By Sakshi Kaushik October 26, 2014 / 12:27 HKT
We all know that China is famous for pulling the “It’s all your fault” card when desperate times call for desperate measures, but since Beijing blamed the National Endowment Department (NED), an American nongovernmental organisation, for instigating the whole Occupy Central pro-democracy movement earlier this month, the group has finallyresponded with a large snort. About time guys.
Louisa Greve, vice president of the NED’s Asia, Middle East and North Africa programmes, spoke to Voice of America this week, calling the accusations of the group acting as agents of US foreign domestic policy an “insult” to the desires of Hongkongers and their efforts in the fight towards democracy.
Various pro-Beijing Hong Kong news outlets and Chinese state media reported that NED has been funding and advising the Occupy Central movements since its beginning on Sept. 28. Some even believe that the involvement precedes this date, and goes all the way back to April, when Greve met with Benny Tai and Martin Lee in Washington as part of a NED-led democracy forum.
Greve, however, has countered this view by stating that the “NED has a budget which is paid for by American taxpayers, but its decision making is not part of American foreign policy”. Likely story.
Although the NED’s Hong Kong project is smaller than those in other countries, its partners, the Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor, the US National Democratic Institute and the US-based Solidarity Centre, accept consistent grants.
Director of the Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor, Law Yul-kai, concurs with Greve by saying, “We are not reporting to the US government”, and are only required to send a year-end summary of its activities to the NED.
In response to China’s over-sensitive, touchy side, Greve tells VOA, “It’s not unusual for governments that are authoritarian and lack popular legitimacy through a vote to blame foreigners for citizens’ discontent.”
Boom. China, it’s not nice to tell tales.
Photo: Laurel Chor, Coconuts Media
http://hongkong.coconuts.co/2014/10/26/liar-liar-us-group-defends-itself-against-chinas-accusations-meddling-hk-democracy
