Australia hits out at Hong Kong bounty for national security law suspects: ‘it’s just unacceptable’

Australia ‘will disagree’ with China ‘where we must’, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters, adding ‘we do disagree over human rights issues’

Of the eight suspects wanted under the national security law that Hong Kong police have put a US$127,000 bounty upon, two are now based in Australia

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Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the offer of a bounty for the suspects “unacceptable”, adding that Australia and China “do disagree over human rights issues”. Photo: AAP/dpa

Published: 10:20am, 5 Jul 2023Updated: 10:41am, 5 Jul 2023

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Wednesday it was “unacceptable” that Hong Kong has put bounties on two Australian residents who are among eight overseas democracy activists wanted under a national security law.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Tuesday that eight overseas-based Hong Kong activists who were issued with arrest warrants for alleged national security offences would be “pursued for life”.

Hong Kong police have offered rewards of HK$1 million (US$127,700) for information leading to the arrest of the eight, including Melbourne lawyer and Australian citizen Kevin Yam, and former Hong Kong lawmaker Ted Hui, who has lived in Australia since 2021.

“It’s just unacceptable,” Albanese said of Hong Kong’s announcement in a Nine television interview. “We will continue to cooperate with China where we can, but we will disagree where we must. And we do disagree over human rights issues.”

Kevin Yam (left), a Melbourne-based lawyer and Australian citizen, and former pro-democracy lawmaker Ted Hui, who has lived in Australia since 2021. Photo: SCMP Composite via AuBC/AP

The Hong Kong activists are accused of asking foreign powers to impose sanctions on Hong Kong and mainland China, and are wanted under a national security law that Beijing imposed on the former British colony in 2020.