#LifeBoat
UK Government considering proposals to expand #BNO scheme for Hong Kong youngsters born after 1997
On February 10, the UK parliament continued to debate proposed law amendments that would widen the pathway for people with British national (overseas) (BNO) status to resettle in the UK.
The amendment aimed to expand the BNO visa scheme to those aged between 18 and 25 who were born on or after 1997 who have BNO parents to access the scheme independently of their parents.
Speaking in a Committee Stage debate at the House of Lords, the last governor, Chris Patten bluntly criticised the Chief Executives of Hong Kong and members of HK Police Force.
“Everyone of my successors as Chief Executive of Hong Kong had a British passport. ... [the] unhappy paradox is the people at the moment, the quisling, including the member in the police force, [who are] doing the prosecuting, have British passport. And the ones being prosecuted, or the ones being locked up, don't," Lord Patten said.
He continued: "... what is happening in Hong Kong - the destruction of a free city, one of the great free cities in the world - I think that's wrong and we should say it's wrong"
The debate, led by Lord of Alton of Liverpool, saw the amendment receive support from all sides of the House of Commons including with support from Lord Patten of Barnes, the last Governor of Hong Kong as well as the Liberal Democrat and Labour frontbench.
Lord Sharpe of Epsom, the Government Whip in the Lords, said, "We are looking seriously at whether more can be done to support this cohort. I hope this will cheer your Lordships up that we hope to update the House by Report stage."
#ChrisPatten #BNO
Source: Radio France Asia Cantonese; #Feb11
https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/htm/uk-bno-02112022140036.html
UK Government considering proposals to expand #BNO scheme for Hong Kong youngsters born after 1997
On February 10, the UK parliament continued to debate proposed law amendments that would widen the pathway for people with British national (overseas) (BNO) status to resettle in the UK.
The amendment aimed to expand the BNO visa scheme to those aged between 18 and 25 who were born on or after 1997 who have BNO parents to access the scheme independently of their parents.
Speaking in a Committee Stage debate at the House of Lords, the last governor, Chris Patten bluntly criticised the Chief Executives of Hong Kong and members of HK Police Force.
“Everyone of my successors as Chief Executive of Hong Kong had a British passport. ... [the] unhappy paradox is the people at the moment, the quisling, including the member in the police force, [who are] doing the prosecuting, have British passport. And the ones being prosecuted, or the ones being locked up, don't," Lord Patten said.
He continued: "... what is happening in Hong Kong - the destruction of a free city, one of the great free cities in the world - I think that's wrong and we should say it's wrong"
The debate, led by Lord of Alton of Liverpool, saw the amendment receive support from all sides of the House of Commons including with support from Lord Patten of Barnes, the last Governor of Hong Kong as well as the Liberal Democrat and Labour frontbench.
Lord Sharpe of Epsom, the Government Whip in the Lords, said, "We are looking seriously at whether more can be done to support this cohort. I hope this will cheer your Lordships up that we hope to update the House by Report stage."
#ChrisPatten #BNO
Source: Radio France Asia Cantonese; #Feb11
https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/htm/uk-bno-02112022140036.html
Radio Free Asia
【聚焦香港】彭定康批「外國護照」特首乃「叛徒」
英國上議院周四辯論放寬港人BNO簽證。前港督彭定康促英國政府接納修訂案，他發言時更狠批歷屆香港特首或家人持有英國護照，被迫害的年輕人卻沒有。同日，下議院無異議支持台灣參與多邊組織。另外，英國國會外交委員會下周六啓程訪問台灣。
#Interview
#ChrisPatten on How #CCP Changed #HongKong: "They’ve broken their word, as I’m afraid they do regularly"
Source: RFA #Jun26
Illustration: #RebelPepper
Read more
⬇️⬇️⬇️
#ChrisPatten on How #CCP Changed #HongKong: "They’ve broken their word, as I’m afraid they do regularly"
Source: RFA #Jun26
Illustration: #RebelPepper
Read more
⬇️⬇️⬇️
#Interview
#ChrisPatten on How #CCP Changed #HongKong: "They’ve broken their word, as I’m afraid they do regularly"
The last UK governor of Hong Kong, #lChris Patten, blames the #ChineseCommunistParty for the city's malaise.
Patten, 78, who holds the title Baron Patten of Barnes and serves as chancellor of the #UniversityofOxford, spoke the Amelia Loi of RFA Cantonese about the changes in Hong Kong as the July 1 25th anniversary of the #handover approaches.
In the interview, Patten was asked to assess the changes in Hong Kong in the 25 years since the handove. Patten said, "Hong Kong was an exceptionally successful community ––the eighth largest trading community in the world and we never had the sort of demonstrations which have affected Hong Kong in the last few years. I had very much hoped it would continue as long as possible and the Chinese had promised that it would continue for 50 years. They’ve broken their word, as I’m afraid they do regularly. They break their word. They break international treaties whenever it suits them. And I think that’s happening again this time."
