A former Hong Kong opposition leader has reportedly been denied entry to the United Kingdom and faces deportation back to the city after seeking residence using his British National (Overseas) passport, according to local media.
The Times reported on Thursday that Wu Chi-wai was refused entry and told he would be deported, citing his friends.
Wu had served a sentence of four years and five months in a landmark subversion case and was released from a Hong Kong prison in late June.
If confirmed, the move by the UK marks a shift compared with its treatment of other Hong Kong activists wanted by police, including former lawmaker Nathan Law Kwun-chung, student activist Tony Chung Hon-lam and former British consulate staffer Simon Cheng Man-kit. All of them were allowed to settle in the country and are residing there.
Wu’s impending deportation prompted several of the fugitives to take to social media to comment, with some expressing fears he would be placed at “grave risk” if sent back to Hong Kong and urging the UK to intervene.
According to the Times report, Wu – a former chairman of the Democratic Party and legislator – arrived in the UK seeking asylum with a BN(O) passport but was told by an immigration officer that his passport would be confiscated and that he would be sent back to Hong Kong.
