The following is issued on behalf of the Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region:

     â€‹April 15, 2024 (Monday) is the National Security Education Day. The Committee on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (the National Security Committee) will hold an opening ceremony of the National Security Education Day in the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre that morning.

     The Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council Mr Xia Baolong, together with all the leading officials of his office in Beijing, will attend the opening ceremony of the National Security Education Day via video link. Director Xia will officiate at the ceremony and deliver a keynote speech.

     The Chairman of the National Security Committee and Chief Executive of the HKSAR, Mr John Lee, expressed a warm welcome to Director Xia for attending the opening ceremony of the National Security Education Day online with all the leading officials of his office.

     Mr Lee said, "The National Security Education Day of this year is particularly meaningful for Hong Kong. This year marks the 10th anniversary of a holistic approach to national security put forward by President Xi Jinping. It is also the first National Security Education Day after the HKSAR has accomplished its mission under Article 23 of the Basic Law, and the first National Security Education Day after the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance took effect."

     "The prevailing geopolitics has become increasingly complex, and national security risks and threats remain imminent. The means taken to endanger national security can come in many different forms and persist, and the threat can emerge all of a sudden. The public should remain vigilant. The Safeguarding National Security Ordinance requires the HKSAR to promote national security education and to raise the awareness of abiding by the law through public communication, guidance, supervision and regulation. The activities of the National Security Education Day organised by the National Security Committee help raise the awareness and the sense of responsibility for safeguarding national security among Hong Kong citizens, reminding them of staying alert to national security risks," said Mr Lee. 

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 hikers should also be vigilant.

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 Shan in Tuen Mun at 6.29pm yesterday (April 13). The Fire Services Department is conducting a firefighting operation.

     Members of the public who are being affected by the smoke and an unusual odour carried by the wind are advised to close their doors and windows and stay calm.  

     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.

     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.