Morale Is High Despite Talk Of US Sanctions: SJ

Secretary for Justice Paul Lam said on Wednesday that morale is high in the Department of Justice despite a recent call by a United States’ China policy panel for Washington to sanction him and 15 public prosecutors.

On an RTHK programme, Lam said no one in the department has indicated they want to quit over the saga.

“I am happy to see that all the frontline colleagues, including those named [in the US report] continue to work hard, unaffected by the threats. Morale is high, because we will not flinch in the face of such baseless threats,” he said.

“As long as we are united and understand the meaning of our work, I don’t think it will have any negative impact on the recruitment of talents,” said Lam.

Earlier this month, the American Congressional-Executive Commission on China accused Lam and the prosecutors of infringing on the human rights of a wide range of Hong Kong people.

The report said the international community should take action, including imposing sanctions, to address what it called "the erosion of the rule of law and human rights" – an allegation denied by the SAR government.

The justice secretary reiterated that the report was baseless, adding that it would not affect his plans to promote Hong Kong’s judicial system overseas.

He said he is contemplating inviting retired judges or other dignitaries to share their experience.

Meanwhile, Lam said the government understands people’s concern over how to balance Basic Law Article 23 national security legislation with the protection of their freedoms.

He said it’s a complex issue that the government is studying, and there is no concrete timetable yet regarding the legislation.