More Tiananmen Memorials Disappear

The Goddess of Democracy is no longer at this spot at CUHK

Following the dismantling of the Pillar of Shame at the University of Hong Kong, two other tertiary institutions also took down memorials of Tiananmen late last night.

The Chinese University of Hong Kong took down a statue which is a replica of the Goddess of Democracy, which has stood on the campus since 2010, while Lingnan University took down a wall relief memorialising the crackdown.

Students held a vigil for the statue this afternoon

Both artworks were done by sculptor Chen Weiming, a Chinese-born New Zealand citizen who now lives in the United States.

In a statement, CUHK noted it had never approved a 2010 student union request to place the statue on campus and that its reasoning for the decision was a matter of public record.

"Following an internal assessment... CUHK has removed the statue," the statement said. "The university never authorised the display of the statue on its campus, and no organisation has claimed responsibility for its maintenance and management."

So if the university never approved the statue to be on campus in 2010, why did it take 11 years to remove it? Weak argument.

It added the two groups responsible for placing the statue on campus -- the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, and its own student union -- had been disbanded.

Staff clean the spot where the statue stood

The alliance was forced to shut down, while CUHK cut ties with the student union in February and eight months later it disbanded. As if this reinforces its reasoning to remove the statue.

One fourth year student surnamed Woo was shocked to find the statue was gone.

"It is even more shocking that the government is afraid of a statue ... under these uncertain times, nothing is guaranteed and you never know when the last politically sensitive items will be removed," Woo said. 

CUHK students later held a vigil for the Goddess of Democracy on Friday afternoon, laying white flowers on printed pictures of the statue in the area where it stood. Others held drawings of the statue that said: "Missing. Have you seen her?" The word "mourn" was also spelled out with candles. 

Meanwhile, a spokesman for Lingnan University said its decision followed a recent review of items on campus that could pose legal or safety threats.

A relief about Tiananmen by Chen is now gone

"In the best interests of the university, the items in question have been cleared, or removed and stored appropriately," the spokesman said.

Aside from the relief, the university also painted over a wall painting of the Goddess of Democracy near the student union office with grey paint on Friday morning. The surrounding area was cordoned off between 7am and 9am, according to a students' representative.

Eric Tong Kin-lok, chairman of the ad hoc administrative committee of Lingnan University's student union, said the relief was dismantled with a circular saw into four pieces before being moved into a storage room.

"We strongly condemn the university's attempt to remove history," he said. "The university did not consult us before and did not even notify us."

Some students remarked that the Goddess of Democracy was a landmark for them to meet up. "We would say meet at the Goddess of Democracy, not the MTR station," one said, 

This wall painting was painted over in grey paint

Tong added that university security guards shone flashlights at students who were attempting to film the removal process, and also noted down their student ID details.

In 2010, Chen gave both the statue and the relief to the now-defunct alliance after being barred from entering Hong Kong, just two days before the candlelight vigil.

The Goddess of Democracy was subsequently displayed in Victoria Park that year before it was transported to the CUHK campus. Meanwhile the relief was displayed in several universities before it was finally placed in Lingnan University with permission of the administration. 

What's next? I'm too afraid to ask and find out.

We keep mourning what we have lost, and this year, it was a lot.

Lee Cheuk-yan Stands by His Beliefs Despite Jail

Lee says he will never forget what happened in Beijing 1989

There are numerous court cases going on simultaneously, making people lose track of who is on trial, who has been convicted and who is in jail, though most people related to the anti-government protests or the national security law are remanded in custody.

One of them is former lawmaker and chairman of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China Lee Cheuk-yan, who pleaded guilty to inciting others to join an unauthorized assembly at Victoria Park for the June 4 candlelight vigil.

Some people defied the police to hold a vigil

Today he gave an emotional mitigating speech in court to explain why he continued to mark the anniversary.

He explained the alliance was set up to support the democratic movement in Beijing, where students gathered in Tiananmen Square. A group of them arrived on May 30, 1989, but a few days later on June 4, he says he "heard incessant gunshots and reports that the tanks were entering, bloodily crushing protesters in Chang'an Avenue".

The next morning he recalled seeing the casualties carted away. "We had no idea how many were hurt and killed. It was a night of immense devastation that I can never forget," he wrote.

Lee tried to board a plane going back to Hong Kong, but was stopped by the police and interrogated for three days. Luckily, he says, Hongkongers petitioned for his release and he came back on June 8.

