{"id":140456,"date":"2019-08-19T12:00:24","date_gmt":"2019-08-19T11:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=140456"},"modified":"2019-08-26T11:16:24","modified_gmt":"2019-08-26T10:16:24","slug":"portugal-a-new-home-for-those-who-fear-hong-kongs-fate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2019\/08\/portugal-a-new-home-for-those-who-fear-hong-kongs-fate\/","title":{"rendered":"Portugal: A New Home for Those Who Fear Hong Kong\u2019s Fate?"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul>\n<li><em>Growing frustration over extradition bill and worries over erosion of city\u2019s freedoms have seen a surge in number of Hongkongers considering migration<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>For those who want access to Europe, Portugal is increasingly seen as a gateway \u2013 either through family ties in Macau or investment<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"attachment_140457\" style=\"width: 510px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/portugal-hong-kong-eu-migration.jpg\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-140457\" class=\"wp-image-140457\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/portugal-hong-kong-eu-migration-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/portugal-hong-kong-eu-migration-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/portugal-hong-kong-eu-migration-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/portugal-hong-kong-eu-migration-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/portugal-hong-kong-eu-migration.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-140457\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">While Hongkongers have been known to move to places such as Taiwan and Canada, an increasing number have started considering less traditional locations, like Portugal. Illustration: Kaliz Lee<\/p><\/div>\n<p><em>9 Aug 2019 &#8211; <\/em>Lam, a data expert working for a top Hong Kong-based company, was born and bred in Kowloon Bay. But the city she once knew has vanished among mainland Chinese tourists\u2019 shopping bags, crowded pavements and \u2013 most worryingly, she says \u2013 diminishing freedoms.<\/p>\n<p>The 28-year-old first thought of obtaining Portuguese nationality about five years ago. But she got busy and the plan was placed on hold until the recent political turmoil over <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/topics\/hong-kong-extradition-law\" >Hong Kong\u2019s extradition bill<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt made me revisit this idea. I don\u2019t think I want to raise my [future] kids here,\u201d says Lam, who asked to be addressed only by her surname. \u201cThe No 1 reason is the government and the tightening grip of Beijing over Hong Kong, regardless of how society here feels.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As protests continue to unfold in several districts, frustrations and anxiety over the city\u2019s fate have led to an increase in number of residents seeking options for a life elsewhere.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><em>\u201cGiven that the environment in Hong Kong is not very promising \u2026 we want to have another choice if things go very bad here.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>&#8212; Lai, secondary-school teacher<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>While Hongkongers have been known to move to places such as Taiwan and Canada, an increasing number of people have in recent weeks started considering less traditional locations \u2013 like Portugal.<\/p>\n<p>Some are trying to obtain Portuguese nationality through their family ties in Macau, while others are considering getting citizenship by making investments, perceiving the country as a gateway to Europe.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Second Home<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Cheung, a recent retiree, first thought of buying property in Portugal last year, after a family trip there. But her intentions have grown stronger of late, and she even started to consider living there.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe really liked the place, so previously I thought about it as a sort of \u2018flex\u2019 holiday home. Many British people go there just for the weekend,\u201d the 57-year-old woman says. \u201cBut given the current situation in Hong Kong, this has become more of a priority and I am considering whether we should move there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cheung\u2019s two children live in England and she now views Portugal as an affordable place where her family could eventually be reunited.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_140458\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/lisbon-portugal.jpg\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-140458\" class=\"wp-image-140458\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/lisbon-portugal-1024x597.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/lisbon-portugal-1024x597.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/lisbon-portugal-300x175.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/lisbon-portugal-768x448.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/lisbon-portugal.jpg 1320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-140458\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Some 4.5 million visitors pass through Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, every year.<br \/>Photo: Handout<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Her friend Lai, a 56-year-old secondary-school teacher, also began thinking of moving out of Hong Kong as the political and social crisis deepened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGiven that the environment in Hong Kong is not very promising \u2026 we want to have another choice if things go very bad here,\u201d says Lai, who also only gave her surname.<\/p>\n<p>She joined some of the recent protests and is worried that her hometown will not remain a beacon of freedom of expression for much longer.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><em><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/week-asia\/politics\/article\/3016577\/has-carrie-lam-lost-hong-kong-her-bid-push-through-china\" >Read: Has Carrie Lam lost Hong Kong in her bid to push through extradition bill?<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>According to unofficial estimates, more than 20 demonstrations were held in the past three months, and over 4 million people marched against the extradition bill, which would allow criminal suspects to be sent to jurisdictions the city does not have any extradition agreement with, including mainland China.<\/p>\n<p>Such actions have morphed into wider demands for democracy in Hong Kong \u2013 a Chinese-ruled territory that enjoys a high degree of autonomy, but with no universal suffrage in the election of its leader.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_140459\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/hong-kong-riot-demo.jpg\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-140459\" class=\"wp-image-140459\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/hong-kong-riot-demo-1024x597.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/hong-kong-riot-demo-1024x597.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/hong-kong-riot-demo-300x175.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/hong-kong-riot-demo-768x448.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/hong-kong-riot-demo.jpg 1320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-140459\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Riot police fire tear gas in Admiralty in the early hours of July 2. Photo: Roy Issa<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Meanwhile, violence from the police \u2013 who have used tear gas, rubber bullets and pepper spray on protesters \u2013 as well as the government\u2019s unwillingness to formally <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/news\/hong-kong\/politics\/article\/3017795\/hong-kong-leader-carrie-lam-says-extradition-bill-dead\" >withdraw<\/a> the controversial legislation have frustrated many Hongkongers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am really thinking of moving to Portugal, mostly because of my children [aged 17 and 24]. If they have another citizenship, they can get a job more easily in Europe,\u201d Lai says. \u201cTo be honest, it\u2019s a safety issue.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Promise of Portugal<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/week-asia\/politics\/article\/3019392\/portugal-new-home-those-who-fear-hong-kongs-fate\" >TO CONTINUE READING Go to Original \u2013 scmp.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u2022\tGrowing frustration over extradition bill and worries over erosion of city\u2019s freedoms have seen a surge in number of Hongkongers considering migration<br \/>\n\u2022\tFor those who want access to Europe, Portugal is increasingly seen as a gateway \u2013 either through family ties in Macau or investment<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":140457,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[56,180,51],"tags":[239,244,120,267,1317,487,504,109,287,985,380,126],"class_list":["post-140456","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-asia-pacific","category-brics","category-europe","tag-brics","tag-china","tag-conflict","tag-geopolitics","tag-hong-kong","tag-human-rights","tag-international-relations","tag-politics","tag-power","tag-social-justice","tag-solutions","tag-violence"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140456","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=140456"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140456\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/140457"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=140456"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=140456"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=140456"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}