Ai-Men Lau 劉羿雯
@aimenlau.bsky.social
2.2K followers 440 following 470 posts
🇭🇰🇲🇾🇨🇦 | Information Operations and Transnational Repression Research | formerly at Alliance Canada Hong Kong and Doublethink Lab | she/elle | views are my fault
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Books I read in 2025

1) Glory by NoViolet Bulawayo

A political satire inspired by the 2017 coup that ended Mugabe’s rule in Zimbabwe told through the perspective of animals. The use of animals as a metaphor wasn’t the most effective for me, the book was an overall fun read
23) The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

There was a lot of hype around this book that I just felt like it didn’t live up to. The multiple perspectives and family drama felt laborious to read and some felt completely unnecessary to include. The ending was overall disappointing.
22) Babylonia by Constanza Casati

Babylonia tells the story of the legendary Semiramis, thought to be based on the historical Assyrian queen.

As someone who loves historical palace drama, the story was familiar but what sets it apart is the examination of war and PTSD
Reposted by Ai-Men Lau 劉羿雯
Taiwan’s KMT leadership contest roiled by accusations of Chinese influence – Nikkei Asia: ‘broken a taboo that the KMT had long refused to acknowledge.’
Taiwan's KMT leadership contest roiled by accusations of Chinese influence
Party bigwig calls on Beijing to stop videos, urges security agency to investigate
asia.nikkei.com
"But while Xi hailed a “glorious chapter of women’s progress”, in recent years, Chinese feminists have found it increasingly difficult to advocate for, or even speak about, women’s rights."
Xi directs quashing of Chinese feminists even as he praises advances at women’s conference
Chinese president is behind patriarchal turn in politics with activists silenced for ‘promoting gender antagonism’
www.theguardian.com
Reposted by Ai-Men Lau 劉羿雯
What does journalism education look like when the profession exists to maintain regime stability rather than hold power accountable? China's latest national journalism forum reveals a system designed to ensure Party control flows seamlessly from classroom to newsroom. bit.ly/474nY4D
Molding the Message - China Media Project
A forum held at a leading university in Beijing over the weekend shows how China's leadership keeps tight control over journalism — from the classroom to the newsroom.
chinamediaproject.org
21) Swimming in the Dark by Tomasz Jedrowski

Written from the second person perspective and as a love letter, this gay love story is set against the twilight years of the Polish People’s Republic. This solid debut novel also explores the every day capitulation to corrupt systems.
Reposted by Ai-Men Lau 劉羿雯
One the one hand - thanks? On the other hand, seeing Brits do mental arithmetic on 'desirables vs undesirables' doesn't feel right. It seems like we're in the 'desirables' bucket simply because they think HKers are productive and not because they are actually deserving of some dignity as *people*
“If Britain has no space for a group like the Hongkongers, then our national panic over immigration will surely have gone too far. This country needs some immigration, and if it is not the productive & educated exiles from Hong Kong, to whom we also have a moral duty, then who will we let in?”
Hong Kong’s migrants are the ones we need
Tightening the rules makes life harder for 160,000 highly educated and employable refugees
www.thetimes.com
Reposted by Ai-Men Lau 劉羿雯
Complete and total vindication for “GOP China hawks are frauds” Truthers:
Reposted by Ai-Men Lau 劉羿雯
"For Taiwan’s Indigenous peoples, natural disasters have long carried a slower cultural cost. After previous forced relocations in the past years, Indigenous residents experienced isolation, depression, and even suicide."
Taiwan’s Barrier Lake Disaster Intersects With Its Troubled Indigenous Policy
The Fata’an tribal community wants to remain in its ancestral home during the rebuilding process.
thediplomat.com
"For Taiwan’s Indigenous peoples, natural disasters have long carried a slower cultural cost. After previous forced relocations in the past years, Indigenous residents experienced isolation, depression, and even suicide."
Taiwan’s Barrier Lake Disaster Intersects With Its Troubled Indigenous Policy
The Fata’an tribal community wants to remain in its ancestral home during the rebuilding process.
thediplomat.com
Post-Mid Autumn Moon on the East Coast☺️
Reposted by Ai-Men Lau 劉羿雯
A group of Hong Kong activists marched in Tsim Sha Tsui on Tuesday to condemn Israel’s war on Gaza and to call for a ceasefire, marking two years since the latest conflict in the Palestinian territory began.

In full: buff.ly/9AMvHLf

Photos: James Lee/HKFP.
Reposted by Ai-Men Lau 劉羿雯
Reposted by Ai-Men Lau 劉羿雯
I'm just a simple Canadian, so forgive my ignorance. But aren't the national guard all volunteers? Are they calling up car salesmen and accountants in West Texas to invade Illinois? Do I have that right?
Reposted by Ai-Men Lau 劉羿雯
Fascinating watch on an individual that manages China’s relationship with Paraguay—including efforts to convince Paraguay to switch ties from Taiwan to China—but is involved in bribery, stealing power for crypto mining, human trafficking, the works
Is China using an alleged criminal to get Paraguay to ditch Taiwan? I 101 East Documentary
YouTube video by Al Jazeera English
youtu.be
Reposted by Ai-Men Lau 劉羿雯
Reposted by Ai-Men Lau 劉羿雯
Most Taiwanese detained in China seem to be for fraud but it is concerning either way if this is pretext for political charges or if they are held in an unaccountable manner
Cases of Taiwanese missing in China rise - Taipei Times
Bringing Taiwan to the World and the World to Taiwan
www.taipeitimes.com
Reposted by Ai-Men Lau 劉羿雯
The Bytown Museum is the oldest stone building in Ottawa, with a history dating back to 1827 and the construction of the Rideau Canal.
With that history comes stories of ghosts that inhabit the building to make it a very haunted place.
This is the story!

🧵 1/7
A historic stone building with a steeply pitched roof, surrounded by lush green trees, features arched windows and doors with wooden shutters. A sign reading "Museum" is visible on the facade, and a traditional street lamp stands in the foreground along a paved pathway.