Hong Kong police have slammed a US-funded media outlet for quoting self-exiled former lawmaker Ted Hui’s “slander” against the police force, urging the news organisation not to give a platform to “criminals who make false statements.”
In a letter dated Thursday to Radio Free Asia, the police public relations wing said it “strongly condemned” the news outlet.
“The report quotes overseas fugitive Ted Hui making false statements and slandering the police. [The police force]… expresses its strong dissatisfaction,” the letter, written in Chinese, read.
The police were referring to an article published by Radio Free Asia on Wednesday about the retirement of Rupert Dover, a British-born officer known for his role as a commander during the protests and unrest in 2019.
According to local media reports last month, the current deputy regional commander in Kowloon West, Jim Ng, is set to take Dover’s post as regional commander of that district, implying Dover was retiring.
In the Radio Free Asia article, Hui is quoted as saying that Dover owed Hongkongers an explanation for alleged police brutality on June 12, 2019. That day, officers fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters gathered outside the Legislative Council to oppose the second reading of the controversial extradition bill that sparked the demonstrations.
Dover, then a commander in the New Territories South but whose team was reported to have been deployed to guard the Legislative Council, was understood to have led the police operation outside the government complex.
“Rupert Dover is the regime’s executioner,” Hui is quoted as saying. “Whether he is in Hong Kong, or goes back to his country, he needs to be held accountable by Hongkongers, the governments of free and democratic countries, and human rights groups. He needs to be held accountable to the world. The decision at the time was wrong.”
‘Morally bankrupt’
Hui is among the overseas-based activists wanted by Hong Kong authorities over alleged violations of the national security law, which Beijing imposed on the city in 2020 following the protests. He has been accused of inciting secession and subversion, as well as colluding with foreign forces.
The ex-lawmaker fled the city in November 2020, and last year was found guilty of contempt of court linked to his disappearance. The ex-lawmaker – who was on bail and facing nine criminal charges when he left Hong Kong – was accused of misleading police and the court into believing he would return to the city after a visit to Denmark for a conference.
“It is clear that fugitive Ted Hui is morally bankrupt, but he continues to slander the Hong Kong government to attain his political agenda. He has ulterior motives,” the police letter read.
Authorities have offered a HK$1 million bounty for information that could lead to Hui’s arrest.
The letter added that news organisations should uphold professionalism and publish accurate, balanced reports, and not provide a platform for criminals to tell lies.
“[You] should not provide a platform for criminals to make false statements, so as not to undermine news credibility and lose the public’s trust,” it continued.
Protests erupted in the city in June 2019 over a controversial extradition bill. The demonstrations ballooned into wider dissatisfaction against the Hong Kong and Beijing governments, as well as alleged police brutality during the unrest.
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