Hong Kong human rights advocates who have worked with Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) on protecting Hong Kong freedom from Chinese government oppression have donated 4,000 high quality surgical masks to CentraState Medical Center, Freehold Township.
Anna Cheung, founder of New Yorkers Supporting Hong Kong (NY4HK) and the non-government organization Hong Kong Democracy Council (HKDC) in Washington, D.C., helped organize the donations, according to a press release from Smith’s office.
“We Hong Kongers are very grateful for Congressman Smith’s tireless work and support, not just for the Hong Kongers, but for the Chinese Dissidents, Tibetans and Uyghurs as well,” Cheung said. “We want to take this opportunity to thank Congressman Smith and the medical staff for their hard work.”
Cheung said Amanda and Johnny Ho of Freehold donated 2,000 masks, and Andrew Duncan of New York also donated 2,000 masks to CentraState Medical Center on April 10.
“Thank you to Amanda and Johnny Ho and Andrew Duncan for donating these much needed surgical masks,” said Smith, the senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and co-chairman of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission (TLHRC).
“The staff at CentraState, who like other hospitals across New Jersey and across America, is working long hours at risk to themselves to protect those stricken by COVID-19.
“I know the international Hong Kong community, who like Americans struggle to contain this outbreak, are our good friends. They face their own struggles with the outbreak and with China. For them to show this gesture to CentraState workers is very much appreciated,” the congressman said.
Smith is a commissioner on the Congressional Executive Commission on China, which he chaired for two terms, according to the press release.
The Hong Kong Democracy Council is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting democracy and human rights in Hong Kong led primarily by people from Hong Kong who are living in the United States, according to the press release.
The group focuses on the challenges facing Hong Kong and U.S.-Hong Kong relations and Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement.
In March, Smith was recognized by the HKDC for his years of work to enact the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019, which President Donald Trump signed into law in late 2019, according to the press release.