If Hong Kong loses its freedoms, it will lose its trade status too. This may be Carrie Lam’s lesson to learn
- The arrest of a district councillor under a colonial-era sedition law and Beijing’s order stopping a dozen foreign journalists from working in Hong Kong are a blow to the city’s freedoms
- This may trigger a warning from the US as it reviews recent developments under the Hong Kong Policy Act
They came in the middle of the night. The police, about 10 of them, swooping on a flat in Kwai Chung. Inside was a sleepy woman. They took her away. A terrorist planning to blow up Government House? No. An American spy fomenting Hong Kong independence? No.
To me, the night-time knock on the door was to send a chilling message. Why else would they use a 1938 colonial-era sedition law to arrest her for doxxing, haul her to the police station, take a simple statement, not charge her but detain her until the afternoon then release her on bail?
Cheng, a Democratic Party member who chairs the Central and Western District Council, is known for her clashes with the police, including the commissioner, during meetings.
In her post, Cheng called for “an eye for an eye”. If I remember correctly, this is part of God’s Law given by Moses to ancient Israel. Jesus quoted it in his Sermon on the Mount. It’s not meant to be taken literally. Don’t ask God how this became seditious in 21st-century Hong Kong. Ask the police.
Doxxing: the ‘weapon’ in Hong Kong’s protests had petty beginnings
Here’s what else Mohammed said: “Doxxing is not just a threat to the officer or family, but also to social order. It silences [people], which could affect public faith in the rule of law.”
Mohammed must agree such doxxing likewise affects public faith in the rule of law. Will the police charge Ta Kung Pao for doxxing or sedition?
Why the US sees fit to enact a sledgehammer law on Hong Kong
Beijing says it’s a diplomatic issue, but to many, it’s a violation of “one country, two systems”. Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, in her usual Beijing-kowtowing way, has refused to say if Beijing’s banning of expelled journalists working here erodes our autonomy.
If she, too, feels it’s a diplomatic issue she should say so. Her silence only solidifies the growing belief that our autonomy is disappearing. I hope the Hong Kong Policy Act report will send a strong warning to Lam and Beijing. Am I badmouthing Hong Kong by saying this? No. I am trying to preserve our freedoms.
Michael Chugani is a Hong Kong journalist and TV show host