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Jason Chao

Jason Chao Teng Hei (Chinese: 周庭希; pinyin: Zhōu Tíngxī; born December 12, 1986) is a social activist and LGBT rights campaigner born in Macau. He was President of the New Macau Association and Director of the satirical newspaper Macau Concealer, one of the few online pro-democracy media in the city.[1] He co-founded activist organisation Macau Conscience and the Rainbow of Macau.[2]

Jason Chao
Chao Teng Hei
周庭希
president of the New Macau Association
In office
2010–2014
Personal details
Born (1986-12-12) December 12, 1986 (age 37)
Portuguese Macau
Political partyNew Macau Association (until 2017)
Education

Political stance

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Jason Chao is one of the few democracy and human rights activists originally from Macau.[3] Chao believes that Macau is idealess[3] and lacks core values.[4] Chao believes "Macau is an utterly unconvincing example of 'one country two systems', which entails Chinese promises of a 'high degree of autonomy', an independent judiciary and the rule of law".[5] He urges the international community to firmly stand with Hong Kong in the fight against dictatorship.[5]

Human rights reports

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In June 2020, in collaboration with the New Macau Association, Chao submitted a comprehensive civil society report to the United Nations Human Rights Committee on human rights issues in Macau. The report covered freedom of expression, judicial procedure, privacy rights, government surveillance and the realisation of universal suffrage.[6][7] The issues raised in the report were adopted by the United Nations Human Rights Committee in its review of Macau's ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.[8]

Social and political actions

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2010

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Elected as the president of the New Macau Association.

2011

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  • In June, Chao campaigned against a high-rise building proposal that would hugely impact the landscape of the Small Taipa Hill, by holding a referendum.[9]
  • In December, Chao revealed that government misled the public to respond in favour of putting more regulations on the journalists and news media at the consultation on revising the Publishing Law and Audio-visual Law.[10]

2012

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  • During the consulting period for political reform at Macau, Chao fought for universal suffrage in the election of Legislative Assembly and Chief Executive, by conducting survey, holding a referendum and going on a hunger strike. However, he failed to accomplish it under pro-establishment organizations’ overwhelming propaganda.
  • Chao exposed that the free Wi-Fi service provided by the MSAR government would decrypt users’ protected data and enforce censorship.
  • Chao co-founded the activist organization Macau Conscience in July with several netizens including Bill Chou, an associate professor at the University of Macau.[11]
  • In November, Chao co-authored with Bill Chou the second annual NGO Human Rights Report on Macau for 2012.[12]

2013

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  • In January, Chao conducted the “Initial Survey on LGBT individuals in Macau”, which is the first-ever survey on the LGBT community in Macau, for the Macau LGBT Rights Concern Group.[13]
  • Chao revealed the architecture of the new campus of the University of Macau was in fact a copycat of the architecture of Nanjing Audit University, which had been constructed a few years earlier.[14]
  • Chao and associate professor Bill Chou had a video conference with the Human Rights Committee of the United Nations, in which they revealed the human right violations in Macau that were never mentioned in the report submitted by the MSAR government.[15]
  • By invitation of the European Union, Chao visited the EU committee in Brussels and the European Council in Strasbourg in May. He is the first Macau citizen from NGOs to be invited by the EU. During his visit, Chao met with several EU officials and leaders of NGOs headquartered in Brussels.[16]

2014

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Chao was arrested for organising 2014 Macanese Chief Executive referendum.

