There is an urgent need for Hong Kong to have the proposed national security law due to recent acts of violence and civil unrest, says Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, a member of Hong Kong’s Executive Council.
Ip, who is also a former secretary for security, said violent protests against the extradition law last year in Hong Kong turned out to be serious threats to China’s national security, but the city had no specific laws which could address the problem.
With an anti-terrorism law, the government can ask the banks to trace, freeze the funds and assets of terrorist organizations
Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, a member of Hong Kong’s Executive Council
“The violent protests are real security threats that compelled the central authorities to take action,” she said. Ip recalled that “there had been many violent acts: with people waving foreign flags in the streets, singing revolutionary songs, throwing gasoline bombs, sabotaging and occupying the legislature, besieging the police headquarters, attacking the Liaison Office (of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region) and desecrating the national emblem”.
“While the Legislative Council could not be relied on to enact Article 23 because the opposition camp paralyzed the legislature, filibustering even the election of the House Committee chairman for six months,” she told China Daily.
On May 28, China’s National People’s Congress, the nation’s top legislature, approved the decision to enact a national security law for Hong Kong. As a national law, drafting and legislation of the national security law are held outside the limits of Hong Kong’s autonomy.
Secession, subversion, terrorism and external interference in Hong Kong affairs are prohibited in the proposed national security law for Hong Kong.
‘Local terrorism emerged’
Discussing the issue of secession, Ip said Central authorities had said that the law only targets a very small number of crimes endangering national security. So if the June 4 candlelight vigil is only of a remembrance ceremony without any actions aimed at overthrowing the central authorities, it will not be affected.
In regard to terrorism, Ip said she agreed with incumbent Secretary for Security John Lee Ka-chiu and Commissioner of Police Chris Tang Ping-keung that local terrorism had emerged. This is after huge seizures of bombs, explosives and firearms.
“It is necessary to outlaw terrorism. With an anti-terrorism law, the government can ask the banks to trace, freeze the funds and assets of terrorist organizations,” she noted.
“Subversion against the Central People’s Government” is one of the seven offenses that Article 23 aims to proscribe, but the phrasing is expanded to subversion of state sovereignty in the national security legislation.
Ip explained: “State sovereignty has a broader meaning, covering the Hong Kong SAR government and the judiciary. If people harm Hong Kong, it is tantamount to harming China because Hong Kong is a part of the country.”
Discussing the offense of meddling in Hong Kong’s internal affairs, Ip said the existing Societies Ordinance could not adequately prohibit links with and interference from foreign political organizations. The reason for this is that “foreign” does not include Taiwan, while the definition of “political organization” was too narrow and did not cover non-government organizations and human rights groups.
“Some foreign political organizations are disguised as non-government organizations, human rights group and youth groups, but they are in fact conducting a lot of political activities behind the scenes.
“Hong Kong political parties, civic organizations and even academics shall only be allowed to receive money from foreign political organizations when there is a law to require a declaration of the source of the money, whether it comes from the United States, Taiwan or elsewhere,” she said.
