Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai, who was arrested on Monday under the nation’s new national security law, urges young Protestants to be “more cautious” in their progress.
Lai, who runs the Apply Daily, one of Hong Kong’s most widely read newspapers, is one of the most prominent figures to be detained during a major attack on political dissidents.
File: Hungarian media man Jimmy Lai pauses during an interview in Hong Kong.
(AP)
Nine other people – including two of Lai’s sons – were arrested on Monday on charges of foreign conspiracy, under the national security law that China will implement in June, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Lai was released on bail early Wednesday. Speaking to the BBC after his release, he said his arrest “was just the beginning.”
“When I was in custody, I could not sleep,” Lai said. ‘I thought, if I knew that was going to happen to me now, [with] even harder [on the way], would I have done the same thing?
Lai said he had no regrets in his actions, but warned young Protestants to “be more careful in our opposition to upholding our rule of law and freedom.”
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“We need to be more careful and creative in that [our] resistance … we can not be as radical as before – especially young people – because the radical [we are] the shorter life span we have in our fight, ”said Lai. “We really need to use our brains and patience because this is a long battle.”
Lai’s arrest has galvanized pro-democracy activists. On Tuesday, scores were collected at kiosks in the city to buy the same paper, handing over 10 Hong Kong dollars ($ 1.25) a copy in a bid to survive the Apple Daily – and press freedom.
People are once again standing to buy copies of Apple Daily in an indoor street in Hong Kong on Tuesday, August 11, 2020, as a show of support, a day after the arrest of its founder Jimmy Lai.
(AP)
The mass riots have raised fears that the new national security law would be used to quell dissent in Hong Kong after months of protests against government last year shook the city’s and central government in Beijing.
Police have expanded their use of the law since it came into effect six weeks ago, first arresting protesters with slogans considered in violation and then activists over online messages.
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The Apple Daily, known for its coverage of celebrities, as well as its condemnation of China’s authoritarian rule, remained defiant, printing 350,000 copies – five times its normal print job – after police investigators left Next Digital and told staff they were back. could work.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
