A Hong Kong group posted an ad in a Taiwanese newspaper calling on the island to protect its democracy. A Hong Kong group posted an ad in a Taiwanese newspaper calling on the island to protect its democracy. (CNA photo)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A Hong Kong group posted an ad on the front page of a Taiwanese newspaper Friday (July 26) thanking the island for its support for the territory’s democracy activists.

The ad, under a large headline with the Chinese characters for “Protect Taiwan, Take Back Hong Kong” (保衛台灣 重奪香港) was posted by an organization called standwithhk.org and appeared on the bottom half of the July 26 edition of the Liberty Times.

The group’s English motto “Fight for Freedom, Stand with Hong Kong” also appeared next to the main text.

The organization described itself as a loose alliance of “average citizens” who might not know each other but who shared concern with developments in Hong Kong, the Central News Agency reported.

The article made historical references, describing Taiwan as the heir to the Treaty of Nanjing, the 1842 agreement following the First Opium War which led to China ceding Hong Kong to the British.

According to the text, Hong Kong had never been part of China and should therefore not have been handed over in 1997. Since then, Hong Kong police had been brainwashed, the territory had been forced to accept 50,000 Chinese migrants a year, putting a strain on local resources, and its separate culture was under siege.

The group concluded its message by calling on Taiwan not to believe any promises made by China. “We wish you Taiwanese can defend your country well, and pass your democracy and freedom on (to the next generations).”

Earlier, the group also launched an open letter in the British media to publicize Hong Kong’s fate.