Hong Kong Watch hosts parliamentary seminar on the UK’s Hong Kong policy
Yesterday evening, Hong Kong Watch and Sarah Champion MP hosted a parliamentary seminar on how the new UK Parliament and government should approach Hong Kong and support the Hong Kong community. We also launched our briefing providing a ‘UK Policy Roadmap on Hong Kong’, which was published on the same day as the State Opening of the British Parliament and is endorsed by Hong Kong Watch Patrons Sarah Champion MP, Alistair Carmichael MP, Lord Alton of Liverpool and Sir Geoffrey Nice KC.
The seminar involved remarks from Sarah Champion MP as well as experts in British politics and human rights in Hong Kong, including Sam Goodman, Senior Policy Director of the China Strategic Risks Institute (CSRI) and Advisor to Hong Kong Watch, Alix Culbertson, Political Reporter at Sky News, and Christopher Mung, Executive Director of Hong Kong Labour Rights Monitor. The event was moderated by Megan Khoo, Research and Policy Advisor of Hong Kong Watch.
With around 50 people in the audience including Members of Parliament, the panellists discussed expanding the British National (Overseas) (BNO) scheme to those born before 1997, granting Home Fee status to BNO Hong Kongers after three years’ residency in the UK, transnational repression including the withholding of £3 billion worth of Hong Kongers’ Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) retirement savings, reviewing the status of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) in London, and the case of British citizen Jimmy Lai, who has been behind bars in Hong Kong for nearly 1,400 days.
The panel discussion was followed by an audience Q&A, where participants raised questions about how the Labour government will respond to some of these issues, including how to engage the new government on releasing Hong Kongers’ MPF savings, reviewing the status of the HKETO in London, and gaps in the BNO visa scheme.
Hong Kong Watch would like to thank Sarah Champion MP for hosting the event and for her steadfast support of Hong Kongers in the UK.
香港監察在英國國會舉辦英國對港政策研討會
昨晚，香港監察和國會議員柴萍恩（Sarah Champion MP）在英國國會舉辦研討會，探討新一屆國會及政府應如何處理香港議題及支援香港社群。我們同時發布《英國對港政策路線圖》，這份簡報在英國國會開幕大典當日發表，並獲香港監察贊助人柴萍恩議員、甘文康議員（Alistair Carmichael MP）、奧爾頓勳爵（Lord Alton of Liverpool）和御用大律師尼斯爵士（Sir Geoffrey Nice）支持。
研討會講者有柴萍恩議員和英國政治及香港人權專家，包括中國戰略風險研究所資深政策總監、香港監察顧問Sam Goodman、《天空新聞》政治記者Alix Culbertson、香港勞權監察總幹事蒙兆達。活動由香港監察研究及政策顧問Megan Khoo主持。
約有50人參加活動，當中包括國會議員。小組講者討論了拓展BNO計劃至1997年主權移交前出生的合資格港人、容許BNO港人在英國居滿三年後享有本地生學費資格、扣押港人總值30億英鎊的強積金（MPF）退休儲蓄等跨國鎮壓、審視香港駐倫敦經濟貿易辦事處（經貿辦 HKETO）的地位，以及英國公民黎智英的案件，黎已在香港坐監近1,400日。
小組討論結束後設有觀眾問答環節，參加者問到工黨政府會如何回應這些問題，包括如何讓新政府投入參與釋放港人MPF儲蓄、審視香港駐倫敦經貿辦的地位，以及BNO簽證計劃的漏洞。
香港監察謹此感謝柴萍恩議員主持今次活動，並感謝她堅定支持居英港人。