Escapees Alliance
United by a promise to save every child from the harvest.
The Escapees Alliance represents the coalition of human children who fled their respective demon farms to fight for universal freedom. The source does not describe any such alliance or group from The Promised Neverland. It describes Operation Yellowbird, a British Hong Kong–based operation that helped Chinese dissidents escape arrest after the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. The operation began in late June 1989 and continued until 1997, successfully helping more than 400 dissidents to escape via Hong Kong to Western countries. Notable escapees include Wu'erkaixi, Chai Ling, Li Lu, Feng Congde, Chen Yizi, Su Xiaokang, and Arthur Liu.
- Primary Leader
- Emma York
- Key Members
- Ray, Norman, Gilda, Don
- Origin Point
- Grace Field House Escape
- Affiliation
- Independent Human Coalition / Allied with Demon Resistance
- Status
- Active during liberation campaigns
Lore & Background
The source does not mention any promise to save every child from a harvest. It describes how Operation Yellowbird was formed by activists in Hong Kong, including the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China, in mid-June 1989 to help wanted activists escape from China. The operation obtained its name from the Chinese expression 'The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the yellow bird behind' (螳螂捕蟬，黃雀在後). Reverend Chu Yiu-Ming also asserted that the name originated from the Haitian folk song 'Yellow Bird', explaining that the group 'wanted the activists to fly freely in the sky, just like the yellow birds'.
In Their Own Story
The source does not describe any story involving Emma, Ray, or a hill overlooking a forest. It describes how escape teams from Hong Kong were sent into China under the cover of being specially formed trading companies. Rescue missions began with locating specific dissidents from information and tips received by the Alliance about their whereabouts. Code phrases or matching halves of a photograph allowed either party to recognize and trust the other. False documents and disguises were used once individuals were verified, with some teams enlisting make-up artists. After locating dissidents, groups quickly facilitated their transportation to Hong Kong, often using speedboats late at night or stowing them as ship cargo.
Reader's Guide
The source does not describe any faction with a goal to end a harvest or liberate children from demon farms. It describes how Operation Yellowbird was financed mainly by Hong Kong businessmen and celebrities who sympathised with the plight of the activists, with extensive assistance also coming from the colonial government. The organizers spent upwards of HK$600,000 (US$64,000) to rescue each activist. Triad members who managed smuggling routes inside China requested payments of about US$25,000 for every attempt. Four main routes were used to get dissidents from Guangdong to Hong Kong: Shekou to Tuen Mun's Castle Peak Power Station, Huidong to Chai Wan, Shanwei to Wong Chuk Hang and Nan'ao to Sai Kung.
Did You Know?
- Operation Yellowbird successfully helped more than 400 dissidents escape via Hong Kong to Western countries.
- The operation began in late June 1989 and continued until 1997, the year British Hong Kong was handed over to China.
- Notable escapees include Wu'erkaixi, Chai Ling, Li Lu, Feng Congde, Chen Yizi, Su Xiaokang, and Arthur Liu, father of American figure skater Alysa Liu.
- The operation's name comes from the Chinese expression 'The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the yellow bird behind'.
- More than HK$600,000 was spent and three attempts made before Wu'erkaixi managed to escape.