Two more ex-partymates of Nathan Law arrested

Two more former members of the now-defunct Demosisto political party were arrested yesterday, after police smashed "yellow camp" shopping reward platform, Mee-Punish Club, earlier this month and arrested five people.

Chan Kok-hin and Lily Wong Lei-lei, both executives of the party, allegedly helped operate the platform and are suspected to have offered financial subsidies to national security fugitive Nathan Law Kwun-chung, who is now in the United Kingdom.

The police said the two, both 29, were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to collusion with foreign forces and conspiracy to act with seditious intention.

The two suspects are being detained for questioning, the police said, adding that investigations revealed they had connections with four others arrested on July 5, namely, former Demosisto leader Ivan Lam Long-yin and ex-members William Liu Wai-lim, Arnold Chung Chin-ku and Li Kai-ching.

Another former party member, Chu Yan-ho, was arrested the following day at Hong Kong International Airport while he was trying to flee to Taiwan.

The five have been released on bail, but the police operation continues and more arrests could be made.

Both Chan and Wong joined Demosisto in 2016 and were serving as key members before the party disbanded in 2020. Chan also worked as Law's assistant after he was elected as a legislator in 2016.

The duo had actively participated in the party's protest activities, including the demonstration on Golden Bauhinia Square in Wan Chai on National Day in 2017. They were also arrested for storming into the government complex in March 2019.

It is understood that the former Demosisto members founded the social media platform and mobile app to unite pro-democracy restaurants and merchants, or "yellow shops," to earn profits after the party disbanded on June 30, 2020.

Sources said they allegedly used the money raised by the platform to support Law, who is a co-founder and former chairman of the party, in anti-China activities overseas.

"Investigation revealed that the arrested persons were suspected of receiving funds from operating companies, social media platforms and mobile applications to support people who have fled overseas and continue to engage in activities that endanger national security," police had stated earlier. "They were also suspected of repeatedly publishing posts with seditious intention on social media platforms, including content which provoked hatred towards the central authorities and the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and advocated 'Hong Kong independence'."

Law left Hong Kong for the UK on June 27, 2020, days before the national security law came into effect.

He is one of eight suspects on the national security police's wanted list, each with a HK$1 million bounty for their arrest.

According to the police warrant, Law advocated separating Hong Kong from China by attending hearings, meeting foreign politicians, participating in media interviews and issuing open letters between July 2020 and November last year.

He also requested foreign sanctions against the mainland and the SAR, the police said.

On July 11, officers raided the Tung Chung homes of Law's parents and elder brother. They were taken in for questioning, but no arrest was made.

wallis.wang@singtaonewscorp.com