Hong Kong police announced rewards for information leading to the arrest of 19 overseas-based activists for their roles in what they called a subversive organization abroad, accusing them of violating a national security law imposed by Beijing.
Police said in a statement Friday that the group, Hong Kong Parliament, aimed to promote self-determination and establish a so-called “Hong Kong constitution,” alleging it was using illegal means to overthrow and undermine China’s fundamental system or overthrow the institutions in power in the city or China.
At the request of police, the city’s court issued arrest warrants for activists Elmer Yuen, Johnny Fok, Tony Choi, Victor Ho, Keung Ka-wai and 14 others. They are alleged to have organized or participated in an election abroad for the Hong Kong Parliament, as well as setting up or becoming members of the group.
While the group calls itself Hong Kong Parliament, its electoral organizing committee was founded in Toronto in 2022 and its influence is limited.
According to a Facebook statement by the group on Jun. 30, its recent election drew some 15,700 valid votes through mobile app and online voting systems.
It said the candidates and elected members came from various regions, including two based in Canada, as well as individuals now in Taiwan, Thailand, Australia, the U.S. and Britain.
Yuen said in a Facebook live broadcast that the police campaign would help the group rally support for the resistance movement. “It helps us with a lot of advertising,” Yuen said.
During the live chat with Yuen on Facebook, Sasha Gong, another person targeted by the bounties, accused Hong Kong of becoming a police state. She said she is a U.S. citizen and would report her case to the U.S. authorities and lawmakers.
B.C. resident targeted a 2nd time
Among the 19 activists, police have already offered one million Hong Kong dollars ($174,580 Cdn) for information leading to the arrest of Yuen, Ho, Fok and Choi when arrest warrants for separate activities were issued against them.
Ho, the former editor of the Sing Tao Daily based in British Columbia, told CBC News at that time he would not be deterred in his advocacy for the rights of Hong Kongers free from Beijing interference.
Victor Ho, one of the Canadian activists recently targeted by Hong Kong, spoke with CBC News about why the bounty for his arrest won’t stop him from continuing his pro-democracy work.
For the remaining 15 people, rewards of 200,000 Hong Kong dollars ($34,915 Cdn) were offered, urging residents to provide information about the case or the people.
“The investigation is still ongoing. If necessary, police will offer bounties to hunt down more suspects in the case,” police said. They also called on those wanted to stop their actions while they still can, saying that they hoped the activists “will take this opportunity to return to Hong Kong and turn themselves in, rather than making more mistakes.”
Over the past two years, Hong Kong authorities have issued arrest warrants for various activists based overseas, including former pro-democracy lawmakers Nathan Law and Ted Hui. They also cancelled the passports of some of them under a recent security law introduced in the city last year.
The moves against overseas-based activists have drawn criticism from foreign governments, especially given that the former British colony was promised that its Western-style civil liberties and semi-autonomy would be kept intact for at least 50 years when it returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
Calls for sanctions
In March, the United States sanctioned six Chinese and Hong Kong officials who it alleged were involved in “transnational repression” and acts that threaten to further erode the city’s autonomy. But Beijing and Hong Kong insist the national security laws were necessary for the city’s stability.
In retaliation for the U.S. move, China in April said it would sanction U.S. officials, lawmakers and leaders of non-governmental organizations who it says have “performed poorly” on Hong Kong issues.
The previous Liberal government in Ottawa announced sanctions on Chinese officials in two separate instances over the past five years, including in December, but not related to Hong Kong’s crackdown on protesters, critics and politicians. Organizations such as Hong Kong Watch Canada and the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights are among those who have called on Ottawa to consider sanctions for officials involved in Hong Kong’s repression.
Jenny Kwan, the Hong Kong-born NDP MP for Vancouver East, has also called for targeted sanctions on Hong Kong officials.
