Hong Kong national security police "scare tactics" affecting families that have become all too familiar

  

A protest piece put up back in 2019 

and still, amazingly, up in 2023!

 

I know you've heard this before but more relatives and friends of one of the eight Hong Kongers who've had HK$1 million bounties put on their head were brought in for questioning by the Hong Kong national security police in recent days.  More precisely, the sister-in-law of former legislative councillor Nathan Law was taken from her apartment in Tung Chung on Saturday afternoon "to assist in investigations".  Also, on Friday afternoon, "a woman with reported links" to Law, named Yu Chi-yan, had been taken away from her apartment in North Point for the same purpose.

 

As of Monday evening, I've not seen reports of the woman having been arrested (and charged) or let go.  I'm going to presume that it's the latter, as that has been the case for Nathan Law's other relatives and friends, and the relatives and friends of Anna Kwok, Dennis Kwok, Christopher Mung and Elmer Yung, who have been taken in questioning in recent weeks: a total of 40 individuals since July 3rd.  For as was noted in a recent article in The Guardian about these occurrences: "Observers and supporters say while there is still fear that could happen, it isn’t really the point."

 

Rather, "“It’s essentially hostage-taking, sending a message to activists and potential activists abroad that if you stand up to the Hong Kong government they’ll go after your family,” says Samuel Bickett, a US-based fellow at Georgetown’s centre for Asian law, and a former activist who was previously jailed in Hong Kong. “Whatever [the authorities] do to couch this in terms of the law – saying they’re interviewing witness and things like that – that’s not what this is. They know exactly where these [activists] are and what they’re doing, there is absolutely no reason to question the families.”"

 

As pointed out in the article: what the Hong Kong national security police are doing/have done is to apply "gangster tactics" as well as borrow a leaf from their Chinese compatriots; one whose true objective is to scare overseas activists and potential activists into silence.  But while they may have achieved their aim with regards to some individuals, the eight who have HK$1 million bounties on their heads (and thus would seem to be the most wanted) do not appear to have been cowed and, in fact, are continuing to speak out and otherwise continue their activities.

 

As an example, Kevin Yam continues to keep an eye on, and Tweet about, Hong Kong.  Today, he also Tweeted his congratulations to Ted Hui -- complete with a smart looking photo of Hui at the Australian Supreme Court -- on his recently becoming a barrister and solicitor of South Australia, pointing out that Hong Kong "might consider him a criminal, but Australia sees him as fit and proper to practise law!"

 

In The Guardian piece I previously mentioned, Elmer Yuen was reported as stating that "he worries about his children in Hong Kong more than they worry about him overseas.“Hong Kong is like big prison. If they don’t allow you to leave the airport, there’s nothing you can do,” he said."  I'm not sure how much truth there was in his former statement but I do reckon he's got a point about Hong Kong being -- or, at least, feeling -- like a big prison at times.  And yes, I do know people who worry when they go to the airport that they won't be allowed to leave Hong Kong, even arrested when trying to do so.

 

The worst of it all with regards to national security law arrests is that, thus far, there has been a 100% conviction rate with regards to people charged with violating it.  Speaking of convictions: Hong Kong gained one new political prisoner last Thursday; bringing the total number of political prisoners in Hong Kong to 1,614 as of August 17th.  And sadly, we know that number will increase rather decrease in the coming days and weeks and months.  (So much for Carrie Lam's assurances about the national security law targeting only "a small group of people" and all that jazz!)

Returning to the families of the eight Hong Kongers with HK$1 million dollar bounties on their head and The Guardian's piece: "Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch, remains worried that the targeting of families could escalate to arrests or even criminal charges under the very broad national security law and sedition ordinance.

“We’ve seen this in many other circumstances across the mainland,” Richardson said. “Every time people ask a question like that I’ve taught myself to think back five, 10, 20 years and see if we saw this [crackdown in Hong Kong] coming. We didn’t necessarily anticipate this escalation of hostility, or the appalling distortions of law, misrepresentations of law.  This is going to be an ongoing story."  So to those of you who care for Hong Kong, Hong Kongers and justice: please don't look away; and, instead, keep your eyes on Hong Kong.