And what do they think now?
In a recent post, we noted the reward money that the Hong Kong government is promising for information leading to the arrests of six more former residents of Hong Kong, pro-democracy activists now living elsewhere. Each of them felt obliged to leave after China’s imposition of the National Security Law of 2020.
Tony Chung was only twenty years old when imprisoned for advocating independence for Hong Kong. Upon his release, Chung was continuously pressured by Hong Kong authorities to give them information about everyone he was now in touch with.
“Although I insisted on only providing irrelevant information, I couldn’t face the fact that I am giving out other people’s information to the police…. I could never relax, not even for a second…. I had thought of the reality of having to leave Hong Kong one day, but I still wasn’t prepared for leaving this soon. But the decision is irreversible now, at least in the near future….
“I believe that as long as the Hong Kong people never give up, the seeds of freedom and democracy will sprout alive again.”
Carmen Lau, a former district councilor in Hong Kong, now works for the Washington-based Hong Kong Democracy Council. At a College Freedom Forum held at Universidad Francisco Marroquín, Lau recounted her experience in Hong Kong during the 2019 protests and the ensuing crackdown.
“Since 2019, we are now having 1,840 political prisoners who are now in jail either serving harsh sentences or detention…. My closest friends and fellows were arrested one by one during that time. Those months were the toughest for many of us…. I was forced to resign from my office before I made a tough decision to flee Hong Kong.” When leaving Hong Kong she purchased a round-trip ticket, though she knew that she would not be coming back.
Now in exile, she is “determined to dedicate my life just to prove the existence of Hong Kong, just to advocate for the beliefs and values that we cherished, whatever it takes. And this is my kind of revolution. And this is the revolution of our times.”
Chung Kim-wah is a commentator and former researcher for Hong Kong’s Public Opinion Research Institute. During his last days in Hong Kong, “People were telling me I was in a lot of danger.”
Chung (shown above) had been questioned by Chinese Communist Party officials for asking voters whether they would be casting blank ballots in an impending Hong Kong election from which pro-democracy candidates were being excluded.
“In Hong Kong today, there is no room for sincere speech,” he said after leaving. “Only lies are permitted.” For people like him, Hong Kong is “no longer a place where we can live a normal life.”
Chloe Cheung, still a teenager, says that she never thought that “as a 19-year-old” she “would get an arrest warrant. The work that I do, it’s not anything really special, and I have never committed a crime.
“I just did whatever I think is correct, which is fight for freedom and democracy. When the government gave me the warrant, I feel like I actually did the right thing. Because it means that they are now scared and afraid of me advocating for Hong Kong. So this bounty gave me some more confidence in what I am doing.
“I won’t do anything differently. I will not be scared. I will not be afraid.”
Joseph Tay is a former singer and actor whose contract with a Hong Kong television network was not renewed after he participated in the mass protests of 2019. In 2020, he left for Canada, where is currently running for office on a platform that includes “restoring the Canadian dream.”
The campaign statement on his LinkedIn page does not mention Hong Kong explicitly.
“I proudly embraced Canada as my chosen home. Like many of you, I elected to raise my family in this exceptional country after being born elsewhere….
“The current Liberal government has broken the country which we knew and loved. Hard-working Canadians…are the ones suffering the consequences….
“Leveraging my over 30 year career as a broadcaster, actor, and singer, I am running to stop the crime in our neighbourhoods, defend freedom, reduce taxes, and make a positive difference in our community.”
Victor Ho, former editor-in-chief of the Hong Kong newspaper Sing Tao Daily and one of the organizers of an unofficial Hong Kong parliament in Canada, says he’s proud of the warrant that Hong Kong has issued for his arrest; it’s “the best Christmas present…. So I’m worth something after all, and it’s hard for me to hide my pride as we enter 2025.”
In an online post, Ho said that Canadian authorities have not sought to arrest the organizers of the unofficial Hong Kong parliament; “it’s actually the Hong Kong communist authorities meddling in Canada’s internal affairs, repeatedly issuing wanted notices for this Canadian citizen. Are they trying for another cross-border arrest? Does Beijing want Canada to become their client/subordinate state?”
The parliament’s first election will be held in March 2025. “It’s the first time in the world a referendum will be held using mobile apps to allow for an anonymous, one-person one-vote vote. It’s easy for overseas Hong Kongers to participate, to show dictators and authoritarian regimes of Hong Kongers’ desire for self-determination.”
