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HONG KONG, July 5 (Reuters) - Hong Kong national security police on Wednesday arrested four men it accused of supporting overseas dissidents and of advocating for independence from China, two days after issuing warrants and bounties against several foreign-based activists. Local media, citing unnamed sources, connected the arrested men to an online platform known as "Punish Mee" that was allegedly used to provide financial aid to the eight wanted overseas activists. Two sources with knowledge of the situation told Reuters Lam was among the four arrested men mentioned in the police statement. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Wednesday it was "unacceptable" that Hong Kong has put bounties on two Australian residents. Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee said on Tuesday that the eight would be "pursued for life".

Persons: Mee, Ivan Lam, Reuters Lam, Demosisto, Joshua Wong, Nathan Law, Anthony Albanese, John Lee, Jessie Pang, Tyrone Siu, James Pomfret, Frank Jack Daniel, Toby Chopra Organizations: police, National Security Department, Hong Kong Police, Local, National Security Law, Central Authorities, Government, Hong, Administrative, Reuters, Kwai, Police, HK, Australian, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, Hong Kong, China, Beijing, Hong, Kwai Chung District, United States, Britain, Australia

HONG KONG, July 4 (Reuters) - Hong Kong chief executive John Lee said on Tuesday eight overseas-based Hong Kong activists who were issued with arrest warrants for alleged national security offences, would be "pursued for life". Hong Kong police issued arrest warrants for the eight overseas-based activists on Monday, accusing them of national security offences, including foreign collusion and incitement to secession, and offered rewards for information leading to their arrest. They are wanted under a national security law that Beijing imposed on Hong Kong in 2020. Both these countries have criticised the national security law for being used to suppress Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement. Chinese and Hong Kong authorities say the law has restored the stability necessary for preserving Hong Kong's economic success.

Persons: John Lee, Lee, Nathan Law, Anna Kwok, Finn Lau, Dennis Kwok, Ted Hui, Kevin Yam, Mung Siu, Yuan Gong, James, Hong Kong's, Hong, James Pomfret, Donny Kwok, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Hong Kong, HK, U.S . State Department, Hong, Inter, Parliamentary Alliance, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, Hong Kong, Hong, United States, Britain, Australia, Beijing, China

REUTERS/Bobby Yip/File PhotoHONG KONG, July 3 (Reuters) - Hong Kong police on Monday accused eight overseas-based activists of serious national security offences including foreign collusion and incitement to secession and offered rewards for information leading to any arrest. "They have encouraged sanctions ... to destroy Hong Kong and to intimidate officials," Steve Li, an officer with the police's national security department, told reporters. Chinese and Hong Kong authorities say the law has restored the stability necessary for preserving Hong Kong's economic success. "I miss Hong Kong but as things stand, no rational person would be going back." British-based rights group Hong Kong Watch said in a statement Britain, the U.S. and Australia should issue statements "guaranteeing the safety of those activists named and the wider Hong Kong community living overseas".

Persons: Nathan Law, Bobby Yip, Anna Kwok, Finn Lau, Dennis Kwok, Ted Hui, Kevin Yam, Mung Siu, Yuan Gong, Steve Li, Hong Kong, Yam, Li, James Pomfret, Jessie Pang, Robert Birsel Organizations: REUTERS, HK, Hong, Reuters, Georgetown University's Center, Asian Law, Police, Kong's Security, Hong Kong Watch, Thomson Locations: Hong Kong, China, HONG KONG, United States, Britain, Australia, Beijing, British, Hong, Asia, U.S

☆ Hong Kong pro-democracy radio closes in face of "dangerous" pressure
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Jessie Pang | Thomson Reuters | Jessie Pang Joined Reuters In After An Internship. She Covers Hong Kong With A Focus On Politics | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

HONG KONG, June 30 (Reuters) - Hong Kong's pro-democracy online Citizens' Radio station will cease operations on Friday owing to what its founder described as a "dangerous" political situation and the freezing of its bank account. Tsang also said his radio station's bank account had been frozen, without giving specifics. Hong Kong authorities have repeatedly said that media freedoms are respected and enshrined in city laws. In 2019, four masked men wielding bats and hammers barged in to the radio station after smashing through its glass door. Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" agreement aimed a preserving its freedoms for 50 years.

