Fwd: Death of Hong Kong

Cindy had a comfortable lifestyle in Hong Kong: she owned several properties with her husband, they had a good business going. But last year she made up her mind to leave it all behind and move her family to Britain, and not even a global pandemic was going to sway her decision.

"To uproot ourselves like this is definitely not easy. But things got uglier last year, the government was really driving us away," said the businesswoman and mother of two young children who didn't give her family name because she feared repercussions for speaking out against the Chinese government. "Everything we value – freedom of speech, fair elections, liberties – has been eroded. It's no longer the Hong Kong we knew, it's no longer somewhere we can call home."

Cindy, who landed in London last week, is one of thousands of Hong Kongers fleeing their hometown since Beijing imposed a draconian national security law on the territory last summer.

Some are leaving because they fear punishment for supporting pro-democracy protests. But many others, like her, say China's encroachment on their way of life and civil liberties has become unbearable, and they want to seek a better future for their children abroad. Most say they don't plan to ever go back.

Many firmed up their exit plans after Britain announced in July that it would open a special immigration pathway for up to 5 million eligible Hong Kongers to live, work and eventually settle in the U.K.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said this week the offer shows Britain is honoring its "profound ties of history" with Hong Kong, a former colony that reverted to Chinese rule in 1997 on the understanding that it would retain its Western-style freedoms and much of its political autonomy not seen on mainland China.

Thousands of Hong Kong citizens flee to the U.K., fearing China crackdown | KTLA