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Vancouver Sun
4 days ago
- Politics
- Vancouver Sun
Hong Kong police offer rewards for arrest of overseas activists, including B.C. resident
Hong Kong police announced rewards for information leading to the arrest of 19 overseas-based activists — including people who live in Canada — for their roles in what they called a subversive organization abroad, accusing them of violating a national security law imposed by Beijing. Police said in a statement Friday that the group, Hong Kong Parliament, aimed to promote self-determination and establish a so-called 'Hong Kong constitution,' alleging it was using illegal means to overthrow and undermine China's fundamental system or overthrow the institutions in power in the city or China. The city's court issued arrest warrants for activists Elmer Yuen, Johnny Fok, Tony Choi, Victor Ho, Keung Ka-wai and 14 others. Ho is the former editor of Canada's Sing Tao daily and lives in Richmond. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. They are alleged to have organized or participated in an election abroad for the Hong Kong Parliament, as well as setting up or becoming members of the group. According to a Facebook statement by the group on Jun. 30, its election drew some 15,700 valid votes through mobile app and online voting systems. It said the candidates and elected members came from various regions, including Taiwan, Thailand, Australia, the U.S., Canada and Britain. While the group calls itself Hong Kong Parliament, its electoral organizing committee was founded in Canada and its influence is limited. Among the 19 activists, police have already offered 1 million Hong Kong dollars ($127,400) for information leading to the arrest of Yuen, Ho, Fok and Choi when previous arrest warrants were issued against them. For the remaining 15 people, rewards of 200,000 Hong Kong dollars ($25,480) were offered, urging residents to provide information about the case or the people. 'If necessary, police will offer bounties to hunt down more suspects in the case,' police said. They also called on those wanted to stop their actions while they still can, saying that they hoped the activists 'will take this opportunity to return to Hong Kong and turn themselves in, rather than making more mistakes.' Yuen said in a Facebook live broadcast that the election was not quite successful in drawing active participation, and that the police campaign would help the group rally support for the resistance movement. 'It helps us with a lot of advertising,' Yuen said. During the live chat with Yuen on Facebook, Sasha Gong, another person targeted by the bounties, accused Hong Kong of becoming a police state. She said she is U.S. citizen and would report her case to the U.S. authorities and lawmakers. Over the past two years, Hong Kong authorities have issued arrest warrants for various activists based overseas, including former pro-democracy lawmakers Nathan Law and Ted Hui. They also cancelled the passports of some of them under a recent security law introduced to the city last year. The moves against overseas-based activists have drawn criticism from foreign governments, especially given the former British colony was promised that its Western-style civil liberties and semi-autonomy would be kept intact for at least 50 years when it returned to Chinese rule in 1997. In March, the United States sanctioned six Chinese and Hong Kong officials who it alleged were involved in 'transnational repression' and acts that threaten to further erode the city's autonomy. But Beijing and Hong Kong insist the national security laws were necessary for the city's stability. Hong Kong police have maintained that the Beijing-imposed law applies to permanent residents in Hong Kong who violate it abroad. In retaliation for the U.S. move, China in April said it would sanction U.S. officials, lawmakers and leaders of non-governmental organizations who it says have 'performed poorly' on Hong Kong issues.
