4 arrested in HK for anti-China alliance

The Hong Kong police on Wednesday arrested four people on suspicion of breaching the national security law in Hong Kong.

Three men and one woman, aged from 36 to 57, remain in custody after being arrested in operations of the police's national security department. The police said they did not comply with the implementation rules for Article 43 of the national security law in Hong Kong to provide information.

Local media reported that the people under arrest were from a notorious anti-China group named the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China – its vice-chair Chow Hang-tung and committee members Leung Kam-wai, Tang Ngok-kwan and Chan Dor-wai.

Police are investigating the alliance for allegedly working for foreign interests. The group's leaders delivered a letter to police on Tuesday rejecting a request for details of the group's operations and finances. Police earlier warned that failure to comply could result in a fine of up to Hong Kong dollars 100,000 (US$12,900) and six months in jail.

The national security department said investigations were ongoing and it did not rule out further arrests.

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Tuesday that law enforcement agents may request information from suspected foreign agents or foreign political organizations in accordance with the law.

"If someone openly says that they will flout the law, they can't call themselves a civic society group," Lam said.