- Oct 17, 2011
- 42,463
- 45,581
- Country
- United States
- Faith
- Atheist
- Marital Status
- Legal Union (Other)
It was Christmas Eve 2024 and 19-year-old Chloe Cheung was lying in bed at home in Leeds when she found out the Chinese authorities had put a bounty on her head. As she scrolled through Instagram looking at festive songs, a stream of messages from old school friends started coming into her phone. Look at the news, they told her.
Media outlets across east Asia were reporting that Cheung, who had just finished her A-levels, had been declared a threat to national security by officials in Hong Kong. There was an offer of HK$1m (£94,000) to anyone who could assist in her arrest or capture.
After finishing school, she had been working as a communications assistant for a campaign group in the UK that advocates for democracy in Hong Kong.
She could barely believe that Chinese officials would care about a teenager living thousands of miles away. Yet, as friends started unfollowing her on social media, the life-changing consequences of what had just happened became clear.
Chinese officials vowed to “pursue for life” Cheung and others they accuse of promoting democracy. Beijing has a history of targeting critics in exile and pressuring countries to detain and deport them.
Cheung has faced an onslaught of sexual harassment and abuse via social media and was followed by two “suspicious-looking” Chinese men to a restaurant after an event. She reported the incident to the police.
She has had to change her address and is now cautious about meeting new people. In 2022, a pro-democracy protester demonstrating on the pavement was dragged into China’s consulate in Manchester before being beaten up in a “barbaric” attack.
--
See also:
www.christianforums.com
Media outlets across east Asia were reporting that Cheung, who had just finished her A-levels, had been declared a threat to national security by officials in Hong Kong. There was an offer of HK$1m (£94,000) to anyone who could assist in her arrest or capture.
After finishing school, she had been working as a communications assistant for a campaign group in the UK that advocates for democracy in Hong Kong.
She could barely believe that Chinese officials would care about a teenager living thousands of miles away. Yet, as friends started unfollowing her on social media, the life-changing consequences of what had just happened became clear.
Chinese officials vowed to “pursue for life” Cheung and others they accuse of promoting democracy. Beijing has a history of targeting critics in exile and pressuring countries to detain and deport them.
Cheung has faced an onslaught of sexual harassment and abuse via social media and was followed by two “suspicious-looking” Chinese men to a restaurant after an event. She reported the incident to the police.
She has had to change her address and is now cautious about meeting new people. In 2022, a pro-democracy protester demonstrating on the pavement was dragged into China’s consulate in Manchester before being beaten up in a “barbaric” attack.
--
See also:
FBI arrests two alleged Chinese agents and charges dozens with working inside US to silence dissidents; 'Chinese police station' in NYC shut down
The FBI has arrested two alleged Chinese agents and federal prosecutors have charged dozens of others with working to silence and harass dissidents within the United States – with some even operating an “undeclared police station” in New York City. The defendants allegedly operated an...
www.christianforums.com
