- Basanta Bhujel
China has been ruthlessly suppressing the people’s movement in Hong Kong, demanding the maintenance of democracy. Every autocratic ruler considers the movement for people’s rights as a foreign intrusion. China is also calling the Hong Kong movement a foreign intrusion. China has accused the movement of being a separatist movement, not for human rights.
As a a democratic country, Nepal should also give moral support to all the movements for people’s rights in the world. In the case of Hong Kong, Nepal still needs to be sensitive. First of all, the number of Nepalese living permanently in Hong Kong is over one hundred thousand. Secondly, Nepalese in the British Army have made a great contribution to bring the prosperity of Hong Kong to this stage. Many people are under the illusion that ‘the prosperous island of Hong Kong was forcibly taken away from China by the British and brought back to Hong Kong after China became powerful.’ Some Nepalese are also under this illusion.
What is Hong Kong?
Hong Kong is a coastal region of east-south China. When Portuguese citizen Jorge Álvares arrived in 1513, it was an area of 20 small villages, 2,000 swimming fishermen, and a total population of 3,500. Álvares started Sino-European trade by building a small stall. Eventually, Hong Kong was called the heart of East Asia and the gateway to China.
China was defeated by Britain in the First Opium War (1839-1842). At that time, Britain could have taken over China if it wanted to. But they only asked for a small island of Hong Kong for his business-like, one-of-a-kind shop. China wanted to improve relations with Britain by providing an island made of stone. According to the Sino-British Nanking Agreement, Hong Kong became part of the United Kingdom. The Second Opium War (1856–1860) further expanded the British jurisdiction. In 1898, under the Sino-British Peking Agreement, a 99-year lease agreement was signed with 262 smaller islands. In 1978, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Chinese Supreme Leader Deng Xiaoping began the process of returning to Hong Kong. Deng agreed to implement “one country, two political systems”. On December 19, 1984, a joint declaration made it clear that Hong Kong would return to China.
On April 4, 1990, the Chinese People’s Congress passed the “Basic Law of Hong Kong”, which is like a constitution for Hong Kong. On July 1, 1997, Hong Kong returned to China. The British occupation of Hong Kong lasted 156 years, counting the date of British occupation from 1841.
Today, Hong Kong’s population has reached 7.5 million. The area is 1104 sq km. Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. Hong Kong has a per capita income of 68,000. Hong Kong is one of the most important trading centers in the world. Hong Kong’s score on the Human Development Index is 0.933, which is very high. In Hong Kong, 92 percent of the Han Chinese lives. The remaining 8 percent are Filipinos, Indonesians, and South Asians. In a city ruled by Britain for nearly a century and a half, there are only about 250,000 Britons.
China has returned to Hong Kong on the condition that it does not rule for at least 50 years. It has been only 23 years since it got back. There are still 27 years left in the history of democratic rule, but China has begun to impose laws that would take away democracy. The current movement in Hong Kong is a product of this. After returning from the British colony, Hong Kong was governed by the Basic Law of Hong Kong. Article 31 of the Basic Law states, “According to the one-country, two-system approach, the communist system will not be implemented in Hong Kong under the guise of democracy. The undeveloped capitalist system and way of life will be allowed to continue for 50 years.”
According to the agreement, China would have to wait until 2047 to implement a one-party the communist regime in Hong Kong, similar to that of China. But the new national security law has largely nullified the basic law. China is in a hurry to impose communist rule in Hong Kong.
In fact, Hong Kong should be of interest to us Nepalese. Because before 1997, Nepalese enlisted in the British Army, and their children were allowed by the British to live in Hong Kong. According to him, many Nepalese are now living in Hong Kong. Nepalese living in Hong Kong for the last time have the illusion that Hong Kong’s development and prosperity were not done by the UK, but by China. Nepalese have also got the right to live in Hong Kong with the help of the British. The law to give birth based on birth is also made by the UK. China has not allowed Nepalese to live in Hong Kong. China has been very strict in granting Hong Kong visas to Nepalese. For example, people from all over the world except Nepal and Nigeria can easily get a visa to Hong Kong, but even Nepalese with visas are starting to suffer in Hong Kong. For example, former Prime Minister Dr. Baburam was detained for about four hours after entering Hong Kong.
Most of the structures in present-day Hong Kong were built before 1997 when they were part of the British Territory. This columnist is directly involved in some development works. There was nothing in Hong Kong until the British hired it. The UK has made Hong Kong the world’s trading hub. When Hong Kong became the world’s main trading center, skyscrapers began to be built here. Metro trains ran, big airports were built, railways were built under the sea. It became a bridge over the sea. The same development that took place in Western Europe took place in Hong Kong. Hong Kong’s splendor grew as the pride of Asia.
As Hong Kong developed and prospered, the main challenge was for the Chinese to enter. To meet this challenge, the UK decided to seal the border with China. For which 10,000 Gurkha army was deployed. The Gurkha army did not allow the Chinese to advance even an inch. It then became the largest and most well-equipped airport in the world. It also became the longest bridge in the world. Hong Kong shone like a new bride day and night. It became the center of rich merchants and tourists from all over the world. Hong Kong’s business was booming twice a day and four times a night. But the rental period was coming to an end. The people of Hong Kong were in favor of revolting if the term was not extended under any circumstances. But a British diplomat who went to China for talks died mysteriously in 1997. The reason for this was – ‘Hong Kong, which is laying golden eggs, was already greedy for China. What is the pain of losing a dilapidated place after making it a beautiful country? The UK has suffered the same as in Hong Kong. This is the story of Hong Kong, just as the Kauravas were greedy after the Pandavas made Khandaprastha Indraprastha by their ancestors.
In the British era, Hong Kong seemed to be a real paradise. The British Gurkha The regiment was stationed at Istanli Port. A colony called Gorkha Haven was built for the Gorkhalis. Where the Gorkhalis lived to celebrate the holiday. Ward Haven was built for the White Army.
What now?
With a powerful nation like China turning a blind eye, Hong Kong’s democratic movement is unlikely to succeed. Now there will be intense repression. How many people will be killed in the democratic movement? Otherwise, they will rot in prison. Hong Kong will now be like a soulless body, a rover. The Hong Kong people, who have been accustomed to democratic practices and open governance for almost two generations, will no longer live in such a place. About 3 million Hongkongers are bound to go to the UK. For those who do not qualify to go to the UK, a few years will be very difficult, but later they will get used to the communist regime.
(Bhujel is a retired engineer in the British Army)
