Hong Kong activist banned from mainland for 23 years now free to enter
Leader of group labelled subversive becomes first banned democracy activist allowed back into the mainland with renewed permit
A prominent Hong Kong democracy campaigner whose organisation has long been branded as subversive by Beijing has become the first barred activist to set foot on mainland soil after the lifting of a decades-old travel ban.
Richard Tsoi Yiu-cheong, vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, confirmed Sunday that he had received his home return permit on Saturday after his application filed late last month was approved.
He applied for the permit on November 30, reacting to rumours, hours before Beijing informed the local government that it would be willing to re-issue pan-democrats with the travel documents that Hong Kong permanent ID card holders are required to have when they cross the border.
Tsoi is the first pro-democracy activist to disclose the successful renewal of his permit after Beijing made the conciliatory offer to its political opponents, while prominent lawmakers from his camp earlier rejected the olive branch.
On Saturday, Tsoi travelled to Guangzhou, where his permit was cancelled by the authorities in August 1993 after a tour with Han Dongfang , an advocate for workers’ rights on the mainland. It was the first time he had set foot on mainland soil since then.