On June 30, 2020, the Hong Kong National Security Law officially came into effect. Less than a year later, Apple Daily in Hong Kong was forced to shut down, the Next Digital headquarters was raided in a massive police operation, and Jimmy Lai was handcuffed and taken into custody. From that point on, press freedom in Hong Kong took a sharp downturn.

Jimmy Lai’s trial has now entered a critical stage, with a verdict expected soon. The case has not only gripped the nerves of Hongkongers but also drawn intense international attention.

This week, The Mirror’s Trio Talk (鏡報3人行) invites Edward Li Ka-chung, former chief of Apple Daily’s Next Media Animation, to shed light on what happened in the 48 hours leading up to the newsroom raid.

He spent many years working at Apple Daily, living through what he described as both the freest and most harrowing era of his career. Looking back on his time at the paper, Edward Li Ka-chung spoke with emotion, saying he was deeply grateful for the opportunity to work there. Under Jimmy Lai’s complete trust, respect, and support for his employees, he had the freedom to take bold action — a key reason why his time at Apple Daily was so fulfilling.

Turning to Jimmy Lai’s ongoing national security trial, Li recalled the days when Apple Daily’s Hong Kong office was raided. He and several colleagues had caught wind that police would soon conduct a search, targeting not just Lai but the entire Next Digital group, including the CEO and editor-in-chief. Because of this, Li even once made what he called a “blasphemous” suggestion to senior management: “Should we consider shutting down the paper ahead of time?” Unfortunately, he said, management placed too much faith in the Communist Party’s promises of a rule-of-law society, which ultimately led to the situation spiraling out of control.

After the raid, when company assets were frozen, Li still held an uncashed six-figure Hong Kong dollar paycheck. He laughed as he shared: “I often say the culture at Apple was like the Ming Cult in The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber. Jimmy Lai was like the cult leader, and the employees adored him. Even if you couldn’t give me my salary, I’d still keep showing up for work.” When asked by host Min-hui Chiu what kind of boss Lai was, Li replied with a sigh: “A truly great boss — he gave us ample resources to work with and never acted condescending, never put on the airs of a boss.”

Ming-hui Chiu, who once worked at Apple Daily Taiwan, added his own recollection: “Every time Jimmy wanted to take on something big, he gave a lot to his employees — benefits, perks, even handing out company shares.” Another co-host, 41J, said: “His leadership style was all about giving you space to create. He wouldn’t lock down your ideas too much. Even now, I think that’s something very rare.” The three happily shared their memories of the Apple Daily era.

At the end of the program, Chiu asked Edward Li Ka-chung point-blank: “Would you ever return to Hong Kong?” Li drew a deep breath and gave a wry smile: “Probably not.” He explained helplessly: “It’s not that I think I’ve done anything wrong, but rather I don’t know what they might consider wrong in their eyes.” He added that after the raid on Apple Daily, although many media outlets have since been established in Hong Kong, he feels the Hong Kong people’s voice in the world is still too small. That is why, together with several former media colleagues who left Hong Kong, he recently co-founded The Chaser (追光者), hoping to keep global attention on Hong Kong alive.