Lee was in Beijing when the massacre happened 

"I thanked God in my prayers, dedicated myself to be His instrument of Justice, and committed my life to the struggle for democracy to Hong Kong and China. This is my pledge to the people of Hong Kong who rescued me and the people of Beijing who implored us to tell the truth of what happened in the Square to the world. Since then I have always engaged in the mission of the Hong Kong Alliance and attended the June Fourth candlelight vigil every year until this. In prison I continued to honour their memory by fasting for a day and by a lit match."

Later in the speech he points out that the authorities have threatened freedom of expression and assembly, and that they are depriving inmates the right to access to information, such as books, magazines and daily necessities. 

He says HK people will not forget 1989

He also observes the irony in the Hong Kong police upholding Mahatma Gandhi and his non-violent struggle, when he was actually a pioneer in civil disobedience.

"If the Police endorses the non-violent struggle led by Gandhi, why should it not respect the right of the people of Hong Kong to honour the memory of the June Fourth Massacre through a peaceful, non-violent assembly?" he asks.

Finally Lee ends his speech, saying: "If I must go to jail to affirm my will, then so be it." Applause and cheers were heard in the courtroom.

Alliance's Legal Status Limbo

The alliance was disbanding when it was struck from registrar

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor wants to make sure the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriot Democratic Movements of China  is as good as dead.

Chow was in court today for violating NSL

On Tuesday she ordered the group, which had organized the June 4 candlelight vigils in Victoria Park for 30 years, be struck from Hong Kong's Companies Registry.

But that left a legal conundrum today when the alliance, together with its chairman, Lee Cheuk-yan, and vice-chairpersons Albert Ho Chun-yan, and Chow Hang-tung, were charged last month with inciting subversion, and of inciting others to "organize, plan, commit or participate in acts by unlawful means wiht a view to subverting state power". 

If convicted, the defendants could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison under the national security law. The organization could face a fine and compulsory closure if convicted.

The magistrate presiding over the case questioned whether it is lawful to continue pursuing the national security law case against the group, given its recent disbandment, likening the situation to prosecuting a dead person.

Tsoi is liquidating the alliance

"I am not sure whether such an analogy is proper, but [the alliance] is akin to a person who dies in the middle of a prosecution," Acting chief magistrate Peter Law Tak-chuen said. "The prosecution needs to sort out the legal status [of the alliance]."

Law said in all his years on the bench he had never encountered such a problem before.

The case was adjourned until January 10, and the magistrate named former alliance secretary Richard Tsoi Yiu-cheong, who was previously appointed the liquidator, is now an interested party in the proceedings.

Lam had ordered the alliance be struck from the registrar, even though the members of the group voted to disband in September.

Lee said deregistering group would not affect trial

When the Chief Secretary John Lee Ka-chiu was asked about the alliance's legal status, on Wednesday, he insisted the decision to deregister the group would not affect the court proceedings.

Well, it did.

The Pillar of Shame Lives Another Day

 

Minutes before the deadline, media were filming the sculpture

 

The Hong Kong Observatory lowered the T8 signal to T3 at 4.40pm after 23 hours of Typhoon Kompasu passing by the city, causing a lot of winds and some spurts of rain, but nothing like the heavy rains on Saturday with Typhoon Lionrock.

Despite the weather conditions, many people gathered at the University of Hong Kong's Hakim Wong Building, where the Pillar of Shame stands, wondering what the university's management would do when the deadline of 5pm struck. Would campus security begin removing the 2-tonne sculpture or dismantle it?

In the end it turns out nothing -- for now.

The deadline coincided with Typhoon Kompasu

The artist, Jens Galschiot, has hired a Hong Kong lawyer to request HKU arrange a hearing to review its controversial decision.

He had warned the university would be held responsible for any damages if it removed the sculpture, and that the Pillar of Shame actually belongs to him, and is on permanent loan to the now defunct Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China.

"The lawyer and I will try to resolve the situation amicably and with satisfaction for both parties if possible," Galschiot said in a statement on Tuesday.

"Of course, I hope that my ownership of the sculpture will be respected and that I will be able to transport the sculpture out of Hong Kong under orderly conditions and without it having suffered from any damage."

Galschiot also revealed he was in touch with several Danish members of parliament to put pressure on the country's foreign ministry to intervene in the matter, while also appealing to the Chinese embassy to offer whatever help necessary to take the sculpture safely out of Hong Kong.

