HK media mogul no longer required to report to police

Hong Kong, May 22 (IANS) A Hong Kong court on Friday lifted the requirement for media mogul Jimmy Lai to regularly report to police as part of his bail condition in a case of criminal intimidation at the annual June 4 vigil in 2017.The 72-year-old founder of Apple Daily is no longer required to report to Kowloon City Police Station every Wednesday after Justice Alex Lee granted his application to vary bail conditions, reports the South China Morning Post (SCMP) newspaper.The requirement was imposed earlier this month when he was granted bail after he denied one count of criminal intimidation. Lai was accused of threatening to injure a man at the 2017 vigil in Victoria Park, Causeway Bay.His brief appearance in the High Court on Friday came just a day after Beijing announced proposals for a new national security law tailor-made for Hong Kong, said the SCMP report.When asked if he was worried about its impact, Lai said: "There's not much to think about, it's already here. There's no hope. Hong Kong can only do its best, we can only do our best to fight the new national law."Lai is also facing three cases relating to taking part in unauthorised assemblies on August 18, August 31, and October 1 last year during the anti-government movement sparked by the now-withdrawn extradition bill.
--IANS ksk/