Another Academic Hastily Flees Hong Kong

Chung wrote he was "reluctantly" leaving Hong Kong

It was disheartening to see another academic leave Hong Kong after he had been visited by the national security police. Political scientist Chung Kim-wah wrote a long post on his Facebook page with pictures of the empty departure area of Hong Kong International Airport.

He said he has to "reluctantly" leave Hong Kong for the UK, but didn't go into details. Instead he wrote about feeling bad about having to leave older parents behind and apologised for not being able to properly say goodbye to people.

"After balancing different factors and considerations, I have no choice but to make this decision," he wrote, and added he would live abroad f\or "a period of time".

Chung's picture of an empty departure area

Chung is the deputy CEO of the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute, and was assistant professor of the Department of Applied Sciences until January 2020.

In his Facebook post, he said he initially did not think of migrating:

"I was born and raised in Hong Kong. A vast majority of my loved ones are in Hong Kong. I view Hong Kong as the place that cultivated me, and since I was young, I made it my ambition to contribute to Hong Kong and improve society," he wrote.

"Now I can only hope that the skies will be broader, the air fresher... and that I don't have to think about whether the red lines that move arbitrarily will one day target me."

In an article published in Ming Pao on Sunday night, Chung said that he had met national security police but did not elaborate. When asked by the newspaper if this was the reason why he left Hong Kong, he referred to his Facebook post describing his departure as "fleeing the chaos of the Qin dynasty" -- an expression alluding to the turmoil of China's first empire.

Harris was another high profile person who left

Chung's announcement comes two days after he publicly appeared at a PORI news conference about a poll on the public awareness of cannabis products in Hong Kong. 

It seems the national security police are still busy visiting people despite the pandemic. In early March the former head of the Hong Kong Bar Association Paul Harris had a chat with the national security police in Wan Chai earlier and given a warning over an alleged breach of the national security law. Harris would only confirm to Reuters that he had left the city to visit his mother in England.

Harris is a prominent human rights lawyer who was representing two former lawmakers charged in organising the primaries in 2020, and he has been the subject of attacks over the past year.

He expressed concern about the city's rule of law and said the national security law, which was implemented on June 30, 2020, was inconsistent with the Basic Law.

"I am not against the principle of having national security laws, which most countries have for legitimate reasons," he wrote in an article on the Bar Association's website at the time.

"But the Hong Kong NSL excludes certain officials from all legal challenge for their actions."

Beijing claimed Harris was "cheering for independence advocates", and said he was unfit to chair the Bar Association.

Veteran Journalist Arrested, then Released

Au used to write for Stand News and was charged with sedition

Soon after online media outlet Stand News shut down in December 2021, one of its former columnists, longtime journalist Allan Au Ka-lun would write "good morning" on his Facebook page as a way to confirm his safety.

But at 6am this morning national security police descended on his flat and arrested him on the charge of "conspiracy to publish seditious materials" and a police source added further arrests could be made.

Around midnight Au was released after 17 hours

Two other senior employees of Stand News have also been charged with sedition, though Au is the journalist and not a media executive, like Apple Daily to have this charge against him.

I am writing this just after midnight and it has now been reported that Au was released from Kwai Chung police station. "Thanks for your care and concern," he said as he put his hands in prayer.

Au, 54, is considered one of Hong Kong's most experienced local columnists, and was a Knight fellow at Stanford University in 2005, and earned a doctorate from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

In 2017 he published a book about censorship in Hong Kong titled, "Freedom Under 20 Shades of Shadow".

In addition, Au had spent more than a decade working for Radio Television Hong Kong on a current affairs show. But it was axed last year after RTHK's management conducted a major shake up of the publicly-funded broadcaster from being independent to now towing the government line.

Au's radio show on RTHK was axed last year

The charge of sedition dates back to 1938 colonial Hong Kong, and now it is used against journalists, unionists, activists, a former pop star and ordinary citizens.

However, the courts treat it as a national security offence, where bail is often denied for those charged. 

Au is very lucky to be back home tonight... but for how much longer?

 

Two Former HK Leaders Named in Pandora Papers

11.9 million files reveal offshore accounts of wealthy elites

The Pandora Papers have revealed a treasure trove financial records showing current and former politicians, royalty, billionaires and celebrities who have hidden their money in tax-free offshore accounts.