A HKU spokeswoman said on Wednesday the university was still seeking legal advice and working with relevant parties to handle the situation in a lawful and reasonable manner.

HKU will negotiate with Galschiot

Many are upset the university is removing yet another reminder of June 4 from Hong Kong. 

Louisa Lim is the author of The People's Republic of Amnesia: Tiananmen Revisited and she writes the ultimate motive of removing the sculpture may not be so much coerced amnesia, but the abasement of yet another Hong Kong institution.

"In requesting the removal of the Pillar of Shame, Hong Kong University is bowing down to the post-National Security Law reality and signaling that it will sacrifice its century-old tradition of academic freedom and critical inquiry in the interests of self-preservation," she writes.

Again we wait with baited breath to see what will happen to the Pillar of Shame...

Pillar of Contention

Looking down at the Pillar of Shame in HKU

Early this morning Tropical Storm Lionrock finally left after 22 hours, the longest a typhoon has lingered since 1978. The Hong Kong Observatory lowered the signal to T3 and then by afternoon all signals were cancelled.

At lunchtime I went to the University of Hong Kong to see for the first and possibly the last time, the sculpture Pillar of Shame by Danish artist Jens Galschiot, commemorating the victims of the Tiananmen Square massacre.

Closeup of Galschiot's sculpture

The university's management has sent a letter via its lawyers to the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China to remove the statue by Wednesday October 13 at 5pm or it will be deemed abandoned.

However Galschiot has weighed in on the situation, saying if the university's management damages the statue, he will seek compensation for it.

He said the statue is not for them to throw away as there was no purchase contract nor any payment made, so in principle the statue belongs to him.

"I am baffled since I have not received any official request to move my sculpture," he said. "I wonder why I am being informed about this through the press."

According to Galschiot, it has been agreed that the alliance and HKU should administer the permanent exhibition together and bear the attending expenses.

"It will take a long time to move the sculpture," he warned. "It is an extremely valuable piece of art, which after 24 years probably is a bit frail. Therefore there is a great possibility that the work of art will suffer irreparable damage if handled by an others than experts in handling art.

"If, contrary to expectations, damage to the sculpture should occur, the university risks incurring a claim of compensation for that damage."

HKU threatening to remove it Oct 13

I saw the sculpture as students and workers were queuing up for lunch in the canteen next to the Pillar of Shame, while a few visitors like myself examined the 8-metre-high sculpture that weighs 2 tonnes. There are steel cables at the top to prevent it from toppling over perhaps in typhoon conditions, but as it has been there since 1997, wear and tear has certainly made it more fragile.

This is now a stand off between Galschiot and HKU -- the alliance is trying to quietly disband and disappear without further repercussions. But it seems Galischiot is not giving up the fight and it will be interesting to see what happens this Wednesday...

CUHK's Student Union Disbands

CUHK's student union members voted to disband today

 

Another group has disbanded after falling afoul with the Hong Kong authorities. The Chinese University of Hong Kong's student union will dissolve eight months after the school's management cut ties with the group, citing possible breaches of the national security law.

CUHK made it harder for the union to continue

In February the university asked the student union to register through government agencies as an independent society or company to assume its own legal responsibility, suspended its executive members from ex officio positions on all CUHK committees, and also stopped administrative support and collecting student union fees on its behalf.

The moves followed the 12-member union's release of an 80-page manifesto that accused the university of working with police to have students arrested after an attack on campus university guards.

On Thursday on social media, the student union said it sought legal advice that said independent registration was not necessary.

"CUSU sought professional legal opinion and was advised that 'the ordinance does not apply to CUSU' for independent registration. We are now torn between following the legal advice or complying with the university administration's demand," the post said.

The democratic union shuts down after 50 years

The union held a joint meeting on September 10 to seriously consider the matter and a motion was passed to dissolve the body an accept the resignation of its council representatives.

"[CUSU] has been the only organization mandated to represent the student body on campus. Over the years CUSU has upheld the principles of democratic and federal self-government and co-government for students, and dedicated itself to promoting the common good throughout ever-changing times," the statement read.

"For fifty years CUSU existed as an independent student organization whose representatives were elected through a democratic process. It is a matter of profound regret that CUSU is now history." 

