Hong Kongers bid 'painful farewell in the rain' to Apple Daily

Apple Daily yesterday apologised to its readers, hundreds of whom queued past midnight for one of a million copies of the tabloid's final issue, for not meeting their expectations.

In the well-read Hong Kong tabloid's last edition yesterday, the paper's front page featured a blown-up photo of an Apple Daily staff member waving his mobile phone in response to supporters gathered outside its publisher Next Digital's building in Tseung Kwan O.

The headline was "Hong Kongers bid a painful farewell in the rain, 'we support Apple Daily'".

In a farewell note, the now-defunct paper's former associate publisher Chan Pui Man said the painful decision was made because of concerns for the safety of its workers and manpower considerations.

Ms Chan, who was among the five top executives arrested last week by police in a national security probe, bade farewell to readers and made a wish for her detained colleagues to be released soon.

"To our readers, in the past week, you've cheered us on and told us to 'hang in there', saying 'Hong Kong cannot do without Apple'. Here, I'd like to apologise for missing your expectations. In the days ahead without Apple, I hope you take care and stay safe," she said in the note.

Dozens of supporters turned up in the rain outside the paper's Tseung Kwan O office where they cheered on the staff and beamed their mobile phone flashlights in solidarity.

Teary-eyed staff waved back at their fans, later handing out copies of the last edition of the paper, which was launched in 1995.

Early yesterday, hundreds of fans queued at news-stands across the city to buy a copy of the tabloid known for its scathing opinions and slant of the Chinese and Hong Kong governments, as well as political scandals, crime and entertainment coverage.

In the late morning, convenience stores in Central had run out of the newspaper, while people lined up in the light rain at a news-stand to wait for more copies to be delivered.

A man who works in the area and wanted to go by the name Chris Leung, 30, said he had subscribed to Apple Daily for a few years and felt the paper's outcome "is a shame and a pity".

He said: "There is some stance that I don't agree with, but there are other areas where they do a really good job. They've uncovered many things the government or large corporates don't want you to know, like how property developers and the government are benefiting from Hong Kong people."

Mr Leung said that with Apple Daily gone, there are no longer "multiple voices" but only one, and "everyone needs to compromise based on the government's preference and pressure".

He added that he is unsure if any of the assets of individuals or business entities in Hong Kong "are still safe, because if it can happen to Apple, it can happen to any of us".

Another Hong Kong resident, semi-retired merchant Eddy Wong, 63, said he had been an avid reader of the paper for two decades and is particularly fond of the opinion pieces.

"Apple Daily dares to speak out. The other papers are maybe a little afraid of the government," he said.

"I'm born and bred here and we've always had freedom of speech and press freedom. But now, the government has cut our freedom."

Meanwhile, the Science and Technology Park Corporation has started to reclaim the land it leased to Apple Daily in Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate.

The statutory body said on Wednesday night that multiple violations were involved in the operations of the printing company and that it had issued a notice of breach of contract to the company. It declined to make further comments as the matter has entered legal proceedings.

The shuttering of the paper that had 600 employees came after the city's authorities froze HK$18 million (S$3.1 million) of assets belonging to it and its parent Next Digital, as part of national security investigations linked to collusion with foreign forces and for calling for sanctions on Chinese and Hong Kong officials.

Employees were told on Monday the newspaper did not have sufficient funds to continue operations.

Last Friday, Apple Daily's last editor-in-chief Ryan Law and past chief executive of Next Digital Cheung Kim Hung were charged with conspiring to collude with foreign forces to endanger national security. They were among five former executives of Apple Daily and Next Digital arrested the day before.

Former chief operating officer Chow Tat Kuen, former chief executive editor Cheung Chi Wai and Ms Chan are out on bail but have not been charged.

The arrests were made the same morning that 500 officers raided Apple Daily's Tseung Kwan O office, prompting criticisms locally and from overseas figures that it was a heavy blow to press freedom.

A sixth person was arrested on Wednesday morning. The 55-year-old columnist at Apple Daily, whose real name is Yeung Ching Kee but writes under the name Li Ping, was the lead opinion writer.

The police said investigations are under way and more people could be arrested.