British Men Charged for Spying on Hong Kong Activists

0:00From the Daily News Now Network, this is Global News Today. Two men with British passports face charges in the UK for helping Hong Kong authorities spy on pro-democracy activists seeking asylum here. 65-year-old Chung B.U.U.N., a retired Hong Kong police officer working at the city's trade office in London and 38-year-old Chi. Lung Wai, a UK border force worker and special constable, are accused of surveillance operations under the National Security Act. They allegedly worked with a third man, former Royal Marine Matthew Tricket, who died last year after his arrest. Way is said to have misused police and home office databases to track targets, starting as early as 2018. The group focused on activists with bounties on their heads from Hong Kong officials. These operations targeted people like Nathan Law, Finn Laugh, and Christopher Mung, each wanted for about 100,000 pounds. In one case, the men tried to force entry into an activist home pretending to be UK police, but real officers stepped in.

1:02Prosecutors claim Wai got paid 2,000 pounds a month, plus bonuses for intelligence, with messages showing disdain for dissidents. He even threatened to protest her off-duty using his police ID during a confrontation in 2023. Both men deny assisting a foreign intelligence service and foreign interference, with Wai also denying misconduct in office. The trial at the Old Bailey is set to last six or seven weeks. D&N is sponsored by our partner. Check out the episode description. If sleep podcasts are your thing, this is your pillow. Built for comfort and calm, S-O-L-I, solelypillow.com.