A Hong Kong journalist’s difficult decision to leave the city 

As a hongkonger, it’s heartbroken when he mentioned the reason he switched from going to his dream to be a sport reporter is because he wanted to help in case anyone got accused anymore, just like him…sigh…

Please interview with him one year later again for following up.

Watching this report, I can felt the pain my grandparents' struggle during those chaotic time a century back. The decision they made to leave and never see their loved one ever again.

I encourage him to keep doing the same type of "journalism" in UK. I'm pretty sure he will enjoy fully the freedom he's looking for. He should also pay a visit to Assange and tell us how he goes.

The most treasured thing was my job. - This shows how much he loved his job. Be happy, stay safe and Best of luck

I wondered if he has lived or even visited UK before? 'Freedom' comes with a price, hopefully not too steep for him to pay.

If you could not find even one article with a positive attitude towards Beijing on a media, you couldn't call such media being chasing for freedom. Actually, it is impossible for a paid professional employee to chase for any freedom while typing next to the office of his/her boss, the salary also include the responsibility for standing and guarding the side chosen by their boss or the capital behind.

There was a day my HK friend expressed her tiredness living in HK due to political reasons and she hoped she got the chance to leave HK, however, when I asked where would she live if she decided to leave HK, she became quiet... I guess she's very aware of the great prices of leaving HK. I'm very aware of those, too, although I'm not a HKger.

It be interesting to see how he is doing a year, 2 and 3 from now. Perhaps leaving will give him an appreciation of what he’s left behind.

This type of "journalist" suits UK perfectly, specially BBC, they should recruit all of these so call Hong Kong freedom "journalists".

If he is a professional eye-witness journalist, moving to UK is not a bad thing, for he may open a window of the real UK, hopefully.

When you arrive at the UK use you so call freedom go to save Julian Assange.

I have less trust to journalism nowadays.

What Freedom you have as a Journalist in the West?...you toe the line or you dont get a job. Name one Journalist that debates a real issue that's different from the Governments position on foriegn policy

He said he was reporting on the frontline, but he said he never saw rioters throwing bricks at all. But we all saw this happen again and again on livestream. Not only bricks but Molotov bombs as well. So basically what kind of reporting is he doing.

That was really impactful, I really hope he can find himself at home in Britain and welcomed by his new community

Watching this in 2022, I bet he regretted his decision to leave HK.

The only freedom we get here in the Uk is RU-vid, you’ll be very disappointed coming here pal, the grass is not always greener on the other side.

As a mainland Chinese, I wish him all the best and be happy living in UK. He should move to a place that can make him happy.

He doesnt understand how journalism is used as a tool of influence for those in power? They dont teach that in journalism school in HK? If he just starts a bit of digging he would know that the Umbrella Movement is supported financially and strategically by the State Department and Republican politicians. Bannon, Hawley and that Chinese billionaire dude (forgot his name) got caught on video instructing them what to do. You really dont understand why focusing on police violence instead of the driving force behind the riot is not journalism at its core. Better just go to LA and become a paparazzi since he’s just “reporting” instead of “investigating”

This youth can't even speak fluent English and he wants to emigrate to the UK? I hope he will get properly educated about the history of China and Hong Kong soon! The education curriculum in Hong Kong schools should have been revamped after 1997! The people of Hong Kong had been brainwashed by their colonial masters for generations, to think their motherland and culture is inferior and that the British are superior in every way. They never gave the local people any democracy during British rule and only gave them a taste of democracy by giving them the vote only a few years before they were supposed to return Hong Kong to China. In 1980 I was in Lancaster University in England and met some Hong Kong students. They had been brainwashed into thinking that when Hong Kong was returned to China, they would suffer under the Communist government and so many of them were desperate to emigrate to the UK. However, after 1997, the One Country 2 Systems proposed by Deng Xiaoping made Hong Kong prosper even more and Hong Kong became the freest city in the world for trade and business but the Central government never meddled in Hong Kong's government. The CPC should have checked the content of the textbooks used in Hong Kong schools, though, as these continued to denigrate the Mainland while adulating the British! Is it any wonder that youths like this young man are misguided and easily manipulated by Western agents eager to use them to overthrow the CPC? Give him a few years in the UK and he will realise how much "freedom" and respect he will get in the UK. He sees himself as "White" but they will stigmatise him as a "yellow" Chinaman!

