This content was first published by Radio Free Asia, and it is now being reprinted with permission.
A former British Marine who was being detained for allegedly spying for the Hong Kong government was discovered dead in an English park, with authorities calling his dying “unexplained.” This should prompt a review of economic and trade ties with the area.
” At around 5.15pm on Sunday ( 19/5 ) officers attended Grenfell Park, Maidenhead, following a report from a member of the public”, the Thames Valley Police said in a statement on May 21.
Officers arrived on the scene and discovered a person. Emergency care was started, but unfortunately the guy was later declared dying,” it said.
Matthew Trickett, 37, who had been accused along with British Border Force agent Peter Wai and Bill Yuen, an department manager at the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London, was identified as the dying man.
According to authorities, they were scheduled to appear at the Old Bailey, Britain’s main legal court, on Friday.
According to the Metropolitan Police and the trial, the pair are accused of assisting a foreign knowledge support and “foreign disturbance” under the National Security Act 2023. They also face allegations of forcing and entering a house in the United Kingdom and of attempting to target exiled Hong Kong activists on American soil.
Ran from jury
Trickett died after covering his face and fleeing from reporters following a May 13 court look.
In response to British MPs ‘ calls for a review of Hong Kong’s Economic and Trade Office’s standing in order to possibly end the case if the spy claims are upheld, the case has sparked discussion.
A group of cross-party politicians issued a statement on Wednesday that was co-signed by Hong Kong campaigning organizations and posted to the Hong Kong Democracy Council site, calling on the state to examine the rank and privileges granted to the London Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office.
The option of closing the London HKETO may be taken into account, according to the speech.” If employees of the HKETO were operating as compliciters of international persecution, this is beyond their legitimate mandate of economics and business.
A top Hong Kong official stated last week that the Economic and Trade Practices had changed and that they should monitor Hong Kongers ‘ actions on foreign land.
But a Hong Kong banking and financial growth national on Wednesday dismissed the attorney’s comments as a “misunderstanding”.
Finance Secretary Paul Chan declined to comment on Trickett’s dying.
A post-mortem may be conducted as part of ongoing investigations, according to the police statement, and anyone who was in Grenfell Park until 5.15 p.m. should contact the public with information.
Trickett was on judge loan at the time of his death, which required him to often register at a police place.
Shockwaves
Trickett’s death has sparked fear and concern in the community of Hong Kongers who have  , settled in the United Kingdom , in the midst of an , continuous assault on dissent , imposed on their area by Beijing to thwart the , 2019 opposition movement , that called for completely political elections.
” The UK has evaluate Trickett’s death THOROUGHLY to find out the reason leading to his death and whether any force from any parties was involved”, U. S. based advocate Frances Hui, who has an , arrest warrant and a wealth on her head , issued by Hong Kong’s national security officers, said via X.
Former pro- democracy lawmaker Ted Hui, now in Australia, said Trickett’s death could mean critical evidence is lost in the forthcoming trial.
” I think it will have a very serious impact”, Hui said. ” It can be seen from the charge sheet that the]defendant ] who passed away provided very important evidence during the investigation”.
They now have lost the ability to cross-examine him in court and obtain more information from him, which will be a significant gap when the court and the general public discover the truth,” he said.
The news, according to Carman Lau, a U.K.-based international advocacy and program associate at the Hong Kong Democracy Council, shocked the exile community, many of whom are speculating about foul play.
” There is now one less suspect in the case, and therefore less evidence to investigate”, Lau told RFA Cantonese in an interview on Tuesday. ” One defendant has passed away before the trial even began.”
She claimed that there is panic in the expat community as rumors and speculation swirl.
” Hong Kongers in the U. K. have one wish: that we will get to the bottom of the matter through the court proceedings, so they do n’t have to be afraid”, Lau said. She urged the British government to review the status of London’s Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office and think about completely shutting it down.
” Absurd accusations”
Undersecretary for Commerce and Economic Development Bernard Chan told reporters on Wednesday that the Hong Kong economic offices ‘ goal is to foster trade and economic ties with their partners.
” In the future, HKETO staff will continue our work, fearlessly and impartially, following regulations and laws, to promote Hong Kong’s unique advantages and to tell a good Hong Kong story”, Chan said in comments reported by the Hong Kong Free Press.
He refused to comment on what he termed “absurd accusations” of spying activity.
In remarks made by the government broadcaster Radio Television Hong Kong, he said,” The ETOs ‘ task is to liaise with the local government, think tanks, different sectors, and all walks of life to try to improve, facilitate, or foster the cooperation on trade and investment, as well as in the area of art and culture.”
Yuen and Wai have been barred from leaving the U. K. while out on bail, and must abide by curfew regulations, as well as reporting regularly to the police.
The spying charges come amid simmering tensions between Britain and China, which has said the case had been “fabricated” to” smear and attack” the Hong Kong government.
Rishi Sunak, the prime minister, has stated that the threat of an” axis of authoritarian states” like Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea is making the UK’s future increasingly dangerous.
More than 190, 000 Hong Kongers have applied for the British National Overseas, or BNO, visa route to long- term residency and eventual citizenship since it was launched in 2021, according to , government figures , released in November.
