Chinese language authorities arrested family members of a former Hong Kong politician who protested in opposition to the Communist regime’s new “mega-embassy” in London.
Carmen Lau, 30, fled her native Hong Kong 5 years in the past and joined 3,000 others at a rally in February in opposition to plans to construct the 5.5-acre complicated close to Tower Bridge.
In a speech on the occasion, the activist mentioned permitting China to construct the big diplomatic mission sends the “mistaken message” that Britain welcomes authoritarian regimes.
Nevertheless, inside 48 hours of her remarks, Chinese language nationwide safety police arrested her aged aunt and uncle in Hong Kong. They have been detained in morning raids on their properties and questioned for six hours earlier than being launched.
Ms Lau mentioned her family members have been questioned concerning the hyperlinks she nonetheless has to the previous British colony. “They wished to learn about monetary relationships I had with others in Hong Kong and have been serious about my household tree – the opposite family members I’ve in Hong Kong,” she instructed The Mail on Sunday.
Harassment
Ms Lau then believes police used the knowledge they obtained to arrest one other aunt every week later and questioned her for a number of hours as effectively. The activist claims the harassment is the Chinese language regime’s methodology of getting her to cease her “anti-Chinese language” actions within the UK.
Ms Lau was Deputy Secretary-Common of the Civic Occasion, Hong Kong’s second-largest pro-democracy social gathering, which was forcibly dissolved. She was additionally a district councillor.
She resigned her councillor function in 2021, fled the previous British colony and sought refuge within the UK after the Chinese language authorities put her beneath surveillance. She claimed she had undercover law enforcement officials parked outdoors her house and was being adopted. She mentioned she was additionally being harassed by safety personnel and the state media.
Hong Kong authorities positioned her and 5 abroad activists on a wished listing in December.
In February, the campaigner’s neighbours in Berkshire acquired a bounty observe providing greater than £100,000 for details about Ms Lau or anybody who might lure her to the present Chinese language embassy in Marylebone in central London. The observe additionally accused her of inciting protests and colluding with a international energy in opposition to Beijing.
Police maintain again demonstrators throughout a protest outdoors the proposed website of the brand new Chinese language embassy redevelopment in Royal Mint Court docket, east London – Jordan Pettitt/PA
If authorized, the brand new mega-embassy can be 10 instances greater than the present Chinese language embassy and the nation’s largest diplomatic mission in Europe.
The location on the former Royal Mint Court docket in east London would come with places of work, 225 properties and a “cultural trade” constructing.
China purchased the positioning for greater than £255 million in 2018, however Tower Hamlets Borough Council rejected plans for the embassy in 2022.
They didn’t attraction in opposition to the choice amid hypothesis that the Conservative authorities on the time would have backed the council’s resolution. Nevertheless, they resubmitted largely unchanged plans simply weeks after Labour gained final yr’s basic election.
Underground rooms
Nevertheless, Ms Lau raised considerations about underground rooms which the brand new embassy will comprise. Their precise function was redacted on the plans for “safety causes”.
Ms Lau added: “These rooms might be used for interrogations and locking up individuals like us. They might be used to torture us.”
In the course of the February protests, chants of “Battle for freedom, stand with Hong Kong” and “Mega embassy, mega no” reverberated by the crowds. Protesters got here from so far as Scotland, Liverpool, Studying, and Manchester.
Ms Lau mentioned she believes the mega-embassy would grow to be a hub for “transnational repression” by China in central London.
She additionally mentioned the Metropolitan Police had suggested her to not attend public gatherings as she might be attacked and her family members again house might be put at risk.