By Hong Kong Free Press
Hong Kong authorities had a busy month as June marked the fifth anniversary of the Beijing-imposed national security law. In the run-up to the anniversary, Chief Executive John Lee and his ministers issued statements warning of “soft resistance,” while Xia Baolong, Beijing’s top official on Hong Kong affairs, visited Hong Kong to attend a national security forum.
The crackdown also continued. Earlier in June, jailed activist Joshua Wong was brought to court to face one more national security charge. On the eve of the law’s anniversary, the League of Social Democrats (LSD) – one of the last pro-democracy groups in Hong Kong- held a press conference to announce its disbandment.
June was also the anniversary month of the Tiananmen crackdown. On June 4, Hong Kong police deployed hundreds of officers, arrested two people and took away 10 others. The national security police issued a warning that downloading a role-playing game app, which they say promotes Hong Kong and Taiwanese independence, may violate the city’s national security laws.
League of Social Democrats disbanded
The LSD, one of Hong Kong’s last pro-democracy groups, announced its disbandment on Sunday after 19 years, citing “tremendous political pressure.”
The announcement came on the eve of the fifth anniversary of the 2020 Beijing-imposed security law and two days ahead of the anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover to China.
In a press invite sent out on June 27, the pro-democracy party said: “Next year marks the 20th anniversary of the League of Social Democrats. However, we will not survive to see that day and will announce our disbandment.”
Founded in 2006, the LSD was known for advocating democratic reform and supporting the working class. It held seats in the Legislative Council and the District Councils before an electoral overhaul in 2021 effectively barred members of the opposition from standing.At the press conference, party chairperson Chan Po-ying described the dissolution as part of a domino effect. “After the Democratic Party, it was the League of Social Democrats. After us, who’s next?” she said.
Joshua Wong faces 1 more charge
Jailed Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong was brought to the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts on June 6 to face a fresh national security offence.
The 28-year-old activist, who was jailed under the national security law for four years and eight months last year over an unofficial primary election, was charged with conspiring to collude with foreign forces under the Beijing-imposed national security law.
Wong stands accused of conspiring with self-exiled activist Nathan Law and “other persons unknown” between July 1 and November 23, 2020, to request foreign countries, organisations, or individuals based overseas to impose sanctions, blockades or engage in other hostile activities against Hong Kong or China, according to the charge sheet seen by HKFP.
A spokesperson for the US State Department criticised the charge against Wong, saying that the activist “is already serving an unjust sentence under vague national security charges simply for engaging in peaceful political activity.”
In response, China’s foreign ministry office in Hong Kong slammed the United States for voicing support for Wong, accusing Washington of “blatantly interfering” in Hong Kong’s affairs.
First joint operation
Hong Kong police said that it had coordinated with Beijing’s national security office to search the residences of six people suspected of foreign collusion – the first known joint operation between the two entities.
The police force issued a statement on June 12, saying that China’s Office for Safeguarding National Security (OSNS) requested assistance from the police’s National Security Department (NSD) to investigate six people suspected of colluding with “a foreign country or with external elements” to endanger national security from November 2020 to June 2024.
The NSD obtained court warrants and searched the homes of the six people, as well as the office of a related organisation in Kwai Chung. They also questioned the six individuals and required them to surrender their travel documents.
36th anniversary of Tiananmen crackdown
The Hong Kong police force deployed an armoured vehicle and hundreds of officers in Causeway Bay on June 4, the 36th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown.
Uniformed and plainclothes police officers were being stationed in Causeway Bay, including in and around Victoria Park – the former site of annual vigils commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown in Beijing.
Police also took people away. Activist Lui Yuk-lin, nicknamed “Female Long Hair,” was brought into a police van at 4.28pm, shortly after she exited the Causeway Bay MTR station.
In Victoria Park, a man holding an electric candle while sitting on a bench was surrounded by police officers at around 4.30pm. The man, wearing a face mask, a white cap, and dressed in black attire, was later brought to a police van. Police did not say whether he was apprehended.
Shortly after 6pm, a woman holding up a small white flower on Great George Street was surrounded by police. They searched her belongings and escorted her away to the MTR station.
Two young women – including a girl holding flowers and wearing what appeared to be a school uniform – were taken into a police van in Victoria Park.
The police said they arrested two people and took away 10 others on June 4, with the youngest being a 15-year-old.
Hong Kong overseas activists and the diaspora attended candlelight vigils and other events around the world on Wednesday to mark the 36th anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown, amid the city’s ongoing ban on public commemorations of the event.
The June 4 anniversaries have become annual activities in cities from Taipei to London, from Vancouver to Washington, DC.
