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Vincent Yu

Third Hong Kong news company shuts in wake of sedition arrests for rival publication

Reporters made clear their decision was fuelled by fears caused by a national security police raid last week on Stand News.

HONG KONG’S CITIZEN News shut down today, with journalists saying they no longer felt safe to publish after a rival outlet’s staff were arrested for “sedition”.

One of the most popular news websites in Hong Kong with more than 800,000 social media followers, CitizenNews is the third media company to stop publishing as Beijing oversees a sweeping crackdown on dissent.

The crowdfunded non-partisan platform, founded in 2017 by a group of veteran journalists, made its shock closure announcement yesterday evening and said its website would stop updating from midnight tomorrow.

On their final day, reporters made clear their decision was fuelled by fears caused by a national security police raid last week on Stand News.

“We have been trying our best not to violate any laws but we can no longer see clearly the lines of law enforcement and we can no longer feel safe to work,” CitizenNews co-founder Chris Yeung, a former president of the Hong Kong Journalists Association, told reporters.

“Journalists are also human beings with families and friends,” he added.

Yeung said their newsroom had not been contacted by law enforcement but that they decided to close based on what they saw was happening to the media.

“Can we work on some ‘safe news’? I don’t even know what is ‘safe news’,” chief editor Daisy Li, also a former HKJA president, told reporters.

As they were speaking, lawmakers in Hong Kong’s new “patriots only” legislature were swearing oaths of allegiance following a new selection process that barred the traditional democracy opposition and saw most candidates chosen by pro-Beijing committees.

Last week 89 of the 90 new lawmakers issued a joint statement welcoming the Stand News raid and arrests.

China’s state-affiliated Global Times welcomed the closure of CitizenNews on Monday.

“Similar to Stand News, it also published articles harshly criticising the central government and also the Communist Party of China,” the paper wrote.

Changing landscape 

Hong Kong had long been a regional and international media hub, even as the city’s press freedom ranking steadily slipped over the last decade.

But in the last 18 months, unprecedented changes have swept through the industry, primarily targeting local press.

Outspoken tabloid Apple Daily collapsed last year after its assets were frozen and key leaders arrested under a new national security law over the content it published.

Stand News closed last week after seven current and former members were arrested for their reporting.

The company, its co-founder Chung Pui-kuen and last chief editor Patrick Lam were charged with “conspiracy to publish seditious publications”. Both journalists were denied bail.

With a few exceptions, remaining local outlets have increasingly toed the official line while new government appointees have turned public broadcaster RTHK into something more closely resembling China’s state media.

Over the weekend Yonden Lhatoo, chief news editor of the South China Morning Post, described Western criticism of failing press freedoms in Hong Kong as “morally bankrupt” because Wikileaks founder Julian Assange remains in a British jail awaiting extradition to the US.

“Flush your own faeces first before you lecture us on sanitation,” he said.

Human and media rights groups like Amnesty International, Reporters Without Borders and the International Federation of Journalists have called for Assange to be released.

Question marks are growing over the future of international media in Hong Kong where companies like AFP, Bloomberg, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, the Economist, Nikkei and the Financial Times all have Asia headquarters or regional offices.

Others such as The New York Times and The Washington Post moved to or opened new Asia offices in South Korea because of the political situation in Hong Kong.

Last month, the Hong Kong government threatened legal action against The Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times for editorials critical of government policy.

In its latest letter to the WSJ responding to an editorial last week titled “No One Is Safe In Hong Kong”, Chief Secretary John Lee accused the newspaper of making “baseless allegations” and said the Stand News arrests had “nothing to do with the freedom of the press”.

© AFP 2022 

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    Mute All Hail Bukowski
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    May 1st 2017, 1:07 PM

    Cue victim blaming brigade and more waffle about how cyclists are the cause of or contributors to their own death. 6 people who ride bikes, 6 father, mothers, grandparents, children killed so far this year. This compares to 10 for the whole of last year. Driver education and safer riding environment are needed. The latter would benefit all including pedestrians and city residents. Very sad statistics.

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    Mute Mr. G
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    May 1st 2017, 1:52 PM

    Should everyone blame the lorry driver instead?? We are all responsible for our actions on yhe roads. The roads are shared but you must keep in mind that it would be easier for the cyclist to see the lorry than the lorry driver see the cyclist. Theres alot to be said for common sense. I certainly wouldn’t like to be in that lorry drivers shoes. Its alot to carry for the rest of your life. Regards to the lorry driver and the cyclists family.

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    Mute Terry McSweeney
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    May 1st 2017, 1:59 PM

    @All Hail Bukowski: most drivers dont cycle and most cyclists dont drive so neither has an appreciation of the difficulties of the other and hence everyone thinks they are right.