Persons: Kong's, Tsang Kin, Tsang, Hong, Cédric Alviani, OFCA, Jimmy Lai, Hong Kong, Jessie Pang, James Pomfret, Robert Birsel Organizations: Citizens, Apple Daily, Radio, Media, Hong Kong, Communications Authority, Reuters, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, Hong, China, Hong Kong, East Asia

HONG KONG/TAIPEI, June 4 (Reuters) - Hong Kong police said on Sunday they had detained eight people near a park, four of them for "seditious intention and disorderly conduct", as authorities tightened security on the 34th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. Restrictions in Hong Kong have stifled what were once the biggest vigils marking the bloody crackdown by Chinese troops on pro-democracy demonstrators, leaving cities like London, New York, Berlin and Taipei to keep alive the memory on the June 4 anniversary. The eight people were detained near Victoria Park, where for years after 1989 democracy activists gathered on the Tiananmen Square anniversary. Security is significantly tighter across Hong Kong this year, with up to 6,000 police officers deployed, including riot and anti-terrorism officers, the public broadcaster said. Jailed Hong Kong activist Chow Hang-tung, one of the leaders of a group called The Alliance, which used to organise Hong Kong's annual June 4 vigils before it was disbanded in 2021, said on Facebook she would hold a 34-hour hunger strike in prison.

Persons: Sanmu Chan, Hongkongers don’t, Hong, Chow, Mao Ning, William Lai, James Pomfret, Robert Birsel Organizations: Hong Kong, Reuters, Police, The, Hong, Facebook, Foreign, Democratic Progressive, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, TAIPEI, Hong, Hong Kong, London , New York, Berlin, Taipei, North America, Europe, Asia, Victoria Park, China, Beijing, Taiwan

HONG KONG/TAIPEI, June 4 (Reuters) - Hong Kong police searched and detained scores of people on Sunday, including four arrested for "seditious" intent, as authorities tightened security for the 34th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. [1/6] Police detain a woman with paper flowers in downtown on the 34th anniversary of the 1989 Beijing's Tiananmen Square crackdown, near where the candlelight vigil is usually held, in Hong Kong, China June 4, 2023. 'CLEAR CONCLUSION'Despite the warnings in Hong Kong, some individuals, including book shop owners, have been quietly marking June 4. Peggy Kwan, 57, an interpreter at the event, expressed sadness at the stifling of commemorations in Hong Kong. "Hong Kong is moving backward," she said.

Persons: Alexandra Wong, Chris, Tyrone Siu, Hong, Chow, Mao Ning, Peggy Kwan, William Lai, Yew Lun Tian, Joyce Zhou, Angie Teo, James Redmayne, James Pomfret, Robert Birsel, Nick Macfie Organizations: Hong Kong, Britain, Police, REUTERS, New, Rights, The, Facebook, Foreign, Taiwan, Democratic Progressive, Town, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, TAIPEI, Hong, Hong Kong, Taipei, London , New York, Berlin, Victoria, China, Kong, Beijing, Tiananmen, New York, Taiwan, Sydney, North America, Europe, Asia

[1/5] Hong Kong Newspapers from June 5, 1989, reporting the Tiananmen Square China uprising, is pictured during a press preview of the Tiananmen June 4th Memorial permanent exhibition, which opens June 2 in Manhattan, in New York City, U.S., June 1, 2023. REUTERS/Mike SegarNEW YORK, June 1 (Reuters) - The hope for a "free China" lives on in a new Manhattan museum dedicated to China's 1989 suppression of pro-democracy demonstrations around Tiananmen Square, exhibit organizers said on Thursday ahead of the 34th anniversary of the crackdown. The June 4th Memorial Museum in New York will be the only such permanent exhibition in the world, following the 2021 closure of a similar museum in Hong Kong under pressure from authorities. Public memorials of the crackdown were once allowed in Hong Kong, but Hong Kong police have barred a vigil there since 2020, citing COVID-19 concerns. Wang Dan, another former Tiananmen student leader who helped establish the museum, said he felt it was his obligation to show his respect for the protesters who died.

