Hong Kong police on Tuesday announced a new round of arrest warrants for six overseas activists, with a reward of HK$1 million for information leading to their arrest.
According to the warrant, six people are wanted for national security offenses of secession, sedition and collusion with foreign forces.
They include Tony Chung, now the former leader of the pro-independence group StudentLocalism. British-based Carmen Lau, a former district councilor and current activist of the Hong Kong Democracy Council, as well as Chloe Cheung, an activist of the Hong Kong Independence Committee, were also issued warrants against them.
The latest round of warrants marks the Hong Kong government’s targeting of vocal critics overseas.
Anna Kwok, a Hong Kong activist based in Washington DC, has been named by Hong Kong police as a fugitive with a one million Hong Kong dollar reward offered for her arrest. (Photo by REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein)
The government had earlier issued two rounds of arrest warrants and rewards for key activists, including former MPs Ted Hui and Nathan Law.
The number of people wanted abroad is rising as Hong Kong continues to clamp down on political dissent after massive anti-government protests in 2019 that resulted in a wave of pro-democracy protests. Many pro-democracy activists have been jailed, others have fled abroad.
The Hong Kong government’s latest round of arrest warrants and rewards against six Hong Kong activists is a cowardly act of intimidation to silence Hong Kong people, said Maya Wang, China associate director at Human Rights Watch.
“Six people – including two Canadian citizens – live in the UK and Canada. We call on the UK and Canadian governments to take immediate action against the Hong Kong government’s attempts to intimidate Hong Kong residents living in their country.”
Tuesday’s arrest warrant brings the total number of wanted to 19.
Others on Tuesday’s list included Chung Kim-wah, formerly a senior fellow at the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute, an independent polling organization; Joseph Tay, co-founder of Canada-based NGO HongKonger Station; and YouTuber Victor Ho.
Separately on Tuesday, the Hong Kong government issued an order canceling the passports of seven “fugitives”, including former MPs Hui and Dennis Kwok, who are wanted under security laws.
The orders were made under Hong Kong’s domestic national security law – known as Article 23 – and prohibit the seven from holding funds in Hong Kong, as well as activities related to joint ventures and assets.
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