Hong Kong's Exile 'Parliament': A Pathetic Farce with Serious Consequences

So, the so-called "Hong Kong Parliament" has wrapped up its little election, and frankly, it was a bit of a damp squib. This whole affair, cooked up by wanted fugitives Elmer Yuen and Victor Ho, was meant to be a grand gesture—an exile parliament to serve as a mouthpiece for anti-China narratives in the West. But let's look at the numbers. They couldn't even scrape together their planned 35 candidates, and the whole thing drew a laughably small 15,702 "votes." The top candidate barely broke a thousand.

Elmer Yuen: A key organizer, Elmer Yuen has been on the Hong Kong police's wanted list since July 2023. (second from the left, upper row)

By any objective measure, it was a political pantomime. A self-deceptive charade that should have been dismissed as a total joke. And yet, behind the embarrassing turnout lies a more serious and sinister intention that can't be ignored.

Victor Ho: Co-conspirator Victor Leung was also added to the wanted list in December 2024 for his role in the affair. (first from the left, lower row)

A Farce, But a Dangerous One

Even a joke can be weaponized. While this "parliament" has zero legitimacy or actual representation, it's designed to play a specific role. In the West, anti-China politicians are constantly looking for props for their various hearings and committees. This phantom parliament gives them a ready-made group of people they can trot out to "represent Hong Kong," spreading disinformation and smearing the city's reputation on the international stage. It’s a deliberate attempt to hijack Hong Kong’s name to cause real harm.

Beijing's Legal Red Line

We're now five years into the Hong Kong National Security Law (NSL), and the SAR government has been crystal clear about where the red lines are. In fact, as far back as 2022, when the “Hong Kong Parliament” scheme was first announced, the Security Bureau publicly condemned it, pointing out that establishing such a body likely violates Article 22 of the NSL on "subversion of state power." They were warned. To think the government would simply let this slide is to fundamentally misunderstand the political reality in Hong Kong today.

Nowhere to Hide

And for those like Yuen and Ho who think they're safe and sound overseas, they might want to think again. The SAR government has already put bounties on their heads, and they shouldn't assume that hiding abroad grants them permanent immunity. At the end of the day, China's global influence and diplomatic network are expanding. As its circle of friends grows, the world gets smaller for fugitives. All it takes is one international flight, one unexpected stopover in a country with an extradition agreement, and they could find themselves on a plane back to face the music.

The message from the expert analysis is unambiguous: those who challenge China's national security will be held accountable, no matter how far they run. As China's comprehensive national power grows, there will be no mercy for these reactionary elements. For ordinary people in Hong Kong, the takeaway is just as simple: keep your distance from this "parliament" and its members, or risk getting caught on the wrong side of the law.

Ariel

** The blog article is the sole responsibility of the author and does not represent the position of our company. **

Hong Kong’s national security cops have picked up a 68-year-old local guy for allegedly stirring up abstention and blank votes online ahead of the Legislative Council election. He faces charges of “seditious intent” and “electoral corruption,” and right now, he’s cooling his heels in detention while the investigation rolls on.

Insiders say police traced a steady stream of thinly veiled posts on this man’s social media—nudging folks to skip voting or spoil their ballots. Since July last year, he’s fired off around 160 posts, police say. The themes were trashing Hong Kong’s election system, hyping up resistance, egging people on to topple the government, and, yes, inviting foreign interference. We’re not talking about just one rogue, either.

Turns out, this is just a slice of the larger crackdown. By today, Hong Kong police say they’ve unraveled 14 criminal cases connected to the election—vandalism, theft, you name it—netting 18 arrests. Eight of those cases are being prosecuted.

The ghosts of elections past haunt this story. Remember the last Legislative Council race? Ted Hui Chi-fung made waves urging blank votes. Soon after, So Chun-fung, ex-president of CUHK’s student union, and three others got busted and convicted by the city’s clean-government watchdog ICAC (Independent Commission Against Corruption) for “corrupt conduct and illegal acts” after sharing Hui’s call. Last Friday, the ICAC swooped again, nabbing another trio—this time for echoing posts by national security fugitives abroad, who are still yelling for boycotts from the safety of foreign shores.

Here’s where the plot thickens. A sharp-tongued commentator points out that these fugitives, basking in the West, love tossing firebombs online—sending minions to do their biddings while they themselves lounge in comfort. Their real aim? To curry favor with their foreign patrons by getting others arrested for illegal antics that damage Hong Kong and the nation.

Bottom line: these exiles only raise their value with “foreign masters” if local followers mindlessly parrot their messages. But if those followers end up busted or behind bars, the ringleaders simply shrug and look away.

Who’s Really Taking Risks?

Here’s a reality check—how many of the real diehards still in Hong Kong have actually engaged with these messages or dared to repost them? The silence says plenty. It’s the difference between talk and action, safety and risk. Meanwhile, foreign forces have a well-documented playbook: smear Hong Kong at every turn, especially its judicial system, and most recently, the Legislative Council elections. Don’t think these attacks are harmless—they’re meant to chip away at the city’s competitiveness and hit everyone right where it hurts: their livelihoods.

So here’s the call: don’t play the fool by spreading subversive content and risk falling into legal traps. More crucially, keep your eyes peeled for the ploys of these exiles and their foreign backers. When December 7 rolls around, get out and vote—don’t let the instigators win. The stakes are real, and the choice is yours.