Latest news with #NationalSecurityPolice
HKFP
5 days ago
- HKFP
Hong Kong police charge man, 35, with making hoax bomb threats
A 35-year-old man has been charged with four counts of making hoax bomb threats, two days after his arrest by the national security police. Zhang Kejia, a Chinese national who claimed to be self-employed, appeared at Kwun Tong Magistrates' Court on Wednesday afternoon. He was denied bail and will be remanded in custody, according to the charge sheet. The defendant is accused of sending email messages to police on May 10 with the intention of inducing the force to believe that a bomb was present at or near the Central Government Offices in Hong Kong. Zhang also stands accused of communicating information to two police communication officers on May 13 with the intention of inducing the police to believe that a bomb was present at Kai Tak Sports Park. National Security Police Chief Superintendent Steve Li said on Tuesday that a 35-year-old man and four women aged 20 to 38 were arrested on Monday. They are suspected of sending emails and calling 999 to make bomb threats in Hong Kong to promote the idea of Hong Kong independence and Taiwan independence. The police found no bombs after searching relevant areas, including Kai Tak Sports Park. Li said on Tuesday that the 35-year-old threw his mobile phone into the sea in Hung Hom after calling 999. 'Since the mobile phone is an important piece of evidence in the case, we have arranged for frogmen to search for the phone in the sea,' the chief superintendent also said. Bomb hoax is an offence under the Public Order Ordinance. Conviction carries a maximum penalty of five years' imprisonment and a fine of HK$150,000. To secure a conviction, the prosecution must prove that the defendant 'knowingly communicated information he knew or believed to be false.'
HKFP
7 days ago
- General
- HKFP
National security police arrest 5 over alleged bomb threats, promoting Hong Kong independence
Hong Kong's national security police have arrested five people suspected of making fake bomb threats and promoting the city's independence. The five suspects – a 35-year-old man and four women aged 20 to 38 – were arrested on Monday, National Security Police Chief Superintendent Steve Li told reporters on Tuesday afternoon. Police also seized several phones and computers after searching four locations, he said. Between April 29 and May 20, police received messages advocating Taiwan independence and the repeal of Hong Kong's national security laws via email and social media, the chief superintendent said. 'In one of the messages, they even claimed that they would trigger a bomb that he had already placed in the Central Government Offices in Hong Kong, ' Li said in Cantonese. 'On May 13, the person became agitated and called 999, claiming that he had placed bombs in Kai Tak Sports Park, where a concert was going to be held later that day. He said he would trigger the bombs and promote the idea of Hong Kong independence and Taiwan independence.' Taiwanese band Mayday held a concert at Kai Tak Sports Park on May 13. Police found nothing suspicious after searching the venue that day, and the concert was not affected, Li told reporters. He said that police believed the male suspect used voice-altering software to make the call via his mobile phone on May 13 in Hung Hom. 'He then threw the mobile phone into the sea in Hung Hom,' Li said. 'Since the mobile phone is an important piece of evidence in the case, we have arranged for frogmen to search for the phone in the sea.' With no bombs having been found, the police are investigating the suspects' motives and political stances. Asked by a reporter why police disclosed the case weeks after it happened and whether the timing of the press conference was linked to June 4 – the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown anniversary, Li said the police briefing was held on Tuesday because the arrests were made on Monday. The Tiananmen crackdown occurred on June 4, 1989, ending months of student-led demonstrations in China. It is estimated that hundreds, perhaps thousands, died when the People's Liberation Army cracked down on protesters in Beijing.
The Independent
29-03-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
I have a bounty on my head in Hong Kong – why won't the British government stand up to China?
British weakness has emboldened Beijing to petition proxies to act on the HK$1m bounties (around £100,000) Hong Kong's National Security Police placed on me and 18 of my fellow activists living overseas. In total, 10 of us live in the UK, making this country an area of focus for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s escalating repression of Hong Kong activists – and a test bed of new tactics to export authoritarianism. In Hong Kong, the police call us 'fugitives', but none of us escaped. We left Hong Kong freely and have since been retroactively charged with national security offences. Yet I stand accused of 'colluding with foreign forces' for my work with the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation here in London. The 'collusion' charge is purposefully vague, so it can be levied at just about anyone for meeting, as I often do in the course of my advocacy work, diplomats, journalists, or politicians. Jimmy Lai, a British citizen who has been imprisoned for over 1,500 days in Hong Kong without a verdict, is on trial for the same 'offence'. Throughout his trial, prosecutors have presented his messages with journalists and politicians as 'evidence' of wrongdoing. Clearly, telling the truth about Hong Kong's crackdown on freedom in his capacity as the former owner of the pro-democracy newspaper Apply Daily is now sufficient to 'endanger' national security in autocratic Hong Kong. With a price on our heads, the CCP has turned to prompting proxies – ordinary British citizens – to do their dirty work for them. Neighbours of exiled activists in the UK have recently received letters urging them to "bring him or her" to the Chinese embassy. Last week, mosques near Australia-based Hong Kong activist Ted Hui's residence received leaflets falsely accusing him of "siding with Israel to wage war against Islamic terrorism." The CCP strategy is simple: leverage greed and hate to export repression. A million dollars to betray a neighbour, to turn communities against Hong Kong activists. Moreover, these letters, which were posted from Hong Kong, clearly incentivise kidnap. In Australia, Minister of Foreign Affairs Penny Wong issued a vociferous response to this blatant foreign interference and the Australian police are investigating the source of the letters. In the UK, by contrast, the authorities have not even issued a warning indicating that acting on the letter is illegal and will lead to police intervention. As Australia-based Hong Kong activist Kevin Yam said on social media, the 'UK's hitherto tepid responses to similar incidents [has] emboldened authoritarian oppressors' minions to try their luck in Australia against Ted Hui and me.' The government's failure to stand up to CCP overreach does not end there. One day after meeting with me and several other bountied Hong Kongers, it was made public that David Lammy had written to Keir Starmer to push through plans for a new Chinese mega-embassy in London, which will be the largest diplomatic outpost in Europe – 10 times the size of the current facility – including up to 225 residential units to accommodate Chinese diplomatic staff. This will surely facilitate more surveillance and intimidation. The government knows this, yet still bends the knee and supports a plan that will undoubtedly compromise British values. The British government must listen to Hong Kong activists and local residents and stop the mega Chinese embassy plan. Meanwhile, Starmer is bowing to Beijing as if nothing has happened. His government's "Challenge, Compete, Collaborate" strategy is not working. Where is the challenge, save for ministers lamely raising Hong Kong and human rights as they parade to and from photo opportunities in Beijing? Britain has thus far gained little from these interactions. Rachel Reeves' trip to China secured a pathetic £600 million in trade deals over five years. If China values Britain so little, why does the UK seem so eager to effectively trade our national security for scraps? Britain is not dealing with a "strategic partner", but an authoritarian threat. There is no "win-win" with a regime intent on silencing critics and corrupting democracies. Britain emboldens Beijing by ignoring China's repression on British soil. Keir Starmer must be bold enough to call Xi Jinping and demand the revocation of our bounties. The government must be prepared to use diplomatic tools to hold aggressors accountable and send a strong message that UK sovereignty will be defended against foreign interference. In December 2024, Hong Kong's National Security Police issued Chloe Cheung, 20, with a HK$1 million bounty for 'national security' offences allegedly committed entirely while working in London as a pro-democracy activist