Persons: Mike Segar, Zhou Fengsuo, Zhou, Wang Dan, Wang, Aleksandra Michalska, Michael Martina, James Pomfret, Jessie Pang, Don Durfee, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Hong Kong Newspapers, REUTERS, Museum, China's, Hong, Overseas, Reuters, Thomson Locations: China, Manhattan, New York City, U.S, Tiananmen, New York, Hong Kong, Beijing, Washington, British, Taipei, London, Berlin

[1/2] Alan Leong Kah-kit, Chairperson of the Civic Party, speaks to the media announcing the party's disbandment in Hong Kong, China May 27, 2023. Today, the Civic Party is bidding Hong Kong farewell. We hope Hong Kong people will live in the moment with a hopeful and not too heavy heart. The Civic Party, founded in 2006, had been a major democratic force in the financial hub that returned from British to Chinese rule in 1997, alongside the Democratic Party, performing strongly in local legislative and district polls. Hong Kong and Chinese authorities described the electoral revamp as a progressive democratic step to ensure only pro-China "patriots" govern Hong Kong.

No one was present when Reuters visited the Hong Kong office of Mintz during business hours, with the doors locked and lights off. China's State Council Information Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office did not respond to Reuters requests for comment. The Hong Kong government said it did not comment on individual business decisions. Rights groups accuse Beijing of abuses against mainly Muslim Uyghurs in the western region of Xinjiang, including the mass use of forced labour. Reporting by James Pomfret in Hong Kong, Engen Than in Shanghai and Hong Kong Newsroom; Editing by Lincoln FeastOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/3] The U.S. corporate due diligence firm Mintz Group's office is seen in Hong Kong, China, May 18, 2023. No one was present when Reuters visited the Hong Kong office of Mintz during business hours, with the doors locked and lights off. China's State Council Information Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office did not respond to Reuters requests for comment. The Hong Kong government said it did not comment on individual business decisions. Reporting by James Pomfret in Hong Kong, Engen Than in Shanghai and Hong Kong Newsroom; Editing by Lincoln FeastOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Hong Kong court rejects challenge by jailed media tycoon Lai over British lawyer
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Jessie Pang | Thomson Reuters | Jessie Pang Joined Reuters In After An Internship. She Covers Hong Kong With A Focus On Politics | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

HONG KONG, May 19 (Reuters) - A Hong Kong court on Friday dismissed an attempt by jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai to challenge a decision by security officials to effectively bar his British lawyer from representing him in a landmark national security trial. Lai's legal team filed a judicial review after Hong Kong's National Security Committee (NSC), headed by senior Hong Kong and Chinese officials, ruled that the admission of senior British barrister Timothy Owen could harm national security and advised Hong Kong authorities to reject his visa. Chief High Court judge Jeremy Poon, in dismissing Lai's challenge, said Hong Kong courts essentially had no authority over the National Security Committee. "You cannot have a body which can simply say magic words (on) national security, and be able to be free from any challenge," Pang said. Beijing imposed the national security law on Hong Kong in 2020 after months of anti-government protests.

HONG KONG, May 16 (Reuters) - Hong Kong's leader said on Tuesday public libraries needed to ensure books don't violate local laws, amid criticism that many books and videos related to China's Tiananmen Square crackdown have now been removed from library shelves. If they want to buy, they can buy," Hong Kong's chief executive John Lee told reporters when asked about the removal of June 4 literature and documentaries from public libraries. "What libraries need to do is to ensure that there's no breach of any laws in Hong Kong, including of course, copyrights etc, and also if they spread any kind of messages that are not in the interests of Hong Kong," Lee added, without elaborating. Public memorials and commemorations of China's bloody Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989 were once allowed in Hong Kong, unlike mainland China where it is a taboo and censored topic. Hong Kong's Ming Pao newspaper reported that more than 40 percent of video materials and books involving "political themes" had been removed from public libraries since 2020.

These consultancies thrived by providing investors - from global hedge funds to private equity firms - access to industry experts and investigators who could obtain valuable corporate information. One private credit investor who used to join Capvision's calls with "industry experts" said clients did not want to pay top dollar for easily available public information. Many China-based consultancy firms also outsourced on the ground investigations to local contractors. Even before the latest raids on consultancy firms, some due-diligence firms were warned to stay away from Xinjiang related projects, sometimes by security authorities, according to industry sources. China denies abuses in Xinjiang, a major cotton producer that also supplies much of the world's materials for solar panels.

