Arrested Civil Servants To Be Suspended Immediately

The government warned on Friday that any civil servant who is arrested on suspicion of taking part in an unlawful public activity will be suspended immediately, even before conviction.

In a letter addressed to all government staff, Civil Service Secretary Joshua Law said the government has a zero-tolerance approach towards law-breaking and reminded them to comply with a face-mask ban imposed last month.

“It would be difficult for the community to accept if a civil servant arrested for participating in illegal activities could still return to work as normal and continue to exercise the powers and functions of his office. In this regard, we would interdict the officer in the public interest when inquiry against him is being undertaken”, he wrote.

Law added that the recent arrests of a handful of government staff have 'cast doubt' on the solidarity of the civil service in tackling the protest crisis, and demanded unity in tackling the “critical situation” Hong Kong currently faces.

“As a member of the Government, colleagues should continue to shoulder their respective responsibilities and render full support to the Government’s priority and urgent task of ending the chaos and violence”, Law wrote. “We must not be afraid in the face of violence. Instead, we must show solidarity and say “No!” to violence.”

The Civil Service chief added that any staff who end up being convicted of an offence would not only face the censure of the law, they would also face disciplinary action from the government “without toleration.”