No Pressure On Article 23 Says Tam Yiu-chung

Hong Kong's sole member of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, Tam Yiu-chung, says there's a need to enact Article 23 national security legislation. But he rejected claims that mainland officials were putting pressure on the SAR government to speed up the process.

In an article published on Saturday, Zhang Xiaoming, the director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, said the lack of Article 23 legislation was why, what he called, "radical, separatist forces" had been intensifying in Hong Kong. He said the SAR should urgently consider passing the law.

Speaking after a radio programme, Mr Tam said the legislation had been delayed for 22 years and that action taken by some people here had posed a threat to national security. But he said how and when the law should be enacted was a matter for the central and SAR governments.