A british army veteran, Harry Wong from Hong Kong who was denied a British passport is one of the many ex-servicemen who are seek residency in the UK.

As Beijing’s influence in Hong Kong rises rapidly, former military members of the British colony ask for passports from their ex-employers. Most of the people that worked for the British Royal Military Police before Hong Kong was handed back to China in 1997 got their British passports, but lower ranked members of the army were left behind.

Afraid of the very possible rule of Beijing, military veterans decided to put more pressure on Britain’s government to get what they deserve. Some of them see this as their last escape route from the jaws of China’s repression.

After their appeals were rejected, veterans started a petition that was signed by over 100 ex-serviceman and it was backed by some parliament members.

It’s already clear that the next city leader will be a committee loyalist, which was the main reason for protests last year, so veterans are trying to secure a better future for their families far from the oppressing regime that may come from China.

Harry Wong, one of the applicants and former officer who’s daughter is five years old said “One day, Hong Kong may not be the best for them. The political situation is quite chaotic now.”

One of the supporters of ex-servants to the Crown, British MP Andrew Rosindell, said that the only fair thing to do is to grant British nationality to everyone who served the UK, no matter when that happened. “It was not the choice of those loyal people… to move to the People’s Republic of China in June 1997 – no self-determination for them, no referendum about their future,” he stated in a debate this March in the House of Commons.

The Home Office minister James Brokenshire disagrees with Rosindell, saying that Britain had a clear “long-established practice” that British nationality is lost when a country ceased to be part of Britain’s territory. In the case of Hong Kong only the best qualified people were offered a British nationality and only after a rigid and systematic check. In the late 90s around 50,000 people from Hong Kong were given their passports and most of them were senior officials and military officers highly loyal to the crown. The British Consulate in Hong Kong supports Brokenshire’s argument saying this “remains the position”.

Before the handover Britain gave their former colony members an emergency exit in case of Beijing’s pressure in way of visa free travel to Britain known as British National Overseas, but without residency permission. Holders are able to enter the UK without a visa and receive consular help abroad, but do not have the right to live in Britain.

Roughly 400,000 of Hong Kong’s 7.3 million residents have the BNO passport with many now seeking residency as tensions rise in their country.