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Hong Kong: UK makes citizenship offer to residents

bbc.co.uk

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Re: Hong Kong: UK makes citizenship offer to residents

#31

Post by eggsnbacon1 »

sct202 wrote: post #25

It's interesting to see how proactive a lot of developed countries are being with getting ready to welcome refugees from Hong Kong, especially compared to the Syrian crisis a few years ago.

Hong Kong was a British colony for generations and is still strongly influenced by western culture. Probably why China has such an obsession with crushing it.

Adopting HK citizens is a far easier sell than Syrians. They already speak English, are highly educated, wealthy, westernized, and have special status in UK law.

Letting a ton of refugees in is a large burden on the host country. They don't share British culture and values, tend to have no education or marketable skills, are in poor health, don't speak the language, need a lot of government support, and depress wages for already poor citizens of the host country. It should still be done for humanitarian reasons but there's a lot of pushback from citizens for reasonable concerns.

Re: Hong Kong: UK makes citizenship offer to residents

#32

Post by TrueDuality »

joaomacp wrote: post #22
whatshisface wrote: post #6

If I was China, I would love for the US and the UK to take the law-aware and dissident people off my hands.

Pretty soon the law-abiding and obedient people will become aware that life outside of authoritarianism is better and safer, and they will either run away or revolt.

It's very hard to give up your home, your friends, your connections, and potentially your family even if you have an opportunity for a better life.

Yes, a lot of those connections can potentially move to the same city & country as you but will your neighbor still be your neighbor? Will the bar at the end of the street you go to after a hard day still be there and know exactly what you want when you walk through the door?

The revolt started almost 15 months ago against this kind of crap from China. Emigration may protect you from getting arrested but you're giving up everything you know and love in exchange. That's not much of a deal.

Re: Hong Kong: UK makes citizenship offer to residents

#33

Post by [deleted] »

alt_f6 wrote: post #28
chrisseaton wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know if you aren't aware of the history - Hong Kong was a British colony until on this day in 1997. Many people in Hong Kong have very strong connections to the former Empire - many people married, there were many social, cultural, military connections, and so on.

Sure, but is nostalgia enough to move from a very advanced, high-tech city and highly educated society, to one where several dozen people are knifed in the capital every day and there isn't even AC in the tube in the summer, so people are collapsing from heat stroke.

[deleted]

Re: Hong Kong: UK makes citizenship offer to residents

#34

Post by entropea »

nieksand wrote: post #13
monkeypizza wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some real kickers in here: * Beijing will establish a new security office in Hong Kong, with its own law enforcement personnel - neither of which would come under the local authority's jurisdiction * This office can send some cases to be tried in mainland China - but Beijing has said it will only have that power over a "tiny number" of cases * Beijing will have power over how the law should be interpreted, not any Ho…

Advocating for Hong Kong independence can also earn you a life sentence: "Crimes of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces are punishable by a maximum sentence of life in prison" I'm not sure if criticizing Chairman Xi or the CCP would qualify as subversion.

Aren't there also similar laws like that in USA? People are being recommended life sentences for throwing a molotov at an empty police vehicle during these George Floyd protests and are being labeled as terrorists by Trump.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/17/us/brooklyn-molotov-lawyers-p...

Re: Hong Kong: UK makes citizenship offer to residents

#35

Post by derision »

Veen wrote: post #27
sct202 wrote: post #25

It's interesting to see how proactive a lot of developed countries are being with getting ready to welcome refugees from Hong Kong, especially compared to the Syrian crisis a few years ago.

The UK in particular has a long historical relationship with Hong Kong. Plus, China is in clear breach of bilateral agreements with Britain.

Not surprisingly, China has clearly breached almost any agreement they've made with the rest of the developed world since they've starting making agreements

Re: Hong Kong: UK makes citizenship offer to residents

#36

Post by woodpanel »

whatshisface wrote: post #6

If I was China, I would love for the US and the UK to take the law-aware and dissident people off my hands.

From what I've heard almost everyone tries to get out, so I expect that the alleged hope of the CPC will come true.

Nonetheless it is the right thing to do for the UK (where are the EU nations on this?), and exile doesn't have to mean abandoning the future of your birthplace. Hong Kongers might be able to achieve more for HK from the UK than under a Beijing cyber-dictatorship.

Re: Hong Kong: UK makes citizenship offer to residents

#37

Post by derision »

entropea wrote: post #29
joaomacp wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Pretty soon the law-abiding and obedient people will become aware that life outside of authoritarianism is better and safer, and they will either run away or revolt.

This is exactly why I'm trying to move out of the USA.

Because of the rise of the authoritarian left spreading fear across the country with violence and looting?

Re: Hong Kong: UK makes citizenship offer to residents

#39

Post by thewindow »

sct202 wrote: post #25

It's interesting to see how proactive a lot of developed countries are being with getting ready to welcome refugees from Hong Kong, especially compared to the Syrian crisis a few years ago.

One important reason is money. These people are going to be relatively well off or rich.
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