IC says billboard celebrating national security law may be illegal

A billboard printed in red, hung on and covering the wall of a building in Praia Grande within the World Heritage buffer zone, may be in violation of the law, Mok Ian Ian, director of the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC), has commented after a public occasion.
The billboard was printed in Chinese characters with the Tiananmen and the Golden Lotus against a sharp red background. It is an advertisement to support Beijing’s national security legislation in Hong Kong.
The advertisement is titled “Hong Kong National Security Law.” Beneath the title are slogans that show support for the law. It states that the legislation is following public will and desire, and that it will safeguard “One Country” and consolidate the “Two Systems.”
The advertisement is posted in the name of the Macau Media Culture Association, an organization that constitutes a legal entity under the law in Macau.
On the sidelines of the public occasion, the IC director suggested that the billboard is placed within the buffer zone of a certified fixed property. As such, an official application must be made to the IC prior to its installation, pursuant to Article 35 of the Cultural Heritage Protection Law.
Item 4 of the Article stipulates that any posting or installation of objects of any nature on a fixed property located within the buffer zone [of architecture of artistic value] requires prior assessment by the IC.
According to Mok, her bureau has not received any application for the billboard. The bureau will press administrative charges against the violator should any breach of law be ascertained.
The administrative charge in Mok’s words is punishable. Pursuant to the same law Article 98, individual violations of Item 4 of Article 35 is punishable with a fine of MOP20,000 to MOP100,000.
The next article of law, however, stipulates that if the breach is committed by a legal entity, the fine will be between MOP20,000 and MOP500,000.
In addition, certain taxis in the city have posted stickers that show support for the legislation in Hong Kong. They have been permitted to go around the city as they operate their business. The taxi group also held an assembly near the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge on June 6 in support of the cause. So far, the police have not conducted any investigation into the event.