Taiwan’s sister website of former Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily set for sale
- Hong Kong liquidator for owner Next Digital, founded by jailed tycoon Jimmy Lai, is negotiating with potential buyers for Taiwan’s Apple Online, latter says
- Apple Daily closed in June after executives and journalists were arrested and assets frozen for allegedly breaching Hong Kong national security law
06:28
Hong Kong tabloid Apple Daily ceases operations after top executives arrested, assets frozen
“After months of concerns from community leaders, civic groups and readers … Apple Online Taiwan has received notice from the office of Kenny Tam & Co, in charge of the liquidation of Next Digital, that a deal is under way,” the Taiwanese outlet said, naming a company called Avengers as one of the potential buyers.
It said Avengers was not funded by or linked to a mainland Chinese entity, but gave no other details of the company’s background.
“[Avengers] is highly interested in buying Apple Online because its [largest] shareholder had lived in Taiwan for many years and has experience in news media,” the outlet said, adding that the shareholder would maintain Apple Online’s existing reporting style.
Hong Kong liquidators hoped to complete the deal as soon as possible to facilitate the liquidation of Next Digital, it said. Before the winding up was ordered in Hong Kong, the parent company of the Taiwanese edition had been negotiating with a potential buyer and in late June signed a non-binding letter of intent to sell it.
At that time, Next Digital and the potential buyer were reported to be working to sign a final agreement by the end of July, but the deal was put on hold after executives and senior editorial staff were charged with offences under the National Security Law.
01:38
Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai and 7 others sentenced over banned Tiananmen Square vigil
The liquidation led to speculation in Taiwan that court-appointed liquidators would demand Apple Online hand over more than three decades of readers’ personal data to the Hong Kong authorities.
Earlier this month, local human rights groups staged protests in Taipei demanding that the Taiwanese government bar the liquidators from obtaining such data, on the basis that Hong Kong authorities could use it to arrest or jail Taiwanese people if they were deemed to have broken the national security law.
Last Monday, Taiwan’s culture ministry said Hong Kong courts and liquidators had no right or jurisdiction to obtain such data, because the Taiwanese constitution and law protected its use. It added that only with a Taiwanese court’s approval could such data be provided to Hong Kong.
Apple Online later said that neither Next Digital nor the Hong Kong liquidator had asked it to hand over the data, nor had it done so.
