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.

Apple Daily is Raided Again

500 officers were involved in this morning's Next Digital raid

 

Hong Kong's press freedoms continue to erode significantly despite government claims it is still protected.

The city woke up this morning to read the news that five executives from Apple Daily were arrested for allegedly violating the national security law, while the office where the newspaper is produced was swarmed by 500 police officers who took away lots of material, including computers from the newsroom.

This is the second time Apple Daily has been raided -- last August 10, officers descended on the Tseung Kwan O offices, arresting founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying in front of staff, while editor in chief Ryan Law Wai-kwong vowed the newspaper would continue to run. And if they were raided again, they would start filming right away.

Editor in chief Ryan Law was arrested today

But this time the police prevented reporters from filming what was going on and limited their movements in the office, and Law himself was arrested at his home, along with four senior executives. 

The police said there were 30 articles that were evidence the paper was conspiring to collude with foreign forces by encouraging foreign countries to impose sanctions on Hong Kong and Chinese officials.

The force also froze assets of three related companies -- Apple Daily Limited, Apple Daily Printed Limited, and AD Internet Limited, amounting to HK$18 million (US$2.43 million). Next Digital suspended trading its shares today.

Watching this unfold in real time was chilling for many journalists, especially those who work for Apple Daily, wondering if this is really the beginning of the end.

Even Lai's right hand man, Mark Simon has fled to the United States, reported in an interview with Reuters. He said he was very concerned about the paper's future.

Later in the day, Secretary for Security John Lee Ka-chiu said endangering national security "is an extremely serious crime. We need to curb such acts with the strongest measures, and consider all effective measures that the law allows."

Lee says to obey the law to avoid violating NSL

He said the raid at 6am this morning was not to target the press, but only to go after a publication that used "news coverage as a tool" to harm national security.

"The suspects tried to make use of journalistic works to collude with foreign countries or external elements to impose sanctions or take hostile action against Hong Kong and the central government. We need to differentiate what the suspects have done from normal journalistic work," he said.

What's "normal journalistic work"?

Lee was also ominous in saying people should cut ties with the five executives.

"Ordinary journalists are different, and should not get involved with them, keep a distance from them," he said in a press conference. "I hereby solemnly declare that: don't associate with these criminals endangering national security, you will pay a hefty price if [you] stand with these criminals, [you] should cut ties with these criminals before it's too late to repent."

He has already labelled the five as criminals before they have even gone to trial.

Police took lots of material including Lee'

Lee's advice to members of the media? "So the answer is simple: do your journalistic work as freely as you like in accordance with the law, provided you do not conspire or have any intention to break the Hong Kong law, and certainly not the Hong Kong national security law."

Meanwhile Chris Yeung Kin-hing, chairman of the Hong Kong Journalists Association described the raid as "shocking" and "scary".

He told RTHK it was "quite scary" that the force was building a case around a number of newspaper articles, some of which date back to 2019 -- before the national security law was even implemented.

"Officials had repeatedly assured people that there would not be a retrospective effect of the law, but in practice, or in the enforcement of the law, it seems that's just empty words," Yeung said.

He added the latest developments will undoubtedly send a chill across the whole of society and will exacerbate self-censorship within the news industry.

"The fact that police seized and searched journalists' materials... there had been no protection to journalistic materials. That would create a chilling effect on not just the media, but for the public who will feel unsafe and uneasy talking to the media."

Reporters continue to file stories for tomorrow

Nevertheless, Apple Daily's reporters soldiered on, returned to the office to file stories and now after midnight, trucks are being loaded with 500,000 copies of the paper and being distributed across the city.

Copies will undoubtedly be snatched up tomorrow morning, a small act of support for what Apple Daily stands for. 

Hours before his arrest, editor in chief Law wrote a letter to readers.

"We want to be a newspaper for the people of Hong Kong."

Despite wanting to be a Hong Kong paper, how much longer can it sustain attacks that are financial, and now political?

Jimmy Lai Arrested on Another Charge

Lai was arrested and charged with helping 12 fugitives flee

 

It was a surprise to hear Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying -- who is already remanded for several charges, including breaching the national security law -- to be arrested again.

This time he was arrested for allegedly helping the 12 fugitives flee to Taiwan in August, though they were intercepted by the Guangdong coastguard.

A legal assistant allegedly helped Andy Li (above)

Early Monday morning a 29-year-old legal assistant was arrested and this morning charged for allegedly conspiring with Lai, activist Andy Li Yu-hin, and others in colluding with foreign forces.

Lai was arrested and charged under the national security law for "conspiracy to assist an offender", and "conspiracy to collude with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security", which has a maximum sentence of life in prison.

The legal assistant, Chan Tsz-wah was also accused of conspiring with Lai, Li and others to help Li leave Hong Kong and escape prosecution.

Prosecutors claimed Chan conspired with Lai, and the media tycoon's right-hand man, Mark Simon, Li, Lau Cho-dik and others "to request a foreign country or an institution, organization or individual outside the mainland, Hong Kong, and Macau... to impose sanctions or blockade or engage in other hostile activities against [Hong Kong] or People's Republic of China".

Simon allegedly conspired "to assist offenders"

The offense allegedly took place between last July and Monday when Chan was arrested. Simon and Lau are still wanted in connection with the case.

Last October Chan was arrested for allegedly helping the dozen fugitives flee to Taiwan, charged for one count of "conspiracy to assist an offender" in connection with Li's escape attempt. 

Did Lai really get involved in this incident? What evidence do prosecutors have?

In the meantime we may catch a glimpse of Lai again tomorrow when he appears in High Court for his bail review hearing...