'In my dreams I'm there': the exodus from Hong Kong
Joe Kwong* loves Hong Kong. But he knows he has to leave.
A university-educated construction worker in his 30s, he is just one of many Hongkongers who have uprooted their lives in recent months – or are now planning to – because of fears over the rapid demise of the rule of law and civil liberties. Hong Kong’s descent into effective Chinese control has been swift, and was cemented in June by the introduction of the national security law, which prohibits acts of secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with foreign forces.
“Hong Kong is China now. There are secret police around,” he said, just days before his departure. “They can lock up whoever they want to lock up.”
“I just can’t stay here any longer, I must go while there is still a chance to leave.”
In the three months since the launch of the law, on national security charges, including inciting secession, that swept the city last year, in which more than 10,000 people were arrested.
