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Edward Snowden’s Escape from Hong Kong [audio]

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Re: Edward Snowden’s Escape from Hong Kong [audio]

#21

Post by Mikeb85 »

sfifs wrote: post #20
lvs wrote: post #13

The story begins around 18:30. After listening to these folks explain the situation of refugees and their legal status in HK, one wonders a bit why EJS decided to go there as his first stop.

Well apart from China (which rules Hong Kong) or Russia, where else would he go? Maybe India as a last resort (India's protected the Dalai Lama for many decades).

> Maybe India as a last resort (India's protected the Dalai Lama for many decades).

India didn't exactly have to put anything on the line for this considering the Dalai Lama was sponsored by the CIA when he first went into exile...

Edit - downvotes but no response? It's well known that the CIA was involved in the Tibetan uprising that forced the Dalai Lama into exile, and that he was on their payroll at the time. Not even conspiracy theory stuff, just documented history.

Re: Edward Snowden’s Escape from Hong Kong [audio]

#23

Post by JumpCrisscross »

lvs wrote: post #13

The story begins around 18:30. After listening to these folks explain the situation of refugees and their legal status in HK, one wonders a bit why EJS decided to go there as his first stop.

I work with some wealthy people. This is a fun topic and favourite topic--if the U.S. fell to fascism, where would you go.

The most popular answe is Argentina. The most interesting is Kerala.

Re: Edward Snowden’s Escape from Hong Kong [audio]

#24

Post by pcr0 »

sfifs wrote: post #20
lvs wrote: post #13

The story begins around 18:30. After listening to these folks explain the situation of refugees and their legal status in HK, one wonders a bit why EJS decided to go there as his first stop.

Well apart from China (which rules Hong Kong) or Russia, where else would he go? Maybe India as a last resort (India's protected the Dalai Lama for many decades).

China doesn't rule HK, at least until 2047.

Re: Edward Snowden’s Escape from Hong Kong [audio]

#25

Post by pcr0 »

lvs wrote: post #13

The story begins around 18:30. After listening to these folks explain the situation of refugees and their legal status in HK, one wonders a bit why EJS decided to go there as his first stop.

He answered this in an interview.

"Sure. So there's a couple assertions in those arguments that are sort of embedded in the questioning of the choice of Hong Kong. The first is that China is an enemy of the United States. It's not. I mean there are conflicts between the United States government and the Chinese PRC government but the peoples inherently we don't care. We trade with each other freely, we're not at war, we're not in armed conflict, and we're not trying to be. We're the largest trading partners out there for each other."

"Additionally, Hong Kong has a strong tradition of free speech. People think 'Oh China, Great Firewall.' Mainland China does have significant restrictions on free speech but the people of Hong Kong have a long tradition of protesting in the streets, of making there views known. The internet is not filtered here more so then any other western government and I believe that the Hong Kong government is actually independent in relation to a lot of other leading western governments."

transcript: https://mic.com/articles/47355/edward-snowden-interview-tran...

video: https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2013/jun/09/nsa-whis...

As for why he'd go to a place with disappointing refugee policies, I don't think he was planning to settle there.

Re: Edward Snowden’s Escape from Hong Kong [audio]

#27

Post by deepakprakash »

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #23
lvs wrote: post #13

The story begins around 18:30. After listening to these folks explain the situation of refugees and their legal status in HK, one wonders a bit why EJS decided to go there as his first stop.

I work with some wealthy people. This is a fun topic and favourite topic--if the U.S. fell to fascism, where would you go. The most popular answe is Argentina. The most interesting is Kerala.

I am from Kerala and genuinely curious - why Kerala? And why Argentina for that matter?

Re: Edward Snowden’s Escape from Hong Kong [audio]

#29

Post by JumpCrisscross »

deepakprakash wrote: post #27
JumpCrisscross wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I work with some wealthy people. This is a fun topic and favourite topic--if the U.S. fell to fascism, where would you go. The most popular answe is Argentina. The most interesting is Kerala.

I am from Kerala and genuinely curious - why Kerala? And why Argentina for that matter?

Far away from where American agents could find, or effect force, on you. Militantly independent local governments and financial systems, et cetera.

Re: Edward Snowden’s Escape from Hong Kong [audio]

#30

Post by JumpCrisscross »

bbcbasic wrote: post #26

The U.S. has fallen to fascism, where will you go?

The Austrian side of my family fled Anschluss [1]. Within this context, the hyperbolic ("I am upset about our political system") and literal ("I will likely be killed soon") uses of the term "fascist" are meaningful.

[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anschluss

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