Choy worries about other groups

Chinese University political scientist Ivan Choy Chi-keung, who was president of CUHK's student union in 1987, said he was worried about a "domino effect" among other university groups.

"When the front, the alliance and other social organizations closed down one after the other, and many student unions were asked to register independently, I'm not sure whether the universities were making their own decisions, or whether they faced pressure to make the same decision," he said.

"The union was also a platform through which the students' views could be reflected to the university, so its disbandment will affect those consultative processes too."

Alliance Assets Frozen, Govt to Wind Down Next Digital

Cartoons of Szeto Wah (left) and Zhao Ziyang taken by police

Even though the group that used to organize the annual June 4 candlelight vigils had already decided to disband, the national security police has preempted the process by freezing all the assets, including bank accounts, property such as the June 4 museum which totals to about HK$2.2 million (US$282,000).

On Saturday the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China had voted to disband in a majority 41-4 vote. However, today (Wednesday), the alliance's secretary Richard Tsoi Yiu-cheong who is handling the group's dissolution, was notified by the National Security department that it had frozen its assets, including the museum in Mongkok.

Tsoi says the alliance's assets have been frozen

In early September the police had already raided the museum, taking away documents, computers, cardboard presentations, and even large cartoon caricatures of the late Chinese premier Zhao Ziyang and the alliance's late co-founder Szeto Wah.

Tsoi said he would submit a letter to the National Security department asking it to unfreeze the bank accounts and museum as the group needed to process winding-up procedures.

The police accusing the alliance of acting as a "foreign agent", an offence under the national security law, and sent letters to 12 members of the group demanding for more information about its member list, financial reports and activities, a request they refused to comply with.

What will happen? Maybe the alliance can look to what is happening to Next Digital.

Lai's company will be wound up by the govt

The parent company that used to publish Apple Daily is in a similar situation: its HK$18 million in assets were frozen, and now the Hong Kong government is looking to wind up Next Digital for jailed tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po has filed a petition to the Court of First Instance to liquidate the 40-year old company under powers granted by the Companies Ordinance and a hearing is scheduled for December 15.

"After considering the interim report, the financial secretary took the view that it would be expedient in the public interest that Next Digital be wound up, and therefore decided to present a winding up petition to the court," the government said.

Market regulator the Securities and Futures Commission also believes it is in the public interest to wind up the company based on its information.

Next Digital's assets amount to HK$18 million

A source said no one was left at Next Digital to handle its assets after key management personnel had resigned.

While a former desk editor at Apple Daily said about 1,000 staff members were still owed salaries, she wondered whether the mandatory winding up would allow the authorities to gain access to sensitive staff information, such as emails and minutes of board meetings.

"If this happens, I don't think the government winding up is a good move as claimed," she 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. 

June 4 Museum Raided, Leaders Charged

The head of the Goddess of Democracy goes into police van

The June 4 Museum was already preparing for this day. 

This morning the National Security Department raided the museum in Mongkok and took lots of material from the place, from presentations of a timeline recording what happened in 1989 in Beijing and in 2019 in Hong Kong, a large cartoon of the Goddess of Democracy, as well as of the late Szeto Wah and former Chinese premier Zhao Ziyang.

FEHD officers shut down museum in June

It will be interesting to see how these cartoons will be used as evidence in court.

The ironic thing is that the museum was already shut down since June 2 this year, when the Food and Hygiene Department claimed there was a complaint about the venue not having the relevant license under the Places of Public Entertainment Ordinance, as required for public exhibitions. The museum was fined HK$8,000 (US$1,028).

Once the authorities removed all the items it deemed necessary for their investigation work, they changed the locks on the museum to prevent anyone related to the place to get back in.

Meanwhile the group that previously organized the Tiananmen Square candlelight vigils has been charged, along with three of its leaders with inciting subversion against state power under the national security law.

Cartoons of Wah and Zhao were also carted away

A spokesman for the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China on Thursday evening said it was told by police the justice department would charge chairman Lee Cheuk-yan, vice-chairman Albert Ho Chun-yan, and vice-chairwoman Chow Hang-tung, as well as the group itself. 

In addition, Chow along with standing committee members Leung Kam-wai, Tsui Hon-kwong, Tang Ngok-kwan and Chan To-wai were also to be charged with refusing to provide information requested by the national security police.

