At Monday’s press conference, in addition to announcing a global manhunt for eight individuals, the police also emphasized that they will investigate whether there are any connections in Hong Kong with the wanted persons. This includes those who assist, incite, or financially support them. The police even mentioned details such as netizens in Hong Kong donating money or sharing posts. Why is crowdfunding necessary? Why create such posts?

Furthermore, starting on Wednesday, the police immediately launched operations, including arresting four individuals suspected of supporting the eight overseas fugitives through online shopping platforms. The arrested individuals include former Demosisto chairman Lam Long-yin, and another person was later arrested at the airport while heading to Taiwan.

Various media outlets reported, citing sources, that these actions were taken to gather funds to support former Demosisto founding chairman Nathan Law in endangering national security. The five arrested individuals are accused of operating the platform “Punish Mee”, which aggregates information and offers from “yellow shops”. “Punish Mee” was launched in 2021, during the nine-day “May Day Punish Festival” organized by the “Yellow Economic Circle”, aimed at boosting consumption during the pandemic. The app ranked first in download charts at that time.