Hong Kong cancels passports of 12 activists wanted under nat. sec law after involvement with overseas group
The 12 were among 19 people for whom national security police issued arrest warrants last month for organising or participating in the 'Hong Kong Parliament.' The group held unofficial polls outside the city, which sought to form a shadow legislature to 'pursue the ideal of Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong.'
The group vowed to 'uphold the core value of popular sovereignty,' as well as 'oppose one-party rule and tyranny.'
According to a government statement released on Monday, the 12 wanted individuals whose passports have been cancelled are: Victor Ho, Chan Lai-chun, Tsang Wai-fan, Chin Po-fun, Paul Ha, Hau Chung-yu, Ho Wing-yau, Keung Ka-wai, Tony Lam, Agnes Ng, Wong Chun-wah, and Wong Sau-wo.
Those 12 activists, along with Feng Chongyi, Sasha Gong, Ng Man-yan, and Zhang Xinyan, have been charged with subversion for their involvement in the unofficial shadow legislature.
The national security authorities also issued orders prohibiting the 16 individuals from dealing with funds in Hong Kong, and banning activities connected to immovable property and joint ventures or partnerships linked to the activists.
The authorities also served an order to have Keung and Victor Ho removed as company directors temporarily.
The 16 activists were named alongside three other activists – Elmer Yuen, Johnny Fok, and Tony Choi – when the authorities announced that 19 people were wanted for organising or participating in the overseas parliament.
Victor Ho, along with Yuen, Fok, and Choi, was already wanted by Hong Kong authorities before last month's announcement. The four have larger bounties worth HK$1 million on their heads.
Yuen's passport was cancelled by the authorities in December, along with those of six other overseas activists.
Funding prohibited
'These lawless wanted criminals are hiding in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Germany, Australia, Thailand, China's Taiwan region, etc, and continue to blatantly engage in activities that endanger national security,' a government spokesperson said on Monday.
Providing funds, assets, or economic resources available to the wanted individuals, or dealing with funds owned or controlled by them, including through online platforms or dedicated pages, constitutes an offence punishable by up to seven years in prison.
Subversion is one of the offences under Beijing's national security legislation in Hong Kong, which was inserted directly into Hong Kong's mini-constitution in June 2020, following a year of pro-democracy protests and unrest.
The law also criminalises secession, collusion with foreign forces and terrorist acts – broadly defined to include disruption to transport and other infrastructure.
The move gave police sweeping new powers and led to hundreds of arrests amid new legal precedents, while dozens of civil society groups disappeared. The authorities say it restored stability and peace to the city, rejecting criticism from trade partners, the UN and NGOs.
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