We are a group of concerned Canadian citizens of Chinese descent. Our concerns have arisen from this COVID-19 pandemic that is devastating our fellow Canadians and countless millions all over the world, and the related but misdirected anger against people of Chinese or Asian descent.
Justin Trudeau, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau and Xi Jinping (PMO)
As citizens of Canada, we share the same frustrations, fears, worries and grief arising from COVID-19. We are concerned that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has covered up information about the new coronavirus at the initial stage, understated its contagiousness which contributed to its spread from its epicentre of Wuhan, China. The resulting global lockdown, sickness and even death, have gravely affected everyone including ourselves, and dangerously undermine the physical, mental, social, as well as financial well beings of many nations.
Sadly, we have recently noticed a rise of hate crimes against people of Chinese or Asian descent, in the forms of vandalism, verbal or even physical attack. The perpetrators seem to be irrationally venting their anger against people of Chinese or Asian descent whom they apparently assume to be the cause or carriers of this disastrous pandemic. We condemn such behaviour, but we believe that these perpetrators are few in number, and that their anger is misdirected and scapegoating the wrong party.
We are angry too, and have questions about how COVID-19 started, got out of control, spread and grew into this pandemic. We want to have forthright answers to our questions, without evasion and propagandist spin.
We denounce the CCP government’s suppression of whistle-blowers’ communications in December 2019 among health professionals about an apparent outbreak of a SARS-like pneumonia in Wuhan, China. Was it not the CCP government’s cover-up of such “bad news” that resulted in the failure to contain the spread of the virus at the crucial initial stage?
Infamous WHO Tweet parroting Chinese government propaganda (Twitter)
We stand with and support the call for an independent investigation of the origin of COVID-19 and the responsibility of the CCP government to the people of the world for their damages sustained as a result of this pandemic. And we do not want this global health investigation to be evaded and to be side-tracked by a racial discrimination issue. However, we also shall remain vigilant against anyone trying to hijack this pandemic health issue to promote racism and generate racist attacks.
As Canadian citizens, our allegiance is to Canada. As Canadians of Chinese descent, we, or our parents or grandparents have at one time or another chosen to leave China, and ended up in Canada, either directly or after staying in various parts of the world. So we could have come from Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, South Africa, Trinidad, Mainland China, etc. We are a diaspora with very diverse backgrounds, native dialects, and opinions about and attitudes toward the 70-year-old Communist Chinese regime. What is common for a lot of us is that our exodus within the last 70 years is for good reasons –including seeking inner peace and freedom from fear. So it would certainly be wrong for anyone to presume that the Chinese diaspora would generally support or bow to the dictates of the CCP government.
Therefore
1. We urge our Canadian government to join the increasing global demand for an independent investigation into the origin of COVID-19 and the responsibility of the CCP government in suppressing the timely and full disclosure of information about the new coronavirus and its initial outbreak.
2. We call on all Canadians to stand together to condemn any incitement or perpetration of hate crimes directed at people of Chinese or Asian descent using COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse. Let’s support each other in fighting COVID-19 as fellow citizens of Canada and of the world.
3. We also call on the general public to contact their respective MPs, urging them to denounce the hate crimes against Canadians of Asian/Chinese descent and to support the global demand for the COVIC-19 independent investigation.
By a group of concerned Canadians of Chinese descent (in alphabetical order, organizational titles are for identification purpose only and do not represent the opinion of the respective named organization): Bill Chu, Founder of Canadians for Reconciliation Society; Victor Ho, Co-founder of Vancouver-based Media Analytical Inc.; Ivy Li, Retired design professor; Mabel Li, Chair of Vancouver Society in Support of Democratic Movement; Thekla Lit, Founder and President of B.C. Association for Learning & Preserving the History of WWII in Asia (ALPHA); Thomas Lou, retired journalist; Stanley Ng, President of Institute for Christian Action & Contemplation; Fenella Sung, Convenor, Canadian Friends of Hong Kong; Norman Sung, Canadian economist and Global news commentator’Tommy Tao, retired lawyer; Ken Tung, Past Chairperson of S.U.C.C.E.S.S.; Eleanor Yuen, former head of Asian Library, University of B.C.; Rev. Howard Yeung, Spiritual Director of Institute for Christian Action & Contemplation
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