Last week, Hong Kong issued arrest warrants for 19 overseas activists, all members of a group called Hong Kong Parliament, which promotes self-determination in Hong Kong and the establishment of a Hong Kong constitution.
But Hong Kong alleges the group is using illegal means to overthrow institutions in China.
Among the 19 is Victor Ho, a Canadian citizen and Vancouver-based journalist who works for the B.C. edition of Hong Kong’s Sing Tao Daily.
It’s not the first time he’s been faced with an arrest warrant from Hong Kong, Ho said. A warrant was issued for Ho’s arrest in 2021, and again in December 2024.
Ho said this most recent arrest warrant was expected.
He spoke with CBC’s On The Coast host Gloria Macarenko.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Victor, how did you hear about this warrant?
I learned this message from social media last Thursday evening when I was attending a concert in downtown Vancouver.
It’s a bit of a strange feeling. How can a Canadian be wanted by the Hong Kong government three times? The first time is 2021. The second one is last December — the Hong Kong government gave one million Hong Kong dollar bounty for me.
Are you concerned? Are you, are you afraid at all?
No, because this is the third time.
The Canadian government approached me many times after the first time I was wanted by the Hong Kong government, including Global Affairs Canada, including CSIS and including the RCMP. Even the public safety ministry, they approached me. They had various information for me about my personal safety, about my immediate danger. They have a lot of information to advise me not to go to the countries with extradition treaties with Hong Kong. They are trying to protect me and ask me what they can do to make me feel safe.
Hong Kong police issue fresh wave of arrest warrants for 19 overseas activists
What about the accusations here? Police say that your group sought to overthrow the governments of China and Hong Kong by unlawful means. How do you respond to that?
In my opinion, that is inappropriate. And this is not in proportion. We just express our willingness to organize a universal suffrage for Hong Kong people overseas and in Hong Kong proper. So me and a group of overseas Hong Kong people try to organize in a grassroot democracy style to say that the Hong Kong people have the right to self-determination, their sovereignty should be honoured. So we try to materialize these rights, democratic rights only. I don’t think we have enough power to overthrow the government.
What about your friends, even family in Hong Kong? What is life like for them there?
Actually, I cut off all ties, all connections with my Hong Kong family members last year. This was my suggestion to cut off. I don’t want to involve them. I don’t want the police to come to their doorsteps and ask them a lot of questions. I just cut off all connection. Even telephone.
I have a lot of relatives in Hong Kong. I have eight sisters and brothers.
I haven’t received any bad news from my family members in Hong Kong. So far so good. But I hope they can find no evidence from my relatives in Hong Kong because I left my original family in early 20s. For over 40 years, I don’t have very close connections with them so they cannot find evidence to bother my relatives there.
Why is it so many of them stay, in light of what you’ve described this afternoon? Why don’t they leave like you have?
There are various reasons: because of financial capacity, because of their ties with relatives in mainland China. Some of my elder brothers have wives from mainland China. So the cultural connection cannot be easily cut off on their standpoint. So I understand their situation.
I immigrated to Canada because of my career. I know the sensitivity of my career to a communist regime. They don’t like any journalists, so after a discussion with my wife, we decided to leave Hong Kong in 1997 to play it safe.
