Hong Kong’s pan-democrats condemn wave of arrests of veterans as a bid to silence dissent but authorities say it’s for unlawful protests
- Others held include former lawmakers Albert Ho, Lee Cheuk-yan, ‘Long Hair’ Leung Kwok-hung and Au Nok-hin
- Police chief Chris Tang says operation has nothing to do with recent remarks by the Beijing authorities in the city
Hong Kong police rounded up at least 15 veterans and supporters of the opposition camp in a swoop on Saturday that netted, among others, media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying and prominent barrister Martin Lee Chu-ming for their roles in unlawful protests late last year.
Pan-democrat legislators said the arrests, which came after recent accusations by three Beijing authorities that the camp had been blocking and disrupting legislative proceedings, were meant to silence dissent.
However, police chief Chris Tang Ping-keung said the operation had nothing to do with the remarks by the Beijing authorities and that it had taken time to collect evidence.
According to political analysts, the arrests showed authorities were hardening their stance against the pro-democracy camp, but pro-Beijing figures countered that the police were only doing their job and were not acting politically.
The arrests of the 15 were for their roles in the protests in August and October that were part of an anti-government movement that was sparked by the aborted extradition bill.
A spokesman for the Security Bureau earlier said: “The relevant arrests were made based on evidence from investigations and strictly according to the laws in force. In Hong Kong, everyone is equal before the law … Police will handle the case in a fair, just and impartial manner in accordance with the law.”
