Hong Kong's dragnet widens 5 years after national security law
The 28-year-old protest icon has spent more than four years behind bars and hoped to be let out in early 2027.
Now, there is no end in sight.
Monday marks five years since Beijing imposed a national security law after widespread and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests in the finance hub, which Chinese officials saw as a challenge to their rule.
China sees former protest leaders such as Wong as "incorrigible troublemakers", said John Burns, an honorary professor of politics and public administration at the University of Hong Kong.
"We have a daily drumbeat of national security on TV, in the media," Burns told AFP.
The new charge against Wong, who was jailed for subversion and unlawful assembly, underscores how Hong Kong authorities are still widening the dragnet.
The national security law criminalised for the first time secession, subversion, terrorism and foreign collusion, with offenders facing up to life imprisonment.
Since the law was introduced, 165 people have been convicted of various national security crimes, including under follow-up legislation in 2024 and colonial-era sedition laws.
The most severely punished was legal academic Benny Tai, who was sentenced in November to 10 years in prison as part of a sprawling subversion case involving 47 opposition figures.
A lawyer, who requested anonymity in order to discuss sensitive cases, said five years spent defending security law clients had laid bare the limits of his role. Of all those charged with national security crimes, only two have been acquitted.
"Our hands are tied," he told AFP. "Practically the only thing (lawyers) can do is argue for a lighter penalty."
- 'Information gap' -
Authorities have also warned against "soft resistance", a vague term introduced in 2021 and recently highlighted by Xia Baolong, China's top official overseeing Hong Kong.
Regina Ip, convenor of the Hong Kong government's cabinet, told AFP: "I don't think the government is being paranoid.
"Because of the increasingly complex and volatile international environment, we all need to be alert," she added.
Beijing security officials in Hong Kong also took part in "interviews" this month with collusion suspects for the first time, authorities said.
Eric Lai, a research fellow at the Georgetown Center for Asian Law, said the city was adapting approaches from mainland China such as "invitation to tea" -- a practice associated with state security agents.
Such informal methods "to regulate and to stabilise society" were favoured because they are "less visible", Lai said.
Another local lawyer with experience in security cases also noted a worsening "information gap" that has kept the public in the dark.
"There are fewer prosecutions now but more arrests, 'interviews' and operations where (people) are not brought to court," said the lawyer, who requested anonymity.
High-profile legal battles have not ended: the case of media tycoon Jimmy Lai continues, while a trial involving organisers of Hong Kong's once-annual vigil marking Beijing's deadly Tiananmen Square crackdown has not yet begun.
- Wave of departures -
Scores of pro-democracy and civil society groups, including trade unions and media outlets, have closed since 2020 and the ouster of opposition lawmakers has had "massive consequences for accountability", said Burns.
Hong Kong's Democratic Party has begun a process that will lead to its dissolution, while local media reported on Wednesday that the League of Social Democrats, the other remaining opposition party, could fold within days.
The security law has prompted a wave of departures.
Hong Kong independence advocate Tony Chung said he felt unsafe after finishing a prison sentence for secession and fled to the United Kingdom in 2023.
Chung is among 19 people Hong Kong authorities deem to be national security fugitives.
The 24-year-old has at times struggled to adapt while he waits in Britain for political asylum but insists on promoting his separatist views.
"Many friends told me that I can start a new life here and leave politics behind," he told AFP.
"I see the sun, good weather, a grassy field... But I force myself to remember why I came here."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Bangkok Post
7 hours ago
- Bangkok Post
Afghanistan bus crash kills 76
KABUL — A traffic accident in Afghanistan's western Herat province killed 76 people, including 17 children, on Tuesday night when a bus carrying deported migrants to Kabul caught fire after colliding with a truck and motorcycle, a government official said. "Seventy-six citizens of the country... lost their lives in the incident, and three others were seriously injured," Mohammad Yousuf Saeedi, Herat provincial government spokesman, said in a statement. The dead were transferred to a military hospital, with more than a dozen children among those killed, army statements said. Many of the bodies were "unidentifiable", said Mohammad Janan Moqadas, chief physician of Al-Farooq Army Corps Hospital. Police in Guzara district outside Herat city, where the accident took place on Tuesday night, said the bus collided with a motorcycle and a truck carrying fuel, sparking a fire. An Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalist on Tuesday night saw the burnt shell of the bus on the road hours after the accident. The bus was carrying Afghans recently returned from Iran to the capital Kabul, Saeedi told AFP on Tuesday. At least 1.5 million people have returned to Afghanistan since the start of this year from Iran and Pakistan, both of which have sought to force migrants out after decades of hosting them, according to the United Nations (UN) migration agency. Many of those returning spent years outside the country and arrive without a place to go and carrying few belongings, facing steep challenges to resettle in a country facing endemic poverty and high unemployment. The state-run Bakhtar News Agency said Tuesday's accident was one of the deadliest in the country in recent years. Traffic accidents are common in Afghanistan, due in part to poor roads after decades of conflict, dangerous driving on highways and a lack of regulation. In December last year, two bus accidents involving a fuel tanker and a truck on a highway through central Afghanistan killed at least 52. In March 2024, more than 20 people were killed and 38 injured when a bus collided with a fuel tanker and burst into flames in southern Helmand province. Another serious accident involving a fuel tanker took place in December 2022, when the vehicle overturned and caught fire in Afghanistan's high-altitude Salang Pass, killing 31 people.
