Tong Ka Wah, Ronny, 湯家驊: Out Immigration by People in Hong Kong 移民

Friends lamented that “hundreds of thousands” of young people left Hong Kong, what should we do? What do I say? Hong Kong is a free city. If you want to come or leave, everything is a personal decision. 朋友慨嘆，有「幾十萬」年輕人離開了香港，怎麼辦？我說什麼怎麼辦，香港是一個自由城市，你要來他想走，一切皆是個人的決定。

That’s right, good birds still choose trees to live in, let alone people? Living unsatisfactorily, it is human nature to hope to develop in other countries, we must understand and respect; but this decision should not be made on a whim. Whether you can adapt to life in other countries, how the economic situation is, whether it is easy to find employment, whether social support is sufficient, etc. are also important considerations. 沒錯，良禽尚且擇木而棲，何况人？生活得不如意，希望到他國發展乃人之常情，我們必須理解和尊重；但這決定不應是以一時之意氣而作出。是否能適應他國的生活、經濟狀况如何、就業容易嗎、社會支援是否足夠等等，也是重要考慮。

In the 1970s and 1980s, I also thought about emigrating. I have practicing qualifications in many countries, such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Singapore, etc., so there are more choices. The largest and most famous law firm in Singapore once strongly invited me to join as a partner; they specially invited me to visit their law firm for a week to gain a deeper understanding of their operations. But after a week, I found that Singapore is not so free, and the judicial system is not as developed as Hong Kong, so I gave up this idea. 上世紀七八十年代的我也曾想過移民。我在多個國家，例如英國、美國、澳洲、新加坡等皆有執業資格，所以選擇比較多。新加坡最大、最出名的律師行曾力邀我加入成為合伙人；他們為此特別邀請我到他們的律師樓視察一星期，深入了解他們的運作。但一星期後，我發覺新加坡不是那麼自由，司法系統發展也不如香港，結果便打消了這念頭。

I also thought about immigrating to the United States. After a lot of hard work, I got my green card, bought a comfortable house next to a golf course in California, and even bought a cemetery, but I always felt that life in the United States is better when seen from a distance, and it is still not as good as in Hong Kong, so I finally gave up. 也曾想過移民美國。幾經辛苦拿到了綠卡，到加州買了間很舒適，在高爾夫球場旁的房子，連墓地也買了，但始終覺得美國生活近觀不如遠看，始終不如香港，最終也放棄了。

The most important thing for immigrants is to consider what the future of other countries will be compared with Hong Kong. If you would rather wash the dishes and clean the dishes, or sweep the cashier and sweep the streets, you are giving up your future. You are afraid of the “Hong Kong National Security Law”. The United Kingdom has passed a number of national security and public security laws in the past two years, which are far stricter and more vague than the “Hong Kong National Security Law”. Try to subvert the British government and see what the consequences will be how. One day you may understand that only by looking wider and farther can you be worthy of yourself and your family. 移民最重要的是要考慮他國的前途與香港相比會是怎樣。寧願洗碗抹碟、收銀掃街，是放棄了自己的前途。你怕《香港國安法》，英國近兩年便通過了多條國安和公安法例，遠比《香港國安法》更嚴苛、定義更模糊；你試試去顛覆英國政府，看看後果會是如何。有朝一日可能你會明白，看闊些、看遠些才對得起自己，對得起家人。

Ronny Tong Ka-wah, SC KC (Chinese: 湯家驊; born 28 August 1950 in Hong Kong) is a Hong Kong Senior Counsel and politician. He is a current non-official member of the Executive Council of Hong Kong. He co-founded the Civic Party and was a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, representing the New Territories East constituency from 2004 until he quit the party and resigned from the legislature on 22 June 2015, following the historic vote on Hong Kong electoral reform a few days earlier, having switched his political alignment from pro-democracy to pro-Beijing Hong Kong political group Path of Democracy, of which he is currently the convener. 湯家驊，1950年8月28日出生於香港）是香港資深大律師、政治家。 彼現為香港行政會議非官方成員。 他是公民黨的聯合創始人，並曾擔任香港立法會議員，自2004年起代表新界東選區，直至2015年6月22日香港選舉歷史性投票後退黨並辭去立法會職務。幾天前，他將政治立場從親民主轉向親北京的香港政治團體“民主之路”，目前他是該組織的召集人。