This week, on Wednesday, July 9 at 11:00am, the Greenwich Retired Men’s Association’s guest speaker will be Mark Clifford, Author, “The Troublemaker, How Jimmy Lai Became a Billionaire, Hong Kong’s Greatest Dissident, and China’s Most Feared Critic.”
The presentation will be in-person at Christ Church’s Parish Hall at 254 East Putnam Ave in Greenwich, but you can also view it on Zoom : Click Here
Mark Clifford, Author, “The Troublemaker, How Jimmy Lai Became a Billionaire, Hong Kong’s Greatest Dissident, and China’s Most Feared Critic.”
Jimmy Lai escaped mainland China when he was 12 years old, at the height of a famine that killed tens of millions. In Hong Kong, he hustled and by his mid-20’s owned a factory that was supplying sweaters and shirts to some of the biggest brands in America. He was planning to create new businesses, but then came Tiananmen Square democracy protest and the massacre of 1989.
His reaction to the violence was to start a newspaper to advocate for democracy in Hong Kong. Its mix of bold graphics, gossip, local news, and opposition to the Chinese Communist Party was an immediate hit. He also took his activism abroad, traveling frequently to Washington. China reacted with fury in 2019 when he met with Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. A draconian new security law came into effect in Hong Kong in mid-2020, effectively making human rights advocacy and free speech a crime. Lai was arrested and convicted on trumped-up charges that could see him jailed for life, alleging “collusion with foreign forces” and printing seditious materials. China’s most famous political prisoner has been held in solitary confinement since 2020, while his supporters and family fight to have him freed. This is his story.
Mark L. Clifford is president of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation, an NGO dedicated to democracy, human rights, and the rule of law for the people of Hong Kong.
Previously, he was executive director of the Hong Kong–based Asia Business Council, and a board director at Next Digital, the Hong Kong media giant founded and majority-owned by Lai. During his 28 years in Hong Kong, he served as editor-in-chief of both English-language newspapers, the South China Morning Post and The Standard, of which he was also publisher. He holds a PhD in Hong Kong history from the University of Hong Kong.
Mr. Clifford has won numerous journalism, academic, and book awards, and is the author of The Troublemaker as well as Today Hong Kong, Tomorrow the World: What China’s Crackdown Reveals About Its Plans to End Freedom Everywhere.
The Greenwich Retired Men’s Association offers a free program every Wednesday that is open to the public, both men and women; no reservations are required. The RMA social break starts at 10:40 am followed promptly by the guest speaker at 11:00 am. For additional information see https://greenwichrma.org.
Mark Clifford’s talk will also be shown on Zoom at https://bit.ly/30IBj21 and on local cable channels 24 (Verizon) and 79 (Optimum)