Fugitive former Hong Kong lawmaker Ted Hui reveals move to Australia, thanks authorities for waiving Covid-19 entry curbs
- Hui says he is in Australia on a tourist visa, expresses gratitude to the authorities for facilitating his arrival
- He fled Hong Kong late last year while out on bail awaiting trial on charges tied to the city’s 2019 anti-government protests
Fugitive ex-lawmaker Ted Hui Chi-fung, who had been in Britain after fleeing criminal charges in the city, revealed on Tuesday he had moved to Australia to broaden Hong Kong activists’ fight for greater democracy abroad.
Hui announced on his Facebook page that he arrived in Australia early on Tuesday to continue his lobbying work, saying he would leave such efforts in Britain to fellow activists including Nathan Law Kwun-chung, who moved there following Beijing’s imposition of the national security law in June last year.
Speaking to the Post after his arrival, Hui denied suggestions Britain had put pressure on him to leave. Instead, the former opposition lawmaker said he had always seen Britain as a stopover before moving on to a third destination, where he would put down roots.
“I have always been in touch with some of the Australian legislators and I can finally meet them in person, as well as Hongkongers’ concern groups here,” he said.
Hui said he would lobby the Australian government to press sanctions against Hong Kong and Chinese officials and loosen its immigration rules to allow residents facing persecution to move there.
But he did not specify his location, citing fears for his safety, although he revealed he had settled for now in southeastern Australia.
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Electoral overhaul the ’death of democracy’ for Hong Kong, says fugitive former lawmaker Ted Hui
The former Democratic Party legislator said he was in the country on a tourist visa. When asked how he intended to remain there in the future, Hui said he would rely on his personal savings and support through Patreon, a social media platform recently used by many Hong Kong opposition figures to receive donations from supporters.