An amendment to the Act Governing Relations With Hong Kong and Macau (香港澳門關係條例) proposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) aims to protect “good” Hong Kongers, not those engaged in violence or terrorism, KMT Mainland Affairs Department director Tso Chen-dong (左正東) said yesterday.
As freedom of speech is already enshrined in the Constitution, the proposed amendment would only provide general guidelines when vetting Hong Kongers seeking asylum, Tso said, adding that it would sift out Hong Kongers who have a history of violence or have engaged in terrorism.
Political leaning should not be a criterion when checking the backgrounds of Hong Kongers seeking asylum in the Republic of China (ROC), as that is part of their freedom of speech and is different from violent behavior or participation in terrorist activities, he said.
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However, Kong Kong independence is a nonissue, as the Constitution states that Hong Kong is a part of the ROC, Tso said, adding that even Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong (黃之鋒) has claimed that he is not a proponent of the idea.
The Constitution guarantees freedom of speech and Hong Kong residents’ freedom of speech should be protected through asylum, hence the proposal, Tso said.
Asked whether granting pro-Hong Kong independence advocates asylum would negatively affect cross-strait relations, one KMT member speaking on condition of anonymity said that it could be doing Beijing a favor by solving its problem.
“Beijing would be pleased,” the member said, adding that the proposed amendment should not include any discriminatory clauses that would deny asylum to Hong Kongers with certain political leanings.
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