Hong Kong democrats yesterday accused China of jailing one of their members on trumped-up prostitution charges in a bid to disgrace a political movement Beijing has been feuding with for more than seven years.
Alex Ho, 46, a Democratic Party candidate in the city's upcoming legislative elections, was arrested last weekend in southern Dongguan and jailed for six months, party official Fred Li said.
PHOTO: AP
Garment salesman Ho was on a business trip when he was awoken in his hotel room by "public security" officers on Friday morn-ing, Li said.
They dragged Ho from his bed and beat him before planting women's underwear and condoms in his room. Officers then produced a woman they claimed was a prostitute, Li said.
The incident caused panic within the Democratic Party, which has been in a political tussle with China over the pace of democratic reforms since the city moved from British colonial to Chinese rule in 1997.
Li said Ho's detention was politically motivated.
"From the way that the mainland security police handled the case, there are a lot of suspicious points," said Li, a senior party official and fellow candidate.
"There are reasons why I suspect this is politically motivated; it is designed to demoralize the Democratic Party."
Ho's distraught wife was travelling to the southern Chinese city where her husband is being kept "in a hard-labor detention camp," Li said.
"She has absolute faith in her husband and believes he has been unfairly treated. This allegation is completely out of character. We are very disturbed and shocked by this, especially the speed with which he was jailed without trial," he said.
It is expected to make huge gains at the expense of parties sympathetic with the regime in Beijing.
Ho's incarceration would exclude him from contesting the Sept. 12 poll, however, denting the party's chances in a constituency considered crucial by the democrats.
Although a Dongguan public security bureau official said the case was being looked into, the Dongguan City Government said it was not aware of the incident.
Hong Kong's government said it had taken up the case, however, and would follow it "actively."
"We will talk to Mr Ho's wife before we contact the relevant security bureau -- they have not contacted us," said Hong Kong Secretary for Security Ambrose Lee (
Seven people sustained mostly minor injuries in an airplane fire in South Korea, authorities said yesterday, with local media suggesting the blaze might have been caused by a portable battery stored in the overhead bin. The Air Busan plane, an Airbus A321, was set to fly to Hong Kong from Gimhae International Airport in southeastern Busan, but caught fire in the rear section on Tuesday night, the South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said. A total of 169 passengers and seven flight attendants and staff were evacuated down inflatable slides, it said. Authorities initially reported three injuries, but revised the number
‘BALD-FACED LIE’: The woman is accused of administering non-prescribed drugs to the one-year-old and filmed the toddler’s distress to solicit donations online A social media influencer accused of filming the torture of her baby to gain money allegedly manufactured symptoms causing the toddler to have brain surgery, a magistrate has heard. The 34-year-old Queensland woman is charged with torturing an infant and posting videos of the little girl online to build a social media following and solicit donations. A decision on her bail application in a Brisbane court was yesterday postponed after the magistrate opted to take more time before making a decision in an effort “not to be overwhelmed” by the nature of allegations “so offensive to right-thinking people.” The Sunshine Coast woman —
BORDER SERVICES: With the US-funded International Rescue Committee telling clinics to shut by tomorrow, Burmese refugees face sudden discharge from Thai hospitals Healthcare centers serving tens of thousands of refugees on the Thai-Myanmar border have been ordered shut after US President Donald Trump froze most foreign aid last week, forcing Thai officials to transport the sickest patients to other facilities. The International Rescue Committee (IRC), which funds the clinics with US support, told the facilities to shut by tomorrow, a local official and two camp committee members said. The IRC did not respond to a request for comment. Trump last week paused development assistance from the US Agency for International Development for 90 days to assess compatibility with his “America First” policy. The freeze has thrown
PINEAPPLE DEBATE: While the owners of the pizzeria dislike pineapple on pizza, a survey last year showed that over 50% of Britons either love or like the topping A trendy pizzeria in the English city of Norwich has declared war on pineapples, charging an eye-watering ￡100 (US$124) for a Hawaiian in a bid to put customers off the disputed topping. Lupa Pizza recently added pizza topped with ham and pineapple to its account on a food delivery app, writing in the description: “Yeah, for ￡100 you can have it. Order the champagne too! Go on, you monster!” “[We] vehemently dislike pineapple on pizza,” Lupa co-owner Francis Wolf said. “We feel like it doesn’t suit pizza at all,” he said. The other co-owner, head chef Quin Jianoran, said they kept tinned pineapple
RSS