Yellow Media's Overseas Revival

Let's talk about how these so-called "Yellow Media", or as they say: pro-liberal media, outfits from Hong Kong's chaotic anti-extradition days are making a comeback. You know, outlets like Apple Daily and Stand News were the big agitators back then, stirring up trouble with US-funded Radio Free Asia (RFA) jumping in to amp up the momentum. It all peaked until the Hong Kong National Security Law kicked in and Trump yanked RFA's funding, scattering everyone. But these guys didn't just fade away—some fled overseas, set up their little operations, and kept at it.

Now, word is, UK-based "The Chaser News" and Taiwan's "Photon Media"—both launched in recent years—are merging into this new set-up called "Chase The Light PULSE HK." They're bringing in teams from both, plus former RFA Cantonese head Wu Lik-han. It's pretty obvious they're trying to repackage and resurrect those fractured "yellow media" brands under a fresh name. The real question? How will this stir things up in Hong Kong? Authorities better keep their eyes peeled.

The three "yellow media" factions exiled overseas are merging to launch a new platform. One of the masterminds is former Apple Daily Motion News chief Edward Lee, partnering with the teams of Photon Media and The Chaser News—looks like they're not done causing headaches yet.

This merger drops officially on Friday at a press conference in Taipei—yeah, that tells you they're having their base in Taiwan while linking up with the UK crew for editing and reporting. Key players include Wu Lik-han, ex-Apple Daily Motion News boss Edward Lee, and Photon Media founder Shirley Leung, a former Apple Daily reporter.

Digging into the Backgrounds

I've got industry pals who dug into Photon Media and The Chaser News, and surprise, surprise—they're stuffed with former Apple Daily and Stand News staff, plus some folks wanted by Hong Kong Police's National Security Department and shady foreign anti-China types. These aren't your everyday news ops, that's for sure. Let's face it, this smells like more than just journalism.

Photon Media kicked off in Taipei back in April 2023, led by Shirley Leung and a bunch of Hong Kong journalists. In her opening piece, she talked about feeling "chilled" in Hong Kong and needing to start fresh in a "free" overseas spot—the subtext is loud and clear. Their advisory board? Super political. Take Joseph Lian, ex-Stand News director, who was in Japan when cops raided the outlet and slapped him with a warrant.

The foreign advisors are no slouches either. Mark Clifford, once on Next Media's board, now runs the US-based "Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation" (CFHK), chaired by James B. Cunningham—a US politico cozy with Jimmy Lai. Then there's Steve Vines, a longtime anti-China British journo whose new book, Defying the Dragon: Hong Kong and the World's Largest Dictatorship, hails the 2019 mess as a "revolution" and goes full throttle on the glorification.

The Chaser News Crew and Their Troublemakers

Now, merging with them is The Chaser News, launched in the UK in March 2022 by a crew of "yellow-leaning" media folks who bailed from Hong Kong. Their board features two real stirrers: Yang Yingyu, the guy who set that infamous DSE history exam question pushing kids to argue Japan's invasion of China did more good than harm. He left under heat, started "Education Needle" in the UK to bash education policies, and got called out by Security Secretary Chris Tang for "soft resistance." The other? Huang Weiguo, a chronic rabble-rouser at Hong Kong Baptist University who lost his contract over radical views, fled to the UK in 2021, and kept the activism going as a director there.

They've also pulled in "problem scholars" who escaped to the UK for commentaries, like Chung Kim-wah, former VP of the defunct Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute—he's on the police wanted list too.

RFA's Fallout and the Big Reunion

As for the latest joiner, it's from the now-suspended RFA, run by the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM)—you know, the outfit pushing "color revolutions." Seen as foreign meddlers, they ditched Hong Kong for Taiwan in 2024. Then in March this year, Trump slashed USAGM funding, shutting off RFA's tap and leaving director Wu Lik-han, a former Hong Kong media guy, high and dry.