More than 30 events were held in 20 cities around the world this year – from talks, exhibitions, and dramas to marches, assemblies, and candlelight vigils – according to international media reports.
‘US 8964’ sports car shipped overseas
The owner of a sports car with the licence plate “US 8964” said that he shipped his vehicle abroad ahead of the 36th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown on June 24.
Anthony Chiu, whose Porsche bears the licence plate “US 8964,” told HKFP that his vehicle was sent out of Hong Kong in recent weeks after he and his family members faced harassment since last year’s Tiananmen crackdown anniversary.
Letters from unknown individuals were sent to his residence, workplace, and family members, Chiu said. The letters, seen by HKFP, contained his personal information, photos of his sports car, and accusations that he may have breached the Beijing-imposed national security law.
Hoax bomb threats
On June 3, Hong Kong’s national security police said they arrested five people- a 35-year-old man and four women aged 20 to 38 – suspected of making fake bomb threats and promoting the city’s independence one day earlier.
The following day, the man, Zhang Kejia, was charged with four counts of making hoax bomb threats.
Zhang, a Chinese national who claimed to be self-employed, was denied bail and will be remanded in custody, according to the charge sheet.
The defendant is accused of sending email messages to police on May 10 with the intention of inducing the force to believe that a bomb was present at or near the Central Government Offices in Hong Kong.
Zhang also stands accused of communicating information to two police communication officers on May 13 with the intention of inducing the police to believe that a bomb was present at Kai Tak Sports Park.
Online game banned
Hong Kong national security police warned against downloading a role-playing game app called Reversed Front: Bonfire, which they say promotes Hong Kong and Taiwanese independence.
In a statement on June 10, the police force’s National Security Department said Reversed Front: Bonfire – a mobile game by Taiwanese developers ESC Taiwan – promotes secessionist agendas, advocates “armed revolution” and the overthrow of the “fundamental system of the People’s Republic of China.”
The game “also has an intention to provoke hatred towards the Central Authorities and the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region,” police said.
Anyone who publishes related content, including sharing the game online, may be accused of inciting secession and inciting subversion, both offences under the Beijing-imposed national security law. Doing so may also violate the city’s homegrown national security law, also known as Article 23, which criminalises “offences in connection with seditious intention.”
Anyone who has downloaded the app should “uninstall it immediately,” the national security police said.
According to the description on the gaming platform Steam, Reversed Front takes players through a war to “overthrow the communist regime.” Players can assume different roles, such as Hong Kong, Tibet, Taiwan, the Uyghurs, and Mongolia.
Google searches for the game surged in Hong Kong after the ban. Google Trends, a tool that measures the frequency of search queries, showed that 逆統戰 – the Chinese name of the mobile game – was the most searched topic in the city on June 11.
Reversed Front was initially available on both Google’s Play Store and Apple’s App Store. However, it was removed from the Play Store in May for failing to ban players who made hate speech, according to the game’s social media post.
The game app vanished from Hong Kong’s App Store by 10am on June 11, less than 24 hours after police issued the warning.
Man loses legal challenge to Article 23
A Hong Kong man who lodged the first legal challenge to Article 23, after being barred from early prison release, lost his appeal on June 4, following a hearing in May.
The Court of Appeal dismissed Ma Chun-man’s appeal, saying that the “deprivation of liberty” resulting from his imprisonment was “lawful.”
Ma filed an appeal application after losing a judicial review in December, in which he challenged the government’s decision to deny him early release based on an assessment that releasing him early would run counter to the interests of national security.
The activist, dubbed “Captain America 2.0” for carrying the superhero’s shield during the 2019 protests and unrest, was found guilty in October 2021 of inciting secession.
Artist’s stall closes after police inspection
HKFP reported on June 3 that a Hong Kong artist’s booth at an illustration art fair closed after police officers reportedly received complaints, photographed the displayed drawings, and passed them to national security police.
The illustrator, known by the artist name Ah Keung, said in an Instagram post on May 31 that earlier that day, police officers took photos of the stall at the Hong Kong Illustration and Creative Show, held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai.
According to Ah Keung’s post, the police arrived at the stall at around 5pm, saying they had received a report from an “enthusiastic citizen.” The artist also said on Instagram that the incident was “unrelated to the organiser” and apologised for the trouble faced by the organiser and the exhibitors in neighbouring stalls.
The police also told local media that they received a report that day and sent officers to the scene to investigate.
In recent years, Ah Keung has produced “The Hong Kong Times,” hand-drawn, handwritten “newspaper pages” covering local news, including jailed barrister-activist Chow Hang-tung’s legal challenge against female inmates’ trousers-only rules in April.
Top Beijing official visits Hong Kong
Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office (HKMAO), visited Hong Kong for five days, from June 18 to June 22, ahead of the fifth anniversary of the Beijing-imposed national security law.
