Anti-China dissidents “pursued for life” with a $200,000 bounty | 60 Minutes Australia

China's Crackdown on descent is getting more extreme and Bizarre by the day in an outrageous abuse of power the probation leader of Hong Kong has announced a bounty on the heads of eight pro-democracy activists John Lee says he'll pay two hundred thousand dollars for the capture of each one and it's not an idle threat he's promised to hunt them down and make them suffer for the rest of their living days thankfully the dissidents have found Refuge outside of China including two now in Australia but that doesn't lessen the fear they feel [Music] they are the most unassuming fugitives but make no mistake Kevin yam and Ted Hoy are wanted men targets of China's Communist Regime with a price on their heads all because they dared to stand up for democracy and freedom so sitting in front of me you are two of the most Wanted men in Hong Kong yes I assume can you believe it I never imagined being in this position myself backed when I first joined politics it's unbelievable thank you very much this looks really nice thank you thank you Kevin a lawyer and Ted a former politician a two of eight Hong Kong dissidents declared enemies of the state in an audacious move by the pro-baging rulers of the former British territory I mean what would they have to fear from you from the two of you um I would have thought there's nothing to fear from us I mean we're as boring as can be really I mean it's not fear you know authoritarian regime they just don't enjoy criticisms they don't like it they won't silent you because you're in the way you're a pain so I think that's why basically so that they can stay in power forever the Hong Kong's National Security Department has issued a bounty if the Hong Kong authorities intended to send shock waves around the world they succeeded a two hundred thousand dollar Bounty placed on the heads of eight pro-democracy activists that Hong Kong's chief executive John Lee has charmingly taken to describing as Street rats the only way for a wanted individual to end their life on the run is through surrender otherwise they will be wanted for life living in constant fear of arrests and living their days in anxiety [Applause] residents were part of the pro swept Hong Kong in 2019 but what's extraordinary is that all of them are now living in Exile overseas in the UK the US and Canada and here in Australia even more galling Kevin is an Australian citizen Kevin how did you find out there was a bounty out for your head I was actually watching a YouTube clip of Pat cummins's Victory press conference from the Lord's Cricket test and then halfway through a Twitter notification came up someone tagged me saying that uh there's an arrest warrant on me for collusion foreign forces that's how I found out what yeah yeah so so basically I had Paddy come in for company when I found out that I had a bounty over my head can't get more Australian than that I mean you're laughing about it but how did it feel it felt weird and the first thing that came to my mind was a lot of my friends in Hong Kong who are currently in jail and it almost feels like uh we are no longer just um escaping the persecution we are with them Kevin grew up here but for 17 years he carved out a successful legal career in Hong Kong where he became a mild-mannered campaigner for democracy and the rule of law my day job in Hong Kong was a big end of town Financial Services lawyer by rights I should be one of the establishment people and now um as John Lee likes to call us the street rats in the middle of a well-to-do Adelaide suburb is an enormous and hugely controversial Chinese Consulate surrounded by security fences and bristling with CCTV cameras this is as close to Chinese territory as Ted Hui dares to get this is quite the compound it's huge it's huge it's the largest one in in the world the largest Chinese Consulate in the world here in little old Adelaide it's a spy center so it's spying on you know Australians defense facilities now they can't be spying on me but I mean it really smacks you in the face doesn't it yes but at the same time I'm expecting them in the face that I'm walking outside and I'm not afraid tear to his new beer [Music] as a pro-democracy politician he battled for Hong Kong's freedoms at Great personal cost a leading figure in protests on the streets he's been arrested many times speaking here at the gates of this compound is just another active defiance one step inside ends then my life is over but I need them to know that Hong kongers are still here we're still speaking up for freedom of democracy even we are away even we're in Exile but as the father of two kids it's the security of his family that worries Ted the most they can really do terrible things you know taking kids you know kidnapping it happened to many dissidents overseas so it can happen to me it's a scary thought it's not very likely but it's possible for you know criminals hired by the regimes to do that so I I would be cautious about that I'd like to now introduce Kevin Yan as for Kevin it may have been a video appearance before the US Congress earlier this month the saw him accused of collusion with a foreign country but the truth is he has no idea why he's now among Hong Kong's Most Wanted and finally I knew I mean I wouldn't have thought that a nerd who just likes talking about a lot of stuff would be a threat to them this is the thing I mean you're living your your living ordinary life here in Melbourne as an Australian citizen yeah that's right enjoying the footy on the weekend with your friends yep and suddenly you find yourself on a Chinese hit list I think they're just scared of everything right that's how I say a concern anything can be a threat these are thought crimes essentially and speech crimes so if we think in the Australian context we should lock up John Howard for Iraq or we should lock up Dan Andrews for uh covert restrictions and we take that as part of normal political discourse right whereas in Hong Kong they're saying that you're including foreign forces and therefore um and therefore you should go to jail for that and what makes it worse is that the allegations they made against me all relate to things that I did while I'm in Australia as an Australian citizen exercising my Democratic rights of free speech and and that's just that that's just absolutely ludicrous it's a bit of a catch-all phrases in a national security law you don't quite know where the red line is whatever they don't like they say it's National Security anything can be National Security right these days Hong Kong's hardliners appear to view speaking up for democracy