The chairman of the Hong Kong Journalists Association and the deputy interview director of the online media Channel C, Chen Langsheng, announced on social platforms a few days ago that he will leave Hong Kong to go to the Archyde.com Institute of Oxford University in the United Kingdom to participate in the Scholars Program, and is scheduled to board the aircraft this evening (29th). When he met reporters at the airport, he described his emotions as mixed emotions, but stressed that he would return to Hong Kong in six months, hoping to bring back the experience of outstanding journalists from all over the world, “So that we can face the complex and ever-changing Hong Kong environment in the future, we will always be Journalists in Hong Kong still have to stay in Hong Kong and continue to report the truth, the facts.”
Chen Langsheng arrived at the airport in the followingnoon and was surrounded by a large number of reporters. He said that the plan to leave Hong Kong was brewing at the end of last year. At that time, following the “Stance News” ended, “everyone was in despair and had nothing to do.” , to describe the mood “mixed with joy and sorrow”. He would have a layover in Bangkok, then a two-day layover in London before heading to Oxford. He pointed out that he was still concerned regarding the press freedom efforts made by the Journalists Association in the past year, and hoped that the media would continue to report more in the future.
He said that the Scholars Program will last for half a year, and he hopes to see more in Oxford. “Bring the experience of outstanding experts from different countries in the world back to Hong Kong, so that we can face the complex and changing environment in the future.” He repeatedly emphasized that he would return to Hong Kong. Hong Kong, “I often say that life in the UK can be very simple, and Hong Kong people are easy to adapt to, but whether people want to live there for a long time depends on whether they remember Hong Kong. I think that is the case for me.”
When asked if he was worried regarding being able to get on the plane smoothly, he said that he was normal, “cook it until it’s buried and eat it”, “I think, in today’s Hong Kong, this is a very interesting and silent situation. Before 2019, remember The chairman of the association has always been a position that is highly respected by the society, and there will be no controversy regarding going to further education, but the reality is not. I have noticed that many people criticize me on the Internet, saying that I am “grazing”, I don’t know where to go, and there is no controversy. It happened unavoidably, and I can only face it with a normal heart. To be honest, I said from the beginning that I would come back, and I didn’t hide anything. I did my best to tell everyone regarding the situation.”
He said that he would truthfully answer questions regarding the situation in Hong Kong, but admitted that returning to Hong Kong in the future would be restricted and affected by the current laws in Hong Kong, and he would have scruples and considerations, “I won’t do things that are too high-risk, I will try my best to talk regarding it. Going out is not complete freedom? You can talk.” He sighed once more, “My successful departure is the best result for all parties.”
In the end, he emotionally mentioned that he would miss his wife, “The most troublesome, the most troublesome is the wife, let’s go. That is, I haven’t tried it for more than ten years. I went on a trip by myself. It’s really uncomfortable for him to stay by his side and stay in Hong Kong.”
Before Chen Longsheng left Hong Kong, he was accused of being stopped by the police and refusing to show his ID card when he was near the MacPherson Stadium in Mong Kok at the beginning of the month to interview the owners’ meeting of Long Ping Village. The case was brought to the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Court on the 22nd. At that time, he was granted bail of 20,000 yuan in cash, with no restrictions on leaving the country, and was adjourned to April 25 next year for retrial.
In addition, Chen Longsheng was also involved in driving a private car at a red light in July last year and was charged with a summons charge of “failure to follow the directions of a traffic light”. He was convicted at the Kowloon City Magistrates’ Court at noon today and fined $2,000.
