24th December 2024 – (Hong Kong) The Hong Kong Police’s National Security Department has released a new list of wanted individuals, which includes six overseas Hong Kong residents, among them the former entertainer Joe Tay. Each individual on the list has a bounty of HK$1 million attached to their names.
Joe Tay, a well-known figure in the entertainment industry, has been living in Canada since 2020. His involvement in the anti-extradition protests in 2019, particularly during the Yuen Long rally, marked a significant turning point in his career. Following these events, he was not renewed by TVB, the local television network, and subsequently moved to Canada, where he founded the online media platform HongKonger Station.
At 62 years old, Tay is accused of “inciting secession” and “colluding with foreign or external forces to endanger national security.” Allegations suggest that between July 2020 and June 2024, he operated the HongKonger Station channel on social media, disseminating various videos aimed at promoting secessionist ideas and calling for foreign sanctions against Chinese and Hong Kong officials.
In the 1980s, Tay was part of a musical duo and later immigrated to Canada with his family. He returned to Hong Kong to pursue a career in entertainment, joining D100 radio station and later TVB, where he appeared in several television dramas. His activism intensified during the 2019 protests, during which he made statements in support of the movement. In 2020, he publicly announced his relocation back to Canada. This year, he expressed his intent to run as a candidate for the Conservative Party of Canada in the Markham-Unionville nomination.
