New step in Beijing's strong takeover of Hong Kong: Hong Kong tycoon Jimmy Lai was arrested at his home at around 7 a.m. Monday, August 10 (11 p.m. GMT, Sunday), Mark Simon, one of the his close associates, specifying that other members of his press group had also been arrested.
In a statement, police said seven arrests on suspicion of collusion with foreign forces - one of the offenses covered by the National Security Law that was imposed in late June by Beijing - and fraud.
Seen as a response from Beijing to months of pro-democracy protests that rocked the former British colony in 2019, the law gives authorities new powers to crack down on four types of crimes against state security: subversion, separatism, terrorism and collusion with outside forces.
Images of the search broadcast live
Jimmy Lai is the boss of Next Media, which includes the Apple Daily and the magazine Next, two titles openly pro-democracy and critical of Beijing.
His press group was raided in the name of the controversial security law. At the end of the morning, dozens of police arrived at headquarters, in an industrial area in the Lohas Park district (south-east). Apple Daily reporters broadcast footage of the search live on Facebook. In the footage, the editor of the daily Law Wai-kwong appears asking the police for their warrant.
"Tell your colleagues not to touch anything until our lawyers check the warrant," their intimate Mr. Law.
Police officers ordered reporters to stand up and line up for identity checks, as others searched the newsroom. And Mr. Lai was brought to the scene.
Mr. Simon said on Twitter that searches had also taken place at the home of the magnate and that of his son.
As of this time the police are in the homes of Mr. Lai and his son executing search warrants.
-
Other members of the group have been detained or taken in for questioning. It's a press scrum at Mr. Lai's home now so info locally will come out.
-
Accused many times of collusion with foreign powers
For many Hong Kongers engaged in the pro-democracy movement, Mr. Lai is a hero, a tabloid boss who has built his fortune alone, and the only Hong Kong press boss who stands up to the Chinese central power. Conversely, the Chinese state media regularly qualify him as a "traitor", accusing him of being the instigator of the 2019 protest.
Charges of collusion with a foreign power intensified last year, when Mr. Lai met with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Vice President Mike Pence. He then brushed aside these accusations, explaining that Hong Kong people had the right to meet foreign politicians.
Two weeks before the security law was imposed on Hong Kong, Mr. Lai told AFP he was "ready" to go to jail. "If necessary, I will be able to read books that I have not read," he said.
In his interview with AFP at the end of June, he explained that the security law would "spell the end of Hong Kong" and said he feared that the authorities would prosecute his journalists.
With AFP
The summary of the week France 24 invites you to come back to the news that marked the week
I subscribeTake international news everywhere with you! Download the France 24 application
google-play-badge_FR