He was arrested for assaulting the police back in 2014 long before HK's National Security Law, when nobody was complainign about press freedom then. That says a lot about what type of person this man is and why he had to leave!!

Assange couldn't scape. He chose freedom but you know, USA "freedom" is different.

If you think you would be welcome in the UK I'm afraid you are mistaken

I wish him all the best and that he’s settled well in Manchester. There’s a big HK community there so he will not be alone. I hope he does continue to pursue a job in journalism. Does he have a social media page we can follow and support?

U dont see ppl throwing brick, petrol bombs? Are the armless? Are you serious? I can see many ppl with different views are being assulted, many shops are fired, many police hurt.

Freedom of speech doesn't mean giving personal biased views and use that to influence readers with a political agenda.

Many HK professionals have to change career after immigration. Especially in journalism, many newspapers and magazines are shut down in the west, only online versions survived with reduced staff.

Life in UK is hard. Best of luck

He is going from the frying pan directly into the fire.

Let the UK teach him what is "freedom", but wonder his attitude to the UK is the same as his attitude to mainland China, double standard often is their label. "The moon in the west must be bigger and bright than China." Best wishes to him.

You can report news. But you can’t instigate riots to divide a country. Don’t make it as if you are a victim. You lost that right when you try to hurt other people who try to live their lives and make a living.

Bye. Hopefully he won't end up back in HK in a few years.

My heart is heavy knowing how difficult and sad this decision to leave one's homeland must be and it's the story of so many people who either choose to leave or are forced because to stay for whatever reason is not an option. Best wishes as he begins a new journey and I hope he finds success in all the ways he needs & strives for.

Hopefully he live happily forever in UK, be employed as a vice president in the BBC and be knighted. 😄

Yeah, sure there is journalism freedom in UK 😌

When you seek for Freedom, you must not have any attachments or sentimental values. You are free to stay or leave a country as you wish.

Seems odd to leave the place that will give you the opportunity to do what you want to do. Doubt UK will give you a chance to do that. He has only lost the freedom to bad mouth his own country, SHAME!

Do not think you're leaving for a more freedom world, sir.

It is how you define freedom. When your freedom is to create chaos and harm others, then you are taking others freedom away. Then you are selfish. Freedom is not above the law, a law to keep the people safe. Just in case you don’t understand, a burglar has no freedom to steal because he acts again the law.

this guy will be as quiet as a mouse in the UK.....and only when he is told to go back to China will he learn to appreciate what he has lost....grass is not always greener on the other side

There is no such freedom. You only choose different regulation.

Stay strong everyone. I had to leave Hong Kong in October last year after 28 years. It was one of the hardest decisions. Where ever you go afterwards no may how hard or different to our life before in Hong Kong. You cannot underestimate the feeling of happiness you get from Freedom. I wish everyone each and everyone in Hong Kong and those that have already left the absolute best wishes and best of luck for the future.

Yeah, the same freedom granted to Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya...?

I moved from the UK to Hong Kong and I absolutely love it here. Best decision I've ever made.

When you decided to leave HK for UK don't forget to cancel your HK citizenship.

He'd be reduced to washing dishes at the back of some dodgy Chinese restaurant in Manchester, mark my word 😂

我住在英国，来英国挺好的，至少他失去歧视大陆人资格。英国可是对rioter不手软…… 铲除黑暴还香港一片安宁

He is not choosing freedom but choosing chaos and destruction. Don't frame it as he is a freedom fighter.

Bro, if you leave, then leave. Not sure why some people think they're the most important person in Hong Kong and why his decision to leave is more newsworthy than the 7.5 million who decided to stay.

