Fugitive Nathan Law, after losing support in the UK, recently traveled to Taiwan, where he received backing from pro-independence groups and was seen with a local woman. However, his most pressing issue now is not the Hong Kong police’s cross-border pursuit but rather allegations of sexual assault involving a former female assistant from several years ago. The scandal has continued to gain traction, with members of the pro-democracy "Yellow Camp" openly criticizing him, significantly damaging his reputation. In an apparent attempt to address the issue, Law posted on social media yesterday, vaguely alluding to past incidents that might have caused "embarrassment" to the "involved party." He characterized it as a misunderstanding, denying any "violent intimate behavior."
Political insiders who reviewed his statement argue that this is merely a rhetorical maneuver. They point out that the assistant, who is the alleged victim, confided in members of the Yellow Camp at the time, and there are multiple witnesses. Despite Law’s attempts to explain, they believe he cannot fully exonerate himself. Furthermore, as the victim has not publicly disclosed the incident, it remains a metaphorical time bomb that could detonate and ruin Law’s reputation at any moment.
The alleged incident reportedly took place during Law’s peak period when he served as Chairman of the now-dissolved Demosistō and as a member of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council. At the time, he employed a female assistant, referred to here as "X," known for her linguistic skills and international engagement. In 2018, during a visit to Belgium, Law allegedly acted inappropriately towards X after consuming alcohol. According to sources within the Yellow Camp, X later confided in a close friend, but Law dismissed her claims, accusing her of seeking fame and attention.
Since X chose not to make the matter public, it gradually faded from public view. However, a month ago, the Hong Kong Democratic Committee suddenly severed ties with Law without explanation. Rumors soon surfaced suggesting the decision was linked to the sexual assault allegations, reigniting the controversy. The scandal even reached Oxford University, which cited Law’s misconduct as the reason for rejecting his application to a master’s program. The controversy then spread further, becoming a focal point of discussion among both the pro-democracy ("Yellow") and pro-establishment ("Blue") factions.
This controversy has significantly tarnished Law’s image and dealt a severe blow to his political career. His recent social media post appears to be an attempt to frame the incident as a "misunderstanding." In his statement, he acknowledged that he may have mishandled past relationships but insisted he had "never engaged in any intimate conduct against someone’s will or with violence." This statement suggests that some form of interaction occurred with X, but he claims it was consensual rather than non-consensual. In a previous interview with the online media outlet Notus, he described the encounter as "romantic."
A political insider remarked that in many sexual assault cases, men often claim that the other party was "willing," but judges rarely accept such defenses without credible testimony from the victim and corroborating evidence. Therefore, Law’s one-sided defense is seen as unconvincing.
Law also claimed in his post that he had engaged in "friendly and positive communication" with the "involved party" at the time and had kept relevant records. However, he added that he would not publicly clarify the matter unless absolutely necessary, citing multiple complicating factors. Political observers criticize this as another example of his "rhetorical maneuvering," suggesting he wants to appear as though he has evidence proving his innocence but is either unwilling or unable to disclose it, thereby creating an image of being unjustly accused.
In closing, Law issued an apology to X, expressing regret for any embarrassment or misunderstanding he may have caused her in the past. He also invited her to contact him directly to resolve any lingering issues. Political insiders interpret this as his attempt to downplay the incident as merely a "misunderstanding" and to reach a settlement with X.
The same insiders suggest that Law’s eagerness to address the scandal stems from his understanding that these sexual assault allegations are a severe threat to his career. Despite his efforts, his explanations remain weak, and the stigma of sexual misconduct continues to haunt him. They conclude that the unresolved allegations are like a ticking time bomb, poised to destroy his reputation completely when it explodes.
Lai Ting Yiu
What Say You?
** The blog article is the sole responsibility of the author and does not represent the position of our company. **
Here's a simple truth about lies: tell one big enough, and someone will always believe it. The tale spun by Jimmy Lai's son and daughter—that their father's health is collapsing in prison without medical care—is a textbook case.
Before and after the verdict came down, a flood of misleading commentary washed across foreign media. In just eight days following the ruling, China's Foreign Ministry Commissioner's Office in the HKSAR fired off eight separate rebuttals targeting U.S. and Western statements. They also "summoned the heads of the Hong Kong-based missions of relevant countries and organisations, including the United States and the United Kingdom, and lodged solemn representations regarding their officials' and politicians' comments interfering in the verdict and sentencing in the Jimmy Lai case."
