Ex-HK Democratic Party Leader Wu Chi-wai Allowed into UK Following Brief Airport Detention

Former Democratic Party chairman Wu Chi-wai has been granted entry into the UK after initially being detained at London’s Heathrow Airport and threatened with deportation back to Hong Kong within seven days.

According to a report by The Times, border officials confiscated the 63-year-old’s passport upon his arrival, where he had intended to settle via the British National (Overseas) visa route. The detention was later attributed to an administrative issue concerning his paperwork.

Subsequent reports confirmed that Wu has since been officially admitted to the country, with the threat of deportation removed.

Under current UK government guidance, holders of BN(O) status are eligible to apply for a BN(O) visa from within the UK, including while visiting or following an asylum application.

While a British Home Office spokesperson stated that individual immigration cases are not routinely commented on, it is understood that Border Force officials worked to clear up the administrative discrepancy regarding his documentation.

A former lawmaker and ex-leader of the now-disbanded Democratic Party, Wu was among the 45 opposition figures and activists convicted of conspiracy to commit subversion over their participation in an unofficial legislative primary election in 2020. He was released on June 30 after completing a prison sentence of four years and five months.