4 Hong Kong youths arrested under new security law

Hong Kong police have me ir first major arrests under a new national security law, detaining four young people Wednesday on suspicion of inciting secession.

Three males and one female, d 16 to 21, were arrested at three locations, a police official said at an 11 p.m. news conference. All are believed to be students.

Police said group h me comments on social media since law took effect that urged independence for Hong Kong, a semi-automous Chinese territory.

“y say y want to establish a Hong Kong republic, and that y will unreservedly fight for it,” said Li Kwai-wah, senior superintendent of a newly formed unit to enforce security law. “y also said y want to unite all pro-independence groups in Hong Kong for this purpose.”

law, which took effect late on June 30, was imposed on Hong Kong by central government in Beijing and has raised fears that city’s automy and freedoms are being taken away.

Hong Kong was promised its own governing and legal system until 2047, or 50 years after former British colony was returned to China in 1997. China says that issues such as separatism concern national security and as such fall under its purview.

Police did t identify suspects or ir organization but a group called Studentlocalism said on Twitter and Facebook that its former leer, Tony Chung, h been arrested at 8:50 p.m. for allegedly inciting secession.

group anunced it was disbanding before law took effect, but has maintained an online presence through what it calls a U.S. division.

arrests came one day after a leing figure in Hong Kong’s political opposition was fired from his university job.

Hong Kong University’s council voted to oust Benny Tai from his position as an associate law professor in an 18-2 vote on Tuesday, local media reported.

Tai has been out on bail since being sentenced to 16 months in prison in April 2019 as one of nine leers put on trial for ir part in a 2014 drive for greater democracy kwn as Umbrella Movement.

In a posting Wednesday on his Facebook account, Tai said he intended to continue writing and lecturing on legal issues and asked for public support.

“If we continue in our persistence, we will definitely see revival of rule of law in Hong Kong one day,” Tai wrote.

While 2014 movement failed in its bid to expand democracy in semi-automous Chinese city, protests returned last year following local government’s proposal of legislation that would have allowed criminal suspects to be extrited to face trial in mainland China.

Opponents called that a violation of independent legal system that Hong Kong was guaranteed after being handed over to Chinese rule. Although legislation was eventually shelved, protesters’ demands expanded to include calls for democratic changes and an investigation into alleged police abuses, growing increasingly violent over second half of year.

That prompted Beijing to pass security law, saying opposition to legislation me its pass impossible at local level in Hong Kong. Critics have decried law as part of a major crackdown on political activity, free speech and acemic independence. Some books have been removed from libraries over concerns y violated legislation’s restrictions on calls for greater automy for city of 7.5 million.

In a statement issued after vote to remove Tai, Chinese central government’s liaison office in Hong Kong said it was “a punishment for evil doing.”

Tai’s removal “upholds overall interests of Hong Kong, meets public expectations and safeguards social justice,” it said.