International Journalist of the Year Runner-up

In 2019, Hong Kongers were experiencing massive, historic political changes in their homeland. The crackdown on freedom of speech, press, and democracy leads to an exodus of Hongkongers.

Reshaping of Hong Kong

In 2018, a Hong Kong man killed his girlfriend allegedly in Taiwan. But he fled and went back to Hong Kong so that the Taiwan police couldn’t transfer him to arrest him. It gives impetus to a bill to establish a mechanism for transfers of fugitives not only for Taiwan but also for Mainland China and Macau. 

However, the bill was criticised widely in Hong Kong and abroad because of the fear of losing Hong Kong’s judicial independence – the fear of being transmitted to face unfair trials under China’s judicial system. After a few months of protest, the bill was withdrawn but it didn’t end the chaos in Hong Kong. 

On 30 June 2020, China imposed a controversial security law on Hong Kong. This marks the reshape of Hong Kong’s autonomy. This law suppressed the Basic law of Hong Kong and included the freedom of expression, information, association, peaceful assembly, and fair trial. With this new law, anyone who criticises the Hong Kong or Chinese government could be potentially charged with violating the national security law. 

Migrants to the UK

These massive changes cause an increase in determination to leave Hong Kong and seek a free, safe place to express themselves. Based on the historical reason, Hong Kong was under British rule from 1841 to 1997. Hong Kong was handed from the UK to China under the Sino-British Joint Declaration agreement which said the communist country would retain its high degree of autonomy, rights and freedoms for 50 years after the handover. The British national oversea, also known as BN(O), is a type of citizenship created in 1985. People in Hong Kong could apply for it before the 1997 handover to China. On 31 January 2021, the Uk government offered a new route, allowing Hong Kong people with the BN(O) status to stay in the UK for a certain time. Therefore BN(O) holders and their close families could live, study and work in the UK. This reflects Uk’s moral and historical commitment to Hk.

Hongkongers’ journeys

One of the examples is my family. We moved from Hong Kong to Uk in the summer of 2021. From the words of my parents, we are coming to this country to look for a place that is suitable for the growth of children with freedom to express themselves. It’s never easy to travel through half of the world to a far out country. Although Hk was a British colony before the handover, there are still remarkable differences between Hk and Uk. 

There are a few words to say to all of you reading this. Before the series of chaos happened, Hongkongers took freedom as granted and never thought about losing it. But gradually, we need to think before we speak every word. Hence, please cherish the freedom you are having now as it is not always assumed to exist. We are calling for international awareness of the erosion of freedom and autonomy of Hk under the Communist country. I am here to sincerely make the best wishes one day the pearl of the east can be turned into a territory upholding the flag of freedom, and shine again.