16/12/2025

TUESDAY | DEC 16, 2025

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Britain calls for his immediate release LONDON: Britain condemned the “politically motivated prosecution” of Jimmy Lai and called for his immediate release, in a statement issued yesterday. “The UK condemns the politically motivated prosecution of Jimmy Lai that has resulted in today’s guilty verdict,” Britain’s Foreign Office said on X. “Jimmy Lai has been targeted by the Chinese and Hong Kong governments for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression ... We continue to call for Mr Lai’s CHIEF Executive John Lee said he welcomed the court’s verdict and that the ruling upheld legal justice and safeguarded Hong Kong’s core values. He said the government will study the judgment in detail and issue a more comprehensive statement later. “I stress that the HKSAR Government has a clear standing and the judiciary is confident and unafraid of any intimidation and firmly discharges its responsibility to safeguard national security,” Lee told reporters. CHINA’S National Security Office in Hong Kong called Lai a “pawn of external anti China forces” who attempted a “colour revo lution” in the city. “We strongly condemn the political manipulation of Hong Kong by a small number of Western politicians and anti China media under the guise of ‘human rights’ and ‘freedom’, openly exonerating Jimmy Lai, glorifying his behavior endangering national security, and grossly interfering in Hong Kong’s judiciary.” IN A statement signed by 76 lawmakers from 30 parliaments, IPAC condemn the guilty verdict. “Had the Sino-British Joint Declaration and other binding instruments of international law been honoured by Beijing, this prosecution could never have proceeded. Jimmy Lai’s suffering is therefore due, in part, to the failure of the international community to enforce China’s legal obliga tions ... This was a sham trial that fell far short of international fair-trial standards.” – The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) “THIS ruling serves as a declaration to the world that Hong Kong’s freedoms, democ racy, and judicial independence have been systematically eroded.” – Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council “I HAVE known Lai not as a symbol, but as a man – an editor, a believer, and someone who refused to accept that power should decide what may be said, printed, or believed. From that vantage point, today’s verdicts are not surprising. But they are still devastating.” – Exiled activist Samuel Chu “THIS verdict shows ...‘national security’laws are not in place to protect people, but to silence them. It should also serve as a warn ing to all people doing business in Hong Kong: that pursuing opportunities in the city comes with severe legal risks. “This verdict is not just about one man: it is the latest step in a systematic crackdown on freedom of expression: targeting not only protests and political parties, but the very idea that people can – indeed, should – hold power to account.” – Amnesty international China director Sarah Brooks “THIS sham conviction is a disgraceful act of persecution. The ruling underscores Hong Kong’s utter contempt for press freedom, which is supposed to be protected under the city’s mini-constitution, the Basic Law. Jimmy Lai’s only crime is running a newspa per and defending democracy. The risk of him dying from ill health in prison increases as each day passes – he must be reunited with his family immediately.” – Committee to Protect Journalists immediate release.” – Reuters Comments on the verdict:

HK media tycoon convicted

Apple Daily newspaper has been behind bars since 2020. His case has been widely criticised as an example of eroding political freedoms under the national security law Beijing imposed on Hong Kong following huge and sometimes violent pro democracy protests in 2019. “The predictability of today’s verdict does not make it any less dismaying – the conviction of Jimmy Lai feels like the death knell for press freedom in Hong Kong,” Amnesty International said in a statement. Reporters Without Borders called the “unlawful conviction” illustrative of “the alarming deterioration of media freedom in the territory”, while the Committee to Protect Journalists called it a “sham conviction” and “a disgraceful act of persecution”. Beijing said on Friday it “firmly supports” Hong Kong in “safeguarding national security” from criminal acts. Lai once described himself as a “born rebel” and defied the Communist Party for years while amassing millions from his clothing and media empires. The 78-year-old is a British citizen and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces pressure from rights

