HK's embattled Apple Daily hit by resignations amid crackdown

HONG KONG • Embattled pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily has been hit by a wave of resignations as the authorities push to silence the outspoken tabloid and staff mull over whether to leave or stay until the bitter end.

On late Monday afternoon, Apple Daily's 1,000-odd staff got the news they had long expected given Hong Kong's hardening political climate: The 26-year-old paper was on its last legs.

The board had met that day and announced the paper was going to close unless they found a way to unfreeze its assets, with a final decision due on Friday.

Section heads then gathered staff and told them they could resign immediately or stay until the final day, according to three employees who were present.

"I hastily decided to hand in my resignation letter after my team meeting," said a reporter who asked to be identified as Joanne. "I believe the risk of being arrested is real... I do not want to see anyone else being rounded up any more."

Apple Daily has long been a thorn in Beijing's side, with unapologetic support for Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement and caustic criticism of China's authoritarian leaders.

Its owner Jimmy Lai is in jail, among the first to be charged under a national security law Beijing imposed on Hong Kong last year after the financial hub was rocked by huge and often violent pro-democracy protests in 2019.

Then came last week's hammer blow - the charging of two more executives and the freezing of Apple Daily's assets. The latter left the paper unable to pay staff, vendors and suppliers. Advertisers and supporters who tried to deposit money into its accounts were unable to do so.

The authorities say the police action was sparked by articles over the past year that allegedly supported the imposition of sanctions on China and Hong Kong.

Lai, editor-in-chief Ryan Law and chief executive of Next Digital Cheung Kim Hung have been charged with colluding with foreign forces to undermine China's national security. They face up to life in prison. The authorities reject suggestions that the prosecution is an assault on press freedoms. They have not identified specifically which articles were illegal.

It is not clear how many Apple Daily staff have resigned but several were filmed carrying boxes out of the paper's headquarters on Monday evening. The paper's financial news desk and its English edition have ceased publishing.

On Monday night, the anchor of a half-hour daily evening news show broadcast online announced she was hosting her final episode.

"Take care Hong Kongers," Ms Tse Hing Yee said in her swansong broadcast. "We will meet again, should fate allow."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE