Home Office must let Wu Chi-wai stay in UK with his family, not deport him this week

Hong Kong Watch is renewing its call on the Home Office to immediately reverse course and allow Wu Chi-wai, the former Hong Kong Democratic Party chairman and one of the ‘Hong Kong 47,’ to remain in the UK with his wife and son, after new reporting revealed he faces removal this Wednesday. Hong Kong Watch previously raised concerns over Wu’s case after he was threatened with deportation on arrival at Heathrow Airport.

According to an Associated Press interview with Wu, he was finally able to embrace his wife and son in London last week for the first time since his release from prison, a reunion both he and his family had waited more than five years for. However, under his seven-day immigration bail granted on arrival, he is now due to leave the UK on Wednesday. 

Wu told the AP he had taken care to inform Hong Kong’s British consulate of his travel plans beforehand, precisely because he was worried his “criminal” record might complicate his entry. Despite this, border officials at Heathrow apparently suspected he might be seeking long-term residency rather than a family visit, and he was only admitted on strict temporary bail. Wu has explicitly denied that he is seeking asylum in the UK, telling the AP his long-term hope is simply to reunite with his family there. He also said his return flight to Hong Kong, originally booked for November, has already been changed to Wednesday, and not by him. Neither the Home Office nor the airline had responded to questions about who altered the ticket. 

Benedict Rogers, Chair and co-founder of Hong Kong Watch, said: 

“Wu Chi-wai spent more than five years in prison for helping organise a primary election. His reward should not be a week with his wife and son before being put back on a plane. The Home Office says it is ‘steadfast’ in supporting Hong Kongers. Now is the moment to prove it, by allowing Mr Wu to stay.

It is hard to see how a man who had already told the UK government, in writing, ahead of time, exactly why he was travelling, ends up on immigration bail with a week’s notice to leave. Over 200,000 Hong Kongers have settled in the UK under the BN(O) route in good faith, trusting that Britain’s offer of sanctuary is real. Every day this case goes unresolved, that trust is tested. The Home Office must extend Wu’s leave to remain, and explain what went wrong.”

本週或被遣返回港 內政部務必讓胡志偉留英與家人團聚

最新報導披露，前香港民主黨主席、47人案被告胡志偉本週三（29日）可能被遣返回香港。香港監察再次呼籲內政部立即改變決定，容許他留在英國，與妻兒團聚。胡上週飛抵希斯路機場時被扣留，並被告知會遣返香港，香港監察曾對他的個案提出憂慮。

根據《美聯社》對胡志偉的訪問，他刑滿出獄後，上週終於可以在倫敦與妻子和兒子重聚，他與家人等待這刻五年有多。不過，他抵達英國後僅獲批七日入境保釋（immigration bail），意即要在週三離開英國。

胡志偉告訴《美聯社》，他事先特意通知英國駐香港總領事館他的旅行計劃，正正因為擔心自己的「犯罪」紀錄可能會令入境變得複雜。儘管如此，據悉希斯路機場的邊境官員仍然懷疑他可能是尋求長期居留而非探親，最後他僅能以嚴格的臨時保釋形式入境。胡志偉明確否認意圖申請政治庇護，並告訴《美聯社》長遠希望在英國與家人團聚生活。他亦表示，原訂11月的回港航班已被改為週三，但並非他本人所為。內政部和航空公司均未回應有關誰更改機票的問題。

香港監察信託董事會主席兼共同創辦人羅傑斯（Benedict Rogers）表示：

「胡志偉因協助組織初選而坐監超過五年。他的回報不應該是與妻兒共度一週，然後就被送回飛機。內政部聲稱『堅定』支持香港人，現在正是證明立場的時候，容許胡志偉留在英國。

很難理解，一個已事先書面告知英國政府旅行原因的男子，最後卻獲批入境保釋，要在一週內離境。超過20萬香港人透過BNO簽證計劃誠意定居英國，相信英國真的會提供庇護。案件一日未解決，這份信任都會受到考驗。內政部必須延長胡志偉的居留許可，並解釋究竟出了甚麼問題。」

Photo: VOA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons