Apple Daily vows to continue publication despite tycoon Jimmy Lai’s arrest in Hong Kong
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Hong Kong — Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai became the highest-profile person to have been arrested under a new national security law on Monday, over suspected collusion with foreign forces as about 200 police officers searched the offices of his Apple Daily newspaper.
Mainland-born Lai, who was smuggled into Hong Kong on a fishing boat when he was a penniless 12-year-old, has been one of the most prominent democracy activists in the Chinese-ruled city and an ardent critic of Beijing.
His arrest comes amid Beijing’s crackdown on prodemocracy opposition in the city and further stokes concerns about media and other freedoms promised to the former British colony when it returned to China in 1997. China imposed the sweeping new security law on Hong Kong on June 30, drawing condemnation from Western countries.
The arrest “bears out the worst fears that Hong Kong’s National Security Law would be used to suppress critical prodemocracy opinion and restrict press freedom”, said Steven Butler, the Committee to Protect Journalists’ Asia programme co-ordinator.
Ryan Law, chief editor of Apple Daily, a staunch antigovernment tabloid that also does investigative work, told Reuters the paper will not be intimidated. “Business as usual,” he said.
The security law punishes anything China considers to be subversion, secession, terrorism or collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison. Critics say it crushes freedoms, while supporters say it will bring stability after prolonged prodemocracy protests in 2019.
Beijing said it supports Lai’s arrest. A spokesperson for China’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office told the official Xinhua news agency Lai was a representative of people who were “anti-China, anti-Hong Kong” and that he planned and instigated “illegal” protests, funded pro-independence forces and used his media group to spread rumours.
Lai, 71, has been a frequent visitor to Washington, where he has met officials, including US secretary of state Mike Pompeo, to rally support for Hong Kong democracy, prompting Beijing to label him a “traitor”.
Further arrests
Hong Kong police said they had arrested nine men and one woman, aged between 23 and 72, without naming them, adding that further arrests are possible. Suspected offences included “collusion with a foreign country/external elements to endanger national security, conspiracy to defraud” and others, the police said.
Apple Daily posted a livestream on its Facebook page of police officers roaming through its newsroom and rifling through files, and asking staff for identity ...
Mainland-born Lai, who was smuggled into Hong Kong on a fishing boat when he was a penniless 12-year-old, has been one of the most prominent democracy activists in the Chinese-ruled city and an ardent critic of Beijing.
His arrest comes amid Beijing’s crackdown on prodemocracy opposition in the city and further stokes concerns about media and other freedoms promised to the former British colony when it returned to China in 1997. China imposed the sweeping new security law on Hong Kong on June 30, drawing condemnation from Western countries.
The arrest “bears out the worst fears that Hong Kong’s National Security Law would be used to suppress critical prodemocracy opinion and restrict press freedom”, said Steven Butler, the Committee to Protect Journalists’ Asia programme co-ordinator.
Ryan Law, chief editor of Apple Daily, a staunch antigovernment tabloid that also does investigative work, told Reuters the paper will not be intimidated. “Business as usual,” he said.
The security law punishes anything China considers to be subversion, secession, terrorism or collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison. Critics say it crushes freedoms, while supporters say it will bring stability after prolonged prodemocracy protests in 2019.
Beijing said it supports Lai’s arrest. A spokesperson for China’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office told the official Xinhua news agency Lai was a representative of people who were “anti-China, anti-Hong Kong” and that he planned and instigated “illegal” protests, funded pro-independence forces and used his media group to spread rumours.
Lai, 71, has been a frequent visitor to Washington, where he has met officials, including US secretary of state Mike Pompeo, to rally support for Hong Kong democracy, prompting Beijing to label him a “traitor”.
Further arrests
Hong Kong police said they had arrested nine men and one woman, aged between 23 and 72, without naming them, adding that further arrests are possible. Suspected offences included “collusion with a foreign country/external elements to endanger national security, conspiracy to defraud” and others, the police said.
Apple Daily posted a livestream on its Facebook page of police officers roaming through its newsroom and rifling through files, and asking staff for identity ...
