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2024
Secretary for Justice Paul Lam and Deputy Secretary for Justice Cheung Kwok-kwan today attended a consultation session to listen to views and suggestions from the legal and dispute resolution sectors on the upcoming Policy Address. About 30 representatives and stakeholders from the sectors attended the session, which was held by the Department of Justice at Justice Place, and was titled “International Legal & Dispute Resolution Services Centre”. The attendees expressed their professional views, put forward suggestions, and held discussions with the officials on how to enhance Hong Kong’s competitiveness as an international legal and dispute resolution services centre, and further leverage the advantages of its common law system. Mr Lam said the representatives proactively offered their insights on promoting Hong Kong’s status as an international legal and dispute resolution services hub, with a view to advancing Chinese modernisation and the joint construction of foreign-related rule of law in the country.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has stated that the conviction of all three defendants in a case involving seditious publications signifies that justice has been firmly upheld. The District Court found Stand News editors-in-chief Chung Pui-kuen and Lam Shiu-tung, and Best Pencil (Hong Kong) Limited – the company that operated Stand News – guilty as charged. In a statement, the Hong Kong SAR Government said that any individual or organisation that incites hatred and engages in acts and activities endangering national security can never escape sanction under the law. In its verdict, the court stressed that the ideology of Stand News was that of “localism”, which excluded China. It said Stand News became a tool to smear and vilify the central authorities and the Hong Kong SAR Government during the “anti-extradition amendment bill” incidents. The court found that the Stand News articles concerned in the case attacked the National Security Law, the Crimes Ordinance, and relevant law enforcement and prosecutorial processes, without any objective basis. It added that articles spread hatred and anti-government sentiment through disinformation, attacked law enforcement, and glorified rioters’ behaviour. The court further held that Chung Pui-kuen and Lam Shiu-tung, while holding chief editorial positions at Stand News, had knowledge and approved of the seditious intent of the articles. It found that as a publishing platform, Stand News operated with the intention of inciting hatred against the central authorities and the Hong Kong SAR Government, as well as hatred against the administration of justice. The court highlighted that according to the International Covenant on Civil & Political Rights, the media and its personnel must – when publishing opinions, information and articles – observe and discharge “special duties and responsibilities”, including the protection of national security, public order, public health and morals. The court also cited decisions under the European Convention on Human Rights outlining that journalists are entitled to the protection of the freedoms of expression and of the press on the basis that they act in good faith and on an accurate factual basis, and provide reliable and precise information. In its press statement, the Hong Kong SAR Government said the Basic Law and the Hong Kong Bill of Rights guarantee fundamental rights, while clear lines are drawn between unlawful seditious expressions and lawful constructive criticisms under the Crimes Ordinance. The provisions are unambiguous, it said. It added that, as demonstrated in the court’s reasons for its verdict, Stand News completely disregarded objective facts and contravened the “special duties and responsibilities” which journalists must observe under international human rights conventions. It stressed that the claims made by individual media organisations, and by anti-China and destabilising individuals, as well as by foreign politicians and organisations with vicious motives, accusing the court of suppressing freedom of the press in its verdict, are utterly unfounded. Distortion of hatred-inciting words and acts into “journalistic work” is the gravest insult against professional journalists in Hong Kong, the Government said. The Hong Kong SAR Government said it will continue to enforce the law resolutely, decisively and rigorously, with a view to preventing, suppressing and imposing punishment against acts and activities endangering national security.
