Taiwanese heavy metal band Chthonic led by pro-independence lawmaker cancels Hong Kong show over work visa issue
- Canto-pop star Denise Ho, who invited five-member group to music festival, questions time taken by immigration authorities to process application
- Band is helmed by singer Freddy Lim, a lawmaker on the self-ruled island with strong links to human rights advocacy
A Taiwanese heavy metal band led by a pro-independence lawmaker on the self-ruled island was forced to cancel their show in Hong Kong on Sunday over the lack of a working visa.
Hong Kong’s immigration authority has yet to approve the group’s application more than a month since it was filed, according to Canto-pop star Denise Ho Wan-sze, who invited the band Chthonic to her four-day music festival in the city’s science park.
She announced the news on Saturday morning on Facebook and apologised to fans. In her replies to user comments, Ho added that they had anticipated such problems, saying: “This is purely an exchange of music. What are authorities afraid of?”
This is purely an exchange of music. What are authorities afraid of?
The five-member band was formed in 1995 in Taipei by lead singer Freddy Lim Tshiong-tso, who founded the pro-independence New Power Party in 2015 after the Sunflower student protest movement. He was elected as a lawmaker in 2016.
The Sunflower campaign was led by Taiwanese students and civic groups in 2014. Activists opposed the passing of a trade pact with China without a thorough review, arguing it would leave the island vulnerable to political pressure from Beijing.
Lim was also head of human rights NGO Amnesty International’s branch in Taiwan between 2010 and 2014.
Chthonic was slated to perform with five local singers and bands on the second day of the On The Pulse of Music Festival in Hong Kong.
