Alliance Members Arrested and Other News

The alliance organized the annual June 4 vigil for 30 years

Action was swift. 

The day after the group that organized the annual Tiananmen Square candlelight vigils again refused to comply to the national security police's request for information about donors and its operations, the authorities this morning arrested four core members, including Chow Hang-tung.

Chow was arrested this morning at her office

The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China said Chow was detained along with Leung Kam-wai, Tang Ngok-kwan and Chan To-wai. A police source said the national security department was also looking for a fifth person but could not find him at his home in Tsuen Wan.

Chow was arrested in her office at around 8am. She was there early as she was preparing to represent Gwyneth Ho Kwai-lam in a bail hearing. Ho was one of the 47 people arrested in another national security investigation into the primary election held last July.

"Some people have been ringing the doorbell and attempting to break the door code," said Chow, the alliance vice-chairwoman in a live video she posted on her Facebook page.

Chow's family later said she was handcuffed and taken to her home where the police searched the premises. 

A spokesman for the Security Bureau said in a statement: "Ignoring warnings given, the organization concerned resolutely insisted on refusing to comply with the police force's requirement to provide information... Hence, police had to take action."

The national security police allege the alliance colluded with foreign forces. 

Ho withdrew her bail application today

As Chow was unable to represent Ho now that she was detained, another defense counsel stepped in in Ho's case.

A former journalist, Ho withdrew her bail application during her hearing after the court refused to lift reporting restrictions. 

She had wanted to challenge the statutory restrictions imposed on reports of bail applications, which bar the publication of bail negotiations heard in open court.

Currently the law only allows six types of information to be published in media reports on bail proceedings, including the defendant's name, the alleged offence and the application's result.

During today's hearing, Madam Justice Esther Toh Lye-ping of the High Court refused to lift the restrictions after hearing brief arguments. As a result, Ho withdrew her bail application and was returned to custody.

And in other depressing news, I did not win the HK$10.8 million (US$1.4 million) flat in Kwun Tong, nor did I win HK$100,000 in credit either, as the winners were drawn today.

The winner of the flat was born in Hong Kong between January 1980 and December 1988 according to the first letter of the HKID card, so someone from around 33 to 41 years old.

A Hongkonger won a HK$10.8M flat today

The lucky draw was a bid to encourage people to get vaccinated, only 48.7 percent of the population has been fully vaccinated, and the number of people getting their first jab has dwindled to about 15,400 people on Monday, compared to 30,000 in mid-August.

A second HK$12 million flat in Kwun Tong will be up for grabs if 5 million people get at least one jab by the end of September. Hong Kong is currently at 4.27 million people with at least one dose.

At this rate it will be a miracle to reach 5 million...