Woman arrested upon return from Japan charged by national security police, to appear in court

A 23-year-old woman, arrested in March upon her return from Japan, will appear in the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts on Friday morning as she was officially charged with doing acts with seditious intention by national security police on Thursday. 

According to a police statement, she was arrested in Sau Mau Ping on March 8 for inciting subversion of state power. 

“Investigation revealed that the arrested woman was suspected of publishing seditious posts and photos on her social media platform for multiple times, including content which provoked hatred towards the Central Government or the SAR government and incited Hong Kong independence,” it read. 

After seeking legal advice from the Department of Justice, police’s national security department officially charged the woman with a count of “doing an act or acts with seditious intention” today (Thu) for contravening Cap 200 Crimes Ordinance. 

According to sources, the woman was named Mika Chan and had been publishing a number of posts that advocated Hong Kong independence on her Facebook page since 2018. 

It was understood that she wrote in her posts: “I am Hongkonger, and I advocate Hongkong Independence.” National security police were informed of her posts and activities by an anonymous tip-off through the reporting hotline, sources said. 

It was understood that Chan had joined an exhibition that advocated Hong Kong independence at Meguro Museum of Art in Tokyo, organized by Stand with HK@JPN. 

Back in April, Tomoko Ako, a professor at the University of Tokyo, published an article online and said a female Hong Kong student studying in Japan she knew was arrested in March by national security police when the student returned to the SAR to collect her new smart identity card. 

Ako also said the student had her passport confiscated by authorities and couldn’t travel to Japan to continue her study.