Twitter launched a new set of emojis on Thursday to celebrate the first anniversary of the Milk Tea Alliance, a pro-democracy movement started by activists from Asia. "To celebrate the first anniversary of the #MilkTeaAlliance, we designed an emoji featuring 3 different types of milk tea colours from regions where the Alliance first formed online," Twitter's Global Public Policy Team tweeted.

The Milk Tea Alliance started in April 2020, when pro-democracy activists from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand and Myanmar joined efforts to stand united in their common pursuit of better civil liberties and democratic rights in their home countries. The activists decided to use milk tea, a popular drink in those regions, as their symbol.

"We have seen more than 11 million Tweets featuring the #MilkTeaAlliance hashtag over the past year. Conversations peaked when it first appeared in April 2020, and again in February 2021 when the coup took place in Myanmar," Twitter said. During times of civil unrests or violent crackdowns, it is more important than ever for the public to have access to the #OpenInternet for real-time updates, credible information, and essential services, the company added.