'Milk Tea Alliance' author says dissidents in various Asian countries learn from each other

Speaking to an audience at the National Press Club on June 12, Jeffrey Wasserstrom said that young activists  in Burma, Hang Kong, and Thailand adopt tactics from one another and share tools and songs. 

Wasserstrom. was discussing his book The Milk Tea  Alliance:  Inside Asia’s Struggle  Against Autocracy and Beijing. He began by talking about Josha Wong of Hong Kong and Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal of Thailand. Netiwit contacted Josha in 2016 but when Josha tried to visit Netiwit in Thailand he was denied entry because China told Thailand not to let him in so he was sent back to Hong Kong. They have both been activist  leaders in their countries.  

Asked about the Milk tea Alliance Mr. Wasserstrom said, “Tea and milk are a common drink in southeast Asia.”  

The Milk Tea Alliance is a loose network of activists, similar to what was called the counterculture in the 1960s, Wasserstrom said.

“We don’t know whether a hundred years from now this period of Asian protest movements will be referred to as the Milk Tea Era," Wasserstrom said, explaining that one positive effect of the Milk Tea Alliance is that it gives activists a sense that they are not alone but are part of a larger movement.  

The discussion shifted to the role of music in the activist’s world. Wasserstrom said that they gravitate to certain songs. In 2021 the Burmese hip-hop group Rap Against the Junta created a video titled “Dictators Must Die”. Netiwit  likes “We Shall Overcome”  while others sing “Do You Hear the People Sing” from Les Miserables”. 

Wasserstrom also spoke about the impact of the Hunger Games novels and movies. Activists use one of it’s slogan’s and the three finger salute of defiance. 

Asked if he felt that after his reporting he could safely travel back to these countries, Wasserstrom said he thinks he could though he might be questioned in Hong Kong. 

Wasserstrom provided updates on Josha Wong and Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal. Josha was arrested several time with the most recent being 2024 and he was to be released in January 2027. However, he has now been charged again and his sentence may be extended. Netiwit is still in Thailand and has been accepted to Harvard Divinity School.  

Herb Jackson of the Press Club Board of Governors moderated the discussion.