Released by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, the 11.9 million files -- even bigger than the Panama Papers -- names two former Hong Kong leaders, Leung Chung-ying and Tung Chee-hwa.

In a report by Stand News that worked with ICIJ, Tung and his family have dozens of accounts related to seven offshore companies, while Leung was listed as the owner of two British Virgin Island companies while he was Hong Kong's chief executive.

Leung was accused of corruption but later cleared

Opposition lawmakers accused Leung of corruption in 2014 in relation to a HK$50 million payment he received from an Australian engineering firm and was investigated by the Independent Commission Against Corruption, but the Department of Justice dropped the case in 2018 due to insufficient evidence.

With the publication of Stand News' report, Leung is threatening legal action against the online news outlet, warning against the "flames of irresponsible journalism". In a series of Facebook posts over seven hours, he accused Stand News of misrepresenting the facts and being either ignorant of the laws governing what the city leader must disclose about his financials or driven by ulterior motives in deciding the publish the allegations.

Through its investigation of the financial records held by the ICIJ, Stand News reported Leung conducted business through two offshore companies and sold his 30 percent stake in DTZ Japan for HK$2.3 million in 2012, the year he began his five-year term as chief executive.

Tung and his family have 72 offshore accounts

Stand News also reported Tung and his family members were tied to at least 72 accounts owned by seven offshore companies, with one having an estimated US$1 million in assets, which were used to skirt taxes in Hong Kong. Tung has yet to respond to the allegations.

The online news outlet was one of 150 media outlets around the world, and the only one from Hong Kong to work on the Pandora Papers. 

The Confederation of Trade Unions Folds Under Pressure

Wong (in blue) confirmed the union will disband next month

 

Another group has decided to disband, this time the Confederation of Trade Unions, which was critical of the government during the protests in 2019 and encouraged people to take part in general strikes.

Yesterday the opposition trade union's chief executive Mung Siu-tat announced on Facebook that he had resigned from the union and had left Hong Kong. He said he was forced to make a choice between two identities -- being a father and the CTU's chief executive.

Mung posted in Facebook he left Hong Kong

Today the union confirmed it was disbanding and expects to dissolve next month over concerns for "members' personal safety".

"Over the past one to two weeks, our members have received more messages," said chairman Joe Wong Nai-yuen. "We felt that the continued operation of the CTU could bring risks to members' personal safety. When our existence itself is already an original sin, even with the resignation of our leaders, it would not make a difference."

He did not say who the message came from or what they were about.

Speaking at a press conference at the confederation's offices in Yau Ma Tei, Wong was emotional when he said that after thorough discussions and "considering the risks and costs of continuing to run the CTU", the union's executive committee members had agreed to begin the process to fold during a meeting on Thursday.

The confederation was active in the 2019 protests

There will be an extraordinary general meeting held on October 3, and will need four-fifths of the votes from participating affiliated unions to support the dissolution to go ahead.

"I also hope to apologize to our affiliated unions, as well as all Hongkongers, as we, the CTU, can no longer hold on and march forward," Wong said.

He added 20, or most of the confederation's executive committee had already resigned, leaving just him, the vice-chairman, and the treasurer to handle the disbandment.

The CTU is one of the opposition and activist groups targeted by pro-Beijing media claiming it was "colluding with foreign forces" when it advocated general strikes and encouraged workers to set up new trade unions to demand greater democracy.  

At the time the CTU refuted the claim, saying having links with international labour unions was "legal" and normal practice.

The CTU was involved in 2013 dock worker strike

The union has links with some large groups, including the Professional Teachers' Union and the Civil Human Rights Front, both of which have already decided to fold under pressure from the authorities.

The CTU was started in 1990 and was co-founded by former opposition lawmaker Lee Cheuk-yan, and 31 years later represented more than 80 affiliates, and around 140,000 members as of last month. It was influential in labour movements, including the 2013 strike by dock workers which lasted 40 days.

Lee is currently in jail serving a 14-month sentence for unauthorized assembly, and earlier this month was charged with inciting subversion in relation to the annual June 4 candlelight vigil.

In addition, the CTU announced it will gradually stop running around 200 courses at its 15 centres which will affect around 1,000 people.

