HK arrests lawmakers in blow to opposition

Bloomberg

Two Hong Kong opposition politicians known for protesting against the city’s China-backed administration were among 16 people arrested on Wednesday, according to police, in the latest blow to the pro-democracy movement.
Democratic Party lawmakers Ted Hui and Lam Cheuk-ting were arrested at their homes, their party said in a statement.
The developments come in the wake of a sweeping national security law China imposed on Hong Kong in late June, leading to the arrest of more than a dozen people so far — including prominent activist and media tycoon Jimmy Lai. It did not initially appear that the arrests of the group including Hui and Lam were related to the new legislation.
“This is an arbitrary arrest,” Democratic Party chairman
Wu Chi-wai said. “It creates a chilling effect for lawmakers and citizens when expressing opinions. We strongly condemn this act. It does not help the current political dilemma in Hong Kong.” The party said the arrests related to two incidents: A protest last year in the Tuen Mun neighbourhood, and a separate incident linked to a July 2019 mob attack on bystanders in the suburb of Yuen Long.
In a briefing on Wednesday, police said that a lawmaker and a bank vice-president were among those arrested.
Hui, a frequent participant in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests, recently attracted attention for throwing a container of rotten plants on the floor during a bill debate at the Legislative Council.
Lam attempted to intervene in the Yuen Long attack on July 21, 2019. He was charged with rioting in relation to that incident, and of conspiring with others to damage property and obstruct the course of justice in Tuen Mun that July 6, according to a tweet posted to his account by an administrator.
The high-profile Yuen Long incident saw men in white shirts beat up a crowd at a subway station, including people wearing the black shirts favored by protesters. It triggered accusations by activists who said police had deliberately chosen not to intervene fast enough to stop the attack, even as they suppressed protests elsewhere.
Police have denied those accusations, and officer repeated an earlier denial of additional allegations that they had coordinated with the assailants.