London police arrested and charged three men under the local national security law, accusing them of assisting intelligence agencies related to Hong Kong and committing crimes of foreign interference. Among them is Yuan Songbiao, the Administrative Manager of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London. A Hong Kong community group in the UK said that they had seen Yuan at various protests related to Hong Kong since July 2021, where he would often insult protesters as “rioters,” indicating that he was not an ordinary official of the economic and trade office. Another defendant, Peter Wai, had appeared at Hong Kong government-related events before.
According to a press release by the London police on the morning of the 13th local time, as part of this investigation, arrests were made and searches conducted in various locations in England. A total of 11 people were arrested, including 38-year-old Chi Leung Wai (also known as Peter Wai) from Staines-upon-Thames near London, 37-year-old Matthew Trickett from Maidenhead in southeast England, and 63-year-old Chung Biu Yuen from Hackney in London.
Yuan Songbiao was arrested in London on May 2, with another man arrested in Yorkshire on the same day. Peter Wai and Matthew Trickett, among others, were arrested by counter-terrorism police in Yorkshire on May 1. They are being held in police stations in central London and West Midlands County.
The three defendants appeared in Westminster Magistrates’ Court on May 13, with Huang Kailin, Deputy Director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London, attending the court hearing. Chung Biu Yuen, the Administrative Manager of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London, is one of the defendants in this case. Our reporter called the phone number of Yuan Songbiao’s London office listed on the Hong Kong government’s website, but they were told that Yuan could not be reached at the moment. When asked for a time to contact Yuan, they were asked to provide identification. When requested to contact Yuan directly, they suggested contacting him via email.
The indictment from the UK court stated (details in a separate report) that defendant Yuan Songbiao is a retired Hong Kong police officer holding dual nationality in China and the UK. According to information on the official website of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London, Yuan is the Administrative Manager and the third in command at the office, directly involved in its internal operations.
The other two defendants were allegedly commissioned by Yuan to engage in “hostile activities,” including collecting information, surveillance, fraud, and forcibly entering others’ residences, with the alleged targets being Hong Kong residents in the UK. The indictment also mentions that the three defendants targeted former Legislative Council members such as Nathan Law, also known as “Milk Tea Alliance,” and Lee Cheuk-yan, as well as former Director of the Confederation of Trade Unions and General Secretary of Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions, Mung Chau Tat, among others.
Checking the police publication “Police Journal,” Yuan Songbiao was listed as a police commissioner at the Traffic Headquarters in July 2007 and was awarded the Police Officer of the Maritime District Commander in March 2011.
Additionally, according to an article by the South China Morning Post in 2002, during his tenure at the police force, Yuan Songbiao studied a management course at Charles Sturt University in Australia alongside then fellow student James To, currently a member of the Legislative Council. Yuan mentioned that he had been with the police force for 24 years.
Hong Kong Support, a group assisting Hong Kong people seeking political asylum in the UK or Hong Kong refugees, held a protest outside the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London on July 30, 2021, following the sentencing of the first defendant under the National Security Law, Tony Chung. Yuan Songbiao was seen observing the protest outside the office.
Witnesses from the protest organized by Hong Kong Support reported that during the demonstration, only Yuan Songbiao came out of the office to observe the protest, and he displayed authoritative behavior as if wanting to reprimand the protesters. It was later discovered that he was a former police officer, indicating that he was not an ordinary official. In subsequent protests, Yuan was seen several times.
A member of Hong Kong Support, who requested anonymity, mentioned having friction with Yuan Songbiao at various gatherings. Yuan had allegedly insulted protesters as “rioters” and once provoked them to “come out and fight.”
This member stated that they had seen Yuan on multiple occasions during protests and believed that Yuan recognized them. Because their school was near the economic and trade office, they often saw Yuan coming and going on their way back from school. On one occasion about a year or two ago, they passed by the office, and Yuan suddenly shoulder-bumped them without reason and used vulgar language. When the member called 999 to report the incident five minutes later, the operator indicated that the other party had diplomatic immunity. This left the member feeling helpless, as even if the police arrived, they would likely detain the member instead.
Participants in Hong Kong-related protests revealed that the last time they saw Yuan Songbiao was on February 14 this year during a Chinese New Year reception at the Banqueting House in central London hosted by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office. Yuan was seen monitoring protesters near the entrance and talking on the phone. Peter Wai, one of the defendants in this case, was also present that evening.
During a visit by Edward Yau, Hong Kong’s Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, a member of the group Concerned Political Prisoners and several Hong Kong residents held a protest outside the “Innovation in Finance Global Summit 2023” conference attended by Yau on April 17. According to Hong Kong Support, one of its members present at the protest was shown a police badge by Peter and threatened with obstruction of duty if they did not leave.
Protesters claimed to have seen Edward Yau leave in a car during the protest and attempted to block two black vehicles suspected of carrying Yau and Hong Kong officials. A video taken by our reporter at the scene showed one of the vehicles in Yau’s convoy being stopped by protesters, with Peter Wai sitting in the passenger seat, making a call. A foreigner later used an umbrella to push aside the two protesters blocking the car, accusing them of blocking the path.
A member of Hong Kong Support expressed satisfaction that those involved in cross-border repression were arrested and charged, but expressed concern that similar incidents to the Manchester embassy staff assaulting protesters could happen again, with the defendants being released on bail through diplomatic immunity or escaping punishment.
The member mentioned that both their participants and ordinary attendees at their events had experienced harassment. Many cases of suspected surveillance and harassment of refugees had been reported, with some cases involving intervention by British police. However, due to ongoing investigations, specific details could not be disclosed at this stage. One note of suspicion was that after hosting events, suspicious individuals would linger, taking photos, tracking, and monitoring participants.
The member disclosed that the surveillance extended beyond high-profile individuals, with random selection of targets. Hong Kong Support received information indicating that individuals who participated in their activities and distributed flyers were stopped in the streets by an undercover officer believed to be from national security or the police upon their return to Hong Kong in 2022. The officer asked whether they were affiliated with Hong Kong Support and proposed exchanging information for money. This confirmed their suspicion of random surveillance by authorities during rallies or activities. The individual in question, after being stopped, immediately prepared their luggage and successfully left Hong Kong.
On May 13, former Wan Chai District Councilor Denise Tsang called on Hong Kong and British people to share news of the prosecution event and highlighted it as a strong reason for stopping the Hong Kong authorities’ manipulation. She also shared a petition she initiated on the UK Parliament website calling for the UK government to review its diplomatic relationship with Hong Kong, including whether Hong Kong government representatives in the UK should enjoy diplomatic privileges. The petition is set to end on October 12, and as of the night of May 13, around 920 people had signed it. According to UK parliamentary petition rules, once the petition reaches 100,000 signatures, it will be considered for debate in parliament.