00:07:20]  Final question, Dana.
[00:07:22]  I know you're from China.
[00:07:24]  You now live in New York.
[00:07:25]  You're a senior editor of Epoch Times, a paper that has caused a great deal of concern on the part of the authorities in China.
[00:07:32]  Are you worried about your safety?

=== Thank You For Your Time (00:19) ===

[00:07:39]  I'm in the United States.
[00:07:41]  I feel safe.
[00:07:43]  But my family member used to get, like, unfriendly visits from the government.
[00:07:49]  But right now it's okay.
[00:07:52]  Well, Dana Chang, thank you very much for taking the time.
[00:07:55]  I appreciate it.