A police spokesman said HK$2.2 million worth of the alliance's assets were frozen in connection with the case. Documents, computers and promotional materials were also seized. It is believed the police is looking for financial records connected to the group's activities with the New School for Democracy, the Asia Democracy Network, the China Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group and other organizations funded by the US-based National Endowment for Democracy.

A timeline of 1989 and 2019 was confiscated

Nevertheless Chow is defiant. When she heard she would be charged with "incitement to subversion" she was relieved.

"We should not be dwelling on accusations like 'foreign agent'. But rather, the focus should be on whether there should be accountability for the massacre, and if the one-party dictatorship should be put to an end.

"Let's face these spontaneous demands from the people head-on, and see which side reason is in favour with. With the spirit of those who departed on June 4, how dare we back down? The debate is just about to begin."

 

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...

Defiance, Resignation and a Sad Milestone

The alliance organized the June 4 candlelight vigil for 30 years

 

The national security police has demanded the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China hand over information about its membership, operations and finances. 

Chow (left) denies group is a foreign agent

However, this afternoon the alliance said in a press conference it would not comply with the letters demanding specifics about their activities and fundraising sources.

"We will not provide the information requested," alliance vice-chairwoman Chow Hang-tung said, accusing police of failing to explain why the group was being characterized as a foreign agent, and dismissing the demand for information as a "fishing expedition".

"The national security department... is setting a very bad precedent by casually labelling any civic groups as foreign agents and then asserting that they have the power to demand any information [they want]," she said.

Chow, who is also a barrister added: "[Police] did not mention any reason in the letters they gave us... Hong Kong is an international city, having foreign connections is most natural," Chow said. "If having foreign links makes you a foreign agent, everyone here is a foreign agent."

Apple Daily staff on last day, June 24, 2021

However the national security police was not pleased with the alliance's response and threatened fines and jail time for providing "false, incorrect or incomplete" information.

The Security Bureau also chimed in, saying: "The damage is serious.  Action must be taken to prevent and suppress the act," a spokesman said. "To avoid bearing the legal risk, the organization concerned should immediately turn back before it is too late."

Beijing's liaison office in Hong Kong accused the alliance of having "no fear of the law".

"Since the day it was founded, the alliance included subverting state power and overthrowing the Communist Party's rule as its political goals. In the name of democracy, it has opposed China and caused trouble in Hong Kong," a spokesman said. "It didn't show any remorse for what it did in the past, and chose to resist and refuse the police's demand for information."

Directors thanked readers for their support

Meanwhile Next Digital's board of four directors will resign tonight in a bid to have "an orderly liquidation" to serve the best interests of shareholders and stakeholders including employees and readers.

In a statement released today, the directors say the invocation of the national security law affected the company and its people despite having no trials and no convictions. "Under this new law, a company can be forced into liquidation without the involvement of the courts," it says.

They hope the liquidation will enable funds be used to pay the employees who lost their jobs with Apple Daily and pay off creditors. 

Then they go on to thank numerous people, the shareholders, the businesses and service providers who placed ads despite political pressure, their journalists and staff, and the readers.

Lai currently in jail for litany of charges

"Most importantly, we thank the readers of Apple Daily. You put your trust in the work of our journalists and you understand that a free society and free markets depend on the free flow of information. 

"As Apple Daily often observed, Hong Kong people have a collective memory of what life was like elsewhere when freedom of speech was denied. No other rights are safe. In 2019 when Apple Daily launched its program of charging a subscription price for access to its website and mobile products, more than 500,000 Hong Kong people quickly subscribed out of the total population of 7.5 million -- by far the greatest penetration of digital subscribers of any news publisher in the world. 

"More than one million copies were printed of the final print issue of Apple Daily. Loyal readers reaffirmed Apple Daily's editorial commitment to Hong Kong values of the rule of law, open markets, greater democracy and individual opportunity."

The statement then adds: "We are confident that the company's founder, majority shareholder and former chairman, Jimmy Lai, would join us in these expressions of gratitude if he were able to communicate from his prison cell."

Remembering Spavor and Kovrig on 1,000th day

And speaking of prison, today marks the 1,000th day of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig behind bars in China. 

Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Marc Garneau issued a statement saying: "Both men are being arbitrarily detained. We strongly condemn the lack of a transparent legal process.

"Years have been cruelly stolen from both men and their families. Despite this, they have shown integrity and courage throughout this terrible ordeal.

