Milk Tea Alliance
来自China Digital Space
nǎi chá lián méng | 奶茶联盟
The Milk Tea Alliance is an online solidarity movement between pro-democracy supporters in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, and Myanmar. It was started in 2020 by activists involved in social movements across in East and Southeast Asia, but has since expanded to encompass netizens from additional countries including Nepal, Myanmar, and India. Well-known youth activists including Joshua Wong in Hong Kong, Bunkueanun “Francis” Paothong in Thailand, and others have lent their support to the alliance, as have politicians in Taiwan and India.
The name "milk tea" was inspired by the popularity of the drink in each of the countries involved in the alliance. An informal tri-colored Milk Tea Alliance flag represents the color of the different milk tea variants in Thailand, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Netizens from Myanmar, Nepal, and India, later additions to the alliance, also enjoy their own variants of the popular beverage.
Origins
The #MilkTeaAlliance hashtag began its life as a meme in response to the harassment of a young Thai actor and his girlfriend by Chinese nationalists. Vachirawit Chivaaree, the star of a Thai drama popular in China, and his girlfriend Weeraya "Nnevvy" Sukaram were harassed by "50 Cent Party" members and "Little Pinks" after they discovered content on the pair's respective social media that may have suggested Hong Kong and Taiwan were independent countries. Twitter users in Thailand, Taiwan, and Hong Kong defended the couple under the hashtag #nnevvy, before eventually coming together under the "Milk Tea Alliance" banner.
Activity
In Thailand, pro-democracy demonstrators have chanted "Free Hong Kong," while in Taipei, activists have gathered to show support for the 2020-2021 Thai protests. In February 2021, the hashtag saw a resurgence on Twitter, in response to 2021 Myanmar coup, and netizens celebrated in April 2021 after Twitter created a dedicated emoji for the #MilkTeaAlliance hashtag.
