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HKFP
15-05-2025
- Politics
- HKFP
Hong Kong legislature to form subcommittee to oversee new updates to Article 23
Hong Kong's legislature will form a subcommittee to oversee two new pieces of subsidiary legislation under the city's homegrown national security law, appointing the same roster of lawmakers who oversaw its passage last year. The decision was made during a Legislative Council (LegCo) meeting on Thursday morning, just two days after Hong Kong enacted the new subsidiary laws under the city's domestic security law, also called Article 23, including the imposition of a maximum jail term of seven years for disclosing investigations by Beijing's national security office. The government also announced on Tuesday that six sites occupied by Beijing's Office for Safeguarding National Security (OSNS) in Hong Kong were designated as 'prohibited places' under Article 23. At the Thursday meeting, which lasted just under seven minutes, House Committee chair Starry Lee quoted a letter from Secretary for Security Chris Tang, referring to 'escalating geopolitical tensions' and risks of national security threats emerging 'all of a sudden.' Lee, as well as the other lawmakers who presented their views at the Thursday meeting, supported the legislation, saying that there was a pressing need for the legislative work on the two new laws to be completed. Lawmaker Chan Kin-por recommended setting up a subcommittee in relation to the two pieces of subsidiary national security legislation, suggesting that it comprise the same 15 lawmakers who oversaw the passage of Article 23 last year. 'The two articles are made under the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance. In order to maintain continuity, I suggest that the chairperson, deputy chairperson, and members of the Safeguarding National Security Bills Committee be on the subcommittee,' he said. According to LegCo records, the bills committee was chaired by veteran lawmaker Martin Liao, whom the government previously said had 'facilitated the smooth passage of a number of important bills' in the legislature, including the domestic security law. Legislator Gary Chan of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong is the deputy chair of the subcommittee. Also on the subcommittee are lawmakers Regina Ip, Tommy Cheung, Stanley Ng, and Holden Chow. The two subsidiary law changes were enacted on Tuesday under a 'negative vetting' procedure, allowing them to be first published in the gazette before being formally brought to the legislature for scrutiny. According to the legislation gazetted on Tuesday, anyone who discloses any information related to the measures and investigations by Beijing's Office for Safeguarding National Security (OSNS) in Hong Kong can face a fine of up to HK$500,000 and imprisonment for up to seven years. Anyone who provides false or misleading information to the office is also liable to conviction and can be punished with a maximum fine of HK$500,000 and a jail sentence of up to seven years. Separate to the 2020 Beijing-enacted security law, the homegrown Safeguarding National Security Ordinance targets treason, insurrection, sabotage, external interference, sedition, and theft of state secrets and espionage. It allows for pre-charge detention of up to 16 days, suspects' access to lawyers may be restricted, and penalties can involve up to life in prison. Its legislation failed in 2003 following mass protests, and it remained taboo until 2024 when it was fast-tracked at the city's opposition-free legislature.
South China Morning Post
14-05-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong Legco to hold special meeting for subsidiary security legislation
Hong Kong lawmakers will hold a special meeting to discuss new subsidiary legislation for the city's domestic national security law , after a minister called on them to expedite the oversight process. The Legislative Council's meeting schedule on Wednesday showed that its House Committee would hold a special one-day session on the morning of the next day following a government request, paving the way for the creation of a bills committee to proceed with scrutinising the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance's subsidiary legislation. The new legislation came into force after its gazettal on Tuesday, just a day after the government unveiled the proposals. Authorities also issued an order designating six premises under Beijing's national security office in the city as 'prohibited places'. Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung earlier wrote to Starry Lee Wai-king, chairwoman of Legco's House Committee, urging her to fully support the government's legislative work and consider holding a special meeting. He stressed that the national security risks faced by Hong Kong could come 'suddenly and unpredictably'. 'Hong Kong has the responsibility to complete the legislative work surrounding the subsidiary legislation as soon as possible, as well as to expedite the relevant work under the principle of 'the sooner, the better,'' Tang wrote.
RTHK
07-05-2025
- Business
- RTHK
Law relaxing Victoria Harbour reclamation ban passed
Law relaxing Victoria Harbour reclamation ban passed The government said the new laws provide a more solid legal basis for improving the harbourfront. File photo: RTHK Lawmakers on Wednesday approved legal changes that relax a general ban on reclamation in Victoria Harbour. Before changes to the Protection of the Harbour Ordinance, any reclamation in the harbour is forbidden unless it is proven to have an "overriding public need". After the change, a new system will be set up such that the Chief Executive in Council is empowered to make the call on whether or not large-scale reclamation for roads and infrastructure satisfies such a need. Developers will also need to present reports to the public. Harbour improvement works smaller than 0.8 hectares will be allowed, such as the construction of ramps, spaces for boat repairs and wave-absorbing infrastructure. Temporary reclamation works smaller than three hectares will also be possible, provided they are completed within seven years, and have gone through stakeholder consultations and obtained government approvals. Development chief Bernadette Linn said officials will still protect the harbour while allowing projects that improve the harbourfront to take place. "We hope that through the streamlined mechanism, we will be able to promote more works that will benefit the public," she said inside the Legco chamber. "This bill will give us a more solid legal basis for improving the harbourfront so that we can build a harbour that we can all be proud of." The vast majority of lawmakers who spoke supported the change, saying the public will in future be able to enjoy the harbourfront quicker – because improvement works will no longer be subject to lengthy procedural delays. The DAB's Starry Lee described the change as a milestone achievement that would lift restrictions on harbourfront development, allowing the people to reach the shore across different districts easier, rather than only fragmented segments of it. The Federation of Trade Union's Bill Tang supported the bill but said officials should narrow down the definition of "harbour" protected by the law. He called on officials to reconsider his proposal that places like Rambler Channel and Kai Tak shouldn't be considered as part of Victoria Harbour that needs special protection. Third Side lawmaker Tik Chi-yuen, meanwhile, abstained from voting, saying he has grave reservations that the new system will allow the chief executive to vet reclamation proposals made by his or her own governments. Linn stressed in response that officials will make proposals based on existing laws, and people who oppose future reclamation plans can still file a judicial review.
