Veteran democrat Szeto Wah and three activists who run the outlawed Citizens' Radio were served summonses yesterday for using unlicensed equipment at a street forum in Causeway Bay six months ago.
The move came on the eve of the rebel broadcaster's scheduled return to the airwaves today after a raid by the Office of the Telecommunications Authority on December 19.
The four activists, including station founder Tsang Kin-shing, will appear in Eastern Court on January 15 with nearly 30 other defendants prosecuted on related charges.
Mr Tsang said the charges resulted from a forum in Great George Street, Causeway Bay, on June 30, at which Mr Szeto urged people to join a July 1 rally. 'I believe more charges will come at any time, but we are going to stay on [air],' Mr Tsang said.
Ofta officers seized a radio transmitter from the station's premises in Chai Wan, but Mr Tsang said new equipment had been installed.
The raid came after a December 13 Court of Appeal ruling, which overturned a magistrate's ruling in January dismissing charges against the rebel broadcaster and saying that the radio licensing regime was unconstitutional. The appeal judges said unlicensed broadcasting would be illegal regardless of constitutionality. They ordered the trial to resume and Citizens' Radio to pay costs.
