Hong Kong activists say they’ve been trailed, warned during Xi visit

HONG KONG — Hong Kong opposition figures said Thursday police had trailed them, searched their homes and warned them not to protest during a visit by Chinese leader Xi Jinping for a key anniversary.

Xi arrived Thursday and is set to preside over celebrations of the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's handover to China, the first time he has visited since huge pro-democracy protests engulfed the city in 2019 and sparked a political crackdown.

Hong Kong authorities have moved to ensure no sign of dissent raises its head while the Chinese president is in town, with national security police making at least nine arrests earlier in the week.

In a move resembling tactics commonly used against dissidents in mainland China, opposition group the League of Social Democrats (LSD) said police had called to "remind" more than 10 of its members and volunteers not to protest on July 1.

LSD member Avery Ng on Thursday night took to social media to livestream with a picture of prison bars overlaid on his face, calling Hong Kong "a large prison" and saying police had told him to stay at home.

Chiu Yan-loy, a former leader of a now-defunct group which used to organise a huge annual commemoration of Beijing's Tiananmen crackdown, told AFP he too had received a call from a man who claimed to be a national security officer asking if he had plans for July 1.

Six LSD members had their homes searched by officers on Wednesday, its president Chan Po-ying said in a statement.

Chan said that over the last few days she had begun to feel that she was being followed and watched.

"In the past there was something like this too, but not as bad as this year," the veteran activist said.

Ng said he had noticed being tailed when he went to a supermarket.

"LSD members used to be followed on popular protest dates, but those people were paid triad members," Ng said, referring to Hong Kong's gangs.

"Now it's done by people in plainclothes."

'Fumbling for balance'

Ng said he felt like one of the Tiananmen Mothers, a group comprised of relatives of victims of the 1989 crackdown.

Over the years, the group has reported being confined to their homes by security agents or forced to travel out of town during sensitive anniversary dates.

Nelson Lee, a political scientist based at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said the city's authorities were perhaps being overly diligent due to it being a "very special" occasion.

"The Hong Kong government and the police force cannot allow anything to go wrong as we are still trying to emerge from the very abnormal past few years and rebuild order," Lee told AFP.

"All parties are fumbling for a new balance," he added.

Police earlier this week did not respond to repeated questions on whether officers met with LSD members, only saying they respected Hong Kongers' rights for peaceful assembly.

"Public activity zones" have been set up for Hong Kongers to air their views, police added. — AFP