“Apple Daily must fight on”, the front-page headline read, amid fears the new law erodes media freedoms in the semi-autonomous territory. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday called Lai a “patriot” saying Beijing had “eviscerated” Hong Kong’s freedoms. The Beijing-backed China Daily newspaper said in an editorial Lai’s arrest showed “the cost of dancing with the enemy”. “All Hong Kong people with a conscience have to support Hong Kong today, support Apple Daily.” In another show of support, long queues formed at lunch time at the Cafe Seasons restaurant owned by Lai’s son, Ian, who was also arrested on Monday. The United States last week imposed sanctions on several top officials over what it said was their role in curtailing political freedoms in Hong Kong.

Source: Standard Digital August 11, 2020 11:01 UTC