Cui Jianchun, the Commissioner, went further. He published a South China Morning Post piece titled "On the Jimmy Lai case, this is what you should know"—a direct hit against the rumor mill. The key question: Was Lai treated unfairly? Cui's answer was unequivocal: "Regarding the claims about Jimmy Lai's treatment while in custody, facts speak louder than words. The Correctional Services Department has consistently provided him with comprehensive medical care in accordance with the law, ensuring he remains in good health. Lai's defence lawyers confirmed in court that he had not been treated unfairly. These facts fully demonstrate that in every detail of law enforcement, the HKSAR government upholds the principles of the rule of law and humanitarianism."
The Children's Campaign of Fabrication
A large chunk of those rumors came straight from Lai's own children. On December 3, before the verdict dropped, Agence France-Presse interviewed them. The picture they painted was grim. Lai's daughter Lai Choi delivered the most dramatic claim: "Dad has clearly lost a lot of weight and is weaker than before. His fingernails turned purple, grey and green, and then fell off. His teeth have started to rot."
But wait, there's more. Lai Choi claimed prison officers blocked the devout Catholic from receiving Holy Communion. She described petty acts designed to break his spirit. Her example? Once guards learned Lai liked curry sauce, they cut him off completely—no more curry sauce at all.
Lai's son Lai Chung-yan piled on with his own dramatic narrative. Lai has diabetes, he said. The prison has no air-conditioning, with summer temperatures hitting 44°C. His solution? "Putting Lai on a plane and sending him away would take only two hours, and that doing so would be humane and the right thing to do."
I'm quoting at length for a reason. Watch how the lies unfold. Yes, Lai has diabetes. The fact is, he had spent years eating and drinking excessively. In prison, he's forced onto a healthy diet. As a Justice of the Peace I have visited prisons multiple times, and personally sampled the meals arranged according to dietitians' guidance. They taste like fast food you'd buy outside—perfectly normal.
Reality Check: What Observers Actually Saw
When Lai appeared in court, observers did notice he was slimmer than before imprisonment. But this is what I'd call a "healthy kind of slim." As for the curry sauce demand? Perhaps Lai Choi has confused Hong Kong prisons with Michelin-starred restaurants—as if inmates can order à la carte like diners at a high-end eatery. By the same logic, yes, there's no air-conditioning in prisons. People need to understand something fundamental: imprisonment is punishment, not a hotel vacation.
About those supposedly green, falling-off nails. When Lai attended the verdict hearing, people present saw his fingernails were normally pink and looked quite healthy. No one spotted any horrifying grey or green nails. None had fallen off. The real-world scene of Lai appearing in court told a different story—he looked to be in fairly good condition, nowhere near the death's-door state his children described.
Why are Lai's children lying so brazenly? Simple. They want foreign readers to believe Hong Kong's prisons operate like "dark jails" in a third-world country—that Lai is being abused. This makes their "rescue" campaign appear more necessary and urgent. It conveniently helps people forget what Lai actually is: a serious criminal who colluded with foreign forces seeking China's collapse.
The Question Lawyers Won't Answer
Everyone needs to grasp one simple fact: if Lai were truly being treated inhumanely, his own defence lawyers would have raised it in court. But lawyers can't lie. So they didn't. At an open hearing last August, Lai's senior counsel made crystal clear to the court that the correctional institution arranged daily medical check-ups for Lai. They had no complaints—zero—about the medical care he received inside. The court even stated at the time that the Correctional Services Department deserved praise.
It seems Lai's children think being overseas gives them a free pass to lie recklessly without bearing any responsibility. That's how you get fabrications like "fingernails turned green and fell off." They're spreading rumors about Lai's supposedly dire health for one purpose: to disrupt Hong Kong's rule of law and spring the convicted criminal through medical bail, then hand him over to a foreign country. But Hong Kong, as a society governed by the rule of law, has no arrangement to transfer convicted prisoners to foreign states. So no matter what rumors they spread, their goal won't be achieved.
Lo Wing-hung