including at the coast, Thai Defence Ministry spokesperson Surasant said. Cambodia said Thai forces had used drones and heavy artillery, alongside deploying F-16 jets for airstrikes in Siem Reap Province, which houses the country’s second largest city and the major tourist centre of Angkor Wat. “It is also noteworthy that the number of fighter jets and cluster bombs used by the Thai military to attack Cambodia has been increasing significantly,” said Cambodia Defence Ministry spokesperson Maly Socheata. – Reuters groups to secure his release. Before the verdict, another former Apple Daily employee surnamed Chan recalled that Lai wished for a “free and democratic China”. “He loved the country a lot, he just didn’t love the regime. (The situation) is absurd,” Chan said outside court. Lai looked thinner than when he first entered custody, and some of the dozens of supporters who gathered at dawn in front of the court expressed concern for his wellbeing. “I really want to see what’s happening with ‘the boss,’ to see if his health has deteriorated,” said Tammy Cheung, who worked at Lai’s newspaper for nearly two decades. Lai’s family recently said he had lost weight and had visible decay to his nails and teeth since his long imprisonment. His daughter Claire said last week that Lai, a diabetic, had “lost a very significant amount of weight” and showed nail and teeth decay. National security police chief superintendant Steve Li told a press conference yesterday that Claire Lai’s concerns as to her father’s health were smearing. Authorities have said Lai was receiving “adequate and comprehensive” care, and that he had been held in solitary confinement “at his own request”. Prosecutors cited 161 items Apple Daily published in their case against Lai. Those items, including opinion articles with Lai’s byline and talk shows he hosted, were deemed seditious under a colonial-era law because they “excited disaffection” against the government. Prosecutors also accused Lai of being the mastermind and financial backer of the protest group “Stand with Hong Kong, Fight for Freedom”. Lai countered that he had never sought to influence other countries’ foreign policies, saying Apple Daily represented Hongkongers’ core values: “Rule of law, freedom, pursuit of democracy, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly”. Apple Daily was forced to close in 2021 following police raids. Six top executives were charged as co defendants and have already pleaded guilty. – AFP

o Lai countered he never sought to influence other countries’ foreign policies

HONG KONG: Media tycoon Jimmy Lai was found guilty yesterday on three national security charges, a conviction rights groups denounced as a death knell for press freedoms in the financial hub. Prosecutors said Lai was the mastermind behind two conspiracies to ask foreign countries to take action against Hong Kong or China, and accused him of publishing materials they said “excited disaffection” against the government. The 78-year-old, who pleaded not guilty to the charges, now faces a maximum penalty of life in prison when he is sentenced. He can appeal the convictions. “There is no doubt that (Lai) had harboured his resentment and hatred of the PRC for many of his adult years,” Judge Esther Toh told the court, referring to the People’s Republic of China. “His constant invitation to the US to help bring down the Government of the PRC with the excuse of helping the people of HK would be analogous to the situation Lai espoused: 0 rule of law 0 freedom 0 pursuit of democracy 0 freedom of speech 0 freedom of religion 0 freedom of assembly

where an American national asks for help from Russia to bring down the US government under the guise of helping the State of California.” Lai, wearing a light green cardigan and grey jacket, looked impassive as he listened to the verdicts with folded arms, and did not speak. As he left, he nodded to his wife Teresa and his son Lai Shun-yan, who were sitting in the public gallery, a reporter inside the court saw. His defence lawyer Robert Pang told reporters as he left court that Lai “is in fine spirits”. Dozens of police officers were deployed around the West Kowloon court in the morning, with an armoured car positioned nearby. Consular representatives, including those from the United States, the European Union and France, were among those in attendance, as well as veterans from Hong Kong’s pro-democracy camp, including Cardinal Joseph Zen and former legislator Emily Lau. The founder of the now-shut

Thailand cuts Laos fuel route BANGKOK: Thailand’s military said yesterday that it has stopped fuel shipments passing through a border checkpoint with Laos because of fears they were being diverted to Cambodia. The Laotian Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

Singapore is the largest supplier of these fuels to Cambodia, Kpler ship-tracking data showed, with volumes so far this year totalling around 915,000 tonnes. Volumes from Thailand have fallen to around 30,000 tonnes this year, from less than 180,000 tonnes last year, the data showed. In a statement issued on Friday, Thailand’s Energy Ministry said there had been no exports of oil to Cambodia after July. Fighting is continuing at least nine locations along the frontier, with heavy exchanges of firing across four border provinces,

The military is also considering limiting the movement of Thai vessels into “high-risk areas” in Cambodian waters where they could be fired upon, a navy official said, adding that any such measures would not affect shipments from other countries. A sizeable portion of Cambodia’s refined fuel imports comes via the sea route, according to trade sources, though an exact percentage of market share could not be confirmed.

Thailand’s military has restricted the movement of all fuel supplies through the Chong Mek border crossing after receiving intelligence that these were being routed to Cambodian troops, said Thai Defence Ministry spokesperson Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri. “Our intention is not to cause impacts on the Lao people or government,” he said.