Jimmy Lai, Hong Kong media tycoon and staunch pro-democracy activist has been arrested by under suspicion of colluding with foreign forces. It is the most high-profile arrest since Beijing’s national security laws were imposed on Hong Kong in late June. He has been arrested before but the fear this time is he will face an unfair judicial process, with potential transfer to mainland China for trial. Hundreds of police also raided Lai’s Apply Daily tabloid newspaper.
In June, he said the national security law would make the operation of a free press not just difficult but dangerous. “But we have no choice but to go on with it. We don’t think about the consequences, we just have to carry on what we are doing. If we let the fear frighten us we won’t be able to do anything.” Brave man.
Born 8 December 1948 on mainland China he fled for Hong Kong aged 12, worked in sweatshops, learned English, became a self-made entrepreneur in clothing before turning to journalism, establishing Next media and founding Apple Daily in 1995. He reportedly became politicised and a critic of Beijing after the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.
He’s a Sun Mercury in Sagittarius square Saturn in hard-working Virgo. He has a go-getting and risk-taking Mars Jupiter in Capricorn opposition Uranus; and his Pluto is in a determined trine to his Sun Mercury and squares his Venus in Scorpio.
When Tiananmen Square protests happened in 1989 and were brutally put down, tr Uranus was conjunct his Jupiter for a moment of enlightenment with his Solar Arc Jupiter opposition his Pluto for a surge of confidence. The tr Saturn Neptune in Capricorn were also moving to square his idealistic Neptune.
There’s nothing much ahead which looks optimistic. He will be determinedly cheerful through 2021/22 though it’ll be an uphill struggle. Where he looks to be running into more serious difficulties is in 18 months to 2 years’ time with a couple of worrisome and risky/blocked Solar Arcs and acute frustrations in 2022/23 and failed-plans after that.
His relationship chart with China 1949 is at a critical point now with the recent Eclipse conjunct the composite Uranus and aggravated in 2021/22. It’s much the same with the China 1912 chart.
The Apple Daily tabloid newspaper was launched 20 June 1995, with a journalistic Gemini Sun on the focal point of a strained Yod inconjunct Pluto sextile the highly-strung Uranus Neptune in Capricorn; with Saturn square Sun and trine Pluto; and a focal point angry and argumentative Mars in Virgo square a Venus Mercury in Gemini opposition Jupiter in Sagittarius – not short of guts and strong opinions, but it was always going to have a difficult furrow to plough. Tr Pluto conjunct the Neptune Uranus this year and on till 2024 will rock it on its foundations; with tr Neptune bring major uncertainty 2022 till 2025 with tr Neptune conjunct the Saturn and then square the Sun. So nothing much of cheer until 2026 if it still exists then.
When you look at what happened to Tibet, there’s not much to give one hope of the Chinese becoming more civilized. Which makes his and the journalists’ stance all the more courageous.
❤️
Courage is knowing the outcome is bleak and do it anyway.
Not manny of us are blessed with it.