"chose Hong Kong in part because 'they have a spirited commitment to free speech and the right of political dissent.' There's some truth to that, certainly in the context of China"

I spent two years in Hong Kong and from everything I saw and heard, free speech is more than real only "in the context of China". It was something I noticed early and often...even compared to Canada (my home country). In particular, respect was two-ways...protesters weren't hellbent on wanton destruction and the police wasn't violent at all.

I'd walk by some Chinese government building every day. The security was tight. Once or twice a month there'd be decent sized protests...The police was there in large numbers, but I never saw a single incident of violence or force. People were allowed to express themselves without any fear.

Hong Kong is not the worst choice, maybe even the best of a bunch of shitty options. Given that the US will absolutely seek to extradite (or worse), the biggest factor is who is willing and able to offer at least temporary protection. Small, well-integrated countries aren't likely to fit that description, and China will at least put the brakes on while they figure out what to do, which will take a while.

There's also the fact that China and the US just had an "informal" summit and are having further high-level talks in July.

When is the American media going to realize that Hong Kong is not Beijing?

OK, why is everyone taking Mr. Snowden at his word? I mean, not about the NSA stuff, but about what he's doing post-whistleblowing? If he had the healthy paranoia and savvy of the kind of intelligence professional who would dare perform such a leak, why would he give any clue about where he was? Even if he went to HK because it was one of the few busy foreign places where he had some close friends...well, I would hope the g-men, if they can track anything down, it'd be close friends of Snowden's...so why would Snowden risk bringing in associates into the chase? I hope he's actually planted in Arlington and enjoying a 5 Guys Burger and reading the newspapers.

Also, among the few post-evacuation details he listed, why did he conspicuously mention that he left his girlfriend in Honolulu? Because obviously, such a person would be first in line for questioning about Mr. Snowden's whereabouts. If he didn't break up on bad terms with her, then there's no point in drawing attention to her. But a non-existent girlfriend would be a good wild-goose-chase to set his chasers onto.