Macau authorities announced yesterday (July 31) that a 68-year-old man surnamed Au, a resident of Macau, has been arrested for allegedly violating the “National Security Law”. The arrested individual is reported to be Au Kam San, a former directly-elected legislator from the Macau democratic camp.
According to a press release issued by Macau authorities yesterday, the arrested individual is suspected of “colluding with a foreign anti-China organization” since 2022, providing them with “a large amount of false and provocative information” for public dissemination overseas and online, continuing to provide information after the implementation of the new National Security Law in 2023. Authorities also stated that the arrested person is suspected of maintaining long-term contact with multiple “foreign anti-China entities”.
On July 30, the Macau National Security Law enforcement agency intercepted the arrested individual at his residence in the Central District and brought him to the police station for investigation. The police station charged the individual yesterday with violating Article 13 of the National Security Law, “establishing connections with organizations, groups, or individuals outside the Macau Special Administrative Region to endanger national security”, and transferred him to the prosecution office for further investigation.
The arrested individual is reported to be Au Kam San, a former democratic legislator. Au Kam San’s wife, Cheng Miao Shan, was listed as a witness and accompanied by relatives when she went to the prosecution office on Thursday morning to provide testimony. According to Cheng Miao Shan, she is unaware of the reason for her husband’s arrest.
Au Kam San, originally a teacher, served as a member of the Macau Municipal Council from 1993. He was elected as a legislator through direct elections to the Legislative Assembly for five consecutive terms from 2001 to 2021, and was considered a key figure in the Macau democratic camp along with Wu Kuok Cheong. In the 2021 Legislative Assembly election, Au Kam San announced he would not seek reelection. His running mate, Wu Kuok Cheong, and several other democratic candidates were disqualified for allegedly being disloyal to the Macau SAR.
The Macau National Security Law was enacted in 2009, and since the new version took effect in 2023, authorities had never publicly disclosed related cases prior to this incident, marking the first arrest after the amendment.
It is worth noting that in mid-April this year, two independent Macau media journalists were taken away by the police for investigation while covering the Macau Legislative Assembly, marking the first time Macau journalists have been taken away by the police. According to a report by the BBC, Macau’s news dissemination mechanism and practices are becoming increasingly aligned with those of mainland China.