Jimmy Lai To Be Sentenced: Jimmy Lai, who has become a symbol of the fight for press freedom and democracy in Hong Kong, is set to be sentenced on Monday. At the age of 78, the septuagenarian became a big threat to the Chinese government as he fights for democracy. Hong Kong's pro-democracy activist and former media tycoon Lai will be sentenced following his conviction in December under a Beijing-imposed national security law. Lai, a founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper, could face up to life in prison in the case that has stirred criticism from some foreign governments.
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Illegally Reached Hong Kong For Chocolate At 12
The life of Lai, Hong Kong's most prominent media tycoon and pro-democracy activist, reads like a movie script. Lai was born in China in December 1947. At the age of eight, he worked carrying luggage for passengers at a railway station. One day, a passenger gave him a chocolate. He liked the chocolate so much that its taste sparked in him a desire to go to Hong Kong. In 1960, at the age of 12, he illegally arrived in Hong Kong by hiding on a fishing boat.
Jimmy Lai Created A Clothing Brand
After arriving in Hong Kong, Lai started working as child labor in a garment factory. He taught English and also learned about business. In 1981, he started a clothing brand called Giordano. It has more than 3,000 stores in over 30 countries.
Lai's Love For Democracy
Lai became the face of the pro-democracy movement in 2019. He was one of the few billionaires in Hong Kong who took to the streets against China. Despite being a billionaire, he marched alongside ordinary Hong Kong citizens against the government. The Chinese media called Lai a "traitor" and an agent of foreign powers. In 2020, when the Chinese police began preparing for his arrest in Hong Kong, Lai said, "I will not leave Hong Kong out of fear."
After the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, Jimmy Lai began writing against the Chinese Communist government for the first time. In 1994, Lai called the then-Prime Minister Li Peng a fool in an article. After Lai wrote this, the Chinese government began taking action against his clothing brand, Giordano. Then, Lai's arrest shifted all the attention to the media and politics.
His newspaper was also targeted. In 2020, the National Security Law was implemented in Hong Kong, and the police raided the offices of his newspaper, Apple Daily. Assets worth over 200 million rupees (approximately $2.5 million USD) were seized at that time. Lacking the funds to continue operations, Lai was forced to shut down the newspaper in 2021.
(With Jagran.com inputs)