By James Pomfret
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hong Kong on Tuesday imposed bounties of 1 million Hong Kong {dollars} ($128,728) on six extra pro-democracy activists suspected of violating nationwide safety legal guidelines and revoked passports seven others, as a part of an ongoing safety coverage. the monetary middle.
Hong Kong Safety Secretary Chris Tang mentioned the six males – all primarily based abroad, together with Britain and america – had engaged in alleged crimes of inciting secession and subversion.
They included UK-based commentator Chung Kim-wah, former pro-independence group chief Tony Chung, and Hong Kong Democratic Council member Carmen Lau.
“As a staunch defender of Hong Kong nationalism, the arrest warrants issued at the moment are an acknowledgment of my trigger,” Chung wrote on Instagram.
The choice so as to add extra names to Hong Kong’s wished record comes as town struggles to revive its financial development and worldwide fame after years of a crackdown on dissent that drew international criticism.
Chinese language and Hong Kong authorities have defended the crackdown beneath sweeping nationwide safety legal guidelines, saying stability had been restored after mass pro-democracy protests in 2019.
Tang mentioned the six pro-democracy activists had engaged in actions corresponding to speeches, social media posts and lobbying for Hong Kong officers and judges to be sanctioned by international governments, which had endangered nationwide safety.
Others reportedly advocated Hong Kong’s independence from China. Hong Kong, a former British colony for greater than 150 years, returned to Chinese language rule in 1997 and is taken into account an inalienable a part of China.
“As a substitute of celebrating Christmas, Hong Kong is taking a significant step to accentuate its marketing campaign of transnational repression,” wrote Anna Kwok, a US-based Hong Kong activist.
There at the moment are a complete of 19 opposition figures on town’s wished record, together with legal professionals Kevin Yam and Dennis Kwok, former lawmaker Ted Hui and activists Nathan Legislation and French (BCBA:) Workforce.
Hui had HK$800,000 confiscated from an unspecified financial institution within the metropolis, Tang mentioned. Notices that includes black and white pictures of the “fugitives” have been posted publicly, together with at Hong Kong Worldwide Airport.
Seven “fugitives”, together with Hui, who at the moment are primarily based abroad, have additionally had their passports revoked beneath a brand new set of nationwide safety legal guidelines, referred to as Article 23, enacted this yr.
“They are going to turn out to be somebody with out an id,” Tang informed reporters.
($1 = 7.7683 Hong Kong {dollars})
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