Hundreds queue for final edition of Apple Daily

At a newspaper stand in Mong Kok, which is one of the first places to get newspaper deliveries, hundreds of people early on Thursday morning queued up to buy their own copy of the pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily.

The tabloid had announced it was closing due to a lack of funds after the government froze its assets as part of a national security investigation.

Some of those in the queue had come after showing their support for the paper outside its headquarters in Tseung Kwan O.

A man who gave his name as Mo exclaimed he felt happier than being able to get a new iPhone the moment he got his hands on 12 copies, after waiting for two hours since half past midnight.

“Not happy, actually just happy I can buy what I want but it’s an unhappy day today”.

“Just give to the people who cannot buy the newspaper – my colleagues or my family members” he said when asked what he was planning to do with so many copies.

Earlier, more than a dozen police had turned up outside Apple Daily’s parent company’s offices in Tseung Kwan O to disperse a crowd of supporters and reporters.

Officers warned the crowd they might be violating the gathering ban.