Thread by @WilliamYang120

Hong Kong activist @SunnyCheungky confirmed on @Facebook that he has left #HongKong without disclosing where he is at right now. facebook.com/sunnycheungky/

"Before the #NSL came into effect, I was also contemplating about the question of whether I should leave #HongKong or not. However, I really wanted to fight on with my own ability. I want to stay for as long as I can. When we were all feeling helpless, I hope to use action ...

... to let everyone know that there are still people left in #HongKong. However, as tension between the US and #China continues to increase and the number of hostage diplomacy incidents continued to grow, the number of times that I was followed by someone also increased."

"My partner and family members also began to be harassed. In August, I realized situation in #HongKong continued to deteriorate and more and more people were telling me to consider leaving the city. Out of concerns for my personal safety, I had no choice but to leave #HK."

"When I began this fight with some friends through the international lobbying, I knew I would be caught in the center of this storm at some point. The situation reminded me that I need to face huge risks and the fact that I might not be able to return to #HK safely for a while."

"Homesick is a pain that will be very hard to let go completely, I felt indescribable amount of sorrow when I left my family and partner. I also felt a sense of guilt for leaving my friends and not being able to continue the fight with them."

"While I'm in a free society, homesickness weighs heavy on my mind and my soul feels trapped too. Everything feels unfree."

"This is the first time that I realized how it feels to have "lost your root" as a stranger. I have been luckier than many people, so I shouldn't be talking too much about myself. There are more individuals that people should pay attention to."

"I hope everyone can help those who are forced into exile or who might feel trapped. They might not be the main characters under the spotlight, but they are the characters that should be praised during this movement."

"They are probably not born to be a brave citizen and they are probably not politically devoted. They also may not have very mature protest skills. Because of their love towards this collective, they are doomed to walk on this thorny path when they choose freedom and liberation."

"They were banished by this city ruthlessly and they are the Orphans of Asia. They choose unity amid loneliness and they choose to grow in the middle of humiliation. They choose to move forward amid the adversity. They all become brave due to the painful yet lucid survival."

"They all devoted to their Promised Land. Without them, #HongKong's broken remains will not have a brand new spiritual look. They use selflessness and love to make up for the city's paleness. All of this deserve to be remembered by all of us. This should be written down in ...

... #HongKong's history too. At this moment, I will keep moving forward with a heart filled with salvation, because I can't forget how the deceased companions use their lives to fight for #HongKong and scream for freedom."

"I also can't forget how the companions who are still in #HongKong are suffering, as they live under fear every day. I can't forget how the motherland that nurtured me has given me so much. I have a sin and I will use my whole life to pay back."

"I have sins so I choose to contribute to my motherland with my whole life. We can't choose where we were born, but we can choose where we call home. This world is so big and it is filled with fortunes and misfortunes. Destiny placed us on the edge of an empire."

"Maybe this is #HongKong people's destiny, and we are required to witness the ruthlessness and bluntness of an empire. We are being tested by trying to create hope on a land that might be barren. We need to try to find glimpse of hope in between cracks."

"Lastly, I hope one day I can return to this piece of land with my head held high. As always, I will use my status and knowledge wisely and keep fighting with all #HongKong people. As I say goodbye today, I'm not sure when we will be reunited."

"The most beautiful views that I've seen are the kind and strong people in #HongKong. Hong Kong these two words will always be on my mind."

These are my attempts to translate @SunnyCheungky's heart wrenching farewell to #HongKong. I don't think my broken English has done justice to his original words in Mandarin, but I hope non-Mandarin readers can have a sense of what is on his mind as he writes these down.