Latest news with #HongKongParliament


CBC
a day ago
- Politics
- CBC
Hong Kong has issued a warrant for his arrest, but this Vancouverite isn't worried
Social Sharing Last week, Hong Kong issued arrest warrants for 19 overseas activists, all members of a group called Hong Kong Parliament, which promotes self-determination in Hong Kong and the establishment of a Hong Kong constitution. But Hong Kong alleges the group is using illegal means to overthrow institutions in China. Among the 19 is Victor Ho, a Canadian citizen and Vancouver-based journalist who works for the B.C. edition of Hong Kong's Sing Tao Daily. It's not the first time he's been faced with an arrest warrant from Hong Kong, Ho said. A warrant was issued for Ho's arrest in 2021, and again in December 2024. Ho said this most recent arrest warrant was expected. He spoke with CBC's On The Coast host Gloria Macarenko. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Victor, how did you hear about this warrant? I learned this message from social media last Thursday evening when I was attending a concert in downtown Vancouver. It's a bit of a strange feeling. How can a Canadian be wanted by the Hong Kong government three times? The first time is 2021. The second one is last December — the Hong Kong government gave one million Hong Kong dollar bounty for me. Are you concerned? Are you, are you afraid at all? No, because this is the third time. The Canadian government approached me many times after the first time I was wanted by the Hong Kong government, including Global Affairs Canada, including CSIS and including the RCMP. Even the public safety ministry, they approached me. They had various information for me about my personal safety, about my immediate danger. They have a lot of information to advise me not to go to the countries with extradition treaties with Hong Kong. They are trying to protect me and ask me what they can do to make me feel safe. WATCH | Victor Ho among those wanted in Hong Kong: Hong Kong police issue fresh wave of arrest warrants for 19 overseas activists 19 hours ago What about the accusations here? Police say that your group sought to overthrow the governments of China and Hong Kong by unlawful means. How do you respond to that? In my opinion, that is inappropriate. And this is not in proportion. We just express our willingness to organize a universal suffrage for Hong Kong people overseas and in Hong Kong proper. So me and a group of overseas Hong Kong people try to organize in a grassroot democracy style to say that the Hong Kong people have the right to self-determination, their sovereignty should be honoured. So we try to materialize these rights, democratic rights only. I don't think we have enough power to overthrow the government. What about your friends, even family in Hong Kong? What is life like for them there? Actually, I cut off all ties, all connections with my Hong Kong family members last year. This was my suggestion to cut off. I don't want to involve them. I don't want the police to come to their doorsteps and ask them a lot of questions. I just cut off all connection. Even telephone. I have a lot of relatives in Hong Kong. I have eight sisters and brothers. I haven't received any bad news from my family members in Hong Kong. So far so good. But I hope they can find no evidence from my relatives in Hong Kong because I left my original family in early 20s. For over 40 years, I don't have very close connections with them so they cannot find evidence to bother my relatives there. Why is it so many of them stay, in light of what you've described this afternoon? Why don't they leave like you have? There are various reasons: because of financial capacity, because of their ties with relatives in mainland China. Some of my elder brothers have wives from mainland China. So the cultural connection cannot be easily cut off on their standpoint. So I understand their situation. I immigrated to Canada because of my career. I know the sensitivity of my career to a communist regime. They don't like any journalists, so after a discussion with my wife, we decided to leave Hong Kong in 1997 to play it safe.


Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Hong Kong issues arrest warrants for 19 overseas activists accused of subversion
Hong Kong authorities said they are still investigating the matter, adding that further arrests may follow. (AP pic) HONG KONG : Hong Kong's national security police announced arrest warrants for 19 activists based overseas, accusing them of subversion under a stringent national security law, marking the largest such tally yet. They are accused of organising or participating in the 'Hong Kong Parliament', a group that authorities in the Asian financial hub say aimed to subvert state power under the law Beijing imposed in 2020 following months of pro-democracy protests in 2019. The activists are accused of having launched a referendum or run as candidates in the unofficial 'Hong Kong Parliament' group, which authorities say aims at achieving self-determination and drafting a 'Hong Kong constitution'. Police, who said the organisation sought to overthrow the governments of China and Hong Kong by unlawful means, said they are still investigating and further arrests may follow. Among those named are businessman Elmer Yuen, commentator Victor Ho, and activists Johnny Fok and Tony Choi. Four of them are subject to previous arrest warrants, each carrying a bounty of HK$1 million (US$127,000). Among the remaining 15, for each of whom police are offering a bounty of HK$200,000 (US$25,480), are those said to have organised or run in the election and sworn in as its councillors. None of the accused could be reached for comment. The UK's foreign and home secretaries condemned the move in a joint statement, calling the arrests 'another example of transnational repression' and saying it damages Hong Kong's international reputation. '(The UK) will not tolerate attempts by foreign governments to coerce, intimidate, harass or harm their critics overseas,' it said in a statement on Friday. In response, the Chinese embassy in the UK said the British government's remarks 'constitute a gross interference' in China's internal affairs and the rule of law in Hong Kong. 'China urges the UK to abandon its colonial mentality, stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs…stop shielding criminals,' it said. The former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997 with the guarantee of a high degree of autonomy, including freedom of speech, under a 'one country, two systems' formula. Critics of the national security law say authorities are using it to stifle dissent. Chinese and Hong Kong officials have repeatedly said the law was vital to restore stability after the city was rocked for months by sometimes violent anti-government and anti-China protests in 2019. Police reiterated that national security offences were serious crimes with extraterritorial reach and urged the wanted individuals to return to Hong Kong and surrender. 'If offenders voluntarily give up continuing to violate the crime, turn themselves in, truthfully confess their crimes, or provide key information that helps solve other cases, they may be eligible for reduced punishment,' they said in a statement. Police also warned that aiding, abetting, or funding others to participate in the 'Hong Kong Parliament' could be a criminal offence.


HKFP
2 days ago
- Politics
- HKFP
Hong Kong slams countries over ‘smears' against bounties targeting overseas activists
The Hong Kong government has said it 'strongly opposed and disapproved of smears with distorted facts' after countries such as the US, Canada, and Australia criticised the city's fresh bounties targeting overseas activists. In a statement on Sunday, the Hong Kong government said that 'such foreign government officials and politicians, as well as anti-China organisations, turned a blind eye to illegal acts of criminals' and 'also deliberately smeared and spread irresponsible remarks, in an attempt to mislead the public.' On Friday, Hong Kong national security police announced bounties for information leading to the arrest of 19 overseas activists for their link to political group the 'Hong Kong Parliament,' accusing them of committing subversion under the Beijing-imposed national security law. A bounty of HK$200,000 each was offered for 15 members of the group, while the remaining four were already wanted for HK$1 million each. 'The 'Hong Kong Parliament' is an organisation which aims to subvert state power; its objectives include promoting 'self-determination', promulgating the so-called 'Hong Kong Constitution', and overthrowing or undermining' the governments in China and Hong Kong, the statement also said. 'No country or organisation should harbour criminals nor try to exonerate these people with different excuses.' Criticism against bounties The Sunday statement was issued after senior US, Canadian, and Australian officials levelled criticism against the bounties. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday condemned the move by the Hong Kong authorities, calling the bounties 'transnational repression.' 'The extraterritorial targeting of Hong Kongers who are exercising their fundamental freedoms is a form of transnational repression,' Rubio said in a statement. 'We will not tolerate the Hong Kong government's attempts to apply its national security laws to silence or intimidate Americans or anyone on U.S. soil,' he added. In Canada, Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand and Minister of Public Safety Gary Anandasangaree issued a joint statement on Saturday condemning the bounties. 'This attempt by Hong Kong authorities to conduct transnational repression abroad, including by issuing threats, intimidation or coercion against Canadians or those in Canada, will not be tolerated,' the statement read. 'The actions taken by Hong Kong threaten the sovereignty of Canada and security of the people in this country,' the statement continued. The Canadian officials also said the bounties were 'being amplified in an inauthentic and coordinated way, through an online network of accounts that are targeting Chinese-speaking communities.' Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Saturday on X: 'Australia strongly objects to Hong Kong authorities issuing arrest warrants for pro-democracy advocates in Australia. Freedom of expression and assembly are essential to our democracy.' The Hong Kong government on Saturday also issued a statement opposing remarks by UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, who described the bounties as 'another example of transnational repression.' A total of 34 people residing overseas are currently placed on a wanted list by Hong Kong national security police. Beijing inserted national security legislation directly into Hong Kong's mini-constitution in June 2020 following a year of pro-democracy protests and unrest. It criminalised subversion, 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.


