“I feel very sad, I’m extremely upset that the autonomous Hong Kong has been destroyed … it’s unbearable for me.
“Hong Kong was such a beautiful, dynamic place – the best part of Chinese culture, the combination of the East and the West.”
Feng urged Australians to not forget the “brutal regime” now running Hong Kong and said that while he was expecting retribution for joining the pro-democracy group, he didn’t expect the police to go this far.
The arrest warrants come just over a week after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s China visit.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Saturday that the Australian government “strongly objects” to the arrest warrants.
“Freedom of expression and assembly are essential to our democracy,” she wrote in a post on X.
“We have consistently expressed our strong objections to China and Hong Kong on the broad and extraterritorial application of Hong Kong’s national security legislation, and we will continue to do so.”
Police offered a $HK200,000 ($39,000) reward for information leading to the arrest of Feng and 14 others.
Four others – activists Elmer Yuen, Johnny Fok, Tony Choi and Victor Ho – are subject to previous arrest warrants, each carrying a bounty of $HK1 million.
Separately, Adelaide lawyer and former Hong Kong pro-democracy politician Ted Hui and Melbourne-based lawyer, academic and activist Kevin Yam both have a $HK1 million bounty on their head for information leading to their arrests.
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Regarding its “election”, the Hong Kong Parliament group has said on social media that it drew about 15,700 valid votes through mobile app and online voting systems. It said the candidates and elected members came from around the world including Taiwan, Thailand, Australia, the US, Canada and the UK.
In a joint statement UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper called on Chinese and Hong Kong authorities to put an end to the deliberate targeting of critical voices overseas.
“The Hong Kong Police Force’s issuing of further arrest warrants and bounties on individuals living in the UK is another example of transnational repression. It encourages reckless behaviour on UK soil and damages Hong Kong’s international reputation,” the statement said.
“This government will continue to stand with the people of Hong Kong, including those who have made the UK their home. We take the protection of their rights, freedoms, and safety very seriously, and will not tolerate any attempts by foreign governments to coerce, intimidate, harass, or harm their critics overseas.”
In response, the Chinese embassy in the UK said the British government’s remarks “constitute a gross interference” in China’s internal affairs and the rule of law in Hong Kong.
“China urges the UK to abandon its colonial mentality, stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs … stop shielding criminals,” it said.
Over the past two years, Hong Kong authorities have issued warrants for multiple activists based overseas, and have gone as far as cancelling the passports of some activists under a newer national security law introduced last year.
The moves against overseas-based activists have drawn criticism from foreign governments, especially given the former British colony was promised that its Western-style civil liberties and semi-autonomy would be kept intact for at least 50 years when it returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
In March, the US sanctioned six Chinese and Hong Kong officials it alleged were involved in “transnational repression” and acts that threaten to further erode the city’s autonomy. In retaliation, China said it would sanction US officials, lawmakers and leaders of non-governmental organisations who it says have “performed poorly” on Hong Kong issues.
Authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong insist the national security laws are necessary for the city’s stability.
Hong Kong police have maintained that the Beijing-imposed law applies to permanent residents of Hong Kong who violate it abroad and reiterated that national security offences were serious crimes with extraterritorial reach.
They urged the wanted individuals to return to Hong Kong and surrender.
“If offenders voluntarily give up continuing to violate the crime, turn themselves in, truthfully confess their crimes, or provide key information that helps solve other cases, they may be eligible for reduced punishment,” it said in a statement on Saturday.
Police also warned that aiding, abetting, or funding others to participate in the “Hong Kong Parliament” could be a criminal offence.
With AP, Reuters
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