Page 8 - AHATA

A6 WORLD NEWS
Friday 15 december 2023

Hong Kong places arrest bounties on activists abroad for

breaching national security law

By KANIS LEUNG eight has yet been made.
Associated Press Li said the five activists new-
HONG KONG (AP) — Hong ly added to the wanted list
Kong police accused five had committed various of-
activists based overseas of fenses, including colluding
breaching a harsh national with foreign forces and in-
security law imposed by citement to secession.
Beijing and offered rewards “They all betrayed their
of 1 million Hong Kong dol- own country and betrayed
lars ($128,000) on Thursday Hong Kong,” he said in the
for information leading to news conference. “After
each of their arrests. they fled overseas, they
The development further continued to engage in
intensified the Hong Kong activities endangering na-
government’s crackdown tional security.”
on dissidents after anti-gov- Li said authorities will try
ernment protests in 2019. their best to cut financial
Many leading pro-democ- support to the wanted ac-
racy activists were arrested, tivists.
silenced, or forced into self- Police arrested four other
exile after the introduction people Wednesday on sus-
of the security law in 2020, picion of funding former
in a sign that freedoms pro-democracy lawmak-
promised to the former Brit- Hong Kong police announce a new list of five Hongkongers that they want to arrest for alleged ers Nathan Law and Ted
ish colony when it returned national security crimes, at a press conference in Hong Kong, Friday, Dec. 14, 2023. Hui two of the eight activ-
Associated Press
to China in 1997 had been ists targeted by the police
eroded drastically. on current affairs, and pro- In July, Hong Kong warned Steve Li, chief superinten- in July through an “online
But both Beijing and Hong democracy activists Simon eight other activists who dent of the police national subscription and crowd-
Kong governments have Cheng, Hui Wing-ting and now live abroad that they security department, said funding platform.” The four
hailed the security law for Joey Siu. Police refused to would be pursued for life authorities received some were alleged to have pro-
bringing back stability to say anything about their under bounties put on 500 pieces of informa- vided financial support to
the semi-autonomous Chi- whereabouts, but their so- them. It was the first such tion since the last round of others committing seces-
nese city. Arrest warrants cial media profiles and ear- use under the security law, bounties was announced. sion. The amount involved
were issued for Johnny Fok lier media reports indicated and the authorities’ an- While some of the infor- ranged from 10,000 to
and Tony Choi, who host a they had moved to the nouncement drew criticism mation was valuable to 120,000 Hong Kong dollars
YouTube channel focusing United States and Britain. from Western governments. the police, no arrest of the ($1,280 to $15,400).q

Guyana says it refuses to bow to Venezuela in dispute over

territory rich in oil and minerals

By BERT WILKINSON the eastern Caribbean is- who had pushed for the friendly, neutral grounds in Essequibo.
Associated Press land of St. Vincent. They meeting at the Argyle In- like St. Vincent and the And both sides have put
KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent clasped hands before sit- ternational Airport on St. Grenadines,” he said their militaries on alert. It
(AP) — The small South ting down to talk behind Vincent. Guyana’s gov- Venezuela’s president has was unclear if Thursday’s
American nation of Guy- closed doors as leaders ernment has said that it is ordered state-owned com- meetings would lead to
ana said it refuses to bow around them clapped. awaiting a ruling from the panies to explore and ex- any agreements or ease
to its larger neighbor Ven- Maduro said ahead of International Court of Jus- ploit the oil, gas and mines the border controversy.q
ezuela Thursday before the the meeting that, “we will tice in The Netherlands and
two countries met in the lat- make the most of it so that said in its statement Thurs-
est chapter of a bitter dis- our Latin America and the day that regional leaders
pute over an oil- and min- Caribbean remains a zone “concurred with Guyana’s
eral-rich territory claimed of peace.” The tension over position.”
by both. Essequibo has raised wor- Leaders were meeting be-
Who controls Essequibo, a ries about a military conflict hind closed doors Thursday
vast border region located even though many believe and could not be imme-
along Venezuela’s border that unlikely. diately reached for com-
“is not up for discussion, ne- The dispute over Essequibo ment.
gotiation or deliberation,” escalated when Venezu- But ahead of the meeting,
Guyana’s government ela reported that its citizens Ralph Gonsalves, prime
said. had voted in a Dec. 3 refer- minister of St. Vincent and
The statement was issued endum to claim two-thirds the Grenadines, said that
shortly before Guyanese of their smaller neighbor. “to use a cricket metaphor, Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali, right, walks with St. Vincent
President Irfaan Ali and Ali and Maduro first met this is not a one-day cricket and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves as Ali
Venezuelan President Nico- individually Thursday with match.” arrives to the Argyle International Airport in Argyle, St. Vincent,
lás Maduro met with each prime ministers and other “The fact that they will be Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023.
other later at a summit on officials from the region talking is very important on Associated Press