Hong Kong’s national security police on Wednesday arrested a former editor at the now-closed pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, which was forced to shut down weeks ago after authorities freezed its assets.
Lam Man-chung, who was the chief editor of the Apple Daily, was arrested on suspicion of conspiring to collude with foreign forces to endanger national security, according to the South China Morning Post, which cited an anonymous source. He is the eighth person in the middle to be arrested in recent weeks.
Two other former Apple Daily journalists – associate editor and deputy editor-in-chief Chan Pui-man and editorial writer-in-chief Fung Wai-kong – were also detained on Wednesday after their bail was revoked, according to local press reports.
Chan was one of five Apple Daily executives and editors arrested on June 17, and Fung was the first to be arrested at the airport late last month while allegedly attempting to depart on a flight to the UK.
Police said a 51-year-old former publisher was arrested Wednesday in connection with a similar case in June, but did not identify him by name. He also confirmed Wednesday that they had revoked bail agreements for a 51-year-old woman and a 57-year-old man who were arrested in June and are holding them while they investigate further.
Hong Kong Security Minister Chris Tang denied that the arrests would trigger “white terrorism” among journalists – a term that refers to an atmosphere of fear caused by political repression.
“Whoever committed an offense will be arrested, regardless of their background, what they do or what their profession is,” he said.
“Freedom of the press and freedom to publish are important pillars for the success of an international city,” he commented in a post on his Facebook page.
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