Ottawa Citizen
4 days ago
- Politics
- Ottawa Citizen
Hong Kong police offer rewards for arrest of overseas activists, including B.C. resident
Hong Kong police announced rewards for information leading to the arrest of 19 overseas-based activists — including people who live in Canada — for their roles in what they called a subversive organization abroad, accusing them of violating a national security law imposed by Beijing. Article content Police said in a statement Friday that the group, Hong Kong Parliament, aimed to promote self-determination and establish a so-called 'Hong Kong constitution,' alleging it was using illegal means to overthrow and undermine China's fundamental system or overthrow the institutions in power in the city or China. Article content Article content Article content The city's court issued arrest warrants for activists Elmer Yuen, Johnny Fok, Tony Choi, Victor Ho, Keung Ka-wai and 14 others. Ho is the former editor of Canada's Sing Tao daily and lives in Richmond. Article content Article content They are alleged to have organized or participated in an election abroad for the Hong Kong Parliament, as well as setting up or becoming members of the group. Article content According to a Facebook statement by the group on Jun. 30, its election drew some 15,700 valid votes through mobile app and online voting systems. It said the candidates and elected members came from various regions, including Taiwan, Thailand, Australia, the U.S., Canada and Britain. Article content While the group calls itself Hong Kong Parliament, its electoral organizing committee was founded in Canada and its influence is limited. Article content Among the 19 activists, police have already offered 1 million Hong Kong dollars ($127,400) for information leading to the arrest of Yuen, Ho, Fok and Choi when previous arrest warrants were issued against them. For the remaining 15 people, rewards of 200,000 Hong Kong dollars ($25,480) were offered, urging residents to provide information about the case or the people. Article content Article content 'If necessary, police will offer bounties to hunt down more suspects in the case,' police said. Article content They also called on those wanted to stop their actions while they still can, saying that they hoped the activists 'will take this opportunity to return to Hong Kong and turn themselves in, rather than making more mistakes.' Article content Article content Yuen said in a Facebook live broadcast that the election was not quite successful in drawing active participation, and that the police campaign would help the group rally support for the resistance movement. Article content 'It helps us with a lot of advertising,' Yuen said. Article content During the live chat with Yuen on Facebook, Sasha Gong, another person targeted by the bounties, accused Hong Kong of becoming a police state. She said she is U.S. citizen and would report her case to the U.S. authorities and lawmakers. Article content Over the past two years, Hong Kong authorities have issued arrest warrants for various activists based overseas, including former pro-democracy lawmakers Nathan Law and Ted Hui. They also cancelled the passports of some of them under a recent security law introduced to the city last year.
HKFP
22-07-2025
- HKFP
Hong Kong to add 4,000 sets of surveillance cameras within 2 years
The Hong Kong Police Force will add a total of 4,000 sets of surveillance cameras across the city within two years to help detect and prevent crime, Commissioner of Police Joe Chow has said. The force is expected to install 2,000 sets of CCTV cameras this year, with each set containing two to three cameras, and another 2,000 sets will be set up next year to further expand coverage, the police chief told pro-establishment newspaper Sing Tao. In the Sing Tao interview, published on Sunday, he praised the effectiveness of the CCTV cameras in solving crimes. As of the end of June, 351 cases had been solved with the help of surveillance cameras installed in public areas with high crime rates and heavy pedestrian traffic since April 2024, said Chow, who took the helm at the police force in April. A total of 157 theft cases were resolved using the surveillance system, followed by 37 robbery cases and five murder cases, he added. Chow did not provide a breakdown for the remaining cases. The new CCTV cameras also contributed to a 4.2 per cent drop in street crimes, including car theft, pickpocketing, arson, robbery, wounding, and assault, he said. The police are looking to integrate their surveillance camera system with those of various government departments and the MTR Corporation. Secretary for Security Chris Tang said in July last year that the government planned to introduce artificial intelligence to identify faces in the thousands of new CCTV cameras the city would be setting up. Chow echoed Tang's remarks in the Sing Tao interview. The police force hopes to incorporate facial recognition and artificial intelligence into its surveillance camera system, he said, pointing to some overseas authorities that have used such technology to detect traffic accidents and automatically dispatch officers, rather than waiting for a report. The Hong Kong Police Force 'also hopes to move in this direction. As for how long it will take to implement, I hope we can speed up the process,' he said in Cantonese, adding that there would be 'strict guidelines' in place to ensure the protection of personal privacy. In December last year, local media reported that Senior Superintendent Leung Ming-leung told the Independent Police Complaints Council that the force had installed 612 sets of surveillance cameras. At the time, he said police aimed to have 7,000 sets in place by the end of 2027. According to Comparitech, a UK-based cybersecurity and privacy research firm, cities in mainland China remain the most surveilled in the world. The firm estimated that China has around 700 million cameras for a population of approximately 1.42 billion. That works out to about 494 cameras for every 1,000 people — or nearly one camera for every two individuals. The 2025 report also highlighted growing surveillance in other countries and cities, naming India, South Korea, Singapore, London, New York, and Los Angeles as locations where monitoring practices are a 'growing concern.'
