HK to host events marking World Anti-Fascist War
HK to host events marking World Anti-Fascist War
John Lee says the SAR government has been establishing a value system centred on patriotism. Photo courtesy of Information Services Department
Chief Executive John Lee said on Thursday Hong Kong will host a series of activities to boost patriotism marking the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.
Speaking at an international academic symposium in Hong Kong commemorating the victory, Lee said various policy bureaus and departments will coordinate in preparing for events such as official commemorative ceremonies, large-scale thematic exhibitions, film screenings and the enhancement of tourism facilities with historical significance.
He added the government has been establishing a value system centred on patriotism and love for Hong Kong, to further strengthen the sense of belonging to the nation among the youth.
The CE said everyone as well as future generations must remember the sacrifices and indomitable spirit of the martyrs of the Chinese nation and world peace, and should always keep in mind that today's national harmony, stability and prosperity have not come easily, and must remain highly vigilant against ideologies and views glorifying aggression and secession.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTHK
2 hours ago
- RTHK
Israel launches attack on 'nuclear sites' in Iran
Israel launches attack on 'nuclear sites' in Iran A photo released by Iran's Revolutionary Guard reportedly shows a site targeted by an Israeli strike in Tehran. Photo: AFP Israel on Friday said it had carried out attacks on Iranian nuclear targets to block Tehran from developing atomic weapons, with reports from Iran saying the strikes have resulted in casualties, including the chief of the country's Revolutionary Guard Hossein Salami. The official IRNA news agency said residential buildings in the Iranian capital Tehren were hit, naming neighbourhoods in multiple locations in the capital. State TV reported that children were among those killed in the attack on Tehran. Reports also say blasts were heard in Natanz city in Iran's central province of Isfahan, where a key nuclear site is located. "Loud explosions were heard in Natanz", which hosts one of the main uranium enrichment facilities, state TV reported. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attack on Iran would continue for as long as it takes. "This operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat," Netanyahu said in a video statement, naming the operation "Rising Lion". "We struck at the heart of Iran's nuclear enrichment programme. We targeted Iran's main enrichment facility at Natanz... We also struck at the heart of Iran's ballistic missile programme," he said, adding that Israel had also hit Iranian nuclear scientists "working on the Iranian bomb". Reuters quoted an unnamed Israeli defence official as saying that the strikes have likely killed members of Iran's general staff, including the chief of staff and several senior nuclear scientists. In the wake of the attack, Israel declared a state of emergency, closing its airspace, with Defence Minister Israel Katz saying retaliatory action from Tehran was possible following the operation. "Following the State of Israel's preemptive strike against Iran, a missile and drone attack against the State of Israel and its civilian population is expected in the immediate future," Katz said. An Israeli military official added that the Israeli army believed that Iran had the ability to strike Israel "any minute". Air traffic was halted at Tehran's main international airport Imam Khomeini, while neighbouring Iraq has also closed its airspace and suspended all flights at all airports, state media reported. The Chinese embassy in Iran told Chinese citizens in the country that the security situation is 'severe and complicated', and urged them to pay close attention to developments and further enhance security awareness. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, meanwhile, warned Iran not to respond to Israeli strikes by hitting American bases, saying Washington was not involved. "We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region," Rubio said in a statement. "Let me be clear: Iran should not target US interests or personnel." The strikes on Iran came hours after US President Donald Trump publicly said Israel should not do so, saying that this would ruin chances for a peacefully negotiated solution. A sixth round of talks over Tehran's nuclear program had been scheduled between the United States and Iran on Sunday in Oman. "Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defense," Rubio said, without offering support or criticism of the strikes by the close US ally. However, the top Democrat on the US Senate Armed Services Committee sharply criticised Israel for the strikes, accusing it of putting the region and American forces at risk. "Israel's alarming decision to launch airstrikes on Iran is a reckless escalation that risks igniting regional violence," Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island said in a statement. (Agencies) _____________________________ Last updated: 2025-06-13 HKT 10:19
HKFP
3 hours ago
- HKFP
Over 920,000 reports made to national security hotline in past 4 years, Hong Kong security chief says
Hong Kong police's national security hotline received over 920,000 reports over the past four years, security chief Chris Tang has said. Speaking at a ceremony on Thursday to mark five years since the Beijing-imposed national security law was enacted, Tang said Hongkongers 'cannot relax or be complacent.' 'The SAR government has done a lot of work, including strengthening law enforcement…' Tang said in Cantonese on Thursday. 'More importantly, we need the support of all citizens,' he said. The hotline was established by national security police in November 2020, four months after Beijing imposed national security legislation in Hong Kong following the anti-extradition protests and unrest. Tang said since the national security law took effect, police have arrested 326 people over offences related to national security. Among them, 165 people have been convicted. The security law 'filled a gap in Hong Kong's legal system to safeguard national security,' but 'hostile forces continue to seek opportunities to harm our country and the SAR, ' he said. In an interview published by state-backed media outlet Wen Wei Po on Thursday, Tang said in Cantonese that 'the work of safeguarding national security is only ongoing, with no end in sight.' Tang added that Hong Kong authorities closely cooperate with mainland Chinese authorities in safeguarding national security. 'Truth' of 2019 protests Thursday's ceremony also saw the opening of an exhibition marking the fifth anniversary of the national security law's implementation. Located in the Hong Kong Museum of History, the exhibition features the 2019 protests and unrest, as well as laws and regulations related to national security. Paul Lam, the city's justice minister, said during the ceremony that the exhibition shows the 'historical truth' of the 2019 protests, and is a 'vivid demonstration' of the importance of safeguarding national security. HKFP saw on Thursday afternoon that the entrance of the exhibition hall was decorated with the names of various social movements in Hong Kong. A short film on the 2019 protests and unrest was also being screened. Protests erupted in June 2019 over a since-axed extradition bill. They escalated into sometimes violent displays of dissent against police behaviour, amid calls for democracy and anger over Beijing's encroachment. Demonstrators demanded an independent probe into police conduct, amnesty for those arrested and a halt to the characterisation of protests as 'riots.' Some have criticised Hong Kong authorities' characterisation of the 2019 protests as 'black-clad violence,' 'colour revolution,' and 'insurrection,' and accused the government of using the movement to justify new security legislation.