Lee Cheuk-yan co-founded the CTU in 1990

Many of the training courses had helped workers switch careers at retirement, such as becoming security guards or cleaners.

Lam Kam-piu, chairman of the 500-member New World First Bus Company Staff Union, an affiliate of the CTU, said he regretted the confederation's plans to disband, but understood the reasons for doing so.

"It is also a pity that our government isn't tolerant enough," he said.

June 4 Vigil Group Erases Online Presence

 

The alliance had organized the candlelight vigil for 30 years

The memories of June 4, 1989 in Tiananmen Square and all the candlelight vigils held since then have been wiped out virtually in Hong Kong.

Earlier today the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China was ordered by the national security police to remove all of its material on online platforms by 10pm this evening.

The website page now looks like this

And it has complied, showing a message on its website: "hka8964.wordpress.com is no longer available." And underneath it adds, "The authors have deleted this site."

It has also taken down its accounts on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, and noted it does not own or operate the June 4 online museum which is based outside of Hong Kong.

The group had been given a week to comply to the order, which was issued by the police commissioner last Friday.

However, the alliance created a new Facebook account to disseminate information. It now describes itself as a non-profit body. 

The museum was raided last week by police

"The alliance is not trying to defy any order. The police did not ban the alliance from using Facebook or any social media. The police only asked the alliance to delete the messages and content of specific accounts or at specific domains. The alliance still needs a place to disseminate information, thus the new Facebook page," one of the post says.

A police spokesman cited schedule 4 of the implementation rules of Article 43 and said it targeted messages published on electronic platforms that could threaten national security. "The lawful use of the internet by citizens will not be affected," he added.

Last month the alliance was accused of acting as a "foreign agent", an offence under the national security law. Police demanded it hand over its financial, operational, meeting and activity records for the past eight years, but the alliance refused.

As a result vice-chairwoman Chow Hang-tung and four other standing committee members were charged last week for not handing over the requested information.

Ho (centre) resigned as vice-chairman of alliance

Earlier this week Albert Ho Chun-yan resigned from the alliance as vice-chairman, as well as from two other groups linked to it, effective immediately. He is currently in jail for other charges.

The alliance had already planned to disband after 32 years and will hold an extraordinary general meeting next week to vote on the move.

This is the unceremonious end of the alliance, forced to erase its own existence at the press of a button. 

Prison-Rights Group Disbands

Shiu's group had been advocating for prisoners' rights

Another day, another civil society group is disbanding for fears of crossing with the national security law.

Today Wall-fare, a prison-rights group founded by former opposition lawmaker Shiu Ka-chun announced it will disband after Hong Kong's security chief warned that inmates arrested on national security charges were being encouraged by people outside prison walls to fight on for their causes.

Wall-fare made the announcement on social media, saying the non-profit group will be dissolved with immediate effect.

Today Wall-fare announced it was disbanding

"Even if we are crushed in the end, the time in between was worth it," the group wrote in a farewell announcement on Facebook. "Wind and rain always pass, and for those inside and outside the wall, the most important thing is that the people are fine."

The group was founded in December 2020 to promote the well-being of prisoners, particularly anti-government protesters with emotional or physical challenges while in jail. Wall-fare offered them free packages as allowed by the Correctional Services Department items such as wet wipes, tissues and stationary.

In addition, the group coordinated a letter-writing campaign on social media, helping those sympathetic to inmates pass along words of encouragement and maintain "a bridge of communication" between those inside and outside prison walls.

Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung warned last Tuesday that people in custody on national security-related charges were establishing links with outside organizations as a way of building up new forms of resistance to the government.

Although Tang did not name Wall-fare by name, he slammed organizations for sending letters or documents to inmates and detainees, saying it encouraged the recipients to continue fighting for their cause, thereby spreading "the seeds of endangering national security".

Tang accused groups of supporting prisoners

Later Hong Kong's prisons chief Woo Ying-ming echoed Tang, alleging that such inmates were exercising "unprecedented influence" inside and "recruiting followers".

Shiu told RTHK that political pressure had threatened the existence of civil society at large, but declined to elaborate on why Wall-fare was disbanding. He said the group had not been directly contacted by the government, and declined to comment on possibly facing legal action.

