An editorial writer for recently shuttered newspaper Apple Daily was arrested on charges of “collusion with foreign power” at the airport while trying to leave Hong Kong, according to a report.
Fung Wai-kong, the paper’s chief editorial writer and managing editor of the English-language edition, was arrested Sunday night at a Hong Kong Airport, according to Hong Kong Citizen News.
The writer is reportedly being held at a police station inside the airport. Police told Citizen News that Fung was arrested for “conspiracy to collude with foreign countries or foreign forces to endanger national security.” The arrest is believed to be connected to his past work with Apple Daily. Police said more arrests were expected.
While a number of independent news sources still publish on the internet, Apple Daily had been the last pro-democracy newspaper in Hong Kong.
Apple Daily published its last paper on Thursday after pro-Chinese police and government agencies spent years cracking down on the paper by raiding its offices, arresting editors and freezing bank accounts.
Jimmy Lai, the paper’s founder, was arrested last year under similar circumstances. He was quickly given a 20-month sentence for taking part in illegal assemblies.
