Jimmy Lai invited retired US general for online program to ‘take it to the extreme’: Cheung Kim-hung

Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying said “take it to the extreme” for he had invited influential and well known political figures from the US, UK and other Western countries to be the guests of his online program, including a retired US general, former publisher Cheung Kim-hung said on Friday. 

Today was the seventh day Cheung, a prosecution accomplice witness, testified against Lai, 76, at the West Kowloon Court as the trial entered the 17th day. 

Among those prominent figures was Jack Keane, the former vice chief of staff of the US Army. 

Others included Paul Wolfowitz, former US Deputy Secretary of Defense; Chris Patten, Hong Kong’s last Governor; Raymond Burghardt, former American Diplomat; Natan Sharansky, former Deputy Prime Minister of Israel, Benedict Rogers, founder of Hong Kong Watch; and Mark Clifford, former independent non executive director of Next Media. 

Cheung expressed his concern to Lai regarding the invitation of Keane as he found it was too sensitive since the national security law had been implemented. Lai had also been arrested and was on police bail at the time. 

Cheung also worried the invitation was no different from colluding with foreign power. 

Lai then replied: “They were giving me a hard time, I had no room to retreat and had to take it to the extreme.” 

Cheung interpreted that the Chinese Communist Party was what Lai referred to as “they” in his reply. The phrase “take it to the extreme” was that Lai would seek the US and Western countries to materialize their protection. 

The court also heard that Lai rooted for the reelection of then-US President Donald Trump and instructed Lai’s instruction to his colleagues of the international news section not to follow anti-Trump reporting lines of the New York Times and CNN. 

“Apple Daily needed the support from Trump’s government in order to survive,” a message from Lai to Cheung read. 

Cheung admitted that he set up a WhatsApp group named “National Security Law Response Committee” on June 22, 2020, and acted as the group administrators with Chan Pui man, the newspaper’s former associate publisher. 

Cheung also revealed that topics, such as the suitability to publish certain articles, how to execute Lai’s editorial instructions and delivering Lai’s messages after jail visit, had been discussed in the group. 

On June 30, 2020, the group also discussed about the suitability to print the logo of “Apple Daily” on the posters, to place the posters in the July 1 protest street booths of the Democratic Party and to distribute them through the Democratic Party. 

Cheung stated Lai had instructed to have the logo of Apple Daily printed on the posters. However, it would seem the newspaper was too closely connected with political parties if logoed posters were made available or distributed from the street booths of the Democratic Party. 

Cheung also worried that such arrangement would violate the NSL. The logoed posters were eventually delivered to the street booths of the Democratic Party. 

The prosecution finished questioning Cheung and the case was adjourned to 10 am next Monday (Jan 29) for cross-examination.