National security law: welcome mats by Britain, Australia, Canada lure thousands who feel Hong Kong is no longer home
- Families, young people, professionals among those leaving because of worries over city’s future; take out pensions
- Some staying put, take wait-and-see approach and others, especially businesses, say city calmer, more stable
This is the final of a four-part series on the impact of the national security law, one year after it was imposed on Hong Kong by Beijing on June 30, 2020. Lilian Cheng and Denise Tsang speak to Hongkongers making plans to leave the city even as businesses and others say they welcome the return to stability to get on with their lives. Read part one here, part two here and part three here .
Hongkonger Andy Wong, his wife and teenage son have never visited Britain and speak very limited English, but they are preparing to start a new life there later this year.
The 54-year-old Hospital Authority clerk, who earns about HK$25,000 (US$3,200) a month, and his wife Sue, 53, a health care worker with a similar salary, made up their minds to leave last month.
They plan to quit their jobs, take their 16-year-old out of school and go with their savings of about HK$400,000 and HK$3 million in pensions.
“Nowadays we don’t even have any right of assembly. I cannot see any future here for my son and also for ourselves,” Wong said.