He said Wall-fare had always been careful to focus on "humanitarian work" to help those in custody, many of whom came from the margins of society.

"What support will prisoners get without Wall-fare? We can't tell you today," he said. "We only wanted to do the humble work -- to give a cup of cool water to the prisoners and their family in the heat of the summer. Unfortunately, this cup of water may have become too hot now."

Indeed. Everything has become too hot to touch.

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...

Hong Kong's First Medal in Swimming

Haughey clinches silver in HK's first ever medal in swimming

 

This morning Hong Kong was collectively holding its breath as local swimmer Siobhan Haughey swam the women's 200m freestyle final.

She burst out of the pack early on and led the race until the last 50 metres she was edged out by Australian Ariarne Titmus. 

Haughey (left) led most of the race in 200 free

The 23-year-old Haughey, half Hong Kong Chinese and half Irish also set the new Asian record at 1.53.92 and a silver medal -- making this Olympic games the best ever showing for the city.

"I hope Cheung Ka-long and my performances this Olympics can motivate fellow Hong Kong athletes competing in the games, they can do it. And also the athletes watching at home in Hong Kong -- keep training, because it will be your turn soon," she said in a post-race interview.

"I hope everyone can continue to support Hong Kong athletes. The competitions may be over in a few minutes' time, with a lucky few being able to enjoy the 'glory moments', but what people cannot see are the effort and hard work committed by them," she stressed.

She also thanked her coaches and parents for their support which allowed her to achieve what she could today.

This evening she cruised into the semi-finals of the women's 100 freestyle setting another Asian record at 52.70 and will compete in the final tomorrow morning.

Ng wore a plain black T-shirt in his first match

However, badminton Olympic hopeful Angus Ng Ka-long was knocked out today after being beaten by Guatemalan shuttler Kevin Cordon.

Ng got into a lot of controversy after his first match a few days ago when he wore a black Lululemon T-shirt that met Olympic regulations, but did not have a bauhinia emblem on it critics felt this associated Ng with the 2019 protests when the protesters wore black clothes.

Pro-Beijing lawmaker Nicholas Muk wrote on social media that Ng should withdraw from the games if he did not want to represent Hong Kong. 

After his match, Ng took to Instagram to explain he currently did not have a sponsor and so he was now a free agent and felt comfortable wearing this T-shirt.

Eventually the Hong Kong Badminton Association took the blame for the incident and sorted out Ng's uniform for the next match. 

Criticism caused Ng to change shirts... and lose?

But it seems the damage was done and Ng is now out of the Olympics.

Muk finally said he felt sorry for using "slightly strong words" on Facebook, but did not apologize to the 27-year-old Ng for possibly affecting his performance today.

While the T-shirt debacle was a distraction, it can really ruin an athlete's focus and self-confidence. Muk of the DAB may be trying to win brownie points with Beijing, but really, this is not the time or place to do such a thing. 

Hong Kong athletes need all the support they can get, and condemning them for their outfits is the last thing they want to hear.

 

Government Crackdown on District Councillors

Lam claims district councillors pose "immense challenges"

 

Last Thursday I received a text message from my district councillor, announcing she was resigning because of health issues.

I was disappointed to get the news, but also not surprised.

The Hong Kong government is making it harder and harder for district councillors, particular the pro-democracy ones to continue doing their jobs, as some have been arrested for taking part in the pan-democratic primaries last July, and the rest are being forced to take the oath, by swearing allegiance to the city and to uphold the Basic Law.

District Councillor Cherry Wong has quit

But really these district councillors are trying to do what their constituents want, which is to make their neighbourhoods safer and cleaner, encourage recycling, or voice opinions on unwanted development.

So it's outrageous for Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor to claim these district councillors present "immense challenges" for the Home Affairs Department because they're behaving in a way that has "never been seen before".

It turns out HAD had issued warning letters to over 30 district councillors who had handed out candles to people on the eve of the 32nd anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown.

The warning letters said the councillors may have breached local laws by distributing candles to people and encouraging them to take part in an unauthorized assembly, adding their activities were "unrelated to the District Council's work" and "undermine district harmony," the department said.

The HAD is responsible for managing local administration and district councillors' salaries and funding, and Lam said the HAD will "respond appropriately" if councillors are found to have improperly used public funds or violated regulations.