Yomiuri Shimbun
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Hong Kong Issues Arrest Warrants for 19 Overseas Activists Accused of Subversion
HONG KONG, July 25 (Reuters) – Hong Kong's national security police announced arrest warrants for 19 activists based overseas, accusing them of subversion under a stringent national security law, marking the largest such tally yet. They are accused of organising or participating in the 'Hong Kong Parliament', a group that authorities in the Asian financial hub say aimed to subvert state power, under the law Beijing imposed in 2020 following months of pro-democracy protests in 2019. The activists are accused of having launched a referendum or run as candidates in the unofficial 'Hong Kong Parliament' group, which authorities say aims at achieving self-determination and drafting a 'Hong Kong constitution'. Police, who said the organisation sought to overthrow the governments of China and Hong Kong by unlawful means, said they are still investigating and further arrests may follow. Among those named are businessman Elmer Yuen, commentator Victor Ho, and activists Johnny Fok and Tony Choi. Four of them are subject to previous arrest warrants, each carrying a bounty of HK$1 million ($127,000). Among the remaining 15, for each of whom police are offering a bounty of HK$200,000 ($25,480), are those said to have organised or run in the election and sworn in as its councillors. None of the accused could be reached for comment. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday condemned the move, which he said targeted some U.S.-based individuals. 'We will not tolerate the Hong Kong government's attempts to apply its national security laws to silence or intimidate Americans or anyone on U.S. soil,' he wrote in a statement, calling it 'a form of transnational repression.' The UK's Foreign and Home Secretaries also condemned the move in a joint statement, calling the arrests 'another example of transnational repression' and saying it damages Hong Kong's international reputation. '(The UK) will not tolerate attempts by foreign governments to coerce, intimidate, harass or harm their critics overseas,' it said in a statement on Friday. In response, the Chinese embassy in the UK said the British government's remarks 'constitute a gross interference' in China's internal affairs and the rule of law in Hong Kong. 'China urges the UK to abandon its colonial mentality, stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs…stop shielding criminals,' it said. The former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997 with the guarantee of a high degree of autonomy, including freedom of speech, under a 'one country, two systems' formula. Critics of the national security law say authorities are using it to stifle dissent. Chinese and Hong Kong officials have repeatedly said the law was vital to restore stability after the city was rocked for months by sometimes violent anti-government and anti-China protests in 2019. Police reiterated that national security offenses were serious crimes with extraterritorial reach and urged the wanted individuals to return to Hong Kong and surrender. 'If offenders voluntarily give up continuing to violate the crime, turn themselves in, truthfully confess their crimes, or provide key information that helps solve other cases, they may be eligible for reduced punishment,' they said in a statement. Police also warned that aiding, abetting, or funding others to participate in the 'Hong Kong Parliament' could be a criminal offense. ($1=7.8488 Hong Kong dollars)


HKFP
4 days ago
- Politics
- HKFP
US slams Hong Kong's national security bounty offers targeting overseas activists
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday condemned Hong Kong's offer of rewards for any information leading to the arrest of a select list of overseas activists, including some based in the United States. 'The extraterritorial targeting of Hong Kongers who are exercising their fundamental freedoms is a form of transnational repression,' Rubio said in a statement. 'We will not tolerate the Hong Kong government's attempts to apply its national security laws to silence or intimidate Americans or anyone on US soil.' Hong Kong police on Friday announced bounties for information leading to the arrest of 19 overseas activists, accusing them of national security crimes. Police said the activists were involved in what they called the 'subversive' Hong Kong Parliament — a pro-democracy non-governmental organization established in Canada. A reward of HK$200,000 ($25,500) each was offered for 15 of the activists, while the four others were already wanted for HK$1 million, the statement said. 'With this new round of arrest warrants and bounties, the Hong Kong government continues to erode the autonomy that Beijing itself promised to the people of Hong Kong following the 1997 handover,' Rubio said. 'Freedom of speech and political discourse are core American values, which the Trump administration will continue to defend.'