Pro-democracy camp warns of wider power of new security law
Revisions to proposed new security laws will make it easier for the Hong Kong government to ban organisations with links to sister groups outlawed on the mainland on national security grounds, pro-democracy lawmakers have argued.
A new mechanism for banning organisations would effectively impose the mainland's system on Hong Kong, with the government being able to ban local groups that are 'subordinate' to banned mainland organisations, they claim.
'Subordinate' is defined as a Hong Kong organisation which solicits or accepts substantial funding from a mainland organisation, or is directly or indirectly under the direction of the mainland organisation, or has its policies determined by the mainland organisation.
During a Legislative Council Bills Committee meeting, lawmakers scrutinising the controversial legislation also voiced fears that the amended Societies Ordinance would become a 'tool of suppression.'
Such a tool could be used against any local group organising peaceful protests in support of labour or democracy movements on the mainland.
As part of the process of enacting national security laws based on Article 23 of the Basic Law, the government has proposed amending the Societies Ordinance.
Under the amendment, where a local organisation has or is attempting to commit treason, secession, subversion, sedition or spying, or is 'subordinate to' a banned mainland organisation, the secretary for security may ban it if 'he reasonably believes that the proscription is necessary in the interests of national security and is proportionate for such purpose'.