HK secretary deems national security law unnecessary

Hong Kong’s Secretary for Justice Rimsky Yuen Kwok-keung argued that there is “no need” to introduce China’s bill on national security in Hong Kong, since the Basic Law outlines more specific obligations for the region. According to the South China Morning Post, the secretary mentioned that no legal reason existed to forgo the controversial Article 23 of the Basic Law. The article serves as the basis of Hong Kong’s version of national security laws. An anti-subversion bill based on Article 23 was proposed but was shelved indefinitely following a large-scale protest in 2003.
“With universal suffrage, the [voters] will ask, ‘Will you launch Article 23? What do you think about Article 23?’ It then rests on the people to make a decision,” Yuen noted. “Because Article 23 already exists, I do not think there is any need [to incorporate the national bill]” he said.
As the Times reported yesterday, the draft national security law proposed by Beijing last month highlights Macau and Hong Kong’s security obligations for the first time, stating it was the “common obligation of all Chinese people, including people in Hong Kong and Macau” to safeguard China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. It also states that Hong Kong and Macau must fulfill their responsibilities to safeguard national security.
The Macau Journalists Association submitted its views on the draft law to the National People’s Congress, stating that some definitions in the bill are inconsistent with the laws and social conditions of the Special Administrative Regions.