Ex-lawmaker Makes New Life in Australia

Hui announced he had left the UK for Australia

 

Former Democratic Party lawmaker Ted Hui Chi-fung has announced he has moved from the UK to Australia on his Facebook page, but feared for his safety and did not reveal exactly where he was, except that he is in southeastern Australia. He arrived on Tuesday and is currently undergoing quarantine. 

Hui wrote he would continue his lobbying work in Australia, while leave activism efforts in Britain to Nathan Law Kwun-chung, who moved there just before the national security law was implemented in late June. 

Law is busy with lobbying efforts in the UK

When contacted by the media, Hui denied he was pressured by the UK government to leave, saying he always saw it as a stopover place before going to a third destination. He said he would live on his savings, and support through a social media platform called Patreon, where many pro-democracy activists receive donations from supporters.

"For the long term I've yet to think it over," he said.

Hui thanked Australian authorities for allowing him to come in on a tourist visa despite the strict Covid-19 entry restrictions and that he was undergoing two weeks of quarantine. In the social media post he also thanked the Australian government for coordinating his flight arrangements, thought he had not applied for asylum and would not do so unless it was his last option.

"Although there are many Hongkongers living and studying in Australia, there are relatively few Hong Kong political leaders who are in exile here and are engaged in lobbying work. This is one of the reasons why I decided to move to Australia," Hui said, adding he had relatives in the country who could help him.

Hui at a climate change meeting in Copenhagen

He explained he would lobby the Australian government to press sanctions against Hong Kong and Chinese officials, and loosen its immigration rules to allow residents facing persecution to move there. 

Australia suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong last July, saying it was "deeply concerned" about Beijing imposing the national security law on the city.

The 38-year-old lawmaker fled Hong Kong in late November while out on bail late last year, facing numerous charges related to the anti-government protests in 2019.

Denmark invited Hui to come attend a supposed climate change meeting in Copenhagen, and he was able to secure court approval to leave Hong Kong while awaiting trial.

His family joined him later and they flew to Britain, but then five bank accounts belonging to his family were frozen by HSBC, Hang Seng Bank and Bank of China. He urged the British authorities to impose sanctions on HSBC for freezing credit cards and savings accounts belonging to him and his family due to "political considerations".

HSBC and two other banks froze Hui's accounts

It will be interesting to see how Hui and his family fare in Australia, but with relatives to support them, it sounds like a practical decision. But surely the Chinese will be conducting surveillance on him, so Hui needs to be careful. 

Nevertheless it is possible he can carve out a career as an activist in exile and keep the discussion going on Hong Kong and its deteriorating environment.