A pro-democracy activist was arrested for uttering pro-democracy slogans used in the months-long protest movement.
It marked the first time the Hong Kong government used a colonial-era law, drawn up to outlaw insulting the Queen, to crack down on dissent in the city.
Scroll down for the full script.
(Aired on ViuTVSix on 6 September 2020)
Full Script:
“Uttering seditious words.”
It’s an offence under the colonial-era Crimes Ordinance.
That’s what People Power’s Tam Tak-chi was arrested for this morning.
Police nabbed the 47-year-old activist and radio host at his Tai Po home around 10am and brought him to the district’s police station.
(Soundbite, STEVE LI, Senior Superintendent, National Security Department)
“He (engaged) in 29 street booths, in different areas mostly in the Kowloon area between June and August this year. The wordings he used during the street booth, during the propaganda, is bringing hatred and contempt of the government, and also raising the discontent and the disaffection of the Hong Kong people.”
Li didn’t say specifically what words Tam uttered that were seditious.
Instead he directed reporters to “go through” Tam’s social media account.
He also explained why Tam’s arrest was handled by the national security unit, even though Beijing’s law for Hong Kong wasn’t used in this case.
“In the initial part of the investigation, we (were) in the direction of the national security stuff.”
It’s Tam’s fifth arrest related to the ongoing pro-democracy protests.
He was arrested last September, after reportedly taking pictures of riot police.
He was arrested again in May for organising an unlawful assembly, on July 1 for taking part in an unlawful assembly, during a protest against the national security law, and again in mid-July for incitement.
Tam was officially charged in at least two of those occasions and had been out on bail.
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