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'Unless Chow Ting surrenders, she will be hunted for life,' HKSAR CE John Lee says

Global Times

By Global Times Published: Dec 05, 2023 12:00 PM Updated: Dec 05, 2023 01:04 PM

Unless anti-government figure Chow Ting surrenders and turns herself in, otherwise she will be hunted for life, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government CE John Lee said on Tuesday, emphasizing that the Hong Kong police will fully pursue any criminal who endangers national security.

In a press conference ahead of the Executive Council on Tuesday, Lee labeled Chow a fugitive suspected of colluding with foreign forces. Unless she surrenders herself, the HKSAR government will pursue her relentlessly for the rest of her life, the CE said.

Lee also criticized Chow, a former core member of a now disbanded group of young anti-government figures including Joshua Wong Chi-fung, calling her actions a betrayal of trust and an attempt to garner sympathy through fabrications.

"Law enforcement officers tried to deal with her leniently, but their goodwill was met with deceit, which is the most disappointing thing," Lee said, noting that authorities will review the matter.

Chow applied for a university in Canada earlier this year and requested for approval to leave the city to the police's national security department. She was then asked to write letter of apology, promising that she will not participate in political movements or make contact with relevant individuals. After she met certain requirements of the police, Chow obtained a passport in September and left Hong Kong to Toronto, Canada, local media reported.

As Chow wrote in social media reports, those requirements included a visit to Shenzhen, city in South China's Guangdong neighboring Hong Kong in addition to a letter of apology. Lee said on Tuesday that he won't comment on the details of the case, and will leave it to the law enforcement authorities.

Chow, the fugitive, is suspected of colluding with foreign forces and has become a foreign agent, serving as a reminder to Hong Kong residents on the influence of the foreign forces on the city and their national security threat.

Lee also warned that the influence of foreign forces should not be overlooked, as "their interference in Hong Kong affairs for political gain has never ceased." He also mentioned the wounds of the 2019 black-clad riot in Hong Kong, saying, that "it caused us intense pain, so much so that it was hard to sleep."

Lee also emphasized that authorities should advance at full speed to implement legislation associated to Article 23 and ensure that it can be completed in 2024.

Article 23 of the Basic Law stipulates that the HKSAR government shall enact laws on its own to prohibit any act of treason, secession, sedition or subversion against the central government. While the National Security Law (NSL) for Hong Kong is a big umbrella that safeguards security in the HKSAR, while more detailed security protections are needed from Article 23, experts said.