More than a dozen Hong Kong people staged a protest outside the HSBC headquarters in London on December 12. They were protesting against HSBC, one of the trustees of the Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF), for withholding substantial MPF savings belonging to overseas Hongkongers. The protestors demanded the return of their funds. The protest was organized by the “MPF Access Alliance,” which includes individuals with British National Overseas (BNO) visas.
The group chanted slogans such as, “Release our retirement savings now, we want our money back, fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong” to express their demands. Atito, one of the protestors and an IT worker, said that the behavior of the Hong Kong government towards BNO visa holders is “pure barbarism.” He believes that his contributions to MPF over the years should amount to a six-digit figure and fears that it could all go down the drain forever.
Atito likened HSBC Hong Kong to an “independent kingdom” but chose to stand up and protest despite it being one of the trustees withholding the MPF savings of Hongkongers.
Benedict Rogers, co-founder and Chief Executive of Hong Kong Watch, supported the protestors and criticized the British government for not doing more on the issue. He also believes that the British government should make more effort to pressure the Hong Kong government and MPF trustees.
The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) of the U.S. Congress recommended that the U.S. Congress include in the annual report under the Hong Kong Autonomy Act the restriction exercised by the Hong Kong government in preventing overseas Hong Kong residents from using their financial resources in Hong Kong. They also recommended that the U.S. government should then sanction individuals involved in restricting the freedom of emigration under the authority of the Hong Kong Autonomy Act.
The MPF Access Alliance also took their protest to the headquarters of Manulife in Toronto, Canada and staged a protest demanding the return of Hong Kong people’s MPF funds. On Nov. 23, Tom Kmiec, Canada’s Shadow Immigration Minister, and Vice Chairperson of the Parliamentary Special Committee on Canada-China Relations, hosted a roundtable discussion on the MPF issue for Hong Kong people in Parliament. Many Hongkongers and members of the parliament were present.