$200k to betray a neighbour: The Hong Kong letters pursuing dissidents in Australia

The anonymous letter that was sent to residents of a quiet Melbourne suburb made a bold offer – $HK1 million in exchange for information on the whereabouts of a man called Kevin Yam.

For almost two years, Yam has been getting on with life as an exile from Hong Kong, working on his PhD at the University of Melbourne, barracking for Hawthorn in the AFL and trying to stay safe knowing the Hong Kong authorities were still pursuing him for his work as a pro-democracy dissident.

But last week, the threat reached close to home.

Kevin Yam in Australia in 2023.Credit: Oscar Colman

“Kevin is wanted on suspicion of a range of national security-related offences,” a letter sent from Hong Kong to Melbourne residents reads.

“A reward of one million Hong Kong dollars [$200,000] is being offered by the Hong Kong police to any member of the public who can provide information on this wanted person and the related crime or take him to Hong Kong or Australia Metropolitan Police.”

In Hong Kong, wanted posters for Yam hang on the streets in the districts of Wan Chai and Kowloon. Yam has been a vocal critic of the erosion of democracy in Hong Kong, where he practised as a lawyer until the Chinese government launched a sweeping crackdown on opposition political parties, civil society and the press following months of violent protest in 2020.

Yam claims his alleged crimes are calling for Australian government action in response to Beijing’s crackdown on Hong Kong and testifying by video link before the United States Congress. The Hong Kong government has accused him of “serious national security offences” including collusion with foreign forces.

“I think they are trying to intimidate people overseas about ever speaking out about Hong Kong,” Yam said in 2023. “They’re also sending a signal to Western nations that basically, we don’t give a shit about your freedom.”

The letter sent to Melbourne residents closely resembles letters sent to Britain asking for information about another Hong Kong dissident and uses information from a Hong Kong police website.

South Australian police alerted another prominent Hong Kong dissident in exile, Ted Hui, to a fake pamphlet being distributed to Adelaide’s mosques last year. The Hong Kong government has accused Hui of “heinous crimes” including “inciting secession” and “inciting subversion of state power”.

The pamphlet, which Hui claims was posted from Macau, described the activist as “a pro-Jewish man and siding with Israel to wage war against those Islamic terrorism [sic].”

Hui has never spoken publicly about the war in the Middle East and believes the pamphlet was designed to put him in danger.

“It was a bit terrifying at that time, thinking that they already know how they can create some tensions in the Australian community, as well as tensions between me and my law firm,” he said.

Hui, a former Hong Kong politician who fled to Australia in 2021, warned that the letters represented a dangerous escalation in attempts to intimidate Hong Kong dissidents.

The pamphlet sent to mosques in Adelaide.Credit: Ted Hui

“If someone who doesn’t have the political background [sees] these pamphlets, they might be attracted to really track down Kevin for the bounty,” he said. “He’s been very cautious in dealing with this.”

Foreign Minister Penny Wong demanded answers from Chinese and Hong Kong authorities.

“We expect our citizens to be respected, and we stand firm against any foreign interference, and against any infringement of our sovereignty. We will make and have been making, appropriate representations since this was alerted to us,” she said on Tuesday.

Yam thanked Wong and opposition home affairs spokesman James Patterson for their support and vowed “to live my everyday life”.

“I will not voluntarily return to Hong Kong before it is free,” he vowed. “I will not kill myself.”

UK-based Hong Kong activist Carmen Lau was the subject of another letter  from Hong Kong to at least five of her London neighbours in March.

The letters left her shocked, deeply worried and concerned for her personal safety, she said.

However, she was even more concerned about the safety of the UK’s Hong Kong community.

“As the UK-China relationship normalises, transnational repression efforts are intensifying,” Lau said.

“Many Hong Kongers in the UK face daily intimidation and harassment — in schools, workplaces, and even grocery stores. The UK government and law enforcement are not doing enough to safeguard our rights and freedoms.”

In response to Lau’s letter, local police told her to phone them in an emergency, invest in home security systems and hire a bodyguard, she said.

“Meanwhile, the UK government has given the green light to the new ‘Chinese Super Embassy’ — essentially allowing China to establish a transnational repression hub in London.”

Hui, meanwhile, said he would not back down because of the anonymous threats, despite the extra pressure on him and those he loved.

“Understanding the long arm of Hong Kong Police and the [Chinese Communist Party] … they might be just using these tricks as political threats or emotional tools to Kevin and people like us still advocating for Hong Kong’s freedom and democracy,” he said.

In a statement provided to this masthead, a Hong Kong government spokesperson said it would not issue anonymous letters, but said it did pursue people who had fled overseas.

“Individuals overseas receiving anonymous letters should remain cautious to verify the authenticity of such letters. They can seek assistance from the local police if needed,” they said.

“For those who have fled overseas and are suspected of having committed offences under the Hong Kong National Security Law, the law enforcement agencies will definitely pursue them … and take every measure … so as to prevent and suppress them from continuing to engage in acts and activities endangering national security.”

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