Capvision said in a statement soon after the broadcast that it would resolutely abide by national security rules. The CCTV report was the first clear indication of the national security scope of recent police action against several consulting firms. "The state security organ and other authorities will intensify law enforcement against activities that endanger national security, such as illegal consulting," the state-owned Global Times said. The revisions will see all documents, data, materials and items "related to national security and interests" given the same protection as state secrets. The law does not define China's national security or interests.

Analysts say what may appear as mixed messaging is the result of President Xi Jinping's renewed focus on national security, steeled by rock-bottom relations with rival superpower, the United States. A later speech in March at the National People's Congress was more pointed: China's security is being challenged by U.S. attempts to contain its rise, he said. In his October speech, he added "external security" and "international security", in what analysts say signals a new focus to counter foreign threats, namely Washington. Asked for its response to a list of questions for this story, China's foreign ministry said it was "not aware of the situation". BUSINESS JITTERSChina's security focus also risks isolating the country economically.

"Since Xi Jinping took power in 2012, China has expanded the legal landscape for exit bans and increasingly used them, sometimes outside legal justification," the Safeguard Defenders report reads. Attention on the exit bans comes as China-U.S. tensions have risen over trade and security disputes. The Reuters analysis of records on exit bans, from China's Supreme Court database, shows an eight-fold increase in cases mentioning bans between 2016 and 2022. Most of the cases in the database referring to exit bans are civil, not criminal. Some activists say the wider use of exit bans reflects tighter security measures under President Xi.

For years, Chinese fishermen trawling for fish, shrimp and crab have played cat and mouse with Taiwanese authorities as they closely track boats that near the median line of the Taiwan Strait. MEDIAN LINEOn Saturday, Taipei said more than 40 Chinese planes crossed the Taiwan Strait's "median line", which Beijing does not recognise. Deteriorating relations have made Chinese fishermen more afraid of approaching the line. Several times last year, Taiwan's coast guard detained Chinese fishing crew members, citing illegal trawling, according to official statements. ($1 = 6.8681 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Josh Arslan and Thomas Peter; Writing by Ella Cao and Ryan Woo.

Noah Barkin, an analyst with the Rhodium Group, said China's chief objective was to prevent Europe from aligning more closely with the United States. Macron travelled to China with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, both pressuring China on Ukraine, but failing to wrest any public shifts in position from Xi. Xi did not mention a possible conversation with Zelenskiy in China's official reports of his comments after the meetings. "Macron seemed to believe he could charm Xi into shifting his approach on the war," he said. "China and Europe can still be partners," said Wang Yiwei, director of Center for European Studies at Renmin University in Beijing.

☆ Hong Kong rejects US report criticising crackdown on freedoms
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

HONG KONG, April 1 (Reuters) - Hong Kong on Saturday "firmly rejected" findings in a new U.S. government report that said U.S. interests had been threatened and that Beijing continued to "undermine" the rule of law and freedoms in the territory under a national security crackdown. The U.S.' 2023 Hong Kong Policy Act Report, published by the U.S. State Department, said Chinese and Hong Kong authorities "continued to use 'national security' as a broad and vague basis to undermine the rule of law and protected rights and freedoms." China imposed a national security law on Hong Kong in June 2020 without any local legislative or consultative process, outlawing crimes such as subversion with possible life imprisonment. A Hong Kong government spokesman, however, said in a statement that it "strongly disapproved of and firmly rejected the unfounded and fact-twisting remarks" in the report. China "increasingly exercised police and security power in Hong Kong, subjecting U.S. citizens who are publicly critical of the PRC (China) to a heightened risk of arrest, detention, expulsion, or prosecution in Hong Kong," the report wrote, adding these risks had been highlighted in its government travel advisories for Hong Kong.

