Canadian activist accuses Hong Kong of meddling


A Vancouver-based activist is accusing Hong Kong authorities of meddling in Canada’s internal affairs after police in the Chinese territory issued an arrest warrant for him.

Victor Ho and fellow Canadian Joe Tay are among six foreign activists pursued by Hong Kong police who announced rewards of HK$1 million, equivalent to about CAD$180,000, for information leading to their arrests.

The warrants announced Tuesday say the six are wanted for national security crimes including secession, subversion and collusion with foreign forces.

Ho said in a Chinese Facebook post that he is proud of the arrest warrant and joked that it is the “best Christmas gift.”

“A Canadian citizen like me…has the protection of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and exercised his right to freedom of expression,” he said.

Ho is the former editor-in-chief of the Sing Tao Daily newspaper and helped launch a plan in Canada to elect an unofficial “Hong Kong parliament” in 2022.

Only “patriots” are eligible for elections to Hong Kong’s true Legislative Council, according to a 2021 law passed by China’s parliament, the National People’s Congress, and pro-democracy protesters have been subject to mass arrests .

When plans for the unofficial parliament were announced, Hong Kong’s Security Bureau said Ho and others were being investigated for subversion, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison under the National Security Law.

In the Facebook post, Ho said Canadian authorities have not arrested the parliament organizers.

“But now it is actually the communist authorities in Hong Kong who are meddling in Canada’s internal affairs, repeatedly issuing wanted notices for this Canadian citizen. Are they trying to make another cross-border arrest? Does Beijing want Canada to become their client/subordinate status?”

He said the first elections for the unofficial parliament are scheduled for March 2025.

“It is the first time in the world that a referendum will be held using mobile applications to allow anonymous, single-vote voting. It is easy for overseas Hongkongers to participate, to show dictators and authoritarian regimes the desire to Hong Kongers for self-determination,” the publication says.

Tay is the founder of the Canada-based activist group HongKonger Station and is seeking the Conservative Party nomination in Markham Unionville, Ont.

Hong Kong police say in a statement that the six wanted activists have “escaped abroad.”

The Hong Kong government had previously issued two rounds of arrest warrants and rewards for other prominent activists, including former members of the Legislative Council.

In his Facebook post, Ho joked that the reward given had allowed him to regain some “fugitive dignity.”

“So after all, I’m worth something and it’s hard for me to hide my pride going into 2025,” he said.

Neither Ho nor Tay immediately responded to requests for comment.

— With files from the Associated Press and Chuck Chiang

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 24, 2024.



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