Former Hong Kong Legislative Council member and democratic activist Ted Hui Chi-fung confirmed on Saturday (August 16) on Facebook that he has been granted political asylum in Australia, emphasizing that “exile is not immigration.” This makes him another Hong Kong exile accepted by a democratic country in recent years, demonstrating Australia’s continued concrete action to show concern for human rights in Hong Kong amidst the stabilization of Sino-Australian relations.
Hui Chi-fung revealed that the Australian Department of Home Affairs has issued written notifications to him, his wife, children, and parents granting them permanent residency status. He wrote, “On a personal level, my family can finally breathe a sigh of relief. The permanent residency status under asylum removes the uncertainties and pressures they have faced for a long time, allowing them to make longer-term plans.”
However, in response to the congratulatory messages from the public, he admitted feeling a sense of sorrow in his heart. He questioned, “How can one congratulate a political refugee who misses his homeland?… The status of asylum, emotionally speaking, is like a confirmation— that the day to return home is still far away.” He reiterated, “I have said before: ‘Exile is not immigration.’ This statement still remains my belief.”
Hui Chi-fung pointed out that if he had not been subjected to political persecution, he would not have chosen to live abroad. He explained, “For immigrants, they can always return home to visit; for exiles, they have a home they cannot return to. Hearing immigrant friends from Hong Kong talking about ‘returning to Hong Kong’ occasionally leaves a bittersweet feeling in me.”
Reflecting on his exile experience of over four and a half years, he expressed a deeper sense of belonging to Australia now. Through living in the country and engaging in political lobbying, he has made many friends who value democracy and freedom. He stated, “Their support for me and the Hong Kong pro-democracy movement has made me love and cherish this land of freedom even more.”
He emphasized that the decision of the Australian government not only provides security for his family but also carries political symbolic significance. He said, “By granting asylum to me, a ‘wanted fugitive’ under Hong Kong national security law, the Australian government not only grants me permanent residency but also fulfills the ‘non-refoulement obligation’ under international law.”
He added, “This act reveals and confirms with concrete actions the atrocities committed by the Chinese Communist Party in trampling human rights in Hong Kong, ensuring that Hong Kong people in this context should be protected by international law from political persecution by the CCP.”
Ted Hui Chi-fung, a former member of the Hong Kong Democratic Party, fled overseas at the end of 2020 following multiple charges filed against him after the 2019 anti-extradition bill protests. In 2023, Hong Kong police listed him and seven others as wanted fugitives, offering a reward of 1 million Hong Kong dollars, citing suspicions of violating the Hong Kong national security law.
His plight echoes with other democratic activists similarly prosecuted by the Hong Kong government under national security charges. Jimmy Lai, founder of Apple Daily, is currently on trial in Hong Kong facing national security and incitement charges. Hui Chi-fung’s asylum being granted coincides with the visit of Australian Labor Prime Minister Albanese to China to promote the “warming” of Sino-Australian relations, further highlighting the political signals released by Australia.