How to Exit Hong Kong

Some pointers to make it easier to leave Hong Kong these days

Here's a quick rundown on how to exit Hong Kong...

Pay your tax before you leave

Come here to do all your tax paperwork

When you resign from your workplace, be sure to get a letter from the HR department about your termination of employment due to departing Hong Kong, along with the requisite IR56G, the notification form from your employer to inform the Inland Revenue Department that you will depart from Hong Kong.

Do not leave this to the last minute before you leave. Take these two pieces of paper and your HKID to the 1/F of  Inland Revenue and it's best to go before it opens at 9am. You will get a ticket and when your number is called, tell the person at the counter you are leaving and show them these letters from your company.

They will tell you to go to the 26/F, where again you queue up and get the requisite green tax form to fill out (hence the IR56G form is handy). Be sure to bring any receipts that you may have made for charitable donations to declare in this form as well.

Hand in the green form and the person may tell you come back in the afternoon.

You will need to fill out this green tax form

At that time they will give your tax bill, which you pay by going back down to Hong Kong Post on the 1/F. There will be several people in front of you with the same white piece of paper with red ink. You cannot pay by credit, only cash or debit.

When this is processed, go back up to the 7/F to get your release letter. This is important to have in order to apply to withdraw your mandatory provident fund (MPF) if you are a foreign passport holder.

All the above can be completed in one day.

Withdraw MPF

You need to say an oath that is witnessed by the Home Affairs office before you can apply to withdraw your MPF, along with the release letter.

Because of the fifth wave, this oath could only be done by appointment only. Best to go to your closest Home Affairs office and get the phone number to make the appointment -- no walk-ins allowed. It's a very antiquated way of doing this, as you cannot book online. Just press redial on your phone 30, 40 times until you get through. 

In my case the oath service was only available Monday, Wednesday and Friday at select times. You might be lucky and get the next day booking or next week. They will ask for your name and contact phone number.

On the appointed day arrive a few minutes early (there will be a queue). A person will check each person against their appointment list (hence no walk-ins allowed). Your request is processed and then an appointed person will witness you reading out a statement in English or Chinese. It is a basically a run-on sentence in legalese saying that you abide by the Oath and Declarations Ordinance, that everything you have declared in your forms are true. While I was waiting for my turn, I was given the Oath and Declarations Ordinance to read...

Oath office is around the corner on O'Brien Road

Once you have read out the oath, the witness will sign and stamp a chop on a letter saying you have completed the oath. Send this original copy to the MPF provider along with the application to withdraw your MPF from either your provider or the MPF website. 

It will ask for information about where you are moving to, your contact details and which bank account the money should be sent to.

Your MPF provider may contact you for further information; in my case it was my tax number in the country I will reside in, and I filled that in online. 

From there it should take about a month for it to be processed.

Others have told me they received two tax refund cheques from Inland Revenue.

Packing up

Purging can be a tough exercise, but when it comes down to it, try to be as ruthless as possible. Give away as much as you can to friends and family, or to charities that could use clothing, stationary, tableware, kitchenware, and so on. 

Mail as much as you can ahead of time

If you don't have any furniture, best to send back things via Hong Kong Post via ship as the cheapest option. Either find a sturdy cardboard box or use the ones sold at the post office and make sure they are secured well with packing tape. 

When you fill out the form, you will need to itemise everything in the box and put a total value on them, so best to make a list as you pack the box -- once it's sealed it's hard to remember what exactly what was in there! Around 10kg is over HK$600 which will arrive in about three months' time. So best to ship off what you don't need first.

Before I left, SpeedPost was available -- packages under 2kg could be sent in two weeks. To make sure I was under 2kg, I brought the unsealed box to weigh it before using the packing tape. The staff don't mind you weighing the box as long as they aren't busy, hence going in the morning is a good time.

You cannot mail any electronics, liquid like perfume, but something like hand cream is OK. Obviously no batteries, lighters or hand sanitiser (anything with alcohol in it). Here's the list.

