Government Steps Up Efforts To Promote Security Law

Government officials and pro-Beijing figures on Sunday stepped up their campaign to reassure the public that Beijing's plan to enact national security laws for the SAR won't harm the rights and freedoms of the public.

They also insisted that the one country, two systems principle won't be affected.

The Chief Secretary, Matthew Cheung, said there's no need for normal citizens and foreign investors to worry about the controversial national security laws that China's top legislature is currently vetting.

Writing on his blog, he said the law is urgently needed, because of the radical, illegal and violent acts that have broken out in Hong Kong since last year.

He said the national security laws won't harm the one country two systems principle, and people here could still enjoy freedom of speech, freedom of the press and the right to protest.

Cheung said it was the collective responsibility of everyone in Hong Kong society to maintain national security.

The security chief, John Lee, also backed Beijing's move, saying the laws would be beneficial to maintaining a safe and stable city, and Hong Kong's long-term prosperity.

He said there had been a growing risk to national security in Hong Kong over the past year, and that he might also raise Hong Kong's terrorism risk level, citing the discovery of bombs and explosives.

Meanwhile, the former Justice Secretary, Elsie Leung, said it was reasonable for Beijing to set up an agency in Hong Kong to maintain national security, saying Hong Kong law enforcement only had experience dealing with law and order issues, not national security.

She didn't rule out the possibility that mainland agents would be enforcing the law in Hong Kong, but she believed that the mainland and Hong Kong authorities will liaise with each other.

Critics and opposition politicians say the law would signal the end of Hong Kong.

Early on Sunday, a group of 199 politicians and policymakers from 23 countries have issued a joint statement condemning Beijing's move to implement a national security law for Hong Kong.