National security police have taken the parents and sisters of wanted activist Simon Cheng away for questioning as the self-exiled opposition figure gave the family his blessing to sever ties with him if necessary.
Cheng is one of 13 overseas pro-democracy activists wanted for alleged national security offences, with a bounty of HK$1 million each on their heads.
Cheng, 33, was accused of foreign collusion and inciting secession when national security police announced arrest warrants for him and four other overseas activists last month, adding to a list of eight announced in July.
See also: Parents of Hong Kong self-exiled activist Agnes Chow questioned by police – local media
Citing sources, local media reported on Wednesday that Cheng’s parents and two sisters were taken away from their Tuen Mun home to be questioned. Cheng’s father reportedly left Castle Peak Police Station at around midday.
The police action marks the latest move involving family members of the 13 pro-democracy figures, after Agnes Chow’s parents were questioned last month. The families of several other overseas opposition figures have also been taken in for questioning in recent months.
Cheng, a former British consulate employee, was detained by Chinese authorities as he attempted to return to Hong Kong from a business trip to Shenzhen in August 2019, when protests engulfed the city.
He was granted asylum by the UK government three years ago, shortly after Beijing inserted national security legislation directly into Hong Kong’s mini-constitution in June 2020 following a year of pro-democracy protests and unrest.
Now based in London, he is the founder of Hongkongers in Britain, a group that supports people from the city who have emigrated to the UK.
Local media quoted police as urging Cheng to surrender to the authorities. HKFP has reached out to police for comment.
Cheng last month joined scores of pro-democracy activists living abroad in self-exile, including former lawmaker Nathan Law, currently based in the UK. Law co-founded the now-disbanded opposition party Demosisto with Chow in 2016.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Cheng said his family could sever ties with him if they saw fit: “If needed, criticise me and cut me off. My hope is that my parents can enjoy a dignified, peaceful, and serene old age – until our next life.”
Cheng added that his father, who had not been in contact with him for four years, still “appears to be ‘okay’.” He added: “Seeing my long-lost father dodging the camera on the TV screen, my heart is filled with mixed emotions.”
Cheng also wrote about his father’s arrival in Hong Kong after suffering the excesses of the Cultural Revolution.
“My father swam to Hong Kong in his early years, living under others’ roofs and once residing in the Kowloon Walled City … He witnessed Hong Kong’s economic takeoff and transformation, contributing much of his sweat, tears and even blood (he got hurt sometimes) behind the glittering neon lights of towering buildings.”
It was the activist’s second such message to his family in recent years in an apparent attempt to protect them. In a Facebook post dated January 2020, he said: “I hereby declare disconnection from family in Hong Kong and Mainland. What I do and say solely represents myself, it is not relevant to my family and relatives.”
“I hope they can live in tranquility and peace, without external harassment and threat. We once loved and nurtured each other, now we better forget it, as we will take no more agony and worry,” he wrote.
Support HKFP | Policies & Ethics | Error/typo? | Contact Us | Newsletter | Transparency & Annual Report | Apps
Help safeguard press freedom & keep HKFP free for all readers by supporting our team
