Exiled Hong Kong Activist's Father Arrested
Harassment of exiles’ families escalates
In a move more reminiscent of Pyongyang than Asia’s putative World City, Hong Kong police last week arrested the father and brother of an exiled anti-government activist, Anna Kwok, and charged the father with violating the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance imposed on the city by Beijing to throttle its unruly activists who were trying to make the national government live up to its 1997 democracy promises.
Kwok’s 68-year-old father, Kwok Yin-sang, and her brother were taken into custody for attempting to obtain funds from Kwok’s AIA International Ltd life and personal accident insurance policy. Police said they were suspected of helping her change the details of the policy to withdraw its remaining value.
It was the first such prosecution of a family member of an exiled activist, according to the New York-based NGO Human Rights Watch, which demanded that authorities immediately drop all charges and release him. The elder Kwok was formally charged on May 2 with “directly or indirectly” dealing with the finances of an “absconder” under section 90 of the ordinance, which carries a punishment of up to seven years in prison. He remains in custody, with a bail hearing scheduled for May 8. Kwok’s brother has been released on bail pending further investigation…