Some district councillors handed out candles

Maybe it was someone's birthday that day and they needed candles. Why all this fuss? But obviously the government does not want its money -- which is technically the people's money -- used to mark this politically-charged tragic event, which up until recently was legal.

Last week three district councillors, including Yau Tsim Mong District Councillor Suzanne Wu set up street booths to talk about Tiananmen Square. They were warned along with six other district councillors from the Democratic Party.

Meanwhile Sha Tin District Councillor Vienna Luk was warned after citing lyrics from the Cantopop song, The Great Wall, by rock band Beyond in a Facebook message. The 1992 song describes China has a country where facts and truth were shut up behind walls.

Luk asked why the HAD had a problem with her appreciating music.

Then two other Sha Tin district councillors, Raymond Li and Thomas Cheung, were warned for displaying a banner that read, "Candlelights will not be out."

Some wanted to mark the Tiananmen anniversary

And then on Saturday, Tsuen Wan District Councillor Lam Sek-tim called off an energy-saving event after the department sent him a warning letter. In an earlier Facebook post, Lam had urged residents to turn off their lights for an hour and he would give away a few electric-powered candles. He did not mention the 1989 crackdown at all.

So I'm not surprised my district councillors has "resigned"; I don't know the circumstances, but I'm guessing it is very similar to what her colleagues have experienced.

Up until last week she sent out regular updates of what she had been up to, encouraged people to donate gently used sweaters and thermos to distribute to the elderly in poverty, gave out calendars and turnip cake in the new year, as well as lots of masks and hand sanitizers during the pandemic. 

If anything it's the government making it hard for district councillors to do their jobs. It was their constituents who democratically voted them in. 

The electoral system can't change fast enough for the government so it's doing its utmost to make the district councillors all leave their positions either through convictions, forcing them to take the oath, or quit under duress.

Alliance Member Blasts Banning of June 4 Vigil

 

Chow speaks to the media blasting those who banned the vigil

In a follow-up to the Friday morning arrest of Chow Hang-tung, vice-chair of democracy group that organizes the annual June 4 candlelight vigil, she was released the day after the 32nd anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown.

She was detained by police for allegedly publicizing the banned candlelight vigil that has been held in Victoria Park for 30 years until 2019. The event was banned last year and this year, citing the pandemic as the reason for people not to gather.

Chow was arrested by plain clothes policemen

"I reject all the allegations," said Chow, of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China. 

"The arrest yesterday [June 4] is obviously an unjust preventive arrest with a blatant purpose of stopping myself from physically being in Victoria Park and to frighten other people from doing the same."

Chow was released on HK$10,000 (US$1,300) bail and must report back to the police on July 5. 

On May 29 the 37-year-old barrister wrote on her Facebook page that "lighting a candle is not a crime", and said she would do so on June 4.

When she was released from the police station, she had strong words for those who were complicit in her arrest.

"I want to tell everyone who participated in all this, don't hind behind the technical provision of the public order ordinance anymore. Open your eyes and see what you are actually doing. What you're actually doing is to cover up the crime of the killers in 1989," she said to a group of reporters.

7,000 police were out in force on Friday in HK

"You are deepening the wounds of all those families, victims, who have been suffering for 32 years without justice. You are helping in consolidating this unjust one-party dictatorship."

She also said she would continue to speak out.

"They want to threaten the media by saying if you are doing more interviews on this sensitive topic, your interviewees will get arrested," Chow said.

While she was detained by the police, Chow fasted to remember the victims from 32 years ago, demonstrating her unwavering conscience and values.

 

Jimmy Lai's Assets Frozen

National security police have frozen Lai's personal assets

 

Around dinner time tonight the Hong Kong government announced the national security police have frozen nearly HK$500 million (US$64.3 million) in personal assets belonging to Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, the first use of such powers under the new law.

The frozen assets include all 70 percent of Lai's shares in Next Digital as well as his holdings in three other firms. 

Next Digital shares fell to 19 cents today

Based on the company's market capitalization of HK$490.3 million, Lai's 70 percent stake is worth HK$343 million.

The police issued the letter regarding the freezing of assets to Next Digital which publishes Apple Daily and its auditors of the move, which came at the end of trading day. Next Digital shares closed down 2.11 percent at 19 cents.

