HONG KONG, Jan 30: Hong Kong announced that it will legislate a new security law meant to combat pro-independence threats after authorities identified a massive democratic movement four years ago.
The law will expand on legislation imposed by China in June 2020 to silence dissent, adding in crimes such as insurrection and external interference.
Chief Executive of Hong Kong, John Lee said the law would be implemented as soon as possible, adding that the government is open to public consultation to assist the authorities in addressing the perceived threats.
“We can’t wait. I’ve said it very clearly. We can’t afford to wait. It’s for 26 years we have been waiting, we shouldn’t wait any longer.
“The threats to the national security — they are real, we have experienced all these threats, we have suffered from them badly. It’s heartbreaking and we still remember the pain, the sorrow… we don’t want to go through that painful experience again,” he said in a press conference.
Lee also claims that authorities are constantly on the lookout for any potential sabotage and undercurrents that try to create trouble, particularly from some of the independent Hong Kong ideas that are still embedded in some people’s minds.
Since Britain handed Hong Kong back to China in 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.
“We ought to be careful about all these and ensure that we take control of the situation in Hong Kong in such a way that any potential threat that disturbs Hong Kong’s stability will be nipped in the bud.
“The sooner we finish enacting Article 23, then what has been troubling us for over 26 years, we can put a stop to it, and then we can focus comprehensively on economic development,” Lee stated further. – TVS