"We are inspired by their resilience as we continue to work tirelessly with our allies and international partners to do everything we can to bring them home.

He goes on to say: "Arbitrarily detaining foreign citizens is unjust and immoral. Sixty-six countries endorsed the Declaration Against Arbitrary Detention in State-to-State Relations earlier this year and call for an end to this practice and for the release of all individuals detained for diplomatic leverage."

Hard to Forget, Two Years Later

A woman remembers the events in Prince Edward MTR

 

It has been two years now since the August 31 attacks in the Prince Edward MTR station. But there are no public remembrances with the national security law in place.

There is no space for the public to reflect on the horrific scenes in the MTR carriage when police in military uniforms attacked unarmed commuters with batons.

These indelible images are a reminder of 2019

Instead Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor insists there is no crackdown on civil society groups, and even quibbled with the word "crackdown", saying the government was only ensuring that individuals and groups were not violating the national security law.

When reporters asked her about the legal status of the Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China, Lam said the police is only doing law enforcement work.

"We respect civic society. Hong Kong has large numbers of NGOs and think tanks and research agencies who are shouldering their civic responsibility in trying to improve Hong Kong's situation," she replied to the media before the weekly Executive Council meeting.

Lam says there's not crackdown on civic groups

"But where there are associations, whether they are registered or not registered, that exist in order to undermine Hong Kong's security, let alone to advocate independence or collude with external forces to harm Hong Kong and the country, that is not something we should condone."

She was probably also referring to Civil Human Rights Front, that had been around for 32 years, 30 of which it organized the annual Tiananmen Square candlelight vigil, and the 47-year-old Professional Teachers Union is not being recognized by the Education Bureau anymore.

Police Commissioner Raymond Siu Chak-yee said that even if groups disbanded, there was no "indemnity" against investigation and that the force had gathered evidence against a variety of political organizations.

Siu says there is evidence against various groups

Political commentator Chung Kim-wah insisted there was clearly an ongoing crackdown on civil groups, given it was hard for many of them, including the alliance, to avoid connections with overseas pro-democracy bodies. He questioned, however, if authorities could silence dissent through such actions.

"The movement advocated by the alliance for more than 30 years has become part of the city's identity. The crackdown on it won't make people forget June 4," he said.

And by extension the anti-government protests of 2019...

National Security Police Investigate June 4 Alliance

For 30 years the alliance organized the annual June 4 vigil

 

The crackdown on civil society groups continues now with the national security police investigating the group that for three decades -- up until two years ago -- organized the annual Tiananmen candlelight vigil in Victoria Park, for allegedly colluding with foreign forces.

Letters were sent to 12 members of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, requesting information related to the group's ties with foreign groups and the deadline is in two weeks' time.

Chow says allegations are "ridiculous"

This is the first time the national security police is exercising its power to deal with foreign powers and their agents, with the alliance being targeted as an agent.

"The information [sought] includes the member list, the group's financial reports and activities information," a senior police source said.

"We are investigating the relationship between the group and these foreign organizations," continued the source. "We are also looking into whether the group is the Hong Kong agent of overseas organizations and if it received any financial support or donations from those organizations."

Chow Hang-tung, vice-chairwoman of the alliance, confirmed all seven members of its standing committee had received the letters and are seeking legal advice over whether to handover the requested documents.

"But the allegation that the alliance is a foreign agent is ridiculous," Chow said, who is also a lawyer.

Lee (far left) and Ho (centre) are currently in jail

The national security police is looking for details and financial dealings of the alliance with the New School for Democracy, Asia Democracy Network, China Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group, and other organizations funded by the US-based National Endowment for Democracy (NED).

The police is also asking the alliance about its dealings with Mark Simon, the right-hand man of jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying.

Among those who received the letters include alliance chairman Lee Cheuk-yan, and former Democratic Party leader Albert Ho Chun-yan. Both are in jail for their roles in the unauthorized protests in 2019.

Just last month, the alliance reduced its standing committee membership to seven from 14, and dismissed all staff members, citing a rapid deterioration of freedom in the city's political landscape.

Police looking for link with Mark Simon

Even though the group has planned to disband, it is in a difficult position: Failure to comply to the national security police's request constitutes an offence punishable by a fine of up to HK$100,000 (US$12,840) and six months' imprisonment.

It is also an offence to provide information that is "false, incorrect or incomplete", and that carries a fine of HK$100,000 and a jail term of up to two years.