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.

Macau Expands NSL Legislation

Macau has kowtowed to China since its handover in 1999

When comparing Hong Kong with nearby Macau, the latter was always seen as the more obedient child to Beijing.

While Hong Kong loudly protested against passing Article 23, the security law back in 2003, which led the government shelving it for later, Macau happily legislated it without a fuss in 2009.

Fast forward 11 years and Beijing implemented the national security law in Hong Kong following the 2019 protests. Despite the NSL covering sedition, subversion, terrorism and secession, the city will revisit Article 23 in a bid to pass it next year.

Increased national security legislation in Macau

With the Legislative Council overwhelmingly stacked with pro-establishment politicians, it should be no problem to finally pass this controversial piece of legislation, which stoked fears of extradition to China to face trial.

However, Macau has found that it needs to catch up with Hong Kong's NSL and further expanded its own national security law legislation.

The updated law, which has come into effect, puts greater emphasis on foreign interference in the special administrative region.

The original NSL in Macau listed seven major crimes, such as treason, subversion, theft of state secrets and foreign collusion, where maximum punishments are 25 years in jail.

Meanwhile opposition to any central government department and the ideology in Beijing can be charged with subversion.

In addition Macau police now have the power to target suspects outside the city.

Now Macau's NSL similar to Hong Kong's 

Not surprisingly, critics of the new security law say it restricts people's liberties and rights in the former Portuguese colony.

Jason Chao was formerly president of the pro-democratic political party called the New Macau Association, and says the new law is "deeply concerning".

"Local journalists described the current situation as the ice age, and unfortunately the ice age is going to get colder," Chao said.

"The most worrying point is that people would not know whether or not they were committing a crime if they tried to criticise the government. We have observed how the national security law in Hong Kong has been vaguely interpreted," he said.

It seems the NSL was going to be passed anyway in both cities, even if Hong Kong didn't have the protests. But they gave Beijing the best justification for implementing it...