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."

 

June 4 Vigil Remains a Memory

The group that held the annual June 4 vigil has let go its staff

Due to "fierce and political oppression", the group that organized the annual Tiananmen Square candlelight vigil has dismissed its entire staff, while half of the committee members have resigned.

In a statement on Saturday, the 32-year-old Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China said only seven committee members remain, including chairman Lee Cheuk-yan, and vice chairmen Albert Ho Chun-yan, and Chow Hang-tung, who are currently in jail.

"The political environment in Hong Kong has deteriorated sharply in the past year, while the alliance has been challenged by increasingly fierce and obvious political repression. After evaluating the political situation and holding repeated discussions, we have decided to adopt relevant precautions," the statement said.

Three of the committee members are in jail

All staff would be dismissed by the end of July and compensated accordingly, the group said, and they would continue to operate despite drastically less manpower.

"We hope to protect our staff as much as we can," the statement said. It is understood there are less than 10 full-time and part-time staff working for the alliance.

"It is true that the drastic reduction of committee members, the dismissal of all the staff, and the withdrawal of some member groups in recent months will have an impact on our future operations... yet despite all the difficulties and challenges, we will keep going, step by step."

The group's secretary, Richard Tsoi Yiu-cheong said he struggled for a long time deciding to step down.

"It is a tough decision, but we have decided to take this collective action after considering all the potential threats we are facing," he said, adding the alliance would still continue to organize activities, including commemorating Nobel Peace Laureate Liu Xiaobo on Tuesday. 

"Some of us may work as volunteers when necessary. The alliance still exists, but on a smaller scale. Currently we also have no plans to change any of our operational goals," he said.

The museum was forced to close before June 4

The "operational goals" are: the release of dissidents, vindication of the 1989 pro-democracy movement, accountability for the Tiananmen crackdown, an end to one-party rule in mainland China, and the building of a democratic country.

However, pro-establishment figures say calling an end to Beijing's "one-party rule" would be an act of subversion under Hong Kong's national security law .

But some legal experts disagree, saying subversion has only been committed if a person resorts to the "use of force or threat of force or other unlawful means" to achieve their goal.

The group has been under pressure since the police banned the candlelight vigil in Victoria Park on June 4 for the second year in a row due to the coronavirus pandemic, and on the same day, Chow Hang-tung was arrested and later charged with knowingly taking part in an illegal assembly.

The alliance's June 4 museum was also forced to shut, following a licensing complaint.

It seems it may only be a matter of time before the group may have to completely disband, with collective memories only being individual ones the government intends to extinguish.

June Fourth Museum Shuts Indefinitely

Fearing it is breaking the law, the museum has shut for now

Following the visit of Food and Environmental Hygiene Department officers to the June Fourth Museum yesterday afternoon claiming the premises did not have an entertainment license, the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China announced it was closing the museum until further notice to seek legal advice and protect the safety of its staff and visitors.

FEHD officers visited the museum yesterday

The organizers thanked the 550 people who visited the museum since Sunday when it reopened. 

Richard Tsoi Yiu-cheong the alliance's secretary, said it was unlikely the museum would reopen in time for Friday, the 32nd anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown.

"We still hope every citizen in Hong Kong can use their own way to commemorate June 4. We certainly think [if] we can maintain our strength at this particular critical moment, in the future we can definitely continue our struggle," Tsoi said.

An elderly man surnamed Ng tried to visit the museum today only to find it closed and said it was "regrettable".

"Every year I go to Victoria Park to attend the June 4th vigil. But I can't this year. So I thought I would visit the museum today to remember the event as I had time. But again I can't, it's very regrettable. June 4 is a big incident to Chinese people. I will never forget it. I hope the movement will be vindicated," he said.

In the meantime Hong Kong is on a 40-day streak of zero local cases of Covid-19 and yet the public cannot gather outside in large numbers due to the pandemic. To ensure that doesn't happen, some 3,000 police officers will be hovering around Victoria Park in case anyone (in black) does something. 

The inability to remember such an important event that has been openly marked for the past 31 years is hard to comprehend and accept. 

It will only build more frustration and anger, simmering once again below the surface...