Zhong Hanlin, the former convener of the student movement, announced that he was approved for the period of exile and correctional supervision order. He flew to Okinawa for Christmas and violated the order to apply for political asylum in the UK | Yahoo
[Yahoo News Report]Chung Han-lin, the former convener of the defunct Hong Kong student organization “Student Movement”, announced on Facebook at about 3 a.m. in Hong Kong today (29th) that he had arrived in the UK and announced his exile. Zhong Hanlin was charged with secession, conspiracy to publish seditious publications and two counts of money laundering in October 2020, and was sentenced to 43 months in prison.he ispostIt was revealed that he was released on June 5 this year. Because he was under 21 years old at the time of sentencing, he must abide by the Correctional Services Department’s supervision order for one year after his release. He described being subjected to “strict surveillance,” including being asked to meet with national security officers every two to four weeks to report his whereabouts, and being restricted from being employed in “specific shops.” He also revealed that in September, two national security officers proposed to him to “travel” to mainland China. Zhong Hanlin said that he has been sick from time to time for no reason since October. The doctor diagnosed that his immunity was reduced due to extreme mental stress and psychological factors, and he was advised to seek psychological counseling. On the grounds of adjusting his emotions, he successfully persuaded the Correctional Institution to allow him to leave the country and fly to Okinawa during the Christmas period. During the trip, he decided to go to the United Kingdom to seek political asylum. He revealed that he arrived in the UK at 7pm local time on December 27: “This also means that in the foreseeable future, I will not be able to return to my home in Hong Kong again.”
“Yahoo News” has inquired with the police and the Correctional Services Department about the incident and is awaiting response.
Still banned from speaking publicly after being released from prison
Chung Hanlin said that one month before his release on June 5, the Security Department, Rehabilitation Affairs Team and Supervisor of the Correctional Services Department had repeatedly strongly requested not to announce the release date to the public. The national security officers also warned him and asked him whether he would continue to “separate the country”, reminded him not to leave the country within the next year, and warned that they would continue to visit him after he was released from prison.
He took further measures, and the correctional system later ordered him to sign a revised supervision order. In addition to prohibiting him from publishing any publications that “objectively and reasonably can be regarded as endangering national security,” he was also prohibited from speaking publicly.
Meet with the National Security Bureau every two to four weeks to explain your whereabouts
Zhong Hanlin pointed out that national security officers have been requesting meetings every two to four weeks since June, describing them as “never having a choice.” He said that every time he was invited to a random location, ordered to board a seven-passenger car with the curtains drawn, and then taken to an unknown place. He continued that national security officers would always ask him to explain his whereabouts in the past few weeks and ask who he had met. “Even my elementary school classmates asked me to hand over my full Chinese name.”
After he started school in September, national security officers asked them to hand over their student ID cards for photography, inform them about applying for student financial aid, and hand over their bank account information. Zhong Hanlin described: “If I don’t meet their demands, they will give me a round of lectures, warning me that they have all my whereabouts, and asking me to confess to them. The truth is that they want to blackmail me into submission.”
Correctional services ban employment at “specific shops” and loss of income
Chung Hanlin said that he had found a summer job during the summer vacation, but was soon told by senior officials of the Correctional Services Department that he was not allowed to be employed in “specific shops”, and the provisions of the supervision order did not prohibit it. He described this as “a disguised deprivation of my financial autonomy, and paved the way for the National Security Department’s subsequent financial inducements.”
Guoan security informant once mentioned “tourism” in the Mainland when he was invited to surrender for a fee
Later, Zhong Hanlin lacked any income from work. During this period, he said that the national security officers continued to “coerce and induce” him to defect to them. He speculated: “They (National Security) learned about my poor financial situation through the information in my bank account, so they offered me an informant fee and asked me to provide other people’s information to prove that I had changed my mind. New, willing to surrender.”
In addition, Zhong Hanlin revealed that during a routine interview in early September, two national security officers proposed to him and me to “travel” to mainland China. He admitted that he was extremely vigilant at the time, “worried that he would be sent to prison,” but he felt that he could not refuse any of their requests. Zhong asked them, “It’s impossible for me to apply for a home-return permit, right?” He quoted the national security personnel as saying, “They can arrange it if I want, and they will send someone to accompany me to the north.”
When asked by national security personnel about his considerations, Zhong Hanlin admitted that he did not want to go to the mainland. Later, he was asked whether he was still engaged in activities that endanger national security, so he hesitated and asked to give them an answer at the next meeting. He said that before leaving Hong Kong, the national security personnel did not raise the matter again.
Worry about being charged after Article 23 is enacted
Regarding the above experience, Zhong Hanlin said, “I once imagined whether the national security personnel would keep their promise and return my freedom of entry and exit in June a year later and no longer interfere with my life, but I knew in my heart that these were false promises.” . He even worried that “they (national security personnel) are more likely to intend to delay me until Article 23 of the Basic Law is enacted next year and continue to impose additional crimes on me.”
Therefore, Zhong Hanlin said that after careful consideration, he persuaded the Correctional Institution to allow him to travel abroad during the Christmas period on the grounds of adjusting his emotions. He said he chose Okinawa as a destination that was suitable for his economic situation and “low political sensitivity.” He submitted air tickets, accommodation and other information to the Correctional Services Department a few days before departure, and was successfully approved. He said that on the last day he left, he was still pondering whether this decision was appropriate, but the rare approval from the Correctional Institution convinced him that this was the best time.
Decided to go to UK during trip to Okinawa
Chung Hanlin said that on the day of departure from Hong Kong, he went to the airport with only 40,000 Hong Kong dollars. Until the second before takeoff, he had been worried about whether he could leave the country safely. “It was only when the plane took off that I breathed a sigh of relief.” He continued that during his several days in Okinawa, he sought help and discussed with people and institutions in the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada, and after consideration, decided to go to the United Kingdom and apply for political asylum. He bought a ticket to the UK before the deadline for returning to Hong Kong and arrived in the UK at 7pm local time on December 27. He foresaw that he would not be able to return to Hong Kong again and described his heart as heavy.
2023-12-29 01:30:00
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