TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Student activist Tony Chung (鍾翰林), who was arrested in Hong Kong Tuesday two days ago, has been charged under Hong Kong's national security act and is being held without bail.

The 19-year-old former convener of youth-led political group Studentlocalism (學生動源), was arrested Tuesday morning (Oct. 27) after police tailed him to a coffee shop near the U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong, according to reports. He had allegedly sought help in applying for asylum at the consulate, which has not responded to Taiwan News' request for comment.

Chung and two other former Studentlocalism members, 17-year old Yanni Ho (何忻諾) and 21-year-old William Chan (陳渭賢), had been scheduled to report to police that day in relation to their detainment in July on suspicion of inciting "secession" through previous social media posts. Ho and Chan were taken into custody upon their arrival at the designated police stations.

Chan and Ho were both released on bail early on Wednesday (Oct. 28). However, the Studentlocalism Facebook page, which is administered by volunteers abroad, said Thursday (Oct. 29) that Chung had been denied bail that morning at West Kowloon Magistrates' Court.

Chung was charged with one count of secession, one count of conspiracy to publish "seditious" materials, and two counts of money laundering. He is reportedly being held at the Pik Suk Correctional Institution until his next hearing, which is slated for Jan. 7, 2021.

Hong Kong's national security law, which was forced on the city by Beijing's rubber-stamp legislature on June 30, introduced sentences ranging from three years to life imprisonment for the vaguely defined charges of subversion, secession, terrorism, and collusion with a foreign power.