"Apple Daily will be published as usual tomorrow. Don't forget to get a copy," the paper's editor-in-chief, Chan Pui-man, wrote on Facebook on Friday.

Meanwhile chief executive of Next Digital, Cheung Kim-hung, reassured staff earlier in the week on Tuesday.

"We won't shut [Apple Daily] down because it is in a dangerous situation. No, definitely not, I can assure you this will not happen."

CEO Cheung says Apple Daily will continue

The latest news comes as earlier in the day Apple Daily Taiwan announced after 18 years it would stop publishing a print version of the paper, citing readers' consumption of news has changed, and continued operating losses due to low advertising revenue.

It seems Lai may have prepared for this moment if there are pledges the paper will continue to operate.

He is currently in jail, sentenced for 14 months for organizing and taking part in two unauthorized assemblies during the anti-government protests in August 2019.

Last December he was charged by the national security police for "colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security", a crime, if convicted can lead to a life sentence. He was indicted on two other charges last month.

One can expect a repeat of last August when lot of people woke up early to get a copy of the Apple Daily. For the average Hongkonger, this is one of the last ways they can support the paper, a proxy for the city's press freedom.

Expect a lot of people to buy the paper tomorrow

If and when Lai is convicted of breaching the national security law, his assets that are currently frozen, can be by law confiscated by the government. 

HK$500 million is no chump change...

More Arrests This Morning

Police made another swoop of 11 people this morning

 

This morning Hong Kong woke up to more arrests. This time it was 11 alleged accomplices to the 12 who tried to flee to Taiwan and ended up being caught by mainland authorities.

Eight men and three women were arrested for "assisting offenders". Under the Criminal Procedure Ordinance, this charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in jail.

Two underage fugitives returned to Hong Kong

According to an unnamed source, these 11 people were accused of sponsoring the fugitives' attempt to abscond, with the amount of funds offered by each of them, ranging from a few thousand Hong Kong dollars to tens of thousands. 

"They also provided help, such as introducing middle men to the fugitives, arranging shoreline pickups and providing hiding locations," the source said.

The 12 fugitives were arrested last August by the Chinese coastguard. Ten were jailed for between seven months to three years on December 30 in Shenzhen for illegally crossing the border. They were fleeing charges related to the 2019 anti-government protests.

The two others were underage and had jumped bail in Hong Kong. They were recently handed back to local police and will face trial.

One of the most prominent arrested this morning was 72-year-old lawyer Daniel Wong Kwok-tung, who is also a Kowloon City district councillor. His Facebook page said officers from the police's National Security Department arrived at his home at 6.10am on Thursday.

Wong told Hongkongers not to give up as he left

As he was escorted from his office handcuffed, Wong said, "Democracy, rule of law, human rights, persistence. Hongkongers, don't give up."

Wong is known for tirelessly providing legal assistance to protesters arrested during the 2019 protests and was also behind a campaign to set up a cafe in Taiwan to employ exiled Hong Kong protesters.

He is the second lawyer to be arrested in a week after American John Clancey who was one of the 53 people swept up by the authorities in a mass arrest.

In addition to Wong, a 29-year-old Ukrainian man who works in a restaurant was arrested, along with two students and a 29-year-old independent musician called Rono Fok.

Many campaigned for their release when detained

The 11 arrested today join another nine who were taken into police custody in October on suspicion of helping the 12 escape. They are accused of providing the fugitives with the boat, as well as accommodation, transportation and money.

The authorities had warned people who assisted the fugitives would be arrested, and now here we are. 

Unless the police have more people in mind they want to arrest?

Were Devices Taken Across the Border?

Did the Hong Kong police send devices to China? It says no

Yesterday The Washington Post reported that the 53 pro-democracy activists who were arrested in one massive operation last week that later included Joshua Wong Chi-fung and radio presenter Tam Tak-chi already in jail, had their phones and laptops taken away to the mainland to extract information from them.

Activist Owen Chow Ka-shing said that when he was arrested, the police already had the phone numbers of his three phones, calling each one to locate them in his flat. 

