Stanley Tsui

Stanley Tsui decided to immigrate—through spousal sponsorship—to Vancouver in 2017 in part because of the injustices he saw around him and in part because life in Hong Kong, whether in terms of working hours, living conditions, or education for the next generation, was stressful.

Initially, Stanley was quite positive about the Handover. The government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region at first appeared to be willing to listen to the people, and, as a framework, “one country, two systems” actually seemed to be functioning. But then came the administration of Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying and the controversy surrounding the licensing of Hong Kong Television Network. As time went on, from Stanley’s perspective, not only would the government become less and less responsive, many of the values Hongkongers have held dear, such as those associated with freedom and fairness, would also begin to disappear.

During the Umbrella Movement, Stanley visited the Occupy area in Admiralty only from time to time. But he was a supporter and still believes that civil disobedience was, in this context, justified. He strongly disagrees with the suggestion that the participants were incited by the leaders of the Movement; in his view, Hongkongers are no fools and are more than capable of thinking for themselves. In fact, he would say that it was because the government was incapable of justifying the proposed electoral scheme that people decided to take to the streets to demand for genuine universal suffrage. For Stanley, the people of Hong Kong are by and large a reasonable lot; if only government officials are willing to explain clearly, people could be receptive.

Stanley believes people come in many different stripes and cannot be simply classified as either yellow (ribbons) or blue (ribbons). In the case of police officers, he understands it was necessary for them to maintain order, but he also thinks they should have refrained from using excessive force. During the Umbrella Movement, Stanley was able to avoid serious confrontations with friends and clients because all knew where to draw the line. However, Stanley feels that he has a responsibility to persuade others, and so he does express his views on social media.

As for the Chinese community in Vancouver, even though some members would continue to express their love for China and cheer for the Chinese Communist Party, Stanley believes that most recent immigrants from mainland China do share many of the values he holds and would even be quite liberal in thinking about Hong Kong.

Stanley makes it clear that his departure from Hong Kong does not mean that he no longer cares about that faraway land. To be sure, in face of the injustices he saw around him and of various life’s pressures, he has chosen to seek a new life in a new country. But he will continue to speak up for Hong Kong and for what he believes in.

9 May 2019

Stanley Tsui was a sales manager in Hong Kong before immigrating to Vancouver in 2017.

Stanley Tsui 是2017年移民到加拿大。看到社會種種的不公義，再考慮到香港亦非理想的工作、住屋及教育環境，加上配偶已是加拿大公民，遂決定早點作出選擇，移民到溫哥華。

Stanley 認為回歸初期的特區政府還願意尊重市民的意見，而一國兩制亦似乎真的可以實行。但尤其經歷香港電視發牌一役後，他發覺政府已變得愈來愈強勢、越來越不聽民意，而香港人一直擁護與自由、公平相關的價值，亦似乎慢慢被蠶食。

由於工作關係，雨傘運動期間，Stanley 並沒有長期留守佔領區。但他是運動的支持者，亦同意公民抗命是合理的行為。對於佔中發起人被控煽動罪，他認為大部分參與者都是自覺走出來，希望透過佔領行動爭取到一人一票選舉的權利，而並非那麼容易被人煽動。相反，正因為政府無法以理服人，解除市民對政府提出的選舉方案的疑慮，才會令到那麼多人自發上街。提到最近有關修訂引渡條例的爭議，Stanley 認為香港人其實並非那麼激進，只要官員能夠作出合理解說，不少人是會願意接受。

Stanley 認為香港人其實有很多不同立場，不能簡單以黃、藍分類：「其實怎會只有兩種（人）呢​​？」就算是警察，他覺得他們要執行職責、維持秩序，也是無可厚非，只不過就不應該濫用暴力。傘運期間，Stanley 並沒有因意見不同而跟朋友或客人發生嚴重摩擦，因為當時大家談到敏感話題時都會點到即止。不過，Stanley 覺得他有責任去說服別人，所以也會在社交媒體表達自己的看法和立場。

談到溫哥華華人社區，雖然有部分移民仍然自稱愛中國、愛共產黨，但 Stanley 認為來自國內的新移民大都擁有相對一致的價值觀，甚至會用較開放的態度去思考香港的問題。

Stanley 強調，離開香港不等同不再關心、不再理會、不再愛惜這片土地，而只是面對難以改變的不公義、面對種種的生活壓力，他選擇來到一個新的地方繼續發聲。他相信，就算只是發聲，也是一種幫忙。

2019年5月9日

移民到溫哥華前，Stanley Tsui 在香港是一名營業經理。

Videos of Stanley's interview will be available shortly. Please check back.