“With the support of external forces, opposition groups and leaders have deliberately devised plans to hold this so-called ‘primary election’, which is a serious provocation to the current electoral system and seriously damages the justice and fairness of the Legislative Council. Elections, Said the liaison office, Beijing’s largest representative in the city, at the time.
On Wednesday, it appears that the police in Hong Kong followed the threat and apparently arrested primary candidates early in the morning.
Those detained include former Democratic lawmakers James To, Andrew Wan and Lam Cheuk-ting, who were members of the city’s Legislative Council until the end of last year, before they and all other members of the pro- democracy bloc withdrew from protest. the government’s decision to evict several legislators.
Joshua Wong, the leading activist of the umbrella movement that went to jail last year, is also being investigated in connection with the primary case. His house was raided on Wednesday morning, according to a report on his verified social media.
Hong Kong police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“I have already lost count. But I believe everyone who participated in the primary democracy in Hong Kong last year will be arrested, including organizers,” Lo Kin-hei, chairman of the Democratic Party, said on Twitter. “Most likely more than 40 or even 50.”
Wednesday’s arrests are the most dramatic and comprehensive increase under the National Security Act, which Hong Kong CEO Carrie Lam and others once promised would be limited in effect and only a small number of fringe activists.
Former lawmaker Emily Lau described the arrests as “shameful and ridiculous”.
“How can people running in a primary election to choose candidates be subversive and violate national security law,” she said. “It is a blatant attempt to intimidate pro-democracy activists and warn people not to get involved in politics and cooperation.”
Shum – an elected district councilor – spoke to CNN late last year and predicted it was a matter of when he would be arrested and likely to get out of his chair.
“After 2019, I think we are facing a complete suppression of democratic movement. And at the level of the District Council, we are popularly elected by Hong Kong people … and they may see it as a threat,” he said. Shum said.
CEO Lam apparently addressed the political disagreement in the city in her New Year’s speech. “Every time there are quarrels in society, people actually pay a hefty price,” she said. “Therefore, my greatest hope for society is to have harmony for 2021. So that the SAR government and other public bodies have more room to do concrete things for Hong Kong.”
CNN’s Jadyn Sham reported.