Activists reject links with jailed unrest mastermind

A mainland businessman sentenced to 11 years' imprisonment was the mastermind who funded the unrest in Hong Kong and served as a middleman between Western countries and activists, state media said.

But the activists named in the report - including Nathan Law Kwun-chung and Alex Chow Yong-kang, who have both fled Hong Kong - dismissed links with Lee Henley Hu Xiang, 66, who has a Belizean passport.

Law said he did not know Lee while Chow said they chatted for only a few minutes as they posted on their Facebook accounts after China Central Television broadcast the "confession" on Wednesday.

Lee was accused of funding criminal activities in Hong Kong that endanger Chinese national security and was convicted on April 2.

Arrested by the Guangzhou state security bureau in November 2019, Lee is the first overseas national to be prosecuted for interfering in Hong Kong affairs.

CCTV's Focus Report said Lee was arrested twice in the 1980s for luring women into sex trades and fraud. He then became hateful of the government and "started worshipping" certain great powers in the West, CCTV added.

It called Lee "a typical two-faced man," saying he was acting like a patriotic businessman when talking with mainland officials while supporting anti-Beijing protests.

During an anti-China event in a foreign country, Lee met a man, identified only as Yeung, who was organizing anti-Beijing activities.

Since then the two frequently talked to each other, with Lee donating hundreds of thousands of US dollars to Yeung.

Guangdong police said Lee had a secret meeting with former lawmaker Leung Kwok-hung in June 2011.

Lee also allegedly funded activists - including Law, Chow, Joshua Wong Chi-fung and Sunny Cheung Kwan-yang - so they could meet with foreign politicians and government officials after the Occupy Central movement in 2014.

Security agencies also said they noticed illegal money flows to Hong Kong, which was used to support activities that opposed the central authorities and caused disturbance to law and order in the city.

Chow said the overseas forum he had been to was to promote democracy and civilized society and had "nothing to do with the topic of anti-China." The flight ticket to Czech Republic and accommodation were all provided by the Forum 2000 foundation.

Law also denied the claims, saying his visits with foreign government officials were "normal communications."

carine.chow@singtaonewscorp.com