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President’s Letter: The Tai Po Fire
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| Dear Fellow Members, |
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| By now you will have heard about the terrible fire in Tai Po that has so far claimed the lives of more than 55 people, with 279 missing and 900 in shelters. On behalf of the members and staff, we extend our sincere condolences to the families of those who have been lost, our hopes and prayers for those who are fighting for their lives, and our compassion for the many who have been displaced. |
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| The Board of Governors has been monitoring the humanitarian aspects of this tragedy to identify ways the FCC community can assist the 4,600 residents of the Wang Fuk Court community, and assist and support the courageous firefighters and first responders. Donation needs have changed throughout the day and before noon collection centres were turning away further donations as their immediate emergency needs had been met. There will no doubt be ongoing needs due to the large number of residents who have been displaced. We recommend that members interested in donating do so through the following channels: |
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| To donate needed supplies The Hong Kong Council of Social Services will be informing the public about the evolving needs for clothing, bedding, toiletries, etc. Please click the link for their latest update. |
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| To donate money Charity Operation Santa Claus, which is jointly organised by the South China Morning Post and RTHK, has launched an emergency appeal, partnering with Hong Kong NGOs to distribute funds for disaster relief and community support. To make a donation, please click the link here. |
| As many begin their festive season celebrations with Thanksgiving Dinner this evening, we ask that everyone in the FCC community remember those who have suffered through this tragedy. |
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| Finally, our thoughts are with the journalists who have been covering this terrible tragedy, which is no doubt taking an emotional toll on them. We welcome international journalists who may be traveling to the city to cover the story to use the FCC as an office away from home. |
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| Best Regards, |
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| Morgan M. Davis President |
| [email protected] |
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| 主席信函: 大埔火災事故 |
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大埔近日發生了嚴重的火災事故，截至目前已有超過55人罹難，279人失蹤，900人被安置在臨時庇護中心。 |
| 謹代表全體會員及員工，向逝者家屬致以最深切的哀悼，向仍在與死神搏鬥的生命送上希望與祝福，並對突然失去家園的居民表達誠摯的關懷與慰問。 |
| 理事會一直關注這場悲劇的人道救援工作，致力尋找方法讓香港外國記者會社群協助宏福苑的4,600名居民，並支援英勇的消防員及前線救援人員。捐贈需求隨時間不斷變化，且截至中午，因緊急需求已達飽和，收集中心已開始停止接受更多捐贈。 |
| 受災人士需要長期支援，未來無疑會有持續的需求。我們建議有意捐款的會員通過以下渠道進行捐贈： |
| 捐贈所需物資 |
| 香港社會服務聯會將持續公佈有關衣物、寢具、洗漱用品等需求的最新變化。請點擊連結查看他們的最新消息。 |
| 捐款 |
| 由《南華早報》及香港電台創辦的慈善平台「Operation Santa Claus Drive 愛心聖誕大行動」已發出緊急呼籲，並與多個香港非牟利機構合作，分發資金以支援災難救援及社區支援工作。如欲捐款，請點擊連結。 |
| 隨著許多人開始慶祝感恩節晚餐，我們請香港外國記者會社群的每一位成員銘記在這場悲劇中受苦的人士。 |
| 最後，我們的心與大埔社區及報導這場悲慘事件的記者同在。我們歡迎可能來港採訪此事件的國際記者，使用香港外國記者會作為家外的工作空間。 |
| 此致 各位會員 |
| Morgan M. Davis 香港外國記者會主席 謹上 |
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Marriage Equality Across the World in 2025
By Hugo Novales
Out of the 38 jurisdictions around the world that have legalised same-sex marriage, only 2 in Asia have done so. Taiwan was first to grant gay couples the same legal rights as heterosexual couples back in 2019, and Thailand followed suit this past January.
In Hong Kong, the Court of Final Appeal issued a 2023 verdict that gave the government a two-year deadline to create the legal framework necessary to recognise same-sex marriage. However, the proposed Same-Sex Partnerships Bill, which would have given gay couples rights regarding medical decisions and end-of-life care, was voted down 14-71 in early September.
With this news fresh in mind, the FCC held an October Club Lunch panel featuring Jerome Yau, Co-Founder of Hong Kong Marriage Equality (HKME), as well as three Consuls General from countries that have legalised same-sex marriage: Jennifer Bourke from Ireland, Chaturont Chaiyakam from Thailand, and Pablo Macedo from Mexico.
Hosting the panel was FCC President Morgan Davis, who asked the three Consuls General to describe their respective countries’ processes for legalising same-sex marriage.
Ireland was the first to legalise same-sex marriage via popular vote in 2015. In the ten years since then, Bourke observed that despite her country’s historical ties to the Catholic Church, same-sex marriage hasn’t resulted in any negative impacts to Irish society as previously claimed by religious conservative groups.
“The sky didn’t fall. Nothing bad happened. Everything just kind of continued as normal, but it was better for the LGBTQ community,” she said.
Also navigating LGBTQ issues in a historically conservative society is Mexico, the first Latin American country to legalise same-sex marriage. Starting with Mexico City in 2009, same-sex marriage was then a federal issue, meaning that all 31 states in Mexico needed to pass their own local laws to allow gay couples to get married. The final state to enact same-sex legislation did so in 2022, and Mexico then made marriage equality a constitutional right in February 2023.
Macedo commented on the seemingly contradictory nature of protecting LGBTQ rights in such a devoutly religious society.
“Mexico is the only country in the world with an X in its name, and X also goes in oxymoron. It is a contradiction. Mexico is a contradiction in many, many things,” he said, adding that, “I don’t see any dissent now, even in very staunch conservative groups. People are getting used to it.”
In the case of Thailand, Chaiyakam explained that while the “land of smiles” may appear to be the most LGBTQ-friendly country in Asia, even with its “Pink Plus economy” aimed to attract tourists from around the world, conservatism is still a core value among Thai people.
“From outside, I think you may think Thailand is a liberal country, but deep down, if you are in Thailand, we are a very conservative country. But we have embraced diversity,” he said.
Thailand’s growing acceptance of the LGBTQ community and the increasing number of couples of all sexual orientations not having children helped pave the way for the Marriage Equality Act to be passed in October 2024 and put into effect this January.
While conservative groups still exist in Ireland, Mexico, and Thailand — with some groups still voicing their strong opposition to the LGBTQ community — the three Consuls General agreed that it would be unlikely that any of their country’s marriage equality legislation could be reversed easily.
Hong Kong hasn’t been able to pass its own legislation. Still, HKME is committed to educating citizens about LGBTQ issues.
“Our campaign is to win hearts and minds. In any society, you have people who are supportive of our cause, people who are against our cause, but at the same time we have the ‘moveable middle’, which is the group of people [who] we want to win support [from],” Yau said.
He then explained that despite a 2023 survey in which 60% of respondents said that they supported same-sex marriage, Hong Kong is also home to a strong, conservative block who are primarily Christian. There are more Buddhists and Taoists living in the city, yet Yau highlighted how this group has a massive amount of support and influence — resulting in the bill’s 14-71 loss in the Legislative Council.
While some may view this as an end to Hong Kong’s efforts to enact marriage equality, Yau and HKME haven’t lost hope for a more inclusive future.
“It’s a matter of time,” he said.
To watch the full discussion, please visit the FCC’s YouTube channel: