Hong Kong: Cantonese language group shuts down after targeting by national security police

Fears that China's crackdown on dissidents is expanding into cultural sphere after linguistic group closes over a fictional essay about erosion of liberties

A Cantonese language group has shut down after Hong Kong national security police raided the founder's home over a fictional essay submitted to the group's literary competition three years ago.

Andrew Lok Han Chan, who created and convenes the Societas Linguistica Hongkongensis (SLHK) group, said in a Facebook post that the officers from a police division set up to enforce the 2020 national security law, visited a home where some of his family members live last week when he was out of town. The officers, who did not have a search warrant, asked that he remove the essay from his group's website immediately, he said.