Edward Snowden Gone From Hong Kong Hotel, Whereabouts Unknown

[Purveyor]

By Barbara Demick
June 10, 2013, 10:25 a.m. PST

BEIJING -- Edward Snowden, the 29-year-old contractor identified as the source of leaks about the U.S. electronic surveillance program, apparently checked out of his Hong Kong hotel at midday Monday, his destination and whereabouts unknown.

"We know he was here until today," said Cosmo Beatson, a Hong Kong-based refugee activist who heads an organization called Vision First.

Beatson said Monday night it is possible that Snowden boarded a plane from Hong Kong -- since there is no warrant for his arrest -- or was smuggled onto one of the many illegal speedboats smuggling people and goods between mainland Chinese and Hong Kong. “He’s very mobile.”

Britain's Guardian newspaper videotaped an interview with Snowden at the Hong Kong hotel, and posted it on Sunday. Since then, Snowden may have discovered that Hong Kong’s unique geopolitics made it a poor choice for seeking asylum.

Unlike China, the semiautonomous territory of Hong Kong has an extradition treaty with the United States that has been in place since January 1998. Although the treaty gives Beijing the right to veto an extradition on national security grounds, experts do not expect the Chinese government will want to confront Washington on Snowden’s behalf.

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http://www.latimes.com/news/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-snowden-gone-hong-kong-hotel-20130610,0,6912122.story

[Major Hogwash]

1. Ooops.

Guess he wasn't the world's most interesting man, after all.

[longship]

2. Well, the coverage suggests that he's still the world's most interesting person.

And if he has gone to ground, he will likely remain so for the foreseeable future.

However, whether he remains as such depends entirely on how this all pans out, which at this point in the saga still seems to me to be uncertain.

We're only in the first few days of this and things have moved very, very quickly in that short time. Nobody here has the knowledge to predict the outcome, although many are speculating.

I intend to let the known facts speak fully recognizing that I may have to be comfortable with unanswered questions.

But my political position on these matters will be based on facts, not opinion. And I do not at this point have sufficient information to make that decision.

And no, I don't like this spying. Not at all.

[Purveyor]

4. I share your sentiment and will too wait for this to play out further before forming a judgement. nt

[Catherina]

3. May he find his way to an embassy of Ecuador n/t

[roamer65]

5. Probably heading for Beijing.

[randome]

6. He's here, he's there, he's everywhere!

[hr]
[font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font]
[hr]

[Cali_Democrat]

7. This guy is acting like such a coward

He's a hero who did nothing wrong. Why is he on the run?

[Hobo]

8. Maybe I'll run into him

I am on my way to Hong Kong at end of week.......I'll buy him a beer at the Old China Hand......


Hobo