Hong Kong bans pro-independence party

Central govt supports punishment of acts that jeopardize national security

Hong Kong issued on Monday an unprecedented ban on the “Hong Kong National Party,” a “Hong Kong independence” organization, with Chinese analysts saying that the ban will deter other separatists.

An unnamed spokesperson of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council said on Monday that the Chinese central government resolutely supports the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government’s decision to ban the so-called “Hong Kong National Party,” the Xinhua News Agency reported on Monday.

The “Hong Kong National Party” is an unregistered and illegal group as well as a “Hong Kong independence” organization, the spokesperson said.

The central government firmly supports the region in punishing any acts that jeopardize national security in accordance with the law and has zero tolerance for any organizations preaching “Hong Kong independence” or engaging in activities that split the country, said the spokesperson.

The spokesperson’s remarks came after an order announced in the government’s gazette released on Monday where Hong Kong Security Minister John Lee Ka-Chiu prohibited the party in accordance with the Societies Ordinance with immediate effect.

Lee said on Monday that the “Hong Kong National Party” had violated the Basic Law of Hong Kong, put “Hong Kong independence” into action and threatened national security, Hong Kongbased newspaper Wenweipo reported on Monday.

Hong Kong residents enjoy freedom of assembly, but not without limits, the South China Morning Post quoted Lee as saying.

The stated goals of the “Hong Kong National Party” include establishing a free and “independent Hong Kong” republic.

It is the first time Hong Kong has banned a separatist party, the Hong Kong paper said.

“The ban has made it clear what used to be a gray zone in Hong Kong,” Tian Feilong, an assistant professor at Beihang University in Beijing, told the Global Times on Monday.

It had sent a warning to other separatists in Hong Kong, as the government is expected to ban more “Hong Kong independence” organizations in a similar way should they arise, Tian said.

Chinese mainland analysts urged the ban be followed by further actions as despite the ban, the “Hong Kong National Party” is expected to continue its proindependence activities.

Foreign forces, including the Western media and some local political forces are likely to show biased sympathy to the party or support it after its ban, helping it retain its foothold, Yin Hongbiao, a professor at the school of international studies of Peking University, told the Global Times on Monday.

“The ban is only a periodical progress, but definitely in the right direction to prohibit separatist activities,” Yin said.

Anyone who is associated with the party could be liable to conviction, a fine or a jail sentence of two to three years, Lee said at a press conference back in July, discussing a potential ban on the party, according to a statement the regional government released July 17.