South China Morning Post - Hong Kong Politics

Hong Kong national security law’s next targets: donors to online group allegedly linked to ...

Thu, 13 Aug 2020 00:00:15 GMT

Donors to an online group which called for sanctions against Hong Kong could be the next target of police, following the arrest of Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying and five others under the national security law, the Post has learned.Force insiders said officers from the newly established national security unit began investigating the “ I want laam caau ” group, also known as “Fight for Freedom, Stand with Hong Kong” (SWHK) in English, when it continued to post messages and slogans on…

How Beijing extending Hong Kong’s Legislative Council term sparked challenges for city’s ...

Wed, 12 Aug 2020 14:00:19 GMT

Beijing wanted to minimise any “distraction or possible political reverberations” in Hong Kong as it unexpectedly allowed four opposition lawmakers recently barred from seeking re-election to serve out an extended term in Hong Kong’s Legislative Council, the Post has learned.The central government chose the option because it was the “simplest and least controversial way” to let the city focus on battling the coronavirus pandemic, according to a mainland source familiar with the city’s affairs…

As #FreeAgnes trends in Japan, why is Hong Kong activist Agnes Chow so popular there?

Wed, 12 Aug 2020 12:44:17 GMT

In Japan, politicians and the public have shown their staunch support for Hong Kong opposition activist Agnes Chow, with #FreeAgnes trending on social media and a cross-party group of Diet members condemning her arrest under the city’s national security law.After an emergency meeting on Wednesday to discuss the arrests of Chow and Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, the founder of local newspaper Apple Daily, the Japan Parliamentary Alliance on China issued a statement condemning Beijing and the city’s…

Hong Kong’s police credit union shifts billions in assets to mainland banks, citing exposure ...

Wed, 12 Aug 2020 10:18:29 GMT

Hong Kong’s police credit union is moving its estimated HK$11 billion (US$1.4 billion) in assets from foreign banks to Chinese-based ones amid concerns over sanctions imposed by the United States over the national security law, the Post has learned.The union on Monday informed its 45,000 members, which include current and retired police officers, that it had been moving the assets to mainland banks in the city since May, as they fear their assets could be compromised.The revelation came as the…

Hong Kong competition watchdog calls out alliance of port operators, prompting laundry list of ...

Wed, 12 Aug 2020 09:32:51 GMT

A powerful alliance that controls much of Hong Kong’s major container port has released a list of proposed remedies aimed at addressing concerns raised last year by the city’s competition watchdog, though industry stakeholders on Wednesday said the reforms did not go far enough.Following a 17-month probe into suspicions of a cartel, the Competition Commission reiterated on Wednesday that the formation of the Seaport Alliance, a contractual joint venture formed by four of the five container port…

Beijing’s decision to extend Legco term shows Hong Kong affairs are no longer dealt with by ...

Wed, 12 Aug 2020 05:28:39 GMT

Beijing’s decision to extend the term of Hong Kong’s legislature by at least one year showed that the city’s affairs were no longer dealt with by common law principles and its mini-constitution, but by a legal system with Chinese characteristics, a legal scholar has warned.Eric Cheung Tat-ming, a principal lecturer at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), also said it would be difficult to lodge a legal challenge against the resolution passed by the National People’s Congress Standing Committee …

From Taiwan to Myanmar, the business interests of Apple Daily’s Jimmy Lai

Wed, 12 Aug 2020 04:30:45 GMT

The arrest of Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai Chee-ying and the police raid on the newsroom of his tabloid-style Apple Daily have turned the spotlight onto the tycoon’s business empire.Lai – one of the city’s most outspoken critics of Beijing – has reshaped Hong Kong’s media landscape through his company Next Digital, which has also grown influential in neighbouring Taiwan. He has also previously explored potential property investments in Myanmar through another of his companies.Next Digital,…

Vague decision by China’s top legislative body, but disqualified Hong Kong lawmakers expected ...

Wed, 12 Aug 2020 00:00:40 GMT

China’s top legislative body made a seemingly straightforward decision on Tuesday to plug a potential power vacuum opened up by the postponement of the Legislative Council elections by allowing serving lawmakers to continue their duties for at least a year.In doing so, however, it also unleashed a raft of questions that the Hong Kong government and pan-democrats will now have to grapple with.The National People’s Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) passed a resolution on Tuesday extending the…

Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai and others arrested in connection with ongoing investigation over ...

Tue, 11 Aug 2020 07:46:58 GMT

Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying was arrested under the national security law as part of an investigation into an online group that called for foreign countries to sanction Hong Kong, and received more than HK$1 million (US$129,000) from overseas bank accounts, the Post has learned.Officers from the force’s newly established national security unit arrested the media mogul, one of his sons, the newspaper’s senior executive, and three activists in the high-profile police operation on…

China’s top legislative body passes resolution extending Legco term, fate of disqualified ...

Tue, 11 Aug 2020 07:37:13 GMT

China’s top legislative body has passed a resolution extending the term of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council, but there was no immediate word on whether it would allow or ban four Hong Kong opposition lawmakers from continuing in their roles.A source said the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, at the close of its four-day meeting in Beijing on Tuesday afternoon, unanimously endorsed a resolution “on the continued operation of the sixth Legco”.All eyes were on whether all lawmakers…

Hong Kong government adviser says journalists’ desks should be considered ‘private area’, ...