South China Morning Post
28-06-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
China's No 4 official joins in mourning death of Hong Kong tycoon Charles Ho
China's No 4 politician was among senior Beijing officials and other heavyweights who sent wreaths to the wake for Hong Kong tobacco and media tycoon Charles Ho Tsu-kwok. Advertisement The ceremony for Ho, former chairman of the Sing Tao News Corporation who died at the age of 75 earlier this month, was held at the Hong Kong Funeral Home in North Point on Saturday. Ho became a standing committee member of China's top political advisory body, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in 1998 and controlled Sing Tao News before selling his shares in 2021. Wreaths were sent by Wang Huning, the fourth-most senior official in the Communist Party of China and who oversees the CPPCC, and Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang, who chairs the leading work group for Hong Kong and Macau affairs. Xia Baolong, the director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs office, the office itself and Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu also sent wreaths. Advertisement Retired central government officials, including ex-top political adviser Yu Zhengsheng, former vice-premier Liu Yandong and Liao Hui, who served as director of the HKMAO, sent flowers under their names.
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former NYC Mayor Eric Adams adviser Winnie Greco back in action, helping drive turnout for campaign kickoff
NEW YORK — Two controversial allies of New York Eric Mayor Adams with ties to the Chinese government helped drive turnout for his Thursday reelection campaign kickoff rally, according to sources familiar with the matter. In the days leading up to the rally, Winnie Greco, an ex-senior adviser to Adams whose homes were raided by the FBI last year, worked the phones and took other steps to get people to show up for the event, the sources said. Robin Mui, an Adams donor and CEO of Chinese language newspaper Sing Tao, worked with Greco on that effort, the sources told the Daily News. Adams campaign spokesman Todd Shapiro said they aren't formally involved in the campaign and suggested people volunteer their services for all types of events. Mui, who's a registered agent of the Chinese government, and Greco didn't immediately return calls and texts. The rally was set to be held on the steps of City Hall around noon, and Adams' team says it 's expected to draw hundreds of supporters. It marks the first major campaign event Adams has held since President Donald Trump's Department of Justice in April secured a controversial dismissal of the mayor's corruption indictment, which alleged he took bribes and illegal campaign cash from Turkish government operatives. The dismissal has led many to believe Adams is beholden to Trump's agenda, an accusation the mayor denies. Greco resigned as a City Hall adviser to Adams after FBI agents in February 2024 raided her two Bronx homes as part of an investigation that has reportedly focused at least in part on her connections to China's government. A longtime fundraiser for Adams, Greco' met regularly with Chinese government Party officials while still at City Hall. The probe into Greco has produced no charges and it's unclear whether the inquiry is continuing. Greco's involvement in Thursday's rally comes after she appeared earlier this week with Adams for a ribbon-cutting event at a hookah lounge in Queens, the first time in months she was spotted publicly with him at an official government event. Mui has been a donor to Adams' political efforts going back to his time as Brooklyn borough president. Mui was forced by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2021 to register himself and his newspaper as agents of China's government. The DOJ made that call after determining they were engaged in 'political activity' on China's behalf. Mui has maintained he isn't a Chinese agent. Still, he has filed disclosures with the DOJ, as required under federal law, detailing his work activities. Last year, The News reported Mui had failed to report to the DOJ that he met in an official capacity in 2022 with Greco and Ingrid Lewis-Martin, Adams' then-chief adviser who has since been indicted on unrelated corruption charges.
