HONG KONG (AP) — Police in Macao detained a man believed to be a prominent pro-democracy advocate on suspicion of colluding with outside forces in breach of the national security law.
Local media outlets reported former pro-democracy lawmaker Au Kam San was the suspect.
A police statement Thursday said the 68-year-old Macao resident with the surname Au allegedly colluded with an anti-China group outside of the city and provided false and seditious materials for public display online or abroad.
The man, whose full name was not disclosed in the statement, also was accused of maintaining long-term contact with multiple anti-China entities outside of Macao and repeatedly providing unfounded information to them or their media outlets for dissemination.
“This was intended to incite hatred against China’s central government and Macao’s government among Macao residents and even people from other countries who may not understand the truth,” police said.
The authorities added that the acts aimed to undermine Macao’s 2024 chief executive election and trigger hostile actions by foreign countries against Macao.
Au was taken from his home Wednesday afternoon for investigation, they said.
Local media outlets in Hong Kong and Macao reported the man was Au. Online outlet All About Macao said it was the first publicly known arrest under the national security law after the legislation was enacted in 2009 and revised in 2023.
Au’s wife arrived at the prosecution’s office on Thursday and was listed as a “witness,” the outlet added. The Associated Press could not reach Au by phone Thursday afternoon.
Au served as a pro-democracy lawmaker in Macao’s legislature dominated by Beijing loyalists before stepping down in 2021. He remained a rare voice in the city who still regularly criticized government measures and political development on Facebook and in media interviews.
Since the former Portuguese colony returned to Chinese rule in 1999, Macao has grown from a monopoly-driven gambling enclave into the world’s biggest gaming hub.
Under Beijing’s grip, its pro-democracy camp was never as influential as the one in neighboring city Hong Kong, which is a former British colony that returned to China in 1997. Its government also faced far less massive protests challenging its rule when compared to Hong Kong.
More intrusive political controls were introduced to the casino hub in recent years, especially after huge anti-government protests in Hong Kong in 2019 that led Beijing to crack down on virtually all public dissent.
A vigil commemorating China’s bloody 1989 military crackdown on the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests was banned. Pro-democracy figures were barred from running in Macao’s 2021 legislative elections. Earlier this month, an incumbent lawmaker known for his centrist stance was also disqualified from running in this year’s legislative election.