Tue, 11 Aug 2020 06:58:21 GMT

A top government adviser and barrister said on Tuesday a journalist’s desk should be defined as a private area, and clarification should be sought during a police search, a day after a raid of Hong Kong’s Apple Daily.The operation followed the arrest of the tabloid-style newspaper’s founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying under the national security law, and sparked an outcry over its implications for press freedom.Ronny Tong Ka-wah also said a search warrant should be shown to the person in charge of an…

Company owned by Hong Kong justice chief Teresa Cheng’s husband sells stake in US business ...

Tue, 11 Aug 2020 04:39:08 GMT

The company controlled by the husband of Hong Kong’s Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah, who was sanctioned by the US government, has sold its business in New York citing US-China tensions.Engineering firm Analogue Holdings, which is 63.48 per cent owned by Otto Poon Lok-to, revealed the sale of a 2 per cent interest in a majority-owned joint-venture called Transel Elevator & Electric, in New York, for US$1.4 million (HK$10.9 million) to its partner on Tuesday.In a statement, Poon said…

Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai taken to his yacht by Hong Kong police as part of national ...

Tue, 11 Aug 2020 04:16:45 GMT

Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, who was arrested on Monday under the national security law, was taken to his yacht by Hong Kong police on Tuesday as part of the ongoing investigation after spending a night in jail.An unmarked police car carrying the 72-year-old drove into Hong Kong Marina in Sai Kung at around 11am.A police source said officers from the new National Security Department police unit would carry out a search of Lai’s yacht.Shortly before 11.30am, Lai, who was handcuffed,…

Where does the Apple Daily raid fit into Hong Kong’s enforcement of national security law?

Tue, 11 Aug 2020 04:00:16 GMT

Hong Kong police on Monday arrested media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, one of his sons and an executive of his publishing group, as well as at least three activists, for allegedly colluding with foreign forces under the city’s sweeping new national security law.Lai, a fierce critic of Beijing, has been the most high-profile figure detained under the controversial legislation, which was imposed by the central government on Hong Kong. The law, which criminalises secession, subversion, terrorism,…

Pro-Beijing camp sees expected decision to let disqualified Hong Kong pan-dems finish Legco ...

Tue, 11 Aug 2020 00:00:19 GMT

Beijing’s unexpected decision to allow four disqualified lawmakers to serve out the extended term of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council has caught many pro-establishment figures by surprise, given the central government’s hardball approach towards the city in the past few months.One pro-establishment heavyweight said they believed Beijing wanted to avoid direct confrontation with Washington ahead of the US presidential election on November 3, while mainland academics said they expected the…

As Hong Kong police raid Apple Daily offices, publication’s live feed allows world to watch ...

Mon, 10 Aug 2020 14:42:18 GMT

In scenes broadcast live online by Apple Daily’s own reporters, the newspaper’s founder, Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, his hands handcuffed behind his back, was escorted to his office on Monday morning by scores of police officers.The media mogul behind the tabloid-style newspaper was arrested shortly after daybreak at his Ho Man Tin residence on suspicion of violating the sweeping national security law that Beijing has imposed on the city.A few hours later, at about 9.45am, an estimated 200 officers…

British police officers could face prosecution in UK over Hong Kong torture claims

Mon, 10 Aug 2020 13:36:47 GMT

British officers serving with the Hong Kong Police Force could face a private prosecution in Britain over alleged acts of torture committed during last year’s protests.Nathan Law Kwun-chung, a Hong Kong activist now self-exiled in London, launched a campaign on Monday calling for evidence to help in the ongoing investigation, so far handled by lawyers engaged by campaigners.People who were trapped and tear-gassed in Citic Tower in Wan Chai on June 12 last year should come forward and give…

Hong Kong will be required to take Beijing’s lead and strengthen laws against disrespecting ...

Sun, 09 Aug 2020 16:55:39 GMT

Hong Kong will be required to strengthen its existing laws against disrespecting the Chinese flag with Beijing set to widen the scope of its own national legislation covering the offence, according to two senior pro-establishment politicians.Tam Yiu-chung, the city’s sole representative to the National People’s Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC), revealed on Sunday that China’s top legislative body had discussed draft amendments to the National Flag and National Emblem Law at its four-day…

National security law: Hong Kong’s financial institutions gripped by anxiety over United ...

Sun, 09 Aug 2020 14:52:34 GMT

Hong Kong’s financial institutions, from banks and fund managers to brokerages and insurance companies, have been gripped by anxiety and uncertainty since the United States slapped sanctions on key local and mainland Chinese officials over the imposition of the city’s national security law.Bank insiders told the Post on Sunday that they were caught between a rock and a hard place, having to tread an unclear line on US requirements to avoid doing business with the 11 officials named in the…

Hong Kong elections: Beijing to allow city lawmakers barred from Legco polls in extended term, ...

Sun, 09 Aug 2020 14:18:37 GMT

Four Hong Kong lawmakers who were banned from running in elections for the legislature will be allowed to stay on for a provisional term with other incumbents, according to sources who said the central government’s lenient approach was based on views from the city’s leader and moderates from the pro-establishment camp.Will Legislative Council polls be postponed, and who stands to gain?With China’s top legislative body – the National People’s Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) – to issue a…