Owen Chan says police took his three phones

In the end the police took 200 devices from the 53 activists who were arrested in one day and The Post says these digital items were sent to the mainland where the authorities there have sophisticated data-extraction technology, according to two sources.

After the activists and former lawmakers were released on bail and their devices returned to them, they later reported unusual activity on their social media. For example, even though Tam was in jail, it looked like he joined the encrypted messaging app Telegram and contacted people on it.

The administrator of his Facebook page said Tam did not reactivate his account and urged people to ignore the messages.

However today, the Hong Kong police spokesman Kwok Ka-chuen rejected the claims in The Post's report and denied the seized devices were sent to the mainland.

53 people were arrested, 200 devices taken Jan 6

It also condemned what it said were unfounded accusations, saying people with ulterior motives were spreading misinformation through the media to mislead the public and incite hatred towards the police.

Meanwhile The Post's reporter, Shibani Mahtani said she sought police comment before the story was published and did not receive a denial from the police's public relations branch.

"We stand by our reporting and sourcing," she said on Twitter.

Then how does one explain why Tam was supposedly on Telegram when he was in a jail cell, and the unusual social media activity while the activists and former lawmakers were detained by police?

Nevertheless the police should have denied the police report when it was given the chance. Responding to a story more than 12 hours later doesn't help the force's image.

People are joining Signal, but will they use it?

In the meantime in the last few days, lots of people have opened accounts on Signal, another encrypted messaging app, worried their data on Whatsapp will be shared by its parent company, Facebook.

It is quite amusing to see a massive migration of people to the app, but will they really use it when the vast majority of people still use Whatsapp and Facebook?

I joined Signal last year but have only really used it once...

As Covid Cases Spike, Three Activists Face Jail

In the fourth wave, source of many infections are dance clubs

 

Hong Kong recorded 73 new coronavirus cases today with 50 of them from a cluster of infections from dance clubs. These should not be mistaken with night clubs, but places where middle-aged people, mostly tai tais do the cha-cha, foxtrot and the rumba on the dance floor with men who are not their husbands. 

Hmmm! There's a video circulating on Twitter that shows everyone mask-less and in very close proximity to each other... there are already 70 preliminary positive cases for tomorrow...

Seven more dance clubs are impacted and anyone who has gone to any of these dance clubs must get tested... we will see many more cases in the next few days, yet again confirming the fourth wave is here.

Chow, Lam and Wong arrive at court today

While these cases got a lot of attention, three democracy activists pleaded guilty for their involvement in a 15-hour siege of Hong Kong police headquarters during the anti-government protests last year.

Originally Joshua Wong Chi-fung, 24, and Ivan Lam Long-yin, 26 were going to stand trial for their roles in the incident on June 21 last year, but yesterday they changed their minds to plead guilty after reviewing the prosecutor's evidence and consulting with legal counsel.

Agnes Chow Ting, 23, had originally pleaded guilty.

Wong pleaded guilty to organizing an unauthorized assembly and inciting others to take part in the event. Numerous clips were shown in court of him speaking through a loudspeaker outside police headquarters in Wan Chai, shouting that he hoped more people could join, and in another he declared the protesters had "completely besieged the police headquarters".

Wong at the June 21 protest with Chow (far right)

Lam pleaded guilty to a charge of incitement, while Chow had been charged with incitement and taking part in an unauthorized assembly.

As the barristers tried to plead lenience on their clients, Magistrate Wong Sze-lai refused, believing the incident could have escalated into violence.

In the case of Lam, which the barrister tried to ask for community service, Magistrate Wong immediately rejected this, saying the defendant already has four criminal records. 

The three were immediately remanded into custody until sentencing on December 2. 

As Wong was led out of the courtroom, he told supporters: "Hang in there everyone. Add oil!"

Before entering the court, Wong said the trio were prepared to face jail terms and hoped their plight would draw global attention.

Lam and Wong look up as they go into custody

"Under the continuing crackdown against the city's citizens, generations of youth [have gone] from protests to prisons to safeguard liberty for the place [in which] we were born," he said. "Neither prison bars nor election bans, nor any other arbitrary power will stop us from activism."

While Wong was defiant, Chow was worried. In her Facebook post on Sunday she wrote: "If sentenced, this will be my first time in prison. While I say I have mentally prepared for this, I am still a bit scared."