Miscellaneous

If you are renting, be sure to inform providers for electricity, gas, water, etc that you are leaving and to pay up the bills. They will return the deposits to you via cheque. Same goes for settling mobile phone and internet, gym memberships and so on.

Most people will keep their bank accounts active to either receive the MPF withdrawal or to keep paying mobile phone fees while abroad to retain their Hong Kong numbers. I have heard it is harder to open bank accounts in Hong Kong now, so if you can keep a basic one open, that could be handy.

Try to complete your "bucket list" if you have one. In my case because of the social-distancing measures during the pandemic, and time was ticking fast, I was just happy to see whoever wanted to meet up. 

Departure

Check once, twice, three times to make sure you are clear of the Covid-19 requirements for your destination, as they can change suddenly. In my case from the time I booked my flight to departure rules had changed so that there was no need for a PCR test in both the transit city or the final destination.

Some countries may require you to download a specific app to input all your flight and passport information.

Even though it's all digital, be old school and print out everything. Wifi doesn't work all the time.

Hong Kong International Airport is a ghost town when it comes to services and shops. Practically all of them were closed in the check-in area, and nothing was open past security and immigration except for washrooms and free water. Bring snacks if you want to nibble on something before your flight, or eat a big meal beforehand.

If you are flying economy, be sure to get there at least three hours beforehand as there will be a big queue to check-in, otherwise those in business and first class won't have much of a wait. Be sure to pack all your electronics in your hand carry luggage, not check-in suitcases for inspection.

OK One more post tomorrow on a few of the final things I did in Hong Kong!

The Butcher of Beijing is Dead

"The butcher of Beijing" is dead -- Li Peng died on Monday in Beijing

This evening came the news that former Chinese premier Li Peng -- the man who advocated the violent crackdown in Tiananmen Square in June 30 years ago -- passed away on Monday at the age of 90.

For many critics of China, Li will is remembered as "The butcher of Beijing", while the Communist Party of China revere him as a great communist leader and statesman.

Jiang Zemin, Li Peng and Deng Xiaoping

The official obituary in Xinhua says Li played an "important role" in the 1989 crackdown.

"Under the resolute support of veteran revolutionary leaders represented by comrade Deng Xiaoping, comrade Li Peng unequivocally stood with most of the comrades of the Politburo, taking decisive measures to stop the turmoil, cracking down on the counter-revolutionary riot and stabilizing the domestic situation. He made an important contribution in this fundamental struggle, which was critical to the future and fate of the Communist Party and the state."

It was at this critical juncture that Li helped the CPC take a more hard line path; they had seen East Germany crumble as well as the Soviet Union, and the Chinese leaders were not going to let the People's Republic of China to follow the same fate.

The PLA move in to clear out Tiananmen Square in 1989

Alas, was this the right decision?

The CPC would like to think so and is proving it is right by showing off its economic muscle that is way stronger than everyone else's. But morally it plays by its own rules that the rest of the world is still grappling with.

Li, a hydraulic engineer by training, was also responsible for the construction of the Three Gorges Dam. It was considered a massive engineering feat, despite forcing villagers to move and causing massive environmental damage.

The dam was supposed to control floods, but it hardly solved the issue, and so much silt from the Yangtze River accumulates in the dam that it caused a lot of problems, even triggering minor earthquakes! And no, the massive hydroelectric dam didn't solve electrical supply issues either.

The Three Gorges Dam is an environmental disaster

But Li did well for his family. He has three children, two of whom ran two of China's electrical monopolies. One of them, Li Xiaopeng entered politics in Shanxi province and became its governor in 2012, and four years later he became Minister of Transport. Li Xiaolin was chief executive of China Power International Development before being transferred out to another power company.

The more the Chinese know about what happened on June 4, the more they will change their opinions about Li Peng. They have a right to know about this bloody stain on their country's history and Li's part in it.

