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- Politics
- American Military News
Hong Kong grows more opaque on arrests in national security cases
This article was originally published by Radio Free Asia and is reprinted with permission. Hong Kong authorities are declining to provide details of six recent arrests under a national security law, fueling growing concerns about government transparency as it tightens controls on dissent. Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee said Tuesday that since the promulgation of the National Security Law in 2020, 332 individuals have been arrested. That was an increase of six arrests since Secretary for Security Chris Tang stated on June 1 that 326 people had been arrested under the law, with 165 convictions. When local media asked about the new arrests, the Security Bureau said detailed breakdowns of arrest figures are 'classified information related to safeguarding national security in the HKSAR and thus will not be made public.' HKSAR stands for Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Political commentator Sampson Wong said that in the past the Hong Kong government rarely used national security as a reason to withhold information, and now the public's basic right to know was being damaged. 'At this point, reporters can still detect some of these arrests, but how long will that last? In the future, will people be arrested without anyone knowing?' Wong asked. 'Anything could be labelled a breach of confidentiality. If this continues, the truth will be completely under the control of national security authorities,' he said. The National Security Law was adopted after massive pro-democracy protests in 2019 as Beijing tightened controls over Hong Kong, which had enjoyed greater civic freedoms than mainland China and greater government transparency, including by police. China maintains the 2020 law was required to maintain order. Last month, the Hong Kong government bypassed Legislative Council procedures and unilaterally enacted two new subsidiary laws under the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, which significantly expanded the powers of Beijing's office overseeing national security in the city. Under the measures, it is prohibited to disclose or film the office's operations; civil servants must cooperate with and support national security operations; and any act that obstructs national security officers from performing their duties is criminalized. While it remains unclear which six arrests happened in the past two weeks, on June 2, the National Security Department arrested one man and four women for allegedly conspiring to commit terrorist activities. The suspects had reportedly used phones, emails, and messaging apps to send messages threatening to bomb central government offices and a sports park, while also promoting pro-independence messages for Taiwan and Hong Kong. On June 6, prominent democracy advocate Joshua Wong, who is already serving a four-year-and-eight-month sentence for subversion, was formally arrested on an additional charge of 'conspiracy to collude with foreign forces.' Last week, authorities also launched a national security investigation into six unnamed persons on suspicion of 'colluding with a foreign country.' But the Security Bureau clarified that no arrests had been made as yet related to that probe.
RTHK
09-06-2025
- Politics
- RTHK
LA protests spark HK and Chinese consulate warnings
LA protests spark HK and Chinese consulate warnings A Waymo vehicle burns after being set on fire in Los Angeles. Photo: AFP The Hong Kong government has reminded residents who are already in the United States or intend to visit the country to pay attention to personal safety in view of the ongoing protests and riots there. "The government reminds residents who intend to visit the United Stated or are already there to monitor the local situation, exercise caution, attend to personal safety, avoid large gatherings of people, and pay attention to local announcements on the latest situation," a spokesman said. The Security Bureau will continue to closely monitor the situation there. Meanwhile, the Chinese consulate in Los Angeles told the country's citizens in the area to strengthen personal security amid unrest in America's second-biggest city. "Chinese citizens in the region [should] strengthen personal security measures, stay away from gatherings, crowded areas, or places with poor public security, and avoid going out at night or travelling alone," the consulate said in a statement. They should also closely monitor official announcements and raise their safety awareness, it added. The warning came as Los Angeles police ordered the public to disperse from the downtown area after further unrest, with cars torched and security forces firing tear gas at protesters, in the wake of US President Donald Trump's deployment of National Guard troops to the city. (Additional reporting by AFP)
RTHK
04-06-2025
- Health
- RTHK
Ban on space oil ingredients 'stops drug production'
Ban on space oil ingredients 'stops drug production' Henry Tong welcomes the government's proposal to ban all etomidate analogues. File photo: RTHK The government's latest proposal to ban all synthetic versions of a space oil drug ingredient can effectively prevent the production of different types of the drug, chairman of the Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health Henry Tong said. The Security Bureau on Tuesday proposed introducing a generic definition of etomidate analogues under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, empowering law enforcement agencies to ban the trafficking of all etomidate analogues. Tong told RTHK that he welcomes the bureau's action. 'That's an effective way to prevent criminals from keep creating different space oil drugs,' he said. Tong also appealed to the government to impose a complete ban on the possession of e-cigarettes, which he said are the 'main and only device' for young people to take the space oil drug. 'If the government can outlaw the possession of any e-cigarettes in Hong Kong, that sends a very clear message to all the people that e-cigarette itself, the device itself, is illegal and dangerous,' he said. Tong also said many students became drug users due to various reasons, such as coming from broken families, suffering mental stress or having been bullied by other students.
RTHK
04-06-2025
- Health
- RTHK
Ban on space oil ingredients 'stops drug production'
Ban on space oil ingredients 'stops drug production' Henry Tong welcomes the government's proposal to ban all etomidate analogues. File photo: RTHK The government's latest proposal to ban all synthetic versions of a space oil drug ingredient can effectively prevent the production of different types of the drug, chairman of the Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health Henry Tong said. The Security Bureau on Tuesday proposed introducing a generic definition of etomidate analogues under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, empowering law enforcement agencies to ban the trafficking of all etomidate analogues. Tong told RTHK that he welcomes the bureau's action. 'That's an effective way to prevent criminals from keep creating different space oil drugs,' he said. Tong also appealed to the government to impose a complete ban on the possession of e-cigarettes, which he said are the 'main and only device' for young people to take the space oil drug. 'If the government can outlaw the possession of any e-cigarettes in Hong Kong, that sends a very clear message to all the people that e-cigarette itself, the device itself, is illegal and dangerous,' he said. Tong also said many students became drug users due to various reasons, such as coming from broken families, suffering mental stress or having been bullied by other students.
RTHK
03-06-2025
- Health
- RTHK
HK aims to widen ban on space oil ingredients
HK aims to widen ban on space oil ingredients Commissioner for Narcotics Kesson Lee said Hong Kong would be the first place in the world to ban all etomidate analogues. File photo: RTHK The Security Bureau has proposed classifying all synthetic versions of etomidate, a space oil drug ingredient, as dangerous drugs. Speaking to the Legislative Council's security panel on Tuesday, Commissioner for Narcotics Kesson Lee noted that the government banned etomidate and its three analogues in February. However, scientific studies have proven that other analogues may also be turned into illegal drugs, despite the differences in their chemical structures, he said. 'It's just like no matter how a monster changes its form, it's still a monster.' Lee proposed introducing a generic definition of etomidate analogues under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, empowering law enforcement agencies to ban the trafficking of all etomidate analogues in a pre-emptive step. Lee said Hong Kong recorded 191 space oil drug abusers in the first quarter of this year, among which 128 were aged under 21. Since the government listed etomidate as a dangerous drug on February 14, the authorities have arrested 315 people and prevented at least 150,000 e-cartridges infused with the substance from entering the local market, authorities said. In addition, the government has vowed to step up the control of new dangerous chemicals, proposing to regulate six substances that have been put under international control recently.
