HONG KONG: Hong Kong’s national security police arrested a man on Saturday (Dec 6) in the first publicly confirmed arrest relating to criticism of authorities over a high-rise apartment blaze that killed at least 159 people.
Police said he had been accused of posting “information with seditious intention” on social media.
“That mainly included (materials intending to) incite hatred among (others) toward the Hong Kong government and the central government,” Steve Li, chief superintendent of the police National Security Department, told reporters.
“For example, he pointed to the Hong Kong and the central governments as instigators of exploiting the tragedy to cause chaos and turmoil,” he said. “That’s something totally impossible.”
Local media reported other arrests earlier but authorities have not confirmed them.
The fire, which broke out Nov 26 at the Wang Fuk Court housing complex, has prompted a debate about government accountability.
Authorities have warned against attempts to use the fire to try to undermine the local government or the central government in Beijing. Hong Kong is part of China but, like nearby Macau, has its own legal system and laws. Both are former European colonies that were returned to China in the late 1990s.
Police said the man had also been arrested on suspicion of disclosing information related to a national security probe, possibly with the intent of prejudicing the investigation.
On Dec 2, he was asked to go to a police station to assist with a national security investigation, according to police. “But on the following day, we discovered that he had brazenly released all (or) some of those details on social media,” said Li, despite being warned not to disclose the information publicly.
He said officials believed the 71-year-old man was attempting to tip off others involved in the case.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/hong-kong-fire-man-arrested-social-media-posts-5565566
