Trio Guilty For Failing To Submit Info To Police

Three leaders of the now disbanded Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China were convicted on Saturday of failing to provide information to the police for a national security investigation in 2021.

Chow Hang-tung was the group's chairwoman, while Tang Ngok-kwan and Tsui Hon-kwong were committee members.

West Kowloon Magistrates' Court heard that the police had asked the alliance, which they considered to be a "foreign agent", to provide information, including the personal details of its staff, its assets and sources of income, and minutes of some of its meetings.

The alliance never provided any information, the court was told.

In his ruling, principal magistrate Peter Law said the information sought struck a balance between the need to prevent and investigate an offence threatening national security and the protection of rights.

“National security is cardinal importance to public interest and the whole nation. For prevention and investigation, information is the core of the measure; any obstruction would defeat the whole process. From the facts before me, the requirement was in an abstemious and restrained manner, all confined to reasonable necessary,” he said.

Two other alliance members charged with the same offence had previously pleaded guilty and were each sentenced to three months in prison.