Airport Arrest: Former Apple Daily Reporter Turns a Trip into a Thriller
On the night of June 27, Hong Kong police swooped in at the international airport and hauled off a former senior editor from the now‑shuttered Apple Daily. The 57‑year‑old, Fung Wai Kong, faced a suspect national‑security charge as he tried to hop a flight out of the city.
In a whirlwind of recent arrests, Fung is the seventh Apple Daily staffer to be caught under the bold new law that aims to guard “national security.” He had been the brain behind editorials and columns—once a cultural icon, now a cautionary tale.
Police Drop the Hammer
Officially, police alleged Fung was “conspiring to collude with foreign countries or foreign forces to endanger national security.” His detention is still in the “investigation bracket,” and legal hoops are tight.
- Sabotage claim: foreign influence
- Flight to London: The target destination
- Investigations ongoing: No headline verdict yet
Public Voices Echo Off
Jack Hazelwood, another Apple Daily journalist, blasted the move on Twitter, calling for British authorities to “take action” and confirming Fung was indeed lining up for a London flight. “We’re watching this in real time,” Hazelwood said, putting the spotlight on a saga unfolding in the skies.
Apple Daily’s Ouster: A City Losing Its Voice
The tabloid, famed for blending pro‑democracy beats with celebrity gossip, was eroded by a police raid on June 17 and a slamming of key assets and bank accounts. Now, its last edition prints the word OPEN—not forever.
- Rail, music, politics: The paper covered it all
- Last Thursday: Its final printing run
- Security claim: Violations of new law?
The Broader Picture: Press Freedom Under Girdle
Critics say the law, introduced last June, is a sword to silence dissent. The coda of Apple Daily’s fall resonates with those who saw Hong Kong as a bastion of media freedom until the 1997 handover.
Chung Pui Kuen & Tony Tsoi will keep the Stand News wreckage afloat, but most directors will plunge into the sea—removing banners like a sailor dropping sails.
Trials & Detentions Rise
Jimmy Lai, owner of the shuttered paper, eclipses the drama. With an asset freeze and prison sentences for illegal assemblies, Lai awaits trial atop a looming threat: collusion with foreign forces, with life in jail as a possible sentence.
Journalists at the Frontline of the Helix
The Hong Kong Journalists’ Association slammed the police move, demanding a detailed explanation. “This is another chapter in the crackdown story,” they declared, calling out newspapers’ wariness.
Outcome? The city’s media corridor is echoing quieter, as voices once loud now whisper behind locked doors.
