Jane Cheung
Former Stand News editor-in-chief Chung Pui-kuen and acting editor-in-chief Patrick Lam Shiu-tung remain in jail custody after their bail application was rejected as they await their next court mention on February 25 over charges of conspiracy to publish seditious content.
Sources said a fifth former Stand News director, Joseph Lian Yizheng, was added to the police wanted list, alongside the outlet's cofounder and sole incumbent director, Tony Tsoi Tung-ho.
Lian, a former senior consultant at the Central Policy Unit, said in October that he emigrated to Japan and is teaching at a university there while Tsoi has moved to Australia.
Chung, 54, Lam, 34, and the media outlet's umbrella group Best Pencil (Hong Kong) Ltd each face one count of conspiracy to publish seditious content. The case was mentioned at the West Kowloon Magistrates' Court before acting chief magistrate Peter Law Tak-chuen.
They were among seven past and present Stand News executives arrested on Wednesday. The other five include four former directors - barrister and ex-legislator Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee, singer Denise Ho Wan-see, former science page editor Chow Tat-chi and former chief executive of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service Christine Fang Meng-sang. The fifth was Chung's wife, Chan Pui-man, who is former associate publisher of the defunct Apple Daily.
The four former directors were released on bail while Chan remained at Tai Lam Correctional Institution for other offenses relating to Apple Daily.
Chung was brought by police to the court but Lam's lawyer said his client, diagnosed with a kidney condition last year, was sent to Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Lam was discharged in the afternoon and will appear in court today to hear his charges.
The prosecutor told the court Best Pencil's sole director Tsoi is not in Hong Kong and a summons to require a company representative to attend the hearing was sent to two former employees of Stand News, which closed down on Wednesday. The two were an administrative officer and the assistant editor-in-chief, but neither was willing to accept the summons.
The prosecution sent another summons to the Stand News office at Kwun Tong but the company did not send any representative to the hearing.
No plea was taken yesterday. The prosecutor said police have gathered sufficient evidence to charge three defendants. Officers have also obtained a large amount of new evidence, including six boxes of documents, more than 60 computers, 27 mobile devices and Lam's phone.
Police need more time to investigate the new evidence and decide whether more people will be charged.
Over 100 spectators attended the hearing, including a number of former Stand News reporters and representatives from consulates of the United States, United Kingdom, Netherlands and Germany.
Stand News yesterday said it is shutting down its UK branch. At 11pm on Wednesday, it shut down its Hong Kong site and its social media pages.
Executive Councillor and senior counsel Ronny Tong Ka-wah suggested police list out the allegedly problematic Stand News articles so people will be aware of legal risks before they share them on social media.
Sources said police found over 20 articles allegedly involved sedition.
Hong Kong Journalists Association head Ronson Chan Long-sing, a former deputy assignment editor at Stand News, said he may step down as head of the union.
Separately, Hong Kong Independent Press News, an online outlet on Facebook, said it will cease operations tomorrow and all staff will be dismissed.
jane.cheung@singtaonewscorp.com