Bangkok Post
2 days ago
- Bangkok Post
Thai growth forecast receives upgrade
The government's planning unit has raised the median estimate of Thailand's GDP growth forecast for this year to 2%, from an earlier estimate of 1.8%, citing greater clarity on US President Donald Trump's tariff policy. According to Danucha Pichayanan, secretary-general of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC), the council now projects GDP growth in a range of 1.8–2.3%, with a midpoint of 2%. This revision raises the lower bound of the previous forecast range of 1.3–2.3% (announced on May 19), which had a midpoint of 1.8%. He explained that the clearer outlook on reciprocal tariffs -- with Thailand receiving a 19% rate, similar to the regional average -- has benefited the country's export sector. Export value in US dollars for the full year is now expected to expand by 5.5%, higher than the 1.8% growth projected on May 19. This export recovery is expected to positively impact manufacturing and private investment. Private investment this year is now forecast to grow by 1%, compared to the earlier projection of a 0.7% contraction on May 19, and improving from last year's 1.6% contraction. As for foreign tourist arrivals, the NESDC has revised down its forecast to 33 million for this year, from 37 million projected on May 19, citing a sharp 12.2% decline in arrivals in the second quarter. A major factor is the lower-than-expected number of Chinese tourists, now estimated at only 4 million this year, compared to the earlier forecast of 6 million. However, average tourist spending per person per trip is expected to rise to 47,000–48,000 baht, up from 42,000 baht last year. As a result, tourism revenue is projected at 1.57 trillion baht, down from 1.71 trillion baht forecast in May. According to Mr Danucha, global GDP growth this year is expected at 3%, better than the previous forecast of 2.6%. The US is projected to grow by 1.8%, China by 4.6%, and global trade volume is expected to expand by 2.7%, up from the previous 1.8% forecast. For the second quarter of this year, Mr Danucha on Monday reported that the Thai economy grew 2.8% year-on-year. Seasonally adjusted GDP rose 0.6% from the first quarter. However, the growth in the second quarter was lower than the 3.2% in the first quarter, due mainly to a slowdown in tourism-related services. GDP in the third quarter is expected to come in below the first two quarters, he said. Mr Danucha said that to accelerate economic growth for the remainder of the year, it was essential for the responsible parties to focus on measures to mitigate the impact of US tariffs and the retaliatory actions of key trading partners, to support the recovery of the tourism sector and related services, to drive private investment, and to provide financial assistance to businesses, particularly SMEs, that face difficulties in accessing liquidity and are further affected by trade restriction measures. The government is also being urged to expedite budget disbursement to promptly inject government spending into the economy and support agricultural production and farmers' income. He noted that Thailand's economy is expanding below its potential growth rate of 3% due to structural problems. New industries must be persuaded to invest in Thailand to strengthen exports -- a process expected to take 2–3 years. In terms of economic stability, the NESDC on Monday reported that the unemployment rate stood at 0.91% in the second quarter, slightly higher than 0.89% in the previous quarter but lower than 1.07% in the same quarter of the previous year. Headline inflation turned negative for the first time in five quarters, at -0.3%, while core inflation stood at 1%. The current account recorded a surplus of US$600 million or about 17.1 billion baht. At the end of June 2025, international reserves stood at $262.4 billion, and public debt amounted to 12 trillion baht, accounting for 64.2% of GDP. DOWNBEAT ON H2 OUTLOOK Pichai Lertsupongkit, chief commercial officer of InnovestX Securities, said second-quarter GDP is relatively in line with market forecasts of around 2.5-2.8%, thanks mainly to the frontloading effect ahead of Aug 7, when the US tariffs took effect. Nonetheless, exports are likely to decelerate drastically in the second half, prompting the brokerage to believe that GDP will expand by just 0.4%. Consequently, GDP is expected to expand by less than 2% for the entire year. While analysts will closely monitor Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell's speech at the Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium late this week to digest the US central bank's monetary policy direction, Mr Pichai said Thai interest rates have been clearly on a downward trend. The brokerage is now seeing the possibility that the Bank of Thailand's Monetary Policy Committee might slash rates again at its Oct 8 meeting, following the cut last week, he noted. Poonyawat Sriesing, senior economist at SCB EIC, said the research arm of Siam Commercial Bank is finalising its GDP forecast for 2025, which is likely to be upgraded to 1-8-1.9%, from 1.5% in the July estimates. However, risks are mounting in most economic indicators, especially exports, public investments, and tourism, he told the Bangkok Post. "Exports are likely to see a decline from July onwards. We are projecting that overseas shipments contract by double digits in the fourth quarter," said Mr Poonyawat. State investments are projected to slow down in the third and fourth quarters of the year, following the acceleration seen in the first two quarters, as limited funds are available. Tourism, another major driver of the Thai economy, has also remained in the doldrums. "We are also revising the estimates of overall international arrivals this year, now projecting at around 33 million, down from 35.5 million in 2024," Mr Poonyawat said. SCB EIC expects the central bank to cut rates again in the fourth quarter, most likely in December, to shore up economic growth, he added.
Bangkok Post
2 days ago
- Bangkok Post
Tourists found with drugs in Bangkok pub raid
Police in Bangkok's Huai Khwang district raided an unlicensed pub popular among Chinese tourists on Friday night, with six patrons testing positive for illegal drugs. A team of 50 officers arrived at the pub on Soi Pracha Uthit 11 at 23.50pm. Police discovered drugs on several Chinese and Vietnamese customers. Four packets of "happy water"—a powdered form of ecstasy mixed with crystal methamphetamine and ketamine—were also discovered.
