The latest arrest came as online portal Stand News, popular among the opposition camp, said it would remove most of its commentaries and halt a fundraising drive as part of its pre-emptive measures to protect the platform.

Fung was the seventh Apple Daily senior executive to be arrested in two weeks.

On June 17, national security police raided the newspaper’s premises and charged two of five arrested company executives for their roles in the publication of more than 30 articles alleged to be part of a conspiracy to attract foreign sanctions. On Wednesday, police also picked up lead editorial writer Yeung Ching-kee.

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Stand News, meanwhile, revealed its decision in a statement on Sunday evening, saying it was time to remove most of its commentaries and halt its fundraising drive.

“Over the past year, Stand News has insisted on not setting no-go zones in its reporting, even though the national security law has changed Hong Kong,” the portal said.

“We will continue to dig out the truth and provide room for bloggers to publish their articles. As ‘literary inquisition’ has already arrived in Hong Kong, we have introduced five points to make in protecting every supporter, author and editorial staffer to minimise the risks in different aspects.”

One imminent measure was to temporarily remove all commentaries published on its website before June, it said. The articles would be uploaded again after the newsroom checked with the authors their preferences and assessed the risks.

The non-profit portal, which counted on advertising revenue, subscriptions and donations for funding, will also cease taking money from existing patrons and subscribers, and stop accepting new members. It was a pre-emptive measure to prevent supporters’ money being wasted if Stand News was put at risk, the company said.

Authorities froze HK$18 million (US$2.3 million) worth of assets belonging to three companies affiliated with Apple Daily, a move which partially contributed to the paper’s demise.

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Six directors of Stand News’ mother company – including Civic Party barrister Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee, singer Denise Ho Wan-sze and former Council of Social Service chief Christine Fang Meng-sang – had also accepted suggestions to resign from their posts, according to the statement.

Stand News’ editor-in-chief Chung Pui-kuen and Tony Tsoi Tung-ho, founder of the now defunct House News website, will remain as directors.

The news portal also revealed that all staff who worked for more than six months had their contracts terminated last month, and had been compensated at a level higher than the statutory minimum. Most who stayed were hired again with a new contract not worse than their previous terms, it added.

Stand News, the first Hong Kong media outfit to roll out protective measures following the force’s operation against Apple Daily, also vowed to maintain its editorial direction.

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Hong Kong tabloid Apple Daily ceases operations after top executives arrested, assets frozen

Hong Kong tabloid Apple Daily ceases operations after top executives arrested, assets frozen

Sympathetic to the opposition cause, it gained prominence and popularity during the 2019 anti-government demonstrations as it was active in live-streaming rallies and fierce clashes between radical protesters and riot police across the city.

Executive Council member Ronny Tong Ka-wah, a barrister by profession, said he believed it made no difference whether the articles were deleted or if the directors resigned.

“The fact they have taken down various articles makes no difference if the company has committed a crime. The fact that some of the directors have now resigned also doesn’t really matter,” Tong said.

“What matters is who were the directors at that time when the offence was committed by the company.”

There was also no reason for the news industry to panic, he said.

“[The media] knows very well what the law requires … There’s no reason to fear any prosecution from law enforcement agencies.”

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But Bruce Lui Ping-kuen, a senior journalism lecturer at Baptist University, expressed worries that police would act against the online news site in the future, especially after the closure of Apple Daily.

“After Apple Daily, I think the management of Stand News know they may be next. [They are] the highest risk factor,” he said.

He said he also believed the lines for journalists to publish content against the Chinese Communist Party were blurring and advised journalists to be more careful when handling such material.

Additional reporting by Rachel Yeo