☆ Hong Kong transgender protesters say government is not abiding by landmark ruling
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Jessie Pang | Thomson Reuters | Jessie Pang Joined Reuters In After An Internship. She Covers Hong Kong With A Focus On Politics | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Tyrone SiuHONG KONG, March 31 (Reuters) - A group of Hong Kong transgender people staged a small protest on Friday against a delay by authorities in changing the gender indicated on their identity documents, saying they have yet to be fully recognised despite a landmark court ruling in February. "The government is using administrative tactics to deliberately delay the whole process," Tse told Reuters. Another protester, Emery Fung, 28, who has a gender marker change application pending, said he had not been given a timeline despite trying to ask the authorities numerous times. The department would not confirm whether it had suspended applications for gender marker changes since the ruling, as reported by media, nor say how many people were affected. 'HUGE PRESSURE'Kelley Loper, an expert in human rights law at the University of Hong Kong, criticised the government's failure to implement the decision swiftly.

☆ Hong Kong police keep tight tabs on first authorised protest in years
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Jessie Pang | Thomson Reuters | Jessie Pang Joined Reuters In After An Internship. She Covers Hong Kong With A Focus On Politics | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Tyrone SiuHONG KONG, March 26 (Reuters) - Hong Kong police on Sunday permitted a small protest march under tight restrictions in one of the first demonstrations to be approved since the enactment of a sweeping national security law in 2020. Participants chanted slogans against the reclamation project as they marched in the rain with banners in the eastern district of Tseung Kwan O, where the project is slated to be built. Police granted the organisers a "no objection" letter for the protest on the condition they ensure it would not violate national security laws, including seditious displays or speech. Organisers said up to 50 people took part in the first protest to be authorised by the city's police for several years. Since the China-imposed national security law, enacted in June 2020 in response to protracted pro-democracy protests in 2019, authorities have clamped down on freedoms and arrested scores of opposition politicians and activists.

REUTERS/Tyrone SiuHONG KONG, March 21(Reuters) - The organisers of Art Basel Hong Kong, one of Asia's leading contemporary art fairs, said on Tuesday they are bullish on art market prospects in the region, with China and Hong Kong now having lifted all COVID lockdown restrictions. The annual fair, which also has iterations in Basel, Paris, and Miami Beach, runs from March 23-25 in Hong Kong. "Despite the challenges of the pandemic, the Asian art market has also remained resilient, with Greater China accounting for 20% of worldwide sales by value and ranking second as the second largest regional art market in the latest edition of the Art Basel," Art Basel CEO Noah Horowitz told reporters. Leading international galleries at Art Basel this year include Gagosian, Hauser & Wirth, Lehmann Maupin, Victoria Miro, Pace, Perrotin, White Cube and David Zwirner. We haven't really changed the process of the show since 2013," said Angelle Siyang-Le, the director Art Basel Hong Kong.

[1/3] Former Vice-Chairman of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, Albert Ho, walks after his arrest by police, in Hong Kong, China March 21, 2023. REUTERS/Tyrone SiuHONG KONG, March 21 (Reuters) - Hong Kong police on Tuesday arrested a veteran pro-democracy politician who was granted bail last August for medical treatment after spending more than a year in detention on a subversion charge. He was granted bail last August, with media reporting at the time he needed medical treatment for lung cancer. She was charged with collusion with foreign forces and granted bail. Chinese and Hong Kong officials deny that and say foreign interference is endangering the financial hub's stability and prosperity.

For Saudi Arabia, a deal could mean improved security. Saudi Arabia, Washington's most important Arab ally, began exploring ways to open a dialogue with the Islamic Republic two years ago in Iraq and Oman, said a Saudi official. In a bilateral meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the president expressed his desire to broker dialogue between Saudi Arabia and Iran. CHINESE MEDIATION 'BEST OPTION'An Iranian official said the deal covered a range of issues, from security concerns to economic and political issues. "China was the best option considering Iran's lack of trust towards Washington and Beijing's friendly ties with Saudi Arabia and Iran.

HONG KONG, March 11 (Reuters) - Three former members of a Hong Kong group that organised annual vigils to mark China's 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, were jailed on Saturday for four and a half months for not complying with a national security police request for information. Chow Hang-tung, 38, a prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy activist and former vice-chairperson of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China, was among those convicted by a magistrate's court. The now-disbanded Alliance was the main organiser of Hong Kong's June 4 candlelight vigil for victims of China's Tiananmen Square crackdown. The national security law, which punishes acts including subversion and collusion with foreign forces, has been criticised by some Western governments as a tool to crush dissent. The Hong Kong and Chinese governments say the law had brought stability since it was enacted in 2020 in response to mass pro-democracy protests in 2019.

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