Photo: Screenshot from Waise Lee's social media account

Hong Kong actor Waise Lee posted a video on social media condemning people who operate drones illegally at high altitudes, disregarding public safety and "challenging the bottom line of aviation safety," according to the media reports on Tuesday. The issue sparked online debate on Wednesday over illegal drone flights.

Lee rose to fame for his role as the villain Shing Dan, the main antagonist in the 1986 Hong Kong action film A Better Tomorrow.

Lee tagged the official social media accounts of Guangdong police, Hunan police and the Zhongshan cyber police, saying, "It scared me to death. The drone was flying as high as an airplane, and on one of the busiest air routes. This isn't flying a drone—this is playing with the lives of everyone on board."

The incidents he referred to were earlier exposed by a blogger known as "Map Detective," who he also tagged under his post. On December 9, the blogger told Jimu News that he recently discovered illegal drone flights in Yingde and Zhongshan in South China's Guangdong Province, and in Zixing, Central China's Hunan Province, with drones reaching astonishing altitudes of up to 8,000 meters—nearly 10,000 meters in some cases—dangerously close to commercial flight paths.

"Take Zhongshan for example: draw a 10-kilometer circle around the drone's launch point. On the day of the illegal flight, nearly 100 commercial flights passed through that area, flying at altitudes between 1,000 and 12,000 meters. Yet the drone shot up to 8,000 meters with ease—extremely dangerous," the blogger said, according to Jimu News. 

He added that the operators, fearing being reported to the police, even doctored images to fabricate drone flight-height approval documents. "Different dates, but the DJI approval documents all had the same tracking code," he said, noting that several followers had already filed police reports, Jimu News reported.

DJI's customer service told Jimu News that drones may operate normally below 120 meters, while flights above that height require filing and approval. "Even 8,000 meters can be authorized, but only with approval and official stamps from the relevant management departments," the representative said. Each application generates a unique tracking code, and applications submitted on different dates have different codes. Regarding the illegal-flight allegations raised by the blogger and Lee, DJI's customer service said it would document and continue monitoring the situation.

In the comments section under Lee's video, some users voiced their concerns. One commenter, using the name "Dream Chaser · Hu Baiwan," wrote that illegal drone flights "treat ordinary people's lives like a game." A user with an IP address in Hunan said, "These drones need to be regulated. I live on the 23rd floor and often see drones flying around at high elevations." Another user, NOT404, commented that those who conduct illegal flights, especially along commercial air routes, are "mostly doing it on purpose." Several other commenters expressed support for cracking down on such violations.

According to Jimu News, police in Yingde and Zhongshan are already following up on the case.

Global Times