On another August day – August 13, 1961, the Communist government of the East Germany began building a barbed wire and concrete “antifascist bulwark,” between East and West Berlin.
It followed the exodus of more than 16,000 people during the first 11 days of August and 30,000 who had fled during July with escapees crossing the border into West Berlin.
There are echoes of this in yesterday’s report from The Sunday Times. Fortunately we know how the story ended in 1989 with the smashing down of the Wall and the end of the Iron Curtain.
Fearful Hongkongers prepare for a secretive exodus from China crackdown – the Sunday Times
The territory’s pro-Beijing rulers are expected to impose exit bans within weeks and some residents are desperate to escape
Philip Sherwell, Asia Correspondent
Sunday June 13 2021, 12.01am, The Sunday Times
As a Hong Kong bank worker in his forties, Peter was not a typical pro-democracy demonstrator. But two years ago this weekend, he joined protests outside the territory’s legislature.
Yesterday, as police fanned out across the city to prevent commemorations on the anniversary of the June 12 protests, Peter and his family were getting ready to flee their homeland for the UK with another date in mind — August 1.
On that day, Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing rulers will impose a new law that is expected to include powers to block departures.
In response to Beijing’s imposition of a draconian national security law last year, Britain offered residence visas and a path to citizenship for up to three million Hongkongers eligible for a British National (Overseas) passport — a document that previously carried no right of abode.
Departures are surging, despite the authorities using financial penalties and threats to try to deter residents from using the scheme.
The chief reprisal is to deny BNO departees access to their funds in the state pension, unlike those emigrating under other passports. For Peter and his wife, that means leaving behind £100,000 when they fly to the UK with their two children next month.
“I’m viewing it as an enforced immigration fee,” he said. “Maybe we will get it when we reach retirement at 60 but it’s probably all lost. By then, who can know anything about Hong Kong?”
Peter and his family are part of a silent exodus as Hongkongers prepare to slip away under the radar, fearful that their plans could alert the authorities, provoke investigations and endanger their finances or contact with relatives — Peter is a pseudonym and all those interviewed for this article spoke on condition of anonymity.
Beijing has threatened to take action against those who use the BNO scheme. So for many who might have hesitated, August 1 is focusing minds.
“For people like me, who suspect we may be on various lists, it is decision time, ” said a long-term resident who took part in the protests two years ago.
“Anybody in two minds will be thinking — if we’re going to go, we better go before August 1. You don’t want to take the risk.
“Most people are not announcing the move and only discussing it with their closest friends. You have inklings, suspicions that others may be leaving, but they are not sharing details.”
There are, however, economic indicators of the scale of flight from a territory that was for decades a place of refuge for arrivals from the mainland.
Immigration lawyers and school placement consultancies report that demand from Hongkongers planning to move to Britain is soaring.
Removal firms are heavily booked, plane seats scarce and pet relocation agencies are quoting prices starting at £6,000 a dog for a one-way journey to the UK. Some want to make the move before the new school year starts in the autumn.
The Hong Kong authorities say the new immigration law will not hinder the right to travel enshrined in the Basic Law, or mini-constitution, agreed with Britain. But few take those assertions at face value.
The Foreign Office said on Thursday that Beijing has broken its legal obligations and was in “a state of ongoing non-compliance” with the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration that guaranteed a high degree of autonomy for Hong Kong for 50 years after the British handover.
Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, said the 11 months since China’s security law took effect had “been defined by a pattern of behaviour by Beijing intended to crush dissent and suppress the expression of alternative political views in Hong Kong”.
There could be worse to come with fears that the financial assets of those fleeing Hong Kong — not just their pension funds — could be seized or frozen. HSBC closed the accounts of Ted Hui, a pro-democracy politician who fled to the UK, at the police’s request. Beijing is so hostile to the BNO scheme that it might not just be high-profile figures who lose everything.
China is also using propaganda to deter people leaving Hong Kong. The pro-Beijing media teem with stories about the dangers facing arrivals in the UK.
“They portray the UK as rife with crime, muggings and anti-Asian racism, a place where Hongkongers won’t be able to find jobs and landlords won’t accept their documents,” said one professional who is leaving.
“Of course there will be difficulties but they are not insurmountable. What’s significant is that so many people are willing to move around the world despite these challenges.”
The UK scheme is open to all eligible for a BNO passport — Hong Kong residents born before the handover or their dependants — with no requirement for investments, net worth or skills. Young adults born after 1997 can apply separately for asylum.
Some will be wealthy but many will be starting out. Peter said he would be happy to find work as a driver after leaving his 20-year career in banking.
The scheme is a humanitarian one, forged after Britain was accused by critics of abandoning Hong Kong to China. It is expected to deliver significant benefits to the UK economy. The Centre for Economics and Business Research think tank predicted a boost of between £12 billion and £40 billion to the British economy, depending on the uptake.
In the two months after Britain opened the scheme on January 31, nearly 35,000 BNO passport holders and relatives applied. The government’s central estimate is that 300,000 Hong Kong residents will apply in the first five years — about 10 per cent of those eligible.
Simon Cheng, who runs the Hongkongers in Britain support group, predicted that more than 800,000 might apply.
The mood in Hong Kong this summer is understandably febrile. Agnes Chow, 24, a prominent democracy activist, was released from jail yesterday after serving six months for taking part in the 2019 protests but still faces investigation under the national security law.
“I feel very anxious and worried for my family members in Hong Kong,” said Jeff, who studied in Britain and will move back before August 1 to take up a new job. “I fear that they might not be able to leave the city after a ban is enacted.”
Ess, a student activist who has brought forward her plans to leave for Britain, said: “I am worried about my friends in HK and how their mental health will be affected. Worse bans are brewing.”
Asked about the new immigration law and effort to deter applicants to the BNO scheme, the Foreign Office said: “The right of people to leave Hong Kong is guaranteed under the Basic Law and should be upheld.
“We will continue to honour our commitment to those holding British National (Overseas) status and look forward to welcoming those who wish to make the UK their home
