Former Hong Kong lawmaker and prop-democracy activist Ted Hui has on Sunday alleged that his local bank accounts appeared to have been frozen after he said he would seek exile in Britain to continue his pro-democratic activities.
In a message sent to Reuters via the social media Whatsapp, Hui said that the bank accounts belonging to him, his wife and his parents in Bank of China Hong Kong, HSBC and Hang Seng Bank were frozen. He stated this without giving any further details.
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Pro-Democracy activists have lamented that conditions have worsened in the former British colony after China imposed security legislation on the financial hub in June. The legislature made anything Beijing regards as subversion, secession, terrorism or colluding with foreign forces punishable by up to life in prison report say.
However, China, which promises Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy, denies curbing rights and freedoms in the peninsular. Recently, authorities in Hong Kong and Beijing moved swiftly to quash opposition after anti-government protests that engulfed the city erupted last year.
Local media has collaborated the claim of Hui, reporting that at least five accounts worth hundreds of thousands of U.S. dollars belonging to Hui and his family, all of whom are now in Britain, had been inaccessible since Saturday.
According to Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post, Hui was told there were ‘remarks’ placed on his accounts when he contacted the banks but the staff refused to provide further information.
A Hang Seng Bank spokesman while responding to Reuters request for comment by email said: ‘We do not comment on the details of individual accounts.’ HSBC and BOC did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Hui account being freezing is sequel to statement he made on Thursday that he had fled after facing criminal charges and would seek exile in Britain. As one of the pro-democracy activists arrested last month and charged with disturbing legislature proceedings, Hui arrived in Copenhagen last week on an official invitation from Danish lawmakers.
Hui was one of several opposition lawmakers who resigned from Hong Kong’s Legislative Council last month in protest for the dismissal of four colleagues in what they called another push by Beijing to suppress democracy in the city.
Hong Kong’s Security Bureau in a statement on Friday, while not naming Hui, said ‘running away by jumping bail and using various excuses such as so-called ‘exile’ to avoid one’s responsibility is a shameful, hypocritical and cowardly act of recoil.’
AFRICA DAILY NEWS, NEW YORK
