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HONG KONG: Samantha burst into tears when she opened the Elise Ip florist’s box on Christmas Day. It was a surprise gift from her boyfriend, who was arrested for joining the Hong Kong protests last year.
“She loves dogs, but she loves me more,” he had written on a paper sent from a detention center and relayed to IP through a prisoner support group organized by former social welfare lawmaker Shiu Ka -chun.
After reading it, Ip found Samantha, who wanted to use a pseudonym, a cactus shaped like a puppy’s head.
“Receiving this is a great support for me,” Samantha told Agence France-Presse.
“Those in custody don’t really have the opportunity to send us flowers or gifts.”
Samantha is one of more than 50 family and friends who have received gifts ordered behind bars and prepared by Ip, who started the free “Send Flowers With You” project in July.
“I was hoping that people in and out of prisons felt closer to each other,” Ip told AFP.
“With each story told in each installment, I also want to remind the world that many have sacrificed their normal and happy lives for the city.”
More than 10,000 people in Hong Kong have been arrested and thousands prosecuted for joining the massive, often violent, pro-democracy protests that convulsed the Asian financial center for seven months starting in June 2019.
The number of detainees has increased and protecting prisoners’ rights has become increasingly difficult after pro-democracy lawmakers were ousted from the city legislature. The authorities have also tightened the rules on official visits.
Shiu, who used to represent the welfare sector in the legislature, formed a concern group, “Wall-Fare,” earlier this year.
The group provides services such as pen pal tracing, flower and snack delivery, and helps communicate with relatives of people in jail.
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