The Hong Kong authorities have cancelled the passports of six self-exiled activists in Britain. The activists, who are wanted by the city’s police, include former lawmaker Nathan Law Kwun-chung, who obtained asylum in the UK. The Hong Kong government said it exercised its new powers under the Article 23 legislation. Finn Lau Cho-dik, another activist targeted, said he never had a HKSAR passport.
Two UK former judges, Lord Jonathan Sumption and Lord Lawrence Collins, have resigned from Hong Kong’s top court because of the political situation. Sumption wrote a damning article criticising the city’s approach to the rule of law, drawing a lengthy rebuttal from the Hong Kong government. Former Canadian top judge Beverley McLachlin, 80, also said she would step down from the Hong Kong court.
Hong Kong prosecutors have closed their case against pro-democracy Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying after the trial entered the 90th day mark. The trial will resume on July 24, when the court will decide whether Lai has a case to answer. The trial was originally scheduled to last only for 80 days. If convicted, 76-year-old Lai could be sentenced to life in prison.
Hong Kongers living overseas protested in various countries to mark the fifth anniversary of the 2019 mass protests. Demonstrators in London and Toronto both gathered outside the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices in protest, after an officer of the London office was among three men arrested for allegedly spying on Hong Kong activists. Rallies were held in Manchester and Leeds on 12 June, marking the date that police forcefully dispersed protesters outside the Hong Kong Legislative Council in 2019.
Ahead of the general election on 4 July, the UK Liberal Democrats have released their manifesto, which includes a pledge in the international section that states the party will continue to fight for BNO passport holders’ rights by closing gaps in the BNO visa scheme. It will also extend BNO integration funding for Hong Kongers in the UK for the duration of the Parliament. It was the first major party to unveil policies on BNO holders for the election campaign.
Hong Kong drug rehabilitation centre Christian Zheng Sheng College announced it would close as police froze its accounts over a fraud investigation. Four members of staff were arrested in a conspiracy to defraud case, and three former board members of the association are on the wanted list, with some being in the UK. The Hong Kong government hit back and said if two of the fugitives cooperate, the problem could be resolved.
The Hong Kong government has set up a task force to handle a conflict between the University of Hong Kong (HKU) president and its governing body, as the two sides were locked in a row over appointments of the school’s senior management staff. This came after president Zhang Xiang and the HKU Council issued open letters over the governance of the lauded university.
Taiwanese authorities have arrested a Chinese man for entering Taiwan illegally in a speedboat off the coast of Tamsui near Taipei. The 60-year-old man surnamed Ruan was a former navy captain who could have been on a military probe, and he was being held for questioning, the authorities said. Taiwan Defense Minister Wellington Koo said the incident could be another example of China’s “grey zone” tactics aimed at evaluating the situation without engaging in open combat.
Four US college instructors were stabbed in a public park in Jilin Province, China. A 55-year-old man was arrested for the attack. Local police said an assailant with the surname Cui clashed with one of the Americans and then stabbed the person. The Americans were teaching in China as part of a partnership with a Chinese university, according to Cornell College in Iowa.
The Yuntai waterfall in Henan Province, China, was found to be partially relying on a water pipe to keep it flowing. When a video showing the pipe made by a tourist who went up to the top of the popular site went viral, officials admitted the 314-metre waterfall has received a “small enhancement” for the dry season.
