The following is issued on behalf of the Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region: ​April 15, 2024 (Monday) is the National Security Education Day. The Committee on S… read more
Attention duty announcers, radio and TV stations: Yellow fire danger warning The fire danger situation today (April 14) is yellow and the risk of fire is high. People are urged to prevent fires breaking out and hiker… read more
Attention TV and radio duty announcers: Please broadcast the following special announcement as soon as possible, and repeat it at suitable intervals: A vegetation fire broke out in the vicinity of Kau Keng … read more
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government today (April 13) strongly condemned the United States (US) and Canada for smearing the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance (the Ordinance) under the pretext of the so-called foreign travel advice updates that the risks of travelling to Hong Kong would increase after the Ordinance comes into effect. It is a political manoeuvre with fact-twisting and scaremongering remarks to spread panic.
A spokesman for the HKSAR Government said, “The offences endangering national security stipulated by the Ordinance target acts endangering national security with precision, and define the elements and penalties of the offences with clarity. The prosecution has the burden to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the defendant had the actus reus and mens rea of an offence before the defendant may be convicted by the court.
“The US and Canada themselves have laws safeguarding their national security. Extraterritorial effect for the offences under the Hong Kong National Security Law and the Ordinance fully aligns with the principles of international law, international practice and common practice adopted in various countries and regions. It is both necessary and legitimate, and is also in line with those of other countries and regions (including the US and Canada) around the world. It can be seen that the national security laws of various countries, including the US, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and the Member States of the European Union, also have extraterritorial effect under the ‘personality principle’ and the ‘protective principle’. In formulating the extraterritorial effect under the Ordinance, we have already taken into account the principles of international law and international practice of state jurisdiction, as well as the nature of the offences.
“We must emphasise that the HKSAR law enforcement agencies have been taking law enforcement actions based on evidence and strictly in accordance with the law in respect of the acts of the persons concerned. The claims of ‘arbitrary enforcement’ and ‘wrongful detention’ completely disregard the facts. The HKSAR Government strongly opposes the countries concerned for attempting to achieve their political goals by means of intimidation, interfering with the legitimate exchanges of members of the public and the business sector.
“As a matter of fact, the HKSAR Government has always welcomed ordinary travellers and businessmen (including travellers and businessmen from the US and Canada) coming to Hong Kong. They will not conduct acts and activities endangering national security and will not unwittingly violate the law, and therefore have no reason to be worried. Moreover, both the Hong Kong National Security Law and the Ordinance clearly stipulate that the rights and freedoms enshrined in the Basic Law, as well as the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights as applied to Hong Kong, are to be protected in accordance with the law.”
“The Hong Kong National Security Law and the Ordinance are laws defending against external forces that endanger our national security, strengthening the protection for our home. Only intruders trying to plunder and loot will not want Hong Kong to safeguard our country in accordance with the law. The HKSAR Government strongly urges the relevant countries to stop their attempts to interfere Hong Kong in safeguarding national security in accordance with the law by deploying such political tactics as updating the so-called foreign travel advice,” the spokesman reiterated. read more
To support the National Security Education Day, the Immigration Service Institute of Training and Development (ISITD) held an open day today (April 13), drawing the participations of over 4 000 citizens. The Immigration Department (ImmD) aimed to raise the national security and law-abiding awareness of members of the public through the open day’s activities, including introduction and demonstrations of the ImmD’s daily work, exhibitions and guided tours, interactive try-out sessions as well as booth games, etc. The ImmD also highlighted its values and mission by showing dedication to preventing and defending against national security risks as well as tightly guarding the country’s southern gateway.
The ISITD set up various exhibition and game booths to interact with the public, introducing the technologies used in detecting suspicious documents, work of counter-terrorism and tactical equipment, etc. Members of the public were allowed to try out training facilities, including a mock immigration clearance hall and a simulated flight cabin, to facilitate their understanding of the multifaceted work and performance of the ImmD. A series of activities have successfully revealed the unflagging efforts made by the ImmD in safeguarding national security and securing the stability and prosperity of Hong Kong, which have also motivated members of the public to jointly assume the obligations to safeguard national sovereignty, unification and territorial integrity.
The Immigration Department Youth Leaders Corps (IDYL) also set up a booth to promote cultural security to the public. Understanding that it is essential to safeguard cultural security through embracing the Chinese culture, the IDYL members not only demonstrated Chinese tea artistry at the scene and promoted Hong Kong’s local specialty snacks, but also showcased the basic skills of Cantonese Opera and introduced Chinese dances by producing short videos, in the hope of promoting the diversified Chinese culture and stressing the importance of safeguarding cultural security to the public on all fronts. Their determination to take on the inheritance of Chinese culture was clearly displayed.
The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, accompanied by directorate officers of the ImmD, attended the open day to visit exhibition booths and watch performances with members of the public. The Immigration Band took the lead to play multiple pieces of uplifting music and performed a spectacular band drill. As this year marked the 10th anniversary of President Xi Jinping’s proposal of the Holistic Approach to National Security, the Departmental Contingent held flags printed with the Five Essential Elements of the Holistic Approach to National Security to perform Chinese-style foot drill, as well as lined up to form a pentagon symbolising the Five Co-ordination Tasks of the Holistic Approach to National Security. Besides, the Emergency Response Team of the Castle Peak Bay Immigration Centre demonstrated how to handle emergencies professionally and promptly with the use of various firearms and anti-riot equipment, which showcased the ImmD’s response capabilities to deal with incidents that endangered public security.
On the same day, the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung, also visited exhibition booths, interacted with members of the public and cheered for the members of the Immigration Service.
