China yesterday imposed a sweeping national security law on Hong Kong, a historic move that critics and many Western governments fear will smother the territory’s freedoms and hollow out its autonomy.
As the law was signed by Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) little more than six weeks after it was first unveiled, Beijing described it as a “sword” hanging over the heads of those who endanger national security.
The contents of the law have so far been kept secret from Hong Kong’s 7.5 million inhabitants, sparking alarm, anger and fear.
Photo: AP
“It marks the end of Hong Kong that the world knew before,” prominent democracy campaigner Joshua Wong (黃之鋒) wrote on Twitter as his political party Demosisto announced that it was disbanding. “With sweeping powers and ill-defined law, the city will turn into a #secretpolicestate.”
Some Hong Kongers said that they were deleting their Twitter accounts and scrubbing other social media platforms.
In contrast, former Hong Kong chief executive Leung Chun-ying (梁振英) took to Facebook to offer bounties of up to HK$1 million (US$129,026) for anyone who could help secure the first prosecutions under the new legislation or track down people who have recently fled the territory.
Photo: Reuters
The US, Britain, the EU and Human Rights Watch have all voiced fears it could be used to stifle criticism of Beijing, which wields similar laws to crush dissent on the mainland.
The law bypassed Hong Kong’s fractious legislature and was to take effect last night, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam (林鄭月娥) said.
“The fact that Hong Kong people will only come to know what’s really in this new law after the fact is more than preposterous,” said Claudia Mo (毛孟靜), an opposition Hong Kong lawmaker.
A summary of the legislation published by Xinhua news agency this month said that it would cover subversion, secession, terrorism and colluding with foreign forces.
China’s security agencies would also be able to set up publicly in the territory for the first time. Beijing will also have jurisdiction over some cases, toppling the legal firewall that has existed between Hong Kong and the mainland’s Chinese Communist Party-controlled courts.
On the mainland, national security laws are routinely used to jail critics, especially for the vague offense of “subversion.”
Speaking via video link to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Lam attempted to defend the law.
The Beijing-appointed leader said that Hong Kong had been living with “a gaping hole in national security,” and that the law was “urgently needed.”
Lam said that the legislation would help heal a territory “traumatized by escalating violence fanned by external forces.”
She was referring to last year’s pro-democracy protests, which began in response to a now-withdrawn bill that would have allowed extraditions to the mainland.
“I urge the international community to respect our country’s right to safeguard national security, and Hong Kong people’s aspirations for stability and harmony,” she said.
Additional reporting by staff writer
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS