Singer held for part in Hong Kong rally

HONG KONG -- In 2018, Cantopop singer Anthony Wong Yiu-ming performed two songs at an election rally and encouraged attendees to vote for a pro-democracy candidate for Hong Kong's legislature.

On Monday, the city's Independent Commission Against Corruption arrested Wong and accused him of violating campaign laws. It said Wong, 59, had been detained over his performance at a by-election rally for Au Nok-hin, 34, who later won his race.

Both were charged with violating a provision of the law that bans the solicitation of votes using food, drink or entertainment. The charges carry a potential sentence of up to seven years in prison.

A representative for Wong did not immediately return a request for comment.

Au is already serving a 10-month prison term over his involvement in a 2019 protest and is one of dozens of politicians facing charges under the security law in connection with an informal election primary held by pro-democracy parties last year, which authorities say was part of a plan to subvert the government.

The charges are the latest in a series of legal actions against the opposition camp by Hong Kong authorities. Last month, police arrested five members of a speech therapists' union over the publication of children's books that officials said instilled hatred of the government.

The anti-corruption body also announced charges against three people last week, including Benny Tai, a leading political strategist for the pro-democracy camp, accusing them of placing $32,000 worth of newspaper advertisements for the 2016 legislative election. Under Hong Kong law, it is illegal for anyone other than a candidate or a candidate's authorized agent to spend on a campaign.

Wong, who is sometimes called the Cantonese David Bowie, is a vocalist with the electronic band Tat Ming Pair, which uses theatrical makeup, costumes and stagecraft.

Tat Ming Pair tackles social and political issues in its songs. Its biggest hits were two albums that touched upon the Chinese government's crackdown on the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests as well as the anxiety in Hong Kong, a former British colony, in the lead-up to its return to Chinese rule in 1997. Two of the band's songs are about homosexuality and anti-gay prejudice.

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