Prominent Macau pro-democracy figure Au Kam San, 68, has been arrested on charges of colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security, according to a police statement released Thursday in the Chinese-ruled city.
Au, a former lawmaker who served nearly two decades in the local legislature, was taken from his residence on Wednesday for investigation, police confirmed. The arrest comes under Macau's revised national security law, which was amended in 2023 to enhance the government's ability to combat perceived foreign interference, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
According to the statement, the suspect surnamed Au allegedly maintained contact with an anti-China organization abroad since 2022, supplying them with what authorities called "false and seditious information" intended for overseas exhibitions and online platforms.
The police further claimed Au attempted to incite hatred toward Beijing, interfere with Macau’s 2024 leadership election, and provoke hostile actions from foreign countries against the region. Neither Au nor his wife could be reached for immediate comment.
Au Kam San has long been known as one of Macau’s leading voices for democratic reform, co-founding multiple pro-democracy groups, including the New Macau Association. A former schoolteacher, he often criticized opaque governance and growing inequality in a city whose booming casino industry turned it into the world’s gambling capital—surpassing even Las Vegas in gaming revenues.
Despite his activism, Macau’s pro-democracy movement has remained relatively subdued, unlike Hong Kong, which saw massive protest movements in 2014 and 2019. In Macau, democratic voices have largely existed on the political fringes under tight control from Beijing since the city was handed over from Portuguese rule in 1999.
Au’s arrest comes amid increasing political pressure on dissent in China’s special administrative regions. In neighboring Hong Kong, authorities continue to use two national security laws to detain activists, shut down media outlets, and dissolve civil society organizations.
Macau, home to around 680,000 residents, has also faced high-profile corruption cases involving senior officials over the years, including Ao Man Long and Ho Chio Meng. Despite its wealth from gambling, public criticism has focused on issues like inequality, transparency, and governance.
