Govt Backs HKMAO With New Warning To Protesters

The Hong Kong government has warned that it will use existing laws to deal with any acts that violate China's constitution and the Basic Law, including attempts at secession or actions that endanger national security.

The comment from the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau comes in response to Beijing's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO) describing anti-government protesters as a "political virus" that must be eradicated.

The HKMAO had said on Wednesday that Beijing will not sit idly by while "tyrannical forces" try to drag Hong Kong "off a cliff".

In its own statement, the SAR government said the HKMAO is authorised by the central government to handle Hong Kong affairs, and therefore it absolutely has the authority and responsibility to comment on major issues.

It said the SAR government condemns any illegal acts that disrupt social order and breach the peace, adding that Hong Kong has a constitutional duty to enact national security legislation under Article 23 of the Basic Law.

The HKMAO and Beijing's liaison office have issued a series of statements on Hong Kong in recent weeks, prompting claims that they are interfering in local affairs.

The liaison office recently insisted that it is not bound by Article 22 of the Basic Law which prohibits interference by departments under the central government.