From July 10, non-Chinese Hong Kong permanent residents became eligible for newly launched travel permits, known as Mainland Travel Permits for Hong Kong & Macao Residents (Non-Chinese Citizens). Among those who have welcomed the new cards are members of the city’s ethnic minority communities, who say the policy gives them more motivation to visit the Mainland and can enhance their sense of belonging to the country. Enthusiastic response Kowloon City District Council member Rizwan Ullah has been assisting individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds in applying for the new travel permits. He calculates that he has helped approximately 600 applicants since the scheme’s launch and typically receives around 15 inquiries per day. Reflecting on the community’s enthusiastic response to the cards, he said: “Many more people will apply, and when they see others posting on social media about their visits to Mainland China, this will become a push and pull factor.” Mr Ullah, who is of Pakistani descent, was eager to visit the Mainland himself on the day that he obtained his own permit. He and a friend, Mohammad Ilyas, drove to Sheung Shui and then took the MTR to Lok Ma Chau station, where Mr Ullah tried out his new card. “Before we had this travel card, we faced many difficulties,” said Mr Ilyas. “I personally accompanied my friend and waited a maximum of two hours.” For his part, Mr Ullah highlighted that having the permit not only reduces the amount of time he has to queue at boundary crossings but means he no longer has to spend time applying for a visa. Explaining that the convenience offered by the card has kindled his enthusiasm for travelling to the Mainland, he elaborated that it enhances his access to various opportunities there, whether in relation to research, business, tourism or cultural experiences. He said this can also benefit his understanding of the country and strengthen his sense of belonging to it. Greater convenience Mrs Hui, a Hong Kong permanent resident who arrived as an immigrant from Vietnam over a decade ago, immediately applied for the new permit when it became available. She said travelling to the Mainland as a Vietnamese passport-holder tended to be inconvenient. “I tried to visit my husband’s hometown of Chaoshan during Easter and waited over an hour at the Hong Kong West Kowloon Station for the high-speed rail. It was embarrassing because my family and friends had to wait for me.” After receiving her new permit, Mrs Hui said she is more likely to travel to the Mainland with her family, and hopes to explore the country with her daughter. “I would like to take my daughter to Beijing, visit the Palace Museum, walk on the Great Wall, and sightsee in Shanghai. I want her to learn more about the country’s development, culture, and history.”
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government today conducted a drill for the Pilot Scheme for Direct Cross-boundary Ambulance Transfer in the Greater Bay Area, simulating the transfer of patients under the cross-boundary ambulance arrangement. The drill, conducted in collaboration with the governments of Guangdong Province and Shenzhen, ran smoothly in general. It tested the routing of the cross-boundary ambulance between the University of Hong Kong - Shenzhen Hospital (HKU-SZH) and Tuen Mun Hospital and Hong Kong Children's Hospital as well as the immigration arrangements of the ambulance to and from Hong Kong. After departure from HKU-SZH this morning, the designated Shenzhen cross-boundary ambulance travelled to Tuen Mun Hospital via Shenzhen Bay Port and headed to Hong Kong Children's Hospital, before returning to HKU-SZH via Shenzhen Bay Port. Noting that there is no direct cross-boundary ambulance arrangement for the transfer of patients by land between Hong Kong and the Mainland as well as Macau, Secretary for Health Prof Lo Chung-mau said the handover of patients can only proceed at boundary control points under the vehicle-to-vehicle mode. However, he stressed that such a vehicle-to-vehicle mode may pose medical risks to certain patients with special medical needs. “With the further integration of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) and more frequent travelling of residents within the GBA, the Hong Kong SAR Government is determined to rationalise the relevant cross-boundary transfer arrangement which has been an issue of public concern for years,” Prof Lo said. “I am glad that Guangdong and Hong Kong took the lead in conducting a successful drill today through the concerted efforts of the Hong Kong SAR Government, the Guangdong Provincial Government and the Shenzhen Municipal Government to gear up for the official launch of the pilot scheme," he added. Upon reviewing today’s drill arrangement, the Hong Kong SAR Government may conduct another drill with the relevant Mainland authorities if necessary with the aim of launching the one-year pilot scheme within this year.