He won't be so smug once he gets attacked for being an Asian... just wait and see

Im a Chinese. My wife was offered a job in Healthcare sector in UK, London. All we want is the respect is given in our professional and work life balance we never get in Singapore. The kind of freedom you are seeking dont exist anywhere. I wish you best of all luck.

Even though I feel for him, but the reality in UK, he will not have much voice at all. With Asian hate crime on the rise, not only he will lose his freedom of speech, he'll lose any freedom he has left. Imagine a person with English as a 2nd language while journalism requires fluency in it, displaying lunar new year ornaments with "asian writings" in front of his house knowing asian hate crimes on the rise.

Journalism also means responsibility. Should I know that it is the same people that makes me unsafe to be in Hong Kong I would not support them. As a mandarin speaker I feel unsafe to be in that city and constantly fear someone would smash my head like in nyc subway mta. So my feeling is mixed. Freedom of speech with a reasonable limit.

Best wishes to this guy. Hope he doesn't end up like Julian Assange. In the west, journalists write what they're told.

They never show the Hong Kong citizens now living in poverty in England!

When you are in UK, you are a 2nd class citizen and you shall faced upmost racism as most Caucasians as always look down on asians most times... Anyway i wish you all the best and i hope you dont regret your decision because grass is always greener on the other side...

SCMP uploaded the same video about the HK expats who are suffering to live in UK. Even life of people in UK is also hard.

If you did nothing wrong why are you worry about ? If you want to leave HK, pls don't come back !!

I know many ex-Hongkongers in Canada and the US who regret they left Hongkong in 1997 because of western one-sided, negative propaganda against China. SCMP would make a true, valuable contribution by interviewing these ex-Hongkongers about why they regret leaving Hongkong. Such independent journalism would serve the Hongkong people better than churning out endless videos of Hongkongers making their questionable migration to UK. Don't Hongkong people learn in their school history class that UK is a country with a history steepest in global colonialism, violence and contempt toward non-West European people? UK is not even a liveable country due to its Anti Asian sentiment. The jobs awaiting Hongkongers are low- to medium skill jobs, i find it underwhelming how much these migrating Hongkongers trust the western mainstream media.

He's young. He will be able to survive anywhere. All the best. 🙏🙏

I'm truly sorry for what the journalists are going through. Unfortunately, be it ever so humble, there's no place like home. My country has been through similar trials. At least we know what goes up comes down and vise versa.

I wonder does he really know what is "freedom" and its meaning? Can he find "true" freedom in the UK?

这样大家都挺好，go to uK or uSA ， enjoy your “freedom”

过下你就知系英国的自由是几唔值钱

because i choose freedom， why i want to laugh， hahaahha~~

Please don’t come back, you won’t be missed!

When you reach there, first thing is you should do is shout, Free Julian Assange

There are so many naive peoples in Hong Kong.

I can almost guaranteed that most of those BNOers will return to HK one day. It's a simple choice between living in a rising economy vs a declining one. Living as a second class citizen anyway is a torture no matter how one look at it. I am a living example.

Is this less about press freedom but more about the fact there is less to report on since NSL brought more stability back to HK? Seems like he’s effectively an ambulance chaser now who wants to find more interesting things to report on… while I feel for him, I would much rather have stability in the city than making sure there is enough disruption to keep reporters busy.

Move from "you cannot write this!" From the government To "you cannot write this!" From the media owner That's if he land a job as journalist

You all should do some research on how the UK are treating them…. SMH.

People has been immigrating away from HK since the 80s. No big deal. Young lads don’t know how bad it had been after June in 1989, every media said HK is doomed. They keep saying so, and is entertaining.

If you have not done anything wrong then there is no need to be afraid. No need to leave. Using freedom as an excuse ? You can't eat freedom when you are hungry.

Just something for this gentleman to consider : is he a journalist or freedom fighter at heart? If he is a journalist he should continue to pursue the truth - a journey sure to illuminate his understanding. If he considers himself a freedom fighter, his mind is closed. Take care.