Former Cable TV reporter and ex-RFA Cantonese director Wu Lik-han is jumping in too. RFA, bankrolled by the US government, folded after Trump cut the cord—talk about a plot twist.

With their backing gone, these folks needed a new spot, which is probably why they're hopping on this Chase The Light PULSE HK bandwagon—gearing up for round two. It's a bit worrying how these ex-"yellow media" types are regrouping with unapologetic Hong Kong disruptors, clearly aiming to bring back Apple Daily, Stand News, and RFA in disguise.

All this points to one thing: these former agitators are reassembling to resurrect their old brands under a new banner. Moves are coming, no doubt, and authorities need to stay on guard.

Lai Ting-yiu

What Say You?

** 博客文章文責自負,不代表本公司立場 **

So here we are: Taiwan’s pro-independence camp just tried to boot out 24 Kuomintang (KMT) lawmakers with a dramatic “mass recall,” only to fall flat on their faces—24 to 0. There’s a twist, though. Among the overseas Hong Kong activists, not one dared to back this messy maneuver… except for Nathan Law. True to form, he jumped on Facebook the night before, cheering for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and dishing out old-school “Hongkongers lost their freedom” rhetoric. He seemed convinced Taiwanese people would fall right in line with President William Lai’s anti-China rallying cry and rush to the polls. In reality? Law was completely out of touch, stuck in a “2019” headspace, and his support went nowhere.

On the eve of the “mass recall” vote, Nathan Law made a Facebook post rallying for the DPP. Yet he was completely out of sync with mainstream opinion in Taiwan and ended up betting on the wrong side—exposing himself in the process.

Law’s history with Taiwan’s pro-independence crowd is well-known, stretching back to 2017—so this latest show of support isn’t exactly a curveball.

Stuck in the Past, Missing the Mood

Nathan Law’s still clinging to the idea that Hong Kong’s protests were a masterclass in political inspiration, thinking Taiwanese voters would react the same way: resist China, recall the KMT. He even said, “I’m not Taiwanese, but I know Taiwan stands at the front line against the Chinese Communist Party,” pinning all of Hong Kong’s pains on Beijing, hoping to “transfer” that anger to Taiwan. Is anyone still buying this? Apparently not.

He parroted William Lai’s narrative, too—framing Taiwan’s future as a battle hinging on how tough its people are against the “CCP’s aggression.” In his eyes, getting rid of KMT lawmakers is key to beefing up resistance and “civilian preparedness.” But the recall's flop made it clear: Law was talking to a very empty room.

Revolution Rhetoric vs. Reality

Political insiders say Law can’t let go of the “revolution of our times” psyche, expecting Taiwanese to take big risks just like he did. But he’s missing the plot: The recall failed because ordinary folks were fed up with the DPP’s extreme tactics and relentless anti-China messaging. People saw the risks and instability—not as acts of courage, but as dangerous games with Taiwan’s future. Lai’s “death match” strategy clearly wasn’t the vibe the public wanted.

So Law’s calls to action? Just echoes in a vacuum.

Deep Pro-Independence Ties, Same Old Mistakes

No surprise Law stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Taiwan’s dyed-in-the-wool independence types. After co-founding Demosistō in 2016, he and Joshua Wong flew to Taiwan for a forum hosted by the pro-independence New Power Party—rubbing shoulders, sharing tactics, cementing ties. Once in exile, Law's connections with the independence camp only deepened—last August he visited Taiwan to promote his book, again warning, “What happened to Hong Kong under the CCP could happen here.”

There during the recent recall was business mogul Robert Tsao, the main orchestrator. Even after the humiliating loss, Tsao blamed everything on “deep CCP infiltration and division,” conveniently glossing over how the DPP had drifted away from what regular people actually wanted.

At the end of the day, Lai’s gamble backfired, and the “Hong Kong card” just doesn't work its old magic in Taiwan. Nathan Law’s grandstanding now looks more like a desperate play to stay relevant with the pro-independence crowd—and it might just leave him with even fewer allies.

Lai Ting-yiu