HKFP
13 hours ago
- HKFP
Lawbreakers to be ‘held accountable,' China says as US airs support for activist Joshua Wong after nat. security charge
China's foreign ministry office in Hong Kong has slammed the United States for voicing support for jailed activist Joshua Wong after he was charged under the national security law, accusing Washington of 'blatantly interfering' in the city's affairs. The Office of the Commissioner of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Hong Kong on Wednesday expressed 'strong disapproval and firm opposition,' after Washington said it 'strongly condemns' a second national security charge levelled against Wong. Wong, who is serving a four years and eight months jail sentence over conspiring to subvert state power under a Beijing-imposed national security law, was hit with a foreign collusion charge last week. The 28-year-old activist – one of Hong Kong's most prominent pro-democracy figures – stands accused of conspiring with self-exiled activist Nathan Law to request foreign countries to impose sanctions or engage in hostile activities against Hong Kong or China. 'Hong Kong is a society governed by the rule of law, where lawbreakers must be held accountable,' a spokesperson for China's foreign ministry office in Hong Kong said in a statement, describing Wong as an 'anti-China element.' 'The Hong Kong police acted lawfully in handling anti-China forces, and the judiciary delivered fair rulings – this is entirely legitimate,' the spokesperson said. 'The US has repeatedly used 'human rights' and 'freedom' as pretexts to back its pawns, exposing its malicious intent,' the spokesperson added. 'Unjust sentence' Earlier this week, a spokesperson for the US State Department criticised the charge against Wong. He faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment if convicted. 'Wong is already serving an unjust sentence under vague national security charges simply for engaging in peaceful political activity,' the US spokesperson told US state-funded outlet the Voice of America (VOA) on Monday. The activist was among 45 convicted last year under the national security law in a case linked to primary elections in 2020. 'This tragic assault on Hong Kong's future – including the future of Joshua Wong and other activists languishing in custody or exiled for defending their fundamental freedoms – only proves Beijing never meant to keep its promises to maintain Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy and civil liberties,' the US spokesperson said. 'We call on Beijing and Hong Kong officials to stop using bogus national security laws to target Hong Kongers, release all political prisoners, and drop these outrageous charges against Joshua Wong,' the spokesperson added. 'Erroneous slanders' In a statement issued on Wednesday night, the Hong Kong government also strongly condemned 'some Western countries, anti-China organisations and anti-China politicians… for making erroneous slanders and smears.' 'As the legal proceedings of the case involving Joshua Wong Chi-fung are still ongoing, it is inappropriate for any person to comment on the details of the case,' a Hong Kong government spokesperson said. The city judiciary exercises its power independently and defendants are entitled to ac fair trial, the Hong Kong spokesperson said. 'We are appalled by irresponsible remarks of some countries, organisations or individuals that seemed to suggest that people with certain political beliefs should be immune to legal sanctions,' the spokesperson added. Int't NGOs condemn charge The Hong Kong government statement came after international NGOs criticised the new charge against Wong. 'This latest charge against him underscores the authorities' fear of prominent dissidents and shows the lengths they will go to keep them behind bars for as long as possible – in so doing, continuing a chilling effect on civic activism in the city,' Amnesty International's China Director Sarah Brooks said in a statement last week, after Wong was brought to court to face the new allegation. 'While imprisoned under one trumped-up charge, Joshua Wong has been suddenly slapped with yet another as the authorities appear intent on keeping one of Hong Kong's most influential democracy leaders behind bars. This decision is arbitrary, cruel, and outrageous,' Maya Wang, associate China director at Human Rights Watch, said in a separate statement. Wong has already spent over 1,600 days in prison since being remanded in custody in November 2020 over an unauthorised assembly charge. He pleaded guilty to conspiring to subvert state power in the city's largest national security case and was sentenced to four years and eight months in jail last November. Beijing inserted national security legislation directly into Hong Kong's mini-constitution in June 2020 following a year of pro-democracy protests and unrest. It criminalised subversion, secession, collusion with foreign forces and terrorist acts – broadly defined to include disruption to transport and other infrastructure. The move gave police sweeping new powers and led to hundreds of arrests amid new legal precedents, while dozens of civil society groups disappeared. The authorities say it restored stability and peace to the city, rejecting criticism from trade partners, the UN and NGOs.
