Andrew Rosindell M.P. has released a statement following Wednesday's announcement of a new settlement route for Hong Kong veteran which served in the British Armed Forces:
“Over ten years ago, I established a Parliamentary Support Group for the Right of Abode for Hong Kong ex-servicemen.
Today, I am thrilled to say that our campaign has finally succeeded, with the announcement that hundreds of Hong Kongers who served Britain and Hong Kong, for Crown, Country, and Commonwealth, in the British Armed Forces, will be able to apply to settle in the United Kingdom under the Government’s new Hong Kong Veterans Settlement Route.
Every year, in November, we remember the losses, the sacrifices and the bravery of our armed forces, past and present, however, the patriotic fighting men of Hong Kong, who served this country and the Empire for over a century, have been neglected for far too long.
A monstrous tyranny has today invalidated the rights of the people of Hong Kong. As a liberty and freedom-loving nation with a proud global history, we have a solemn obligation to ensure that those who fought under our flag, in the name of our dear late Queen, receive the rights that other British subject enjoys.
The settlement route shall be open to all military personnel who served in the British military prior to the handover of Hong Kong to China on 1 July 1997, as well as their families. This shall place Hong Kong veterans on an equal footing with their counterparts in the British armed forces who were also stationed in the territory.
These veterans played a pivotal role in supporting Hong Kong’s administration and emergency services, as well as in international operations such as Operation Granby, which helped liberate Kuwait from Iraqi forces in 1991. Their loyalty and dedication to duty were invaluable in every instance.
I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Immigration Minister, The Rt. Hon. Robert Jenrick M.P. and Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, The Rt. Hon. Johnny Mercer M.P., for their steadfast efforts in delivering this settlement route. It is only fitting that we honour the exceptional service, dedication, and sacrifice of Hong Kong veterans by implementing this new settlement route. We eagerly anticipate welcoming those who chose to come to the United Kingdom, along with their families, offering them a new life after their service. Applications for settlement are expected to become available this autumn.
May put on record my heartfelt thanks to both Russell Banks and Peter Vorberg, who have worked closely with me over the years, co-ordinating the campaign and arranging for so many of the Hong Kong ex-servicemen to visit the House of Parliament to meet Ministers and Parliamentarians. Their efforts and that of all those who have worked along side me and my colleagues from both Houses of Parliament, including our Speaker, The Rt. Hon. Sir Lindsay Hoyle M.P., have now born fruit and rightly so.
God Save The King.”
