- Title: Hong Kong student hopeful Australia will do more for protesters
- Date: 15th July 2020
- Summary: SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA (JULY 15, 2020) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) STUDENT FROM HONG KONG AND SPOKESPERSON FOR AUSTRALIA HONG KONG LINK, DENNIS CHAN, SAYING: "Personally I'm pessimistic about that cause I think quite a number of candidates will be disqualified because of their political stance and if this really happens, then probably, I couldn't see there's any future for Hong Kong. If this really happens then Hong Kong is just a normal suburb or city of China." HONG KONG, CHINA (JULY 12, 2020) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF RESIDENTS QUEUING AT POLLING STATION ELECTION HELPERS ASSISTING RESIDENTS TO VOTE SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA (JULY 15, 2020) (REUTERS) CHAN WALKING ALONG SYDNEY HARBOUR FORESHORE CHAN LOOKING AT SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE FROM BEHIND FENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) STUDENT FROM HONG KONG AND SPOKESPERSON FOR AUSTRALIA HONG KONG LINK, DENNIS CHAN, SAYING: "At this moment, I still haven't made a decision. But like today I'm having an interview with Reuters and this may make me disobey the law. So I'm not confident enough to go back but I'd say as long as the safe haven visa is not yet clearly announced, I'll consider every possible option." WHITE FLASH (SOUNDBITE) (English) STUDENT FROM HONG KONG AND SPOKESPERSON FOR AUSTRALIA HONG KONG LINK, DENNIS CHAN, SAYING: "What we hope Australian government could do more is to think of ways to save those youngsters in Hong Kong who took part in protests in past. If they're really considering humanitarianly, cause it's really not enough to save those people who are currently in Australia. For a concept of safe haven, there's a lot of people who really need help and they're still in Hong Kong." CHAN LOOKING AT SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE CHAN WALKING AWAY FROM FENCE
- Embargoed: 29th July 2020 09:40
- Keywords: Australia China Hong Kong protest safe haven security students visa
- Location: SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA / HONG KONG, CHINA
- City: SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA / HONG KONG, CHINA
- Country: Australia
- Topics: Diplomacy/Foreign Policy,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA005CMX4W1Z
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: A Hong Kong student studying in Sydney said on Wednesday (July 15) that although he was grateful for the Australian government's safe haven offers, he was hopeful more help would be provided for protesters in the Chinese territory.
Australia said last week it was suspending its extradition treaty with Hong Kong in response to a new security law imposed there and announced measures to attract businesses from the Asian financial hub, provoking an angry response from Beijing.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that students, graduates and workers in Australia on temporary visas will have the opportunity to stay and work for an extra five years and apply for permanent residency after that time.
Dennis Chan, who attends university in New South Wales and is a spokesman for community group Australia-Hong Kong Link, said he was still considering whether it's safe for him to return to his homeland.
"It's really not enough to save those people who are currently in Australia," Chan told Reuters. "For a concept of safe haven, there's a lot of people who really need help and they're still in Hong Kong at this moment."
Hong Kong's new security law punishes acts of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison, imposed after months of mass protests that sometimes resulted in violent clashes between police and pro-democracy supporters.
There are 10,000 Hong Kong citizens in Australia on student visas or temporary work visas, with a further 2,500 outside Australia and 1,250 applications on hand, according to the government.
Australia offered asylum to some 42,000 Chinese students who were in Australia after a violent crackdown on pro-democracy protests Tiananmen Square in 1989.
More than 600,000 people voted in Hong Kong pro-democracy primaries on Sunday (July 12), widely seen as a symbolic protest against the sweeping legislation imposed on the city by Beijing.
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