Security police raid Apple Daily

HONG Kong national security police conducted a fresh raid on anti-government newspaper Apple Daily yesterday, arresting five executives and carting off computers in the latest blow to the outspoken tabloid.

The paper and its jailed owner Jimmy Lai have long been a thorn in Beijing’s side with unapologetic support for the financial hub’s anti-government movement.

More than 500 officers conducted a dawn operation which authorities said was sparked by articles Apple Daily published “appealing for sanctions” against Hong Kong and China’s leaders. It is the first time the content of media reporting has sparked arrests under the national security law.

In a message to readers, Apple Daily warned Hong Kong’s press freedoms were “hanging by a thread”, but vowed to “stand tall”.

Hong Kong police said the five Apple Daily executives were arrested for collusion with a foreign country or external elements “to endanger national security”. Authorities seized $2.3 million (R32m) in Apple Daily assets, the first time a national security law seizure order was made directly against a Hong Kong media company, rather than an individual.

Secretary for Security John Lee said: “Our actions are not targeting press freedom or journalistic work. We target perpetrators who would use journalistic work as a tool to engage in acts that endanger national security.”

Among the arrested executives were chief editor Ryan Law and chief executive Cheung Kim-hung.

After the raid, reporters returned to a semi-gutted newsroom with the paper saying 38 computers were taken away as well as hard drives and reporters’ notepads. Executive chief editor Lam Man-chung, who was not among those arrested, said staff would “try all our best to publish newspapers for tomorrow”. Yesterday’s raid was the second on Apple Daily in less than a year. The tabloid’s billionaire owner Lai, 73, was charged with collusion after hundreds of officers searched the paper’s newsroom last August.

He is serving multiple jail sentences for attending various protests.

State media routinely describing Lai as a “traitor” and a “black hand”.

Last month, the police used the national security law to freeze Lai’s bank accounts and his majority shares in Next Digital. Until yesterday’s raid, authorities left the company’s assets alone. It is unclear whether Apple Daily will now be able to pay its staff.

China says the security law was needed to return stability to the international financial hub.