Five Hong Kong trade union members arrested for sedition

Hong Kong's national security police on Thursday arrested five people from a trade union for sedition, the latest arrests made amid a crackdown on dissent in the city.

The five are members of the General Association of Hong Kong Speech Therapists, according to local media reports.

Footage from broadcaster TVB showed police taking one of those detained back to the union's office, before emerging with boxes of evidence.

The association had published three children's books on stories that revolve around a village of sheep which has to deal with wolves from a different village.

In the books, the sheep take actions like go on strike, or escape by boat, according to the synopses published on the association's website.

Police confirmed that they had arrested two men and three women from a trade union aged between 25 and 28, but did not identify them or the union.

Police said that they are suspected of conspiring to publish, distribute, display or copy seditious publications with the intent to incite hatred, violence and other non-law-abiding acts towards the Hong Kong authorities and the judiciary by the public, in particular young children.

It also said that it froze 160,000 Hong Kong dollars ($20,600) in assets linked to the union.