Hong Kong activist allowed to stay in UK after deportation threat

Hong Kong activist allowed to stay in UK after deportation threatImage source, South China Morning Post via Getty ImagesImage caption, Wu Chi-wai, the leader of the now-defunct Democratic Party, was a key pro-democracy figure in Hong KongByGemini Cheng, BBC Chinese and Koh EwePublished44 minutes agoFormer Hong Kong opposition leader Wu Chi-wai has been allowed to stay in the UK with his family for six months, after initially being detained at the border.Wu had arrived at London's Heathrow Airport last Wednesday, where he was detained for nearly 10 hours and initially refused entry, he told BBC Chinese. He said he was later told he could stay for only one week, after which he would have to report to the airport to be deported.But on Monday, the UK Border Force approved his entry and granted him a standard stay of six months, he said.The 63-year-old was the leader of the now-defunct Democratic Party and one of the most recognisable faces of the city's quashed pro-democracy movement.Wu is one of the so-called Hong Kong 47, a group of high-profile pro-democracy leaders who were sentenced to jail after a controversial national security trial.He was released in June after spending more than five years in prison for subversion and other convictions.Wu told BBC Chinese that his son and wife moved to the UK in 2022 and 2023, and the only communication he had with them since then was through monthly phone calls and letters. He had hoped to reunite with his family in the UK during his recent visit, he added.Ahead of his departure, Wu said he had consulted staff at the British Consulate General in Hong Kong, asking if there would be any problems with his entry."The information I received was that there would be none," he said, adding that consular staff said they would explain his criminal record and itinerary to the UK Border Force.The Border Force said he was not considered a "genuine visitor" who was solely visiting family, he said.Wu denies tha...