Action Committee for Defending the Diaoyu Islands
Encyclopedia
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
-based activist organisation that asserts Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands. The territorial right to the islands is disputed between the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, the Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
, and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, who currently controls them. Action Committee for Defending the Diaoyu Islands regularly sends expeditions to the islands to try to make landing on them.
In addition to its goals regarding the Diaoyu Islands, the group has also called for the Japanese government to apologise for its wartime atrocities
Japanese war crimes
Japanese war crimes occurred during the period of Japanese imperialism, primarily during the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II. Some of the incidents have also been described as an Asian Holocaust and Japanese war atrocities...
and to stop distorting the history of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Expedition in 2006
On 22 October 2006, 22 activists set sail to the islands despite warnings from the Japanese governmentGovernment of Japan
The government of Japan is a constitutional monarchy where the power of the Emperor is very limited. As a ceremonial figurehead, he is defined by the 1947 constitution as "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people". Power is held chiefly by the Prime Minister of Japan and other elected...
that it would expel them from entering waters around the islands. The crew consisted of 18 Hong Kongers, one mainland Chinese
Mainland Chinese
Mainland Chinese or Mainlanders are Chinese people who live in a region considered a "mainland". It is frequently used in the context of areas ruled by the People's Republic of China, referring to people from Mainland China as opposed to other areas controlled by the state such as Hong Kong or...
, one person from Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
, one Canadian, and one Australian. The expedition marked the tenth anniversary of the group's first expedition to the islands, and it also served to commemorate the death of David Chan Yuk Cheung, a member of the first expedition who drowned while trying to land on the islands.
The crew reached the islands but was unable to actually make a landing, due to interception by the Japanese coast guard
Japan Coast Guard
The , formerly the Maritime Safety Agency, is the Japanese coast guard. Comprising about 12,000 personnel, it is under the oversight of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and is responsible for the protection the coast-lines of Japan...
. They returned to Hong Kong on 30 October, and according to newspaper, The Standard
The Standard
The Standard is an English free newspaper of Hong Kong with a daily circulation of 231,018. It was called the Hong Kong Standard and changed to HKiMail during the Internet boom, but it changed back to The Standard in 2001....
, received a "Heroes' welcome". Despite having failed to land, Action Committee for Defending the Diaoyu Islands declared that the expedition was an "absolute success". Committee member Ku Kwai Yiu said that the expedition had made the governments involved take note of the issue.
David Ko Wah Bing, a member of the expedition, claimed that the Japanese coast guard had acted recklessly by ramming the protestors' boat and tried to murder the protestors during their clash. The protestors reportedly were to petition the Chinese government
Government of the People's Republic of China
All power within the government of the People's Republic of China is divided among three bodies: the People's Republic of China, State Council, and the People's Liberation Army . This article is concerned with the formal structure of the state, its departments and their responsibilities...
to take legal action against Japan for "attacking a Chinese boat in Chinese waters".
See also
- Sino-Japanese relationsSino-Japanese relationsChina and Japan are geographically separated only by a relatively narrow stretch of ocean. China has strongly influenced Japan with its writing system, architecture, culture, religion, philosophy, and law...
- China Federation for Defending the Diaoyu IslandsChina Federation for Defending the Diaoyu IslandsChina Federation for Defending the Diaoyu Islands is a non-governmental organisation which maintains that Diaoyu Islands are a part of Chinese territory...
External links
- Official website of the Action Committee for Defending the Diaoyu Islands