I fully support Hong Kong people for their greater voice in politics and elections. But I do not understand why they hate mandarin speaking people.

He will regret his decision.

No such thing as freedom without restrictions, every society has restrictions on freedom

I honestly feel bad for him. I hope he enjoys hands on work in the UK with a tip of racism.

Freedom? Born & lived in UK- no freedom here m8

For the citizens of Hong Kong and mainland China, one less troublemaker

This video explains those Hongkongers who love Hong Kong but are forced to leave the place they truly love. The tears of “我唔想走 I don’t wanna leave” when the journalists leave Hong Kong at the airports have spoken millions of voices of hearts.

If journalists put individual political attitudes on truth and fact, the best choice for them is to leave.

If you look into events that happened around the world, you'll normally see a flood of ppl fled their countries by the tens of thousands for the following reasons- war, chaos, gen0side, famine, serious political instability, severe economic problem. HK has its own problems but it doesn't fit into the aformentioned categories. Rarely will you see ppl flees bcos of "Lack of Freedom".....at least not by the tens of thousands. So this begs the question-> Is the problem really has to do with the situation in HK??? or is it more to do with that particular individual??? I think is latter, WHAT DO YOU THINK? Btw I am from HK so don't tell me i don't know what is going on there

Please don’t come back if you don’t like HK anymore.

With that nose,eyes,height,he will find great job in UK. These mo...s will regret in future.

What freedom did he lose? Freedom to make up news instead of reporting?

There is no perfect place in this whole world, all we can do is :trying to be a better person ourselves

wishing you best of luck in UK. id like to think part of the reason you are leaving is not because you choose freedom. rather, your journalism profession will be having a difficult time finding work. that is the truth, more than freedom. it is survival. income. i hope he was not one of the rioters.

As a Lebanese, our country got more freedom than people of Hong Kong. With great freedom comes supreme responsibility- that is something our government never thought about. Our currency devalued by 93%- my neighbor lost all her savings, and then later her restaurant property. She did the next best thing, she climbed to the 12th floor, and threw herself off the balcony. Just like a typical Lebanese melodrama, her body crash landed on my car, and now, I have no money to fix the damage. If I have a choice, I would love to get on my magic carpet and leave Beirut for Beijing. What I found relatable is that is life ain't fair.

Going to a country that will hate you and treat you as trash and as second class citizen is a dumb decision. You may look heroic to those who are using you but when your usefulness is gone, you will regret it.

He said as he was leaving: "I don't want to leave". Well fok, I don't think anyone forced him to leave HK in the first place. He left on his own free will and he's crying about it like someone forced him to. This guy is delusional. He probably has money if he's able to move to UK. Two things will happen in UK: he will miss his homeland and he will be looked down upon.

Vietnåm: do u have independent Journalists???

Goes to UK searching for freedom, gets arrested for using the wrong pronoun. Lol. If he's reading this, best of luck, you deserve it.

Well, there is still plenty of local media standing in Hong Kong. They can still criticize the government on different platforms. I can't see how freedom of speech is being affected in Hong Kong. MingPao, HK01, SCMP .... many of them are blaming the government for Covid restrictions.

The fact that he has such an utopian expectation toward UK and its so-called "freedom" will definitely lead him to disappointment

Hong Kong is like a company which changed its ownership recently. Some employees will like previous boss and show allegiance to previous boss. They do not like new boss and how the new boss manage the company. They can not adapt to the change. It happen all the time. It is ok for them to quit the job and follow the previous boss while new boss find new employees to work in the company.

Since there is not much reporting to do after the riots/umbrella movement, them guys are struggling.They can leave the country if they don’t like it.

"Spirituality is fundamentally a quest for freedom-freedom from certain things and freedom for certain things." "You see, you are fundamentally in the world to fulfill a greater mission, to prepare yourself for this mission, to free yourself for this mission..." from The Freedom Journey by Marshall Summers