INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
One of Hong Kong's most high-profile entrepreneurs has been arrested after allegedly taking part in a pro-democracy march.Media tycoon Jimmy
Lai has been charged with illegal assembly following the demonstration last August and faces up to five years in prison if convicted.The
vice chairman of Hong Kong's Labour Party, Lee Cheuk-yan, and former pro-democracy politician Yeung Sum have also been charged with the same
offence.Image:Mr Lai was pictured during the pro-democracy march on 31 AugustAmnesty International called the arrests a "shameless attempt
to harass and silence those in Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement".After being questioned by police, Mr Lai told reporters: "Well, the Hong
Kong situation is getting tense here, but we have to go on, we have to go on."The three men are due to appear in court on 5 May.Mr Lai is an
entrepreneur and long-time activist who sold his clothing chain under political pressure and has since focused on media in Hong Kong and
Taiwan.Image:Mr Lai, pictured in 2014, is a long-time activistMonths of demonstrations calling for reforms in Hong Kong crippled its economy
and put its leaders and police force under unprecedented pressure.The march on 31 August was timed to mark the fifth anniversary of a
decision by China against fully democratic elections in the former British colony.Image:The protests turned violent on 31 AugustOrganisers
called off the march after it was banned by police but hundreds of thousands of people defied the order and filled the streets in several
areas of the Asian financial hub.Protesters threw petrol bombs at government headquarters and set fires in the streets, while police stormed
an underground train and hit passengers with batons and pepper spray.Image:Police in riot gear in Hong Kong during protests on 31
AugustPolice arrested thousands during the protest movement that began last June but later fizzled out towards the end of the year amid
harsher tactics by authorities.Prison sentences have been threatened against many protesters on charges including rioting and possessing
offensive weapons.Hotspots: On the front line with Hong Kong protestersThe demonstrations initially protested against proposed legislation
which would have allowed Hong Kong residents to be sent to mainland China to stand trial, but later included demands for democratic
elections and an investigation into police use of force.Many fear Beijing is steadily eroding the legal guarantees and freedoms Hong Kong
was promised after it was handed over from British to Chinese rule in 1997.
