Hong Kong asylum seekers who sheltered Edward Snowden ‘in fear’ after reports Sri Lankan agents travelled to city to look for them
‘I don’t know what they would do, because they are cruel,’ says father of two
“I felt very scared and nervous ... maybe they can arrest me ... I don’t know what they would do, because they are cruel,” Supun Thilina Kellapatha said, describing his feelings after he was told about the presence of Sri Lankan agents in the city where he has filed a protection claim.
“I don’t feel stable. I walk on the road [and] I don’t know if the Criminal Investigation Department is there,” Kellapatha said.
In 2013, Snowden – who had just leaked sensitive US intelligence files – hid in Hong Kong, before heading to Russia, where he lives under asylum himself.
A Sri Lankan family of four – Kellapatha, his wife Nadeeka Dilrukshi Nonis and their two children – and Ajith Pushpakumara, a former soldier from the same country, sheltered him. They are all waiting for the government to screen their protection claims.