2019

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Jason Chao and Man Tou appealed to the Court of Final Appeal against a ban imposed by the public security police on a proposed rally against the police brutality in 2019–20 Hong Kong protests. The Court denied the appeal.[17]

2024

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On 30 May 2024, Chao announced on Facebook that he has acquired British citizenship.[18]

LGBT rights movement

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First involvement

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In November 2012, the MSAR government withdrew same-sex cohabitants from the domestic violence legislation, leaving LGBT individuals unprotected under the proposed counter-domestic violence law.[19] Later, in December, Chao and some of his friends founded the Macau LGBT Rights Concern Group, which marks the beginning of LGBT rights movement in Macau. The group then organized the first Rainbow Equality Parade, dedicated to fighting for LGBT rights, including the protection under domestic violence legislation.[20]

Coming out

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In January 2013, the Macau LGBT Rights Concern Group conducted a survey over LGBT individuals’ situation in Macau. On the day the results being published, Chao announced publicly his sex orientation towards males.[21]

Recent activities

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  • In February 2013, Chao believed that the fact that the government banned same-sex cohabitants from being in the domestic violence legislation might violate the International Covenant on Civil and Political Right since LGBT group should not be discriminated. Therefore, he sent a letter to United Nations Human Rights Committee, hoping that UN could intervene in this scenario.[22]
  • In April 2013, Macau Rainbow was established; the Macau LGBT Rights Concern Group became an affiliated organization in which Chao is the spokesperson.[23]
  • On the International Day against Homophobia, 2013, Chao, representing Macau Rainbow, held a flash mob at the Ruins of St. Pauls.[24]

Notes

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  1. ^ Kwong, Ying-ho; Wong, Mathew Y.H. (2017). "State Size and Democratization in Hybrid Regimes: The Chinese Island Cities of Macau and Hong Kong". Island Studies Journal. 12 (2): 122. doi:10.24043/isj.36. ISSN 1715-2593.
  2. ^ 立法會選舉最年輕候選人　周庭希：普選令特首依靠市民支持
  3. ^ a b ELLIE NG (2017-03-05). "An idealist in a 'valueless' city: Democracy activist Jason Chao's quest for a strong civil society in Macau". Retrieved 2020-12-13.
  4. ^ "周庭希：香港人熟悉卻又陌生的澳門". 2016-12-21. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
  5. ^ a b Joshua Wong (2019-12-19). "Nobody should be distracted by Xi Jinping's visit to Macau – it's not the same as Hong Kong, whatever he says". Independent.co.uk. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
  6. ^ "學社向聯合國提公民權利報告 促特區政府如實履行公約責任". 2020-06-04. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
  7. ^ "聯合國要求澳門政府回應多項人權問題". 2020-08-11. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
  8. ^ RENATO MARQUES (2020-08-14). "FACIAL RECOGNITION DESERVES UN ATTENTION, SAYS JASON CHAO". Retrieved 2020-12-13.
  9. ^ 「全城公投」能否改變小潭山的命運？
  10. ^ 新澳門學社就《出版法》及《視聽廣播法》修訂諮詢的意見
  11. ^ 澳門良心facebook page
  12. ^ 澳門人權報告 - 2012 年
  13. ^ 澳門同志處境調查現正進行
  14. ^ 「良心」轟澳大迴避「抄襲」 政界促校長立會解畫
  15. ^ 新澳門學社 周庭希、澳門良心 仇國平 向聯合國人權事務委員會 匯報澳門人權狀況
  16. ^ "周庭希應邀訪問歐盟政府". Archived from the original on 2013-08-17. Retrieved 2013-08-07.
  17. ^ "Top court backed "unlawful oppression" of protests against HK police conduct – Organiser". 2019-10-02. Retrieved 2020-12-17.
  18. ^ Chao, Jason. "affirmed my loyalty to the United Kingdom and allegiance to HM King Charles III according to law. Now I am British and eligible to apply for a British passport". Facebook.
  19. ^ 《家庭暴力防治法》 法律草案公眾諮詢總結報告 [permanent dead link‍]
  20. ^ 澳門同志權益關注組facebook
  21. ^ 周庭希「出櫃」 承認同志身份 Archived 2013-01-29 at the Wayback Machine
  22. ^ "澳門同志關注團體致函聯合國 爭取合理權益". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2013-08-07.
  23. ^ "Leadership – 澳門彩虹 | Rainbow of Macau".
  24. ^ 澳亞衛視 -- 澳門萬象 -- 澳門彩虹 快閃反岐視
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