Hong Kong’s embattled Apple Daily is folding its operations earlier than expected and will stop publishing online from midnight, running its last print edition on Thursday, the Post has learned.
Hong Kong’s national security police earlier on Wednesday detained the paper’s lead editorial writer on suspicion of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces, the first such arrest under the Beijing-imposed legislation. An internal memo said staff would remain in post until Friday as they waited for the newspaper’s closure. But associate publisher Chan Pui-man added in the memo that those with concerns could have their contracts terminated on Wednesday and maintain the same level of compensation.
Records show he had penned about 800 columns and commentaries since 2016, with 331 of those coming since 2019. His most recent was published on Tuesday. The force earlier cited the publication of the articles – understood to be mostly commentaries and opinion pieces, including several written by the tabloid’s jailed founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying – as evidence of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and external elements.
Wong said that since steps were taken to go digital in 2019, it had amassed more than 100,000 subscribers – 40,000 more than its original target – yet failed to generate a profit.