British Prime Minister David Cameron is facing pressure to request the release of media mogul Jimmy Lai, who is a British citizen, as he faces a highly publicized trial in Hong Kong later this month.
Lai, who is 76 years old, is being charged with colluding with foreign forces under the strict national security law enacted by Beijing in 2020 after large-scale demonstrations. As a result, he could potentially face a lifetime in prison.
Sebastien, the son of Cameron, has requested for him to support his father despite the criticism surrounding his connections to China. Sebastien has been trying to arrange a meeting with the foreign secretary to discuss his father’s difficult situation.
Sebastien believes that if Cameron were to request his father’s release, it would communicate a strong message to China. He has faith that Lord Cameron will prioritize his country and its people.
In the past, the foreign secretary has been under scrutiny for his connections to China. According to The Observer, there were demands for Cameron to reveal his financial interests due to concerns over his involvement in projects related to China.
Cameron gave speeches at two gatherings in the UAE during September to advocate for Sri Lanka’s Port City Colombo, a development venture backed by Chinese funding.
According to reports from Sri Lankan media, Cameron received a payment of $210,000 (equivalent to £167,000) for his speaking engagement. However, a source close to Cameron’s office denied the accuracy of the mentioned amount.
In August of 2020, Jimmy Lai was taken into custody after Hong Kong police searched the headquarters of his newspaper, Apple Daily. This publication had angered China by showing support for pro-democracy demonstrations.
The European Parliament has called for his release, while Washington has condemned Lai’s previous conviction on fraud charges.
When Lai was detained, Sebastien was in Taiwan, where he currently resides, and his father advised him not to go back to the ex-British territory. Lai has been imprisoned alone since then.
Sebastien, who is 29 years old, stated that it has been explicitly communicated to him that it is unsafe for him to go back to Hong Kong.
He appears to be a strong man, but his age is not to be underestimated. The thought of spending over 1,000 days in solitary confinement is unimaginable.
Since he entered the then British colony as a 12-year-old stowaway, Jimmy Lai has become one of Hong Kong’s success stories. After making his fortune in the rag trade, Lai founded a series of magazines in the wake of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, before starting the tabloid-style Apple Daily in 1995. Its closure sounded the death knell of the free press in Hong Kong and the pro-democracy movement.
Sebastien Lai has been serving as a spokesperson and representative for his father, who is set to begin trial on December 18th and is expected to span 80 days. However, his father’s legal team in the UK has been prohibited from contacting Lai and has faced cyber attacks.
Sebastien Lai has been requesting a meeting with the foreign secretary since July 2022. He stated that Lord Cameron is the third foreign secretary to receive his request, yet none have responded. He has met with foreign ministers from other countries, but has not had the opportunity to meet with one from the UK.
A representative from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) stated: “The situation of British citizen Jimmy Lai is of great importance to HMG and has been brought up with the Chinese government several times, most recently during a conversation between the foreign secretary and Wang Yi this week.”
The legal action against Mr. Lai has been heavily influenced by politics – he and others are being intentionally singled out in an attempt to suppress dissent using the excuse of national security.
According to sources from FCDO, Cameron is willing to have a meeting with Sebastien during his visit to London.
Source: theguardian.com