Patten also said, "the fact that the independence movement has grown in Hong Kong is an indication of how badly China has behaved and how little people actually trust China today. It’s an extraordinary thing that so few people are actually proud of Hong Kong being part of China now. There’s a great sense of Hong Kong citizenship, and there’s a great sense that people are Hong Kongers but only a small number think of themselves as Chinese."
Read the full interview:
https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/hongkong-patten-06262022085742.html
Source: RFA #Jun26
Illustration: #RebelPepper
#ChrisPatten on How #CCP Changed #HongKong: "They’ve broken their word, as I’m afraid they do regularly"
The last UK governor of Hong Kong, #lChris Patten, blames the #ChineseCommunistParty for the city's malaise.
Patten, 78, who holds the title Baron Patten of Barnes and serves as chancellor of the #UniversityofOxford, spoke the Amelia Loi of RFA Cantonese about the changes in Hong Kong as the July 1 25th anniversary of the #handover approaches.
In the interview, Patten was asked to assess the changes in Hong Kong in the 25 years since the handove. Patten said, "Hong Kong was an exceptionally successful community ––the eighth largest trading community in the world and we never had the sort of demonstrations which have affected Hong Kong in the last few years. I had very much hoped it would continue as long as possible and the Chinese had promised that it would continue for 50 years. They’ve broken their word, as I’m afraid they do regularly. They break their word. They break international treaties whenever it suits them. And I think that’s happening again this time."
Patten also said, "the fact that the independence movement has grown in Hong Kong is an indication of how badly China has behaved and how little people actually trust China today. It’s an extraordinary thing that so few people are actually proud of Hong Kong being part of China now. There’s a great sense of Hong Kong citizenship, and there’s a great sense that people are Hong Kongers but only a small number think of themselves as Chinese."
Read the full interview:
https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/hongkong-patten-06262022085742.html
Source: RFA #Jun26
Illustration: #RebelPepper
Radio Free Asia
Interview: 'They’ve broken their word, as I’m afraid they do regularly'
The last UK governor of Hong Kong, Chris Patten, blames the Chinese Communist Party for the city's malaise.
25th Anniversary of the Transferral of Hong Kong's Sovereignty: "Huge fallback of democracy"
In 2022, the sovereignty over Hong Kong has been transferred from Britain to the PRC for 25 years but with no plans for universal suffrage. The currrent electoral system is a "huge fallback of democracy".
With the enactment of Hong Kong National Security Law (#NSL) since 2020, the #CentralGovernment largely changed Hong Kong's electoral system, as the city's #LegislativeCouncil (#LegCo) no longer has an opposite voice.
With the enormous change in the political system and the environment in Hong Kong, what hapened to the promise of "High Degree of Autonomy" and "Hong Kong ruled by Hong Kong people"?
"When I was in Hong Kong, I saved my diary for the first time in my life. I hope it can be the evidence of Hong Kong being a British colony with a democratic society." said former and the last Hong Kong Governor Chris Patten.
Hong Kong once experienced a higher level of democracy and more freedom. However, the circumstances have changed a lot in the last 25 years. The promise of a "real universal suffrage" has never been fulfilled. Worse still, the electoral system had been changed.
Source: RFA #July01
https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/features/hottopic/feature-71-07012022024423.html
#HighDegreeofAutonomy #ChrisPatten #ElectoralSystem #Handover
In 2022, the sovereignty over Hong Kong has been transferred from Britain to the PRC for 25 years but with no plans for universal suffrage. The currrent electoral system is a "huge fallback of democracy".
With the enactment of Hong Kong National Security Law (#NSL) since 2020, the #CentralGovernment largely changed Hong Kong's electoral system, as the city's #LegislativeCouncil (#LegCo) no longer has an opposite voice.
With the enormous change in the political system and the environment in Hong Kong, what hapened to the promise of "High Degree of Autonomy" and "Hong Kong ruled by Hong Kong people"?
"When I was in Hong Kong, I saved my diary for the first time in my life. I hope it can be the evidence of Hong Kong being a British colony with a democratic society." said former and the last Hong Kong Governor Chris Patten.
Hong Kong once experienced a higher level of democracy and more freedom. However, the circumstances have changed a lot in the last 25 years. The promise of a "real universal suffrage" has never been fulfilled. Worse still, the electoral system had been changed.
Source: RFA #July01
https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/features/hottopic/feature-71-07012022024423.html
#HighDegreeofAutonomy #ChrisPatten #ElectoralSystem #Handover
Radio Free Asia
【主權移交25年（二）】政治篇——「港人治港、高度自治」之路如何了？
香港主權移交25年，不但普選沒有實現，選舉制度更是「民主大倒退」。隨著近年《港區國安法》出台，中央大幅修改選舉制度，立法會再無反對聲音，香港的政治制度和環境出現重大改變，「港人治港、高度自治」的路，還可以怎樣走下去？本台今集繼續走訪港英兩地，從政治角度審視香港主權移交中國第25年的變遷。