Wave of Arrests in HK Nets Prominent Opposition Leaders
By Michael Bociurkiw
A wave of arrests of at least 15 prominent opposition leaders in Hong Kong appears to be a bid bid by authorities on the city to silence dissent ahead of June anniversaries and the Legislative Council elections in September.
The arrests Saturday are believed to be the largest round-up of pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong in a single day.
The authorities say the arrests were for unlawful protests between August and October of last year which brought endless days of violence to Hong Kong streets, paralyzed the city and forced the economy to its knees.
The arrests on Saturday included media tycoon Jimmy Lai, founder of the immensely popular newspaper, Apple Daily. Also rounded up were: prominent barristers Martin Lee and Margaret Ng, Jimmy Sham, Longhair Leung Kwok-hung, Lee Cheuk Yan, Avery Ng, Figo Chan, Au Nok Hin, Martin and Albert Ho.
The move is a clear signal that Beijing plans to go on the offensive. It also comes at a time when the city’s Legislative Council is locked in a stalemate and Beijing is pushing for the early introduction of Article 23.
The crackdown also come days after Beijing's most senior official in the city called for a new security law to deal with dissent.
“Let’s be clear: many of those arrested are not radical, petrol bomb-throwing protesters - but rather accomplished professionals who’ve stood up to preserve the civil rights of Hong Kong people”
Let’s be clear: many of those arrested are not radical, petrol bomb-throwing protesters - but rather accomplished professionals who’ve stood up to preserve the civil rights of Hong Kong people. Lee, for example, is the former chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association, a former Legco member and worked alongside former Governor Chris Patten on the 1997 handover of the territory to China. Ng earned degrees from Cambridge University and Boston University and worked at Chase Manhattan Bank.
Lee, who had never been arrested previously, said upon his bail release: “I’m relieved and very proud to finally be listed as a defendant after seeing so many brilliant young people arrested and charged, we’d be pursuing democracy together.”
Hong Kong authorities said the individuals in the latest round-up were arrested for taking part, or organising, in unauthorised marches.
A spokesman for the Security Bureau said: “The relevant arrests were made based on evidence from investigations and strictly according to the laws in force. In Hong Kong, everyone is equal before the law … Police will handle the case in a fair, just and impartial manner in accordance with the law.”
While the streets of Hong Kong have been relatively peaceful and quiet since the start of the New Year - helped by strict Covid-19 restrictions- the move by the government is likely to trigger a fresh wave of street clashes, return of petrol bombs, all leading to another violent summer of protests.
The Hong Kong economy was brought to its knees last year after months of protests brought the city to a virtual standstill. Anti-government protesters first took to the streets over the introduction of a draconian piece of legislation that could open the way for fugitives extradited to China for trial. Although it was eventually withdrawn the protest movement’s list of demands were expanded to include amnesty for the hundreds of charges protesters and an independent investigation into police brutality.
If the protests return, they would likely further paralyze the local economic, which has also been battered by the Covid-19 epidemic. The Hong Kong government and leader Carrie Lam were seen as mishandling the early response.
Hong Kong currently has just over 1000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and four deaths.
Earlier this month the government introduced a massive $18-billion stimulus package to avert massive layoffs in the city. In February, the government announced a HK$30 billion anti-epidemic fund and a HK$120 billion relief package in the annual budget centered on a HK$10,000 handout to all permanent residents age 18 and above, Bloomberg reported.