UK Court Convicts Two of Spying on HK Activists

A London court convicted two dual Chinese-British nationals Thursday of assisting a foreign intelligence service by spying on Hong Kong pro-democracy activists in the United Kingdom. Chi Leung Peter Wai, a 40-year-old UK Border Force officer and City of London special constable, and Chung Biu Bill Yuen, a 65-year-old retired Hong Kong police superintendent and manager at the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London, were found guilty under the National Security Act following a two-month trial at the Old Bailey.

Wai was also convicted of misconduct in public office for misusing Home Office computer systems to search for information on targets, including prominent activist Nathan Law, who faces a HK$1 million bounty from Hong Kong police. Court evidence showed the men conducted surveillance operations, tracking activists' locations, vehicles, social media and even British politicians such as Conservative MP Sir Iain Duncan Smith. Messages revealed they referred to targets as "cockroaches."

The case surfaced in May 2024 when police foiled an attempt by a group including the defendants to enter the Pontefract, West Yorkshire, flat of Monica Kwong, a former Hong Kong resident...