Lin Heung Update

Lin Heung Tea House was very full for dinner on Monday evening

After we finished what we thought was our last meal at Lin Heung Tea House in Central, our waiter casually let us know that the place would reopen on March 1 as Lin Heung Cha Sutt or Lin Heung Tea Room.

I was very annoyed to hear this as we all thought this was the end of an era, but no -- somehow there was a last-minute reprieve from the landlord, developer CSI Properties.

The place is re-opening on March 1 under new management

Hong Kong Economic Journal reported that some of the staff had bought the franchise from the restaurant owners and managed to get a three-year lease from CSI Properties with rent at HK$400,000 a month.

The staff said they would continue to run Lin Heung like before...

Can they really make the rent, pay staff salaries, electricity, gas, food and so on to make a profit?

First of all, last year CSI Properties seemed reluctant to renew Lin Heung's lease because it owns 90 percent of the building, so many believe it was the end of the restaurant. Why did the landlord have a change of heart?

Second, where did the staff get the money to buy the franchise? They don't seem to be earning super high wages to afford not only the franchise but to take on that kind of a financial risk.

Can the staff keep Lin Heung going another three years?

Third, do they think they can turn the place around just by continuing doing what they did before?

We'll have to see what happens come March 1, but I can tell you I felt cheated that I didn't know the place was going to stay open. So many of us went to Lin Heung to say good bye when in fact there was no reason to say arrivederci in the end.

But why the restaurant is staying open is a mystery to me and time will only tell.

McDonald's: For Food and Refuge

There are a few hundred people sleeping in McDonald's on a regular basis

There are a lot of assumptions made about people who are down and out in Hong Kong. We think it has to do with someone's financial situation, but our perception of someone being "poor" should change, and we should have more empathy for them.

Some of these people hang out in McDonald's for long stretches of time -- some even falling asleep there. They are called McRefugees or McSleepers, and there was worldwide attention in 2015 when an elderly woman was found dead 24 hours after she walked into the McDonald's in Kowloon Bay.

Meanwhile a survey back in 2013 found 57 street sleepers in these fast-food restaurants. But this June another survey was conducted which found a whopping 334 street sleepers; of the 110 branches that are open 24 hours, 84 of them had seen overnight sleepers. Most of them were in McDonald's branches in Tsuen Wan.

Some have jobs, some have homes, but still go to McDonald's

Junior Chamber International, which conducted the survey, was able to interview 53 McRefugees aged between 19 and 79, and found 57 percent of them had a job, and 71 percent of them had housing, either rented or owned.

Some of them lived in sub-divided flats and because the small space had no air flow, they felt it was better to be in a place that was air conditioned. They also wanted to minimize their electricity spending, as air conditioning can be expensive.

Others had jobs but didn't get along with their families, and would rather not go home, and instead would rather hang out and eat at McDonald's.

There are also seniors whose husbands or wives had passed and they didn't want to be by themselves at home so they went to McDonald's to be around people.

"Family is the basic unit in a society," says chamber publication commission chairwoman Jennifer Hung Sin-yu. "Even one person who has a home but cannot return is too many. This phenomenon is worth our attention."

More needs to be done to reach out to these people

What is being done about these people?  It is sad to find Hong Kong as a community is not there for these people, whether it's offering companionship to lonely people or giving them a leg up to find a better job. The Hong Kong government will be on the hook for this latest report, as the city is so filthy rich and yet it doesn't have enough compassion for mostly underprivileged people.

But also the onus is on these people to find better solutions, such as a network of friends to talk to or to find some space that is welcoming -- hanging out in a McDonald's all day is hardly fun; it must be tiring too.

Everyone needs to be more open to reaching out and giving a helping hand to someone, or saying hello or even smiling to them.

These are small ways we can make Hong Kong more friendly to everyone.

Macau's Weaknesses Laid Bare by Hato

A van partly submerged into the water in Macau after Typhoon Hato

The story these few days has been the impact of Typhoon Hato in Macau. At least nine people have died and the destruction in the casino hub is shocking.

There are images of blown out windows, flooding in the streets, debris everywhere, cars dangling from bridges... it's like a bombed out city.

Windows blown out in an apartment complex

I contacted a friend of mine to see if she was OK and she sent me a video of her using her dog's leash to hook onto the window clasp to keep the window from flinging open. She wasn't able to keep her window shut when Typhoon Hato hit.

It demonstrated that perhaps her building was not built properly, or the windows themselves are not good quality.

The scenes of destruction and the slow response show the Macanese government has not prepared for typhoons with proper drainage, emergency plans, and supplies even though it is such a wealthy city.

Even the casinos were shut down with blackouts despite having backup generators. There's video on social media of one luxury hotel casino where some 20 staff struggle to keep the main doors closed while the wind is blowing so hard.

Residents line up for water from fire hydrants in the city

Two days later, today, the People's Liberation Army was called from the Macau barracks to come out and help clean up -- something that should have been arranged yesterday. While the help was greatly appreciated, there were again questions why the government didn't ask for assistance right away.

Basic supplies are scarce -- there isn't enough drinking water and some homes still don't have electricity. People are lining up at fire hydrants to take water, even though the government has asked them not to do so. Supermarkets are raided for water as soon as they have supplies and of course it costs much more.

Macau Chief Executive Fernando Chui Sai-on last night apologized to residents and families of the victims, and said that the head of the observatory Fong Soi-kun had resigned for not giving people enough time to prepare or take the typhoon seriously.

The PLA came out to help clean up the city today

My friend told me the government just thought the typhoon would only hit Hong Kong, but in fact it just passed by the city and moved on to Macau before making landfall in southern China.

And now with Typhoon Pakhar on the way this Sunday, will Macau be ready to deal with that too?

A few weeks ago a friend had told me that there were reports saying five typhoons would be passing by Hong Kong soon and I thought it was crazy. But now we have the second one coming, it might not be so crazy after all!

Finally Cutting Power Usage

Large Hong Kong developers have pledged to cut power consumption by 5%

Finally the government is getting large developers to cut their electricity consumption by 5 percent in the five years (actually three) leading to 2020.

Reducing about 230 million kilowatt-hours is equal to the power consumption of 47,000 homes in a year, or 210 times the annual amount of electricity generated by Siu Ho Wan Solar Farm.

At least 40 developers have signed onto the scheme with the government, including Cheung Kong, New World, Link Reit and MTR Corp.

Cheung Kong has signed up on the energy-saving initiative

Undersecretary for Environment Christine Loh Kung-wai said this initiative was a way to honour the spirit of the Paris agreement [to make changes through negotiation].

"Developers are now willing to go beyond compliance. Our partnership with the developers will also become a platform for further policy changes and tightening standards," she said.

Official data shows commercial buildings owned by these developers used one-third of the total electricity used by all commercial buildings in the city, while the commercial sector accounted for 20 percent of the total electricity consumed in Hong Kong.

All buildings in the city use 90 percent of the city's total electricity consumption and more than 60 percent of carbon emissions.

It'll be interesting to see what measures these developers will take to reduce the amount of electricity used. Will they finally get shopping malls to not have their air conditioners so cold, as well as restaurants? And how about finally getting malls like The One to stop blasting cold air into the atmosphere, forcing the air conditioners to work even harder?

Will this finally mean no more blasting air con at The One?

It's not about the money -- it's about conserving the environment.

And 5 percent? That's nothing to these companies -- no wonder as Loh says, they are willing to go beyond compliance. Just turning off a few more lights at night would already meet the requirements. Why not 10 or 15 percent? Why can't we try to work harder on this?

The government should not allow these developers to laugh at these targets. Energy consumption in Hong Kong needs to drop by a lot. We can't be wasting energy for no good reason. Perhaps now would be a good time to significantly decrease the amount of light pollution too.

Any volunteers?