Six More Activists with HK$1M Bounties

Six more activists have HK$1M bounty on their heads

Even though the Christmas holidays are upon us, the Hong Kong police are busy putting a HK$1 million (US$128,691) bounty on six more activists, bringing the total to 19 people who have allegedly violated the national security law.

The six are political commentator Chung Kim-wah, Joseph Tay, former TVB actor and founder of Canada-based NGO Hongkonger Station, former convenor of Studentlocalism Tony Chung Hon-lam, Carmen Lau Ka-man, a former district councillor now at Hong Kong Democracy Council, former Sing Tao editor and now YouTuber Victor Ho Leung-mau, and Chloe Cheung Hei-ching from the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation.

Ho is a former editor and in Metro Vancouver

"Their common denominator is betraying their own country and Hong Kong, neglecting Hongkongers' interests, as well as continuing to endanger national security and detriment Hong Kong's interest after fleeing overseas," said Andrew Kan Kai-yan, deputy police commissioner overseeing national security.

He added the force would cut off the six wanted people's funding resources and investigate their confederates and funders.

In addition the Hong Kong government issued a gazette on Tuesday announcing that Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung had revoked the passports of seven activists who had fled the city, including Ted Hui Chi-fung, Kevin Yam Kin-fung, Anna Kwok, Frances Hui Wing-ting, and Elmer Yuan Gong-yi.

Except that Siu, Kwok and Yam have foreign passports and Frances Hui has asylum in the United States.

Yam stated on social media that he never had a Hong Kong passport, so how could his passport be revoked?

Tay is running as a Conservative candidate

Nevertheless Tang said: "The targets of this crackdown are those who have been wanted for a long time, have been absconding overseas and are determined to continue endangering our national security through various means.

"The [Hong Kong] government will certainly use all means to pursue and crackdown on criminals who have fled overseas and endanger national security."

Good Deals in HK's Luxury Property Market

Two homes on the Peak were sold for a sweet deal

Looks like the uber rich are hunting for good deals in the real estate sector.

Two mansions on the Peak located next to each other were recently sold for a whopping HK$560 million (US$71.5 million) -- about HK$200 less than the asking price.

Each over 4,000 sq ft with a pool, garden

The homes are at 11 and 13 Watford Road and they are owned by the wife of Wong Kwan, former chairman of Pearl Oriental Oil Ltd, according to Sing Tao.

Each house is 4,016 square feet with a large garden and swimming pool. They are conveniently located down the road from the German-Swiss International School and a Wellcome supermarket nearby too.

The asking price was HK$380 million each, but somehow the price was slashed by almost HK$100 million each.

As a result the luxury property market is sluggish, with rising interest rates and lack of new expats moving in that is slowing the transactions.

Will HK's real estate market be sustainable?

However, it is a bigger sign of Hong Kong's decline, according to Kevin Yam Kin-fung, a Chinese-Australian lawyer who is one of the eight with a HK$1 million bounty on his head.

"Hong Kong will not just die suddenly like someone with a massive heart attack. There are still takers for luxury properties," he wrote on Twitter.

"But the fact that demand for this and other things in HK have unceasingly trended downwards means HK is being debilitated slowly and painfully."

Who wants to be left holding the bag?

HK$1M Bounty on Eight Dissidents

Official NSL arrest warrants for eight activists 

Just as I was going to bed last night, there was breaking news that the Hong Kong police had issued arrest warrants for eight pro-democracy activists, and that there was a HK$1 million (US$127,600) bounty on their heads.

The eight are: former legislators Nathan Law Kwun-chung, Dennis Kwok Wing-hang, and Ted Hui Chi-fung, unionist Mung Siu-tat, lawyer Kevin Yam Kin-fung, and activists Finn Lau Cho-dik, Anna Kwok Fung-yee, and Elmer Yuan Gong-yi.

Lee said the eight would be pursued for life

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu endorsed the arrest warrants, and encouraged people to come forward with any information of the eight activists' whereabouts.

"Police should do it because that's the message not just to Hong Kong, but to those who try to endanger our national security. And we want them to know that we will not sit and do nothing," he said. "We'll be pursuing the [suspects'] criminal responsibilities for life until they surrender themselves."

However, legally the threat was weak considering the activists are residing in the UK, Australia and the United States, where these countries have suspended extradition treaties with Hong Kong following the implementation of the national security law three years ago.

The US said such an application of the security law was a "dangerous precedent" that threatened human rights, while the Chinese Foreign Ministry's office in Hong Kong warned "foreign interference forces" should stop shielding "criminals" immediately.

And are the authorities hoping people in the respective countries will come forward with information about these dissidents?

Law maintains he is doing peaceful advocacy

Interviewed by a Canadian media outlet, Law seemed to think the chances of that happening were slim, but pointed out if someone actually did do that, then they would be assisting the Chinese regime. There is also no clear information about what informers need to do in order to be eligible collect the money.

It is also worth noting the HK$1M bounty is many times more than for murderers and pedophiles who have only HK$100K to HK$300K on their heads.

Law, who is accused of foreign collusion and inciting secession, said on Facebook that he was again targeted by the Chinese authorities and that he felt "invisible pressure", but would not give in.

"All I did was reasonable, justifiable and peaceful advocacy work," he wrote.

In his interview Law said he would continue to live a discreet life in the UK and hoped he would be able to return to Hong Kong in decades.

"I don't know if it sounds optimistic or pessimistic, but most of us have the determination to walk that through like we are running a marathon, not a sprint."