By Tursunjan, December 14, 2023
In a concerning development, five additional Hong Kong activists seeking refuge in the U.S. and U.K. are now facing arrest warrants issued by the Hong Kong national security police. Their overseas advocacy work has earned them bounties on their heads, marking a troubling escalation in the crackdown on dissent.
The Hong Kong Police Force stated on its website, “A total of five individuals, namely male CHENG Man-kit, female HUI Wing-ting, female SIU Joey, male FOK Ka-chi, and male CHOI Ming-da, who have fled overseas, are alleged to have continued to commit offenses under the National Security Law, including “incitement to secession,” “incitement to subversion,” and “collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security.” The acts of these five individuals seriously endanger national security. Thus, the police applied to the court for the arrest warrants in accordance with the law and put the persons on the wanted list.”
Among those targeted are Simon Cheng, a British Hong Kong exiled pro-democracy activist and founder of the UK-wide diaspora group, Hongkongers in Britain, Frances Hui, the Policy & Advocacy Coordinator of The Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation, and Joey Siu, executive council member at World Liberty Congress are also on the wanted list. Additionally, radio hosts Tony Choi and Johnny Fok find themselves under the scrutiny of Hong Kong authorities.
Joey Siu, expressing resilience, declared on Twitter: “I will never be silenced; I will never back down.” Simon Cheng, another prominent figure on the list, took to Twitter, stating, “Being hunted by China’s secret police under a one-million-dollar bounty is a lifelong honor. If the government deems the quest for democracy and freedom a crime, we embrace the charges to reveal the genuine face of social justice, unyielding to authority.”
Galileo Cheng, a photojournalist, highlighted that two of the targeted activists, Tony Choi and Johnny Fok, are radio show hosts.
The intensification of actions against activists seeking asylum abroad raises serious concerns about the extent of the Hong Kong authorities’ crackdown on dissenting voices. As the international community closely watches these developments, the plight of these activists underscores the challenges faced by those advocating for democracy and freedom in the face of increasing authoritarianism. The Uyghur Times will continue to monitor and report on these critical events.
