Former HK Politician Enters the UK

Wu was released from prison on June 30

Former legislator and leader of the Democratic Party Wu Chi-wai has now been allowed into the United Kingdom after he was initially told he would be deported within seven days.

About three weeks after he was released from prison, Wu arrived at London's Heathrow Airport, but was detained and his British National (Overseas) passport was confiscated. 

He spent four years and five months in prison

Other Hong Kong activists in the UK were concerned that if the 63-year-old former opposition leader was denied entry, that would signal a change in the government's stance on its treatment of those wanted by the police, including former lawmaker Nathan Law Kwun-chung, student activist Tony Chung Hon-lam, and former British consulate staffer Simon Cheng Man-kit. 

But now United States-based activist Frances Hui Wing-ting, and The Collective, an independent Chinese-language media outlet, have confirmed Wu has entered the UK. Apparently he was held by border officials over what has been described as an administrative problem with his paperwork.

What a relief.

Wu is one of 47 who were charged with conspiracy to commit subversion under the National Security Law when they organised and/or participated in pro-democracy primaries that were held in July 2020.

He was arrested in January 2021 and detained, charged the following month and his trial did not come to court until June 2022 when he pleaded guilty, and was sentenced November 2024.

Wu confronted riot police on June 12, 2019

During that period his father passed away May 2021, and mother died in March 2023.

Over seven years ago on June 12, 2019, Wu was on the front lines of the 2019 protests when the Hong Kong riot police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protestors. He tried to intervene and shouted, "Take me to your commander!" to the officers, who ignored him.

At the time, Wu told The Sydney Morning Herald that in his 25 years of politics, it was the first time he came face-to-face with riot police and threatened with tear gas.

"To me it was a shock," he said.

"I try to separate both sides, so that police can hold their line of defence, and the demonstrators can keep their formation to express their will that the extradition bill be withdrawn."

How things have changed so much in seven years...

Six More Activists with HK$1M Bounties

Six more activists have HK$1M bounty on their heads

Even though the Christmas holidays are upon us, the Hong Kong police are busy putting a HK$1 million (US$128,691) bounty on six more activists, bringing the total to 19 people who have allegedly violated the national security law.

The six are political commentator Chung Kim-wah, Joseph Tay, former TVB actor and founder of Canada-based NGO Hongkonger Station, former convenor of Studentlocalism Tony Chung Hon-lam, Carmen Lau Ka-man, a former district councillor now at Hong Kong Democracy Council, former Sing Tao editor and now YouTuber Victor Ho Leung-mau, and Chloe Cheung Hei-ching from the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation.

Ho is a former editor and in Metro Vancouver

"Their common denominator is betraying their own country and Hong Kong, neglecting Hongkongers' interests, as well as continuing to endanger national security and detriment Hong Kong's interest after fleeing overseas," said Andrew Kan Kai-yan, deputy police commissioner overseeing national security.

He added the force would cut off the six wanted people's funding resources and investigate their confederates and funders.

In addition the Hong Kong government issued a gazette on Tuesday announcing that Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung had revoked the passports of seven activists who had fled the city, including Ted Hui Chi-fung, Kevin Yam Kin-fung, Anna Kwok, Frances Hui Wing-ting, and Elmer Yuan Gong-yi.

Except that Siu, Kwok and Yam have foreign passports and Frances Hui has asylum in the United States.

Yam stated on social media that he never had a Hong Kong passport, so how could his passport be revoked?

Tay is running as a Conservative candidate

Nevertheless Tang said: "The targets of this crackdown are those who have been wanted for a long time, have been absconding overseas and are determined to continue endangering our national security through various means.

"The [Hong Kong] government will certainly use all means to pursue and crackdown on criminals who have fled overseas and endanger national security."

HK Activist Now in the UK Seeking Asylum

Chung wrote on social media that he is now in the UK

Another pro-democracy activist is seeking asylum in the UK, after managing to leave Hong Kong via Japan.

Tony Chung Hon-lam, the founder of the now defunct Studentlocalism revealed his situation in two Instagram posts. Chung, who had advocated independence, was one of the first to be convicted under the national security law for secession and money laundering, and was sentenced to 43 months in prison. He was the youngest person sentenced under the national security law.

One may remember he was arrested outside the US Consulate in Hong Kong in October 2020, allegedly seeking asylum along with two other Studentlocalism members.

He had founded Studentlocalism for independence

After Chung was released he had to regularly check-in with national security authorities about where he had been, who he had met and the nature of the conversations he had. Chung said the authorities even offered to pay him for information on others to prove that he had reformed himself.

The authorities also asked him to go to the mainland, like Agnes Chow Ting, but Chung refused; the authorities asked if it was because he was still involved in activities violating national security.

Chung also had to sign a document that barred him from disclosing his conversations with the authorities so he could not seek help from lawyers or tell anyone about his situation.

"Under enormous stress and fear, I can only endure silently," he said.

As a result, this pressure put a lot of strain on Chung's mental health. Since October he was not feeling well, and both western and Chinese doctors said it was due to his immunity weakened by the mental toll on his body.

Chung managed to persuade correctional services authorities to allow him to travel to Okinawa, Japan for a holiday to take care of himself. When he arrived in Japan, he began contacting overseas organisations to help him. From there he traveled to the UK.

"This also means I can no longer return to my home, Hong Kong, in foreseeable future," he said. "Although I had anticipated the arrival of this day in the past, I had a heavy heart when I made up my mind."

He said in the future he would devote himself for his city as a "Hongkonger in exile."

"I believe only when Hong Kong people don't give up, the seeds of freedom and democracy will sprout again one day," he said.