'Lai wanted bookseller story to boost protest turnout'
Former media tycoon Jimmy Lai ordered an article on a Hong Kong bookseller who’d left for Taiwan to appear on Apple Daily’s front page in a bid to boost the turnout for a demonstration in April 2019, an ex-senior executive has told the national security trial of his former boss. Testifying for a third day, Cheung Kim-hung, the paper’s ex-publisher, said he was told by Lai to personally interview Lam Wing-kee of Causeway Bay Books in Taiwan. Cheung recalled telling other senior executives to publish the article online after the interview as soon as possible, and relaying Lai’s order to have it featured as the “headline story” in print. The court heard the aim was to shore up support for a rally on April 28, 2019, against the extradition bill. The ex-publisher also said Lai sought to approach former Hong Kong governor Chris Patten, via a British human rights activist, for comments on the bill, noting that “the situation is still too quiet” after an initial article featuring the bookseller was published on the eve of the march. Apple Daily published Patten's views in both its print and digital editions, which quoted him as calling the bill “an assault on Hong Kong’s values, stability and security”. The court also heard that Apple Daily’s coverage of the anti-extradition bill movement became “more radical” following Lai’s trip to the United States in July 2019. “[Lai] said peaceful and radical protesters should not be divided," Cheung said. “He said resistance is long term.”  Cheung added that his ex-boss was “pretty excited” after holding talks with US officials and believed the meeting was helpful to the anti-extradition bill movement. The court was also told that Lai supported an idea of donating some of Apple Daily's income to an anti-extradition fund run by the now-defunct Civil Human Rights Front. The court heard Lai believed that would attract more subscriptions to the newspaper. Apple Daily announced in July 2019 the donation of HK$300,000 to the fund. Lai had earlier denied three conspiracy charges relating to collusion with foreign forces and sedition. Cheung, serving as an accomplice witness, is among six former staff who admitted to conspiracy to commit collusion.  The trial resumes on Tuesday.