cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/45919639
A Hong Kong activist said she fears she and other dissidents could be “interrogated or even tortured” in secret rooms at the new Chinese embassy, after her British neighbours were offered a cash reward to hand her over.
Carmen Lau, a former Hong Kong councillor with a HK$1 million (£95,000) bounty on her head from China, warned that if dissidents were dragged into the embassy there would be no way to rescue them.
Plans for the so-called mega-embassy, which was approved on Tuesday despite MI5 acknowledging it would not be possible to eliminate every security risk, include 208 “secret” rooms that were redacted from publicly available plans.
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Lau said the Chinese government had refused British requests to reveal the purpose of the rooms, raising concerns from democracy activists that they could be used to repress Hongkongers and dissidents within the UK.
Since leaving Hong Kong for Britain in 2021, Lau said, she has been followed on the streets by suspected Chinese agents, received threats online and been targeted with sexualised deepfake images sent to her neighbours in an apparent attempt to humiliate her into silence. She said she had received little assistance from police and was even offered a Chinese-made doorbell camera and a security system managed by a Chinese tech company by way of attempts to keep her safe.
Other letters sent to her neighbours last year urged them to “take her” to the embassy or inform Chinese authorities of her whereabouts, promising the HK$1 million bounty to anyone who did so.
It read: “[Lau] is wanted on suspicion of a range of national security-related offences, including incitement to secession and collusion with a foreign country to endanger national security.”
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Citing her work for the Hong Kong Democracy Council, it accused her of “giving speeches”, publishing social media posts and calling for figures involved in the repression of Hong Kong to be sanctioned. It promised: “A reward of HK$1 million is being offered by Hong Kong police to any member of the public who can provide information on this wanted person or take her to the Chinese embassy.”
Lau said: “As a person having letters sent to my neighbours, encouraging them to turn me into the Chinese embassy, it was natural for me to imagine what those rooms would be used for: for interrogation, for intelligence and, even worse, for torture. If activists or dissidents are really being dragged into the embassy, there isn’t any way to rescue us.”
Lau reported the abuse she has faced to the police but said little had been done. Other Hongkongers have described similar experiences and Lau said the embassy plans had raised fears the community would face more intensive persecution from China.
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She has repeatedly reported the threats to her safety to police, who drew up a memorandum of understanding for her to sign with a list of advice on ways she could protect herself. Its suggestions included “to refrain from attending public gathering and to lay low on social media”, she said. “I read it as to self-censor myself. I tried to push back, but I felt pressured to sign it.”
Officers from Thames Valley police later came to her house, offering the doorbell camera and security system. “But that doorbell camera they offered was actually from a Chinese company and the online system was also managed by a Chinese tech company,” she said.
When she first touched down in Britain, Lau believed she would be free from the repression she faced in Hong Kong. “I thought that I was in a safe country, where people would be supportive to our cause,” she said. “After the series of decisions the government has made, sadly now I can’t say that is true.”
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In a related article:
New China mega-embassy ‘not without risk’, says MI5 -- [Archive link]
Ministers have ruled that the diplomatic mission next to the Tower of London should go ahead in spite of widespread concerns ...
The decision is expected to smooth the way for a visit to China by Sir Keir Starmer later this year, which ministers hope will boost British exports to China in areas such as food and pharmaceuticals ...