First arrests under Article 23

Michael Shum

Six people were the first to be arrested under the new Safeguarding National Security Ordinance as five women - including jailed activist Tonyee Chow Hang-tung - and a man were accused of publishing seditious posts on social media.

Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung confirmed in a press briefing that Chow, 39, was among the six arrested under the ordinance, which was legislated through the enactment of Basic Law Article 23 and took effect on March 23.

It is understood that the five others were former Tsuen Wan district councillor Katrina Chan Kim-kam, dentist Lee Ying-chi, activists Lau Ka-yee and Kwan Chun-pong, and Chow's mother.

"The six arrestees used a social media fan page called Chow Hang Tung Club and made use of an upcoming sensitive date to continuously publish seditious posts to incite hatred against the central and SAR governments as well as the judiciary," Tang said.

"The posts also intended to incite netizens to organize unlawful activities at a later date."

When asked if the sensitive date is June 4, Tang said: "The date is not the most important, but their seditious behavior. Inciting citizens to perform acts to endanger national security - is the action that breached the law."

He added: "The arrestees were operating the social media page, and incited citizens to endanger national security on a sensitive date. It is inconvenient for me to disclose in more detail their actual operation as the case is still under investigation."

Tang said Hong Kong continues to face national security threats and foreign forces are still undergoing operations to hamper Hong Kong.

"We cannot let our guard down. The government must continue defending against these threats. Speeches spreading rumors to incite hatred against the government will cause social turmoil and threaten the country," he said. "I would like to call on all citizens not to be incited by those rumors."

The five others were allegedly responsible for helping Chow, currently in jail, to make the postings "anonymously," police said in a statement.

"Officers searched five homes with a court warrant and confiscated items related to the case, including the electronic communication devices suspected of being used to publish the seditious message," police said.

The Facebook fan page Chow Hang Tung Club was opened on May 18 last year, with 6,509 followers and 4,090 likes.

According to information on the page, it has one administrator, located in the United Kingdom.

Chow is a barrister and former vice chairman of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, which held the annual June 4 candlelight vigil.

She was convicted and jailed for 15 months for inciting participation in an unlawful assembly after she made appeals for people to join the banned vigil in Victoria Park in 2021.

Chow, alongside two committee members Tang Ngok-kwan and Tsui Hon-kwong of the alliance, were convicted and jailed for four-and-a-half months for failing to submit information at the request of police for a national security investigation also in 2021.

She was also accused of inciting subversion of state power between July 1, 2020 and September 8, 2021, together with the alliance's former chairman Lee Cheuk-yan and former vice chairman Albert Ho Chun-yan.

The High Court will hear Chow's recusal application on June 24. All proceedings can only resume after the application is complete, meaning the trial is expected to start next year at the earliest.

michael.shum@singtaonewscorp.com