Two Hong Kongers accused of being part of a group that campaigned for international sanctions against China yesterday pleaded guilty under the territory’s National Security Law in a case that is linked to jailed pro-democracy tycoon Jimmy Lai (黎智英).
China imposed the sweeping security legislation last year to wipe out dissent after Hong Kong was rocked by huge and often violent democracy protests.
More than 130 people, including many of Hong Kong’s best-known democracy advocates, have since been arrested under the law.
Photo: Reuters
Democracy activist Andy Li (李宇軒), 31, and paralegal Chan Tsz-wah (陳梓華), 30, admitted to a charge of “colluding with foreign forces to endanger China’s national security.”
Prosecutors said they were part of a group that organized the publishing of adverts and articles in overseas newspapers calling for sanctions against China.
They were in custody ahead of their plea.
Little has been heard in open court about the case against the duo, but they are part of a group of people linked to Lai, who is facing the same national security charge.
Authorities have accused Lai, 73, of running a “criminal syndicate” that lobbied for international sanctions against China over its crackdown in Hong Kong.
At yesterday’s hearing, prosecutors read out a summary of the allegations against the two defendants. In it, they accused Lai and his American aide, Mark Simon, of being “masterminds and financial support behind the scene and at the highest level of the syndicate.”
Chan allegedly delivered Lai and Simon’s instructions to Li.
Simon left Hong Kong last year and has previously described the prosecution against Lai and others as a political witch hunt against Beijing’s critics.
In an e-mail, he said he believed that Li and Chan “are making statements under great duress, with questionable legal representation, and with Andy still having charges in China over his head.”
Lai’s newspaper Apple Daily closed in June after authorities used the security law to freeze its assets over the content of the tabloid’s reporting.
Li was one of 12 Hong Kongers who last year made a failed attempt to flee Hong Kong by speedboat for Taiwan.
They were intercepted by the Chinese coast guard and held in detention until their conviction at a closed hearing for illegal border crossing.
The group were eventually returned to Hong Kong custody.
Charges of Li and Chan assisting offenders over the fugitives case have been shelved by the prosecution as the pair pleaded guilty to the collusion offenses.
They were remanded back into custody following their plea with the next hearing scheduled for January.
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
REGIONAL STABILITY: Taipei thanked the Biden administration for authorizing its 16th sale of military goods and services to uphold Taiwan’s defense and safety The US Department of State has approved the sale of US$228 million of military goods and services to Taiwan, the US Department of Defense said on Monday. The state department “made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale” to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US for “return, repair and reshipment of spare parts and related equipment,” the defense department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a news release. Taiwan had requested the purchase of items and services which include the “return, repair and reshipment of classified and unclassified spare parts for aircraft and related equipment; US Government
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from