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Detained Jimmy Lai driven by faith he’s held fast for 30 years, says pro-democracy heavyweights

蘋果日報 2020/12/15 22:59


Detained Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai has survived on his “rooted” faith that drove him to start the newspaper three decades ago, and he’s now using the same belief to get through days of incarceration, according to veteran pro-democracy campaigners.
Former pro-democracy lawmakers Lee Chuek-yan and Lee Wing-tat visited 73-year-old Lai on Tuesday morning, the 13th day of being remanded in custody to await his trial in mid-April next year.
The longtime pro-democracy stalwart was on Dec. 3 charged with fraud related to the tenancy agreement of a building that houses Apple Daily and other publications owned by him. He was later charged with colluding with external forces to endanger national security, a crime under the national security law introduced by Beijing which is punishable by up to life imprisonment.
Despite the possible punishment he may face, both ex-lawmakers said Lai was laughing throughout the 15 minutes they met on Tuesday.
“He has a strong belief. He has decided to follow this path since he started Next Magazine 30 years ago,” said Lee Chuek-yan, referring to Apple Daily’s sister publication Lai launched in 1990. “He looked surprisingly peaceful and calm under such an environment. This is why we admire him.”
“Not only can he adapt [to his time in detention], but he also seems to have found joy from it,” Lee Wing-tat said. “Maybe thanks to his faith, he is able to find happiness despite suffering in real life.”
Lai started to believe in Catholicism in 1997, when Hong Kong was handed over from Britain to China. Back then, he said in an article posted on Apple Daily that God’s mercy calmed him down from anxiety which had derived from Beijing’s takeover of the city.
The Catholic philanthropist has reportedly donated money to the Hong Kong Catholic diocese and churches in Taiwan since 2006, which provoked years-long criticism from local pro-Beijing media.
“This kind of conviction may sound easy, but it is actually a huge challenge. If Jimmy can weather this storm, then I think the whole world, the people of Hong Kong and everyone on earth would marvel at his perseverance,” Lee Chuek-yan said.
“Some may feel defeated or downtrodden if they were facing the same situation. But Jimmy has shown to Hongkongers that holding fast to one’s belief is important,” he said.
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