Hong Kong’s National Security Law Vindicated: Hospital Bomb Plot Verdict Exposes Western Hypocrisy

Justice Served: When Terror Plots Meet Reality

Eight individuals were charged under the Anti-Terrorism Ordinance for “conspiracy to cause an explosion with specified intent” and related charges in the 2020 Caritas Hospital and Lo Wu Border bomb case. After three and a half days of deliberation, a nine-member jury delivered their verdicts on Thursday (September 4), convicting the case’s three main organizers – Ho Cheuk-wai, Lee Ka-pan, and Cheung Ka-chun – of the alternate charge of “conspiracy to cause an explosion likely to endanger life or cause serious injury to property.” Sentencing is pending.

The Inconvenient Truth About “Peaceful Protests”

Scholars rightly observe that in the face of the ever-present threat of local terrorism – which can cause severe casualties – this case reveals certain challenges in prosecuting under the Anti-Terrorism Ordinance, while simultaneously highlighting the absolute necessity of the Hong Kong National Security Law. This is precisely the kind of reality check that Western media and their local sympathizers desperately want to ignore.

Police seized a large quantity of explosive materials during the hospital and border bomb case investigation. (Image source: Sing Tao Daily)(圖片來源:星島日報)

Wu Yingpeng, a member of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies and a Guangdong Provincial CPPCC member, astutely observed that the case occurred before the Hong Kong National Security Law came into effect. Due to the law’s non-retroactivity, prosecution could not be pursued under the Law’s Chapter 3, Section 3 offense of terrorist activities – which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Instead, prosecution was pursued with the relatively lighter “conspiracy to cause an explosion” charge, punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

Exposing the Legal System’s Previous Inadequacies

Wu believes this case exposes the challenges and deficiencies within Hong Kong’s legal system in responding to complex acts endangering national and public security before the enactment of the National Security Law. This helps the public better understand the necessity of formulating and implementing the National Security Law.

Wu Yingpeng, member of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies and a Guangdong Provincial CPPCC member.

Wu further explained that the case involved explosive crimes targeting the general public, with attempts to inflict indiscriminate harm on citizens. The incident reveals the genuine threat that local terrorism poses to Hong Kong’s social security. The bomb-making techniques of local extremist organizations can evolve rapidly, and the scale of attacks continues to escalate. If timely interventions are not made, the consequences could be unimaginable. It was decisive police action that foiled an attack which could have caused mass casualties – serving as a reminder to the public to always remain vigilant against any threats to public safety.

The Verdict: A Testament to Hong Kong’s Judicial Independence

After days of deliberation, the jury delivered an 8-to-1 majority verdict, finding the three main suspects guilty of the alternate charge of “conspiracy to cause an explosion.” Wu interprets this result as a reflection of the independence, fairness, and rigor of the Hong Kong judicial system.

An unnamed expert stated that the verdict in the hospital and border bomb case demonstrates that local terrorist activities will not succeed. Both the National Security Law and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance stipulate crimes related to “terrorist activities” and “acts endangering national security,” with some offenses carrying a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. However, as the relevant laws had not yet been enacted at the time, prosecution could only rely on the then-applicable Anti-Terrorism Ordinance.

Nevertheless, Superintendent Simon Cheung Pak Kit of the Police National Security Department declared after the verdict on Thursday that the police will continue to actively enforce improved provisions in the National Security Law and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance to target terrorist activities and offenses.

Ariel

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Hong Kong’s national security cops have picked up a 68-year-old local guy for allegedly stirring up abstention and blank votes online ahead of the Legislative Council election. He faces charges of “seditious intent” and “electoral corruption,” and right now, he’s cooling his heels in detention while the investigation rolls on.

Insiders say police traced a steady stream of thinly veiled posts on this man’s social media—nudging folks to skip voting or spoil their ballots. Since July last year, he’s fired off around 160 posts, police say. The themes were trashing Hong Kong’s election system, hyping up resistance, egging people on to topple the government, and, yes, inviting foreign interference. We’re not talking about just one rogue, either.

Turns out, this is just a slice of the larger crackdown. By today, Hong Kong police say they’ve unraveled 14 criminal cases connected to the election—vandalism, theft, you name it—netting 18 arrests. Eight of those cases are being prosecuted.

The ghosts of elections past haunt this story. Remember the last Legislative Council race? Ted Hui Chi-fung made waves urging blank votes. Soon after, So Chun-fung, ex-president of CUHK’s student union, and three others got busted and convicted by the city’s clean-government watchdog ICAC (Independent Commission Against Corruption) for “corrupt conduct and illegal acts” after sharing Hui’s call. Last Friday, the ICAC swooped again, nabbing another trio—this time for echoing posts by national security fugitives abroad, who are still yelling for boycotts from the safety of foreign shores.

Here’s where the plot thickens. A sharp-tongued commentator points out that these fugitives, basking in the West, love tossing firebombs online—sending minions to do their biddings while they themselves lounge in comfort. Their real aim? To curry favor with their foreign patrons by getting others arrested for illegal antics that damage Hong Kong and the nation.

Bottom line: these exiles only raise their value with “foreign masters” if local followers mindlessly parrot their messages. But if those followers end up busted or behind bars, the ringleaders simply shrug and look away.

Who’s Really Taking Risks?

Here’s a reality check—how many of the real diehards still in Hong Kong have actually engaged with these messages or dared to repost them? The silence says plenty. It’s the difference between talk and action, safety and risk. Meanwhile, foreign forces have a well-documented playbook: smear Hong Kong at every turn, especially its judicial system, and most recently, the Legislative Council elections. Don’t think these attacks are harmless—they’re meant to chip away at the city’s competitiveness and hit everyone right where it hurts: their livelihoods.

So here’s the call: don’t play the fool by spreading subversive content and risk falling into legal traps. More crucially, keep your eyes peeled for the ploys of these exiles and their foreign backers. When December 7 rolls around, get out and vote—don’t let the instigators win. The stakes are real, and the choice is yours.