Apple Daily’s advertising scheme was to support ‘yellow shops’, says Cheung Kim-hung

An advertising scheme aiming to support “small shops” by now-defunct Apple Daily was actually targeting “yellow shops”, according to former publisher Cheung Kim-chung as he continued to testify against his former boss and Next Digital founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying on Tuesday. 

It marked the ninth day Cheung appeared in the West Kowloon Court as a prosecution accomplice witness as the trial entered the 19th day. 

During cross-examination, Cheung said the advertising scheme was to support “yellow shops” – those in favor of pro-democracy activists and protesters – in its core nature, despite the difference in the name. 

Cheung recalled that Lai, 76, had said as long as the resistance remained, the yellow economic circle must exist. Lai also believed that the yellow economic circle would continue to grow and prosper, Cheung said, adding that the free market economy was one of the core values Lai believed in. 

The defense then displayed an article published in the English edition of Apple Daily, titled: “Round up of all opposition politicians the HK version of Kaohsiung Incident”, by activist Glacier Kwong. 

When asked by the defense if Apple Daily accepted public entries, Cheung said he didn’t think the publication had any open invitation, nor published entries submitted by outsiders. 

Judge Alex Lee Wan-tang later asked if entries submitted by the public would be published, and Cheung stressed that articles must be picked in accordance with the editorial instructions set out by Lai. 

The articles should be pro-democracy, “in support of Hong Kong”, and could not contain any positive content about China, Cheung added. 

The defense then mentioned that the website of the publication’s English edition stated that the views of the writers were their own and didn’t represent the company’s editorial stand. Cheung responded that the statement was just a standard approach adopted by many shows to protect the company. 

The defense also displayed three news articles published on June 15, July 1, and August 14, 2019, that called on Hongkongers to take to the streets, adding that all three demonstrations were approved by police. 

Cheung disagreed that Lai was only calling for peaceful protests, and said Lai believed protesters shouldn’t be categorized as the peaceful ones or the brave ones. 

“Apple Daily then began publishing violent stuff, and reported and commented [on the unrest] from the angle of empathizing and supporting protesters,” Cheung said. 

The trial continues in the afternoon.