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government said today it strongly disapproves of and rejects biased reporting in a New York Times article on the National Security Exhibition Gallery at the Hong Kong Museum of History. In a statement, it iterated that the article, headlined “A History Museum Shows How China Wants to Remake Hong Kong” carries false and misleading narratives about the gallery. The Hong Kong SAR Government outlined that the National Security Exhibition Gallery is the first thematic gallery in the Hong Kong SAR dedicated to the systematic promotion of national security education, adding that it aims to enhance general knowledge and understanding of national security-related concepts and issues, and to deepen visitors' appreciation of the positive significance of national security. The gallery serves to promote patriotism and affection for the country, fostering a sense of responsibility and ownership among citizens towards safeguarding national security, while also emphasising Hong Kong's unique advantages of being backed by the motherland and connected to the world, the statement added. The Hong Kong SAR Government said the article completely overlooked the large-scale and incessant riots and the failed attempt to stage a “colour revolution” in Hong Kong in 2019, as well as the fact that these attempts devastated Hong Kong’s society, livelihood and economy. It added that the New York Times demonstrated hypocrisy with doubled standards by neglecting to recognise that the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law has allowed livelihoods, economic activities and the city's overall business environment to return to normalcy. The statement emphasised that the newspaper's untruthful reporting on the gallery twists the facts and is completely out of order. After opening to the public on August 7, the number of visitors to it had surpassed 10,000 by the fourth day. Many have found that its contents are comprehensive, detailed, and interactive, and that they cater to visitors of all age groups. The Hong Kong SAR Government stated that the gallery has received very positive reviews from visitors, adding that the exhibition has achieved its aim of enhancing citizens' awareness of the significance of safeguarding national security. It stressed that the gallery will continue to promote national security education, supporting the full and faithful implementation of principle of “one country, two systems” in service of the city's long-term prosperity and stability. The Hong Kong SAR Government added that attempts by foreign or external forces to smear the gallery's positive significance only expose their own weaknesses and are doomed to fail.
Deputy Secretary for Justice Cheung Kwok-kwan will depart for Urumqi, Xinjiang tomorrow to attend the 8th International Mediation Summit and address its opening ceremony. Mr Cheung will return to Hong Kong on August 23.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government today said it opposed Bloomberg’s biased report on the submissions made by some organisations on the proposed legislative framework to enhance protection of computer systems of critical infrastructures, taking the views of the submissions out of context. In a statement published tonight, the Hong Kong SAR Government noted that in the one-month consultation that ended on August 1, it received 53 submissions, in which 52 supported the legislation and made constructive suggestions. The supportive submissions came from organisations such as the Asia Internet Coalition, the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce. The statement pointed out that the proposed legislative framework only concerns protecting the Critical Computer Systems (CCSs) of the Critical Infrastructure Operators (CIOs), which in no way involves the personal data and business information. The Hong Kong SAR Government stressed that relevant legislation already exists in other jurisdictions, such as the Mainland, Macau SAR, the US, the UK, Australia, the European Union and Singapore. It indicated that information technology (IT) is one of the sectors to be regulated under the proposed framework, revealing that IT or IT related sectors are also regarded as critical infrastructures in the relevant legislation in other jurisdictions, such as the US, Australia and Singapore. Only individual organisations, instead of the entire IT sector, having regard to four factors, will be designated as CIOs to be regulated under the new regime, the Hong Kong SAR Government added. These factors are: implications on essential services and important societal and economic activities in Hong Kong if there was damage, loss of functionality, or data leakage; level of dependence on information technology; importance of the data controlled; and degree of control on the critical infrastructure. The Hong Kong SAR Government said that the proposed legislation does not have extraterritorial effect. The Commissioner’s Office will only request information accessible to CIOs and will allow reasonable time for preparation. Furthermore, it stated that CIOs have the responsibility of properly responding to cyberattacks. Only when a CIO is unwilling or unable to respond to an incident on its own would the Commissioner’s Office consider applying to a Magistrate for a warrant to connect to the CCSs or install programmes in the CCSs. Such applications are made in view of necessity, appropriateness, proportionality and public interest. Relevant regulators in other jurisdictions, such as Australia and Singapore, also have similar powers. The Hong Kong SAR Government emphasised that it has been engaging, and will continue to engage all industry stakeholders in formulating the legislative regime and the related Codes of Practice.