as a crime worse than rape or murder and as you'll see they make no apologies for chasing down perceived troublemakers wherever they are in the world we don't seek to exterminate them in fact if they go through our Correctional Services System we will try to rehabilitate them so Hong Kong in your view has the right to Target pro-democracy activists in other countries call Regina IP Hong Kong's Iron Lady as haunchly pro-beijing politician who's fully behind the hard line being taken against those who speak up for Freedom why did Hong Kong put bounties on the heads of eight people we didn't use the word you know the word it sounds like Clint Eastwood movie these are people who have been allegedly involved in serious criminal activities collusion worth foreign government you know or external elements and incisement of regime change regime change is overthrow of the government these are all natural serious National Security offenses [Music] Hong Kong's catch all national security law was brought in to crush the pro-democracy protests that raged for months what's different now three years on is the projection of that law overseas to anywhere pro-democracy activists might be we aren't dealing with revolutionaries here we're dealing with Ordinary People attempting to exercise ordinary civil political rights and that's why it's such an astounding overreach by Hong Kong journalist and author Richard McGregor is a China analyst with the Lowe Institute for all his years of expertise he's still stunned by the sheer audacity of Hong Kong's move what does Beijing have to fear from these eight dissidents these eight political activists well that's a remarkable thing about all this why would you do this what do they have to fear this is the way of the current chief executive John Lee to prove to China that he's tougher than tough and I think he wanted to do that and he wanted to make a big splash at the same time and he certainly succeeded so this is a bit to impress Big Brother absolutely I mean they want to prove that Hong Kong will not be in any way an incubator for people who want to undermine the government in Beijing so that's what it's all about the second thing is it's a way of intimidating and scaring people inside Hong Kong that they'd better not uh be critical of the government because not only will they be in trouble in Hong Kong they will be in trouble wherever they go in the world we don't seek to exterminate them in fact if they go through our Correctional Services System we will try to rehabilitate them what gives Hong Kong the right to Target foreigners people in other countries Kevin yam is an Australian citizen why are you targeting an Australian citizen Hong Kong citizens have been put on Hit List by other governments but we don't yell at them because our citizens are subject to their laws why why why should Australia be so outraged in this once freewheeling city of Freedom the effort to silence and intimidate is as unrelenting as it is ugly dissidents families have been targeted supporters arrested the clear aim is to cut them off socially and financially how far do China's tentacles reach I think they're everywhere in the world yeah and in every country every corner they're watching you watching us that's China but then let them watch I'm talking in front of the camera so watch me and I'm I'm talking to you China that's that's my attitude now on a temporary bridging Visa Ted grateful for this year in his opted home but it's the fate of those left behind that he and Kevin yam worry about most I think a lot about a good friend of mine called xiaohang Tong um she's been in jail for a long time is one of 260 democracy activists arrested for breaking the National Security Law a respected Barrister and politician her crime was organizing candlelit vigils to commemorate the Tiananmen Square Crackdown to go on trial she faces the rest of her life in jail about a week or two before she was arrested and never coming out again she and a few friends came to my place for dinner and it was like she had no worries in the world but after she left and I was cleaning up my apartment underneath the chair that she was sitting in was piles and piles of hair that dropped which was indicative of all the stress that she was going through now if she hasn't stopped resisting from jail what right do I have not to I'm so sorry Kevin that's it this is what they this is what happens to people yeah yeah sorry no don't be sorry I mean this is the reality yeah that's faced by so many dissidents yeah so I think Ted and I haven't lucky so what have we got to complain about we are the most the luckiest one hmm a world city like no other extends to warmest welcome to you in recent months Hong Kong has been on a PR offensive with an invitation to the world we're back we're stable and open for business see you in Hong Kong a message that seems completely at odds with the signals it's sending out now all I can say is I look forward to him and his minions having a long life so that they will come when they are the ones being put on trial and jailed for the crimes that they've committed against Hong Kong people been quite what Hong Kong's hardliners had in mind but in some ways its moves to silence descent have had quite the opposite effect giving wanted activists like Kevin and Ted a profile and a platform that they intend to exploit however they can so this Hong Kong Bounty is almost an own goal definitely because in a way we've now got to a point where what have we got to lose right do you think you'll ever be able to go back to Hong Kong yes and that's the pledge I made for myself the day I left Hong Kong with a heavy heart that I would go back in a free Hong Kong and people will rise and we will live in glory again yeah as Annie would say hasta la vista baby hello I'm Sarah thanks for watching 60 Minutes Australia subscribe to our Channel now for brand new stories and exclusive Clips every week and don't miss out on our extra minute segments and full episodes of 60 Minutes on 9now.com and the nine Now app

Channel: 60 Minutes Australia

Views: 263,632

Keywords: 60 Minutes, 60 Minutes Australia, Liz Hayes, Tara Brown, Tom Steinfort, 60Mins, Amelia Adams, news, world news, news australia, investigative journalism, 60 minutes australia youtube, 60 minutes youtube, 60 minutes episodes, 60 minutes australia episodes, 60 minutes australia, 60 minutes, china, communist china, ccp, hong kong, hong kong sar, china's most wanted, bounty, bounties, dissent, dissident, political activism, hong kongers, china politics, umbrella revolution, hk, protest

Id: YAReADN0N9M

Length: 15min 54sec (954 seconds)

Published: Sun Jul 23 2023