They grew up working hard, getting good grades and thinking they’d likely have careers, maybe marry and have kids, all in the city that formed them -- Hong Kong. But now, Anna Kwok, Frances Hui and Joey Siu are all in exile in the United States, with no idea of when they will be able to return. Each has a bounty of HK$1 million (US$128,500) on their heads from the Hong Kong government, which has vowed to pursue them for the rest of their lives.
Kwok, executive director of international advocacy group the Hong Kong Democracy Council, was 26 when she was placed on the Hong Kong authorities' wanted list in July 2023. Hong Kong Chief executive John Lee warned her and others on the list that they would be “pursued for life,” urging them “to give themselves up as soon as possible.”