No One Knows Why Groups Disbanded, Says CE

Chief Executive Carrie Lam on Tuesday said the national security law has not "horrified people” or prevented them from operating legitimate businesses in Hong Kong, saying no one knows for sure why a number of civil organisations have recently disbanded.

Her comments came a day after Amnesty International said it would close its two offices in Hong Kong by the end of the year citing threats posed by the security law introduced by Beijing last year.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the weekly Exco meeting, Lam said the Basic Law guarantees freedom of speech and association, as she noted the number of mainland and foreign firms in Hong Kong have not dropped.

"Since the enactment of national security law, different associations and individuals have explained or justified their actions on the basis of the national security law. But there's no way that one could prove that is exactly their reason for taking such decision," she said.

"So similarly, I could not comment on this explanation given by an organisation about their departure from Hong Kong."

Lam went on to say that the security law has the "laudable" objective of preventing and suppressing acts that endanger national security, saying organisations should only be worried if they have been using Hong Kong to spread messages or conduct activities that undermine national security.

Separately, the CE also praised proposed changes to the legal aid system that take away defendants’ right to nominate their own lawyers in criminal cases, calling them "sensible, practical and balanced".

The proposal would also reduce the maximum number of cases a lawyer could take up via legal aid.

Lam said the objective of the revamp is to prevent a "monopoly" of legal aid cases by a small group of lawyers, as well as to enhance the transparency of the system.

"I don't think anybody will dispute these very good objectives and hence the package has been approved or endorsed by Legal Aid Services Council," Lam said.