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Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung said Joshua Wong Chi-fung had pleaded guilty to national security offenses because the evidence against him was irrefutable, and condemned what he called malicious attacks by foreign forces following Wong’s sentencing.
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Wong, the former secretary-general of Demosisto, was sentenced to 10 years in prison at the High Court on Thursday after pleading guilty to conspiracy to collude with foreign forces.
Speaking to the press after a Fight Crime Committee meeting, Tang described Wong and fugitive Nathan Law Kwun-chung as “the primary culprits” responsible for undermining Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability.
Tang accused the pair of obstructing the government’s efforts to promote national education, establishing radical organizations to incite unlawful acts among students, and advocating “Hong Kong independence” and “self-determination”. He said they had fueled a Hong Kong version of a “colour revolution” in 2019.
Tang also criticized Wong for repeatedly breaking the law, including through offenses involving unlawful assembly and contempt of court. He said Wong and his associates had colluded with foreign forces before the National Security Law took effect, lobbying the United States for legislation and sanctions targeting China and Hong Kong.
Tang said Wong had also participated in the 35-plus primary election scheme to subvert state power, which severely undermined national sovereignty, security, and development interests.
He said the court’s detailed reasons for sentencing showed that the judicial process had been fair and open and upheld the rule of law.
Tang condemned foreign forces for what he called malicious attacks over the verdict, saying they were the same entities Wong and Law had sought to enlist. He urged the public to recognize the facts.
He said the government remained committed to its constitutional duty to safeguard national security and would take firm action in accordance with the law against anti-China elements seeking to destabilize Hong Kong.
Asked whether the government would appeal Wong’s sentence, Tang said the 10-year term already reflected the seriousness of the offenses. He said the government would study the full judgment with the Department of Justice before deciding whether an appeal was necessary.
Separately, Tang said Hong Kong recorded around 68,000 crimes in the first three quarters of this year, up 2.1 percent from the same period last year. Violent crime fell 6.9 percent to 6,100 cases, while robberies and snatch thefts reached historic lows.
He attributed the overall increase to a rise in fraud, which accounted for nearly half of all reported crimes. More than 34,600 fraud cases were recorded, causing losses of HK$6.02 billion, up 7.9 percent from a year earlier.
Tang said the increase was driven by a sharp rise in telephone scams in August and September, with more than 3,000 cases reported. Most involved scammers impersonating customer service representatives.
