The Manila Times

HK to expand security control with own law

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HONG KONG: Hong Kong will create its own national security law “as soon as possible,” Chief Executive John Lee said on Tuesday, adding insurrecti­on and other crimes not covered by the existing legislatio­n imposed by Beijing four years ago.

Massive pro-democracy protests rocked the regional finance hub in 2019, bringing hundreds of thousands of people to the streets to call for greater freedoms.

In response, Beijing imposed a national security law to punish four major crimes — secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces — with sentences ranging up to life in prison.

Officials on Tuesday said Hong Kong’s security law — mandated by Article 23 of the city’s miniconsti­tution — will cover five offenses: treason, insurrecti­on, espionage, destructiv­e activities endangerin­g national security and external interferen­ce.

“While we, [the] society as a whole, looks calm and very safe, we still have to watch out for potential sabotage and undercurre­nts that try to create troubles, particular­ly some of the independen­t Hong Kong ideas that are still embedded in some people’s minds,” Lee told a news conference.

“The threats to national security are real, we have experience­d them and suffered from them badly ... we don’t want to go through that painful experience again,” he said, adding that “some foreign agents may still be active in Hong Kong.”

“I must stress that the Basic Law Article 23 legislatio­n must be done ... as soon as possible,” the city leader said, noting that Hong Kong had waited 26 years to make it a reality.

Lee also said the consultati­on process for the law — which runs until the end of February — would be “open,” with the document published online and the government planning to discuss it with local and foreign groups.

He also said he anticipate­d “badmouthin­g” of the new law, while insisting it would soon dissipate.

“When people see that this law will bring security and stability, they will love it,” he added.

Since the United Kingdom handed Hong Kong back to China in July 1997, the city has been under a “one country, two systems” regime, in which the legal and court structures are separate from the mainland.

Under its mini-constituti­on, known as the Basic Law, Hong Kong is required to enact a law combating seven security-related crimes, including treason and espionage.

The first legislativ­e attempt in 2003 was shelved after half a million Hong Kong residents took to the streets to protest the move.

Critics of the existing national security law have said it has affected Hong Kong’s status as an internatio­nal hub since its enactment in 2020, pointing to an ongoing talent drain as foreign companies reconsider the city as its base in Asia.

The law’s expansive reach has also had chilling effects, observers say — silencing Hong Kong’s once-vibrant civil society space and shuttering news outlets and radio programs.

But Lee downplayed the law’s impact, pointing to an increase in the number of foreign and mainland companies choosing to open in Hong Kong.

“I am very confident [that] the earlier we finish enacting Article 23, [which] has been troubling us for over 26 years, we can put a full stop to it and we can focus comprehens­ively on economic developmen­t,” he said.

He added that the law would not send arrested people to mainland China — a hot topic for Hong Kongers, as it was an extraditio­n bill proposed in 2019 that sparked the massive pro-democracy protests.

“The law we are legislatin­g will have no element at all about sending any arrested persons in Hong Kong to the mainland. So that is very clear,” he said.

 ?? AFP PHOTO ?? TIGHTER GRIP
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee speaks during a news conference at his government’s headquarte­rs in Hong Kong on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024.
AFP PHOTO TIGHTER GRIP Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee speaks during a news conference at his government’s headquarte­rs in Hong Kong on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024.

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