Activist Nathan Law Kwun-chung, who has sought political asylum in the UK, has stated that his family members in Hong Kong have not had any financial exchanges with him, after they were taken away by the police for questioning on Tuesday.
National security officers raided the homes of Law's parents and elder brother at Yat Tung Estate in Tung Chung at 6am, and asked them whether they had provided financial support to Law or acted as his agents.
The police allowed them to leave after they gave statements, and no arrests were made.
"Regarding a series of actions taken by the Hong Kong police, I can certainly say: the relevant persons have no money exchanges with me and what I do has nothing to do with them.
It's ridiculous to say they had 'assisted' me," Law said in a
Facebook post.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the United Kingdom Anne-Marie Trevelyan criticized the authorities for targeting Law's family, stating that it's "unacceptable" for the authorities to intimidate and silence individuals in the UK.
The Chinese Embassy in the UK opposed such remarks, but the UK government has updated its foreign travel advice for Hong Kong, saying SAR police have issued arrest warrants and financial rewards against individuals living outside Hong Kong.
US president
Joe Biden has also extended a national emergency declaration targeting Hong Kong for another year - the third extension since signing the declaration in July 2020.
The Hong Kong government criticized the UK and the US for smearing the SAR's actions in safeguarding national security, stating that the UK has manipulated its foreign travel advice mechanism into a political tool to create the illusion that all visitors to Hong Kong will be regarded as a threat to national security, with the intention of affecting normal people exchange, which is extremely clumsy and irresponsible.
Meanwhile, US lawmakers continued to require the US State Department to bar Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu from attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in November, after the department said it would continue to monitor the situation in Hong Kong, which is a member of APEC, but did not mention barring Lee.
Lee is under US sanctions over his role in implementing the national security law.