Time is running out to help Hong Kong’s inhabitants before the expected introduction of powers that prohibit people from leaving, while China tightens its grip on the city, warned a pro-democracy politician after fleeing to the UK and then to Australia.
Former lawmaker Ted Hui arrived in Australia on Tuesday, three months after fleeing to the UK on bail in Hong Kong. Speaking of the quarantine, Hui told the Guardian that he had decided to move to expand the pro-democracy movement in exile and lobby for Canberra to increase Hong Kong’s support, including formal “lifesaver” plans to help dissidents and civilians running away.
The Hong Kong government recently unveiled a proposal for legislation to give the immigration department “unrestricted powers” to prevent people from leaving. With no remaining opposition in the Hong Kong legislature, the amendment is likely to pass and take effect on August 1.
“It is quite a deadline for the different nations to consider whether they are going to provide lifeboat plans,” said Hui. “Personally, I believe that many dissidents – and even civilians who have expressed disagreement – may be prohibited from leaving Hong Kong.”
Hui fled Hong Kong in December while on bail on charges related to the protest. He said the accusations were unfair, often based on false testimony from the police, or – for those related to contempt of the legislature – simply “ridiculous”. Hui was also accused of “foreign collusion” under national security law.
Hui said: “There is nothing wrong with speaking the truth and letting the world see what is happening in Hong Kong, human rights violations,” he said. “They are putting dissidents in prisons. That’s why we need to keep talking. “
With the blessing of the Hong Kong government, Beijing is increasing its control over the city, having already introduced a comprehensive and draconian national security law and powers to disqualify “anti-patriotic” lawmakers and civil servants. On Thursday, Beijing is expected to approve powers to examine political candidates before the elections. Most of the opposition figures are in prison, on trial or in exile.
Hui said that offering political asylum is “delicate” and a narrow path, so he was asking foreign governments to expand existing visa and residency eligibility programs, as did the United Kingdom. Australia has extended visas to more than 2,580 Hong Kong residents and has approved 671 new temporary visas since June, according to its expanded program. But Hui said Australia’s paths are still limited and many young people cannot afford to leave Hong Kong, especially in the midst of unprecedented global border closures.
The situation was “quite dangerous,” said Hui. “For those who need to get out and escape the CCP’s terror [Chinese Communist party], it seems that the only option is the United Kingdom. Therefore, many opportunities for exile are limited. “
Hui’s arrival in Australia is a sign of the increasingly coordinated international network of Hong Kong exiles. He told the Guardian that he felt “most needed” in Australia, where there was not such a significant presence. “Hong Kong residents already have Nathan Law and other prominent exiles in Europe doing advocacy work, and at the same time, we have counterparts in North America,” he said.
Hui said he would stay in Australia for a year on his existing visa before deciding whether to apply for an extension. Claiming political asylum was “a last option”, but a possibility, he said.
During that time, he intended to lobby for sanctions against the Hong Kong and Beijing authorities, a reduction in Australian dependence on trade with China and a Magnitsky-style law to hold foreign government officials accountable for human rights abuses. However, he said, his priority was to convince the Australian government to provide Hong Kong residents with “guarantees as the British provided”.
The Guardian requested comments from the Australian government, which had previously expressed concern about the crackdown in Hong Kong, but the Department of Internal Affairs said it had not commented on individual cases.
Kimberley Kitching, opposition lawmaker and chairman of the Australian Senate’s foreign affairs, defense and trade reference committee, asked the government to “consider welcoming Hong Kong citizens who did nothing more to protect the democratic norms and institutions promised as part of the ‘one country, two systems agreement’ ”.
“Together with the international community, it would also be worth exploring a multilateral solution, whereby democratic countries create a right of residence agreement for those who wish to leave Hong Kong,” said Kitching.
Australia is operating strict border closings, and significant assistance in granting visa exemptions to Hui and his family for “compelling and compassionate reasons” and providing rare seats on a repatriation flight is likely to irritate Beijing amid already existing relations. between China and Australia.
Asked to comment, the Chinese embassy in Canberra informed the Guardian of the comments made by Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin in Beijing last week.
“The Chinese side calls on the Australian side to stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs and China’s internal affairs in any way,” Wang told reporters on Monday last week. “Otherwise, China-Australia relations will only suffer more damage.”