They escaped being charged, Ip told the Guardian, but police still considered them suspicious troublemakers and no longer felt safe in Hong Kong. So they fled to Taiwan, where a government offered to help them. “We just acted like we were going to travel,” he says. The flight was such a relief and when we arrived it was like ‘oh, finally, we can be free’. But it was a complicated feeling, I am leaving my city, my family, my friends “. The couple is among thousands of Hong Kong refugees fleeing to Taiwan. Some came as investors, others for business or student visas. Taiwan has amended its laws to decriminalize illegal entry to seek political asylum. However, it has no refugee program. Even if it did, the constitution – written in 1947 by an exiled Chinese government still claiming the mainland – secures Hong Kongers in a gray area, neither citizens nor foreigners. Support is ad-hoc, raising concerns about permanence and stability. Many are reported to be leaving or considering leaving for places like the United Kingdom. Ip and Wong both hold British national passports abroad and had the option of going to the UK, but chose Taiwan to pursue a career in social work and one day visit their families. They struggle with linguistic and cultural differences, but they say they have to. Natalie Wong and Kenneth Ip at their home in Taipei. “I feel remorse, but not always,” says Wong, “and I’m so proud of myself.” Photo: Annabelle Chih Sitting in their small apartment in northern Taipei, the couple’s four recently rescued cats revolve around our legs and sparse furniture. The bed, covered with an army-style print and half a dozen plush toys, occupies most of the bedroom floor. The surrounding assets nod to the social movement that sent them into exile: a political flag, a shining democratic yellow suitcase. Ip feels some sadness. When the couple met he was a longtime activist, but Wong was not. He had warned her about what to expect, but they did not expect it. Hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong residents have fled abroad following the crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong in 2019 by a government crackdown and the introduction of the National Security Act. Most have recently developed trails to the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, the United States and Taiwan. In 2020, the Taiwanese government issued 10,813 residence permits and 1,576 permanent residence permits to people from Hong Kong, almost double the previous year. In 2021 it issued 1,685 permanent residences. The first four months of this year has granted 597.
“Keep a low profile”
Ip and Wong were assisted by a specially created humanitarian aid program in Hong Kong under the Taiwan Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), which helps people obtain visas and provides other assistance. There is little transparency about the details of the program, which seems to be the case, and a lot of help is coming “under the table,” says Wong Yik-Mo, a former protest leader who now helps Hong Kong. in Taiwan. Pau is a 28-year-old man who says he was a front-line protester in 2019. He left Hong Kong in early 2020. He says he does not tell people why he came to Taiwan and was asked by government officials to “keep a low profile”. “We never know the people around us, who support the Hong Kong protesters and who do not,” he said. Pastor Huang Chun-shen and Liao Bin-jou, Taiwanese activists who help Hong Kong protesters and other locals who have taken refuge in Taiwan. Photo: Helen Davidson / The Guardian Observers say the government is trying to balance backing Hong Kong supporters, whom it has called “freedom fighters,” and avoiding provoking Beijing, which is threatening to invade Taiwan. There are also domestic concerns about the threat of Chinese penetration and fears about the impact of immigration on jobs and housing. Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen was re-elected in 2020 following an election campaign on a platform of solidarity with the protests in Hong Kong. However, Huang Kwei-bo, a professor of diplomacy and former senior official of the Kuomintang opposition party, accuses the government of not helping those in “humanitarian emergencies” as much as it could. “The Tsai administration prefers a government-led and government-funded humanitarian aid project in cooperation with Taiwanese NGOs that greatly assist Hong Kong people who may be allowed to enter Taiwan,” he said. Many who have arrived in Taiwan have turned to civil society and religious groups, such as the Chi-nan Presbyterian Church and its pastor, Huang Chun-sen. Huang has been targeted by Chinese state media for his material support of protesters and tells the Guardian that he has received several threats that police are now regularly patrolling the church. Wong says the government could “do better” by helping newcomers and they often feel alone. Pau wants to stay in Taiwan, but says the government could do more to help them feel “safe” and motivated to build a future by facilitating permanent residence. “We just need shelter and safety and security and not have to worry about tomorrow.”
‘I dont regret’
A recent Washington Post report revealed complaints about protests by protesters being delayed or rejected for reasons such as being born in China or working in the Hong Kong public sector. Wong says it happened to their ex-roommate: a mainland-born protester who grew up in Hong Kong, where she was told to return to her hometown – and the government she fled from – to reapply. . The Taiwanese government described the report as “false”, citing more than 3,200 permanent residences approved in 2020 and 2021 as evidence. Remaining an uneasy feeling among many Hong Kong residents in Taiwan, a reluctant disappointment blurs their gratitude for the shelter. Kenneth Ip and Natalie Wong’s cat at home. Photo: Annabelle Chih Ip and Wong will stay for now and hope their families can visit it soon. They will try to stay permanently, but if they do not succeed, the United Kingdom is their backup. They will not return to Hong Kong. Asked if she regrets their activism with Protect Our Children, Wong pauses and then speaks in a circle. “Sometimes, maybe,” he says. “I miss my family and some days I watch a movie or a meal in Hong Kong and I feel remorse, but not always, and I’m so proud of myself for doing it. So no. I dont regret.” Additional mention by Chi Hui Lin