On June 21, Xia attended a national security law forum organised by the Hong Kong government to mark the law’s fifth anniversary.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the top official praised the Beijing-imposed national security law as the city’s “guardian” in the forum, adding that Hong Kong should use the rule of law to safeguard “high-quality development.”
Xia commended the Hong Kong government for fostering a “new atmosphere” in governance, including the successful completion of the Article 23 legislation – the city’s domestic security law – last year.
He said patriotic forces in Hong Kong could now “hold their heads high,” while improvements in the city’s business environment were “plain for all to see.”
Officials warn of ‘soft resistance’
Safeguarding national security should become a “culture” in Hong Kong, Chief Executive John Lee said in an interview with the Beijing-backed newspaper Wen Wei Po.
The interview, published on June 6, quoted Lee as saying that the government’s effort to safeguard national security was still at its “starting stage.” He vowed to strengthen public education and train officers to counter “state-level” threats.
At a weekly press conference on June 24, Lee warned of “pervasive” national security risks in the city, saying that “soft resistance is real” and urging vigilance against threats.
Other high-ranking officials also talked about “soft resistance,” a term first mentioned in 2021 without a clear definition, in the run-up to the fifth anniversary of the national security law.
Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn told Wen Wei Po in an interview published on June 22 that “soft resistance” may arise in areas such as land development, compensation for resettlement, and reclamation projects.
In another Wen Wei Po interview, published on June 20, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law warned about ongoing threats from “soft resistance” and said the government would strictly vet applications for event subsidies and performance venues, as well as exhibition content and library collections.
Prominent playwright Candace Chong expressed concern, saying that actively looking for “soft resistance” would harm Hong Kong artists and their works.
Meanwhile, Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan told Wen Wei Po that he pledged to tighten scrutiny of applicants and recipients of the government’s Environment and Conservation Fund (ECF), saying public resources must not fall into the hands of “non-patriots.”
He also pledged to prevent non-patriots “from abusing such resources for activities endangering national security, rather than for the purposes of protecting the environment.”
Secretary for Justice Paul Lam spoke about “soft resistance” in interviews with local media outlets, published on Sunday, on the eve of the national security law’s fifth anniversary. It marked the first time authorities had explained what soft resistance is.
He said there were three main elements of soft resistance: making false or misleading statements, expressing them irrationally and with emotional bias, and with the intention of creating misunderstanding about the Chinese and Hong Kong governments and their policies.
Lam also said methods of soft resistance may not always be illegal – but that did not mean they would not harm society.
Amendments to union laws pass legislature
Hong Kong lawmakers passed amendments to the city’s union laws, banning anyone convicted of national security offences from serving in trade unions for life.
The amendment bill, passed by a show of hands in the opposition-free legislature on June 25, contains a slew of new terms to tighten union laws on national security grounds, including a requirement for foreign funding to be vetted by authorities.
The changes to the Trade Unions Ordinance were proposed in February “to better fulfil the duty of safeguarding national security” under the city’s two national security laws.
Labour minister Chris Sun told the Legislative Council (LegCo) that the amendments would “strengthen the statutory powers of the Secretary for the Registration of Trade Unions to supervise and manage trade unions” under the Beijing-imposed national security law and Article 23.
The bill is scheduled to take effect in January next year.
Public libraries receive nat. sec complaints
Hong Kong public libraries have received around 140 reports from the general public about suspected national security violations and other potentially “objectionable content” since the reporting mechanism was introduced in July 2023, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) said in response to HKFP’s enquiries.
The LCSD said that if any reported library materials were found to have “objectionable content” – such as exaggerated violence, pornography, vulgarity, content that endangers national security, or violates Hong Kong laws – they would be withdrawn from the shelves.
Nat. sec hotline receives 920,000 reports
Hong Kong police’s national security hotline received over 920,000 reports over the past four years, security chief Chris Tang said. Speaking at a ceremony on June 12 to mark five years since the Beijing-imposed national security law was enacted, Tang said Hongkongers “cannot relax or be complacent.”
“The SAR government has done a lot of work, including strengthening law enforcement,” Tang said in Cantonese, adding: “More importantly, we need the support of all citizens.”
Arrests and prosecution figures
As of May 1, a total of 326 people had been arrested for “cases involving suspected acts or activities that endanger national security” since Beijing’s national security law came into effect, according to the Security Bureau. The number includes those arrested under Article 23, known officially as the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance.
Of the 187 people and five companies that have so far been charged, 164 people and one company have been convicted or are awaiting sentencing.
Among them, 91 people and four companies have been charged under the national security law, with 76 convicted. Seven people have been charged under Article 23, five of whom have been convicted.