Latest news with #HongKongNationalSecurityLaw
RTHK
an hour ago
- Politics
- RTHK
Police warn of app endangering national security
Police warn of app endangering national security The National Security Department says members of the public should not download the "Reversed Front: Bonfire" mobile app. File photo: RTHK National security police on Tuesday warned that the mobile app 'Reversed Front: Bonfire' has been deemed to be seditious and those who have downloaded it or provided funds to its developer may be in breach of the National Security Law. In a statement, the force's National Security Department said the app 'was released under the guise of a game with the aim of promoting secessionist agendas such as 'Taiwan independence' and 'Hong Kong independence'.' It added that the app advocates armed revolution and the overthrow of the fundamental system of the People's Republic of China, and it's designed to provoke hatred towards the central authorities and the Hong Kong SAR government. Individuals or groups who knowingly publish the app or related content, including sharing or recommending it to others via the internet, police warned, may be committing the offences of "incitement to secession" and 'incitement to subversion' under the Hong Kong National Security Law, as well as "offences in connection with seditious intention" under the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance. 'Those who have downloaded the application may be regarded as in possession of a publication that has a seditious intention,' the statement said. 'A person who provides pecuniary or other financial assistance or property to the application developer, including making payment through in-app purchases, with an intent to provide funding to the relevant developer for the commission of secession or subversion, also commits an offence,' police added. Using powers under the National Security Law, with the approval of the Secretary for Security, the National Security Department said it had disabled the app's ability to send out electronic messages. Police also said people who have downloaded the application should uninstall it immediately.
Japan Forward
3 days ago
- Politics
- Japan Forward
China's Apology for Tiananmen Massacre Still Matters 36 Years On
June 4 marked the 36th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre. On that day, the Chinese communist regime used its military forces to suppress students and other supporters of the democracy movement gathered peacefully in Tiananmen Square. Numerous deaths and injuries took place in that public space that marked the heart of Beijing. China's communist government has characterized the protests as a "counter-revolutionary uprising." And it has tried to repress the very memory of the bloodbath by suppressing freedom of speech among the Chinese people. The website of Tiananmen Mothers, a group made up of members of families of the victims, once again in 2025, has called for the truth to be revealed and for those responsible to be held accountable. It calls the event "the most horrific massacre in the world, perpetrated by the government and politicians of the time." Memorial rallies continue to be held annually worldwide. However, they have remained effectively banned in Hong Kong since the Hong Kong National Security Law took effect in 2020. Older family members of the victims are dying off one by one, and it's sad to contemplate their profound despair. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has an inbred compulsion to violate human rights and hide the truth. We cannot condone that. Xi Jinping's administration must make the facts about the Tiananmen Massacre public and apologize to the victims and their families. The Xi administration is now attacking the "America First" ideology of the Donald Trump administration. Specifically, Beijing is pointing to US tariff policies while claiming to act as a defender of the global order and "uphold international fairness and justice." The hypocrisy of the Xi administration's stance is staggering. In the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Tibet, and Hong Kong, the Xi administration has thoroughly suppressed human rights. China's coercive actions have also intensified in the East and South China Seas. Beijing is aiming to change the status quo by force in those regions to gain maritime dominance and annex Taiwan. In Taipei, Taiwan, the lights at a memorial rally are the shape of "8964" (1989 June 4), the date of the massacre. (©Sankei by Yoshiaki Nishimi) This anniversary of the June 4 tragedy should serve as a reminder to the world that the CCP's inhumane and authoritarian nature remains unchanged from 36 years ago. Especially worrisome is the conciliatory stance that Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's Cabinet seems inclined to pursue toward China. From appearances, the governments of Japan and China are of one mind in wanting to promote a mutually beneficial strategic relationship. But aren't our leaders being taken in by Beijing's current smile diplomacy? Predictably, Beijing is making overtures towards Tokyo designed to gain China's advantage in its confrontation with the United States. However, a look beyond the capital reveals another truth. Recently, a helicopter took off from a China Coast Guard vessel, violating Japanese airspace around the Senkaku Islands (Ishigaki City). But the Ishiba administration's response was hesitant. As well, we must not forget the blunder made by the Japanese Cabinet in office at the time of the Tiananmen Massacre. That Cabinet parted from other democracies and opposed joint international sanctions after the incident. Tokyo instead argued that it would be inappropriate to force China into international isolation. Since then, China has used its accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) as leverage to dominate the global market and build up a mammoth military. Japan also bears some responsibility for that. The Ishiba administration should once again call on China to reveal the truth about what really happened in Tiananmen Square. As things stand, it is out of the question for Xi to visit Japan as a state guest. (Read the editorial in Japanese .) Author: Editorial Board, The Sankei Shimbun
