Police apparently arrest Hong Kong activist near US consulate

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Democracy activist Tony Chung

Photo: ISAAC LAWRENCE / AFP

The Hong Kong police have reportedly arrested an activist who tried to apply for asylum at the US consulate in the Chinese Special Administrative Region.

According to the Hong Kong newspaper "South China Morning Post" and other local media reports, the student Tony Chung was arrested by officers from the new Hong Kong Security Bureau on Tuesday in a cafe near the consulate.

Chung and three other people who had previously publicly spoken out in favor of Hong Kong's independence from China had been temporarily arrested weeks ago and released on bail.

China passed a controversial "security law" for Hong Kong at the end of June.

It is directed against activities that China sees as subversive, separatist or terrorist.

It is the most extensive encroachment on Hong Kong's autonomy to date and gives China's state security far-reaching powers.

Several prominent supporters of the democracy movement have left Hong Kong as a precautionary measure because of the so-called security law.

Twelve activists who tried to flee Hong Kong to Taiwan by speedboat at the end of August were apprehended by the Chinese coast guard and have been detained on mainland China ever since.

Germany grants refugees from Hong Kong asylum

Last week it became known that Germany had also granted asylum to a refugee from the Chinese special administrative region for the first time since the Security Act came into force.

It is a 22-year-old student who came to Germany last November.

According to figures from the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, a total of three decisions on asylum applications were made by citizens of the former British colony of Hong Kong in the first nine months of this year.

Two were negative.

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mfh / dpa