Teenager arrested outside US consulate in Hong Kong denied bail after being charged under national security law
- Tony Chung appeared in West Kowloon Court charged with secession, sedition and money laundering
- Former member of pro-independence group will remain behind bars until next appearance in January
Tony Chung Hon-lam, who was arrested at a Pacific Coffee outlet opposite the US consulate on Tuesday morning, also faced allegations of laundering close to HK$700,000 and publishing seditious articles when he appeared at West Kowloon Court on Thursday.
The prosecution filing accused the 19-year-old former convenor of the now-defunct Studentlocalism group of seeking to separate Hong Kong from mainland China, or to alter the city’s legal status unlawfully.
Just hours after his arrest on Tuesday, four local activists entered the US consulate in a dramatic bid for asylum, which was later rejected.
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What you should know about China's new national security law for Hong Kong
On Thursday, prosecutors also accused Chung of conspiring to publish seditious articles between November 30, 2018 and June 9 this year – before the national security law took effect on June 30 – by invoking a colonial-era law for the second time since the city’s handover in 1997.