RTHK
12-05-2025
- Politics
- RTHK
Subsidiary legislation to beef up national security
Subsidiary legislation to beef up national security The government says the proposed subsidiary legislation will not confer any new powers on the Office for Safeguarding National Security. File photo: RTHK The government on Monday proposed new subsidiary legislation to Hong Kong's home-grown national security law to better enable authorities to safeguard national security and address threats amid a 'complicated geopolitical situation.' In a paper to the Legislative Council, the Department of Justice and the Security Bureau said certain premises used by the Office for Safeguarding National Security (OSNS) – which oversees national security efforts in the SAR – should be declared as "prohibited places" as soon as possible. Officials said this would accord 'appropriate protection' to the OSNS against unauthorised entry 'in order to minimise national security risks, in particular risks associated with acts of espionage.' Private residences would not be affected, the paper said, nor will the declaration 'cause any unreasonable impact on the surrounding community.' New subsidiary legislation to the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance would also make it an offence to resist or obstruct the OSNS in performing their duties, lying to its officers, impersonating them or forging office documents. The government proposes that those found in breach would face up to seven years in prison and a maximum fine of HK$500,000. Officials also noted that under the 2020 Hong Kong National Security Law, the OSNS may exercise jurisdiction over national security cases if local authorities aren't able to effectively enforce the law, if there's a major and imminent threat to national security, or if the case is complicated due to the involvement of a foreign country or external elements. In such cases, any government department or civil servant would be required to provide the office with "all necessary and reasonable assistance, facilitation, support, backing and protection in accordance with the law and in a timely manner," the paper said. The administration also proposes prohibiting anyone who knows or suspects that the national security office is handling a case "from disclosing to any other person any information relating to that investigation without reasonable excuse or lawful authority". However, authorities stressed that the OSNS would only seek to exercise control over 'a very small number of cases that are of a serious and egregious nature and involve a significant impact.' The paper also said "the subsidiary legislation will not confer any new powers on the OSNS, nor will it affect the lives of the general public and the normal operation of any institution and organisation." The government said the declaration of the office's premises as prohibited places would be made 'as soon as possible', while the subsidiary legislation would be published in the gazette and be tabled at the Legislative Council for negative vetting at the earliest possible time.
Epoch Times
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
Hong Kong Drops to Lowest Category in Press Freedom Rankings
An annual index of press freedom has for the first time placed Hong Kong alongside mainland China in its worst 'very serious' category. Hong Kong scored 39.86 out of 100—the lowest score for the former British colony on record—in the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) 2025 World Press Freedom Index. Published on May 2, the index shows that RSF pointed out that at the judicial level, since the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) forced the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law (NSL) in 2020 to suppress independent voices, Hong Kong's press freedom has experienced an But its vague definition of the crimes mean that the NSL could apply to any journalist reporting on Hong Kong, regardless of whether they reside in the city. The crime of 'incitement' has also been widely used to prosecute journalists. Addition of 'espionage,' 'stealing state secrets,' and 'external interference,' through the enactment of the 'Safeguarding National Security Ordinance' in 2024 further expanded the legal threats faced by journalists. RSF also mentioned that most of Hong Kong's major media are currently owned by pro-Beijing camps, while owners of independent media face political pressure. Two major independent media outlets in Hong Kong, Apple Daily and Stand News, were forced to cease operations in 2021 and had their assets were frozen by the SAR government. Related Stories 4/8/2025 4/2/2025 'Stand News' is a well-known online media in Hong Kong. It was once ranked first in credibility in a Apple Daily used to be one of the best-selling newspapers in Hong Kong. Its founder, As for security, RSF mentioned that before 2014, it was quite safe to work as a journalist in Hong Kong. But in recent years, there have been cases of journalists being arrested and subjected to violence at the hands of some police. In 2024, the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) stated that dozens of their members were subjected to organized harassment. RSF has been publishing its Press Freedom Index since 2002. Hong Kong's ranking has gradually declined from 18th in the world in 2002 and once fell to 148th in 2022, although its score then was still considered 'difficult' at 41.64 points. It was only in 2025 that Hong Kong's press situation was downgraded to the 'very serious' situation category for the first time in the city's history, despite ranking slightly higher. Mainland China ranked 178th this year, third from the bottom among 180 countries and regions, with 113 journalists imprisoned. It scored 14.8 out of 100. China, under the communist party's rule, is Meanwhile Taiwan, which is a liberal democracy, ranks high at