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    Mute Michael Carolan
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    May 1st 2017, 2:10 PM

    @Terry McSweeney: while a lot of motorists don’t cycle, most cyclists do drive. Some motorists cocooned in their cars have no idea what’s going on around them.

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    Mute prop joe
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    May 1st 2017, 2:12 PM

    @Mr. G: yes. People turn left and don’t look up. Watch out you could kill someone.

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    Mute Brian O'Loughlin
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    May 1st 2017, 2:21 PM

    I think everyone should be made cycle in Dublin at least once to appreciate what cyclists have to deal with every day. Are they all angels? Of course not but at the end of the day they’re vulnerable road users.

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    Mute Gulliver Foyle
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    May 1st 2017, 2:29 PM

    @Mr. G: the compete blame lies with the officials who have failed time and time again to provide a safe environment for the massive numbers of people who choose to cycle in the city. Like the incident in templeogue, the truck drivers (while more than likely racked with guilt) did not drive in a way that is safe for other road users and failed to show caution for the absolutely rubbish cycle paths that councils think is sufficient to meet some performance indicator. I accept that the normal empathetic response is to absolve the drivers, but like speeding and drink drivers, they are in command of giant machines that can kill people if not operated correctly, as happened here.

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    Mute Michael Carolan
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    May 1st 2017, 3:39 PM

    @Brian O’Loughlin: was thinking about this earlier. Great idea. Should form part of learning to drive to go through the experience of another road user. As a cyclist I am more aware of what is going around me when I drive.

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    Mute Steve Mac
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    May 1st 2017, 4:31 PM

    @Terry McSweeney: well that’s bull for starters. Most cyclists do drive.

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    Mute Larry Doherty
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    May 1st 2017, 9:39 PM

    @All Hail Bukowski: This is what cyclists are up against from bullying and ignorant lorry drivers – probably texting as usual. See link…

    http://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/watch-frightening-handlebar-footage-shows-10279094

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    Mute Alison Morgan
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    May 1st 2017, 2:40 PM

    Since when is Harolds cross in Crumlin?

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    Mute declan burke
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    May 1st 2017, 2:54 PM

    @Alison Morgan: parnell road is in crumlin

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    Mute Lukey
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    May 2nd 2017, 11:39 AM

    @declan burke: If by crumlin you mean Harolds cross then yeah

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    Mute Patricia Delaney
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    May 1st 2017, 3:12 PM

    Address is misleading junction is Harold’s Cross Bridge which is in Harold’s Cross not Crimlin

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    Mute Suzie Sunshine
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    May 1st 2017, 5:00 PM

    @Patricia Delaney: the truck proceeded towards Parnell road.. which is in Crumlin. ..

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    Mute Frank Brennan
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    May 1st 2017, 7:14 PM

    @Suzie Sunshine: The truck was turning left off Grove Rd onto HAROLDS X RD the cyclist RIP was proceeding straight on from Grove Rd onto Parnell Rd according to the report that’s given in this report.Just for your info.That section of Parnell Rd the cyclist .RIP was going towards is in HAROLDS X up to Clogher Rd.

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    Mute Tori Burke
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    May 1st 2017, 5:14 PM

    HGV Trucks are much to big to no on the canal roads there are many other safer routes to take Dangerous junction also used by a lot of school children I had a very young femily member killed by a H G V many years ago they must use safer alternative routes

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    Mute Tony Daly
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    May 1st 2017, 10:43 PM

    Never, ever get caught on the inside of a HGV. Stay out.

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    Mute Larry Doherty
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    May 1st 2017, 9:43 PM

    HGV drivers are inclined to bully other road users because of their size. See link of recent near miss by cyclist in Donegal.

    http://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/watch-frightening-handlebar-footage-shows-10279094

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    Mute William Kelly
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    May 2nd 2017, 7:27 AM

    And require commercial goods & service vehicles to operate off peak, preferably 20.00- 06.00.

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    Mute William Kelly
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    May 2nd 2017, 7:24 AM

    I have to observe that DCC is very negligent in providing proper bike lanes & general traffic streaming for the safety of cyclists.
    Erratic lanes, vanishing & poorly maintained, on street car parking, unregulated truck & van deliveries are obvious failings.
    When will they impose the principle that roads are for travel, not for the storage of cars & other vehicles? Is it not blatantly obvious that if you need or opt to use a vehicle within cities, that you must have somewhere other than the public street to put it when not in use?
    Safety &environmental objectives seem to be second fiddle to parking revenues, & the actual traffic management seems to be minimalist & amateurish.

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