Erick Tsang Remarks A Scare Tactic: Joshua Wong

Joshua Wong, a former leader of the now-disbanded political group Demosisto, has accused the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Erick Tsang, of trying to scare people away from the primaries that opposition parties are planning this weekend.

Tsang had said that the polls to be conducted by the pan-democrats to select Legco election candidates might violate the elections ordinance and the national security law.

Wong described Tsang's comments as a tactic by the government to generate what he called “a chilling effect” on people, and said it’s important for the public to vote in the polls and show their discontent.

"It’s important for every people and every voters come out to vote, every vote counts and also matters to show our discontent to Beijing," Wong said.

He also said he was worried about his personal safety, saying that he was aware that under the new law he risked being extradited to the mainland and sentenced to life imprisonment there.

"I never underestimate the risk," he said, adding "but the threat could not defeat Hongkongers, would just make us even stronger [in our] determination, and we will continue our election campaign, no matter how Beijing and Hong Kong government official threaten us."

On Thursday evening, the constitutional affairs bureau said it was looking into complaints received about the primaries and if any violations were found they would refer to the relevant law enforcement department for follow-up.