Where is Carrie Lam? UK-based YouTuber apologises over claims of ex-Hong Kong leader spotted at London airport, after photo evidence proves she is still in city
- Former leader seen at Chinese opera show in Sha Tin and a seminar at the Convention and Exhibition Centre
- Ex-TV anchor retracts post after saying he relied on one source and was not prudent enough
A UK-based YouTuber, who stoked controversy after claiming former Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor was in London just 17 days after her term ended, has apologised in the face of pictures proving she is still in the city.
Former commerce minister Fredrick Ma Si-hang also confirmed he met Lam at a Chinese opera show in Sha Tin Town Hall on Saturday night – the same evening the ex-leader was said to have been spotted in Britain. Ma’s account on Wednesday was in line with events depicted in a photo obtained by the Post from a source.
Lam, who recently stepped down after completing her term in the top job, was also seen at a seminar at the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai on Monday, during which Xia Baolong, director of the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, delivered an online speech. She did not respond to media questions that day.
The evidence has forced YouTuber Chris Wong Chun-yin, also a former television anchor in Hong Kong, to post an apology on Facebook after he claimed for two days that Lam had been spotted at Heathrow Airport, based on “a source”.
“We only relied on a single source and did not make further verification in the process. We were not prudent enough,” he said, retracting his original post.
On Sunday, Wong said on social media that a source had seen both Lam and husband Lam Siu-por at the London airport, supposedly in transit.
“No pictures ... but trustworthy,” Wong had said in his post with hashtags, without providing any evidence.
Lam is among 11 Hong Kong and mainland officials still under US sanctions, with her potential movement out of the city drawing much attention. She does not have dual nationality, but her husband and both of their sons carry British passports.
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A night after Wong’s claims, Lam was then seen attending the seminar organised by the semi-official Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies.
On Monday night, Wong continued to question the former leader’s whereabouts, arguing she could have returned to the city on Sunday midnight to attend the seminar, suggesting some news reports were out to “discredit” him.
He also released a voice recording from “his source”, in which the person, who did not wish to be identified, said she saw a woman “appearing to be” Lam at Heathrow’s terminal 5.
Wong was a senior TVB news anchor for more than six years before quitting last year and leaving for the UK. He currently operates his own news commentary YouTube channel, which has about 95,000 subscribers.
Former commerce minister Ma told the Post he had bumped into Lam on Saturday night at the same show, slamming Wong for spreading rumours and being unprofessional.
“Wong Chun-yin has too much imagination, how can he write such a plot?” Ma said, pointing out the former TV anchor’s actions only “hurt oneself and the industry”.
Lau Siu-kai, vice-president of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies, said he met Lam in a VIP room for the seminar on Monday, while former officials including Lam’s predecessor Leung Chun-ying and former justice minister Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah were also in attendance.
The Post has reached out to the office of the former chief executive for comment.
Lam terminated her Facebook and Instagram accounts after stepping down on June 30. She also said she would refrain from commenting on government policies and would only consider education work if invited by schools.
