On September 30, reports quoted information that Tang Haorong, the founder of Hong Kong online media "Boom News - Explosive Head", was arrested.
The Hong Kong Journalists Association paid attention to the incident and pointed out that Tang Ho-wing was the first journalist to be arrested in the public domain for incitement after the "Maintenance of National Security Ordinance" (commonly known as "Article 23") came into effect.
Tang Haorong was one of the arrestees in the recent arrests by the National Crime Branch of the Hong Kong Police.
On August 31 this year, some people stood holding bouquets of flowers and shouting slogans outside MTR Prince Edward Station. The police took multiple law enforcement actions and arrested a total of eight people on suspicion of violating Article 23 of "committing acts with seditious intent".
On the same day in 2019, anti-extradition law demonstrators and passengers clashed in a subway train. A large number of police officers attended the scene and the law enforcement process was questioned. It was called the "8·31 Incident".
Police have arrested a total of eight people so far
On the morning of September 30, Sing Tao Daily was the first to report that Tang Ho-wing was arrested, accusing him of publishing false news for incitement. The report attached several photos of police officers wearing National Security Department (NSD) vests escorting Tang Ho-wing. In the photos, Tang Ho-wing was locked with handcuffs and his hands were tied behind his back.
Late at night on the same day, the police issued a press release stating that someone stood outside Prince Edward MTR Station on the evening of August 31, holding a bouquet, shouting "inflammatory slogans" and suspected of spreading false news.
On September 30, the police arrested a man and a woman on suspicion of violating Article 24 of the Maintenance of National Security Ordinance, which is the crime of "committing acts with seditious intent with seditious intent." Before the operation, the police obtained a court search warrant to search their residence and seize evidence. The two were detained for investigation.
According to information quoted by local media, the arrested persons were Tang Haorong and dentist Li Yingzi.
It is reported that Tang Haorong graduated from the Computer Science Department of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He runs the online media "Boom News" and is active on social platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Threads. He mainly broadcasts live broadcasts and reports as an independent reporter.
After checking the clips on social platforms, "Boom News" interviewed Li Yingzi, who was intercepted that night, and mentioned that citizens "brought flowers to mourn" and "the unknown truth about August 31" and so on.
The National Security Department of the Police stated that it had previously carried out operations on September 3, 27 and 28, and arrested a total of three men and three women on related charges. All of them have been released on bail pending investigation.
According to reports, those arrested on September 3 were Chen Guanxu, a member of the "Mong Kok Jiu Wu Group" and former district councilor Feng Jingwen, and the other person was a man surnamed Tam.
The police stressed that the so-called "831 Incident" has no factual basis, describing some people as using it to spread lies, attack the Hong Kong government and smear the police force in an attempt to achieve their political goals by endangering social peace. They also stated that arrests would continue.
Events of concern to the Journalists Association
The Hong Kong Journalists Association issued a statement stating that some media quoted sources as saying that Tang Ho-wing's arrest was related to his live broadcast of the "8·31" event; the relevant charges have worried many frontline journalists, because live broadcast is to truthfully report the events at the scene, and recording and live broadcasting the current situation in public places is basic journalism work.
The Journalists Association pointed out that if a reporter is arrested simply for reporting on the scene, or the content of the report is different from the official statement, all frontline reporters will bear the same risk when covering public events in the future.
The Journalists Association requires the police to publicly explain the specific actions of Tang Haorong that he is accused of violating the law, and whether the arrest is related to his interviewing and reporting work.
