Nip Says Civil Servants Will Be Consulted On Oath

The Secretary for the Civil Service, Patrick Nip, says staff unions will be consulted when the government formulates its policy requiring government workers to swear allegiance to the administration. He says the government is now studying the matter.

Nip also said civil servants had a constitutional duty to back Beijing's national security legislation for Hong Kong.

And speaking after a radio show, he again reminded government staff that they have to be careful when expressing their views on social media.

"The Basic Law and our Hong Kong laws guarantee the freedom of expression and also the freedom of assemblies and all that. So if you do it in your personal capacity to express your views, so long as it complies with the law, that of course is okay," he said.

"But if you are at the same time holding a capacity as a civil servant then you have to be mindful about your public expressions and your acts so as to comply with the requirements and your responsibility as a civil servant."

Earlier this month Nip said online media content was "highly transmissive" and people needed to be mentally prepared that their online comments might not remain private.