Hong Kong activists discussing parliament-in-exile after China crackdown, campaigner says
Record ID:
1560356
Hong Kong activists discussing parliament-in-exile after China crackdown, campaigner says
- Title: Hong Kong activists discussing parliament-in-exile after China crackdown, campaigner says
- Date: 2nd July 2020
- Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (JULY 2, 2020) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF HONG KONG PRO-DEMOCRACY CAMPAIGNER, SIMON CHENG, IN A LONDON PARK (SOUNDBITE) (English) PRO DEMOCRACY CAMPAIGNER, SIMON CHENG, SAYING: "The shadow parliament can send a very clear signal to Beijing and the Hong Kong authorities that, actually, the democracy need not to be based on the mercy of Beijing, and need not be complied with the constitution or the system, because the people are losing hope that Beijing or the authorities can live up to their promise to let the people get 'one person, one vote' to elect their representatives, and even their leader. So now we want to set up the non-official civic groups that truly reflect the voice of the Hong Kong people," CHENG ON BENCH UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH EMBLEM ON CHENG'S SWEATSHIRT (SOUNDBITE) (English) PRO DEMOCRACY CAMPAIGNER, SIMON CHENG, SAYING: "It's (the shadow parliament) quite controversial - sometimes it's easier to have some different opinions on it, so we need to be a bit more patient. But we expect that more and more Hong Kong people will leave Hong Kong to be the Hong Kong activists in exile, so we will include more and more of them to join the discussion. We expect that the idea can be announced in September or at the end of this year." HONG KONG, CHINA (JULY 1, 2020) (REUTERS) RIOT POLICE ARRESTING PROTESTERS AND FIRING PEPPER SPRAY VOLUNTEER MEDIC TENDING TO PROTESTER VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS HANDING OUT PLACARDS READING (Chinese): "SUPPORT THE FIVE DEMANDS, OPPOSE THE EVIL NATIONAL SECURITY LAW" VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS HOLDING PLACARDS POLICE SURROUNDING PROTESTER AND HOLDING UP CORDON VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS DIGGING UP BRICKS AND PLACING ONTO STREET VARIOUS OF BURNING ITEMS ON ROAD PLACARDS LEFT ON FLOOR READING (Chinese): "SUPPORT THE FIVE DEMANDS, OPPOSE THE EVIL NATIONAL SECURITY LAW" LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (JULY 2, 2020) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) PRO DEMOCRACY CAMPAIGNER, SIMON CHENG, SAYING: "Now, the UK gave a very good signal. I do believe it's quite attractive to most Hong Kong people who have the BNO (British National Overseas) passport and are eligible to come. But in the future, I do believe that once the other Western countries, including Taiwan, Australia and and United States, once they initiate more lifeboat schemes, more choices to let the Hong Kong people to pick and to choose, definitely I would think it's not that many people would come to the UK. And what I, what I guess at this moment, just at this moment, I think at least hundreds of thousand people will come." HONG KONG, CHINA (JULY 1, 2020) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS THROWING YELLOW PAPERS IN AIR POLICE FIRING WATER CANNON POLICE HOLDING UP BANNER DETAINED PROTESTER SITTING BEHIND RIOT POLICE SHIELD LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (JULY 2, 2020) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) PRO DEMOCRACY CAMPAIGNER, SIMON CHENG, SAYING: "It couldn't cover all range of the people, especially those major forces of the pro-democracy movement in recent years. Those people, they don't have (aren't) BNO holders. How can we help them? So I would say once I have been granted, my asylum has been granted, it could be a good precedent for those people who don't don't have the BNO passport can hold it as the precedent to apply, and it could be easier to get the asylum granted." CHENG WALKING
- Embargoed: 16th July 2020 15:27
- Keywords:
- Location: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM / HONG KONG, CHINA
- City: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM / HONG KONG, CHINA
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Asylum/Immigration/Refugees,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001CL4AGXZ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Hong Kong pro-democracy activists are discussing a plan to create an unofficial parliament-in-exile to keep the flame of freedom alive and send a message to China that freedom cannot be crushed, campaigner Simon Cheng told Reuters on Thursday (July 2).
Cheng, a Hong Kong citizen, worked for the British government for almost two years until he fled after he said he was beaten and tortured by China's secret police.
He told Reuters pro-democracy activists wanted to set up a shadow parliament to show Hong Kong's democracy movement wasn't "at the mercy of Beijing."
Cheng, a British Overseas National, said that while the idea was still at an early stage, such a parliament-in-exile would support the people of Hong Kong and the pro-democracy movement there.
After Prime Minister Boris Johnson offered millions of Hong Kong residents the path to British citizenship following China's imposition of a new security law for the territory, hundreds of thousands of people would come to the United Kingdom from the former British colony, Cheng said.
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