'Views On New Law Welcome, But Opposition Is Futile'

A deputy director of the Basic Law Committee, Maria Tam, said on Monday that people are welcome to comment on Beijing's planned national security law for Hong Kong, but it's pointless for anyone to oppose it.

Speaking to reporters after appearing on an RTHK programme, Tam urged the public to express their views about the future law, but added that people should realise that Beijing will be enacting it regardless of any opposition.

"As far as consultation is concerned, please send your comments, regards, views, whatever, support or otherwise on the internet," she said referring to the website of the National People's Congress.

But when told that there is nowhere on the NPC website for people to submit comments on the national security law, she said: "I'll ask what happened."

According to the Basic Law, the committee Tam sits on should be consulted in the law-making process for the new legislation.

But Tam said that at this point, the only information she has is what she has read in local and mainland media.

"I haven't got anything, I have no material, no discussion, no meeting, no notice of meeting. I haven't seen any draft, any background paper, any consultation paper, nothing. What I saw is already published."

Meanwhile, Tam Yiu-chung, the sole Hong Kong delegate on the National People's Congress Standing Committee, told a radio programme that he could not comment on the specifics of the law either, as there is no draft legislation yet.

Asked whether people could be targeted under the new law for attending a June 4 vigil for the victims of the 1989 Beijing massacre, he said that this would be a matter to be discussed by the NPC. But he said as long as there were no secessionist elements then such a vigil should not be a problem.

He was also asked if it could soon be dangerous for people to chant slogans calling for the end of one-party rule on the mainland, to which he responded by saying this would depend on the circumstances under which the slogans were being chanted.

Maria Tam had also been asked about whether the new law will prohibit calls for an end to the "one-party dictatorship".

She said there is no such dictatorship because the mainland has multiple political parties. But if people start shouting such a slogan at a rally or march in Hong Kong, other participants should leave to be on the safe side.