About 50 Hong Kong people in the United States have spent the past three days briefing members of the U.S. Congress from 20 states on the situation in Hong Kong through videoconferences. Call4HK, a coalition of Hong Kong people in the U.S., told the station that the main focus of the lobbying was to promote the Hong Kong Safe Harbor Act. (Kevin Hu reports)
Xu Yingting told us that the Security Bureau’s proposed amendments to the Immigration Ordinance and the recent arrest of 47 pro-democracy activists have made the Hong Kong Safe Harbor Act more urgent. Hong Kong people in the United States who participated in the lobbying are worried that the freedom of Hong Kong people to enter and leave the country may be restricted in the future.
Xu Yingting said: we take this matter (to amend the Immigration Ordinance) with them to say why this bill (the Hong Kong Port Shelter Act) so urgent, is because in August this bill (the Immigration Ordinance amendments) may be passed, can prohibit anyone from leaving the country, we do not know (to develop) the principle behind the list is what, will affect, for example, my Family in Hong Kong, they will not be in that list Will they be on that list? By voicing these concerns, most of them feel that they don’t know what we’re talking about and will take note of it, adding a layer of urgency to this bill (the Hong Kong Safe Haven Act).
In the last session of the U.S. Congress, a U.S. senator’s concern that the Chinese Communist Party would use Hong Kong refugees to infiltrate the United States led to the veto of another bill to assist Hong Kong people to come to the United States, the Hong Kong People’s Freedom and Choice Act (HKPFCA).
In response, Ms. Hsu said that they made a point of explaining to U.S. lawmakers that the reintroduction of the Hong Kong Safe Haven Act to the new Congress would be more targeted, including assisting Hong Kong people who have been persecuted or fear persecution in Hong Kong and are eligible to apply for “second preference refugee” status if they have evidence. A former Hong Kong resident who had returned to Hong Kong to participate in the frontline resistance was eligible to apply for “second priority refugee” status.
A Hong Kong resident who had returned to Hong Kong to participate in the frontline protests, met with his own senator from Virginia during the lobbying effort, and stressed that Hong Kong is now at a critical juncture. He said the purpose of his participation in the campaign is not only to promote the bill, but also to establish good communication with legislators, so that they can better understand the ideas of Hong Kong people.
Mr. Man said: My experience, all legislators are aware of what is happening in Hong Kong, are also very concerned about, or their unique impact is particularly attentive. For the Time being, I think what they need is for us citizens to continue to provide them with information about what’s going on in Hong Kong, or what the average Hong Kong citizen thinks. On the other hand, they are interested in understanding how the United States can help Hong Kong people in a substantive way.
The lobby of Hong Kong people in the U.S. was attended by 50 people from New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Boston. They lobbied 50 cross-party members of Congress from Tuesday (9) to Thursday (11) in a video format, covering 20 states. The lobbying also focused on the National People’s Congress amending Hong Kong’s electoral system and the Communist Party’s use of the Hong Kong National Security Law to suppress Hong Kong people.
A year ago at the same time, Hong Kong people also organized a large-scale lobbying effort, when 60 Hong Kong people from nine different states in the United States came to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., to lobby their respective state senators and representatives.
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