A Hong Kong court has remanded a news commentator in custody for allegedly violating the domestic national security law over seditious content posted on social media, including remarks about last month’s deadly Tai Po fire.
Wong Kwok-ngon, better known by his pen name Wong On-yin, is the first person to be prosecuted over inappropriate comments made after the Wang Fuk Court tragedy that left at least 159 people dead.
A charge sheet available for press inspection says the 71-year-old defendant unlawfully divulged details of his meeting with national security police on December 3.
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Wong also posted hundreds of seditious videos on YouTube between January 3 and December 6, allegedly intending to incite hatred towards central and local authorities, according to the indictment.
He was not required to enter a plea on a count of prejudicing an investigation of national security offences and another of knowingly publishing seditious publications on his first appearance at West Kowloon Court on Tuesday.
Assistant director of public prosecutions Andy Lo Tin-wai said police needed time to inspect 15 digital devices seized from Wong and review more than 2,400 videos published on his social media platforms.
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